Upcoming
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(All events on Oahu, unless noted)
2009
November
Aloha
State Championship
of Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu
(BJJ & Sub Grappling)
10/10/09
NAGA
Hawaii
(BJJ/Sub Grappling)
(Hawaii, Tentative)
August
Hawaiian
Open Championship
of Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu
(BJJ & Sub Grappling)
6/27-28/09
OTM's 2009
Pac Sub
(Gi & No-Gi competition)
(Blaisdell Exhibition Hall)
6/6/09
Quest for Champions 2009 Tournament
(Sport Pankration, Sub Grappling)
(Kalani HS Gym)
6/4/09 - 6/7/09
World
JJ Championships
(BJJ)
(California State University Long Beach, Long Beach, CA)
5/16/09
KTI's Scrappa Lifestylez
Scrapplers Fest
(BJJ/Submission Grappling)
(Kauai)
5/9/09 - 5/10/09 &
5/16/09 - 5/17/09
Brazilian Nationals JJ Championships
(BJJ)
(Carson, CA)
5/9/09
15th Grapplers Quest Las Vegas
(BJJ/Sub Grappling)
(Las Vegas, NV)
5/2/09
Uprising MMA
(MMA)
(Maui)
May 2009
Abu Dhabi World Submission Wrestling Championships
(Sub Grappling)
(Tentative)
4/18/08
NY
International JJ Championships
(BJJ)
(Rio de Janeiro, Brazil)
4/11/09
Hawaiian
Championship of Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu
(BJJ & Sub Grappling)
(Kaiser High)
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)
3/27/09
Tiger Muay Thai Competition
(Muay Thai)
(Tiger Muay Thai Gym, Sand Island Road)
3/21/09 - 3/22/09
$30k Grapplers Quest/Fight Expo/Make a Wish Weekend
(BJJ/Sub Grappling)
(Del Mar, CA)
NAGA US Nationals
(BJJ/Sub Grappling)
(Georgia)
3/14/09
Hawaii Amateur Pankration Association: "Hit and Submit"
(Pankration & Muay Thai)
(O-Lounge Night Club, Honolulu)
NAGA Vegas
(BJJ/Sub Grappling)
3/7/09
UFC 96
(PPV)
(Columbus, OH)
Grapplers Quest Beast of the East
(BJJ/Sub Grappling)
(Wildwood, New Jersey)
2/27/09
X-1 World Events
NEW BEGINNING"
(MMA)
(Maui War Memorial Gym, Wailuku, Maui)
2/21/09
Destiny
(MMA)
(Filcom Center, Waipahu)
UFC 95
(PPV)
(London, England)
2/15/09
X1 World Events
Temple of Boom: Fight Night III
(MMA)
(Palolo Hongwanji)
2/8/09
IWFF
Submission Wrestling Tournament
(No-Gi)
(IWFF Academy, Wailuku, Maui)
2/7/09
4th Annual Clint Shelton Memorial
(Boxing)
(Palolo Gym)
Manup and Standup
(Kickboxing)
(Kapolei Rec Center, Kapolei)
UFC Fight Night
(PPV)
(Tampa, FL)
1/31/09
UFC 93 BJ vs GSP
(PPV)
(MGM Grand, Las Vegas, NV)
1/30/09
MMA Event
(MMA)
(Schofield Barracks)
1/24/09
Eddie Bravo Seminar
(BJJ)
1/17/09
UFC 93
(PPV)
(Dublin, Ireland)
1/10/09
MAT ATTACK Jiu-Jitsu & Submission Grappling Tournament
(Sub Wrestling)
(Lihikai School, Kahului, Maui)
1/3/08
Uprising - Maui
(MMA)
(Paukukalo Hawaiian Homes Gym)
Hazardous Warfare - Maui
(MMA)
(Lahaina Civic Center)
|
|
March
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 |
Looking
for a hotel room on Oahu?
Check out this reasonably priced, quality hotel in Waikiki!
For
the special Onzuka.com price, click banner above! |
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Club TV
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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!
|
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information!
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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
"Change
your thoughts and you change your world."
Norman
Vincent Peale
|
SPIKE
RAMPING UP FOR ULTIMATE FIGHTER 10
Spike TV on Friday released information for Season 10 of "The
Ultimate Fighter." Although Season 9 has yet to debut –
it begins April 1 on Spike TV with a live finale on June 20 –
the next season is ready to go into casting.
The
tryouts for Season 10, according to Spike, are slated to feature
not two, but three weight classes. Although no details as to
whether or not three weight classes will actually be featured
in the filming of the series were available at the time of publication,
the Season 10 tryouts are open to middleweights (185 pounds),
light heavyweights (205 pounds), and heavyweights (225 pounds).
Note
that the heavyweight category is capped at 225 pounds, so it
wouldn't be at all surprising if those fighters might be asked
to compete in the light heavyweight category, but that was not
yet made clear by Spike officials.
The
first open casting call for Season 10 is set for April 6 at the
Marriott Seattle Airport in Seattle, Wash. Fighter registration
begins at 8 a.m. PT, tryouts at 10 a.m. PT.
According
to Spike, all applicants must be over 21 years of age, must have
a professional MMA record, and will be required to grapple and
hit pads, so need to dress appropriately and bring all gear with
them.
Source: MMA Weekly
|
Jiu-Jitsu
fills Demian’s pockets in the UFC
The
new ambassador of the Jiu-Jitsu in MMA, Demian Maia has impressed
the world with his great ground game in the UFC. With five victories
by submission in the octagon of the biggest MMA event in the
world, the last over Chael Sonnen, the Brazilian is also filling
his bank account. In the extra bonuses of the event, Demian earned
at four opportunities the submission of the bight bonuses, getting
more than $160 thousand.
"I'm
not the type of guy that spends money easily, my life was always
simple, I don’t like gold necklace and don’t like big
cars. Actually, I reinvest much of what I gain in my training.
To have an idea, until last week I had an old car (2000) and
switched for a 2006, not luxurious", said the fighter, who
is realizing the dream of living near the forest.
Invited
for the Paredão session of the TATAME Magazine March issue,
the black belt spoke about his beginning in fights, how he came
to MMA by Jean Claude Van Damme’s influence, the trainings
with Wanderlei Silva, the best and worst moments of his career,
both in the MMA and Jiu-Jitsu, his relationship with Frank Mir,
a possible confrontation with Anderson Silva and the second victory
at the ADCC championship, in 2009.
Source: Tatame
|
WEC
40 FIGHT CARD CONFIRMED FOR CHICAGO
World Extreme Cagefighting recently confirmed the remaining bouts
for WEC 40: Torres vs. Mizugaki, live from the UIC Pavilion in
Chicago, Ill., on Sunday, April 5. WEC 40 will be televised live
nationally on VERSUS beginning at 9:00pm ET/6:00pm PT.
In
addition to the electric main event between WEC bantamweight
champion Miguel Angel Torres (35-1) and Japanese striker Takeya
Mizugaki (11-2-2), and the 135-pound co-feature clash between
Joseph Benavidez (9-0) and Jeff Curran (31-10-1), nine more exciting
bouts fill out WEC’s inaugural trip to the Windy City.
Before
the co-main events get underway, lightweights Ben Henderson (fighting
out of Glendale, AZ) and Shane Roller (fighting out of Las Vegas,
NV) lock horns in a battle between two accomplished wrestlers.
After making his WEC debut in January with a submission win over
Anthony Njokuani, Henderson looks to continue his rise in the
155-pound division by defeating Roller. Defeating Roller will
be no easy task though. The Tulsa, OK native is a three-time
Division I All-American wrestler and currently riding a five-fight
winning streak. Roller, undefeated in the WEC with wins over
Todd Moore and Mike Budnik, is rapidly climbing the lightweight
ladder and looks to get one step closer to the title with a win
over Henderson.
Brazilian
Raphael Assuncao (fighting out of Marietta, GA) makes his long-awaited
WEC debut when he tackles the well-rounded Jameel Massouh (fighting
out of Milwaukee, WI). Touting a 12-1 record, Assuncao is a feared
145-pound competitor whose arrival spells trouble for the featherweight
elite. Known for his slick groundwork, Assuncao will have his
hands full with former Pancrase star Massouh. A winner of 21
of 25 bouts since launching his professional career in 2005,
Massouh is a well-rounded fighter with a unique blend of knockout
power and submissions.
Undefeated
lightweight Anthony Pettis (fighting out of Milwaukee, WI) makes
his WEC debut against Nigerian-born striker Anthony Njokuani
(fighting out of Las Vegas, NV). Pettis, 6-0 in his two-year
professional career, will face a stern test in the Muay Thai
savvy Njokuani. With a record of 22-0 as a professional kickboxer,
the 6’0” Njokuani is in search of his first WEC win
and hopes to use his potent leg kicks to derail Pettis.
With
three straight victories since losing to then-featherweight champion
Urijah Faber in 2007, the supremely-conditioned Dominick Cruz
(fighting out of San Diego, CA) hopes to entrench himself in
the bantamweight division with a win over newcomer Ivan Lopez
(fighting out of San Diego, CA). Since moving to the 135-pound
weight class in 2008, Cruz has pounded out unanimous decision
wins over Charlie Valencia and Ian McCall. Undefeated at 9-0,
Lopez has taken the bantamweight scene by storm with superior
kickboxing and submission skills. Born in Tijuana, Mexico and
now fighting out of the American Kickboxing Academy in San Jose,
CA, Lopez is looking to make a name for himself in the WEC with
a win over Cruz.
Cub
Swanson (fighting out of Orange County, CA) has stopped 10 opponents
in 15 professional fights with an array of knockouts and submissions.
The 25-year-old looks to continue that impressive streak when
he takes on the precision-punching Diego Nunes (fighting out
of Rio de Janeiro, Brazil). Nunes, a former professional soccer
player and Brazilian Muay Thai champion, looks to extend a streak
of his own, as the 26-year-old seeks score his second consecutive
WEC win in Chicago. Nunes earned a unanimous decision victory
over Cole Province in December.
Fighters
who have had the misfortune of going to the ground with decorated
Brazilian jiu-jitsu artist Wagnney Fabiano (fighting out of Rio
de Janeiro, Brazil) have had a difficult time avoiding the black
belt’s submission attempts. The grappler has won six of
his last seven bouts by submission, including a victory over
Akitoshi Tamura in December. The 33-year-old featherweight contender
will look to earn his eighth straight victory when he battles
similarly gifted grappler Fredson Paixao (fighting out of Las
Vegas, NV). A fellow Brazilian, Paixao is dangerous on the ground
and has won eight of 10 professional bouts.
An
intriguing bantamweight bout pits local product Eddie Wineland
(fighting out of Highland, IN) against submission ace Rani Yahya
(fighting out of San Diego, CA). The 24-year-old Wineland is
a former WEC bantamweight titleholder who boasts competent wrestling
and striking. Those skills will be put on display against Yahya,
who is coming off an impressive first round submission victory
over Yoshiro Maeda last November.
Rugged
135-pound contender Manny Tapia (fighting out of Chino, CA) looks
to rebound from a December loss to champion Miguel Torres when
he takes on Osaka, Japan’s Akitoshi Tamura. Tamura, who
is coming off a hard-fought three rounder with Wagnney Fabiano,
is hungry to gain his first WEC win and will look to use his
submissions and kickboxing to stymie Tapia.
An
intelligent ground and pound specialist, featherweight Cole Province
(fighting out of Edmond, OK) hopes that his collegiate wrestling
background will allow him to outmuscle American Top Team product
Rafael Dias (fighting out of Coconut Creek, FL). Dias, a former
law student who trains at one of the top gyms in the country,
will almost certainly match Province’s ground attack with
a solid grappling game of his own. With both fighters searching
for their first WEC wins, the Province-Dias clash has the potential
to be a war.
Source: MMA Weekly
|
STRIKEFORCE
KICKS OFF SHAMROCK VS. DIAZ
To
many fans outside of California, Strikeforce is a new entity
in mixed martial arts, another of the also-rans to the juggernaught
that is the Ultimate Fighting Championship.
But
that perspective comes from a lack of information, and is shattered
by the new partnership between Strikeforce, Showtime, and CBS.
The partnership – which also including Strikeforce corporate
partner Silicon Valley Sports and Entertainment, the parent company
of the NHL San Jose Sharks – kicked off a new era for Strikeforce
in Hollywood, Calif., on Thursday.
Strikeforce
CEO Scott Coker introduced himself by filling everyone in on
the strength of the backbone that runs through the company.
Having
promoted his first martial arts fighting contest more than 20
years ago, in 1985, Coker opened acknowledging past accomplishments
before quickly moving forward.
"Over
the years, we've had great fighters, great fans," he said,
before singing the praises of Silicon Valley. "Recently,
we have taken in a new family member. Without them, I would not
be here today. They are truly the inner structure, the backbone
of Strikeforce. The name of this company is Silicon Valley Sports
and Entertainment."
But
as strong as the backbone is, Coker realizes that the attraction
of any promotion is the product that is put forth to its audience.
And he believes that Strikeforce has turned a corner here as
well.
"With
the combined rosters that we have today, we are going to be able
to put on the best fights in the history of Strikeforce. I really
believe that this is a new era that has begun for us. We'll be
able to put on fights that will go down in history." Adding
that there is a facet of mobility that accompanies the expanded
roster. "I think we've already had some amazing fights up
in the Bay area, now we'll be able to take those fights all over
the country."
Silicon
Valley Senior Vice President Jim Goddard backed Coker's statement,
explaining that they are part of a network that includes more
than 50 arenas across North America, including a majority of
the NBA and NHL arenas across the U.S.
Coker
was quick to point that, in the short term, the company will
be happy to focus on North American shows on the Showtime Network,
international and pay-per-view events are on tap, but taking
the backburner right now.
"I
think there will be a point where we do go international, but
I think we have our hands full doing what we're going to try
and do for the next 16 fights. So we're going to focus on the
North American tour and then in the next 15-months, we'll reevaluate,"
he stated.
"How
I feel about the pay-per-view business is, you do the fights
on pay-per-view when the fights are relevant and the fans want
to see the fight. Now (with Showtime and CBS) we have a platform
to build the stars to make the fights that we want to build relevant
and then go into that business. I'd say it's going to take us
another 10 to 12 months to get to that point."
For
those that have seen other promotions enter the MMA fray trying
to go head-to-head with the UFC, only to fail, time and again,
Coker has no worries. He has been around the block, not incurring
the run-ins with the MMA giant that others have, and he has no
intentions of starting now.
"We've
been doing this 24 years now. We have a good business operation.
We know how to run a successful martial arts fight company,"
he stated. "We're going to continue doing what we do, we're
not going to try to go out of our box."
NICK DIAZ:
"I HATE PLAYING BALL!"
Mixed
martial arts is a sport that can be a big surprise to the uninitiated.
Sports fans that are used to the posturing of many other sports,
particularly boxing, are sometimes surprised to see fighters
shaking hands or hugging after they've just got done punching,
kicking, and choking each other for three brutal rounds. And
they surely don't expect to see the two combatants hanging out
in the bar later, as often happens.
Don't
worry, for those of you that aren't quite used to the niceties
that go on between fighters in MMA, Nick Diaz will make you feel
right at home. His mantra is right in line with what you're used
to.
"If
I'm fighting you, I'm not gonna like you." Plain and simple.
He's
preparing to step into the cage with the legendary Frank Shamrock
on April 11, a man that he has trained with in the past. Pay
that no heed; he stays true to form, even with Shamrock... or
perhaps particularly with him.
"I
definitely don't like Frank for the same reasons that other people
don't like Frank. I'm sure I have a few reasons why I don't like
him. Those are probably my own reasons," he told MMAWeekly.com.
Typically,
Diaz' reasons don't run as deep as they appear to with Shamrock.
It's usually a simple matter of Darwinism.
"They're
gonna take this money home and try and provide for their family
and I want to do the same," he relays, playing no favorites.
"As soon as you signed the paper to fight me you (expletive)
up."
That
may not be the professional way to express his take on the situation...
the classy way. Diaz couldn't care less. He's used to those who
look down their nose at him.
"Nobody
has class here, we're cage fighters. We fight in a cage, throw
elbows," he states matter-of-factly. "All this classy
stuff is sort of derived from us trying to get this sport out.
They've done their job. That's not my job to make this sport
look like it's not warfare, like it's a tennis match, because
it's not.
"All
this stuff is doing is taking the technical aspect out of the
sport and making us play ball. And I (expletive) hate playing
ball."
Suffice
it to say, Diaz isn't likely to play ball when he and Shamrock
step into the cage on April 11 when Showtime makes its Showtime
debut.
Source: MMA Weekly
|
GSP
TRAINER GREG JACKSON TALKS GREASEGATE
World-renowned
trainer Greg Jackson is Vegas-bound on Tuesday, ready to make
his case to the Nevada State Athletic Commission when they review
the controversial fight between St. Pierre vs. Penn at UFC 94.
The
Jan. 31 main event turned into a lightning rod for debate when
commission officials caught St. Pierre cornerman Phil Nurse applying
Vaseline to the welterweight champion’s chest and back during
the fight. Nurse had the lubricant on his hands when he performed
a procedure culled from holistic doctor Steven Friend, affectionately
called the “witch doctor” by Jackson when the controversy
broke out.
Since
then, the two camps have dissected the intent of Nurse’s
behavior in documents submitted to the NSAC. Last week, Penn
made his grievances formal, filing a twenty-page document with
the commission that outlined his allegations on the incident,
including new points on St. Pierre’s actions before the
fight.
The
March 17 meeting promises no resolution to the matter, but it
will be the first public review of the polarizing situation.
Jackson
hasn’t been summoned to speak by St. Pierre or his representatives
– though St. Pierre’s camp plans on giving a “presentation”
for the committee – but he’s going anyway. As a trainer
to MMA stars, reputation is everything, and he intends on defending
his camp.
“Just
say what I’ve always said, basically,” he told MMAWeekly.com
of his plan. “There was no intent there to cheat. I’ve
never cheated on a fight in my life.
“I
work really hard. I’m not too smart, so I’ve really
got to work hard at it. Put game plans together, get these guys
prepared, work with these other coaches. Do all this other stuff,
and just to say I’m going to throw all that out the window
and grease somebody is not right.”
The
trainer still doesn’t have any ill will towards Penn, despite
accusations levied at Jackson, Nurse, and St. Pierre that they
conspired to “grease” St. Pierre in the much-hyped
rematch.
“I
really like BJ Penn, I think he’s an amazing fighter,”
Jackson continued. “I’m sorry it’s come to a formal
complaint, but I’ll just defend myself the way I will. But
I have nothing against BJ or his camp.”
Looking
back at the incident, Jackson says he doesn’t have any regrets
about what happened that night.
“It
is what it is,” he said. “You can’t really regret
something you didn’t do.”
He
will, however, do his part to speak his truth when the regulatory
body meets.
Source: MMA Weekly
|
MARQUARDT
READY FOR TITLE SHOT, WILL WAIT
The dominance of UFC middleweight champion Anderson Silva cannot
be denied. The defending titleholder has dispatched of all challengers,
but one fighter that previously lost to Silva could be the most
dangerous match-up for the Brazilian left on the horizon.
That
fighter is Nate Marquardt.
After
a stunning performance in his last fight, a win over Wilson Gouveia
at UFC 95, Marquardt is again sitting dead center for the debate
of who should get a shot at the winner between Anderson Silva
and Thales Leites, two fighters the Colorado native has dealt
with before.
Silva
and Leites are set to do battle in the main event of the Ultimate
Fighting Championship's return to Montreal at UFC 97.
Marquardt
says that his post fight comments after the win over Gouveia,
in which he stated that he was a completely different fighter
from the person who lost to Silva in 2007, were completely correct,
and while he's not sure of the UFC's plan for his next fight,
he has to believe a title shot isn't far off.
"I
can't imagine that they're not talking about it," Marquardt
commented about a title shot recently during an appearance on
MMAWeekly Radio. "Do I think or even know that I'll get
the spot, I don't know. To be honest I'm just happy with the
way things are going right now and I'm going to continue to improve
and work on things."
Patience
is the key according to Marquardt who will gladly keep knocking
off top contenders until it's his time to challenge for the 185-pound
gold once again.
"When
the time comes I'm going to be ready," said Marquardt. "I'm
ready now, but if it doesn't happen for a couple more fights,
I'll be happy with that and if I get the shot right away I'll
be happy."
The
Colorado based fighter continues to work and train full time
alongside his teammates at Greg Jackson's school, and he knows
that the UFC will make things right for him, when the time is
right.
"Whatever's
in God's plan and whatever the UFC (wants)," stated Marquardt.
"The UFC is a great company to fight for and they know what
they're doing so I think when they say it's time, it will be
time."
Source: MMA Weekly
|
Lyoto:
“Anderson would knock Fedor out"
Earning
the title shot at UFC 98, against Rashad Evans, Lyoto Machida
convoked by TATAME Magazine to analyze one of the main fights
of the dream card prepared by TATAME’s March issue. In the
cover report of this edition, we set ten incredible fights, that
unfortunately never happened or never will
Pointed
as the best pound for pound fighter in the world, Anderson Silva
doesn’t know what is a loss for nine fights, meanwhile Fedor
Emelianenko remains undefeated for eight years, time in witch
he got 26 victories and one no contest. To end with the questions
of who really is the best, we asked some MMA specialists, how
would the a fight between them (at 231lbs catchweight), and Lyoto
Machida bet in the Brazilian. “Anderson has much more technical
quality than Fedor, He’d knock him out”, said Machida.
On
the other hand, Conan Silveira, American Top Team’s leader
and one of the most experienced in MMA, don’t see any chances
for the Spider in this fight. “Fedor is way more strong
and explosive. Besides loving Anderson, I can’t see any
result on this fight besides Anderson being knocked out”,
bets Silveira.
Source: Tatame |
José
Aldo waiting for the next “step”
It's
getting more difficult to find opponents for Jose Aldo at WEC.
After knocking out each of the four fighters who step in the
octagon against him, the Nova União athlete waits for
the confirmation of his next fight at the American event. In
conversation with TATAME, the fighter spoke about his last victory,
against Chris Mickle, at the WEC 40. "I thought it was good,
it was one more step that I went up, now we’ll wait for
the other. I'm working and going in the right way".
Still
without disputing the belt of the category, which has big names
like Mike Brown, Urijah Faber, Wagnney Fabiano, Leonard Garcia
and Jens Pulver, Aldo remains on hold, without hurry. "Now
I think we will face another tough guy, because the next event
(with title fight) is already confirmed with Faber and Mike Brown,
then I think we’ll do one more fight and, winning another,
we’ll fight for the belt", said Aldo.
Source: Tatame
|
Arona
and the plans for ADCC 2009
Once
the confirmation that Ricardo Arona is back to the ADCC 2009,
the TATAME went after one of the greatest fighters in the competition,
who was excited with the return. "It is very important to
fight the ADCC because I was some time away from MMA and competitions,
and it was in ADCC that I started my professional life, after
I won my first ADCC. It is matter of honor, because I’m
unbeaten and is the best start to return", said Arona, at
the time. But, with the competition being postponed without a
date, the fighter runs so that he doesn’t lose the training
rhythm.
"This
confuse my plans a little, because I wanted to return to Abu
Dhabi and everything was perfect. I was aware of the possibility
of the event be postponed and that changes my plans a little.
I received contracts for events of MMA and I’ll have to
make a choice, I don’t want to be without a fight until
there", said the fighter. "I'll see if I return to
do MMA before that", said the fighter, in conversation with
TATAME.
Source: Tatame
|
Quote
of the Day
“We
have too many high sounding words, and too few actions that correspond
with them.”
Abigail Adams
|
AOKI
VS. SAKURAI TO HEAD DREAM WELTERWEIGHTS
Dream appears ready to kick off its first Welterweight Grand
Prix in a big way, pitting No. 1 ranked lightweight Shinya Aoki
– who has several past welterweight bouts to his credit
– against former Top 10 ranked Hayato "Mach" Sakurai.
MMAWeekly.com sources confirmed the planned bout on Friday.
The
bout is the first known match-up of the opening round of the
tournament and should be a popular choice for the fans in Japan.
Both fighters are popular, successful fighters with strong followings
in their home country.
Aoki
enters the April 5 bout less than a month removed from his most
recent victory. He submitted American David Gardner in the first
round of their March 8 bout at Dream 7, which also served as
the launching pad for the opening round of the promotion's Featherweight
Grand Prix.
Having
bounced back and forth between lightweight and welterweight in
recent years, Sakurai most recently saw action on New Year's
Eve. He TKO'd Katsuyori Shibata in the first round of their K-1
Dynamite!! bout at the Saitama Super Arena in Saitama, Japan.
The
April 5 bout, at Dream 8, will take place at Nippon Gaishi Hall
in Nagoya, Japan.
Source: MMA Weekly |
CHARGES
FILED IN DEATH OF TAPOUT FOUNDER MASK (UPDATE)
The Orange County District Attorney on Friday morning filed charges
against Jeffrey David Kirby in relation to the car accident that
killed Charles "Mask" Lewis, the founder of popular
mixed martial arts clothing company Tapout.
A
statement from the Orange County DA's office stated that Kirby
is a second-time drunken driver and accused of killing Lewis
and injuring his girlfriend, Lacy Lynn White, when Kirby crashed
his Porsche into Lewis' Ferrari, causing it to slam into a light
pole. The Ferrari split in half upon impacting the pole.
Kirby,
51, of Costa Mesa, Calif., is charged with one felony count of
vehicular manslaughter by unlawful act with gross negligence
while intoxicated, one felony count of driving under the influence
causing bodily injury, and sentencing enhancements for fleeing
the scene of a vehicular manslaughter and causing great bodily
injury to multiple victims. He has a prior conviction for driving
under the influence in 2002.
Kirby
faces a maximum sentence of 19 years and eight months in state
prison if convicted. He is currently being held on $2 million
bail and is scheduled to be arraigned Friday afternoon in Newport
Beach.
Kirby
is accused of speeding alongside a 2004 Ferrari driven by the
45-year-old Lewis, of Huntington Beach, losing control of his
car due to his unsafe speed, and crashing into Lewis’ vehicle.
Lewis
then lost control of his Ferrari, which crashed into a cement
light pole. The Ferrari was torn in half. Kirby is accused of
swerving and coming to a stop for several seconds before accelerating
and fleeing the scene.
Lewis
was trapped inside the front half of the Ferrari, which had to
be dismantled in order to remove him. He was pronounced dead
at the scene.
Lewis’
23-year-old passenger, Lacy Lynn White, was ejected from the
car and landed on the nearby dirt embankment. She was transported
to Western Medical Center to be treated for a fractured elbow
and several lacerations and abrasions. She is currently in stable
condition, according to the Orange County DA statement.
After
fleeing the scene, Kirby allegedly parked his Porsche on a nearby
side street. A responding Newport Beach Police officer spotted
the car and saw Kirby and a passenger from his car, 32-year-old
Lynn Marie Nabozny, walking away. Both were then apprehended.
Kirby
is accused of emitting an odor of alcohol, slurring his speech,
and having bloodshot and watery eyes. He was arrested at the
scene. At approximately 3:00 a.m., two hours after the crash,
Kirby is accused of having a blood alcohol level of 0.13 percent.
Nabozny was arrested for public intoxication and later released.
As
stated, Charles "Mask" Lewis was one of the founders
of Tapout. The company began as an effort of a small group of
friends that had a passion for mixed martial arts and its fighters.
From its humble beginnings, selling t-shirts out of the back
of a car, Tapout has grown alongside the sport itself. Registering
$29,000 in sales in 1999, according to The Press-Enterprise,
Tapout's sales reportedly rose to $25 million by 2007 and were
projected to be more than $100 million in 2008.
Mask
– along with cohorts Dan "Punkass" Caldwell and
Skyscrape – was an extremely popular figure in the mixed
martial arts world, a site rarely missed at most major MMA events.
UFC
president Dana White told Neil Davidson of the Canadian Press,
"You couldn't meet a nicer guy, a more friendly, outgoing
guy, a more loyal guy (than Mask). He really was a good person.
He's one of the pioneers, one of the legends of this sport.
"This
guy was selling T-shirts out of the trunk of his car and when
we first got involved with the UFC, we met them. We really liked
them. We liked their energy. They were good people and we got
together and we started doing all this grassroots marketing together
– the UFC and Tapout. They were very loyal to us and we
were very loyal to them.
"And
it sucks to see a guy who has worked so hard his whole life,
to finally make it and break through, and then have something
like this happen to him."
In
his online blog, Tapout's Punkass said goodbye. "To my best
friend in the world, you'll be forever missed, but always remembered."
(UPDATE
5:30 p.m. PT) Kirby's arraignment was later changed to March
27 and his bail reduced to $500,000. His bail includes the conditions
that he is not allowed to consume alcohol or operate an automobile.
As of the time of publication, Kirby remained in custody.
Source: MMA Weekly |
Cobrinha
confirmed at Pan
Featherweight champion shooting for third Pan gold
Three
time world champion and winner of the last two Pan-American championships
Rubens “Cobrinha” Charles confirmed he will be looking
to make it three, as he has announced his presence at the 13th
Pan event, to take place from the 27th to the 29th of March,
in California.
With
high spirits after having received the first stripe on his black
belt over the weekend, Cobrinha is determined and realistic about
the task at hand.
“I’m going for my third. I know it won’t be easy,
or better yet, never has been. But I’m confident in what
we’re doing here in Atlanta, at Alliance headquarters,”
he said to GRACIEMAG.com today. Check out what more the featherweight
ace had to say in the video below.
And
be alert, as tomorrow, the 14th (Saturday), is the first deadline
for signing up for the Pan-American tournament. After tomorrow
the US$82 sign-up fee will be raised to US$ 98 till the final
deadline of the 21st. Click here to sign up
What
do you expect from the 2009 Pan? How are you feeling?
I
expect the best since I’m training as though I were going
for my first title. I’m feeling great; I’ve been managing
to improve some aspect of my game with every day. Of course I
can’t do it on my own, I have Romero Jacare’s experience
to draw on.
How
important do you feel the Pan is on the Jiu-Jitsu calendar?
I
feel the Pan’s just as important as the Worlds. I also feel
it’s good preparation for the Worlds.
You
were Pan-American champion in 2007 and 2008. This year you’ll
be going for your third. How are you dealing with that idea?
In
the best way possible, which is to train and try and constantly
improve so as to avoid surprises. I’m certainly shooting
for a third. I know it won’t be easy, or better yet, it
never has been. But I’m confident in the work we’re
doing here in Atlanta, at Alliance headquarters.
How
have you been training for this championship?
My
training’s been going excellently, I have no complaints.
I have excellent training partners here in Atlanta. This week
some more kids from Brazil are flying in to help me work on the
finishing touches.
Is there any special moment you cherish from the 2007 and 2008
Pans?
I’ll
never forget the 2007 Pan, it was the first time I’d gone
to the USA, when I was invited to teach a seminar at Alliance
in Atlanta with celebrities like Fabio Gurgel and Marcelo Garcia.
After that I received a proposal from Romero Jacare to help him
teach at his gym in Atlanta. It was one of the greatest things
that could have happened to me at that time. 2008 was sad, but
it was also important, because two weeks before the Pan I injured
my knee. I wasn’t likely to compete, but I had the moral
backing of Fabio and I managed to overcome it. Or better still,
we won it.
In
closing, what are your plans for 2009? Do you have any new projects
you are excited about?
My
plan in 2009 is to carry on attaining good results in competitions.
This year there’s the ADCC. I’m hopeful I will get
an invite.
Source: Gracie Magazine |
Kron
back in Pan as black belt
The Gracie has won the traditional championship four times in
other belt
Kron
Gracie is one of the gi-clad stars to have confirmed to GRACIEMAG.com
that he will be competing in the Jiu-Jitsu Pan-American, to take
place at the California State University Dominguez Hills, between
the 27th and 29th of March.
The
black belt is coming into the competition with high hopes, as
he took first all four time he competed in it. Last year he stood
out as a brown belt in the championship and earned a place on
the cover of GRACIEMAG. “In 2008 I won at weight and open
weight,” he says with pride. “But I don’t know
what it’ll be like now at black,” he remarks.
With
his Jiu-Jitsu on the rise, Kron won his first black belt title
at this year’s European Championship, in Portugal. Besides
having the luxury help of Jiu-Jitsu legend father Rickson Gracie,
Kron is well accompanied as far as training goes where he lives,
in San Diego, California.
“My
training partners are tough. I’m training with my students,
and with Saulo and Xande Ribeiro. My father will arrive Monday
to train with me too,” said the young talent in closing.
Source: Gracie Magazine |
SHIELDS
TALKS CHANGE OF HEART
Jake Shields has a lot of eating to do.
The
former EliteXC welterweight champion says he’s “ripped”
at 180lbs., a byproduct of his preparation for Joe Riggs at “Shamrock
vs. Diaz” on April 11. But when an opportunity to face former
Elite middleweight champion Robbie Lawler in May, he shifted
gears.
“Nothing
against Riggs, he’s a great fighter, I just feel like his
last few fights have been fifty-fifty, and I was never too excited
about it,” Shields tells MMAWeekly.com. “I let Scott
Coker know that I wasn’t too thrilled about the fight, but
I would do it if that’s what he wanted, so he said he’d
look around a little bit. He called me back last week and asked
me what I thought about Lawler. I said, ‘yeah, let’s
do it.’
Shields
has previously suggested a move up to the 185lb. division, and
was once rumored to fight Matt Lindland for Affliction’s
postponed “Day of Reckoning” last October. But the
challenge of facing Lawler, a fighter who can end nights quickly
with his hands, was too good to pass up.
“He’s
top five ranked in most of the rankings in middleweight, and
I’m top five ranked in welterweight in most of the rankings,
so it’s a big challenge,” he says. “A lot of the
fights lately, part of it is that it gets me motivated. It’s
just hard to get yourself motivated day in and day out. Lawler,
he’s a dangerous guy. If I don’t show up ready, he
can knock me out. It’s something that gets me excited. I
have a real fight on my hands.”
He’s
having trouble scarfing down the seven meals a day his strength
and conditioning coach wants him to eat.
“There’s
no way I’m going to get up to weight, but hopefully I can
put on five, six pounds of solid muscle,” he says.
Nevertheless,
he doesn’t believe his size will play a big factor in the
fight.
“I’m
competitive right now,” he says confidently. “I train
with 185 pounders all the time. I feel I could tap anyone out.
Obviously, Lawler’s a guy who can knock anyone out, but
I think I’m capable of giving up my weight and tapping out
any 85 pounder in the world.”
And
therein lies the not-so-secret plan. While the two compete in
a sport of many disciplines, they have made their names for different
things; Lawler has heavy hands, and Shields, great submissions.
“I
think everyone knows; it’s a typical striker versus grappler,”
he says. “I want to take him down and submit him, he wants
to try and take my head off. But anything can happen, it’s
not like I’m going to not throw punches, he might take me
down. You never know what’s going to happen.”
Shields
has one fight remaining on his Strikeforce contract after the
May fight, and while the UFC continues to be a long-term goal,
he’s content to be back in action.
“Scott
Coker’s being really good to me,” he says. “I
said I wanted a bigger fight than Riggs, then he gives me Lawler
in the main event. So right now I’m pretty happy with Strikeforce.
But again, for a while I’ve wanted to go and fight some
of the top welterweights in the UFC.
“I
hate sitting around; I get bored. Luckily, I just opened a gym,
so I was concentrating on that, but now, I’m ready to go
out there and fight.”
Source: MMA Weekly
|
SYLVIA
TALKS HUNTING AN MMA RETURN VIA BOXING
If you weren’t very familiar with former Ultimate Fighting
Championship heavyweight titleholder Tim “Maine-iac”
Sylvia, you might be surprised to find out that during his time
away from the sport he would rather be 20 feet off the ground,
hiding in a tree in the crisp Midwestern winter than on some
beach in a tropic paradise. But that’s what he does.
An
avid hunter, Sylvia has spent much of his time wearing camo and
stalking prey, since his most recent fight in July of last year.
“I
had a really good hunting season,” he exclaimed. “As
a lot of people know, I’ve got a hunting company, TST Outdoors
and we shot a DVD that we’re selling now. We’ve been
working on that for a few years.”
Not
only have Sylvia’s prospects been good out of the ring,
it appears to be picking up inside the ring as well, as he recently
announced his involvement at Adrenaline 3 to face former Olympic
gold medal winner and WBO world heavyweight champion “Merciless”
Ray Mercer in a boxing match on May 30.
“I’m
just strictly boxing now,” he said of his current training
regiment. “I go to a boxing gym two to three days a week
putting in about 24 rounds.
“It’s
just boxing mitts now, not doing any Thai pads. Nights when we
grapple at a gym, I’ll go in and do strictly boxing conditioning.
When I spar, I’m just bringing some sparring partners in
and boxing for 12 rounds straight.”
Sylvia
explains that not only is he doing this boxing match to keep
busy, but he feels it will be an added benefit to his MMA game
as well.
“I
don’t think it’s going to hurt me in MMA at all,”
he stated. “My hands are getting faster and I’m throwing
more power shots now. I think if anything it’s only going
to help my MMA career.”
After
facing Mercer in the squared circle, it appears that Sylvia will
be headed to the third installment of Affliction, date and opponent
still pending, though most speculation is pointing towards July
or August.
“It’s
still being kind of worked out,” said Sylvia. “They
want me on the card for Affliction 3 – and I want to be
on the card – but we don’t know about opponents or
what’s going to happen yet.”
If
making his professional boxing debut and returning to MMA for
the first time in nearly a year isn’t enough, he will be
making his return to the acting world as well this summer.
“I’m
going to be up in the Boston area shooting a movie called Oxymorons,”
he announced. “I’m one of the main characters and will
be up there for three weeks (filming).”
According
to Sylvia, the film’s name derives from the drug craze surrounding
OxyContin addiction, and how it takes control of people’s
lives and all the bad things that surround it.
If
things go as he predicts, a return to fighting and a myriad of
projects away from the ring has all the makings of a big year
for the “big man” of MMA.
“This
is definitely going to be a busy year for myself in fighting,”
he concluded. “I’m looking to have three fights between
now and the end of summer. I’m getting back in there and
I’m looking to get into title contention in whatever organization
I make a home.
“Thank
you for sticking by me. My MySpace, website and stuff has been
great; fans have been wonderful and they’re anxious for
me to get back in there, and I appreciate it. Thanks to the sponsors
that have stuck behind me and still support me.”
Source: MMA Weekly
|
JASON
GUIDA REPLACES SHAMROCK AGAINST LASHLEY
Following the announcement that Ken Shamrock allegedly tested
positive for banned substances and was subsequently suspended
by the California State Athletic Commission, the search was on
for a new opponent to face Bobby Lashley at the upcoming Roy
Jones Jr. MMA/boxing hybrid fight card on March 21 in Pensacola,
Fla.
The
slot has now been filled as MMAWeekly.com confirmed on Friday
that Jason Guida would step in and face the former WWE superstar
as a part of the card just over one week away. Guida's participation
was confirmed by sources close to the fight.
Jason
Guida – brother of UFC lightweight fighter Clay Guida –
will face Lashley currently riding a three-fight losing streak.
The Illinois native was also a participant on the eighth season
of "The Ultimate Fighter," but was unable to make weight
for his first scheduled match-up at 205 pounds and exited from
the show.
The
former Adrenaline and EliteXC fighter will now get ready for
a major challenge in rising star Bobby Lashley, who will square
off in his second ever professional MMA bout.
Lashley
made a splash on the scene when he left his career as a professional
wrestler with WWE behind to pursue a dream and fight in the world
of MMA. Soon after, the hulking 6'3" monster signed on to
train with the famed American Top Team, and now looks to stay
undefeated when he faces Jason Guida.
The
show on March 21 will feature Roy Jones Jr. in a boxing match,
as well as several MMA fights, including a heavyweight showdown
as former IFL champion Roy Nelson takes on former UFC heavyweight
contender Jeff Monson, a teammate of Lashley's at American Top
Team.
Source: MMA Weekly |
Mark
Coleman offered Stephan Bonnar for UFC 100
UFC Hall of Famer Mark Coleman has been offered a light-heavyweight
fight against Stephan Bonnar for UFC 100 on July 11, reports
Fighters Only Magazine.
Coleman
has accepted and is waiting on Bonnar's decision.
The
43-year-old Coleman lost a decision in his return to the UFC
in January at UFC 93 against Mauricio "Shogun" Rua.
"The
Ultimate Fighter 1" runner-up Bonnar fell in his last fight
to up-and-comer Jon Jones at UFC 94 in January.
Source: MMA Fighting |
Caio
Terra on injured win
Black belt won Abu Dhabi Pro tryouts injured
In
2008 Caio Terra came up spades at the Jiu-Jitsu Worlds, having
conquered the roosterweight title, and the No-Gi Worlds, which
he won as well. The fighter, who has been standing out in competitions
in Brazil for some time, is now drawing wows in the United States.
On February 28th, he won the North American tryouts for the Professional
World Championship in the 65kg weight class, while injured. Check
out the conversation with the Cesar Gracie team instructor in
the United States.
What
was it liking winning the Abu Dhabi Pro qualifiers?
Caio
Terra – Everything was going smoothly for me to compete
at the Abu Dhabi Pro tryouts. I was training for it, but I ended
up fracturing my ankle, I hadn’t trained in a long time.
On the sign-up deadline Comprido (Rodrigo Medeiros) called me
and said he was going to fight injured. I’ve fought injured
and sick several times, but never with a fracture. I had gone
more than a month without doing any exercise whatsoever, I was
sad I couldn’t fight, but Comprido told me I should fight,
so I had to. I didn’t expect much since I was in horrible
shape, weighed much less than my opponents and mainly for one
of my legs being useless, but I went in confident I could do
well because I practice a lot of positions seven days a week
and I knew it would be really hard to surprise me. I was really
happy to have won, I don’t think there are many people who
could do what I did in the shape I was in. It also served to
show me once again how the greater the sacrifice, the more worthwhile
the victory.
Which
competitions are you looking to enter this year?
I
want to compete in everything, as I always did when I lived in
Brazil, but unfortunately I have other obligations like teaching
class and seminars here in the States. So, big championships
aside, it all depends on the date and the availability of sponsors,
but I compete whenever possible. The gi and no-gi worlds and
the Abu Dhabi Pro are my priorities at the moment. My aim this
year is to win the worlds as a featherweight (two categories
above what he usually fights at). I’m was very focused and
decided, but I believe I’ll have to postpone till next year.
I would like to fight at the Pan, but I won’t be back in
training by the date of the event so I’ll have to stay out.
Speaking
of the Worlds, at the last one you had a great fight with Bruno
Malfacine, getting the submission when you were down 16 to 6.
Do you believe he’ll be your big adversary this year?
My
fight with Bruno Malfacine, last year, really was one of the
best of the event, if not the best. I can’t expect an easy
time from him, who’s a technical, agile and quick guy. I’d
love to fight him again, because I know it will be a spectacle.
But I don’t know if I’ll be in the same category as
him at the Worlds. Like I said, I want to compete as a featherweight,
but I still have to work on strengthening my leg, because it’s
half the size of the other one. In four two six months I’ll
be back in training and only time will tell how far I can go.
But, regardless of the category I’ll be in, this year I’ll
surprise a lot of people with some unusual Jiu-Jitsu.
You
also intend to fight in MMA. How’s that going?
I
have plans to fight MMA in the future. I want to dedicate myself
to Jiu-Jitsu and, if all goes well, win more Worlds and mainly
the ADCC first. Sometimes I put on the gloves and bang, especially
since my brother already does MMA. But it’s all just fun,
at the moment I’m 100% focused on Jiu-Jitsu.
How’s
your training going over there in the United States?
I’d
like to thank my students Kim Terra, my brother, and Matheus
Henrique for their help. Even unable to train, we do positions
every day and I’m just as confident in myself as I am about
them. This year the two will win the Worlds and get their black
belts on the winners’ stand.
Source: Gracie Magazine |
Quote
of the Day
“Advice
is what we ask for when we already know the answer but wish we
didn't.”
Erica Jong
|
Fighters'
Club TV Tonight!
Channel
52
NEW TIME of 8:00 PM!
Don't miss
another exciting, or at least semi-exciting episode of Fighters'
Club TV.
Please
spread the word!
|
Driver
charged in death of TapouT founder 'Mask'
Jeffrey David Kirby is facing up to 19 years and 18 months in
jail for his role in the death of TapouT founder Charles "Mask"
Lewis.
The
51-year-old Kirby of Costa Mesa, California was charged today
with felony vehicular manslaughter, drunken driving and leaving
the scene of an accident.
Kirby
registered a blood alcohol level of 0.13 two hours after the
crash, according to a prosecutor in the case. The legal limit
in California is 0.08.
Kirby
has a prior DUI conviction in 2002.
Kirby
is being held on $2 million bail.
Source: MMA Fighting |
Exclusive:
Lyoto talks of title dispute
“My story’s a bit different; I didn’t just come
out of nowhere”
Thursday
was cause for celebration for Lyoto Machida, as learned he will
be getting the shot at the UFC light heavyweight title, now held
by Rashad Evans, he so craved. The about face of the Ultimate
Fighting Championship in giving what would have been Quinton
“Rampage” Jackson’s chance at the belt had to
do with the heavyweight title unification bout at UFC 98 being
nixed, due to an unfortunate training injury suffered by interim
heavyweight title holder Frank Mir.
In
need of a headlining match, the UFC’s organizers opted for
a light heavyweight title challenge and fit in Lyoto where and
over-worked Rampage would have been, had it been scheduled for
a later date.
Shortly
after his title challenge was confirmed, GRACIEMAG.com caught
up with the Brazilian challenger shortly after his lunch, and
he was clearly emotional when shortly after answering the call
stated: “my moment is coming. Maybe yes, maybe no, but my
chance has come at last.” Check out what more the karateka
had to say in the following interview.
How
did you find out about your title challenge being confirmed?
I
found out just a bit before everyone else, I got a call from
my manager saying it was a done deal. I was really happy because
this is the chance I always hoped for and fought for. It’s
a dream that after 15 years is being fulfilled. My moment is
coming. Maybe yes, maybe not, but my opportunity has come. My
story’s a bit different; I didn’t just come out of
nowhere. A lot of folks don’t understand that. Ever since
I saw Royce Gracie fight in the UFC I wanted to do no-rules fighting,
so I prepared myself to be where I now am. I prepared myself
for this situation. I’m not here by chance. That’s
what I want to say. Now is a very important moment for me. A
decisive moment because I’m going to put myself to the test
come May 23, again. But I know this is just a step. My career
will go on. Regardless of what happens I want to continue, if
just because ones objectives change too.
Now
you know about the fight, what will your preparations be like?
What’s the next step?
Ever
since the last fight [against Thiago Silva, at UFC 94] I’ve
only had 10 days of rest. I traveled, went to Hawaii, enjoyed
time with my son and my family and as soon as I got back I started
training again, awaiting the UFC’s position. That’s
always what I do. I train because I like it. Even my wife complains:
‘Geez, you just finished I fight and you’re back at
training already?’ But that’s what I like doing, putting
on the gi, training, both ground fighting and standing. I like
it. So my preparations have already begun.
What
is your impression of Rashad Evans as an adversary?
I
know Rashad’s a super-strategic fighter, is good at wrestling,
good at boxing, and hits real hard. But I’ve already fought
a lot of guys like that. And this is just another fight for me.
I can’t let myself think this is some seven-headed monster,
I’m going to get out there and do my job. I think that’s
what’s important. That’s the mentality that will make
me stronger.
Source: Gracie Magazine
|
SHANE
CARWIN UFC 96 POST-FIGHT: BROKEN NOSE
This
is my final installment of my UFC 96 blogs. I wanted to thank
those of you that have sent me messages of support. I can't mention
you all by name but thanks; MMAWeekly.com has some quality visitors.
Heading
into this fight it was business as usual; we had one best training
camps we have had in a long time. Everything just flowed right
and my coaches did an amazing job getting me ready for a battle.
I can’t really comment enough on what an amazing team Coach
Wittman and Coach Jackson assemble. I do not think it is by circumstance
that they are putting out the level of fighters they are right
now. Coach Wittman has put us fighters as a priority in his life.
He treats us like family and I think the team thrives on that
positive yet driven motivation he brings to the table.
All
that being said, nothing could prepare me for being a Co-Main
Event. In my previous fights, I would arrive around the same
time, but I would really just check-in and then proceed to my
room. No hassles and every now and then I had to go get my pre-fight
interviews and all the basics (we all do pretty much the same
thing) that you see in the production. In between those times
I am cutting weight and making whatever last minute adjustments
we need to make.
This
time I was given a list of interviews that were set, times to
be ready for conference calls, and on top of that, I have my
agency calling with their own interview demands. I was lucky
my wife was on hand to run interference and allow me to retain
some of my sanity. I guess you normally work into this type of
PR hype, but I have kind of skipped a few steps going from undercard
to co-main.
I
read a lot of the press about me and the consensus seemed to
be, "Do I have what it takes to go three rounds, am I being
pushed to far to fast, and what will happen if Gabe gets me down?"
We answered two out of three, and honestly, I have no control
over how long my fights last. As for the other two, I think for
sure I leap-frogged ahead of a lot of talented fighters by defeating
Gabe, and when he took me down, I kept him in guard and got up.
I can assure you, if I have to go three rounds, I will be able
to go three rounds. I won’t lie and say I wish my fights
lasted longer. In 11 fights I have spent less then 15 minutes
in the cage, that is just allowing me more longevity for my career.
The
day of the fight, I felt great. I knew I was there to be tested
and I was just as curious as the rest of you. Gabe Gonzaga is
the real deal; he has gone toe to toe with some of the best and
beat them. For the first time I was certain I was the under dog.
As
the bell rang, I went out and executed the game plan; I wanted
to see if he would stand and trade with me. He crushed my nose
and dazed me a bit. Next thing I know, he has a deep single that
we worked on defending the whole camp and –boom! –
out of nowhere, he sweeps me with an amazing sweep. I have a
black belt on top of me trying to pass my guard and all I could
think of is "get to your feet." When I got to my feet,
I wanted to give him a taste of his own medicine and that was
it. I want to thank Gabe for giving me the opportunity and my
first broken nose.
Since
the fight I have been to the Ear, Nose and Throat specialist
and I have a surgery planned for my nose. Gabe essentially crushed
my nose. I will be out of commission for a few weeks, but it
gives me time to focus on finishing my website (www.shane-carwin.com)
and spend some quality time with the family.
I
wanted to thank my sponsors: Warrior Wear, Grudge Fight Wear,
Muscle Pharm, Xyience, MTX Audio, FullTilt.net, CarnalDammage.com,
Vandal Eyewear, Max Muscle, and Zappos. Lastly big thanks to
Jason Genet from Magnetic Marketing Associates.
Also
if you are interested in being a part of my name, check out the
contest on my website. You just have to post a nickname for me
and if I pick it, I will use it and you will win prize packs
from Warrior Wear and CarnalDammage.com. I will also sign a new
signature tee that Warrior Wear is coming out with and send it
to you.
Source: MMA Weekly
|
UFC
MAKES FOUR MORE UFC 99 BOUTS OFFICIAL
The Ultimate Fighting Championship on Thursday officially announced
the addition of two welterweight bouts, one lightweight bout,
and a heavyweight bout to its UFC 99: Franklin vs. Silva fight
card. The promotion's German debut is scheduled for June 13 at
the Lanxess Arena in Cologne.
First
up, Mike “Quick” Swick will look for his fourth straight
win at 170 pounds when he battles Ben “Killa B” Saunders.
Both are coming off devastating knockout wins last December,
Swick stopping Jonathan Goulet in just 33 seconds, and Saunders
using a ferocious assault of knees to dispatch Brandon Wolff in just one minute and 49 seconds.
And
while Swick-Saunders certainly has knockout of the night potential,
the same can be said for the showdown between “The Irish
Hand Grenade,” Marcus Davis, and Dan “The Outlaw”
Hardy. Fresh off his 69-second knockout of Rory Markham last
month at UFC 95, Hardy hasn’t been shy about his desire
to fight the veteran Davis, who scored a three-round decision
win over Chris Lytle in his last bout at UFC 93 in January. On
June 13th, he’ll get his wish.
Also
added to the UFC 99 card, which is headlined by the highly anticipated
bout between Rich Franklin and Wanderlei Silva, is a lightweight
contest featuring Germany’s Dennis Siver against Dale Hartt,
and an all-European heavyweight match-up between Stefan Struve
and Denis Stojnic.
Source: MMA Weekly
|
BRAD
BLACKBURN VS EDGAR GARCIA AT TUF9 FINALE
A welterweight contest between Brad Blackburn and UFC newcomer
Edgar Garcia is on its way to the The Ultimate Fighter Season
9 Finale at the Pearl Theater in Las Vegas.
A
source close to the fight told MMAWeekly.com that the fighters
had verbally agreed to the June 20 fight and bout agreements
would be signed shortly. FiveOuncesOfPain.com first reported
the bout.
Garcia,
a welterweight import from the WEC, made a huge splash in his
debut for the lighter weight organization, knocking out tough
Japanese veteran Hiromitsu Miura in the first round at WEC 38.
He trains out of Yuma MMA in Arizona and is undefeated in seven
professional appearances.
Blackburn
suffered a neck injury in his winning effort against Ryo Chonan
at UFC 92 and is making his recovery for the fight. The victory
was his highest-profile to date, marking his second consecutive
win in the Octagon since taking his leave from the defunct International
Fight League. He carries a professional record of 13-9 with one
no contest.
The
June 20 card is currently scheduled to feature Diego Sanchez
vs. Clay Guida in the main event of the evening, with Joe Stevenson
and Nate Diaz second billed. A welterweight match-up between
Anthony Johnson and John Howard is also featured.
Source: MMA Weekly
|
CB
Dollaway's next fight on July 11 at UFC 100
CB Dollaway, the runner-up on "The Ultimate Fighter 7,"
will fight on the UFC 100 card on July 11 in Las Vegas.
Dollaway
told MMAFighting.com Friday that he has an opponent but cannot
reveal the name yet.
Dollaway
has won two straight in the Octagon since losing to Amir Sadalloh
in the season finale. Dollaway submitted Jesse Taylor with a
Peruvian Necktie, which earned him Submission of the Night honors,
and then stopped Mike Massenzio at UFC 92 in December.
Source: MMA Fighting
|
Rankings:
Still crowded at the top
With
the top three on the sidelines last month, there were no changes
at the top of the Y! Sports Top 10 pound-for-pound list.
All
18 ballots were the same at the top in February as they were
in January. WAMMA heavyweight champion Fedor Emelianenko and
UFC middleweight kingpin Anderson Silva remained tied at the
top with 163 points. Emelianenko had seven first-place votes
to Silva’s six, but Silva made up the ground with more second-place
votes. Georges St. Pierre again finished third with 160 points
(five first-place votes).
Those
ballots likely will stay the same until Anderson Silva defends
his title against Thales Leites in the main event of UFC 97 on
April 18. With Leites not considered the strongest foe Silva
has faced, the onus is on the champ to put together a decisive
win if he wants to keep his spot at the top.
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.
For
info on the entire Y! Sports MMA Top 10 panel, go here.
10.
Urijah Faber
Points: 19
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: Mike Brown, the man who beat Faber for the title in
November, blitzed Leonard Garcia in his first title defense on
March 1. But he still couldn’t pass Faber in the rankings.
9.
Shinya Aoki
Points: 22
Affiliation: DREAM
Weight class: Lightweight
Hometown: Shizuoka City, Japan
Record: 20-3, 1 no-contest (won last three)
Last month’s ranking: 10
Recent results: def. David Gardner, R1 submission, March 8.
Analysis: Was fed an easy victory in Gardner.
8.
Quinton Jackson
Points: 52
Affiliation: UFC
Weight class: Light heavyweight
Hometown: Memphis, Tenn.
Record: 30-7 (won last two)
Last month’s ranking: 8
Most recent result: def. Keith Jardine, unanimous decision, March
7
Analysis: Rampage has won six of his past seven against a who’s
who of light heavyweights, and he’ll be rested and healed
by the time he finally fights for the light heavyweight title.
7.
Lyoto Machida
Points: 69
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: Will get his well-earned title shot against Rashad
Evans on May 23.
6.
Rashad Evans
Points:83
Affiliation: UFC
Weight class: Light heavyweight (UFC light heavyweight champion)
Hometown: Lansing, Mich.
Record: 13-0-1 (won past three)
Last month’s ranking: 5 (tie)
Most recent result: def. Forrest Griffin, R3 TKO, Dec. 27
Analysis: With one of the most multifaceted games in the entire
light heavyweight division, Evans’ chance at solving the
Machida puzzle seems better than most.
5.
B.J. Penn
Points: 84
Affiliation: UFC
Weight class: Lightweight (UFC lightweight champion)
Hometown: Hilo, Hawaii
Record: 13-5-1 (lost past one)
Last month’s ranking: 5 (tie)
Most recent result: lost to Georges St. Pierre, doctor stoppage
after R4, Jan. 31
Analysis: Penn turned down a UFC 99 date against Kenny Florian
and filed a protest against Georges St. Pierre, suggesting his
mind isn’t yet back on fighting.
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: 4
Most recent result: def. Manny Tapia, TKO R2, Dec. 3
Analysis: Brian Bowles had to drop out of their April 5 match,
so Torres will face Takeya Mizugaki, a Shooto and Cage Force
vet who has been making short work of recent opponents.
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: With Greasegate all but put past him, St. Pierre is
in some much-deserved downtime before preparing for Thiago Alves.
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 (tie)
Most recent result: def. Patrick Cote, R3 TKO, Oct. 25
Analysis: Needs a convincing win over Thales Leites if he’s
going to stay on top.
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: 1 (tie)
Most recent result: def. Andrei Arlovski, R1 KO, Jan. 24
Analysis: Now comes one of those long delays where we wait to
find out who Fedor will face next, where, and in which promotion.
More
•
Votes for others: Mike Brown 19; Thiago Alves 9; Dan Henderson,
Brock Lesnar 6; Forrest Griffin, Andrei Arlovski 2.
•
Upcoming matches for ranked fighters: No. 4 Miguel Torres vs.
Takeya Mizugazi, April 5, Chicago; No. 1 (tie) Anderson Silva
vs. Thales Leites, April 19, Montreal.
Source: Yahoo Sports |
Quote
of the Day
“The
longer I live the more beautiful life becomes.”
Frank Lloyd Wright
|
Hawaii
Amateur Pankration Association
"Hit and Submit" Results!
O-Lounge
Night Club, Honolulu, Hawaii
March 14, 2008
Charlton
Wallace Jr. Freelance VS. Robert Lafredaz Freelance
(150) Pankration
Winner: Charlton Wallace Jr. By Guillotine Choke in 1min 21sec
in Rnd 1
Scott
Kilousky Shoot Fighting HI VS. Chris Perez Knuckle Up
(170) Pankration
Draw After 3Rnds
Chris
Templo Team HK Jiu Jitsu VS. Justin Dulan Freelance
(160) Pankration
Winner: Chris Templo By Kimura in 1min 31sec in Rnd 2
Keoki
Silva Chaos Fight Crew VS. Kelii Ross HMC Team Chinaman
(175) Pankration
Winner: Kelii Ross By Arm Bar in 2min 12sec in Rnd 1
Keithen
Sueno Outcast Fight Club VS. Roy Kaululaau Freelance
(205) Pankration
Winner: Keithen Sueno T.K.O. strikes(Ref.Stoppage) in Rnd 3
Koa
Giddens Combat 50 VS. Makana Vertido Corrupt Ambitions
(205) Pankration
Winner: Koa Giddens By K.O. 6 sec in Rnd 1
Sale
Sproat Relentless MMA VS. Bull-John McCabe Knuckle Up
(185) Pankration
Winner: Sale Sproat By Arm Bar in 35sec in Rnd 1
Keo
Sylva Outcast Fight Club VS. Brandan Lorenzana Freelance
(175) Pankration
Draw After 3Rnds
Charles
Matias Freelance VS. Arick Adriano HMC Team Chinaman
(150) Pankration
Winner: Arick Adriano By Arm Bar in 2 min 11sec in Rnd 1
Ikaika
Sylva Outcast Fight Club VS. Steven Lopes Knuckle Up Fight Club
(185) Pankration
Winner: Ikaika Sylva By Ref. Stoppage in 2min 41sec in Rnd 3
Keoni
Gandy Combat 50 VS. Paul Wright ShootFighting Hawaii
(220) Pankration
Winner: Paul Wright By Arm Bar in 30sec in Rnd 1
Jeremy
Borges Bullspen VS. Dustin Letreta Freelance
(145) Pankration
Draw After 3Rnds
Shaun
Brooks Knuckle Up VS. Ryne Yoshimura HMC Team Chinaman
(140) Muay Thai
Draw after 3Rnds
Sasa'e
Paogofie Outcast Fight Club VS. Cade Philips Freelance
(235) Pankration
Draw After 3 Rnds
Joshua
Gonsalves Bullspen VS. Kelii Palencia HMC Team Chinaman
(135) Pankration
Winner: Kelli Palencia By Arm Bar in 1 min 35sec in 2nd Rnd
|
BROWN
ON SELL STOPPAGE: "I KNEW IT WAS OVER"
Chalk Matt Brown’s rout of Pete Sell up to his grandfather’s
advice.
When
Yves Lavigne’s hands left his waist after dropping Sell,
the referee barking to resume the fight, Brown was as confused
as everyone else.
“I
was like damn, I’ve got to beat him again,” Brown told
MMAWeekly Radio.
But
he also knew time was of the essence.
“I
knew he was still rocked, so I wanted to finish that opportunity
right then. I knew that was my chance, I couldn’t let him
recover. My grandpa would tell me, if you punched a kid, don’t
let him get back up. Because he’s gonna be mad as hell,
then.”
Sell
wasn’t the bully on the block, though. He was a professional
fighter, and he’d gotten his bell rung by the first punch
combination Brown threw.
“In
some ways, I didn’t want to hit him anymore because I knew
it was over,” continued Brown. “Maybe it’s bad,
but I wasn’t concerned about his safety – I just wanted
it to be over.”
So
Brown continued to batter Sell, going to town with knees and
punches as Sell did what he could to survive; first, he hung
on, driving for a takedown; then, he fled the onslaught; and
finally, he fell to the canvas with or without his accord.
This
was where conscience came in.
“I
screamed at him one time,” Brown said of Lavigne. “I
said ‘C’mon!' It was clear to everybody in the world
that he was out, and I didn’t want to hurt him any more
than what was reasonable for the win.”
A
few days removed from the experience, Brown is excited with the
speed of the win, but has to shake his head at how it all went
down.
“It
was just a crazy situation,” he said. “I think Yves
Lavigne is a great referee. I’ve seen him ref a lot of fights
– man, he’s a good referee. He just made a huge mistake
in that one fight. I’m sure he’ll take a lot of crap
for it. But overall, he’s a good referee. But that’s
why refereeing is such a tough job. If Pete Sell gets brain damage,
Yves Lavigne has to live with that his whole life.”
Brown's
training ended up being the perfect piece to Sell’s puzzle.
He had isolated himself from friends and family before the fight,
working at the Warrior Training Center in Las Vegas, where he
was just another guy, not a reality star. He worked tremendously
hard on his Muay Thai skills.
“He
just happened to be the perfect guy to demonstrate that on,”
Brown said. “His style matched up perfectly. I was able
to exploit (his) weaknesses right off the bat.
“It
didn’t feel real. It’s still soaking in now that I
just did that.”
But
he did, and his performance, though it might be remembered more
for what happened after the fight than during, was another step
towards a lasting career.
“The
biggest thing, is that Pete Sell has been around for a while
in the UFC, and to be able to beat him, it really lets the UFC
know I’m legitimate and I’m not just a reality show
guy,” said Brown. “I can fight with good guys. I think
I proved that. Hopefully the UFC sees that.”
Source: MMA Weekly
|
Rashad
Evans signs eight-fight deal with UFC
UFC light-heavyweight champion Rashad Evans will be fighting
inside the Octagon for a very long time.
Evans
revealed on Friday's episode of "Inside MMA" on HDNet
that his new deal with the UFC is for eight more fights.
The
agreement was signed after his title win at UFC 92 "The
Ultimate 2008" over Forrest Griffin and replaces his previous
six-figure contract signed after winning "The Ultimate Fighter
2" competition on Spike TV.
Evans
completed nine out of the ten fights under his previous deal.
Evans
(13-0-1) will make his first title defense against undefeated
Lyoto Machida (14-0) at UFC 98 "Evans vs. Machida"
on May 23 in Las Vegas.
Source: MMA Fighting
|
Seattle
to host 'The Ultimate Fighter 10' tryouts
The UFC will hold a casting call on April 6 in Seattle for contestants
for the tenth season of "The Ultimate Fighter" on Spike
TV.
For
season ten, the UFC is looking for middleweights (185 pounds),
light-heavyweights (205) and heavyweights.
As
a requirement first implemented at "The Ultimate Fighter
9" tryouts, candidates must have a professional MMA record.
Registration
begins 8 a.m. PT and the casting call starts at 10. Fighters
must arrive before 9 at at The Marriott Seattle Airport Hotel,
3201 176th Street, in Seattle, Washington.
Applicants
should dress appropriately to grapple and hit pads and must bring
their own equipment.
"The
Ultimate Fighter 9: US vs. UK," featuring lightweights and
welterweights, will premiere April 1. Tryouts for last season
were held last October in Chicago, Illinois and London, England.
Click
here to download the application
form. Applications must be received by Saturday, April 4.
Source: MMA Fighting
|
Rafael
dos Anjos on opponent Griffin
April first the lightweight to face off against Tyson at UFN
Lightweight
Rafael dos Anjos will have his work cut out for him at the coming
Ultimate Fight Night, this coming April 1st, in Tennessee. The
Gracie Fusion fighter will face Tyson Griffin and, knowing he’ll
have his hands full, had the following to say about his opponent.
“Tyson
Griffin is a very complete fighter. He’s got good standup,
it’s tough to take him down and he’s good at getting
the takedown. I’ve been watching a lot of his fights and
I’m drumming up a good strategy for the fight. Since he’s
so good at remaining on his feet, I’m not going to wear
myself trying to take him down. He’s one tough guy, but
I’m better than ever now,” he commented to Portal das
Lutas, GRACIEMAG.com partner site.
In
his octagon debut, dos Anjos was doing well until taking a stiff
uppercut from Jeremy Stephens at the start of the third round,
defining the fight and interrupting his nine-fight winning streak.
The Jiu-Jitsu black belt knows how important it is now for him
to win, but will be taking care not to make the same mistake
twice.
“It’s
my second shot and I’m really focused, raring to go. I’m
down, lost my first and I don’t want to lose another. I’m
going to go after him in a fight I’m going in to win. I’m
studying his game, with lots of determination and strategy rolled
up in one. I can’t go after him swinging like a madman and
exposing myself. It’s a fight that needs to be well thought
out, but with guts and will,” he said.
Besides
Rafael and Griffin, there are other lightweights in action on
the night, with Ultimate Fighter 8 finalists Efrain Escudero
and Junie Browning facing off against Jeremy Stephens and Cole
Miller, respectively.
“I
respect them all a lot, because they’ve battled to be in
there in the Ultimate Fighter, which was full of tough guys.
Those guys too should be going in full of fire, wanting to carve
out a place for themselves. So they’ll be going to war too,
to kill or be killed,” said the Brazilian, who tells of
how he’s in his final stretch in training.
“I’ll
be doing everything here in Brazil and will travel soon before
the event. This week and the next will be full steam; then I’ll
drop the intensity. I’m still heavy and I’m just starting
to control my diet now. It’s rough, but it will all work
out,” he said in finishing.
Source: Gracie Magazine
|
Lyoto
vs Rashad gains credence
Rashad: “I’ll probably fight Lyoto”
Lyoto
Machida this past weekend went to bed frustrated with the outcome
of UFC 96. With Keith Jardine’s loss to Quinton “Rampage”
Jackson,” the karateka was distanced from his much hoped-for
title challenge. Nevertheless, the factor of the unpredictable
always lurks. And after Frank Mir, who would have faced Brock
Lesnar, suffered a knee injury, the card for UFC 98 had to be
modified.
Without
Lesnar and Mir on the card, as theirs was a title dispute main
event, Dana White was left without a major attraction. As Rampage
would be worn out from having his third fight in six moths, the
American opened the way for Lyoto to step in to test himself
against current champion Rashad Evans, in a light heavyweight
title bout, at UFC 98, on May 23.
In
a statement made to Sherdog.com, Rashad Evans, himself, put in
doubt the possibility of his facing Rampage, who was next in
line after beating Jardine. “From what I can tell, Rampage
needs to take some time off. I’ll probably end up fighting
Lyoto, but I can’t confirm that,” stated the fighter.
Lyoto’s
spirits lifted with the news. “When I saw Rampage beat Jardine,
I felt a bit frustrated. I though: ‘shoot, I’ll just
have to wait.’ But on Monday I heard this news and now I’m
excited about the possibility,” said the karateka to UOL
Esporte. “I was warned that I need to be alert these days.
Rampage is tired and if he can’t step in the ring, the fight
will be mine,” said the fighter.
Rashad,
on his part, showed great interest in the match-up. “That
kid is phenomenal and it could be an even better fight. He looks
better with every fight. I still need to find a weakness in his
armor, something I haven’t found yet. I need to watch his
fights more closely. But Machida’s not unbeatable, everyone
has their weakness,” he said to Sherdog.com.
Source: Gracie Magazine
|
MATT
GRICE VS. SHANNON GUGERTY AT UFC 100
As the UFC prepares for possibly one of its biggest shows of
all time in July, UFC 100 has now added a lightweight bout between
Oklahoma native Matt Grice and Shannon Gugerty. Both fighters
are looking to bounce back from recent losses in the Octagon.
The
fight was confirmed to MMAWeekly.com on Thursday by sources close
to the negotiations.
Matt
Grice returned to the UFC in February after more than a year
off from the sport when the family man took time off to attend
the police academy with the blessing of the promotion. In his
first fight back, Grice lost to Matt Hughes student Matt Veach
in a controversial stoppage in the first round.
Currently
1-2 in the UFC, Grice looks to rebound with a strong performance
in his next fight, as Shannon Gugerty will provide the opposition.
Gugerty,
with a 1-1 record in the Octagon, returns to action after a submission
loss to Spencer Fisher in his last fight at UFC 90 in October
2008.
Training
with fighters such as Dean Lister, Brandon Vera, and Jason Lambert,
Gugerty has a great team at his disposal to get ready for the
fight, but with both fighters coming in off of losses the pressure
will be on to go out and look impressive.
The
fight between Grice and Gugerty will likely end up on the untelevised
portion of the pay-per-view, which will be headlined by two main
events as Georges St. Pierre defends his welterweight title against
Thiago Alves, and Frank Mir and Brock Lesnar look to unify the
UFC heavyweight title.
Source: MMA Weekly
|
PAUL
KELLY VS ROLI DELGADO AT UFC 99 GERMANY
The debut of the UFC in Germany continues to gain steam as well
as add fights. A lightweight tilt has been confirmed for the
UFC 99 card as "Ultimate Fighter" season 8 competitor
Roli Delgado will face Wolfslair fighter Paul Kelly, who will
make his first appearance at 155 pounds for the show.
The
fight was confirmed to MMAWeekly.com by sources close to the
match-up on Thursday.
Roli
Delgado returns to the UFC for the first time since the "Ultimate
Fighter" season 8 finale show when he defeated former housemate
John Polakowski by guillotine choke in the second round.
The
Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu black belt looks to build upon that win when
he faces a very tough competitor in British fighter Paul Kelly.
Just
off the heels of a tough fight against Hawaiian Troy Mandaloniz,
Kelly will make the move to 155 pounds for the first time. The
Wolfslair trained fighter has commented on the move previously
and will now transition to the lightweight class with Delgado
as his first challenge.
There
is no official word on the placement of this bout, but it is
believed to be a part of the undercard for the show. The UFC
99 main event features Rich Franklin vs. Wanderlei Silva at a
catchweight of 195 pounds.
Stay
tuned to MMAWeekly.com for more information on UFC 99 as it becomes
available.
Source: MMA Weekly
|
Quote
of the Day
"The
greatest mistake is trying to be more agreeable than you can
be."
Walter Bagehot
|
Special
Quote of the Day
A powerful quote from Pastor/Dr. Adrian Rogers (1931–2005):
“You
cannot legislate the poor into freedom by legislating the wealthy
out of freedom. What one person receives without working for,
another person must work for without receiving. The government
cannot give to anybody anything that the government does not
first take from somebody else. When half of the people get the
idea that they do not have to work because the other half is
going to take care of them, and when the other half gets the
idea that it does no good to work because somebody else is going
to get what they work for, that my dear friend, is about the
end of any nation. You cannot multiply wealth by dividing it.”
|
Neer,
Pellegrino to Meet at UFC Fight Night 19 on Aug. 5
Ariel Shnerer
Lightweights
Josh Neer and Kurt Pellegrino are expected to face off at "UFC
Fight Night 19" tentatively scheduled for August 5 in Las
Vegas.
The
news comes courtesy of online reports by MMA Junkie and MMA Training.
The
event and aforementioned bout have yet to be officially announced
by the UFC.
Neer
(25-7-1), a 25-year-old member of Miletich Martial Arts under
MMA legend Pat Miletich, is coming off a sizzling second-round
submission of Mac Danzig at "UFC Fight Night 17" last
month. Boasting a UFC record of 4-4, Neer has recorded wins against
Joe Stevenson, Din Thomas and Melvin Guillard, while losing to
both Nathan and Nick Diaz, Josh Burkman and Drew Fickett. Outside
of the UFC, Neer has vanquished the likes of MFC competitor Derrick
Noble and UFC veteran Forrest Petz, while dropping bouts to Spencer
Fisher, Nick Thompson and a stunning knockout at the hands of
Mark Miller in the IFL.
Neer
always comes to put on a show and his last bout against Danzig
won both men an extra $30,000 for "Fight of the Night."
Known as "The Dentist," Neer has a base in wrestling
and muay thai and he should look to keep the fight standing against
a superior submission artist.
Pellegrino
(13-4) is on a roll in the UFC as he most recently trounced Rob
Emerson at "UFC Fight Night 17" via second-round submission.
He is 5-3 in his stint with the promotion, which has included
wins over Thiago Tavares, Alberto Crane, Nate Mohr and Junior
Assuncao. Pellegrino's four losses have come against Pancrase
and Sengoku veteran Satoru Kitaoka, as well as UFC veterans Fickett,
Stevenson and Nathan Diaz.
A
29-year-old native of Point Pleasant, New Jersey, Pellegrino
is well-versed in wrestling much like his opponent. But to his
credit, he is also a BJJ black belt. A two-time Abu Dhabi grappling
tournament veteran, Pellegrino will have the edge on the ground
and he should try to take Neer down to the mat where he has shown
that he can mix in some brutal ground and pound with his submission
attempts.
Neer
vs. Pellegrino is the only bout that has been reported for the
unannounced Aug. 5 card. Reports indicate it will emanate from
Las Vegas, but no venue has been officially determined.
Source:
The Fight Network
|
Shaolin
ready for Dream; but when?
By Guilherme Cruz
Without fighting since the end of 2007, Vitor Shaolin faced some
injuries, but is training for his return to the ring. Still with
no date for a debut at Dream, the Jiu-Jitsu black belt remains
focused in his training at his academy in the United States,
ready to answer Japan’s call. "I’m having good
trainings, there are some guys helping me here and I’ll
fight in the next months, but still have nothing signed",
says.
Despite
not knowing when he returns, the fighter is with a lot of expectation
to fight. "(The expectation) is big, but everything depends
on the managers and owners of the event. I’m some time without
fighting, but I’m ready to return. I haven’t got lot
to do. I’m keeping the weight down to be ready for when
they call me. I'm waiting for my time and I’m hoping some
good news in the upcoming months", concluded Shaolin, in
interview to TATAME.com.
Source:
Tatame
|
Rashad
Evans Vs Lyoto Machida Confirmed
John Pollock
Sources
close to the camp of Lyoto Machida have confirmed to The Fight
Network that Machida will fight UFC light heavyweight champion
Rashad Evans on May 23rd in the main event of UFC 98 in Las Vegas,
Nevada.
Evans
was supposed to fight Quinton Jackson coming off of Jackson's
victory this past Saturday over Keith Jardine in the main event
of UFC 96 but Jackson will be unable to fight that soon after
suffering a hand and jaw injury in the fight.
Source:
The Fight Network
|
Anheuser-Busch
sponsors Miguel Torres, Efrain Escudero
WEC
bantamweight champion Miguel Torres and "The Ultimate Fighter
8" winner Efrain Escudero have signed sponsorship deals
with Anheuser-Busch.
The
two popular Hispanic fighters were named in an announcement Monday
that Anheuser-Busch distributors in South Floria are donating
$20,000 to fund Latino higher education scholarships through
a retail promotion benefiting the Kiwanis of Little Havana Foundation.
Anheuser-Busch
is the brewer of Budweiser and Bud Light and holds a 49.2 percent
share of beer sales in America. In February 2008, Anheuser-Bush
signed with Zuffa for Bud Light to become the official beer of
the UFC and WEC.
Torres
will defend his title against Takeya Mizugaki on April 5 in Chicago,
Illinois. Escudero was scheduled to fight Jeremy Stephens at
UFC Fight Night 18 on April 1, but has pulled out due to a rib
injury.
Source:
MMA Fighting
|
Report:
Akiyama Sets Sights on UFC 100
By FCF Staff
According
to a report on the official Ultimate Fighting Championship website,
highly regarded middleweight Yoshihiro Akiyama stated in press
conferences in both Korea and Japan this week, that he has informed
the promotion of his wish to make his Octagon debut at UFC 100.
The 33 year-old fighter recently signed a 6 fight, 2 year deal
with Zuffa, ending months of speculation as to where the highly
sought after free agent would be fighting next. The accomplished
judoka (12-1) has maintained a high profile in Japan since transitioning
into MMA in 2004, and due to Akiyama's Korean lineage, the middleweight
has a considerable fan base in South Korea.
The
report goes on to further that Akiyama is currently training
in Hawaii, and has been invited by the UFC to attend the promotion’s
upcoming April 18th event in Montreal, Quebec. No opponent or
date has yet been announced regarding Akiyama’s debut.
Akiyama
has not fought since last September when he submitted Masanori
Tonooka with a first round armbar at Dream 6. In his only other
bout in 2008, Akiyama tapped out Katsuyori Shibata with an Ezekiel
Choke at Dream 5 last July. During his 4 year MMA career, the
Osaka native has also earned wins over notable competitors like
Denis Kang and Melvin Manhoef.
Source:
Full Contact Fighter
|
Rumor
Alert: Forrest Griffin May Return at UFC 101 For A Rematch With
Keith Jardine
Forrest Griffin is expected to return to the UFC in August at
UFC 101 for a rematch with Keith Jardine. Jardine had defeated
Griffin back in December of 2007 at UFC 66.
MMAFrenzy.com
reported that Griffin was likely to square off with the loser
of UFC 96’s main event between light heavyweight contenders
Quinton “Rampage” Jackson and Keith Jardine.
Griffin
is coming off of successful surgery earlier this year to repair
a broken hand suffered in his light heavyweight title loss to
Rashad Evans in December at UFC 92. Meanwhile, Jardine suffered
a hard fought, unanimous decision loss to Quinton Jackson this
past weekend at UFC 96.
UFC
101 is tentatively scheduled to take place in Portland, Oregon
but the UFC hasn’t confirmed any details about the event
yet. Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira vs. Randy Couture is the only other
fight that has been discussed so far for the event.
Source: Fight Line
|
Rolles
Gracie returns at Ring of Combat 24
Rolles
Gracie, the son of Rolls Gracie, will return to action on April
17 at Ring of Combat 24 in Atlantic City, New Jersey.
Gracie's
previous and only MMA fight was for cousin Renzo's Pitbulls team
in an IFL event in September 2007 when he submitted Sam Halloway
with a rear-naked choke in one minute and 49 seconds.
Gracie
is a Brazilian Jiu Jitsu black belt and won a silver medal at
the 2007 ADCC submission wrestling championships in the over
99 kg division. UFC veteran Fabricio Werdum came in first place.
On
April 17, Gracie (1-0) will take on the promotion's 2007 "Beast
of the Northeast" light-heavyweight tournament champion
Ricardo Romero (6-1) in a heavyweight bout.
Ring
of Combat 24 also features "The Ultimate Fighter" competitor
Dante Rivera and UFC veteran Sean Salmon.
FIGHT
CARD:
Dom
Stanco vs. Charles Oliveira (USKBA Eastcoast 155-lb. Title)
Rafael Sapo vs. Plinio Cruz (ROC 185-lb. Title)
Rolles Gracie vs. Ricardo Romero
Dante Rivera vs. Alexandre Moran
Ricky Lee vs. Sean Santella
Joey Camacho vs. Fernando Bernandino
Matt McManmon vs. Jeff Lentz
Will Martinez vs. Al Iaquinta
Chris Schlesinger vs. Shawn Foreman
Sean Salmon vs. Constantinos Philippou
Andrew Riddles vs. John Doyle
Chris Weidman vs. Mike Stewart
Gian Villante vs. Paul White
Louis Gaudinot vs. Christopher Aquino
Jose Villanueva vs. Greg Abgarian
David Church vs. Anthony Montanaro
Source: MMA Fighting
|
Paulão
doesn’t sign with the Bellator FC
By Guilherme Cruz
After a troubled 2008, losing his first fight in the career for
Chael Sonnen, at WEC, Paulo Filho is restarting his life in 2009,
but still has no “home”. After rumors suggest a possible
way to Bellator Fighting Championship, a new American event that
debuts in April, the former number two in the world is far from
the event, as says his manager Jorge Guimarães “Joinha”
to TATAME.com.
"Bellator’s
contract is cruel. It’s a new event and we opted not to
put Paulão there, because they didn’t want to put
a clause in the contract that, if the guy stays without fighting
for four months, the contract loses its validity. We were victims
of this in EliteXC, which was consolidated and left the athletes
behind, without fighting for a long time", said Joinha,
who hopes to put the fighter in Strikeforce. "We already
have offered to Sengoku and Strikeforce, that is where we want,
if possible already fighting with Robbie Lawler”, said.
Source:
Tatame
|
Art
Jimmerson: Where Is He Now?
by Jordan Breen
One
glove.
It's
one of the most powerful and provocative images of the past century:
The XIX Olympiad. October 16, 1968. Mexico City. Tommie Smith
and John Carlos. The black glove. Black power.
Despite
the symbol's cultural resonance, if you're part of the MMA cognoscenti,
"one glove" means something much different to you:
UFC 1. November 12, 1993. Denver. Art Jimmerson. The boxing glove.
Ridicule.
"It's
funny looking back, I just never knew," says Jimmerson,
now 45 years old and retired from ring and cage. "But I
said, 'No problem,' because it was only going to take me one
punch."
Three
decades before lacing up his one glove and banking on one punch,
Arthur Lee Jimmerson Jr. was a shock-headed youth raised in St.
Louis, his childhood coinciding with the cultural crumbling of
the city. By the time he had reached grade school, the city's
culturally rich Gaslight Square -- which played host to the likes
of Jack Kerouac, Alan Ginsberg, Lenny Bruce, Miles Davis and
Woody Allen -- had become victim to urban decay, beginning its
uneasy alteration from a cultural capital to a perennial contender
for "America's most dangerous city."
"I
got picked on a lot in grade school basically," says Jimmerson.
"There was one guy who always bullied me, so there was a
point where a friend of ours in the neighborhood who took us
to the boxing gym and I went. The rest is history."
Jimmerson
become part of St. Louis' next-gen boxers looking to follow in
the footsteps of Olympic gold medalist and world champion brothers
Leon and Michael Spinks. After winning the National Golden Gloves
as a middleweight in 1983, Jimmerson turned pro in 1985. Success
was hard to come by, and he tallied only a 9-2 mark through his
first 11 bouts. However, in July 1988, Jimmerson was selected
as a tune-up opponent for regionally popular light heavyweight
action fighter Lenny LaPaglia. Jimmerson, then known by his long-discarded
nickname "Zorro,” brutally bashed LaPaglia in a stirring
six-round upset, giving his career a shot in the arm.
"[UFC
1] doesn't really bother me because I know who I am as a fighter,"
says Jimmerson. While Jimmerson often sounds as though he's talking
about another lifetime when he speaks of his boxing career, the
LaPaglia bout remains a clear touchstone for him.
"If
you go on YouTube, and see me fight LaPaglia, that shows the
real me," he assures.
He
wouldn't go on to become a world champion, like St. Louis contemporaries
Eddie Cook, Ed Hopson and Carl Daniels. However, Jimmerson became
a solid journeyman, putting together 15 straight victories in
the lead-up to UFC 1, and was in the running for a considerable
payday as an opponent for an aging legend in Thomas "Hitman"
Hearns.
While
Jimmerson was eyeing a crack at a hall of famer, Rorion Gracie
and Art Davie were looking for willing participants in their
grand infomercial for Gracie jiu-jitsu. To sell the UFC, it would
require the Bloodsport-esque style-versus-style hook, and to
validate the strength of jiu-jitsu, there certainly needed to
be a representative of the sweet science.
"Earnest
Hart, a good friend of mine from St. Louis, came to me about
the UFC," he tells. "I was kind of in and out about
it because I really didn't know anything about mixed martial
arts."
Jimmerson’s
participation didn’t come without outside protest either.
"I
had a lot of lawyers who were my managers, they said if this
was going to hurt my boxing career, I should pull out,”
says Jimmerson. “So, I did threaten to pull out of it and
they threatened to sue because I had verbally committed. They
ended up taking care of it; they had lawyers and insurance so
if anything happened to me they would have been able to cover
it."
When
broached about how much he was paid for UFC 1, Jimmerson bobs
and weaves conversationally. Despite having stated he made $20,000
in previous interviews, nearly half the tournament prize of $50,000,
he will offer no further substantiation.
"I
can't kiss and tell," he quips.
Jimmerson
trained with his friend Hart, a former PKA kickboxing champion,
to prepare. Jimmerson had done a boxing-versus-karate exhibition
against American kickboxing star and eventual UFC commentator
Don "The Dragon" Wilson in Florida, and so while he
wasn't eager to get kicked in the legs again, he didn't feel
he would be caught off guard in the cage.
"I
won't say I was young and dumb, it's that I'm always up for a
challenge. I don't want to be perceived as a punk,” he says.
“So, when they offered me the fight I was like, 'This is
going to be a piece of cake. I know how hard I can hit, so what
can a guy do to me?' But he was a whole different level."
Like
virtually everyone, sans the vale tudo intelligentsia and event
organizers, Jimmerson didn't think much of Royce Gracie. How
would a twiggy grappler in his pajamas be able to cope with a
legitimate boxer with nearly 20 pounds on him? If nothing else,
Jimmerson expected he would be going to the semifinals.
"I'd
never heard of Royce Gracie. I didn't know who he was as a fighter,"
Jimmerson recalls.
He
seems to both forgive and reprimand himself, as if to say, "How
could I have known?... How could I have not known?"
"He
was really cautious, but when he started kicking the leg, that's
what fried me," he continues. "I forgot where I was
at. I was trying to use a lot of lateral movement, then he tricked
me by faking up and shot at my legs. Once he got at my legs,
I was trying to figure out how to get out of this hold. I couldn't
believe how he was holding me down. I tried to move, but I couldn't."
It
was easy operating for Gracie. Once he achieved the mount, Jimmerson
clung to Gracie's torso, hoping to divine an idea to escape.
Instead, the now-infamous boxing glove on his left hand impeded
any defense he may have been able to offer. Gracie simply paralyzed
him under his mount, and forced Jimmerson to submit, 2:18 into
the bout, without even throwing a punch.
"Going
into the tournament, I was told he was an easy fighter and he
doesn't really punch that hard, but they never really told me
he was a world champion of his art," laments Jimmerson.
"I had no ground training, I just went in as a fighter,
thinking I would knock this guy out with one punch. If I went
in there with someone like [fellow striker] Pat Smith I think
it would've turned out different on my turf. With Royce, I was
fighting a new champion."
Source:
Sherdog
|
PR:
Robert Drysdale hosts all-star BJJ camp in Las Vegas
By Zach Arnold
Press Release
Special
Guests Include UFC Fighters: Joe Stevenson, Kevin Randleman,
Phil Baroni, Martin Kapman and Frank Mir.
Ultimate
Fighter Assistant Coach Robert Drysdale announces the first annual
Drysdale Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu All-Star Camp to take place March
16th- March 26th at the Robert Drysdale Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu Academy
in Las Vegas, Nevada. The camp will be open to the public and
consists of ten days of intense BJJ training aimed at sharpening
the skills of BJJ and MMA competitors.
The
camp will feature some of the best Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu (BJJ)
instructors in the world including: Rodrigo “Comprido”
Medeiros, Andre Galvao, Bruno Frazzato, Abmar Barbosa, Cameron
Diffley, Ramon Lemos, Rafael and Guilherme Mendes, Gilbert Durinho,
Sonny Nohara and Michelle Nicolini. In addition to world class
instructors, the camp will also feature UFC Fighters: Joe Stevenson,
Martin Kapman, Kevin Randleman, Phil Baroni and Frank Mir participating
in the camp.
Robert
Drysdale is a Black Belt in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu, the 2007 ADCC
Submission Grappling World Champion in the Absolute division,
Six time World Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu Champion, Assistant Coach
on the hit TV series “The Ultimate Fighter: Team Nogueira
vs. Team Mir”, and a Mixed Martial Arts Fighter currently
training at the Xtreme Couture gym in Las Vegas.
WHERE:
Robert Drysdale Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu Academy, 1234 S. Rainbow
Blvd., Las Vegas, NV 89146
WHEN:
March 16th - March 26th 2009.
Special
Guests Expected in Attendance: UFC Fighters: Joe Stevenson, Martin
Kapman, Kevin Randleman, Phil Baroni and Frank Mir.
For
information on how to sign up for the camp visit http://www.robertdrysdale.net,
e-mail drysdalebjj@actionfight.com, or call 877-BJJ-MMA-1.
For
media inquiries including interviews, photo passes, seminars,
etc. please contact Sal Carrillo at info@actionfight.com.
Source:
Fight Opinion
|
Quote
of the Day
"We
don't receive wisdom; we must discover it for ourselves
after a journey that no one can take for us or spare us."
Marcel Proust
|
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
|
BJ
Penn Autograph Signing at Ala Moana March 14!
March 14, 2009
12pm to 2pm
Ala Moana Nordstroms
|
Hi all,
Thank you Kauai! Tickets are moving fast !!!
If we sell out quickly we may add more chairs but dont wait till
then....Get your tickets now!!!
Media
Coverage by:
MMA Hawaii
Uproar Magazine
Skrap Magazine
and
Hawaiistream.com and Kauaimartialarts.com
Also
you can check out the weigh ins on Hawaiistream.com LIVE!!!
|
Trailer
for Jason 'Mayhem' Miller's new MTV show leaked
The trailer has leaked for Jason "Mayhem" Miller's
new reality TV show "Bully Beatdown"on MTV.
Miller
hosts the Mark Burnett-produced series, in which the premise
is that victims of bullying can invite their school bullies on
the show to fight a professional MMA fighter.
Mark
Burnett productions also launched "The Apprentice,"
"Are you Smarter Than a 5th Grader?" and "Survivor."
The
show is slated to premiere in the Summer.
Meanwhile,
Miller's next fight has been postponed again. The fight against
Kala Kolohe Hose for the new Kingdom MMA promotion in Hawaii
has been bumped to April 18 due to paperwork issues.
Source:
MMA Fighting
|
Roy
Jones Jr. Presents Pro MMA Card on Mar. 14
Press Release
N.
LAUDERDALE, Fla. (March 10, 2009) – Roy Jones. Jr.’s
Square Ring Promotions, tuning up for its major boxing/mixed
martial arts hybrid pay-per-view event March 21 at the Pensacola
Civic Center, presents an evening of pro MMA action Saturday
night (March 14), featuring South Florida’s best MMA fighters,
at the Jack Brady Sports Complex in North Lauderdale, Florida.
MMA
stars including two featured on the Pensacola PPV, ex-WWE star
and 3-time NAIA wrestling champion Bobby Lashley (vs. Ken Shamrock)
and former UFC heavyweight title challenger Jeff“Snowman”
Monson (vs. Roy Nelson), will be special guests at this weekend’s
MMA show in North Lauderdale.
Scheduled
to fight: welterweights (170 lbs.) – Roger Krahl, Sunrise,
FL vs. Sterling Ford, Seattle, WA, Nico Peralla, Port St. Lucie,
FL vs. Justin Flood, Orlando, FL, Kenny Moss, Winter Haven, FL
vs.Adron Morrison, Miami, FL, Alton Barbosa, Miami, FL vs. Patrick
Mikesz, Key West, FL; lightweights (155 lbs.) – Travis Limauro,
Wellington, FL vs. Corey Swanson, Winter Haven, FL, Jason Jimenez,
Deerfield Beach, FL vs. Michael Hyman, Coconut Creek, FL; featherweights
(145 lbs.) – Marcos DeMatta, Coconut Creek, FL vs. TBA;
bantamweights (135 lbs.) – Pablo Alfonso, Miami, FL vs.
Ralph Acosta, Orlando, FL. (All fight and fighters subject to
change)
Tickets
are priced at $30.00 (general admission) and $60.00 (ringside).
Call 1.888.465.9937 X505 to purchase or for information. Doors
open at 6:30 PM/ET, first fight at 7:00 PM/ET.
The
Jack Brady Sports Complex is located at 7101 Kimberly Blvd. (corner
of Rock Island and Kimberly Blvd.), North Lauderdale, FL 33068-2388.
Source:
The Fight Network
|
'The
Ultimate Fighter:
United States Vs. United Kingdom,'
Premieres April 1
Season
Features 16 Lightweights and 16 Welterweights In A Battle For
International Supremacy In The Octagon(R)
Two
Of The UFC's Top Middleweights, Michael Bisping and Dan Henderson,
To Serve As Coaches
NEW
YORK, March 9 /PRNewswire/ -- More than two centuries after the
United States achieved its independence from England, friction
between the two nations is about to flare up again when "The
Ultimate Fighter: United States Vs. United Kingdom" premieres
Wednesday, April 1 at 10:00 PM, ET/PT on Spike TV.
For
these 32 up-and-coming mixed martial arts fighters, two things
are on the line: bragging rights for their respective countries,
and a six-figure contract with the preeminent mixed martial arts
organization in the world, The Ultimate Fighting Championship.(R)
Season
nine of Spike TV's wildly successful original series, "The
Ultimate Fighter," features 16 lightweights (155 lbs) and
16 welterweights (170 lbs). They will train and compete under
the watchful eye of the coaches, "The Ultimate Fighter 3"
champion and top middleweight contender Michael Bisping, and
former concurrent PRIDE champion of the 185 lbs and 205 lbs divisions
and U.S. Olympian, Dan Henderson.
Each
of the 32 contestants must fight his way into the Ultimate Fighter
House by winning a preliminary bout that will be featured during
the first two episodes (April 1 and 8). The remaining 10 episodes
will feature the victorious 16 fighters and their quest for the
coveted "Ultimate Fighter" crown.
The
32 fighters for "The Ultimate Fighter: United States Vs.
United Kingdom" include:
Fighting
to Represent the United States
Welterweight:
-
Ryan Biglar
A
member of team Cobra Kai in Las Vegas, Biglar is a 24-year-old
jiu-jitsu artist originally from Guam.
-
Ray Elbe
Born
and raised in Arizona, the 25-year-old Elbe (20-11) has spent
parts of the last three years perfecting his muay thai skills
in Phuket, Thailand.
-
Christian Fulgium
Fighting
out of the Gladiator camp in Lafayette, Louisiana, Fulgium is
a wrestler with a combined 6-2-1 mixed martial arts record.
-
DaMarques Johnson
Johnson,
a member of Elite Performance in Salt Lake City, Utah, began
training in mixed martial arts in 2001 while serving in the military.
He has since amassed a 13-6 mixed martial arts record.
-
Kevin Knabjian
Born
and raised in Chicago, Knabjian (10-3-1) wrestled at Division
1 Eastern Illinois University and graduated with a degree in
Business Management. Knabjian trains out of Gilbert Grappling
in Chicago.
-
Mark Miller
A
5'10" welterweight muay thai artist, Miller (10-4) trains
out of Dino Costeas MMA and Toro Muay Thai in Chicago.
-
Jason Pierce
A
former soccer standout at the University of Illinois at Springfield,
Pierce (9-0) trains with Bettendorf's Miletich Fighting Systems
camp.
-
Kiel Reid
Born
and raised in Bettendorf, Iowa, Reid (8-1) returned to the area
in 2005 to take up mixed martial arts full-time with the Miletich
Fighting Systems camp.
Lightweight:
-
Paul Bird
A
stand-up fighter, Paul Bird (4-1) trains in West Des Moines,
Iowa out of the Des Moines MMA camp.
-
Santino DeFranco
26-year-old
Santino DeFranco trains out of Southwest MMA in Tempe, AZ. A
5'10" jiu-jitsu specialist, DeFranco holds a 13-4 mixed
martial arts record.
-
Jason Dent
Sumbission
specialist Jason Dent owns and operates Griffon Brawl gym in
Mentor, Ohio. He holds a combined 19-9 mixed martial arts record
with bouts against Roger Huerta at UFC 63 and Gleison Tibau at
UFC 68 under his belt.
-
Cameron Dollar
A
member of Fight Factory in Colorado Springs, CO, Dollar (4-1)
has trained with TUF alums Cory Hill and Noah Thomas.
-
Tom Hayden
Tom
Hayden, 4-0, is a ground specialist who trains out of TUF 2 alum's
Jorge Gurgel camp in West Chester, OH.
-
Waylon Lowe
Fighting
out of Jorge Gurgel's camp in Ohio, the 28-year-old Waylon Lowe
owns a 5-2 mixed martial arts record.
-
Josh Souder
A
well-rounded fighter out of Team Prodigy in Ohio, the 5'7"
Josh Souder owns a 7-2 overall mixed martial arts record.
-
Richie Whitson
Born
and raised in Alaska, the heavy-handed Whitson holds a perfect
4-0 mixed martial arts record. He currently trains out of Temecula,
CA with Team Quest.
Fighting
to Represent the United Kingdom
Welterweight:
-
Dean Amarasinghe
Rough
House Gym's Dean Amarasinghe (4-1) is a 5'10" grappler from
Nottingham, England.
-
James Bateman
5'10"
striker James Bateman (2-1) trains with Grimsby NHB in Grimsby,
England.
-
David Faulkner
5'9"
ground specialist David Faulkner trains with Wolfslair in Widnes,
England. The 28-year-old born in Kirkby holds a 2-1 mixed martial
arts record.
-
Tommy Maguire
20-year-old
Tommy Maguire trains in Wisbech, England with Tsunami Gym. The
5'7" stand-up fighter holds a 5-2 mixed martial arts record,
with three wins coming via TKO.
-
Che Mills
Born
is Gloucester, England, 6'2" welterweight Che Mills (7-2)
trains with Mark Weir's Range Fighting in the UK.
-
Nicholas Osipczak
Sporting
a perfect 3-0 record, Nicholas Osipczak trains in London, England
with Pancrase UK.
-
Alex Reid
Alexander
Reid trains in London, England with the London Shoot Fighters.
The 33-year-old stand up artist is 10-9-1 in his twenty mixed
martial arts bouts.
-
James Wilks
Born
and raised in England, 30-year-old fighter James Wilks has trained
with Eric Paulson in Orange County, California since 2000. The
6'1" striker is 5-2 in his mixed martial arts career.
Lightweight:
-
James Bryan
Lightweight
James Bryan (3-1) is a 25-year-old stand up fighter from Somerset,
England.
-
Dan James
Dan
James, 3-0, is a stand up artist fighting out of Swansea, Wales.
The 5'10" fighter has won two of his fights by TKO.
-
Gary Kelly
Wolfslair
fighter Gary Kelly (2-1) is a 25-year-old striker from Liverpool,
England.
-
Jeff Lawson
5'6
lightweight Jess Lawson (13-2) trains with Team Bulldog out of
Dorset, England.
-
Ross Pearson
24-year-old
striker Ross Pearson (9-3) is a member of Sunderland Jiu-Jitsu
& MMA Club in Sunderland, England.
-
Martin Stapleton
Born
in Manchester, England, 25-year-old Thai boxer Martin Stapleton
(5-1) trains with Quannum Combat Arts.
-
AJ Wenn
Cambs,
England's AJ Wenn is a well-rounded fighter training out of Tsunami
Gym. The 24-year-old has a 7-2 mixed martial arts record.
-
Andre Winner
Lightweight
Andre Winner (9-2-1) trains out of Rough House in London, England.
During
the six-week taping of "The Ultimate Fighter: United States
Vs. United Kingdom," these 16 men who survived the prelims
endured a grueling regimen of jiu-jitsu, judo, muay thai, karate,
boxing and wrestling. The intense competition between the fighters
continues after they leave the gym - at The Ultimate Fighter
House. These warriors must live together, knowing that any day
they might be forced to fight each other in the famed UFC Octagon(TM).
The
two finalists will square off in a live finale Saturday, June
20 on Spike TV, when the two weight class winners will be declared
"The Ultimate Fighter" and net the aforementioned contract
and a cash prize. UFC President Dana White will once again serve
as host of the series.
After
each show, Spike.com users will get exclusive extended footage
from each episode and an exclusive video leak of the upcoming
episode.
Craig
Piligian of Pilgrim Films and Television, Frank Fertitta III,
Lorenzo Fertitta, Dana White of Zuffa, LLC, and Kevin Kay of
Spike TV are the show's executive producers. Brian J. Diamond,
senior vice president, Sports & Specials, Spike TV is co-executive
producer and Christopher Martello is executive in charge of production
for Spike TV.
Website:
http://www.spike.com/
Source:
PR Newswire
|
One
nightmarish TV rating for DREAM 7
By Zach Arnold
DREAM defenders come out. If New Japan consistently drew a 2.5
for their 2 AM slot, they might not survive at this point in
2009. There was a reason they wanted Keiji Mutoh as their champion
— because he brought their TV ratings back to pre-Japanese
MMA boom levels (1997-1998ish numbers in the 4’s).
There
was little or no PR buzz in Japan for DREAM 7, and rightly so.
The reported attendance of over 19,000 is… interesting.
At least K-1 will throw out a number, legitimate or not, whereas
Sengoku never has ever mentioned an attendance figure for one
of their Saitama Super Arena events.
Usually,
when a fight promotion draws a low TV rating, the Japanese media
ignores it and won’t report it. However, when it’s
as low as this, even Sports Navigator (Yahoo Japan) can’t
keep their eyes closed.
Network:
TBS (Tokyo Broadcasting System)
Rating: 2.4% overall average, 4.0% peak rating for Shin’ya
Aoki vs. David Gardner
Air time: Tape-delayed (aired Midnight same night of show, on
3/8)
Who
knew that when the MMA boom went kaput in Japan that MMA programming
would draw lower ratings than New Japan on TV-Asahi? There’s
a certain karmic justice in all of this if you know how the history
of the Japanese fight scene has played out over the last 10-12
years, given that it was pro-wrestling’s star power that
carried the major Japanese shows. Once the pro-wrestling star
factory dried up and got damaged by MMA, it soon became a self-fulfilling
prophecy.
The
mainstream fight scene is now down to one major operation in
each sector - New Japan on TV-Asahi (pro-wrestling) and K-1 on
TBS/Fuji TV (kickboxing). That’s it. NOAH’s done on
Nippon TV.
Source:
Fight Opinion
|
WEC
40 Lineup Finalized
by Brian Knapp
Wagnney
Fabiano, perhaps a win or two away from a crack at World Extreme
Cagefighting featherweight champion Mike Thomas Brown, will lock
horns with Brazilian jiu-jitsu ace Fredson Paixao at WEC 40 “Torres
vs. Mizugaki” on April 5 at the UIC Pavilion in Chicago.
WEC
officials this week announced an 11-fight card for the promotion’s
debut in the Windy City.
Rooted
at the revered Nova Uniao camp, Fabiano (11-1) has finished seven
consecutive opponents -- including Akitoshi Tamura and L.C. Davis
-- since his controversial split decision loss to Jeff Curran
in October 2006. The 33-year-old Brazilian jiu-jitsu black belt
and former International Fight League champion has stopped seven
of the 11 men he has defeated inside one round.
Paixao
(8-2), one of the sport’s most decorated submission grapplers,
has not appeared on the mixed martial arts scene in almost two
years. Even so, he figures to provide a stern test for Fabiano.
The 29-year-old Brazilian has never been finished and owns victories
against Deep titleholder Masakazu Imanari, three-time Brazilian
jiu-jitsu world champion Rani Yahya and King of the Cage mainstay
Thomas Denny.
Another
bout of interest will pair top featherweight prospect Rafael
Assuncao with Pancrase and Adrenaline MMA veteran Jameel Massouh
in his promotional debut.
Assuncao
(12-1), the brother of UFC veteran Junior Assuncao, will carry
a four-fight winning streak into the match. Now affiliated with
American Top Team, the 27-year-old was the last man to submit
UFC lightweight Joe Lauzon and also counts victories against
Jorge Masvidal and Joe Pearson among his 12 career wins. Assuncao
last appeared in November, when he knocked out Pearson in 12
seconds at an Ironheart Crown show.
The
24-year-old, Massouh (21-4), meanwhile, has won five in a row
and seven of his last eight. A proven finisher, he has developed
under the tutelage of UFC veteran Dave Strasser.
A
bantamweight championship match between Miguel Torres and Takeya
Mizugaki will headline WEC 40, which will air live on Versus
at 9 p.m. ET on April 5.
Torres
(35-1), one of the sport’s top pound-for-pound competitors,
will carry a 16-fight winning streak into his third title defense.
He was originally slated to face the unbeaten Brian Bowles, who
was forced to withdraw from the show with a back injury.
WEC
40: Torres vs. Mizugaki
Sunday, April 5
UIC Pavilion
Chicago
WEC
Bantamweight Championship
Miguel Torres vs. Takeya Mizugaki
Jeff
Curran vs. Joseph Benavidez
Benson Henderson vs. Shane Roller
Rafael Assuncao vs. Jameel Massouh
Anthony Njokuani vs. Anthony Pettis
Dominick Cruz vs. Ivan Lopez
Cub Swanson vs. Diego Nunes
Wagnney Fabiano vs. Fredson Paixao
Eddie Wineland vs. Rani Yahya
Manny Tapia vs. Akitoshi Tamura
Rafael Dias vs. Cole Province
Source:
Sherdog
|
Machida
ready for Rashad and the belt
By Guilherme Cruz
Before
UFC 96, Dana White said that Quinton Jackson would be the next
one in the line for the belt against Rashad Evans, he just needed
to defeat Keith Jardine in the main event. The victory came,
but there’s a possibility of this fight don’t happen
now. With Rashad scheduled for UFC 98’s main event, Rampage
would be doing his third fight in five months, and maybe now
Lyoto Machida gets his chance for the title.
“I’m
ready, just waiting for an answer to start focusing better on
the fight. I’m waiting the right time and I consider myself
ready, mentally and all that stuff. Of course I’m waiting
for a major decision to continue my preparation focused on Rashad”,
said Machida. About UFC 96’s main event, Lyoto praised Jackson
for the victory. “I liked the fight, it was very aggressive.
Both were very strong, but Quinton was better and deserved the
victory”, said Machida to TATAME.com.
Source:
Tatame
|
Shinya
Aoki wants rematch with 'Mach' Sakurai
Shinya Aoki is asking for a chance in the DREAM Welterweight
GP to avenge a loss to Hayato "Mach" Sakurai.
"I
was defeated by 'Mach' in August 2005, so I want to fight him
again." Aoki said, when asked who he'd like to meet at DREAM.8.
"I believe fans are definitely interested in watching us
fight.
Sakurai
and Aoki are both slated to compete on April 5 in the opening
round of the Welterweight GP at DREAM.8 at the Nippon Gaishi
Hall in Nagoya, Japan.
Aoki
(20-3)'s previous loss, not counting a two-fight night, was to
Sakurai via unanimous decision after three five-minute rounds
at a Shooto event in August 2005.
Sakurai
(34-8-2) won his last fight at "Dynamite!! 2008" against
pro wrestler Katsuyori Shibata via TKO in the first round. Sakurai
will be facing less distractions that his last fight, when two
days prior, a number of his homemade sex tapes were leaked.
Source:
MMA Fighting
|
Cobrinha
receives first stripe
Prideful Jacare promotes Cobrinha
Rubens
Charles “Cobrinha” is proud with good reason, as he
was just promoted by his master, Jacare, this Saturday, in Atlanta,
Georgia, to having the first stripe on his black belt. Now three
years as a black belt, Cobrinha has conquered three world titles
and two Pan-Americans. Jacare commented on having promoted the
athlete.
“Cobrinha
came to Atlanta before the 2007 Pan to teach a seminar along
with Fabio Gurgel and Marcelo Garcia. Ever since he has been
living here and teaching at the Alliance USA headquarters, being
a very dedicated athlete and a Jiu-Jitsu teacher totally focused
on his students,” said the master in praise.
“Never
in my life have I seen such hunger to win. I’ve never had
to tell him to train or do this or that. He wakes up every day
fully disposed to do everything he can to remain the biggest
name at featherweight of present day. He’s making history
at black belt as one of the greatest athletes, breaking records
and is always one of the standouts in whatever competition he’s
in, always representing Alliance with great heart,” stated
Jacare.
Another
fighter promoted by Jacare to first-degree black belt was Pat
Harvey. “When I started teaching here in Atlanta, Pat was
always dedicated to the extreme to competing in several Pans
in the senior category, with great success,” said Jacare.
“This proves that age doesn’t matter when you have
love and dedication for the sport. Despite being a father of
three and very busy, he always finds time to train every day
with the same motivation he started out with.”
Source:
Gracie Magazine
|
Yves
Lavigne: "I screwed up."
By Tim Ngo
Referees are supposed to be non-existent when they are watching
over any given sport. Unfortunately for Yves Lavigne, he was
the most recognized person during Matt Brown's destruction of
Pete Sell at UFC 96 this past Saturday night.
Lavigne
was blasted by UFC President Dana White for allowing the fight
to go on for too long after Sell was clearly out on his feet.
He actually stepped in and grabbed Brown to stop the fight but
then let it continue.
"I
let him [Sell] take a beating for absolutely nothing," Lavigne
told the Canadian Press.
It
is unlikely that Lavigne will be punished for his admitted mistake.
Source: Fight Line
|
Roy
Jones Jr. Presents Pro MMA Card on Mar. 14
Press Release
N. LAUDERDALE, Fla. (March 10, 2009) – Roy Jones. Jr.’s
Square Ring Promotions, tuning up for its major boxing/mixed
martial arts hybrid pay-per-view event March 21 at the Pensacola
Civic Center, presents an evening of pro MMA action Saturday
night (March 14), featuring South Florida’s best MMA fighters,
at the Jack Brady Sports Complex in North Lauderdale, Florida.
MMA
stars including two featured on the Pensacola PPV, ex-WWE star
and 3-time NAIA wrestling champion Bobby Lashley (vs. Ken Shamrock)
and former UFC heavyweight title challenger Jeff“Snowman”
Monson (vs. Roy Nelson), will be special guests at this weekend’s
MMA show in North Lauderdale.
Scheduled
to fight: welterweights (170 lbs.) – Roger Krahl, Sunrise,
FL vs. Sterling Ford, Seattle, WA, Nico Peralla, Port St. Lucie,
FL vs. Justin Flood, Orlando, FL, Kenny Moss, Winter Haven, FL
vs.Adron Morrison, Miami, FL, Alton Barbosa, Miami, FL vs. Patrick
Mikesz, Key West, FL; lightweights (155 lbs.) – Travis Limauro,
Wellington, FL vs. Corey Swanson, Winter Haven, FL, Jason Jimenez,
Deerfield Beach, FL vs. Michael Hyman, Coconut Creek, FL; featherweights
(145 lbs.) – Marcos DeMatta, Coconut Creek, FL vs. TBA;
bantamweights (135 lbs.) – Pablo Alfonso, Miami, FL vs.
Ralph Acosta, Orlando, FL. (All fight and fighters subject to
change)
Tickets
are priced at $30.00 (general admission) and $60.00 (ringside).
Call 1.888.465.9937 X505 to purchase or for information. Doors
open at 6:30 PM/ET, first fight at 7:00 PM/ET.
The
Jack Brady Sports Complex is located at 7101 Kimberly Blvd. (corner
of Rock Island and Kimberly Blvd.), North Lauderdale, FL 33068-2388.
Source:
The Fight Network
|
UFC
President Dana White: Is He the Loose Cannon on the Deck?
by stoker dafire
In the immortal words of great sports writer Jimmy Cannon, "Nobody
asked me, but..."
It's
my honest opinion that the UFC would do much better without Dana
White running the show.
I'm
sure Mr. White has a very tough job to do on a daily basis, and
he gets props for bringing the UFC back from near extinction;
however, sometimes it's good to use a little thing called common
sense.
In
this struggling economy the UFC of Mixed Martial Arts continues
to thrive, but in my view, Whites' rough-neck-demeanor and tough-guy-persona
is a serious detriment to the organization.
To
state that this 40-something former Aerobics Instructor from
the 80's lacks professionalism is like saying Hip Hop recording
artist Eminem doesn't like Mothers Day—an understatement
to say the least.
Frank
Shamrock claims in his "Just For Men" interview that
White has lost over $20 million of part UFC owners—Frank
and Lorenzo Fertitta's—money, and it's also been rumored
that their Stations Casino business is now in bankruptcy mode.
If
you have watched any of Dana's youtube.com video blog series
you can see that his ignorance is not an act; if it is, then
he gets my vote for the next Academy Award in the best actor
category.
What
he fails to do in these video blogs is come across as Mr. Cool
UFC president.
Regrettably
however, he does make a pathetic attempt at it by wearing faded
blue jeans with holes in the knees and spouting expletives aimed
at impressing the 14 - 21 year old age group.
Ultimately,
he comes across looking like an eight year old child playing
in the neighbour's back-yard—"I'm the king of the castle
and you are the dirty rascal."
My
fellow scribe who we will call Chris made a very accurate assessment
today, when he stated that "White lets personal issues get
in the way of good fights, and his attitude is something that
wouldn't be tolerated, if he was the president of the NFL, NBA,
or any other major sports organization.
I
think it's only a matter of time before he is forced to step
down and someone more professional takes his place.
It's
very apparent to fight fans and fighters alike, that each time
White opens his mouth, he further proves how ignorant he is.
On
his latest UFC 96 youtube.com blog, he confronts tonight's main
event fighter Keith Jardine in the lobby of a press conference
and tells him on camera that he is on track to fight his friend
and light-heavyweight-champion Rashad Evans...it was a blatant
attempt to get Jardine to react on camera.
Next
he eats a breakfast burger from McDonalds and instead of taking
the opportunity to get some free sponsorship money for his company
by thanking McDonalds...he takes a bite and says, " I can't
believe I'm eating this fecking garbage."
Personally
I'd love to see Jardine get an upset but would that be good for
the UFC or MMA as a whole?
Watching
two friends fight—who have no desire to fight each other—isn't
exactly my cup of tea.
When
Josh Barnette fought and beat his friend Jeff Monson, I wasn't
enthralled in the least.
The
fight that is rumored for this summer between Fedor Emelianenko
and Barnette won't be breaking any records for popularity in
my household either.
Is
it possible to concede that White believes he is so almighty
powerful that he can force friends to fight each other for more
money—isn't that why they outlawed Internet bum fights?
Come
gather 'round people wherever you roam and admit that the waters
around you have grown, so you' better start swimming or you'll
sink like a stone..for the times they are a changing - Bob Dylan
Source:
Breacher Report
|
Quote
of the Day
"When
you are proclaiming peace with your lips,
be careful to have it even more fully in your heart."
Francis of Assisi
|
Hawaii
Amateur Pankration Association
"Hit and Submit"
Tomorrow
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
|
BJ
Penn Autograph Signing at Ala Moana March 14!
Tomorrow
March 14, 2009
12pm to 2pm
Ala Moana Nordstroms
|
The
obligatory “will it or won’t it” post on Frank
Mir vs. Brock Lesnar II
By Zach Arnold
It was set to happen this May, but Sam Caplan said not so fast
my friend. MMA weekly says that the focus is on the knee, not
Mir’s back. MMA Mania says that it was minor knee surgery.
Dana
White, through Kevin Iole, is claiming ignorance currently as
to what is happening. Dave Meltzer says that it’s a touch-and-go
situation.
Update
(3/7): The fight appears to be probably postponed until the Summer.
July in Las Vegas at UFC 100 (with Georges St. Pierre on the
card) probably makes the most sense at this point.
Source:
Fight Opinion
|
Shamrock
Compares Lashley to Lesnar
Press Release
PENSACOLA, Fla. (March 11, 2009) – “The World’s
Most Dangerous Man,” living combat fighting legend Ken Shamrock,
compares his March 21st opponent, Bobby Lashley, to present UFC
heavyweight champion Brock Lesner, and the UFC Hall of Famer
believes hybrid pro boxing/mixed-martial arts shows are the wave
of the future.
Shamrock-Lashley
is the main event of the mixed-martial-arts portion of the Mar.
21 hybrid pro boxing/MMA pay-per-view event, headlined by 8-time
world boxing champion Roy Jones, Jr. (52-5, 38 KOs) against 4-time
world title challenger Omar Sheika (27-8, 18 KOs) presented by
Square Ring Promotions in association with Hirsch Borao Boxing,
and Wargods at the Pensacola Civic Center.
The
unique pro boxing/MMA show is being distributed by Square Ring
Promotions, Inc. at 9:00PM ET/6:00PM PT in North America on cable
and satellite via iNDemand, TVN, DirecTV and Dish Network in
the United States, as well as Viewer's Choice, Shaw Cable, Star
Choice and Bell TV in Canada, for a suggested retail price of
only $29.95.
Besides
the natural physical comparisons between the two incredibly built,
muscular fighters, Lashley (6-3, 265 pounds) and Lesner (6-3,
276 pounds), Shamrock noted their similar backgrounds and paths
into MMA.
“Lashley
was a championship college wrestler (Missouri Valley College)
who went into WWE and then moved into MMA like Lesner (U. of
Minnesota),” Shamrock said. “I will never go into the
ring thinking he can’t do damage to me. I’ll be on
my toes and ready.
“Why
wouldn’t MMA fans like this show? They love a good fight
and want to be entertained; most of the characters are the most
popular. This (boxing/MMA hybrid) is brand new at this level.
Fans will watch and be entertained with MMA and boxing coming
together. This is the future.”
Lion’s
Den founder Shamrock (27-13-2, 2 KOs, 23 Submissions), fighting
out of Reno, was the original UFC Superfight and King of the
Pancrase MMA champion. Ken dominated the UFC and Pancrase for
years, defeating a Who’s Who of MMA stars including Bas
Rutten (twice), Masakatsu Funaki (twice), Dan Severn and Kimo
Leopoldo (twice), as well as fighting Royce Gracie to a draw.
He also starred in the World Wrestling Federation (WWF) for three
years before returning to MMA with Pride Fighting Championships
and then the UFC again. An outstanding athlete who was drafted
by the San Diego Chargers, Ken won his last bout by first-round
submission (arm bar) this past February 13 against Ross Clifton.
After
graduating from college, Lashley (1-0, 1 KO) joined the U.S.
Army and was a 2-time Armed Forces Champion and 2002 Military
Games Championship silver medalist.
Two
years ago, Bobby became a World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE)
superstar, highlighted at Wrestlemania 23 as a representative
of Donald Trump in a bet against WWE president Vince McMahon.
Lashley won the match and helped Trump shave McMahon’s head
in the ring. Bobby made his MMA debut last December 13, stopping
Joshua Franklin only 0.41 into the opening round.
The
MMA co-feature matches world-class grapplers Roy “Big Country”
Nelson (13-6, 6 KOs, 4 Submissions), ex-IFL heavyweight champion,
and former UFC title challenger Jeff “Snowman”Monson
(27-8, 2 KOs, 15 Submissions).
Source:
The Fight Network
|
White
Comments On Controversial Stoppages
By Steven Marrocco
Stoppages are a hot topic among fans and practioners of MMA.
UFC 96 brought into sharp focus the delicate balance a referee
must strike when officiating a fight. It’s not an easy job,
and mistakes happen. Too early, and referees are skewered for
not giving the fighters time to recover. Too late, and they are
charged with endangering a fighter's safety.
But
according to Dana White, some of the referees in charge on Saturday
made mistakes that were hard to defend. Referee Rick Fike, who
made a stoppage call on the card’s first fight, Aaron Riley
vs. Shane Nelson, and Yves Lavigne, a UFC regular who called
the Pete Sell vs. Matt Brown fight, were squarely in the UFC
president’s sights.
“Talking
about reffing and judging, it's one of the hardest things in
this sport right now,” said White, who’s had to respond
to many complaints about bad stoppages. “It drives me crazy.”
The
Sell/Brown fight, however, sent him over the edge.
“I
was unhappy with the Pete Sell fight tonight,” he continued.
“Yves Lavigne is usually a very good referee. I hurt my
arm tonight, beating on the Octagon screaming to stop that fight.
I've never done that in eight years. I don't even know what to
say.”
Sell
appeared to be out from the moment Brown dropped him with a punch
early in the fight. Lavigne stepped in, placing himself between
Brown and Sell, but disengaged when Sell appeared to show some
signs of life. Brown continued to punish a hapless Sell, who
was out on his feet and taking several punches and knees to the
head. After dealing out several combinations, Brown threw his
hands up in disgust over the lack of referee intervention. Finally,
after Sell fell to the canvas and ate two brutal hooks, the bout
was called.
White
thought the premature stoppage of the Riley fight might have
played a part in the Sell outcome.
“Yeah,
and this is my personal opinion,” he said. “I hate
dogging refs because they have a hard job. I know they have a
hard job, but to me, I think there are really a couple of guys
in this business that really know what they're doing and go in
there and take control. When you're a referee, you're job is
to go in and you're in charge. When you step in there, you step
in there and you stop that fight. Fight's over, that's it. Boo
me, I don't care what you think, I wanted to stop this fight
for whatever reason. And you see hesitation with these guys.
“I
think when they see a guy make a mistake, that it was a brutal
mistake, like in the [Nelson/Riley] fight, it messes with their
head. And they think, sh*t, I don't want to do that. I think
these guys just need to be confident and go in and make decisions.
Stop the fight. If that's your decision, let them boo you. Who
cares? You're the boss.”
Asked
who he thought did the job well, White cited Herb Dean, Lavigne,
and Mario Yamasaki. Very telling was his omission of the consensus
best referee in the business, “Big” John McCarthy,
who has been a critic of the promotion since leaving its fold
in December of 2007.
More
than anything, White sympathized with the fighters who were at
the end of the bad stoppages.
“Those
two kids have been in camp for six to eight weeks training,”
he said. “They fly out here to fight and it gets stopped
like that. Listen, people make mistakes all the time. That was
a bad one.”
Source:
Full Contact Fighter
|
Jackson,
Jardine and Hamill earn $60K UFC 96 bonuses
COLUMBUS,
Ohio - Quinton "Rampage" Jackson, Keith Jardine and
Matt Hamill each earned $60,000 "fight night" bonuses
for their performances at "UFC 96: Jackson vs. Jardine."
UFC
96 took place Saturday at Nationwide Arena in Columbus, Ohio,
and aired live on pay-per-view. The bonus amounts were up significantly
from the $40,000 awards issued at UFC 95 in February but down
slightly from the $65,000 UFC 94 bonuses in January.
The
UFC announced the bonuses at the UFC 96 post-fight press conference
and were confirmed by MMAjunkie.com (www.mmajunkie.com).
With
seven of the evening's 10 bouts ending by knockout or TKO, the
UFC had a difficult decision when it came to "Knockout of
the Night." With no submission wins on the evening laying
claim to a "Submission of the Night" bonus, the UFC
elected not to award any additional awards.
Jackson
and Jardine's main event was predicted by many to be a one-sided
affair. The awkward, hulking "Dean of Mean" proved
the naysayers wrong and pushed the former light-heavyweight champion
to perform at his peak for 15 full minutes. The back-and-forth
battle remained up in the air until the final bell, and while
Jackson earned the win, the matchup earned both competitors a
"Fight of the Night" bonus.
A
battle between two elite-level wrestlers probably wasn't many
people's pre-event choice as a potential "Knockout of the
Night." But after whipping the Columbus crowd into a frenzy
with his entrance, Hamill landed a devastating right high kick
that left Mark Munoz unconscious and earned "The Hammer"
the evening's bonus.
UFC
96 joins recent pay-per-view events UFC 92 and UFC 94 as show
to end without a single submission victory. Prior to the three-month
stretch, the most recent event to end without a submission was
UFC Fight Night 7 on Dec. 13, 2006.
For
complete coverage of "UFC 96: Jackson vs. Jardine,"
check out the UFC Events page on MMAjunkie.com.
Source: MMA Junkie
|
Jacob
'Stitch' Duran is the 'father' of UFC cutmen
Wrapping
the hands of UFC's top fighters is more than just a job for Jacob
‘Stitch’ Duran.
By Alastair Good
“These
guys are like my children,” says the 57-year old. “There’s
a father, there’s a mother, there’s a wife out there
that’s concerned, so I try to make sure that they’re
okay.”
As a cutman for the Ultimate Fighting Championship, Duran has
been working with fighters like Troy Mandaloniz for the past
thirteen years.
Preparing
the fighters before their fight and tending their wounds during
it brings out paternalism in the father of four. “When they
get cut, I wanna make sure I take care of them.”
Wrapping
the fighter’s hands is a very intimate process, with Duran
chatting quietly whilst working the gauze and tape. It is a quiet
time during the build-up to a fight and for Duran it is as much
about mental preparation and giving the fighter confidence as
the practicality of protecting their fists.
A
chance meeting with UFC President Dana White brought him into
the organisation. Duran says: “I was working the corner
at a K1 kickboxing event in the Bellagio Hotel in Vegas and Dana
was in the audience. The next day he gave me a call and said
he’d bought the UFC.”
At
that point the UFC only had one cutman, Leon Tabbs and White
wanted to have two per fight, one in either fighter’s corner,
he knew Duran from the boxing circuit and signed him up.
Duran
is also responsible for inspecting the fighters before they enter
the Octagon and applying Vaseline to their eyebrows and cheeks.
This is done to encourage strikes to the face to slip across
the surface of the skin and reduce both the impact and the possibility
of tearing the skin.
If
a fighter does get cut then to stop the bleeding Duran uses Adrenaline
Chloride, in a 1:1000 solution, applied on a swab directly to
the cut. This constricts the blood vessels, “kind of like
squeezing a hose.” Coagulants are also used on the dry surface
of a cut once the blood has been removed and the most common
types are Avitene and Thrombin.
The
medications used by Duran are tightly regulated today but it
hasn’t always been so. In the old days cutmen used to mix
their own solutions and this led to the use of some pretty nasty
techniques for controlling cuts such as the notorious and mostly
banned Monsel’s Solution.
It
is a haemostatic solution which stops bleeding by chemically
cauterizing the wound and can be detected by the darkening of
skin to which it is applied and the heavy scarring it leaves
behind.
Although
the UFC has banned it completely there are still boxing matches
that Duran has worked where it is used: “I worked a fight
a while back in Minnesota, and my fighter cut the opponent. It
seemed big enough for the doctors to stop it but he comes out
for the next round and it’s not bleeding. I went over to
him at the end of the fight and sure enough the skin around the
cut was all blackened.”
Duran
ran into the same fighter a year later and he had heavy scarring
where the doctors had to cut away the dead skin and close up
the cut.
There
are no schools for cutmen, so when Duran was starting out he
tried to learn by watching older men and asking questions but
often found his enquiries rebuffed: “One time I went to
this guy whose fighter got cut and he did a great job in stopping
the cut and I asked him, ‘what did you use?’, and he
said ‘you gotta learn on your own, I learned from my master
and I’m taking this to my grave’.”
Duran
is determined to be more helpful to anyone that wants to learn
his trade: “The old cutmen used to say, and they still say
it now, if you teach him your secrets he’ll take your job.
Now to me that’s a point of insecurity, as a master in the
martial arts my job is to teach a student and if the student
does better than the master, then the master has done his job.”
Source:
Telegraph.co.uk
|
Bustamante
wants to be back in action
By Erik Engelhart
Murilo Bustamante, leader of the Brazilian Top Team, is away
from the rings since 2007, when he fought at Yarennoka, in Japan,
and was defeated by split decision by the Japanese Makoto Takimoto.
Despite of more than a year of inactivity, the black-belt guarantees
that he’s far from retirement and that will sign a contract
soon. "Some proposals are appearing, but for now I'm just
analyzing, there’s nothing concrete. The fact is that this
year I’m full of desire to fight", said the fighter.
Source:
Tatame
|
Foupa-Pokam
on UFC debut
‘I’m known to be unpredictable. So what if I submit
Denis Kang with a flying gogoplata?’
Xavier
Foupa-Pokam, or “Professor X” as he is known in Brazil,
where he defeated Felipe “Mongo” Arinelli at Jungle
Fight 10, inked his first contract with the UFC and will make
his debut April 18, at UFC 97, against Canadian Denis Kang.
At
his only appearance in Jungle Fight, Foupa-Pokam entered the
ring to resounding boos for his fight against Mongo, the hometown
boy, and due to his charismatic nature, left to the Brazilian
fans’ applause. At UFC 97, to take place in Montreal, the
Frenchman will once again face the wrath of local fans, who will
likely side with Canadian Denis Kang, who Pokam has been matched
against.
“Denis
Kang is a top fighter. I admire him as a fighter and a win over
him will immediately make me a real Ultimate fighter,” said
Foupa-Pokam in an interview with GRACIEMAG.com.
“I’ve been working a long time on becoming a top-ranked
fighter. And I’m still working on that, every day. To become
a UFC fighter was one of my objectives because that’s where
most of the best fighters on the planet are. So that’s where
I want to be and I want to be champion one day. I know it’s
a long road of hard work and patience, to make myself “the
man”… but work has never bothered me. I will be champion
one day,” proclaimed the Frenchman, who has 20 wins and
9 losses on his record while Denis Kang goes into the fight with
31 wins, 11 losses and a draw.
A
resident of Puteaux, a few minutes outside of Paris, Foupa-Pokam
has been doing his training for the UFC at home in France. Included
in his regimen is muay thai, MMA and Jiu-Jitsu. “I’m
training to become comfortable anywhere the fight plays out.
It’s MMA, man!” he said with enthousiasm. “Beyond
all else I’m Professor X, I have a history of getting the
knockout, but also the submission. And I’m known to be unpredictable.
So what if I finish Denis Kang with a flying gogoplata?”
said Foupa-Pokam in finishing.
Check
out the card for UFC 97:
Anderson
Silva vs Thales Leites;
Chuck Liddell vs Mauricio "Shogun" Rua;
Krzysztof Soszynski vs Brian Stann;
Cheick Kongo vs Antoni Hardonk;
Luis Banha Cane vs Steve Cantwell;
Xavier Foupa-Pokam vs Denis Kang;
Jason MacDonald vs Nate Quarry;
David Loiseau vs Ed Herman;
David Bielkheden vs Mark Bocek;
Ryo Chonan vs T.J. Grant;
Sam Stout vs Matt Wiman.
Source:
Gracie Magazine
|
Patrick
Cote Wants Alan Belcher or Winner Of Rich Franklin vs. Wanderlei
Silva
By Jacob Camargo
“I will be back in the gym fully training in three weeks
or so…. I want to fight someone in the top-five or top-10….
I want Alan Belcher or the winner of Rich Franklin vs. Wanderlei
Silva…. I would love to fight Vitor Belfort if he came to
the UFC.”
Former
number one middlweight contender Patrick Cote recently spoke
to Thefightnetwork.com about his road to recovery and possible
future opponents. Cote underwent major knee surgery in November
2008 after shredding his knee while inside the Octagon opposite
reigning middleweight champion Anderson Silva at UFC 90 back
in October 2008.
The
UFC 90 fight with Anderson Silva resulted in a TKO loss for the
Canadian, which he feels may have gone his way considering he
went more than two rounds with Silva. Cote was the first man
in Silva's UFC career to go more than two rounds with the middleweight
champion.
Source:
Fight Line
|
Freeman
Avoids Jail Time
by Loretta Hunt
Ian Freeman is a free man.
The
Newcastle Crown Court sentenced the six-time UFC veteran to a
suspended nine-month jail term on March 3 for failing to declare
income earned from professional fights he competed in and other
fight-related employment between 2003-2006.
Judge
Brian Forster sentenced Freeman to a one-year probation, 120
hours of community service and an 8:30 p.m. to 5:00 a.m. curfew
for six weeks.
Freeman,
42, had previously pleaded guilty to one count of tax evasion
and another for making a false income statement to obtain a house
mortgage. The father of three and his wife, Angela, also pleaded
guilty to three joint counts of making fraudulent claims for
tax credits between January 2003 and July 2006.
The
Sunderland, England native’s wife had previously been issued
a suspended sentence.
“I've
never held a full-time job,” Freeman wrote in a previous
email to Sherdog.com. “All I've known is doorman work or
fighting and I last worked the doors over 10 years ago. 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. 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
stated that he paid his taxes from 2006 on when he became self-employed.
At
his sentencing, Freeman’s attorney presented 90 affidavits
to the court attesting to the fighter’s numerous charitable
efforts in the community. One reference detailed the fighter’s
efforts to raise funds for a playground built in memory of a
four-year-old girl that had been killed in a traffic accident.
Freeman,
who lost his father to brain cancer the night before his July
2002 victory over Frank Mir at UFC 38, was also cited for raising
the funds to send a terminally-ill 10-year-old boy to Florida
with his family for his final “dream vacation.”
Freeman
believes his charity work swayed the court in its leniency.
“I
believe in Karma, what goes around, comes around,” Freeman
wrote in an email to Sherdog.com on Tuesday. “The judge
could see how much I have helped those not as fortunate as me.
The judge also commended me on my charity work I have done.”
Freeman
(19-7-1) 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 the UK’s Cage Rage in May
2008, earning a unanimous decision over Paul Cahoon in a light
heavyweight championship bout.
“I
now want to put this all behind me," wrote Freeman, "and
I hope others, like the judge, can see I'm not a bad man or a
criminal, just a man who knows nothing about paying taxes and
bookkeeping."
Source:
Sherdog
|
ULTIMATE
FIGHTER ESCUDERO OUT OF APRIL 1 BOUT
by Damon Martin
Coming
off of a successful run as the lightweight champion of season
eight of "The Ultimate Fighter," Efrain Escudero will
have to wait a little longer for his official UFC debut. He has
been forced off the card with a rib injury, sources close to
Escudero confirmed to MMAWeekly.com on Wednesday.
Escudero
was in Columbus last weekend for UFC 96, but since that time
the young fighter suffered the injury in training, forcing off
of the April 1 UFC Fight Night 18 card.
After
a successful run during the eighth season of the reality show,
Escudero came into his finale fight against housemate Phillipe
Nover as an underdog, but he proved all the naysayers wrong by
winning a unanimous decision and the contract to compete in the
UFC.
With
Escudero sidelined, the hunt will now begin for his replacement
to face Jeremy Stephens, who will fight for the second time in
just under three months.
Stephens
was called upon to replace his friend and training partner Hermes
Franca, when Franca was forced out of his bout against Joe Lauzon
in February due to injury. Stephens ended up dropping the bout
to Lauzon by armbar in the second round.
Now
the Iowa based fighter will wait for the UFC to find a replacement
on just under three weeks notice from fight time.
Source:
MMA Weekly
|
Ken
Shamrock Tests Positive for Steroids
Ariel Shnerer
The California State Athletic Commission has fined and suspended
MMA pioneer Ken Shamrock for a positive steroid test following
his February 13 first-round submission win over Ross Clifton
at WarGods: Valentine's Eve Massacre.
According
to the CSAC, Shamrock tested positive for three illegal anabolic
steroids -- Norandrosterone, Noretiocholanolone and Stanozolol
-- and has consequently been suspended and fined $2,500.
Shamrock
has since denied allegations of taking steroids and he is expected
to file an appeal to the ruling.
However,
if the positive test is upheld, Shamrock's victory will be overturned
and he will be suspended until February 2010.
Moreover,
his upcoming match-up against fellow former WWE performer Bobby
Lashley could be jeopardized.
Shamrock
and Lashley are currently set to face off in the main event of
the MMA portion of a hybrid boxing/MMA event scheduled for March
21 at the Pensacola Civic Center in Pensacola, Fla.
The
event is being promoted by former four-division boxing world
champion Roy Jones Jr.'s promotional company "Square Ring
Promotions." Jones will also be in action in the featured
attraction of the boxing portion of the card as he is set to
battle Omar Sheika.
Source:
The Fight Network
|
Quote
of the Day
“When
you are proclaiming peace with your lips, be careful to have
it even more fully in your heart.”
Francis of Assisi
|
The
Quest for Champions 2009 Tournament
The Quest for Champions 2009 Tournament featuring Sport-Pankration, Submission Grappling
and Continuous Sparring.
Saturday, June 6, 2009
Kalani High School Gym
Email kunltd@hotmail.com for more information.
|
HFC,
Stand Your Ground XII
Dole Cannery Ball rooms
Doors open at 6:00 p.m
Show starts at 7:30p.m.
E-mail hfc.events@yahoo.com or call (808)861-7685
for information
|
PENN
FILES FORMAL COMPLAINT WITH NSAC
After a month of telegraphing their intentions, B.J. Penn and
his representatives have filed a formal complaint against Georges
St. Pierre.
The
20-page document, filed on Monday with the Nevada State Athletic
Commission, requests sanctions against St. Pierre, his cornermen,
and other unknown licensees of the commission, and requests a
formal hearing into the matter.
The
complaint, drafted by Penn legal representative Raffi A. Nahabedian,
of the Rosenfeld law firm in Las Vegas, Nevada, alleges that
St. Pierre and his camp knowingly used illegal greasing agents
to affect the outcome of his fight with Penn at UFC 94 on Jan.
31 in Las Vegas.
Penn
succumbed to St. Pierre’s furious ground and pound attack
20 minutes after their encounter began, with Penn’s cornermen
throwing in the towel between the fourth and fifth rounds.
Controversy
erupted inside the cage between the first and second rounds when
the NSAC was alerted to the inappropriate use of Vaseline by
St. Pierre cornerman Phil Nurse. Officials wiped the welterweight
champion down with a towel between rounds and monitored the corner
closely until the bout’s halt.
The
document cites unnamed mixed martial arts fighters who complained
about St. Pierre’s use of greasing agents as evidence of
his culpability.
“It
is Penn’s belief… that the aforementioned strategies
were intentional and were orchestrated by Pierre as a means to
unfairly and illegally defeat Penn in a regulated and sanctioned
championship bout that prohibits the aforementioned conduct and
that such calculated actions by Pierre were implemented as a
means to prevent Penn from defending himself in a manner consistent
with that contemplated in unarmed combat due to the highly and
unnaturally slippery nature of Pierre during the bout,”
the document states.
Penn
and his representative also allege that St. Pierre “ingested
a substance that would cause his body to become highly and unnaturally
slippery during the bout.”
Nurse,
Jackson trainer Greg Jackson, and the unknown parties are named
as co-conspirators to St. Pierre’s use of the agents.
The
complaint requests numerous punishments for St. Pierre’s
camp. It asks the commission to fine St. Pierre, Jackson, Nurse,
and the unnamed parties up to $250,000; suspend St. Pierre’s
license as well as the licenses of Jackson, Nurse, and the unnamed
parties; change the result of the bout to a “no contest;”
and require Pierre undergo a pre-bout shower to make sure no
substances exist on his body.
St.
Pierre’s manager, Sherri Spencer, had not read the document
and would not comment to MMAWeekly.com until she had reviewed
it.
Source: MMA Weekly
|
TapouT
co-founder, MMA sponsor dies in car crash
by FOXSports.com
The mixed martial arts community lost one of its biggest personalities
early Wednesday morning in a car crash in Costa Mesa, Calif.
High-speed
tragedy
Crash photos Photos: TapouT co-founder Charles "Mask"
Lewis died after his Ferrari hit a lamp post at a high speed
and split in two on a California road. Witness the aftermath
of the crash.
Charles
"Mask" Lewis, the 45-year-old co-founder of the TapouT
apparel company, died when he lost control of his Ferrari and
hit a lamp pole. Lewis was pronounced dead at the scene.
In
a statement on its Web site, TapouT said, "It is with heavy
hearts and great sadness that we must regretfully confirm the
passing of our beloved friend, brother and co-founder Charles
'Mask' Lewis following a car accident that occurred last night.
... Many thanks to all for the outpouring of blessings and well-wishes
during this incredibly difficult time."
The
Los Angeles Times reported that a Newport Beach Police Department
officer witnessed the crash and saw Lewis' red Ferrari and a
white Porsche spinning out of control just before 1 a.m. Wednesday.
The Ferrari then hit the curb and collided into a pole.
Charles
"Mask" Lewis (www.tapout.com / Special to FOXSports.com)
"It
was terrible," Newport Beach Lt. Craig Fox told the Times.
"It was extensive damage to the vehicle."
A
woman in the Ferrari was ejected from the vehicle and was in
stable condition at a local hospital. Police haven't determined
if she was the driver or passenger of the Ferrari, according
to the Times.
Police
later arrested the driver of the Porsche, Jeffrey David Kirby,
and charged him with gross vehicular manslaughter. He was being
held on $1 million bail.
There
was a 50-mph limit on the road, but police believe both cars
were traveling well above that limit, according to a report on
KTLA.com.
The
Newport Beach Police Department told FOXSports.com that Lewis'
car was a 2004 Modena Ferrari. That Modena can reach speeds of
more than 180 mph and retails for almost $200,000.
Lewis
and Dan "Punkass" Caldwell founded TapouT in 1997 as
a clothing and MMA gear retailer. In addition to retail, the
private company also signed deals with fighters, including Kimbo
Slice, and is a sponsor of fight events.
Source: Fox Sports
|
TAPOUT
FOUNDER KILLED IN OVERNIGHT CAR CRASH (UPDATED)
Charles
Lewis Jr., better known to MMA fans as “Mask,” was
killed in a hit-and-run accident Tuesday night in Newport Beach,
Calif.
Lewis
was the founder of Tapout Clothing, Inc., and the face of its
popular reality show on cable channel Versus. Several sources
within the company confirmed his passing.
At
12:57 a.m., a Newport Beach Police cruiser spotted Lewis’
red Ferrari and a white Porsche driving out of control on the
southbound side of Jamboree Road, according to Lt. Jim Amormino,
a public information officer with the Orange County Sherrif’s
Department.
The
Ferrari then struck the curb and hit a utility pole, tearing
the car in half. After coming to a brief stop, the Porsche fled
the scene.
An
unnamed female passenger was ejected from Lewis’ car in
the crash. Newport Beach paramedics pronounced Lewis dead at
the scene.
Newport
Beach officers later spotted the Porsche and stopped its passengers,
a male and female, who were seen walking away from the vehicle.
Upon
further investigation officers determined that the male, Jeffrey
David Kirby, a 51-year-old resident of Costa Mesa, Calif., was
the driver of the vehicle.
Kirby
was arrested for gross vehicular manslaughter and taken to the
Newport Beach Police Department. The female passenger, Lynn Marie
Nabozny, a 32-year-old resident of Newport Beach, was arrested
for public intoxication and released Wednesday morning.
Kirby’s
bail is set at $1 million dollars. The results of a blood alcohol
test administered at the jail are forthcoming. No further motive
for the accident is known at this time, according to Amormino.
(UPDATE
2:30 p.m. PT / 5:30 p.m. ET)
Tapout
later in the day released an official confirmation of Lewis'
death, saying, “It is with heavy hearts and great sadness
that we must regretfully confirm the passing of our beloved friend,
brother and co-founder Charles 'Mask' Lewis following a car accident
that occurred last night. We are currently in the process of
setting up a memorial service in his honor and will release more
details as they become available.
"Many
thanks to all for the outpouring of blessings and well-wishing
during this incredibly difficult time.”
Charles
"Mask" Lewis was 45 years old.
Source: MMA Weekly
|
UFC
LOOKS TO MAKE EARLY STOP RIGHT FOR RILEY
Three days after it took place, there’s hardly any visual
evidence that a fight between Aaron Riley and Shane Nelson took place, but more than 17,000 fans
took in what’s been called one of the worst stoppages in
UFC history.
The
fight’s controversial ending, and some of its aftermath,
was seen during a Dana White video blog chronicling UFC 96. Watching
the fight on a TV backstage, he blasted referee Rick Fike in
front of a small video crew.
“That
shouldn’t happen,” he said. “That (expletive)
guy who just reffed the fight shouldn’t be in that Octagon.
He has no business being there.”
At
the event’s post-fight press conference, he voiced similar
feelings.
“Those
two kids have been in camp for six to eight weeks training,”
he said. “They fly out here to fight and it gets stopped
like that. Listen, people make mistakes all the time. That was
a bad one.”
Riley,
now on vacation in Ft. Lauderdale, Fla., seemed to be in relatively
good spirits when he spoke to MMAWeekly.com, but wanted another
chance to prove himself.
“The
UFC is looking to make things right, so hopefully I’ll get
a rematch in with Shane at some point, but I’m just really
looking to get back in action as soon as possible,” he said.
“I’ve already expressed that to Joe Silva, and he’s
looking to make that happen.
“He
told me they were booked through August, but he also told me
that if there was a chance to get me in, he’d try to get
me in. If anything happens where somebody drops out or gets injured,
he can look to juggle the schedule around and get me in.”
Among
those wishing him sympathy last Saturday was a member of Nelson’s
camp, who agreed the stoppage was premature.
“It
was an inexperienced referee,” he continued. “Silva
told me the guy was assigned to them by the Ohio State Athletic
Commission; they had to use him. I don’t know what his experience
level was – it couldn’t have been much. It seemed to
me it was his first time out of the gates, personally.”
Though
he’ll welcome any fight in the next months, he would prefer
to rematch Nelson.
“There
would be nothing I’d like to do more than finish that match-up
with Shane,” he said. “It wouldn’t even be a rematch
– it would be the original match, because that was such
a non-event. I had a lot of family drive over to see that. Outside
of that, I felt bad for the fans as a whole and the UFC.
“Everybody
got cheated out of a great match-up.”
Source: MMA Weekly
|
UFC
Hall of Famer fails Calif. steroid test, suspended
It's time to add another name to the list of prominent athletes
associated with anabolic steroids.
Ken
Shamrock recently ended a five-fight losing streak. (Zuffa, LLC
/ Special to FOXSports.com)
Former
Ultimate Fighting Championship superstar Ken Shamrock has tested
positive for three different banned substances, the California
State Athletic Commission announced Wednesday night.
He
failed a drug test taken prior to his Feb. 13 victory over Ross
Clifton in Fresno, Calif. Shamrock is now suspended from all
mixed martial arts competition nationwide through Feb. 1, 2010.
Shamrock,
45, will have the chance to appeal his failed test with the California
commission. He tested positive for norandrosterone, noretiocholanolone
and stanozolol.
The
UFC Hall of Famer, was scheduled to face fellow former pro wrestler
Bobby Lashley on March 21 in Pensacola, Fla.
Shamrock
(27-13-2) ended a five-fight losing streak when he forced Clifton
to submit in the first round of their bout.
Shamrock
was one of the sport's early pioneers as his battles with fellow
Hall of Famers Royce Gracie and Dan Severn in the early to mid
'90s helped put mixed martial arts on the map.
"The
World's Most Dangerous Man" was also a big reason for the
UFC's strong pay-per-view presence this decade.
His
feud with Tito Ortiz and their three matches (2002 and twice
in 2006) attracted large audiences. Ortiz became a huge star
by stopping Shamrock each time, with their final two bouts ending
in the first round.
It
was apparent that Shamrock was well past his prime. However,
he continued to fight and the losses quickly mounted.
His
reputation in the sport was severely hurt and is considered a
pariah in many circles.
Last
October, Shamrock was supposed to fight Internet sensation Kimbo
Slice in an EliteXC main event. Shamrock had to pull out the
day before the bout because of a cut.
Slice
went on to lose in 14 seconds to Seth Petruzelli and EliteXC
folded amid controversy regarding that bout.
Source: Fox Sports |
KEN
SHAMROCK TESTS POSITIVE FOR STEROIDS
Following his first win in over four years, former UFC and Pride
fighter Ken Shamrock allegedly tested positive for three different
anabolic agents after defeating Ross Clifton in the War Gods
show on Feb. 13. The California State Athletic Commission announced
the infraction on Wednesday.
According
to the statement, Shamrock tested positive for Norandrosterone,
Noretiocholanolone, and Stanozolol.
Shamrock
faces a suspension retroactive to the date of the bout, which
will run from Feb. 13, 2009 to Feb. 1, 2010. The leader of the
Lion's Den will also face a $2,500 fine imposed from the commission.
Shamrock
will have the right to appeal the decision, and according to
the athletic commission statement, they will make no further
comment about the situation pending Shamrock's right to appeal.
This
obviously puts his bout upcoming on March 21 against former WWE
star Bobby Lashley under scrutiny as the two former pro wrestlers
were set to do battle as a part of Roy Jones Jr.'s upcoming boxing/MMA
hybrid show.
Stay
tuned to MMAWeekly.com for more information on this story as
it becomes available.
Source: MMA Weekly
|
'Rampage'
may not get next championship shot
by Ariel Shnerer, The Fight Network
Quinton "Rampage" Jackson's status as the next challenger
to Rashad Evans' UFC light heavyweight title is in jeopardy.
Jackson
reportedly injured his hand and jaw in his unanimous decision
win against Keith Jardine at UFC 96 on Saturday.
The
light heavyweight title bout, originally reported on the UFC
96 broadcast last Saturday, was set to replace Frank Mir vs.
Brock Lesnar as the main event of UFC 98.
The
heavyweight title unification matchup between Mir and Lesnar
has been postponed until UFC 100 after Mir suffered a knee injury
and announced that he needed more time in order to be at 100
percent for the rematch. Mir, the only man to defeat Lesnar,
underwent knee surgery Thursday.
Plans
to have the bout between Jackson and Evans at UFC 98 seemed set
in stone as it was heavily hyped throughout the UFC 96 telecast.
After "Rampage" had defeated Evans' training partner
Jardine in the main event, the Jackson-Evans tease was capped
by a heated staredown.
"There's
going to be some more black on black crime," said Jackson
after the staredown before dropping the microphone and storming
out of the octagon.
At
the postfight press conference, UFC President Dana White denied
that the two men were confirmed to face off at UFC 98.
The
205-pound tilt is now unlikely to happen on the May 23 card in
Las Vegas.
As
of right now, UFC.com lists Evans' opponent as TBA.
In
all likelihood, unbeaten Brazilian Lyoto Machida will step up
to face Evans at UFC 98 for the title with the winner facing
"Rampage" at a later date.
White
teased the possibility of Machida getting the title shot if Jackson
was not fit to compete at the UFC 96 postfight press conference.
Aside
from Evans' title defense against a yet-to-be-finalized opponent,
Matt Hughes will battle bitter rival Matt Serra in welterweight
action; Josh Koscheck looks to rebound from a shocking loss to
Paulo Thiago when he faces fellow welterweight Chris Wilson;
top middleweight contender Yushin Okami meets Dan Miller and
highly regarded lightweights Sean Sherk and Frankie Edgar will
battle.
Here
is the current card for UFC 98:
Main
card
#
Rashad Evans vs. TBA (light heavyweight championship)
#
Matt Hughes vs. Matt Serra
#
Josh Koscheck vs. Chris Wilson
#
Yushin Okami vs. Dan Miller
#
Sean Sherk vs. Frankie Edgar
Preliminary
bouts
#
David Kaplan vs. George Roop
#
James Irvin vs. Drew McFedries
#
Houston Alexander vs. Andre Gusmao
#
Phillipe Nover vs. Kyle Bradley
#
Patrick Barry vs. Tim Hague
#
Yoshiyuki Yoshida vs. Brandon Wolff
Source: Fox Sports
|
JACKSON
INJURED; EVANS VS MACHIDA AT UFC 98
Quinton Jackson earned a shot at the UFC light heavyweight belt
currently held by Rashad Evans, but he will be unable to accept
the proposed May 23 bout. It appears that Lyoto Machida will
instead face Evans for the title in the main event of UFC 98
in Las Vegas.
After
losing the light heavyweight championship to Forrest Griffin
last summer, Jackson returned with a quick knockout of nemesis
Wanderlei Silva at UFC 92 in December, then walked away with
a unanimous decision over Keith Jardine last weekend, which was
enough to put him in the UFC 98 main event.
The
slot was vacated when Frank Mir, due to a recent knee injury,
was unable to be properly prepared to face Brock Lesnar to unify
the heavyweight championship as planned. Evans had been scheduled
to defend at UFC 100 in July, but agreed to push his fight up
to UFC 98 when the Mir-Lesnar bout was lost.
UFC
president Dana White on Wednesday told Yahoo! Sports' Kevin Iole
that the UFC 96 post-fight pain in Jackson's jaw turned out to
be torn ligaments that will require surgery and five weeks of
no contact. Jackson also hyperextended his left elbow in the
Jardine fight.
As
White confirmed on Saturday night, if Jackson was unable to accept
the bout, they already had Lyoto Machida waiting in the wings,
already agreeing to take the fight.
Although
Machida's camp was unavailable for comment at the time of publication,
Evans' manager, Jervis Cole, informed MMAWeekly.com that Evans
has verbally agreed to face Machida at UFC 98. Bout agreements
have not yet been signed, but should be shortly.
Source: MMA Weekly
|
'Rampage'
earns biggest payday from UFC 96
by Ariel Shnerer, The Fight Network
Quinton "Rampage" Jackson's unanimous decision win
over Keith Jardine on Saturday earned him the highest payday
of UFC 96.
Jackson
took home $325,000, which does not include his $60,000 bonus
for "Fight of the Night."
The
official paydays were provided by the Ohio Athletic Commission.
Jackson's
$325,000 includes a base pay of $225,000 and a win bonus worth
$100,000.
Jardine
pocketed only $55,000 in comparison.
Other
notable paydays include $60,000 for both Brandon Vera, who defeated
Michael Patt via stoppage, and Gabriel Gonzaga, who was knocked
out just over a minute into his heavyweight battle against Shane
Carwin.
Carwin
made $32,000, which includes a win bonus of $16,000.
The
figures listed below do not include UFC bonuses paid out to Jackson,
Jardine or Matt Hamill, who earned an extra $60,000 for his "Knockout
of the Night" with a knockout of debuting WEC veteran Mark
Munoz.
Combatants
who came out on the losing end could have doubled their base
pay had they won their fights.
Here
are the paydays from UFC 96:
#
Quinton Jackson: $325,000 (includes $100,000 win bonus)
#
Brandon Vera: $60,000 (includes $30,000 win bonus)
#
Gabriel Gonzaga: $60,000
#
Keith Jardine: $55,000
#
Kendall Grove: $44,000 (includes $22,000 win bonus)
#
Matt Hamill: $40,000 (includes $20,000 win bonus)
#
Shane Carwin: $32,000 (includes $16,000 win bonus)
#
Gray Maynard: $20,000 (includes $10,000 win bonus)
#
Tamdan McCrory: $20,000 (includes $10,000 win bonus)
#
Matt Brown: $16,000 (includes $8,000 win bonus)
#
Shane Nelson:
$16,000 (includes $8,000 win bonus)
#
Tim Boetsch: $12,000
#
Pete Sell: $12,000
#
Mark Munoz: $12,000
#
Jason Brilz: $10,000 (includes $5,000 win bonus)
#
Jim Miller: $9,000
#
Aaron Riley: $6,000
#
Jason Day: $5,000
#
Michael Patt: $5,000
#
Ryan Madigan: $3,000
Source: MMA Weekly
|
ULTIMATE
FIGHTER 9 CAST REVEALED
Long hailed as the saving grace of mixed martial arts in the
U.S., The Ultimate Fighter prepares for its ninth season, set
to debut on April 1 on Spike TV following UFC Fight Night 18
in Nashville, Tenn.
This
season features a different take on the formula that the show
has followed for the past eight seasons. Season nine still pits
two teams of 16 fighters against each other – eight welterweights
and eight lightweights per team – but the fighters are divvied
up into a team of U.K. fighters versus a team of U.S. fighters.
The
two teams will then go through much of the same format as past
shows, fighting their way into the finals to declare a welterweight
and a lightweight winner. The Ultimate Fighter Season 9 Live
Finale will take place on June 20 at the Pearl in Las Vegas.
Kevin
Iole of Yahoo! Sports on Monday released the list of the 32 contestants
for this season, broken out into the various weight categories
and country they represent.
U.S.
WELTERWEIGHTS
Ryan
Biglar (2-1):
Biglar,
24, is a jiu-jitsu fighter originally from Guam who represents
the Cobra Kai in Las Vegas.
Ray
Elbe (20-11):
A
Muay Thai fighter, the 25-year-old Elbe has spent the last three
years working on his game in Phuket, Thailand. The most notable
man he’s faced was Renato Verissimo, who knocked him out
in 2003.
Christian
Fulgium (6-2-1):
A
wrestler, Fulgium represents the Gladiator camp in Lafayette,
La.
DaMarques
Johnson (13-6):
Johnson
took up MMA training while in the military. Training out of Elite
Performance in Salt Lake City, Johnson once faced former World
Extreme Cagefighting welterweight champion Brock Larson, who
submitted him in a 2005 bout
Kevin
Knabjian (10-3-1):
A
wrester from Eastern Illinois University, the same school that
produced UFC star Matt Hughes, the one-time WEC fighter trains
at Gilbert Grappling in Chicago.
Mark
Miller (10-4):
A
Muay Thai fighter also based in Chicago, Miller trains at Dino
Costeas MMA and Toro Muay Thai.
Jason
Pierce (9-0):
A
one-time collegiate soccer player, Pierce trains with the vaunted
Miletich Fighting Systems camp in Bettendorf, Iowa
Kiel
Reid (8-1):
A
native of Bettendorf, Reid also trains with Miletich, whose experience
includes a 2004 fight against UFC veteran Luigi Fiorvanti.
U.S.
LIGHTWEIGHTS
Paul
Bird (4-1):
A
striker, Bird trains at Des Moines (Iowa) MMA. He has fought
in the Midwest Cage Championships promotion.
Santino
DeFranco (13-4):
A
wrestler and jiu-jitsu specialist, DeFranco has experienced fighting
in the now-defunct International Fight League. He also helped
coach Efrain Escudero, the TUF 8 winner
Jason
Dent (19-9):
A
submission specialist, Dent runs his own gym in Mentor, Ohio,
at Griffon Brawl. He is a UFC veteran who has losses to Roger
Huerta and Gleison Tibau.
Cameron
Dollar (4-1):
Dollar
trains in Colorado Springs, Colo., and is a former teammate of
TUF alums Cory Hill and Noah Thomas.
Tom
Hayden (4-0):
A
submission fighter, Hayden is trained by popular UFC veteran
Jorge Gurgel in West Chester, Ohio
Waylon
Lowe (5-2):
Lowe,
28, also fights for Gurgel
Josh
Souder (7-2):
A
member of Team Prodigy, Souder has faced castmate Jason Dent
in 2005, losing by TKO.
Richie
Whitson (4-0):
A
native Alaskan who trains with Team Quest in Temecula, Calif.,
Whitson is a heavy-handed striker.
U.S.
coach Dan Henderson:
A
two-time Olympic wrestler, Henderson is the only man to have
simultaneously held two weight-class championships in PRIDE.
He was the organization’s light heavyweight and middleweight
champion and is one of the top fighters in the UFC.
U.K.
WELTERWEIGHTS
Dean
Amarasinghe (4-1):
A
grappler from Nottingham, England, Amarasinghe trains at Rough
House Gym.
James
Bateman (2-1):
A
striker, Bateman trains at Grimsby NHB in Grimsby, England.
David
Faulkner (2-1):
A
member of the Wolfslair team that features U.K. coach Michael
Bisping and UFC star Quinton Jackson, Faulkner is a submissions
expert.
Tommy
Maguire (5-2):
The
20-year-old Maguire is a striker who works with the Tsunami Gym
in Wisbech, England.
Che
Mills (7-2):
A
tall welterweight at 6-foot-2, Mills works with ex-UFC fighter
Mark Weir’s Range Fighting Gym.
Nicholas
Osipczak (3-0):
Osipczak
trains in London with Pancrase UK. He’s finished all of
his fights in the first round.
Alex
Reid (10-9-1):
Reid,
33, trains in London with the London Shoot Fighters. He’s
faced notable opponents such as Murilo Rua, Tony Fryklund, Dave
Menne and Jorge Rivera.
James
Wilks (5-2):
Trained by veteran Eric Paulson in Orange County, Calif., the
30-year-old Wilks is a striker.
U.K.
LIGHTWEIGHTS
James
Bryan (3-1):
A
striker, Bryan, 25, is from Somerset, England.
Dan
James (3-0):
A
striker from Swansea, Wales, he’s finished two of his three
pro bouts.
Gary
Kelly (2-1):
A
striker, the 25-year-old Kelly trains alongside Bisping and Jackson
at Wolfslair in Liverpool, England.
Jeff
Lawson (13-2):
A
submission fighter with 12 finishes, Lawson trains with Team
Bulldog in Dorset, England.
Ross
Pearson (9-3):
A
striker, Pearson trains at Sunderland Jiu-Jitsu & MMA Club
in Sunderland, England.
Martin
Stapleton (5-1):
A
Muay Thai fighter, Stapleton is a product of Quannum Combat Arts.
A.J.
Wenn (7-2):
A
well-rounded fighter from the Tsunami Gym, Wenn is from Cambs,
England.
Andre
Winner (9-2-1):
Winner
is a member of the Rough House team in London and is coming off
a loss and a draw in his two fights prior to appearing on the
show.
U.K.
coach Michael Bisping:
Bisping
was the light heavyweight winner on Season 3 of “The Ultimate
Fighter.” He has gone on to become one of the world’s
top middleweights. His only loss was a disputed decision to current
UFC light heavyweight champion Rashad Evans.
Source: MMA Weekly
|
Quote
of the Day
“When
you are proclaiming peace with your lips, be careful to have
it even more fully in your heart.”
Francis of Assisi
|
MAYNARD
SNAPS MILLER'S STREAK
A patient Gray Maynard slowly, but surely, took the steam out
of Jim Miller’s sails, dismantling the New Jersey lightweight
over three rounds.
Content
to box it out, Maynard stayed on his feet and landed straight
right after straight right on the southpaw Miller. A first round
punch smashed Miller’s nose, creating a stream of crimson
down his face and chest.
Miller
tried his best to take the action down, fighting for a single
leg attempt. But his shot was stuffed at every turn, and he ate
short punches on the way out.
The
former International Fight League standout delivered with a hard
roundhouses to Maynard’s body, but the Xtreme Couture fighter’s
footwork kept him from scoring with his hands.
By
the third, Miller was cursing himself as he worked to build momentum.
He nearly caught a Hail Mary when Maynard took him down, rolling
for a kneebar. But Maynard stood out of it and continued to punish
on the feet.
By
then, another right hand had forced the closing of Miller’s
left eye.
The
action came in fits in starts, but it was a decisive performance
for Maynard, who shrugged off demons of a less-than-exciting
ground battle with Rich Clementi.
All
three judges gave Maynard every round, 30-27.
“That
was the game plan,” Maynard said after the fight, inviting
boxing coach Gil Martinez to talk about his victory.
“We
worked on that a lot,” Martinez followed. “We worked
on that lead right hand a lot…we knew he liked to get wild,
so we just worked on keeping his hands up.”
Source: MMA Weekly |
HAMILL
HAMMERS MUNOZ
Matt
Hamill would not be deterred by any resistance newcomer Mark
Munoz threw at him, charging his way to a brutal knockout victory
in the first round.
It
was an issue of inside versus outside; Munoz wound up his punches,
looking to land bombs. Hamill, pressed forward and threw straighter
combinations that tagged Munoz at will.
Inside
the first two minutes, Munoz had drained his energy reserves
throwing the shots and driving for takedowns.
Hamill,
as good a counter-wrestler as a wrestler, sprawled and reversed
out of any dangerous situations.
Munoz’s
hands gradually drifted down. Hamill backed the NCAA wrestling
champ towards the cage and fired off a right high kick.
The
shot slammed into Munoz’s temple, knocking him cold on the
spot. On the way down, his head connected with his knee, making
Hamill’s follow-up punches a moot point.
At
3:53, Hamill delivered a hometown victory in dramatic fashion.
Source: MMA Weekly
|
CARWIN
AND BROWN SCORE WITH BIG KO'S AT UFC 96
Stepping into his UFC 96 bout with Top 10 fighter Gabriel Gonzaga
undefeated, Shane Carwin maintained his perfect record Saturday
night at the Nationwide Arena in Columbus, Ohio, although the
fight didn't start off looking like he would.
Gonzaga
came out strong, quickly rocking Carwin with two strong right
hands that had the Denver-based fighter visibly hurt. The Brazilian
then took the fight to the ground, trying to start up a ground
and pound attack, but Carwin worked back to his feet, walking
his back up the cage.
As
soon as they were standing again, Gonzaga landed another strong
right. But that's when Carwin fell back on the skills he's picked
up from his boxing trainer, Trevor Wittman. With one right cross,
Carwin dropped Gonzaga in a heap to the canvas, pushing his spotless
record to 11-0.
"Right
off the bat, Gabe caught me a couple of times," Carwin recounted
after the fight. "I was able to come back, refocus, and
get after it.
"That's
something we worked on all camp. Coach Wittman keeps working
on my hands, bringing them up."
The
win moves Carwin up in the UFC heavyweight division, putting
him on the map towards the UFC heavyweight championship.
Matt
Brown completely dominated Pete Sell in their bout, not once,
but twice.
Brown
started off quickly with a head kick, followed by a left-right
combination that dropped Sell to the canvas. Referee Yves Lavigne
stepped in to stop the bout, but inexplicably, after separating
the two, restarted the fight.
Brown
continued to stalk Sell, lighting him up with more kicks and
punches, again putting him on the mat and relentlessly punishing
him, Lavigne refusing to stop the fight.
Somehow,
Sell made it back to his feet, but he was clearly moving around
the cage with his senses scrambled. Brown dropped him again,
looking to Lavigne, pleading with him to stop the fight, before
landing a couple more punches to the head of a downed Sell before
Lavigne finally waved it off at 1:32.
"I
thought he stopped the fight," said Brown of the early separation.
That is how it looked for those of us watching the bout as well.
"I
could see he was out on his feet," Brown replied when queried
about his asking Lavigne to halt the fight. "I feel bad
for Pete Sell, he's a warrior man."
Source: MMA Weekly |
Drysdale:
“I only think about Roger Gracie”
The
ADCC openweight champion in 2007, Robert Drysdale already started
his preparation for the super fight of the submission tournament
of this year, at least the psychological part. Still with no
date set for the competition, Robert doesn’t take his opponent
from the head, the five times world champion of Jiu-Jitsu, Roger
Gracie. "I have the greatest respect and admiration for
Roger, but I’ll go with my best”, promises.
"He
already defeated me in kimono, but in submission is another rule
and another strategy, it’s different. I’ll beat him
and I’m already training. I’m with this in my head
and I’m already getting psychologically prepared. Every
day I lay in bed, stay thinking about him and thinking 'I must
beat this guy. How will I beat him?’. The physical part
we’ll accelerate next to the tournament begins, but the
mental has already begun", concluded Drysdale.
Source: Tatame |
A
new Shogun against Chuck Liddell
In
a recent interview, Chuck Liddell said that, if Mauricio "Shogun"
Rua comes to the fight against him like he faced Mark Coleman
(UFC 93), the Brazilian will be defeated. Without waste of time,
Shogun come back to Brazil work for the tough fight, that happens
at UFC 97, in Montreal, Canada. In exclusive interview with TATAME.com,
Shogun said that he went to Las Vegas, where he met his friend
Wanderlei Silva, who has also faced Liddell.
"I
have to be well trained and focused to face him, and that is
what I'm doing. Wanderlei is a great friend. I was in Las Vegas
for a week and we spoke a lot. He said that Liddell is a good
fighter, beats heavy, but said that, if I go to the fight focused
and with gas, I will win this fight", said Shogun, who also
spoke about his preparation for the battle, the fight between
Wanderlei Silva and Rich Franklin and his victory over Mark Coleman.
Click here and check the complete interview with Shogun Rua.
Maurício
Shogun
The
best light heavyweight fighter in the world at 2007, Maurício
“Shogun” Rua had complicated moments since the end
of the Pride. Facing two surgeries, the fighter debuted in the
UFC with a loss to Forrest Griffin, but came back and defeated
Mark Coleman by knockout, at UFC 93. Despite the performance
below expectations, Shogun knows that he’ll have to prepare
even stronger for Chuck Liddell, former champion, at UFC 97.
In an exclusive interview to TATAME.com, the fighter spoke about
the preparation, the fight against Coleman and the training with
Wanderlei Silva.
How
is the preparation for Chuck Liddell?
I’m
training hard and very focused, thank God. I have to be well
trained and focused to face him, and that is what I'm doing.
I’m doing much Boxing, Wrestling, my complete training,
everything that involves the MMA. Fight is fight, of course I’m
making my plan of fight, but we're still building the strategy.
Wanderlei
Silva has invited you to train with him for this fight... You've
been to Las Vegas?
Wanderlei
is a great friend. I was in Las Vegas for a week and we spoke
a lot, and I just won’t go there before the fight because
it is in Montreal. If (the fight) were in Las Vegas, I would
stay with his team, so we could train and help each other.
He
made a great fight with Liddell at the end of 2007. He gave you
some tips for this fight?
We
talked about this and he said that Liddell is a good fighter,
hits hard, but said that, if I go there focused and with gas,
I win this fight.
What
did you think of your fight against Mark Coleman?
Of
course I was happy with the victory, but I wasn’t happy
with my performance. I can be better than I was in this fight.
I wasn’t happy with my performance and I will turn this
around, give the best of me in the next (against Liddell). I
know my potential and I know where I can go, I wasn’t happy
Do
you think a victory against Liddell can take you closer to the
belt?
I
don’t think about the belt now, I only think in Liddell,
he deserves respect. I just think in this fight. Surely this
is a fight that will put me forward, but I don’t believe
in belt yet.
Wanderlei
dropped from class and will face Rich Franklin... How do you
think it will be this fight?
They
are two good strikers and I think Wandeco will be nice in this
category. He will lose few weights to fight at 195lbs and will
do great in this category. I think it will be a tough fight.
Rich is a good striker, also Wanderlei... It will be a tough
fight, but I think that Wanderlei wins.
Source: Tatame
|
Leo
Santos raring for Sengoku debut
Fighter hoping to start on right foot
One
of the Jiu-Jitsu’s great champions now making a career for
himself in MMA, Leonardo Santos is getting ready to show his
skill in the rings of Japan. Having a contract inked with Sengoku
and his debut in the event set for May 2, the black belt is brimming
with joy.
“I’m anxious to see the size of the event, the grandiosity
of it. I’ve never fought in such an event. I’ve been
to watch the IFL, which was a big organization, but I’ve
never stepped into the ring in a big event in Japan. It will
be a dream fulfilled, another stage in life. I’m really
happy to have managed to reach my goals,” he said to Portal
das Lutas.
Coming off a five-fight winning streak in Brazil, Leo knows he
is now onto bigger challenges. However, to make good on his wish
to be as big in MMA as he was in sport Jiu-Jitsu, the Nova Uniao
representative understands he needs to be truly tested.
“That’s
the path. We become more and more professional, training harder
and harder and for sure the goal is to be in bigger and bigger
events and against the best athletes. It’s what I always
hoped for and I never thought it would be easy making it to the
top. I’m still down at the bottom, at the start of my career.
Now Sengoku gave me this opportunity to show what I can do to
the world, I’m going to grab it tooth and nail. I know I
can fight guys who are tough, more experienced than me and I’m
going to train double hard. If I trained 10 for Shooto Brazil,
now I’m going to train 20. I know it’s tough fighting
overseas, in the land of others, but I’ll give it my best.
I’m going to train a lot to get over there and do well,”
he said.
Still
without an opponent, Leo carries on working as usual. “I’m
doing light training, nothing specific, because there’s
still a ways to go. I don’t have an opponent and the fight
is only on May 2. I have yet to bring up the pace in training,
but, as nothing is certain regarding my opponent, I’m just
going to carry on practicing wrestling, boxing, ground and physical
conditioning as usual,” he said in finishing.
Source: Tatame
|
Fighters'
Club TV Tuesdays!
Channel
52
NEW TIME of 8:00 PM!
Don't miss
another exciting, or at least semi-exciting episode of Fighters'
Club TV.
Please
spread the word!
|
2009
Triple Crown of BJJ
The date
for the first crown of the 2009 Triple Crown of BJJ has been
set!
Hawaiian
Championship of Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu
Kaiser High School, Honolulu, Hawaii
April 11, 2009 |
Relson
Gracie Kauai Association, Kauai Technical Institute (KTI) Tournament
May 16th
Relson Gracie Kauai Association, Kauai Technical Institute (KTI)
is hosting a BJJ & submission grappling tournament on Kauai
on May 16th. Please mark your calendars and get your team ready
to make the trek to the Garden Isle.
Scrappa Lifestylez
Scrapplers Fest
submission grappling/gi tournament
May 16, 2009
Kauai
|
Garden
Island Cage Match 8: Way of the Warrior
March 28th!
Tickets
will be sold tomorrow at the following outlets:
Pono
Market- Kapaa
City Liquor -Lihue
Deli and Bread- Kukui Grove
Meyvn- Kukui Grove
Skapa - Hanamaulu
Kauai Harley- Puhi
Sweet and Sassy- Eleele
Wongs Rest- Hanapepe
Aloha Rainbow Screening- Waimea
Hair Razors- Lihue- VIP tickets
Be
apart of the Largest MMA show in Hawaii per Captia
Source:
Event Promoter
|
BJ
Penn Autograph Signing at Ala Moana March 14!
March 14, 2009
12pm to 2pm
Ala Moana Nordstroms
|
Source: MMA Fighting
|
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
|
Sera's
Kajukenbo Open Tournament
 |
|