Upcoming
Events
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want to list an event on Onzuka.com?
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Us
(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)
5/26/09
Dream 9
5/23/09
UFC 98
(PPV)
5/16/09
KTI's Scrappa Lifestylez
Scrapplers Fest
(BJJ/Submission Grappling)
(Kauai)
5/9/09 - 5/10/09 &
5/16/09 - 5/17/09
Brazilian Nationals JJ Championships
(BJJ)
(Carson, CA)
5/9/09
X-1 Kona
(MMA)
(Kekuaokalani Gym, Kona)
15th Grapplers Quest Las Vegas
(BJJ/Sub Grappling)
(Las Vegas, NV)
5/2/09
Destiny
(MMA)
(Waipahu Filcom)
Uprising MMA
(MMA)
(Maui)
May 2009
Abu Dhabi World Submission Wrestling Championships
(Sub Grappling)
(Tentative)
4/25/09
MMA Madness Water Park Extravaganza
(MMA)
(Hawaiian Waters Adventure Park, Kapolei)
4/18/08
Kingdom
MMA
(MMA)
(Blaisdell Arena)
NY
International JJ Championships
(BJJ)
(Rio de Janeiro, Brazil)
4/11/09
Hawaiian
Championship of Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu
(BJJ & Sub Grappling)
(Kaiser High)
X-1: Temple of Boom
(Boxing & MMA)
(Palolo Hongwangi)
4/10/09
HFC: Stand Your Ground XII
(MMA, Kickboxing)
(Dole Cannery Ballroom)
4/4/09 - 4/5/09
NAGA
World Championship
(BJJ/Sub Grappling)
(NJ, Tentative)
3/28/09
Garden Island Cage Match
(MMA)
(Hanapepe Stadium, Hanapepe, Kauai)
3/27/09
- 3/29/09
Pan
Am JJ Championships
(BJJ)
(Carson, CA)
3/27/09
Tiger Muay Thai Competition
(Muay Thai)
(Tiger Muay Thai Gym, Sand Island Road)
3/21/09 - 3/22/09
$30k Grapplers Quest/Fight Expo/Make a Wish Weekend
(BJJ/Sub Grappling)
(Del Mar, CA)
NAGA US Nationals
(BJJ/Sub Grappling)
(Georgia)
3/14/09
Hawaii Amateur Pankration Association: "Hit and Submit"
(Pankration & Muay Thai)
(O-Lounge Night Club, Honolulu)
NAGA Vegas
(BJJ/Sub Grappling)
3/7/09
UFC 96
(PPV)
(Columbus, OH)
Grapplers Quest Beast of the East
(BJJ/Sub Grappling)
(Wildwood, New Jersey)
2/27/09
X-1 World Events
NEW BEGINNING"
(MMA)
(Maui War Memorial Gym, Wailuku, Maui)
2/21/09
Destiny
(MMA)
(Filcom Center, Waipahu)
UFC 95
(PPV)
(London, England)
2/15/09
X1 World Events
Temple of Boom: Fight Night III
(MMA)
(Palolo Hongwanji)
2/8/09
IWFF
Submission Wrestling Tournament
(No-Gi)
(IWFF Academy, Wailuku, Maui)
2/7/09
4th Annual Clint Shelton Memorial
(Boxing)
(Palolo Gym)
Manup and Standup
(Kickboxing)
(Kapolei Rec Center, Kapolei)
UFC Fight Night
(PPV)
(Tampa, FL)
1/31/09
UFC 93 BJ vs GSP
(PPV)
(MGM Grand, Las Vegas, NV)
1/30/09
MMA Event
(MMA)
(Schofield Barracks)
1/24/09
Eddie Bravo Seminar
(BJJ)
1/17/09
UFC 93
(PPV)
(Dublin, Ireland)
1/10/09
MAT ATTACK Jiu-Jitsu & Submission Grappling Tournament
(Sub Wrestling)
(Lihikai School, Kahului, Maui)
1/3/08
Uprising - Maui
(MMA)
(Paukukalo Hawaiian Homes Gym)
Hazardous Warfare - Maui
(MMA)
(Lahaina Civic Center)
|
|
May
2009 News Part 1
|
Casca Grossa Jiu-Jitsu
is now the O2 Martial Arts Academy with 7 days a week training!
We are also offering Kali-Escrima (stick fighting) on Monday
nights with Ian Beltran and Kickboxing Tuesday 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! |
 |
Fighters'
Club TV
The Toughest Show
On Teleivision
Tuesdays
at 8:00PM
***NEW TIME***
Olelo Channel 52 on Oahu
Also on Akaku on Maui
Check
out the FCTV website! |
Onzuka.com
Hawaii Underground Forum is Online!
Chris, Mark,
and I wanted to start an official Onzuka.com forum for a while
now. We were searching for the best forum to go with and hit
a gold mine! We have known Kirik, who heads the largest and most
popular forum on the net, The Underground for years.
He
offered us our own forum within the matrix know as MMA.tv. The
three of us will be the moderators with of course FCTV808 being
the lead since he is on there all day anyway!
We
encourage everyone from Hawaii and our many readers around world
to contribute to the Hawaii Underground.
If you
do not have a login, it's simple and fast to get one.
Click here to set up an account.
Don't worry about using Pidgin English in the posting. After
all it is the Hawaii Underground and what is a Hawaii Underground
without some Aloha and some Pidgin?
To
go directly to the Onzuka.com Hawaii Underground Forum
click here!
|
Want
to Advertise on Onzuka.com?
Click here for pricing and more
information!
Short term and long term advertising available.
More than
1 million hits and counting!
|
O2
Martial Arts Academy Day Classes Start May 2!
Women & Kids Kickboxing Class starts May 4!
Click here for pricing and more
information!
O2MAA Relson Gracie Jiu-Jitsu Day Classes will be held on Monday,
Wednesday, and Fridays from 11:00 am to 1:00 pm and will be taught
by one of Relson Gracie's first black belts, Sam Mahi!
We will be starting a Womens and Kids kickboxing class on Sunday
afternoons from 5:00 pm to 6:00 pm. The class will be taught
by none other than O2's Kaleo Kwan! It will be a non-competitive,
fun atmosphere and allow the ladies and kids to get in a quick
workout and learn some legitimate kickboxing technique before
the long work week starts.
New
O2MAA Kid's Jiu-Jitsu Class Starts Friday, December 5 from 5:30
to 6:30 PM!
Adult Wrestling Class Starts Starts Friday, December 5 from 8:30
to 9:30 PM!
|
Want to Contact
Us? Shoot us an email by Clicking Here!
Quote
of the Day
"Nothing
is as simple as we hope it will be."
Jim Horning
|
ROCKSTAR
ENERGY DRINK PRESENTS SHOMMA STRIKEFORCE CHALLENGERS
Save Mart Center
– Fresno, CA
Friday, May 15, 2009 – 8:00PM (PDT) - prelims at 6:00PM
LIVE
ON SHOWTIME SPORTS!
MAIN
CARD (BEGINNING AT 8:00PM - PT):
Billy
Evangelista (9-0) vs. Mike Aina (11-6-1) – 3X5 – 155Lbs
Sarah
Kaufman (8-0) vs. Meisha Tate (6-1) – 3X3 – 135 Lbs
Lavar
“Big” Johnson (11-3) vs. Carl Seumanutafa (4-2) –
3X5 - Heavyweights
Anthony
“El Toro” Ruiz (21-12) vs. Aaron Rosa (11-2) –
3X5 – 205 Lbs
Boa
Quach (15-9-1) vs. Tito Jones (7-2) – 3X5 – 145 Lbs
UNDERCARD
(BEGINNING AT APPROXIMATELY 6:00PM – PT)
Ben
Holscher (1-0) vs. Cody Cantebury (1-3-1) – 3X3 – 160lbs
Zoila
Frausto (1-0) vs. Avery Vilche (1-0-1) – 3X3 – 125Lbs
Ousmane
Thomas Diagne (debut) vs. Kaleo Kwan (7-9) – 3X5 –
155lbs
Fabricio
Camoes (9-4) vs. Torrance Taylor (7-5-1) – 3X5 – 155Lbs
Chad
Sutton (2-1) vs. Spencer Herns (debut) – 3X3 – 185Lbs
Fight
card subject to change
Source: Strike Force
|
Scrapper
Fest Tournament
Saturday,
May 16
The tournament will be held at 3-1875 Kaumualii hwy Lihue
This is located at the Island school gym, located behind the
Kauai Community College.
8-10 Minutes from Lihue airport
Thanks
for your patients. Changed all flyers+forms so mailing them out.
Aloha
Pono
 |
Aina
and Evangelista Ready for Main Event Tilt
By Kelsey Mowatt
On
paper, the main event for Strikeforce’s upcoming ‘Challenger’s
Series’ debut seems like a very sensible choice. The growing
promotion’s latest offering is supposed to offer fans a
chance to see some of the organization’s up-and-coming talent,
and by pitting undefeated lightweight Billy Evangelista against
the resilient veteran Mike Aina, they’re doing just that.
In addition, the event will be held at the Save Mart Center in
Fresno, California, Evangelista’s hometown, which should
help build some local hype for the May 15th event.
“"It's
going to be great-finally fighting in my hometown,” Evangelista
said in a teleconference held by the promotion Wednesday. “My
Dad is going to come down and be there for the first time at
a fight with me. I'm just so excited."
Although
Evangelista has been competing professionally since January,
2006, the California fighter began to turn some heads last year,
defeating recognizable fighters like Marlon Sims, Nam Phan and
Luke Caudillo at various Strikeforce events. After working his
way to a Unanimous Decision over Harris Sarmiento at a Palace
Fighting Championship in January, Evangelista’s record sat
at 9-0, a record which no doubt contributed heavily to his upcoming
main event slot.
"This
is a great opportunity for me,” Evangelista noted. “A
lot of people want me to win, especially because I'm the local
boy. There is a lot of pressure being undefeated. I just try
to ignore the pressure."
"I'm
always trying looking to put on a great show. It's going to be
a great show. I'm going to have a lot of friends and family watching.
It's going to be a great fight for me and Mike."
In
Aina, Evangelista will take on one of Hawaii’s more notable
lightweights, as the veteran has fought the likes of Roger Huerta,
Ryan Schultz and Nick Diaz during his 5 year-plus career. The
bout with Diaz was a memorable and controversial affair, as Aina
lost by Split Decision to the highly regarded fighter at Elite
XC’s “Uprising” event last September.
"I'm
obviously very excited to be back on the main stage and on national
TV and on Showtime,” Aina stated during the teleconference.
“There's always a little bit of emotion when you fight in
someone else's hometown. It's going to be a little tough. But
once the cage closes it doesn't matter. Once that's first punch
is thrown you just let the fight happen."
Although
heading into the May 15th bout with Aina has won two straight,
defeating Kaleo Kwan and Ismael Gonzalves, the Hawaiian fighter
has not competed since last August.
“Yeah,
I did take some time off,” Aina said. “We had a baby
daughter and I'm juggling a full-time job. Training for a fight
there's a lot expected of you. It's a lot of wear and tear on
not just your body but also your mind. My daughter is 1-year
now and sleeping through the night so it's getting a little bit
easier."
"I'm
looking forward to an all-out war with Billy,” said Aina,
while discussing his upcoming bout. “He's undefeated. I'm
expecting nothing less than a war. I think the fans will be happy
with the outcome of the fight."
And
as far as making another trip to the mainland to compete?
"It
really is a challenge,” said Aina, who also acknowledged
during the call that he would like to have another ‘shot’
at Diaz. “Traveling is not my thing really. You have to
just take it for what it is. Will it take away from my fighting?
That remains to be seen. I'll be training hard mentally and physically
for this fight."
Source: Full Contact Fighter
|
WANDERLEI
ON ANDERSON: "I WANT TO FIGHT HIM"
by Steven Marrocco
Wanderlei Silva has another big challenge on his plate when he
fights Rich Franklin in the main event of UFC 99 in Cologne,
Germany next month. But lately, he’s had his eye on a new,
or old, challenge.
There
could be another Silva on his horizon; that of former training
partner Anderson. The two sweated and bled together at Chute
Boxe in their formative years, near the apex of Wanderlei’s
time in Pride. Office politics put them on different paths, with
Anderson leaving the academy in 2005 over issues on the control
of his career. But they stayed friendly, at least until recently.
Anderson
reportedly called the move “pretentious,” prompting
an immediate response from Wanderlei. The friendship appears
to be on hold.
“Before,
in his interviews, I don’t have no problem,” Wanderlei
told MMAWeekly.com. “I respect him every time, I don’t
talk about him, before he talked about me. Because he started
it. Why? Because I’m a good friend of him before.”
Recently,
Anderson’s career has taken a major hit due to listless
performances against Patrick Cote and most recently, Thales Leites
at UFC 97. He is due to face Forrest Griffin at UFC 101 in August.
Wanderlei
is fighting Franklin at a catch-weight of 195 pounds, but his
plan is to fight at middleweight, and his list of potential opponents
includes Anderson.
“I
don’t know why he started talking (expletive) about me,”
he continued. “Before he start, I don’t like to fight
(at middleweight), but after he start you couldn’t pay me
to stop. I love the challenge. I love the guys talking about
me, because it gives me more motivation to train. Now, I want
to fight with him. I want to have a chance to fight with him.
But first, I need to focus for Rich, and I know I need to beat
him and have a good performance to have a chance to fight the
champion.”
The
former Pride champ was not shy about the boo-fest between Anderson
and Leites at UFC 97.
“Thales
was afraid of him,” he continued. “Thales afraid to
punch, he afraid to move. This is the worst situation for a fighter.
In the fight, I’m going 'more,' give the punch. For a long
time, I was bored. Anderson is a champion, and the other guy
needs to give the best. But Anderson would put Thales in the
corner, and he would not attack.”
Wanderlei
says Anderson’s indecisiveness goes back to their years
at Chute Boxe.
“Many
times he have this in Chute Boxe, and the fights, too, and I’m
staying in his corner, going ‘go, go go!’" continued
Wanderlei. “The guy would stay in the corner, and he would
not go. This is his fault. He put the guys in the corner, and
I don’t know why he doesn’t go. This is bad. The situation
is bad. Because the guys want to see the guy beat.”
To
Wanderlei, a boring fight is a sin. Though he sympathizes with
the pressures of a win-at-all-costs organization, he says it’s
no excuse for lack of killer instinct.
“Maybe
(Anderson’s) waiting because if he attacks, the guy is going
to get the takedown,” he speculated. “And it’s
trouble. But you need to have risk. You need to open your guard.
Because this sport is hard. Many guys watching just who won.
They don’t see the fight, just this guy won, or the other
guy won. But I prefer to lose in an emotional fight than I win
a boring fight. I’m not fighting for money. I’m fighting
for emotion. I know the guys are paying $49 to watch a main event
like this. I prefer to lose an exciting fight, because I know
I give my best, and my opponent won because he had the best day.
You win a boring fight, what is better, win or lose? This is
the question. You should put your life more at risk.”
Anything
less, he says, is bad for the sport.
“His
performance talks about him, no?” he continued. “His
last two fights with Cote and with Thales. I don’t know.
This is a question, what is better for him? Win or lose? Because
this is a new sport. Imagine one guy who never see, and he pay
$49 to sit at home and see the fight, what impression is the
guy going to have? That it’s fake? It’s possible! They
think, yeah, this is fake. It’s like pro wrestling. But
you have a lot of guys working hard for this sport. This is no
respect for the boss, no respect for the fans. Every fighter
needs to know about their responsibility in the ring, not just
to win or lose. You have more power, you have more responsibility.”
And
as his recent fights show, no one is more willing to live and
die by the sword as Wanderlei. It’s the fans that are most
important to him.
“I
don’t fight just with my technique,” he said. “I
fight with my heart. I respect my fans, and for this, my fans
respect this. My fans know that every time I stay in the best
condition and put my life on the line. For me, no problem.”
In
subsequent interviews, Anderson has backed off his comments toward
Wanderlei, saying the interviewer misinterpreted his intention.
He has defended his performance against Leites, saying he did
everything he trained to do during the fight.
But
between him and Wanderlei, the line has been drawn in the sand.
Wanderlei’s
wish will hinge on a number of factors, not least of which is
the fight with Franklin, and whether Anderson can get by Griffin
in decisive fashion. A lackluster performance by either could
shelve the possibility for good.
Silva
says he will lobby for the fight, but after he takes care of
business at UFC 99 in Germany.
“I’m
not going to fight with the champion the first or second time,”
he said. “Of course, no. After four or five fights, it’s
possible.”
Source: MMA Weekly
|
Gracie
Orlando owner talks Shaq's MMA training
Gracie Orlando/VI Levels owner Jonathan Burke appeared Wednesday
on "ESPN First Take" to talk about training Shaquille
O'Neal in mixed martial arts.
O'Neal,
a four-time NBA champion and the starting center for the Phoenix
Suns, trains Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu, boxing, Muay Thai and general
MMA conditioning at the academy in Ocoee, Florida.
O'Neal drew buzz in the blogsphere last week when he jokingly
challenged Chuck Liddell in a Tweet.
"I
just got thru wrkn out john burkes Gracie orlando, 11049 w colonial
blvd Wow what a wrkout,chuck lidell here I come gracieorlando.com,"
O'Neal wrote on his BlackBerry.
According
to Burke, O'Neal's will be posting videos on the VI Levels website.
Source: MMA Fighting
|
Braulio
and Roger would fight
Gracie Barra friends wouldn’t consider closing out Worlds
absolute
Braulio
“Carcara” Estima is on cloud nine. The good times he’s
seeing, his plans to make his MMA debut by the end of the year
and his good performance at the World Pro JJ Cup, in Abu Dhabi
are not enough, the Ze Radiola black belt is living it up with
son Julian, who was born on April 20.
He’s
real cute, man. He’s blond like his mom, but has my hands
and feet. He’ll have a really strong grip,” gushed
the tough Jiu-Jitsu player from Pernambuco living in Birmingham,
England. “I want to see him at 3, his grandmother talking
to him in Polish, his mom and me talking to him in English, and
my brother Victor speaking Portuguese. The kid will go nuts,”
he jokes.
Another
of the Gracie Barra fighter and teacher’s joys has to do
with the discussion over how the shutting out of brackets harms
competition Jiu-Jitsu, brought up in an article published on
GRACIEMAG.com by Luca Atalla. (Click here and check out the overview
on the discussion).
“I
agree,” says Carcara.
“The
Worlds absolute without a final can’t happen. It’s
not fair to the public. Roger [Gracie] and I have even mentioned
that, and all. In judo even brothers fight each other, why not
in Jiu-Jitsu? If Jiu-Jitsu wants to gain the world’s respect
and make it to the Olympics, a stop has to be put to it. Have
you ever seen a judo world championship final not happen because
the athletes are from the same gym?” queries the ace.
Source: Gracie Magazine
|
Dana
White or John Hackleman, who will Chuck Liddell side with?
By Zach Arnold
One has a lot of money and wants to force his friend into retirement,
offering a cozy post-retirement PR job. The other man is a long-time
trainer who has been there for the ups-and-downs.
Chuck
Liddell hasn’t publicly declared 100% that he is retired,
and for a fighter who has one fight left on his UFC deal, he
sure doesn’t seem ready to give up just yet. Sherdog is
reporting that the feud between UFC boss Dana White and Liddell’s
long-time trainer, John Hackleman, is heating up. Hackleman says
Liddell hasn’t made a decision yet on his career, to which
Dana White characterizes Hackleman’s position this way:
“Obviously,
John Hackleman didn’t pay his house off yet. John Hackleman
needs some money, because anybody who claims they care about
Chuck Liddell even a little bit would not be making these f–king
statements,” White told Sherdog.com Thursday.
“How
many great, talented guys do you see coming out of John Hackleman’s
place?” White asked. “He’s no Greg Jackson. He’s
no Mark DellaGrotte. He’s no American Top Team. He’s
not one of the great camps. Chuck Liddell made him.”
Even
more fascinating than White’s comments on Hackleman is the
fact that he gave comments to Sherdog. This business makes strange
bedfellows, sometimes.
Source: Fight Opinion
|
Strikeforce
Agrees to Nick Diaz vs. Roy Jones Jr.
After reports surfaced that Dana White had nixed the idea of
a fight between Roy Jones Jr and Anderson Silva occuring in the
UFC, Strikeforce founder, Scott Coker, agreed to make the fight
happen in Strikeforce. Nick Diaz would be fighting Roy Jones
Jr.under MMA rules.
"We
would absolutely set this fight up. Of course we would have to
run it by Showtime for final approval, but I don't see why we
wouldn't have this fight" -Scott Coker
It
now seems that the only hope of seeing one of the legends of
boxing stepping into a cage will be through Strikeforce.
Source: Gracie Fighter
|
Strikeforce,
Showtime differ on Roy Jones Jr. MMA fight
Boxing legend Roy Jones Jr won't be fighting in the UFC as long
as Dana White is president, but how about the next biggest promotion,
Strikeforce?
GracieFighter.com, the official site of the Cesar Gracie camp,
reported Wednesday that Strikeforce founder and CEO Scott Coker
was open to promoting a fight between Nick Diaz and Jones.
"We
would absolutely set this fight up," Coker said. "Of
course we would have to run it by Showtime for final approval,
but I don't see why we wouldn't have this fight."
Keep
in mind Coker is one to entertain many ideas before entering
serious negotiations. When he first took over ProElite's properties,
he was open to promoting Kimbo Slice fights despite the baggage
the former YouTube sensation will certainly bring to the picture.
Showtime
Sports GM Ken Hershman, who ironically had his fingerprints on
the Kimbo Slice-EliteXC main events, took a stronger stance,
shooting down the matchup Wednesday during a media call.
"I
get a Roy Jones call once a week, pitching me things," Hershman
said. "That would be a very, very long shot of ever happening
on Showtime. I think it's an insult to the integrity of mixed
martial arts to think Roy Jones, or any professional boxer, can
just come in and fight Nick Diaz in a mixed martial arts context.
"In
a boxing context, it's completely different. Beyond that, it's
not the strategy that we're employing. We're looking to build
the best mixed martial arts brand. I believe that we have the
best professional boxing brand on television and I think our
fights, month in and month out, prove that. I don't see the need
to combine the two at the moment. I wouldn't want to go down
that path just now."
Source: MMA Fighting
|
Roy
Jones Jr. agrees to go MMA vs. Anderson Silva
For the longest time boxing legend Roy Jones Jr would only agree
to battle UFC champ Anderson Silva under boxing rules, but he
is now willing to do the megafight inside the Octagon.
CBSSports.com reported on Tuesday that Jones was approached by
his manager a few weeks ago and agreed to consider fighting Silva
under MMA rules for the UFC.
But
even under those new terms, UFC president Dana White remains
against the matchup.
"You
won't see a Silva versus Jones fight while Silva is under contract
with me," White said to CBSSports.com. "I don't want
to say anything bad about Roy Jones, I like Roy Jones and was
a fan of his, but he mattered like fifteen years ago. He's not
anywhere near the best boxer in the world. He must've spent all
his money."
Silva
last year confirmed his interest in fighting Jones, and both
parties seem intent on making the fight happen in the next few
years. Jones was quoted by the LA Times last month saying that
he "can't wait for Anderson to get done with his [UFC] contract"
so that the two can "get it on."
White
acknowledged the fight would be a guaranteed one-shot blockbuster
but wants to stay away from any sideshow fights for a developing
sport.
"I
could do it, make it huge, make money, but I could have done
a fight like this when we were bleeding money," White continued.
"The fight would make some money, but it hurts MMA in the
long term. We don't do that because we love the sport. That's
a PRIDE or K-1 matchup. It's not what we do."
Jones
is one of the bigger boxing names to embrace MMA rather than
view it as a threat. Jones in March promoted a hybrid boxing-MMA
card in Pensacola, Florida and he's planning another one in July.
Source: MMA Fighting
|
Hackleman,
White War over Liddell’s Future
by Mike Harris
Chuck Liddell’s recently updated Wikipedia biography refers
to him as a “former” mixed martial artist.
Not
so fast Wiki.
To
paraphrase Mark Twain, reports of Liddell’s retirement following
his first-round technical knockout loss against Mauricio “Shogun”
Rua at UFC 97 last month have been greatly exaggerated. That’s
according to the man who arguably knows “The Iceman”
better than anyone, his longtime trainer John Hackleman.
Hackleman
said the 39-year-old superstar is mulling his career options,
hasn’t made any decision and is in no hurry to do so.
Liddell’s
coach and confidante of 17 years also had some choice words for
UFC President Dana White, calling him “rude” and “selfish”
for saying Liddell, a former UFC light heavyweight champion,
will never again fight in the promotion.
At
the post-fight press conference following UFC 97 in Montreal,
White said he would not allow Liddell, the promotion’s poster
boy as recently as two years ago, to step into the Octagon again
due to concerns about his physical well-being.
“Obviously,
John Hackleman didn’t pay his house off yet. John Hackleman
needs some money, because anybody who claims they care about
Chuck Liddell even a little bit would not be making these f--king
statements,” White told Sherdog.com Thursday.
However,
Hackleman said he and Liddell are in no hurry to discuss the
pivotal decision just yet.
“Nothing
has been decided yet,” Hackleman said from his MMA training
facility, The Pit, in Arroyo Grande, Calif. “We made a deal.
We’re gonna go, probably this summer, to Hawaii and we’re
gonna sit on the beach and see if we can decide then. If not,
there’s no rush. He’s not under a time crunch. He’ll
decide when he wants to decide. And nobody else is gonna tell
him.
“Chuck
just loves to fight,” Hackleman continued. “And if
there could be another fight –- if he wants one –-
and he’s under contract (to the UFC), then we’ll see
what happens. If he has to go somewhere else to fight, we’ll
see what happens there. If we go sit on the beach and Chuck says,
‘F--k it, I’m tired of this s--t, let’s retire,’
then he’ll just come teach here” at the Pit.
“Whatever
happens,” added Hackleman, “Chuck is set. Doesn’t
need the money.”
Liddell’s
loss to Rua was his fourth defeat in his last five fights dating
back to May 2007, when he lost the light heavyweight crown to
Quinton Jackson. Two of those four defeats were TKOs, care of
Jackson and Rua, while a third was a devastating knockout by
current UFC light heavyweight champion Rashad Evans.
Prior
to his recent losses, Liddell had won seven consecutive fights,
all by TKO, establishing his reputation as one of the most feared
strikers in the sport.
White,
who managed Liddell earlier in his career and remains close friends
with the fighter, said even though Liddell remains a huge draw,
he was concerned that the fighter could endanger his health by
stepping into the Octagon again. More recently, White ratcheted
up the rhetoric, and was quoted as saying there would be “a
war” if Liddell didn’t retire gracefully.
Hackleman
doesn't see any reason why Liddell should quit.Even given Liddell’s
four losses in the last two years, Hackleman said he doesn’t
see any reason his fighter should retire, unless that’s
what he wants to do.
“He
got caught by a couple of great fighters, but I don’t see
Shannon Ritch [who has 64 career losses] beating up on him, so
I don’t think losing to the top of the top in and of itself
warrants the outcries of retirement,” Hackleman said.
“If
Chuck was getting the s--t beat out of him by a bunch of nobodies
and getting knocked unconscious all over the place, I would try
to influence him to retire,” he continued. “But since
I don’t see that –- Rashad was the only time I’ve
seen him actually knocked unconscious –- if he really wants
to still fight, and I think it’s in his heart, I don’t
think anyone, including Dana, should take his livelihood and
his love away.”
Hackleman
said other name fighters have suffered more losses and have been
beat up more than Liddell, and they’ve yet to hang up their
gloves.
“I’m
not going to name names, but they are still up in the top of
the game and no one is calling for their retirement,” he
said. “Chuck’s wits are about him. He’s not punchy.
So it’s up to him. Whatever is in his heart.”
He
noted that another senior MMA superstar, Randy Couture, was considered
done after being KO’d by Liddell in their light heavyweight
rubber match at UFC 57 in 2006 and retired. A year later, Couture
came out of retirement, went up a weight class and for the third
time in his career became UFC heavyweight champion by defeating
Tim Sylvia at UFC 68.
So,
has Liddell considered moving up to heavyweight?
“Never
been discussed,” Hackleman said. “But nothing is completely
off the table.”
Hackleman
said another option for Liddell could be to fight an opponent
not as top tier as his last few adversaries.
“To
be honest, even if Chuck wasn’t fighting the top of the
top, he’d still be a big draw and boxers end their careers
that way and there’s no reason MMA fighters can’t,”
he said, noting that like every fighter, Liddell wants to go
out a winner.
Hackleman
believes that White said he doesn’t want Liddell to fight
again in the UFC out of genuine concerns for Liddell’s well-being.
Even
so, Hackleman said, “to take someone’s love away from
them is rude and kind of selfish and kind of just controlling.
You’re the main man in the UFC and you can dictate to people
what they’re gonna do for the rest of their lives. It would
be like if he (White) threw a bad show, and we said, ‘OK,
you can’t promote anymore.’
“Dana
is Dana and he’s got the two rich brothers backing him up
and he’s got all the money in the world,” continued
Hackleman, referring to billionaires Frank and Lorenzo Fertitta,
who share 90 percent of the Las Vegas-based UFC’s parent
company. “I think he says that out of concern for Chuck,
but he wants to be the bully, the big shot, ‘there will
be a war.’ F--k. You don’t have to say that. But it’s
Dana’s playground and he can take his ball and say, ‘You
can’t play anymore.’ Could he talk that way if he didn’t
have what he had behind him?”
White
reiterated his concern for Liddell’s physical well-being.
“This
is a guy who I love and care about extremely,” he said.
“He comes to my house for Christmas. We go on vacations
together. We’ve been together for years. Getting knocked
out consecutively is not good for your health. You can ask any
doctor that. You don’t have to be a f--king rocket scientist
to figure that one out.”
White
said he and Liddell “had a deal” after the Evans fight
that if Liddell did not beat Rua in spectacular fashion, Liddell
would retire.
“He
said, ‘I f--king promise,’” White said.
White
stressed that because Liddell remains one of the biggest draws
in the sport despite his recent losses, the UFC could still “make
a s--tload of money” off of him.
“But
I don’t want that f--king money,” White said. “I’m
not gonna see my friend go out and do that again. When have you
ever seen a f--king promoter who can make money with a guy ask
him to retire?”
White
said Liddell has accomplished all that any fighter could hope
to accomplish.
“One
of the greatest fighters in mixed martial arts,” White said.
“The most famous fighter in mixed martial arts. He’s
been a world champion. He’s beat all the top names. He’s
helped build this organization and he’s helped build the
sport of mixed martial arts. He has nothing to prove. Fighting
isn’t a young man’s sport. (Michael) Jordan turned
40. It happens to the best of us. Chuck’s had his day.”
Even
so, the UFC president said Liddell will remain employed by the
promotion for life.
“He’s
going to be with the UFC forever,” White said. “I’m
thinking of him doing regulatory stuff with Marc Ratner,”
the promotion’s vice president for regulatory affairs. “Chuck
Liddell is going to make a lot more money and he’s going
to have a lot of fun.”
White
said he would never let Liddell fight for another promotion.
“F--king
right I wouldn’t,” said White, though he later added,
“at the end of the day, if that’s what he wanted to
do, I mean, what am I going to do? I’m not his f--king father.
I can’t tell him, ‘No, you f--king can’t.’”
The
UFC president said Hackleman is frustrated because “he’s
never been a decision-maker in Chuck’s career. I can tell
you this: He didn’t make Chuck Liddell. Chuck Liddell made
John Hackleman.
“How
many great, talented guys do you see coming out of John Hackleman’s
place?” White asked. “He’s no Greg Jackson. He’s
no Mark DellaGrotte. He’s no American Top Team. He’s
not one of the great camps. Chuck Liddell made him.”
Source: Sherdog
|
RANDLEMAN
VS WHITEHEAD, STRIKEFORCE JUNE 6
Kevin Randleman was first introduced as a part of the ever expanding
Strikeforce roster at the post-fight press conference following
Nick Diaz' dismantling of Frank Shamrock on April 11.
The
promotion revealed that his first action as a Strikeforce fighter
will be against former IFLer Mike Whitehead on the June 6 "Lawler
vs. Shields" fight card in St. Louis. Strikeforce Director
of Communications Mike Afromowitz confirmed the bout to Sherdog.com
on Thursday.
Randleman
has been fighting since 1996. At one time, he held the UFC heavyweight
championship, but has seen his career follow a wild roller coaster
ride since exiting the promotion in 2002 and moving on to the
Pride Fighting Championships in Japan.
After
Pride sold to the Fertitta brothers – owners of the Ultimate
Fighting Championship – and subsequently was shuttered,
Randleman sat out of action for a year and a half due to a falsified
drug test in Nevada and a life-threatening bout against staph
infection.
He
won a unanimous decision in his most recent fight, against Ryo
Kawamura under the Sengoku banner in May of last year.
With
a solid 23-6 overall record in MMA, Whitehead has been on a tremendous
streak, having gone 14-1 in his past 15 bouts, since a loss to
Keith Jardine in his lone UFC appearance. The lone loss during
those 15 bouts for The Ultimate Fighter alumnus was to Strikeforce
light heavyweight champion Renato "Babalu" Sobral.
The
June 6 fight card is headlined by a catchweight bout between
Robbie Lawler and Jake Shields. Also highlighting the main card
are fights pitting Nick Diaz against Scott Smith and Phil Baroni
facing Joe Riggs.
Strikeforce
"Lawler vs. Shields" will be the promotions second
major event on the Showtime network.
Source: MMA Weekly
|
Johil
excited about Jungle
Fighter trained like never before for event in Fortaleza
Jungle
Fight Ceara, to take place tomorrow, in Fortaleza, marks the
much-anticipated debut of Rogerio Minotouro in Brazil, against
Dutchman Dion Staring, but also features other veterans of the
ring, like Johil de Oliveira, 39, who will face off against Renee
Fortes.
Johil
revealed to GRACIEMAG.com that he has been preparing himself
for the bout like never before. “I’m preparing myself
now much differently than I did for my other matches. When I
was younger I didn’t train as much as I’ve been now
that I’m old,” he remarked.
At
nearly 40 years of age, Johil goes to training every day by bike
and takes an hour to get from Marica to Pendotiba, around 20km
both ways. “I get there, train about three hours and then
come home, my routine from Monday to Saturday. I’m feeling
really good,” he said in finishing.
Rogério
Minotouro (Minotauro Team) vs Dion Staring (Golden Glory/Holanda)
Junior Killer (Fighter Sport) vs Andre Tadeu (Clube da Luta)
Ivan Pitbull (Clube da Luta/Peru) vs Jamil Silveira (Nocaute
Fight)
Alexandre Pulga (Nova Geração) vs Andrezinho Nogueira
(Fighter Sport)
Carlos Villamor (Argentina) vs Eric Silva (Minotauro Team)
Alex Nacfu (Constrictor Team) vs Anistabio Gasparzinho (Hikari)
Pedro Manoel (Clube da Luta) vs Arimarcel Santos (Nocaute Fight)
Edinaldo “Lula Molusco”Santos (Champion/Minotauro Team)
vs Mondragon (Buldog Team)
Johil de Oliveira (Johil de Oliveira Team) vs Renée Forte
(Nocaute Fight)
Source: Gracie Magazine
|
Quote
of the Day
"There
is nothing worse than aggressive stupidity."
Johann Wolfgang von Goethe
|
X1
World Events
Today!
Saturday, May 09, 2009
Kekuaokalni Gym, Kailua, Kona, Hawaii
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:
X1 World Events in their first ever event on the Big Island has
an action packed card lined up featuring some of Big Island’s
best talent. The live event takes place 7:00 PM Saturday May
9, 2009, at the Kekuaokalani Gym in Kailua-Kona, Hawaii.
Standout amateur and professional boxer Van Oscar Penovaroff
of Kailua-Kona will go head to head with the reigning X1 135lb
World Champion Kana Hyatt of Hilo. Penovaroff is a pure striker
with great instincts, having spent time in MMA camps on the mainland
he feels he has what it takes to keep the belt in Kailua-Kona.
Hyatt who is coming off a successful title defense over Maui’s
bantamweight king, has both the striking skills and the ground
skills necessary to keep the title around his waist where it
belongs.
The co-main event will feature two well rounded fighters both
from the Big Island. Dominic Ahnee who now resides in Maui will
return home to face off against former 155lb MMA Champion Aleka
Rincon in a lightweight matchup.
Justin Mercado of Team MMAD on Oahu will also be returning home
to the Big Island to take on the very talented and very colorful
Dave Moreno in a featherweight matchup. Both matches will be
non stop action with an exciting mix of ground and standup action.
The grudge match of the evening will pit Kona Boxing’s Pat
Fuga against the seasoned veteran Mark
Smith. These two have some unfinished business that will be settled
in exciting fashion for the Big Island MMA fans.
Also that night the always exciting Tyler Kahihikolo will go
up against Wyatt Leong of Hawaii International Boxing, and Spencer
Higa will take on Peni Taufa’ao for the X1 145lb Kickboxing
Title.
Both guys are well rounded strikers and will put it all on the
line with the hopes of capturing the vacant title.
Also that night will be an exciting Undercard featuring more
of Big Island’s top fighters.
Tickets can be purchased by calling
Big Island Surf – 808.959.2472 | 808.935.1430 | 808.885.9283
A’Ama Surf & Sport – 808.331.1777 | 808.326.7890
Pacific Island Fitness – 808.334.1977
Hilo Fight Company – 808.345.9678
CD Wizard – 808.969.4800
Christine Young
X-1 World Events Executive Director
Cell: 808-723-0504
Fax: 808-689-8866
Email: christine.x1events@gmail.com or x1events@yahoo.com
X1
World Events
Kekuaokalani Gym, Kailua-Kona, Hawaii
May 9, 2009
Main
Card
135
World Title - Van Oscar Penovaroff (Kona BC) vs Kana Hyatt (MMAD)
155
- Aleka Rincon (Freelance) vs Dominic Ahnee (Maui Jiu Jitsu)
145
State Title - Dave Moreno (Kohala) vs Justin Mercado (MMAD)
SHW
- Pat Fuga (Kona BC) vs Mark Smith (Maui Mulisha)
145
KB - Spencer Higa (HIBC) vs Abe Cortes-Kaleopaa (Freelance)
Undercard
140
- Robert Midel (BJ Penn) vs Sang Van (HIBC)
155
- Kevin Soong (Lava MMA) vs Ikaika Moore (Kona BC)
155
- Wyatt Leong (HIBC) vs Tyler Kahihikolo (Average Joe’s)
145
- Daniel Friend (HIBC) vs Kiley Tanioka (706 DTP Gym)
135
- Timothy Meeks (HIBC) vs Nick Gersaba (Kona BC)
170
XMA - Kaeo Meyers (Kona BC) vs Malu Benedicto (Kanu/ PFC)
145
- Levi Agcalon (?) vs Daniel Alcos (Freelance)
Source: Event Promoter
|
Demian
Maia: I won't let a title fight go to a decision
Well aware Thales Leites' performance against Anderson Silva
at UFC 97 probably hurt his chances for a UFC middleweight title
shot, Demian Maia is saying that a championship bout for him
would be "do-or-die" and would not go the full five
rounds.
"When I fight for the title, I get out from there as a the
champion before the time is up, or my opponent does," Maia
told Super Lutas, according to Brasil Combate. "I won't
let the fight go to a decision."
Maia
(10-0) has signed to fight former King of Pancrase champ Nate
Marquardt (28-8-2) at UFC 102 on August 29 in Portland. If Maia
can dispatch of Marquardt the way he's been able submit all five
of his UFC opponents, the Brazilian grappling champ will be within
reach of a title shot by next year.
Silva
has a light-heavyweight fight lined up against Forrest Griffin
at UFC 101 and plans after are for him to defend his title against
the winner of Michael Bisping vs. Dan Henderson.
Source: MMA Fighting
|
Homeland
Security
by Marcelo Alonso
Considered one of the premier Brazilian mixed martial artists,
Antonio Rogerio Nogueira will throw MMA leather on his home soil
for the first time in the Jungle Fight “Ceara” main
event this Saturday at the Paulo Serasate Gymnasium in Fortaleza,
Brazil.
“I’ve
had 14 of my 19 fights in Japan,” Nogueira said. “Last
year, I had the opportunity to box in the Pan American Championships
in Rio [de Janeiro], and it was such an amazing experience. This
Saturday, I’ll be able to fight for my people under my rules.”
Brazilian
cable TV outlet Premiere Combat will carry the show on pay-per-view.
Three months after he knocked out former International Fight
League champion Vladimir Matyushenko at Affliction “Day
of Reckoning,” Nogueira will take on Dion Staring, a Golden
Glory teammate of Alistair and Valentijn Overeem, Sergei Kharitonov
and Semmy Schilt.
“I’ve
seen four of his fights,” Nogueira said. “He likes
to combine low kicks and punches, has a strong right cross punch
and a couple of knockouts on his resume. I think he deserves
all my respect, but I’m very self confident and well-trained.”
The
opportunity to fight in his homeland means a great deal to Nogueira
(16-3), the 32-year-old twin brother of former Pride Fighting
Championships and interim UFC heavyweight champion Antonio Rodrigo
Nogueira.
Saturday's
fight will be Rogerio's first in Brazil.“I always dreamed
of fighting in Brazil and mostly in the northeast, where I was
born and have part of my family and friends,” Nogueira said.
“It’s going to be a great dream for me.”
Nogueira
leaned heavily on his brother in order to prepare for his bout
with Staring (15-5), a 30-year-old Dutchman who will enter the
match on a two-fight losing streak.
“My
brother came from the United States to help me and beat me up,”
he said with a smile, his brother shaking his head nearby.
The
heavyweight Nogueira sees problems ahead for Staring.
“Rogério
is in great shape -- good wrestling, striking and his ground
is also very good,” he said. “He is really sharp and
self confident for this fight coming in after two knockouts.
I bet this fight will end in a knockout or submission.”
“Minotoro”
also spoke positively about his relationship with Affliction.
“I’m
very happy in Affliction; they are treating me fine, and this
fight in Brazil will be very important to keep me in shape for
my next fight there,” he said. “I don’t know if
it will be on July 11 or Aug. 28, but I’ll be ready.”
One
of the most popular fighters in Brazil, Nogueira continues to
field questions about when fans might see him competing inside
the UFC.
“People
keep asking all the time about that, but Affliction made an offer
I couldn’t refuse,” he said. “I think I made the
correct choice. The UFC’s a great promotion, and it’s
a dream for any fighter to fight there. At the moment, I’m
close with Affliction and concentrating on winning their belt.
In the future, who knows?”
Nogueira
also addressed the criticism directed at his teammate, UFC middleweight
champion Anderson Silva, after his performance against Thales
Leites in a five-round unanimous decision victory at UFC 97 last
month. That followed what some saw as a lackluster effort against
Patrick Cote at UFC 90.
“Actually,
he’s had an amazing run, knocking out everybody in the first
or second round, so people expect that from him,” Nogueira
said. “The fans need to understand that the sport is evolving,
and he’s fighting different opponents with different games.
I liked Anderson in both fights. He was very tactical and clearly
superior. If we look back, not even Mike Tyson at his best knocked
out all his opponents. Anderson didn’t [tie or] break two
records (nine straight UFC win and five straight title defenses)
by accident.”
Source: Sherdog
|
TEAM
QUEST HITS BUSY TIME ACROSS THE GLOBE
by Ken Pishna
In existence since 2000, under the leadership of Dan Henderson
and Matt Lindland, Team Quest has become a consistent presence
on the world's biggest stages of mixed martial arts.
With
more than 40 fighters on the Team Quest roster and three locations,
there's always a lot going on in the camp.
Despite
a victory less than one month ago – over former WEC champ
Brian Stann at UFC 97 – Krzysztof Soszynski is making a
quick turnaround to replace Houston Alexander at UFC 98. He will
face Andre Gusmao in the May 23 bout.
Initial
plans had been for Soszynski to heal up a couple of minor nagging
injuries before returning to the Octagon, but when Alexander
had to drop out, the cerebral fighter quickly stepped in.
"Of
all the guys I'm associated with, he's got one of the highest
MMA IQs I have ever seen," his manager, Mike Roberts of
MMA Inc., told MMAWeekly.com recently. "He had a lot of
injuries going into that last fight and he fought through them.
He had a game plan and it worked exactly as he planned."
Soszynski
will be looking to add on to his current five-fight winning streak
at UFC 98.
After
a tremendous ride with Pride Fighting Championships – where
he knocked out Antonio Rogerio Nogueira and Ricardo Arona –
Rameau Thierry Sokoudjou skidded out in the UFC, going 1-2, before
losing to Renato "Babalu" Sobral in Affliction's second
stand.
He
will now head back to Japan to fight for the Dream promotion.
On May 26, he will compete in the eight-man open weight tournament
at Dream 9. Sokoudjou will fight Jan Nortje in the opening round
of the tournament, which also features the likes of Gegard Mousasi,
Bob Sapp, Ikuhisa Minowa, Hong Man Choi, Mark Hunt, and former
Major League Baseball player Jose Canseco.
Joining
Sokoudjou in Japan on May 26 is Joe Warren. A tremendous pedigree
in wrestling, Warren made a big splash in his MMA debut defeating
former WEC champion Chase Beebe in the opening round of the Dream
Featherweight Grand Prix.
Things
don't get any easier for the MMA neophyte at Dream 9. He steps
in to face one of the most popular and successful fighters in
Japan, as he takes on the 17-1 Norifumi "Kid" Yamamoto
in only his second time in the ring.
Undefeated
Team Quest 135-pound fighter Kiko Lopez, currently 4-0, is looking
to make it five straight victories to start his career. He fights
on May 16 for King of the Cage in Lake Elsinore, Calif.
Joining
Lopez on the same fight card is Fernando Gonzalez. A King of
the Cage veteran with a strong 14-6 record, Gonzalez has been
up and down over his past 10 fights or so, and is looking to
build on his win in late April at Gladiator Challenge.
Team
Quest will also have a significant presence at the upcoming War
Godz event on May 30. Described by Heath Sims as one of Team
Quest's "top young fighters," Tarec Saffiedine will
put his 6-0 record on the line. He is part of the undercard supporting
a main event bout between his teammate Lew Polley and veteran
Vernon "Tiger" White.
Source: MMA Weekly
|
Villasenor
vs. Evangelista “Cyborg” Confirmed for June 19th
By FCF Staff
Strikeforce
has confirmed that a bout between middleweight veterans Joey
“Smokin” Villasenor and Evangelista “Cyborg”
Santos will headline the promotion’s June 19th Strikeforce
Challengers event. The SHOMMA card, which will be broadcast on
Showtime, will take place at the Showare Center in Kent, Washington.
Although
Villasenor (26-6) will head into the bout having won three straight,
the Greg Jackson trained fighter has not competed since last
May, when he stopped Phil Baroni in the first round at Elite
XC’s ‘Primtime’ event. Villasenor’s last
loss occurred at the hands of Murilo ‘Ninja’ Rua, who
TKO’d the Pride vet at Strikeforce and Elite XC’s joint
venture, “Shamrock vs. Baroni,” in June, 2007.
Santos
(16-12) has not competed since last September, when he dislocated
his elbow just seconds into his bout with Siyar Bahadurzada at
Sengoku’s ‘Fifth Battle.’ Prior to that, Cyborg
submitted Makoto Takimoto with an Achilles lock, at Sengoku’s
premiere event in March.
Strikeforce
has also announced that UFC vet Jorge Gurgel will make his debut
for the promotion on the June 19th event. No opponent has yet
been announced. The card will also feature Dennis Hallman and
his student Cody Devela. Opponents also have yet to be named.
Source: Full Contact Fighter
|
Two
credibility issues brewing in the MMA media
By Zach Arnold
I
was told long ago by a copy editor that criticizing anyone by
name in the media is a no-no, in that it only attracts heat and
does nothing for you.
Then
again, I’m not exactly afraid of drawing heat if I think
there are legitimate questions to ask.
Luke
Thomas at Bloody Elbow has long been a champion for UFC giving
MMA blogs credentials to cover their events. I have been mostly
on the fence on this issue, slightly leaning towards ‘no’
in regards to UFC giving out credentials to bloggers. For me,
there are several reasons as to why I don’t think the MMA
media deserves credentials and a lot of it has to do with some
ethical questions in regards to the behavior of certain writers.
Make no mistake about it — I am not here to paint the entire
media sector with a broad brush and label everyone as completely
unethical and lacking in integrity.
However,
there are a lot of issues right now with the MMA media that really
have caught my attention and I’m concerned about where things
are heading. I wanted to highlight a couple of interesting situations
that have been recently raised publicly that I think deserve
some attention. I realize that a lot of MMA media outlets don’t
like touching upon issues of credibility with others in the writing
game, but I do think that it is fair game to highlight possible
breaches of conduct when they take place.
At
the end of this post, you will notice a few questions that I
am asking here and I want to get your response to them based
on the following two stories I am writing about here.
Penmanship
Approximately
two weeks ago, I received an anonymous tip from someone claiming
that they had found evidence that MMA Weekly writer Tom Hamlin
was actually FC Fighter writer Steven Marrocco. The issue at
hand here is whether or not the accusation was true or false
and if it is true, did FC Fighter have any problems with this
taking place?
The
anonymous tipster claimed the following:
The
tipster said that if you listened to the voice on MMA Weekly
video interviews of fighters and then compared it to the voice
of Steven Marrocco on FC Fighter radio shows (access the archives
here), it’s the same voice. Sample links: This MMA Weekly
video interview and Marrocco’s last appearance on FC Fighter
in February.
On the MMA Weekly contact page, contact information for Tom Hamlin
did not exist while contact information for the site’s other
writers is there. For someone who has been writing updates and
columns on the MMA Weekly site since May of 2007, you would think
that he might be important enough to be listed…
Articles appearing under the byline of Tom Hamlin have been appearing
on the MMA Weekly site since May of 2007. If Marrocco was writing
under the pen name of Tom Hamlin, it means that he has been writing
for both MMA Weekly and FC Fighter for two years.
After we received the anonymous message, it was noticed that
a similar message appeared on the MMA Weekly message board (containing
similar evidence/claims). That message was shortly removed.
On
the MMA Weekly site, articles using the bylines of both Steven
Marrocco and Tom Hamlin are now appearing. Interestingly enough,
a search for Steven Marrocco as the byline on MMA Weekly articles
on the site’s archives shows that Marrocco’s name surfaced
publicly right after UFC 97 (or when the anonymous tipster contacted
us). Only one article (April 2007) previously appeared on the
MMA Weekly site under the byline of Steve Marrocco.
We
contacted both MMA Weekly management and also FC Fighter management
for public comment on this story. We gave sufficient time to
both parties to answer our inquiries and did not receive answers
back from either party. This was a qualification for us to consider
before even writing this post, as I did not want to blindside
anyone before writing this post. Proverbially-speaking, I have
no horse in this race. Ken Pishna is someone who has always been
friendly to me (both in e-mail and on the site). Always treated
me fairly. I personally don’t have a bad word to say about
him.
Here
is what we asked FC Fighter management in our inquiry:
Were
you contacted anonymously by someone who made the claim that
Marrocco was Tom Hamlin?
Did you contact MMA Weekly and ask them if this was true or false?
If you did, what was the end result of this?
If the second point happened, does FC Fighter allow its writers
to work for multiple web sites or is content explicitly supposed
to be exclusive?
Here is what we asked MMA Weekly management in our inquiry:
Were
you contacted anonymously by someone who made the claim that
Marrocco was Tom Hamlin?
Was the anonymous tipster’s claims true or false?
What is MMA Weekly’s policy as far as background checks
on writers and/or pen names? In other words, do you hire writers
based on seeing them in person or what do you view is sufficient
protocol to make sure that someone is on the up-and-up?
Does MMA Weekly allow its writers to work for multiple publications/sites
or does MMA Weekly want exclusive content only?
Who hires the writers at MMA Weekly?
If
MMA Weekly got caught here on this situation (as an innocent
bystander) and the claim that Marrocco and Hamlin are one-and-of-the-same,
then why is Marrocco continuing to write for their site and why
would articles continue to be posted under both names? Prior
to the tipster’s allegations, there wasn’t content
under the Marrocco byline on MMA Weekly — but did things
change once FC Fighter staff found out what was happening here?
The
next question to naturally ask: If Marrocco working for MMAWeekly
was something that FC Fighter already knew and was no big deal,
why is Marrocco’s name starting to appear after the anonymous
tipster brought the issue up?
The
twist — if FC Fighter was fine with Marrocco writing for
both sites, then why the Tom Hamlin alias? Possible answer: FC
Fighter was interested in exclusive content only. We know that
FC Fighter pays their writers — therefore, if Marrocco was
getting paid by both sites, was MMA Weekly sending him money
under his name? Or is he getting paid by both outlets?
The
story here: A writer possibly working for two web sites under
two different names, and getting paid while one site potentially
didn’t know that the other site was using a writer they
hired. Double-dipping is the allegation from the anonymous tipster,
in other words.
WAMMA
bam, thank you ma’am
A
second controversy that is erupting within the last couple of
weeks has been the growing role of Sam Caplan as WAMMA boss (along
with the growing role of bloggers within the WAMMA hierarchy).
Caplan has been receiving heavy fire as of late because he was
in Japan reportedly working on a co-promotional event involving
WAMMA members. Additionally, Caplan and Five Ounces of Pain broke
the news of Randy Couture’s divorce with Kim Couture. Caplan
had stated that when he took over the position of being the boss
in WAMMA, he would step away temporarily from his site.
Here
is how Bloody Elbow characterized problems with Caplan’s
recent behavior:
Do
you see the problem here? A guy, in the middle of putting together
a huge event involving multiple UFC competitors, is fanning the
flames on the marital problems of one of the UFC’s biggest
stars? And a Strikeforce fighter with whom WAMMA has a relationship?
And no one is talking about WHY he’s writing this?
My
problem is really with the fact that Caplan stated he was taking
a leave of absence from the site when he got on board as COO
of WAMMA less than two weeks ago. The fact that he’s reporting
gossip from unnamed sources about whether or not the Coutures
are living together is secondary.
The
role of MMA bloggers in a sanctioning body (WAMMA) is certainly
a worthwhile issue to discuss. It does pose the following questions
that should be asked:
Are
people who consider themselves MMA bloggers really journalists?
Are they really truly writers?
How many people writing on the MMA scene actually consider it
their primary source of income?
Should the answer to the second question be a determining factor
in regards to who gets credentialed or not credentialed by fight
promotions?
What kind of value would you place on the work that MMA writers
do in comparison to the kind of broadsheet press that UFC desires
to reach out to?
When you have isses regarding writers (un)questionably engaging
in unethical behavior, it becomes that much harder to take the
calls seriously that MMA web sites and media outlets should get
credentialed at all by UFC. Conversely, there also should be
a spotlight on the behavior of media outlets who do get credentialed
by UFC and those outlets should have their behavior and standards
measured by a fair litmus test.
Source: Fight Opinion
|
Ninja
should be back in August
Fighter believes no one can stop Shogun
Carlos Ozorio / Portal das Lutas
At
his last appearance, at Dream, Murilo Ninja saw his opponent
change shortly before his bout. Originally set to face Korea’s
Dong Sik Yoon, he ended up facing Japan’s Riki Fukuda. Despite
his dissatisfaction, especially after losing a decision, the
Brazilian would rather assume responsibility and says he will
carry on representing the Japanese organization.
“I
was going to fight at 84kg, I shed 16kg and then they changed
the adversary on a few days before the fight. He was stronger,
but that’s no excuse, because I feel I could have fought
better and finished it. But nor can I deny I was given a raw
deal,” said Ninja, who is already thinking about his next
chance in the event: “I have two more fights on my contract
with Dream. I’ll probably fight again in August, but I don’t
know the date yet.”
As
with his brother Mauricio Shogun, Ninja did part of his preparation
work in Sao Paulo. The fighter said things should carry on in
the same way.
“We’ll
prepare here in Curitiba and the final stretch we’ll do
in Sao Paulo, where we have sparring partners for boxing and
Jiu-Jitsu. Our training there is well structured. Here in Curitiba
we’re at UDL and we’ll bring in some fighters, but
the final part will take place in Sao Paulo,” he said.
Ninja
is happy with Shogun’s win over Chuck Liddell, his second
knockout win in the UFC. To him, after the more-than-convincing
victory, his brother will go on to dominate.
“I
feel that if my brother is training and in rhythm, nobody can
beat him. I train with him and believe no one can beat him at
that weight, that I guarantee. He did really well last fight
and, thank God, got the knockout. I think he’ll take out
anyone to get in his way,” he finished.
Source: Gracie Magazine
|
Hungarian
Boxer Nagy Dies from Injuries at 23
BUDAPEST,
Hungary (CP) -- Hungarian light-heavyweight boxer Andras Nagy
has died at age 23 after suffering a brain injury while training
in Melbourne, Australia.
Hungarian
Boxing Federation president Sandor Csotonyi says "He was
a very talented boxer. His death is a terrible tragedy."
Csotonyi
said Nagy -- who had a 3-0 professional record -- was on a six-month
stay in Australia, boxing with a Croatian licence.
After
butting heads with a smaller opponent during a training bout
on May 1, his birthday, Nagy was hospitalized with brain swelling.
He
underwent two operations in Melbourne, on May 1 and 4, and was
placed in an artificial coma, but died today.
Csotonyi
says Nagy's remains will be brought back to Hungary.
During
his amateur career, Nagy, a native of the city of Gyor in northwest
Hungary, competed for the Vasas sports club.
Competing
in the 165-pound category, Nagy won a silver medal at the 2002
World Cadet Championship in Kecskemet, Hungary.
He
took part in the 2005 World Senior Boxing Championships in Mianyang,
China, winning his first match and losing the second.
Source: Fight Network
|
Conan
Silveira talks next ATT fights
By Guilherme Cruz
One
of the American Top Team leaders, Marcos Conan Silveira is celebrating
the great phase of the team in the United Stated. With more than
40 branches around the country, Conan is preparing his athletes
for their next fights, and spoke with TATAME.com about some of
them. Check below that Conan says about Thiago Alves, Gesias
Cavalcante, Alessio Sakara, Thiago Silva, Mike Brown and Bobby
Lashley:
Thiago
“Pitbull” Alves vs. Georges St. Pierre – UFC 100:
“I’d
like to start answering this question with 1000% sure that he’ll
be the man to defeat the champion, Georges St. Pierre. I can
be a little suspect of saying this, but I’m sure for his
training, the focus and the whole team helping him, because it’s
not something you do alone. We’re a family like any other,
but, sincerely, with the time I have in the MMA, I don’t
know a team like ATT."
Alessio
Sakara vs. Rousimar “Toquinho” Palhares – UFC
101:
“It’s
been a different training, a specific one, because we have to
compensate what Toquinho is on the ground and what Sakara is
standing, which is excellent. We’re balancing his training.
I’m sure it’ll be another win for us, besides thinking
it’ll be a tough fight."
Thiago
Silva vs. Keith Jardine – UFC 102:
"Obviously,
we had a plan set for Forrest Griffin, but thanks God we had
the ability and tools to change the training. And it’s already
done. This changing won’t affect too much, because we have
now two more weeks of training. We’ll focus now on Jardine,
and I’m 1000% sure he’ll win it, because he’s
tougher than Jardine."
Gesias
Cavalcante vs. Tatsuya Kawajiri – Dream 9:
"One
of ours strongest points is that we’re serious about the
opponent. When the fighter is a focused guy like Gesias and many
others, top professionals, he’ll go inside in this fight,
for sure. He’s training a lot, doing everything. I have
nothing else to say, besides it’s another win for us."
Mike
Brown vs. Urijah Faber II – WEC 41:
"You
wants to know how is Mike’s training to win again, fight?
(laughs). He’s another incredible fighter, a guy who deserves
to be where he is now. He’s a good person, a tough kid,
and sees the fight like if it was his first one. That’s
what makes us work even more in the fighter and his philosophy,
not let the champion go up to the head and make the fighter lose
his way. In other words, he’s the champion and remain the
champion for a long time, but the training is like if it was
his first opportunity to fight."
Mike
Brown vs. Wagnney Fabiano or José Aldo:
"Those
would be tough fights, each one of them are great fighters. But
I believe Mike would defeat them."
Is
Bobby Lashley the next Brock Lesnar?
"He
has a bright future, he’ll be in the best events soon. We
want him to be better than Lesnar. I don’t wanna demerit
Lesnar, but I think he had too much rush. Bobby, besides being
a natural athlete, is a person who was born to fight. He’s
doing a great transition to MMA and will fight now on May 15,
I think, at Canada. We’re moving slowly with him, because
we prefer to walk slowly, but walk al the time. We want to make
this way more professionally with Bobby."
Source: Tatame
|
Tom
Atencio takes jab at Dana White
The usually mild-mannered Affliction VP, Tom Atencio questioned
UFC president Dana White's non-existent MMA record on Monday
while hyping the "Ultimate Chaos" pay-per-view event
taking place June 27 in Biloxi, Mississippi.
"I've been seen in front of the cameras before as far as
the business side, but it's time to fight," Atencio said.
"I'm doing something Dana White won't do and that's fight.
He talks like a fighter, so why doesn't he fight? I'm stepping
up to the plate and win, lose or draw I attempted it. I don't
ever think he would fight."
Atencio
is taking a break from fight promoting when he steps in the cage
at the event against Randy Hedderick. Atencio has competed once
before, in January 2005 at Total Combat 7 in Tijuana, Mexico,
winning by decision after three rounds.
To
White's credit, the former amateur boxer made good on a promise
to box former UFC champ Tito Ortiz when Ortiz re-signed with
the UFC in 2006. They were scheduled to meet March 2007 in a
three-round exhibition bout but Ortiz was nowhere to be found
on the day of the weigh-ins and the fight was called off.
Source: MMA Fighting
|
A
Blood Called Shooto
by Jordan Breen
Nearly 25 years ago, Japanese professional wrestler Satoru Sayama
-- better known as the original Tiger Mask -- had an idea about
fighting, the seed of Shooto.
The
first-ever amateur Shooto event was held in 1986, while 1989
marked the first-ever occasion of “professional Shooting.”
All mixed martial arts observers know of Greek Pankration --
and the more modern tradition of Brazilian vale tudo -- but Shooto
has the longest lineage of any single combat sports entity in
contemporary MMA. Fittingly, that lineage will be celebrated
this Sunday in Tokyo, when leading Shooto promoter Sustain stages
its 20th anniversary event.
“Shooto”
is an intriguing concept, its definition varying depending on
who you ask. Although Sayama left the world of Shooto in 1986,
his original vision is adhered to by authorities who view Shooto
not as an organization but as an international sport unto itself,
with its own system and rules, taking place from Japan to Australia
to Brazil to Belgium and beyond.
For
some MMA fans, following Shooto is proof of fanaticism about
the sport and, for others, an unfathomable hobby for MMA elitists.
One thing that is readily clear, however, is that those who are
passionate about Shooto have an intensity about it that is completely
incongruous with how most people celebrate other MMA entities.
Even in the heyday of UFC-versus-Pride debacles, debates raged
over extrinsic qualities of aesthetic production values, roster
quality and fighter purses.
The
world of Shooto, on the other hand, appears to have some invisible,
intangible magic that grips its subjects at the soul. Few know
it better than Taro Wakabayashi.
The
Craftsman Behind the Curtain
Wakabayashi
is a familiar face for those who have followed Shooto over the
years. Strong jawed, short sleeved and bow-tied, he has been
in the ring as a referee for well over a decade and has served
in the Shooto offices for even longer. In 1992, at the age of
27, he left his job at Japanese advertising powerhouse Dentsu
Tec to become a staff member with Akira Maeda’s Rings Fighting
Network and, shortly after, a nascent K-1. In 1994, he entered
the world of Shooto as a matchmaker and, over the last 15 years,
has helped create MMA’s most comprehensive system.
He
may be MMA’s most experienced referee, having officiated
quite literally thousands of bouts between amateur and professional
Shooto. However, he also serves as a professional Shooto matchmaker
-- responsible for a good deal of the pairings on Sunday’s
card -- as well as being in charge of the gym administration
for all official Shooto gyms. In addition, he oversees Shooto’s
sophisticated amateur system.
There
are typically three to five amateur Shooto events per month,
all over Japan. A young fighter who aspires to become a pro Shootor
must fight his way through the amateurs, winning regional tournaments
and performing well at the annual All-Japan tournaments in order
to become a professional. This process has shaped and groomed
a tremendous amount of Japan’s top MMA talent for the last
20 years, producing a list of names too expansive to enumerate.
More
importantly, the world of Shooto represents one of the only opportunities
available to those outside of Tokyo who want to become mixed
martial artists. Virtually all MMA in Japan is centered in Tokyo,
and for athletes in northern Hokkaido or rural Tottori, chances
to embark on a career in MMA are slim to nil.
However,
Shooto covers all 47 of Japan’s prefectures; it’s the
only Japanese MMA entity even remotely that ambitious. Although
the amateur system existed before Wakabayashi, its current state
is owed to his craftsmanship.
“The
actual system, the sport, the commission, it’s all quite
strong,” Wakabayashi says. “I think that kind of minute
detail is very appealing or attractive to people.”
One
need only look at May
10's card to assess its truth.Deep Cultural Ties
Neither
“appealing” nor “attractive” does it justice.
Although it’s unsuitable to term Shooto an organization
because of its conception and system, it’s also not appropriate
because it represents something much larger. With its rich history,
its production of fighting talent, its comprehensive system and
the democratic sensibilities that let any athlete determine his
own destiny in fighting, Shooto has become an intense culture
unto itself.
That
statement may sound like asinine puffery. However, one need only
look at this Sunday’s card to assess its truth. Why is it
that the likes of Takanori Gomi, Mitsuhiro Ishida, Mizuto Hirota,
Akiyo Nishiura and Kotetsu Boku -- all veterans of big-money
Japanese MMA shows -- are fighting on the card for far more meager
purses? Why is it that these established stars treat their returns
to the Shooto ring as a proud duty, rather than an obligatory
chore? Why did Takeshi Inoue give up the chance to fight in Sengoku’s
featherweight tournament to defend his 143-pound crown? And why
has Rumina Sato, during a 15-year career, refused to fight outside
of Shooto-sanctioned events until he wins a Shooto world title?
Pride
in a fighter’s home organization is nothing new, but to
look at how Shooto-bred fighters talk about Shooto is starkly
different. If you didn’t know much about MMA, you might
think they were discussing their own offshoot religion. It’s
the kind of deep cultural tie that makes T-shirt slogans like
“Shooto is my life” and “Shooto and Truth never
die” honest, appropriate and commonplace among Shootors.
It’s the sort of gravity that makes event titles like “The
Victory of the Truth” and “Alive Road” seem less
like run-of-the-mill English and more like spiritual instruction.
“You
know, I’m 43 years old. I don’t really know or understand
what the younger generations see in Shooto,” Wakabayashi
says with a chuckle. “I personally wanted to become a fighter
when I was younger, and while that didn’t happen, I’m
personally just trying to following my dream.”
Even
if he finds it hard to believe, that’s not to say Wakabayashi
is ignorant to how seriously fighters take Shooto.
“Even
if these fighters eventually become famous and fight in the big
shows, Shooto is like their home, somewhere they can always come
back to,” he says. “Even if they start their own gym
or dojo, their students are going to be fighting in amateur Shooto,
and the cycle goes on and on.”
Wakabayashi does not need much prompting now; it’s like
a chain reaction. The intangible aspects that make Shooto something
larger than sport are something he’s undoubtedly paid mind
to before.
“One
of Shooto’s strong points is that it’s honest. Shooto
means choosing the right thing, being honest, going in the right
direction; it’s about propriety,” Wakabayashi says.
“In Shooto, we do the things we do for the ‘right’
reasons. We don’t have fighters fighting opponents outside
of their weight classes, we don’t have excessively young
fighters fighting in the events, and we don’t pit experienced
fighters against inexperienced fighters. We do things properly
for the sake of martial arts.”
Wakabayashi
takes a silent, thoughtful moment of introspection before he
continues to carefully groom an analogy.
“The
way I see it, Shooto is like a school,” he says. “Young
people these days, especially in Japan, they like ‘virtual’
things, like video games and so forth. But in the martial arts,
it’s very interactive. You need to learn all kinds of things:
mannerisms, how to respect people and how to make friends. And
when you fight, you can’t really lie. You can have a real
life experience in Shooto.”
Wakabayashi
himself is no different than the other fighters for whom Shooto
touches something deeper within, embracing the same kind of spiritual
slogans. He appears to be the author of some of them, as well;
perhaps he’s Shooto’s answer to Publilius Syrus.
“I’ve
always said this as a kind of personal catchphrase: ‘Shooto
isn’t my work; Shooto is my life,’” Wakabayashi
says.
Like
any culture, Shooto has its own mythos. Shooto is replete with
many suitable hero figures in its hall of champions, past and
present, but one figure looms larger than all others.
“When
I think of Shooto icons, I usually think of Sayama first. Without
him, there would be no Shooto,” Wakabayashi says. “But
after him, it would definitely be Yuki Nakai.”
A
Hero Emerges
Nakai
was the third 150-pound world champion of pro Shooto. He roared
out of the Super Tiger Gym in 1993, emerging as Shooto’s
finest young talent. When Shooto authorities put together the
second Vale Tudo Open card in 1995, Nakai was the ideal candidate
through which to prove the strength of Japanese fighters and
especially Shootors.
The
rest of the details are crystallized in MMA lore. Vastly outsized
by the rest of the tournament field, Nakai took on notoriously
lawless Dutchman Gerard Gordeau in the first round of the tournament.
Gordeau brutally eye-gouged Nakai repeatedly over the course
of their 27-minute bout. Nakai eventually emerged victorious
via submission -- and even came back out in the semi-finals,
eye bandaged, to submit American wrestler Craig Pittman. Nakai
was trounced in the finals by Rickson Gracie but ultimately became
legendary for his resolve.
Gordeau’s
gouging permanently blinded Nakai in his right eye. Although
he was forced to retire at the age of 25, Nakai concealed his
disability from the public for two years, fearing the backlash
that may result against the sport he loved so passionately.
Nakai
is an even more complex figure for Wakabayashi. Not only is he
a close friend, he is actually a business partner: it was Wakabayashi
who co-founded the original Paraestra gym in Tokyo with Nakai
in December 1997. In fact, Wakabayashi was the man who gave the
original Tokyo gym the name “Paraestra,” and he still
trains in that same gym today -- one of dozens of Paraestras
all over the world.
“Gordeau
was someone I’d known. I’d known him for years, and
he was my friend,” Wakabayashi says. “I knew he had
his good points, but I also knew he had the potential to do bad
things during fights.”
There’s
a true otherworldly reverence audible when anyone speaks about
Nakai. Wakabayashi is no different.
“When
that fight was proposed, I was against it. I knew that even if
Gordeau was faced with a smaller opponent, he’d still have
done anything to win,” he says. “But Nakai told me
then, ‘I’ll be fine. Do you really think I’d lose
to him?’ By him saying that, I couldn’t really oppose
him from fighting.”
Rumina
Sato is Shooto.The Shootor's Passion
It
makes things simple when Wakabayashi is asked what he sees as
Shooto’s greatest moment.
“I
think that for me, the greatest moment is when Nakai won against
Gordeau. Because of the fight with Gordeau, we couldn’t
give Nakai a Shooto license anymore; that was very difficult
for me,” Wakabayashi laments.
It’s
the ultimate cliché of literary analysis, the scourge
of any well-bred English major. It’s invoked nauseatingly
by a great many pseudo-intellects and try-too-hards desperately
feigning deep thought. It’s the Christ narrative. Yet, for
Nakai, it’s never a comparison for which one has to reach
but rather the one that instantly implants itself in the mind.
Nakai’s
story may be a devoutly secular one, but it isn’t particularly
hard to understand why those in the world of Shooto see him as
something greater than a fighter, trainer or originator. It’s
monumental when titles such as “Shooto world champion,”
“world-class trainer,” “the father of BJJ in Japan,”
and “MMA pioneer” somehow do not seem grand enough
for a particular person. However, Nakai’s selfless suffering
-- his own passion -- is what both implicitly and explicitly
informs the morality and mentality of Shooto.
To
watch, Nakai makes the abstract ideas about “fighting spirit”
more concrete. Anyone can physically watch his bouts and see
him fight, unwavering, and understand sacrifice and conviction
in combat; this symbolism is easy. However, no less important
are the less obvious tenets of improvement and evolution that
Nakai promoted by bringing Brazilian jiu-jitsu back to Japan,
demanding to discover how it was that Gracie had beaten him.
The
kanji characters used to write “Shooto” literally mean
“learn” and “combat.” Surely then, Nakai
is Shooto’s icon, its Christ.
“In
previous Vale Tudo Open events, all our Japanese fighters had
lost. Seeing Nakai fight, guys like Rumina Sato had decided not
to leave Shooto, and a guy like [Hayato] ‘Mach’ Sakurai
decided he wanted to be a part of Shooto,” Wakabayashi says.
“After
watching Nakai fight, that’s when Shooto became my life.”
Source: Sherdog
|
UFC
TO ADD TWO HALL OF FAMERS AT UFC 100
The UFC Hall of Fame is a fairly select club at the moment. It
currently consists of just five members: Dan Severn, Mark Coleman,
Ken Shamrock, Randy Couture, and Royce Gracie.
The
group is about to expand. Via its UFC Fan Expo website, the Ultimate
Fighting Championship announced that, on July 10, it will induct
two new members into the UFC Hall of Fame.
There
is sure to be a tremendous amount of speculation – especially
with the possible impending retirement of former UFC light heavyweight
champion Chuck Liddell – but there has been no announcement
as to who the two inductees will be.
Royce
Gracie hasn't fought in nearly two years, but Severn and Shamrock
have, and Couture and Coleman are both still actively competing
in the UFC. So retirement isn't a requirement for induction.
According
to UFCFanExpo.com, the ceremony will take place on the expo floor
immediately following UFC president Dana White's keynote speech.
Source: MMA Weekly
|
Quote
of the Day
"Success
isn't permanent, and failure isn't fatal."
Mike Ditka
|
X1
World Events Tomorrow
Saturday, May 09, 2009
Kekuaokalni Gym, Kailua, Kona, Hawaii
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:
X1 World Events in their first ever event on the Big Island has
an action packed card lined up featuring some of Big Island’s
best talent. The live event takes place 7:00 PM Saturday May
9, 2009, at the Kekuaokalani Gym in Kailua-Kona, Hawaii.
Standout amateur and professional boxer Van Oscar Penovaroff
of Kailua-Kona will go head to head with the reigning X1 135lb
World Champion Kana Hyatt of Hilo. Penovaroff is a pure striker
with great instincts, having spent time in MMA camps on the mainland
he feels he has what it takes to keep the belt in Kailua-Kona.
Hyatt who is coming off a successful title defense over Maui’s
bantamweight king, has both the striking skills and the ground
skills necessary to keep the title around his waist where it
belongs.
The co-main event will feature two well rounded fighters both
from the Big Island. Dominic Ahnee who now resides in Maui will
return home to face off against former 155lb MMA Champion Aleka
Rincon in a lightweight matchup.
Justin Mercado of Team MMAD on Oahu will also be returning home
to the Big Island to take on the very talented and very colorful
Dave Moreno in a featherweight matchup. Both matches will be
non stop action with an exciting mix of ground and standup action.
The grudge match of the evening will pit Kona Boxing’s Pat
Fuga against the seasoned veteran Mark
Smith. These two have some unfinished business that will be settled
in exciting fashion for the Big Island MMA fans.
Also that night the always exciting Tyler Kahihikolo will go
up against Wyatt Leong of Hawaii International Boxing, and Spencer
Higa will take on Peni Taufa’ao for the X1 145lb Kickboxing
Title.
Both guys are well rounded strikers and will put it all on the
line with the hopes of capturing the vacant title.
Also that night will be an exciting Undercard featuring more
of Big Island’s top fighters.
Tickets can be purchased by calling
Big Island Surf – 808.959.2472 | 808.935.1430 | 808.885.9283
A’Ama Surf & Sport – 808.331.1777 | 808.326.7890
Pacific Island Fitness – 808.334.1977
Hilo Fight Company – 808.345.9678
CD Wizard – 808.969.4800
Christine Young
X-1 World Events Executive Director
Cell: 808-723-0504
Fax: 808-689-8866
Email: christine.x1events@gmail.com or x1events@yahoo.com
Kekuaokalani
Gym, Kona, Hawaii
Saturday, May 9, 2009
Fights Start At 7:30 Pm
135lbs World Title Match
Kana Hyatt Vs Van Oscar Penovaroff
160lbs
Mma Match
Aleka Rincon Vs Dominic Ahnee
145lbs
Mma Match
Dirty Dave Moreno Vs Justin Mercado
Shw
Mma Match
Pat Fuga Vs Mark "Da Bear" Smith
145lbs
Kick Boxing Match
Spencer Higa Vs Peni Taufaao
155lbs
Mma Match
Kevin Soong Vs Ikaika Moore
135lbs
Mma Match
Timothy Meeks Vs Nick Gersaba
145lbs
Mma Match
Levi Agcalon Vs Wally Haina
Xma
Match
Kaeo Myer Vs Malu
145lbs
Mma Match
Daniel Friend Vs Tba
145lbs
Match
Zang Van Vs Tba
140lbs
Girls Match
Shali Padilla Vs Lii Furuta
Source: Event Promoter
|
Brandon
Wolff Returns After Loss in UFC Debut
CP
- What happens when someone knees you some 50 times in 109 seconds?
Sadly Brandon Wolff knows firsthand.
The
former Navy SEAL sustained four facial fractures, including a
fractured forehead, and a broken nose in losing his UFC debut
in ugly fashion to Ben Saunders in December.
"I
got beat up pretty good," the Hawaiian welterweight said
by way of understatement.
Wolff
(7-3) returns to action May 23 at UFC 98 in Las Vegas against
Japan's Yoshiyuki Yoshida, a fourth-degree judo black belt who
suffered a beatdown of his own on the same "Fight for the
Troops" card in December in Fayetteville, N.C.
Yoshida
(10-3) was knocked out by Josh Koscheck in the 170-pound main
event. He was staggered by a straight right, falling into the
fence. And as he bounced back up, he was crunched again with
a huge looping right at 2:15 of the first round.
Yoshida
and Wolff look to put the painful losses behind them.
"To
stay in the UFC, we both need a win," said Wolff.
At
five foot nine, Wolff was giving up six inches against Saunders.
The bigger man clamped his hands behind Wolff's head like a vise
and hammered him with knees while holding the tattooed Hawaiian
in place.
"He
got me good. I made the mistake of staying in a Muay Thai clinch
a little too long and I paid the man," said Wolff, whose
training partners include twin brother and fellow SEAL Brenton.
By
the time the referee stepped in, there was blood and an Elephant
Man-like bump on Wolff's forehead.
In
addition to the busted forehead, the damage toll included two
fractures above the right eye and one below. Wolff's face was
so swollen he had double vision for several weeks.
Amazingly
he was back in the gym in a month.
"I
was more mentally distraught than anything," he said. "I
was just unhappy about how I got destroyed in my debut. But I
healed up good. And I just wanted to get back in there as soon
as possible. . . . I was just happy to get a second chance. I
didn't think I was going to get one."
In
order to keep fighting, Wolff has put reconstructive surgery
on hold.
"If
I did do that, it would have kind of weakened the rest of my
skull," he explained. "If I got hit in there again,
which I would have, it probably would have caused more damage.
So they just recommended it's something that I should take care
of later, when I'm ready to retire from fighting."
Wolff,
33, is a hard man. He survived the gruelling SEAL training, spent
four years in the navy and now works for a private security firm
called Linxx Security Services, based in Virginia and founded
by ex-SEALS, where he essentially teaches military personnel
unarmed combat.
But
he met his match in Saunders.
"It
was the first time ever that I've got my ass kicked," he
said. "It was a good learning experience -- something that's
never going to happen again."
Ironically,
Wolff felt like a million bucks going into the fight. "I
even had a dream the night before that I smashed him."
"It
just didn't go as planned," he added with a chuckle.
Wolff
has managed to take a positive out of the lopsided fight, pointing
out the amount of damage needed to stop him. "I'm not going
to go down from anything small," he said.
"That's
how we train over here," added the native of Kailua, on
the windward side of Oahu. "That's our mindset. We fight
until we can't fight no more. It just comes kind of natural."
Because
the fight was televised on tape delay in Hawaii, he was able
to let friends and family know he was OK before they saw it.
But he said some people he didn't contact were upset at what
they saw.
"I
don't even like watching that fight," he said.
Still
Wolff wouldn't mind another crack at Saunders.
"I
learned a lot in that fight and I'd definitely like to fight
him again. Because I know I'm capable of way more than that."
Yoshida,
34, will have to do, however. Wolff expects the five-foot-11
Japanese fighter to try to take him down.
For
his part, Yoshida can expect a very motivated opponent.
Wolff
said the Saunders fight made him feel "like an animal who
was starving and never got to eat. And my meal was right in front
of me. I never got to take a bite or anything.
"So
I'm really happy, I'm really fortunate to be fighting again in
the UFC. And I feel like I owe myself and everybody else out
there a war, an exciting fight. And that's what I've been preparing
myself for."
On
the minus side, Wolff has not had as much time as he would like
to train for Yoshida because of his day job. But he likes the
matchup, saying he has plenty of training partners who are that
kind of fighter and that he excels against opponents who try
to get close to him to take him down.
"I'm
not the best striker in the world but I'm confident fighting
in close quarters," he said. "Because I've got short
arms and I like to get close and fire my hands. I like ground
and pound also. I feel confident in the clinch.
"It's
just a good match for me and I'm just lucky to be fighting."
Source: Fight Network
|
Coach:
Silva a ‘Terrible Fight’ for Griffin
by Marcelo Alonso
Most mixed martial arts trainers in Brazil have roots in jiu-jitsu
or muay Thai, but Josuel Distak comes from the boxing world.
There, he was recognized for his work under the head coach of
the Brazilian national team.
In
MMA, Distak rose to prominence as the boxing coach for fighters
like UFC middleweight champion Anderson Silva, Ronaldo “Jacare”
Souza, Paulo Filho, Demian Maia and Rafael “Feijao”
Cavalcante. Known for his ability to encourage and motivate fighters
and his success in joining jiu-jitsu, wrestling and boxing together
in the same exercises, Distak created his own brand of MMA training.
Judging by the success his fighters have enjoyed, he must be
doing something right.
Just
weeks after Silva’s successful title defense against Thales
Leites at UFC 97, Distak welcomed Sherdog.com to his gym in Rio
de Janeiro, Brazil. He discussed Souza’s preparation for
his Dream middleweight title bout against Jason “Mayhem”
Miller, Silva’s much-maligned performance against Leites
and the Brazilian’s UFC 101 showdown with Forrest Griffin.
Sherdog.com:
How do you respond to Anderson Silva’s critics after his
fight at UFC 97?
Distak: Actually, we did everything alright. We trained Anderson
to fight on impulse, action-reaction, but Thales didn’t
give him much action, so the reaction was proportional. I believe
Anderson did a nice job. He controlled the fight at all times,
and he was never in danger. That fight’s over, and we’re
thinking about the next one. The criticism we get is always a
positive, because it makes us stronger. I think the criticism
inspired [UFC President] Dana White to set us up with an opponent,
Forrest Griffin, who will bring the fight. The boss wants excitement,
and we’ll give him excitement. It’s a good fight for
Anderson and a terrible fight for Forrest Griffin.
Sherdog.com:
Why do you believe this is a bad fight for Griffin? Do you think
Silva will show his normal aggression against him?
Distak: I have no doubt about that because Forrest is a guy who
loves to fight, so he will give Anderson everything he needs
to answer. If you watch his fights against opponents who attacked
him -- like Rich Franklin, Dan Henderson and James Irvin -- he
beat them all because they pressed him from the beginning. Forrest
Griffin has the same tendency. I believe he will be another one
we beat because he’ll give us the motivation Anderson needs.
Josuel
Distak comes from the boxing world of Brazil.Sherdog.com: Some
have said that Silva lost a lot of his aggressiveness after he
left his muay Thai trainer, Diógenes Asahida, a black
belt from Chute Boxe, and adopted a more tactical style under
you. How do you respond to that criticism?
Distak: I analyze statistics. When Anderson faced Dan Henderson,
he was already training with us; that fight had a lot of aggression
and ended in a submission. Against James Irvin, there was a knock
out. The last two fights, he was less aggressive because he had
fought too much. He had a lot riding on that fight with Thales,
not only to keep the title but to break the record of consecutive
wins and [tie the record of consecutive] title defenses. Plus,
there was the possibility of it going five rounds. People have
to understand that it’s more difficult to keep a title than
it is to win it. All that pressure can get to a fighter. Did
you see the fight between Fedor [Emelianenko] and [Andrei] Arlovski?
I didn’t see the Fedor I’m used to seeing in that fight,
but he landed a nice punch at the right moment, knocked out Andrei
and made the fans happy. Even so, he was not the Fedor we saw
fighting against [Mirko] “Cro Cop” [Filipovic] and
[Antonio Rodrigo] “Minotauro” [Nogueira], probably
because he was overwhelmed by the hype. He won, and I’m
sure he’ll return much better next time. I see the same
thing happening with Anderson.
Sherdog.com:
Why do you believe fans can expect to see the old Silva against
Forrest Griffin?
Distak: Anderson needed a fight where he didn’t have the
responsibility of defending the belt. It’s going to be a
much better fight for him.
Sherdog.com:
He’s coming in off of a five-round fight with all this pressure,
and the UFC did not give him any time to rest. Plus, he has to
fight one of the top guys in a heavier weight class. Is this
good for him?
Distak: I think it’s very good for him because he has no
pressure in a heavier weight class. The title is not in play.
It’s three five-minute rounds. This fight will wake him
up, and the fans will see the amazing Anderson Silva again.
Sherdog.com:
Recently, Wanderlei Silva declared war on Anderson Silva. How
do you see a potential fight between them?
Distak: That would be a great fight. Both come from aggressive
schools, so I believe the man who’s best prepared and most
skilled would win; that’s Anderson. If it’s for the
belt, he would win however he had to, but if the UFC decided
to promote it without the title on the line, I believe Anderson
would knock out Wanderlei.
Sherdog.com:
How do you see Wanderlei’s UFC 99 bout with Rich Franklin
playing out?
Distak: I don’t think their games match up well. I believe
Wanderlei will knock out Franklin with knees using the clinch.
Sherdog.com: You work with three of the best middleweight fighters
in the world -- Paulo Filho, Ronaldo Souza and Anderson Silva.
When will Filho return to the ring?
Distak: He’s going to fight in Dream’s light heavyweight
division. He’s just waiting to find out his next opponent.
He already requested a fight in the 205-pound division, where
I believe he operates much better. Jacare has been a very important
person in helping Filho. Some days, we train hear at the X-Gym
in the morning, then have lunch and drive almost 100 kilometers
to train with Filho in Niteroi, Brazil, where he likes to train.
To drive 200 kilometers [round trip] to help a friend definitely
shows Jacare has a great attitude.
Sherdog.com:
Can you break down Jacare’s middleweight title fight against
Jason "Mayhem" Miller at Dream 9 on May 26?
Distak: I can say Jacare is 100 percent prepared. He’s been
training hard with us for the last six months; we actually have
to slow him down. He helped a lot with Anderson’s ground
training for the fight with Thales. Many people though that if
Thales took Anderson down, he’d submit him. During the fight,
Anderson recaptured the guard and tried a triangle when he got
taken down. That resulted from months of training with Jacare,
[Andre] Galvao, Feijao and Master Sylvio Behring. If you ask
me to make a prediction, I’d say Jacare will win by knockout.
Sherdog.com:
What’s special about your four main fighters?
Distak: With Anderson Silva, the whole world can see his skills,
but what impresses me more about him is how much he cares about
his family. When he’s not training, he’s always thinking
about his family. Paulo Filho is a dog man; he needs dogs in
his life. I’ve never seen a guy who loved dogs so much.
Today, he has 24 dogs at his house; he used to have 70. Feijao
is the best 205-pound fighter in the world. He just needs a chance
to prove that. He’s complete. I don’t see anyone beating
him at his weight -- in the UFC, Strikeforce, Dream or any other
promotion. Jacare has proven he’s among the best jiu-jitsu
and submission fighters in the world. In training with us, he
has shown many other qualities, like amazing explosion, an impressive
striking evolution and a great will to fight for his dreams.
Sherdog.com:
Forrest Griffin said Jacare was one of his best sparring partners
when he was at Xtreme Couture. Randy Couture sees Jacare as a
man who could possibly defeat Anderson. What’s the secret
to getting top guys like Jacare and Anderson to train every day
without getting injured?
Distak: To start with, I have them train at full speed, like
real MMA, but as the fight gets closer, I avoid real vale tudo
contact between guys like Jacare, Feijao and Anderson. We use
other means of sparring, so we can extend their training into
different areas. If we put a camera inside the academy to see
our training at the beginning, fans would get the chance to see
amazing MMA fights. Actually, it might be a good idea to make
it a pay-per-view.
Sherdog.com:
As you approach the end of Jacare’s training camp, when
will you start to prepare Anderson for UFC 101?
Distak: We’re going to Japan on May 20. Right after the
Jacare fight on May 26, we’ll go to America, where Anderson
and Feijao will have already started training for Forrest Griffin.
Paulo Filho is also coming with us. Jorge Guimaraes and Ed Soares,
who manages Anderson, opened an MMA training center in Los Angeles.
Feijao and Anderson will be training there.
Sherdog.com:
What’s your main goal as a trainer?
Distak: Our goal is to have two champions [in America] and two
[in Japan]. In Dream, we have Paulo Filho at 205 and Ronaldo
Jacare at 185. In the U.S., we have Anderson Silva at 185 in
the UFC, and we want to conquer the 205-pound class in Strikeforce
with Rafael Feijao. We’re working really hard for that.
Source: Sherdog
|
UFC
98 (5/23 Las Vegas) card line-up
By Zach Arnold
As
it currently stands:
Dark
matches
Lightweights
(155 pounds): Dave Kaplan vs. George Roop
Welterweights (170 pounds): Yoshiyuki Yoshida vs. Brandon Wolff
Light Heavyweights (205 pounds): Houston Alexander vs. Andre
Gusmao
Lightweights (155 pounds): Phillipe Nover vs. Kyle Bradley
Heavyweights (up to 265 pounds): Pat Berry vs. Tim Hague
Welterweights (170 pounds): Brock Larson vs. Chris Wilson
Main card
Lightweights
(155 pounds): Sean Sherk vs. Frankie Edgar
Middleweights (185 pounds): Chael Sonnen vs. Dan Miller
Light Heavyweights (205 pounds): Xavier Foupa-Pokam vs. Drew
McFedries
Welterweights (170 pounds): Matt Hughes vs. Matt Serra
Light Heavyweights (205 pounds): Rashad Evans vs. Ryoto (Lyoto)
Machida
Source: Fight Opinion
|
WC
FITNESS: LANCE ARMSTRONG & MMA WORKOUTS
by Matt Wiggins
What do Lance Armstrong and your MMA Workouts have in common?
Both
should do a bunch of cycling. N'yuk, n'yuk, n'yuk.
Yeah,
it was a stupid joke, and was just a way to get you to click
on the link to read this article, but as long as you're here,
you might as well keep on reading, right?
If
you're not cycling your workouts, you should be. Like the old
adage goes, nothing lasts forever, so even if you've got a great
program that you really like and has worked really well for you,
that doesn't mean it's going to continue to work that well...
at least not as long as you'd like it to.
Really,
as much as the term "periodization" can confuse or
scare people off (I don't know about you, but for some reason,
when I read the word "periodization," I still think
of crazed Russian scientists in white lab coats... think of the
guys training Drago in Rocky IV), all periodization really is,
is planned cycling.
You
can go for a few weeks with keeping workouts "as-is,"
but beyond that, something should be changing. This keeps your
workouts from getting stale, your body stagnating, and progress
halting.
There
are a myriad of different ways you can change up your workout.
However, doing so should be done in a planned and orderly manner
- not just some haphazard, "do what feels like a good idea
today" sort of method.
Let's
look at a few good ways to cycle workouts.
Cycle
Intensity
This
is probably what most people are used to seeing – intensity
cycled. Though many people think "intensity" means
how hard you're working (how much effort you're putting in),
the correct definition is really how close to your maximum effort
your working.
So,
if your 1RM (the most you can do for one rep) on the bench press
is 250 pounds, using 225 pounds in your workouts would be more
intense than using 185 pounds. The same would hold true for cardiovascular
training. If the fastest you could run a mile would be 6:00,
running one in 6:30 would be more intense than running one in
7:15.
Your
body can only handle super-intense exercise (from the same set
of stimuli – more on that in a minute) for a few weeks before
burning out, frying the central nervous system, or worse yet,
getting injured.
A
way to combat this is to cycle your intensity. Ramp up to heavy
weights for say three weeks, then have a back-off week. Then
repeat. You can keep the exercises you use the same for each
four-week (3+1) block, and then change it up for the next block.
Or,
you take a more long-term, linear periodization approach, and
start your workouts off with only say 50-percent of your max
in your exercises. Add just a small amount of weight each workout
until in a few months you can't keep adding weight any longer.
Drop back off to a lower percentage, and ramp your way back up
slowly over a few months time again.
Cycle
Exercises
Your
body needs at least something to change to keep it from burning
out. If you don't like the idea of back-off weeks, or ramping
up the weights slowly, then change up your exercises every few
weeks.
Those
of you with any kind of powerlifting background will recognize
this technique, as it's a staple of the type of training that
the infamous "Westside Barbell Club" uses. By cycling
exercises every 2 to 3 weeks, it's not uncommon to see guys training
to their 1RM for an upper body and a lower body workout every
single week.
They
can do this because they change the stimulus to the CNS by choosing
an exercise that targets the same musculature and/or movement
patterns, but is different from what they were doing.
For
example, for lower body, you could go from squats to front squat
to deadlifts to box squats to rack deadlifts to squats with chains
to... you get the idea. For an upper body pushing movement, you
could go from bench press to board press to close grip press
to overhead press to push press to dips to... well, the options
are virtually limitless.
Cycle
Volume
Another
way to give the body a break is to change up how much overall
work it has to do. If you're on a 5x5 program, where the first
two sets are warm-ups, and the last three sets are heavy, try
keeping the weights and exercises the same, but after three weeks,
spend a couple weeks only doing 3x5. The first two sets are warm-ups
still, but then you only do one heavy set instead of three. Then,
maybe add in one back-off set of 8-10 reps.
This
keeps you training heavy and training the same exercises, but
take the overall volume of work the body is doing and decreases
it significantly.
Cycle
It All
Don't
be afraid to combine more than one of the above. Just because
you're cycling your exercises, that doesn't mean you can't drop
the volume down for a couple weeks. Then after your next few
hard weeks, just have a back-off week where the weights get dropped
down some. Or, go hard for three weeks, then take a week off
completely (thus cycling intensity and volume). Come back to
the same kind of program, but with a new set of exercises (thus
cycling those, too).
Cycling
through these several factors will ensure that your body stays
fresh, you stave off overtraining and burnout, don't get injured,
keep motivated, and keep making progress in the gym.
Train
Hard, Rest Hard, Play Hard.
Matt
"Wiggy" Wiggins is a strength coach and author living
in Cameron, N.C. Having trained and designed Workout Plans for
16+ years, Wiggy is a strength moderator at mma.tv, columnist
for MMAWeekly.com, and an avid fan of Mixed Martial Arts Training.
His site, Working Class Fitness.com, is dedicated to designing
low-tech, high-result Workout Programs; earning praise from the
likes of UFC commentator and martial artist Joe Rogan, Ultimate
Fighter alumnus Jules Bruchez, world famous strength and conditioning
coach Charles Staley, UFC veteran Leigh Remedios, and others.
ATTENTION:
Physical exercise can sometimes lead to injury. The information
contained at WorkingClassFitness.com and MMAWeekly.com is NOT
intended to constitute an explanation of any exercise, material,
or product (or how to use/perform them). WorkingClassFitness.com
and MMAWeekly.com are not responsible in any way, shape, or form
for any injury that may result from any person's attempt at exercise
as a result of the information contained herein. Please consult
a physician before starting any exercise program, and never substitute
the information on this site for any professional medical advice
or treatment you may receive.
Source: MMA Weekly
|
Soszynski
Replaces Alexander, Bouts Added to UFC 101
By FCF Staff
Krzysztof
Soszynski will compete in back-to-back UFC events, as the promotion
confirmed this afternoon that the former “Ultimate Fighter”
vet will replace the injured Houston Alexander at UFC 98 on May
23rd. Alexander, who was scheduled to fight Andre Gusmao, was
forced to withdraw from the upcoming event with a broken hand.
Soszynski
(17-8-1) fought just weeks ago on April 18th, at UFC 97 in Montreal,
Quebec, and submitted Brian Stann with a first round Kimura.
Gusmao (5-1) has not competed since last August, when he lost
by Unanimous Decision to Jon Jones at UFC 87.
UFC
98 will take place May 23rd, in Las Vegas Nevada, and will be
headlined by a light-heavyweight title fight between champion
Rashad Evans and undefeated challenger, Lyoto Machida.
The
UFC also confirmed several more bouts for the promotion’s
upcoming Philadelphia debut, which will take place August 8th
in the city’s Wachovia Center. In a notable middleweight
clash, Kendall Grove (15-5) will look to build on his recent
TKO stoppage of Jason Day, at UFC 96 on March 7th, against Ricardo
Almeida (10-3). The accomplished jiu-jitsu practitioner last
competed on April 1st, when he worked his way to a Unanimous
Decision victory over Matt Horwich.
And
in a compelling lightweight match-up between two experienced
veterans, Kurt Pellegrino (13-4) will square off with Josh Neer
(25-7-1). Pellegrino is coming off a submission victory over
Rob Emerson at Fight Night 17 in February, while Neer was also
victorious that night, submitting Mac Danzig with a second round
triangle-choke.
Today’s
confirmed additions to the UFC 101 card include:
Ricardo
Almeida vs. Kendall Grove
Kurt Pellegrino vs. Josh Neer
Amir Sadollah vs. Josh Hendricks
Tamdan McCrory vs. John Howard
Matt Riddle vs. Dan Cramer
George Sotiropolous vs. Rob Emerson
Jesse Lennox vs. Danillo Villefort
UFC
101 will feature a lightweight title fight between champion BJ
Penn and challenger Kenny Florian, as well as a light-heavyweight
tilt between former champion Forrest Griffin and reigning middleweight
champ, Anderson Silva.
Source: Full Contact Fighter
|
Palhares:
“Wanderlei would beat Anderson”
By Erik Engelhart
Getting
ready to face Alessio Sakara in his third fight in the UFC, Rousimar
“Toquinho” Palhares, wants another victory to move
up in the middleweight rankings, while the ATT fighter looks
for his second consecutive victory in the UFC, where he has nine
fights. Rousimar’s fight against the Italian takes place
on August 8 (UFC 101), in the United States, and the Brazilian
knows what he’ll have to do to defeat Sakara.
"I’m
training hard and I have trained a lot of striking too, because
his strong thing is boxing. I won’t go with a strategy set,
I want to feel the fight and develop everything that I’m
doing in the trainings", said the Brazilian Top Team black
belt. With an eye on everything that is happening in his category,
Palhares spoke about Anderson’s fight against Thales Leites,
which happened at UFC 97.
"I
liked the fight, it was very studied and both respected each
other a lot. I believe Demian (Maia) could surprise (Anderson),
as well as Anderson... It’s a very difficult fight to analyze",
said the Jiu-Jitsu ace, who also commented the possible fight
between the former team mates Anderson and Wanderlei Silva. "Now,
with Wanderlei coming to the middleweight, I’m pretty sure
that he would defeat Anderson... It would be a great fight, they’ve
already trained together, know each others’ game. Anderson
would have to put his game on and if Wanderlei went inside, I
have no doubts that he would win. To me, it would be Wanderlei,
it would be a great fight", concluded the fighter.
Source: Tatame
|
Fedor
Emelianenko-Josh Barnett expected for August
A WAMMA heavyweight title between Fedor Emelianeno and Josh Barnett
is being targeted for Affliction 3 in early August, the Russian
M-1 Global website announced today.
Affliction VP Tom Atencio told the website last week that no
date was official but hopes for Affliction 3 in August. Atencio
added that Fedor's opponent has not been determined either but
expressed Fedor vs. Barnett as the ideal main event.
Fedor
(30-1) and Barnett (24-5) were both victorious at Affliction
2 on Jan. 24, setting each other up as logical next opponents.
Barnett, a former UFC champ, is arguably the most established
heavyweight not under contract with the UFC.
M-1
Global also revealed that Affiction and M-1 Global is in preliminary
talks with a major Japanese organization for a joint promotion
on New Year's Eve.
"Dynamite!!"
was the only New Year's Eve event staged in Japan last year.
The event was rumored to feature Fedor Emelianenko, but the date
was less than thirty days from Fedor's Andrei Arlovski fight
in January. Fedor returned to Japan last Wednesday in a special
sparring exhibition against Shinya Aoki at M-1 Challenge in Tokyo.
Fedor won the friendly match via achilles lock.
Source: MMA Fighting
|
BOBBY
LASHLEY PAVING HIS OWN WAY IN MMA
by Danny Burnham
This past Saturday night, former professional wrestling superstar
Bobby Lashley was the special guest of promoter Tony Metcalfe’s
Bullet Fight Gear Presents: “The Battle of Rome VII”
in Rome, Ga.
It
was one of those deals, where the promoter of a small show, brings
in a big name guy to make an appearance and put people in the
seats. Some guy that has been there and done it, a champion,
a top contender, or a pay-per-view main-eventer.
Lashley
has been all of those things in the world of pro wrestling, but
has yet to climb to the top of the mixed martial arts ladder.
In fact, there were only two fighters on the card that night
with fewer fights to their credit than Lashley.
Even
with minimal experience, he feels like he has found a home in
the sport.
“Mixed
Martial Arts has always been a passion of mine,” he said.
“It was something I had to try, to find out what I was really
made of.”
A
three-time NAIA National wrestling champion, and a two-time Armed
Forces Champion; Lashley already had a solid foundation on which
to build his fighting skill set. Pro wrestling helped him build
his name, but that’s where it ends in terms of translating
to real fighting.
“The
training for wrestling and MMA is completely different,”
he stated. “Wrestling is more about entertainment. It’s
about making things look good, and putting on a show. In MMA,
it’s about doing what you have to do to win.”
Making
the jump from wrestling to MMA, there have been the inevitable
comparisons to Brock Lesnar, but Lashley doesn’t give them
a second thought.
“There’s
really no comparison. He went one way, and I am going another,”
said Lashley. “The only thing we have in common is that
we have the same goal, and that’s to be the champion. He’s
there now, and I’m on my way.”
The
next step on the road to a championship is Mike Cook. The two
are set to face off on May 15, in a Maximum Fighting Championship
promotion.
“I
don’t really know much about him, just that he trains in
California with Frank Shamrock,” he said of his MFC 21 foe.
Another
opponent on the horizon is Bob Sapp. The PRIDE and K-1 veteran
has been very outspoken about the fight, scheduled for June 27,
but Lashley doesn’t care to engage in the banter.
“I
really don’t have anything to say about him. I let the people
who talk just do what they do, and I do my talking in the ring,"
he stated.
There
are skeptics out there who are unsure about what the future holds
for Bobby Lashley in MMA, but there doesn’t seem to be any
doubt in his mind.
“I
just plan to keep on winning”.
Source: MMA Weekly
|
Closing
out brackets: the debate continues
Check out the overview of what's been suggested till now
The
debate floor is still wide open. After the “Manifesto”
I wrote on closing out brackets in Jiu-Jitsu championships we
published the opinion of Alliance’s Jacare, the measures
taken by Carlao Santos, organizer of the World Pro JJ Cup (which
were not brought into effect, after an appeal from Fabio Gurgel),
and Gracie Barra’s counter-point, and Felipe Costa’s
suggestion.
Besides
that, a handfull of readers and personalities from the world
of Jiu-Jitsu sent in their 2-cents worth by email, as well as
calling in by phone and in-person conversations with people from
the realm.
In
phone conversations on the subject with some of the main protagonists
of this controversy, Roger Gracie spontaneously started on the
subject:
“I
read the article and everyone knows I’m in favor of having
the match, always. But I’ll prepare my opinion and send
it in to you.” He promised that for next week.
On
the 26th, I met up with Marcio Feitosa at the 2nd American Cup,
in Los Gatos, CA, and we had a long discussion on the topic,
with several participants, among them sponsor and owner of Jiu-Jitsu
Pro Gear, Gilbert Faria.
The
Gracie Barra article signed by Flavio Cachorrinho brought into
the open the position teams take on the matter, in a less formal
tone, Marcio worded his argument differently:
“Before
a championship, everyone gets together and swaps tactical information
on a determined adversary, and we together study positions to
annul or beat a determined person. Could it be that should, days
later, these two athletes who are studying together, be obliged
to face each other, they’d open up so much to each other?
If closing out were not to happen, it could stunt Jiu-Jitsu’s
evolution.”
I
pondered that the Manifesto, contrary to Gracie Barra’s
understanding, does not try to force athletes to face each other,
nor place the blame on the athletes. My concern has to do with
depriving the public of a final.
“But
if you stick the two of them on the same side, it’s disrespectful
to the athletes’ performance histories. Because Langhi and
Lepri, for example, conquered the right to head the brackets.
And if they were not separated, one would lose the chance of
being runner-up,” argued Marcio.
There
is no perfect solution. It’s all about weighing the pros
and cons.
But
the fact is that lots of people are bothered by closing out brackets.
And whosoever has the means does what he can. Gilberto said that
brands like Jiu-Jitsu Pro Gear, Keiko and Koral have already
instituted a bonus for sponsored athletes for good performances.
With good reason, they don’t want to miss the chance to
expose their brands.
Concerned
specifically with the most important match not happening, the
world absolute black belt final, 4th-degree black belt teacher
and IBJJ referee Muzio de Angelis suggests:
“The
solution is kind of radical, but the matter would be put to a
close once and for all: Teams would only be allowed to sign up
one athlete in the absolute, the one each team considers the
best representative they have in Jiu-Jitsu’s most important
category.”
Lucas
Lepri was bugged by how the debate came about just after he closed
out his category with Rafael Rosendo at the NYC Open: [In 2008,]
Braulio Carcara closed out with Rolles Gracie in the No-Gi Pan
absolute and no one said anything,” he wrote in to me by
email.
It
wasn’t the case, because at that installment of the competition
Braulio had an explanation for it, and was not emphasized more
because the trend was not going as strong as it is now, after
three brackets closed out at the Pan 2009 and at the NYC Open
the absolute final didn't happen. Despite the case in point,
Lepri thinks the match should take place:
“I
think that’s the idea. You have to fight, but it has to
come from the team, not just the athlete, because otherwise it
would seem arrogant wanting to fight your teammate. Understand?”
We
understand. We even understand it’s a truly awkward match.
But reader Gabriel Mascherano asks: Would the International Olympic
Commission (IOC) understand?
“It
will be tough to convince the IOC that a one-on-one sport is
a collective and not individual sport, and that should one day
Jiu-Jitsu join the Olympics and an American from GB went through
to the final against a Brazilian from GB, it would be normal
not to have a final.”
That
is truly a strong argument, despite our being a long ways from
the Olympics, and as Feitosa said, there’s still a lot to
improve on first: “It’s as though the door were rotten
through and we were focused on the lock. Sincerely, I think we
have a few things to deal with before worrying, before doing
away with the lock.
To
not start repeating things and sum up the issue in an overview,
I put together all the different manifestations up until now,
and found the following groups:
1.
Those who defend the manifesto’s idea, of athletes from
the same academy, should they make it to the semis (or earlier,
some defend in the quarters) face each other or not there, there
would thus be an obligatory final for the category (the majority
up until now)
2.
Those against it, since closing out is a question of culture,
and the athlete has the right, for his accomplishments, to head
the bracket.
3.
Those who defend the idea of each academy only being allowed
to have one athlete per category (some suggest the absolute,
others all categories)
4.
Those who feel it’s a question of building awareness and
not rules or systems, and an awareness raising campaign would
resolve the matter.
5.
Those who feel for the match to take place there should be prize
money (despite the many ADCC bouts that showed money doesn’t
impede the staging of matches)
6.
Felipe Costa’s idea of instituting a third-place match,
which would at least guarantee a final dispute (there would either
be a final or a third-place match)
Of
all of them, I found Felipe’s to be the most original. But,
once again, the debate is still open.
Source: Gracie Magazine
|
DREAM
9 (5/26 Yokohama Arena): Kid Yamamoto vs. Joe Warren
By Zach Arnold
Update (4/30): I guess ticket sales aren’t so strong for
this event, because Choi Hong-Man vs. Jose Canseco has been booked.
Even Deadspin is marking out.
This
fight is part of a four-match “Super Hulk Tournament”
featuring: Bob Sapp vs. Minowaman, Jan “The Giant”
Nortje vs. Sokoudjou, and Mark Hunt vs. Gegard Mousasi. Plus,
Jason “Mayhem” Miller vs. Ronaldo Jacare Souza on the
undercard.
5/26
Yokohama Arena (6 PM start time)
Featherweight
GP: Norifumi “Kid” Yamamoto vs. Joe Warren
Featherweight GP: Hideo Tokoro vs. Abel Cullum
Featherweight GP: Yoshiro Maeda vs. Hiroyuki Takaya
Featherweight GP: Bibiano Fernandes vs. Masakazu Imanari
Event promoters replaced DJ Taiki with Hideo Tokoro on the card
because Taiki has a fractured eye socket.
Thoughts:
What a rib on Kid Yamamoto. Yamamoto, who had his own marijuana
scandal nationally in Japan, is booked against a former USA Wrestling
star who failed two drug tests for using marijuana. Of course,
marijuana usage carries a negative stigma in Japan, so the promoters
will not mention it. They will simply say that Warren is a former
world amateur wrestling champion. The fight media in Japan will
not likely bring up the failed drug tests at all.
Sure,
there’s plenty of money at stake for Yamamoto in this fight,
but this fight is mostly a losing proposition to him.
Warren’s
only other MMA win was against Virginia MMA no-shower Chase Beebe
at DREAM 7. If Warren keeps the fight competitive or wins outright,
Yamamoto’s stock is publicly damaged in Japan.
If casual fans learn of Warren’s marijuana usage and his
past failed drug tests, they will immediately think about Shukan
Gendai’s media blitz on Yamamoto. The irony is thick, given
what happened to Enson Inoue.
The politics in the Japanese fight game always amaze me, but
then again this shouldn’t be a surprise given all the controversy
last year about Yamamoto taking time off due to a knee injury
which some MMA insiders questioned the seriousness of (I thought
it was legitimate and still believe that it was on the up-and-up).
The politics between management, agents, and fighters in Japan
has always been volatile, but this is an intriguing story to
watch develop.
I
do wonder how much leverage Yamamoto has left in the Japanese
fight scene given how down everything is lately…
Source: Fight Opinion
|
Serra-Hughes,
At Long Last
by Jason Probst
Grudge matches in mixed martial arts rarely simmer as long as
the Matt Serra-Matt Hughes tiff. And, if striking coach Ray Longo
has anything to say about it, Serra will turn another opportunity
into an upset come May 23.
But
ever since the two locked verbal horns as coaches on the sixth
season of “The Ultimate Fighter” in Fall 2007, the
dislike between the two has endured while the match to settle
the affair has yet to materialize. But that changes as the two
comprise the semi-main event of UFC 98, in a battle between two
ex-champions.
Originally
slated for Dec. 29, 2007, Serra, who’d pulled off a stunning
upset of Georges St. Pierre to win the title, pulled out of the
bout with a back injury five weeks before their much-hyped showdown.
St.
Pierre beat Hughes and then Serra in a rematch in April 2008.
The Long Island fighter hasn’t fought since. But now, coach
Longo believes Serra, 9-5, is positioned to beat Hughes.
“The
original injury was two herniated disks. The guy was literally
crippled for a month. It is what it is,” said Longo of the
injury that derailed the original bout. “I wouldn’t
say he was impaired for the (St. Pierre) match, but in training
there were things that we stayed away from. We didn’t do
a risky training camp.”
As
a relatively small 170-pounder, Serra, 9-5, has relied on conditioning,
jiu-jitsu and an underrated standup game. Against Hughes, he’ll
need to stay on his feet, and Longo says that’s exactly
what they’ve been working on.
“We’ve
been in training camp about two months now. At first, we just
worked on conditioning. He feels great, and his back feels great,”
Longo said. “That was (originally) a concern. Between that,
he’s doing a lot of sparring and a lot of wrestling. He’s
doing more wrestling than I’ve ever seen him do.”
Hughes
has stated this will be his last fight.The key to Serra’s
game plan is no mystery -- he’ll have to keep Hughes from
being Hughes, the grappling powerhouse that ruled the division
through a menacing combination of takedowns and physical dominance.
“We’ve
got some 200-pounders,” Longo added. “Strong guys that
imitate Hughes.”
In
the first St. Pierre match, Serra unleashed a series of big right
hands that ended the Canadian’s reign in his first defense.
It wasn’t quite Buster Douglas knocking out Mike Tyson,
but the stunning one-sidedness of it was a sobering reminder
of what a well-placed shot can do to level the mixed martial
arts playing field.
“Even
with the first GSP fight, I don’t think anybody remotely
thought Matt would stand with him,” Longo said. “But
he likes to bang. He’s got the power. To beat Hughes, he’s
got to stuff a couple of takedowns. He’ll win if his takedown
defense is where we think it’s gonna be.”
While
MMA feuds often have a manufactured feel, the Serra-Hughes rivalry
is no act, Longo added.
“At
one point they (occasionally) talked at shows and were good.
They had a good rapport with each other. On the show, when Hughes
was insulting St. Pierre, offering to show him an armbar defense,
I think that’s when you started to see Hughes’ true
colors,” Longo said. “He’s also close with Din
Thomas and didn’t like Hughes’ comments to Dean. He’s
always been the type of guy that sticks up for the underdog.”
Since
their verbal sparring on the reality show, the two have traded
jabs in virtually every medium possible. It isn’t easy to
imagine why they don’t get along, especially given the stakes
of the packed welterweight rankings and the value of a win.
Serra’s
journey in the UFC has been considerable and rife with dizzying
turns of fortune. He’s been decisioned by B.J. Penn and
Karo Parisyan, stopped with a highlight-reel spinning back fist
by Shonie Carter in a bout he was winning. But that was followed
by his winning the fourth season of “The Ultimate Fighter,”
then taking the title with his shock knockout of the seemingly
invincible St. Pierre.
Then,
he was blown out in the rematch. Now, he gets Hughes -- loser
of three of his last four after one of the most dominant careers
in the sport’s history. Hughes, 42-7, took the template
of ground-and-pound and made it into a living. However, Longo
believes that at some point, Hughes stopped evolving as a fighter,
and that’s what he believes Serra will take advantage of.
“His
last couple fights, he’s coming out like a southpaw, but
he’s coming to go out there and get you to the floor. It
looked like, at one point, his stand-up was coming along, but
that he put it on the back burner,” Longo said. “Maybe
GSP highlighted a couple flaws. I think the guy was a great champion,
but the sport’s just evolving. It’s not what it was
when he was a champion either, and the sport’s taking off
in terms of everybody’s skills.”
Hughes
has stated this will be his last fight -- one last match to get
in before retiring.
“He’s
definitely at the tail end of his career for sure. I don’t
know where his motivation’s coming from now,” Longo
said. “It’s like everybody else, you can’t get
away from the sport … or you’re searching for something,
but a lot of guys just don’t know when to hang it up. (Serra)
just has to do what he has to do. If he gets the right opportunity,
he’ll turn it up. But not to the point where he makes a
mistake. He’s a professional. But believe me when I tell
you -- he really wants to beat his ass.”
Source: Sherdog
|
Jason
MacDonald released by the UFC
Jason MacDonald, who has competed in his last ten fights for
the UFC, has been released by the promotion.
MacDonald confirmed in his blog for Sportsnet.ca that the release
was due to his recent losses in the UFC. He's lost two straight
and three of his last four.
His
only string of back-to-back victories was his first two UFC fights
where he was initially dubbed the "TUF Killer" for
his submission victories over Ed Herman and Chris Leben.
His
last two fights were first round losses to Wilson Gouveia and
Nate Quarry.
MacDonald
said he remains in good terms with the UFC and the release was
a business decision. The Canadian is open to fighting for Strikeforce,
in Japan and at home for Maximum Fighting Championships.
Source: MMA Fighting
|
Gonzaga
linked to UFC 102
Black belt could face rookie
Caught
off guard by Shane Carwin at UFC 96, when he suffered a technical
knockout, Gabriel Napao is already negotiating his return to
the octagon. According to MMAWeekly.com, the Brazilian has already
agreed to face Chris Tuchsherer, an American of 1.88 meters and
120kg and who has had most of his 18 professional fights (17
wins and one loss) in smaller events in the United Stats.
Should
it be confirmed for August 29, the fight would mark the octagon
debut of Tuchsherer, training partner to giant Brock Lesnar at
Minnesota Mixed Martial Arts Academy.
The
main event for UFC 102, which has not had its location officially
defined, will be between Rodrigo Minotauro and veteran Randy
Couture.
Source: Gracie Magazine
|
Quote
of the Day
“Never
to suffer would never to have been blessed.”
Edgar Allan Poe |
UFC
101 FIGHT CARD STARTING TO FILL UP
The Ultimate Fighting Championship continues to near completion
of its UFC 101 fight card, signaling the promotion's debut in
Philadelphia. The event already features a lightweight title
showdown between champion B.J. Penn and challenger Kenny Florian, as well as a light
heavyweight bout between UFC middleweight titleholder Anderson
Silva and former light heavyweight champion Forrest Griffin.
The
UFC on Thursday confirmed several more bouts. Joining the two
previously mentioned bouts on the pay-per-view portion of the
card are middleweights Ricardo Almeida and Kendall Grove, along
with a lightweight bout between Kurt Pellegrino and Josh Neer.
After
a couple of false starts, Ultimate Fighter season seven winner
Amir Sadollah is hoping to finally make his UFC debut. He is
also scheduled for the televised portion of UFC 101 in a bout
against undefeated Team Takedown fighter Johny Hendricks.
Announced
for the preliminary portion of the fight card were Tamdan McCrory
vs. John Howard, Matt Riddle vs. Dan Cramer, George Sotiropoulos
vs. Rob Emerson, and Jesse Lennox vs. Danillo Villefort.
Source: MMA Weekly |
FRANK
MIR: "I WOULD LIKE TO COACH BROCK"
Frank Mir is not bothered much by Brock Lesnar’s trash talk.
The UFC heavyweight champion is just a garden variety bully,
he says.
“It’s
like when you go to school and you’re not comfortable with
yourself, you tend to pick on other people to take the attention
away from yourself,” the interim UFC heavyweight champion
told MMAWeekly.com.
Lesnar
challenged the validity of Mir’s belt, and the rescheduling
of their second bout from UFC 98 to UFC 100 in an interview with
Inside MMA.
“In
my mind, is it, is Frank really hurt, or is he scared?”
Lesnar told Ron Kruck.
In
pro wrestling terms, the criticism was minor, and dull in its
delivery. But Lesnar doesn’t do a lot of interviews these
days, so the comments made a lot more noise.
“The
only time it could ever be upsetting is when I know I’ll
never get my hands on that person,” said Mir. “But
in a situation like this, where I know that on July 11, we get
to step into the Octagon together, I can’t take things too
harshly.”
To
be fair, Mir fired the first shot in the war of words, telling
Lesnar, “you have my belt, be careful what you wish for,”
in the heat of his post-UFC 92 victory over Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira,
which brought him the interim belt.
He
fired back, as well, after the interview, invoking his 91-second
tapout of Lesnar at UFC 81 and the slanted expectations the now-champion
draws. But he says most of the time, the talk is like a suit
he wears uncomfortably. It’s a part of the job, but he doesn’t
necessary like it.
“There
are some days I try, and there are other days that I don’t
give a (expletive) about any of that, I could care less about
answering my phone, and I don’t want to do interviews. Screw
everybody, I just want to fight,” he continued. “But
I know that that’s not productive and I’ll switch back
in. Usually my wife will step in, bring me back to reality, and
explain to me that if I’m going to get punched in the face,
I might as well make as much money for my family as I possibly
can in the midst of it.”
He’s
more introspective than brash one sunny afternoon at Striking
Unlimited in Las Vegas. The best he can muster is to reiterate
he and Brock are cut from a different cloth.
“I’m
a martial artist; he’s a professional fighter,” said
Mir. “He fights because he gets paid to fight. If the UFC
were to go bankrupt tomorrow, a month later I would still be
in some small organization fighting. Not because I need to; my
house is paid off, my cars are paid; I don’t need the money
as far as desperately.
“I
fight because I enjoy fighting. I enjoy the preparation and the
training and the mindset, everything that goes behind it. I don’t
know if we can say the same about Lesnar. If Lesnar was making
$10,000, would he show up to fight?”
Mir
says he can’t fault Lesnar for taking shots at him. He takes
his own, and like Lesnar’s they’re often sideways.
“At
this point, I think he’s going to do whatever causes a distraction
from his qualifications,” he said. “I think that a
lot of people realize that he was only 1-1, he had a .500 record
in the UFC when he got a title shot. So I think the more that
he can scream about my belt, people maybe don’t look at
his.”
Some
moments, the suit is easier to put on.
It’s
been an unusual course of events that have brought the two together
for a second time, but Mir is ready to put words aside when they
meet at UFC 100.
“I
know at the end I’m going to be able to get a hold of him.
There’s going to be a day of reckoning. So he’ll have
to answer to me personally. There’s going to be no reporters
or nobody to protect him.”
He
says the outcome of the fight will determine whether any bad
blood lives. And as parting consideration, he offers an olive
branch, sideways, to Lesnar.
“Three
or four years from now, if I decide to switch over into full
time coaching, I would like to coach Brock,” said Mir. “I
see a lot of things that he’s done in his last couple of
fights that I think are mistakes that are not really his fault,
they’re maybe his trainer’s faults. How can he be so
talented, an NCAA champion, probably one of the best wrestlers
to come out of college in the heavyweight division, and still
make some of the real basic balancing and footwork mistakes that
he’s making right now?”
Source: MMA Weekly |
SOSZYNSKI
STEPS IN FOR ALEXANDER AT UFC 98
Krzysztof Soszynski has signed to face Andre Gusmao on the undercard
portion of UFC 98 on May 23 at the MGM Grand Garden Arena.
The
news was confirmed Monday afternoon by sources close to the fight.
Soszynski
steps in for an injured Houston Alexander, who was forced to
withdraw on Sunday due to a broken hand sustained in training.
Four of the card's 10 fights have been changed due to injuries.
It's
a quick turnaround for the "The Ultimate Fighter" season
eight standout, who defeated former training partner and former
WEC light heavyweight champion Brian Stann last month at UFC
97. The fight was Soszynski's second consecutive UFC win after
emerging from the reality show, and his fifth straight since
hitting rocky times in the now-defunct International Fight League.
The
Winnipeg, Manitoba native currently trains with Team Quest South
in Murrieta, Calif.
Source: MMA Weekly |
SUPERMAN
RETURNS AT JUNE 19 SHO MMA
Dennis "Superman" Hallman will soon be fighting in
his backyard.
The
longtime MMA veteran on Monday confirmed his return to action
in the second installment of SHO MMA: Strikeforce Challenger
Series on June 19, though his opponent has not been confirmed.
The
event will take place at the ShoWare Center in Kent, Washington,
an arena representative confirmed to MMAWeekly.com. The venue
seats approximately 7,000 fans in a fight configuration and is
about an hour from Hallman's hometown of Olympia.
A
lightweight showdown between Duane "Bang" Ludwig and
Lyle Beerbohm is expected to headline the event, but cannot be
confirmed at this time.
Hallman
last appeared at "March Badness," the Roy Jones, Jr.
promoted MMA/boxing hybrid, defeating Danny Ruiz by rear naked
choke in the first round. Prior to that, he defeated Jeremiah
Metcalf in a tournament alternate match at Strikeforce: Four
Men Enter, One Man Survives in November of 2007. He is 40-12-2
in a twelve-year career as a professional mixed martial artist.
The
first installment of SHO MMA kicks off next Friday, May 15, at
the Save Mart Center in Fresno, Calif. A lightweight match between
Billy Evangelista and Mike Aina will headline.
Source: MMA Weekly |
Demian
ready for Nate Marquardt at UFC 102
After
five submissions in the UFC, Demian Maia was hoping to fight
for the belt, but the Ultimate had other plans for the Brazilian
Jiu-Jitsu ace. At UFC 102, which takes place at August 29, Demian
will face Nate Marquardt, who comes from a victory against Wilson
Gouveia. “The expectation is always the best”, guarantees
Demian to TATAME.com.
“The
other guys I’ve faced I consider very tough, excellent fighters,
and he’s another one, but, for sure, he’s the toughest
of them. He’s a complete fighter and very aggressive”,
says Maia. Wanting to show, one more time, his great ground game.
“I believe in what I do and train... A lot of guys train,
but don’t believe it’ll work, that they’ll have
to fight strike, but I believe that I’ll get there to do
my Jiu-Jitsu, not to fight standing. Of course I’m ready
to strike, but, if doesn’t need to strike and do a classic
Jiu-Jitsu, it’s better”.
The
Brazilian, who was hoping to do a title fight against Anderson,
doesn’t bother with doing one more fight before it. “Of
course I wanted the belt, but, if it’s not the time, it’ll
come. This guy, Nate, is high level and I’m there to test
myself against the best, not only get there, win a belt and later
lose it. I want to get mature and prove that I can have the belt.
To me, this is a fight that, winning it, I’ll be closer
of what a champion needs to be”, said the black belt, commenting
Anderson Silva’s next fight against Forrest Griffin.
“I
think Anderson has more chances in this fight, because he’s
better on striking than Griffin. At the ground, maybe both are
the same level, because Forrest is very good. Anderson has everything
to win, but needs to be careful with Forrest, because this guy
doesn’t stop, believes a lot in himself and trains hard”,
finished Demian.
Source: Tatame |
JORGE
GURGEL VS. CONOR HEUN STRIKEFORCE JUNE 19
A lightweight contest has been added to the upcoming Strikeforce
ShoMMA event set for June 19 in Kent, Wash., as submission specialist
Conor Heun returns to action against former UFC fighter Jorge
Gurgel in a bout that will in all likelihood wind up on the main
card for the televised event.
The
bout was confirmed to MMAWeekly.com on Monday evening by sources
close to the fight who stated verbal agreements are in place,
but bout agreements should be issued shortly.
Conor
Heun will make his Strikeforce debut riding a three-fight win
streak with his last win coming by way of TKO over Edson Berto
in October 2008, while under the EliteXC banner.
The
brown belt in jiu-jitsu under Eddie Bravo also made a quick impression
on fans earlier this year with his appearance on the popular
MTV reality show "Bully Beatdown" in which he decimated
an opponent, and gave the bully's victim's $10,000 in the process.
Likewise
making his Strikeforce debut will be former UFC fighter and "Ultimate
Fighter" alum Jorge Gurgel, who signed with the promotion
some months ago, but will finally make his first appearance for
the organization in June.
Known
for his exciting style in fights, Gurgel also carries a black
belt in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu from Marcus Aurelio, but the Cincinnati
based fighter struggled in his last few fights while in the UFC,
amassing a 1-3 record in his last four fights.
Heun
and Gurgel will both look to impress as the Strikeforce lightweight
division continues to grow while champion Josh Thomson recovers
from a broken ankle suffered earlier this year.
Stay
tuned to MMAWeekly.com for m
Source: MMA Weekly |
Thiago
Tavares and the elbow injury
Scheduled
to fight at TUF Finale 9, the UFC event that happens on June
20 in Las Vegas, Thiago Tavares was forced to leave the trainings
for the fight against Melvin Guillard due to an elbow injury.
"I was training well, doing a lot of Boxing, and my elbow
fucked up, it was a partial rupture of the ligament", said
Thiago, still training in Florianópolis, Santa Catarina,
Brazil.
"I
was going on May 1st to the United States, the training here
was great, but it seems that I’ll have to do three to six
weeks of physiotherapy and, if it doesn’t get better, I
may have to do a surgery", regrets the fighter, who will
be replaced by Gleison Tibau, his training partner at American
Top Team. "Tibau is a monster, he takes down very well,
better than me. His Wrestling is better than mine and he will
take (Guillard) down and get it... I bet all my money in Tibau,
he will take down and win it on the first round”, finished
Tavares.
Source: Tatame |
BUILDING
A BETTER BROCK, ONE STEP AT A TIME
It will have been nearly a year and a half since Brock Lesnar
submitted to Frank Mir's kneebar at UFC 81 in February of 2008
– the fight that marked Lesnar's UFC debut – when the
two rematch at UFC 101 on July 11.
And
this time when they meet, the stakes will be much higher. Each
now owns a piece of heavyweight championship real estate. Lesnar
is the UFC heavyweight champion, having bested Randy Couture
with his heavy hands and destructive knees. Mir is the interim
champion. He earned the designation by doing something no one
had ever done before; knocking out then interim champ Antonio
Rodrigo Nogueira, at a time when Couture's UFC title and status
were still up in the air.
With
a professional record of a mere 3-1, Lesnar's level of experience
is the easy target... and one which Mir has latched on to.
“I
think that a lot of people realize that he was only 1-1, he had
a .500 record in the UFC when he got a title shot," the
interim champ commented to MMAWeekly.com recently. "So I
think the more that he can scream about my belt, people maybe
don’t look at his.”
Misdirection
may be a strategy that Mir sees coming out of Camp Lesnar, but
Lesnar's lead trainer, Greg Nelson of Minnesota Martial Arts
Academy, believes there's a lot more to the champion than his
experience belies.
"Brock's
an entirely different fighter. He's grown leaps and bounds in
the skill level. He's going to be a wiser fighter. He's going
to be more well-rounded," Nelson stated. "It's going
to be an entirely different Brock when he goes in there."
Mir
and Lesnar were initially slated for the rematch to happen at
UFC 98 later this month. Mir, however, had to undergo minor surgery
to repair the meniscus in his knee, putting off their date until
July.
Nelson
says that Lesnar utilized the delay to do his best to add to
his experience level, albeit without an actual fight.
"We
just got done with a training camp, as if we were training for
the May fight. We brought everybody in to work with him and we
trained just as if we were going through a training camp,"
Nelson told MMAWeekly.com.
"Obviously
(Brock) wants to fight, but we just take it in stride. Then we
decided okay, let's use this to our advantage, get some more
training, get some more time, get some more guys. Gives us more
time is how we look at it."
Still,
that doesn't sway Mir away from pointing at faults in the big
man's game. As he said in a recent interview, "I see a lot
of things that he’s done in his last couple of fights that
I think are mistakes that are not really his fault, they’re
maybe his trainer’s faults. How can he be so talented, an
NCAA champion, probably one of the best wrestlers to come out
of college in the heavyweight division, and still make some of
the real basic balancing and footwork mistakes that he’s
making right now?”
Nelson
is undeterred by the interim champion's barbs. He knows that
Lesnar isn't yet at the apex of his skills. But who is?
"You
could say that about everybody. The bottom line is it's an entirely
different sport, wrestling and striking. So you've got a great,
talented athlete who's doing something right," said the
trainer. "In one punch, he broke Heath Herring's eye socket
and basically controlled the whole fight because of that punch.
And knocked out Randy Couture with the same punch and knees.
"He's
such a strong guy. And not only strong, but agile. It's great.
It's like training Sean Sherk, you know, he's not a gifted guy,
but works real hard and he's like another version of that. It
takes time to develop any game."
Source: MMA Weekly |
BOBBY
LASHLEY VS. BOB SAPP SET FOR JUNE 27
The cage may have to be reinforced for the “Ultimate Chaos”
headliner as former WWE star Bobby Lashley and mixed-martial-arts
legend Bob “The Beast” Sapp battle June 27 on a pay-per-view
event live from the Mississippi Gulf Coast Coliseum in Biloxi,
Miss.
The
6-3, 265-pound Lashley, 3-time NCAA champion (1996-98) and 4-time
All-America wrestler at Missouri Valley College, takes on the
6-4, 350-pound Sapp, who played in the NFL for four years before
becoming an iconic combat fighter in Japan.
“Ultimate
Chaos” is presented by Prize Fight MMA and Fight Force International.
After
graduating from Missouri Valley College, Lashley joined the U.S.
Army and was a two-time Armed Forces Champion and 2002 Military
Games Championship silver medalist. Two years ago, Lashley became
a WWE (World Wrestling Entertainment) superstar, joining Donald
Trump at Wrestlemania 23 in a bet against WWE president Vince
McMahon. Lashley won the match and helped Trump shave McMahon’s
head in the ring. Lashley made his MMA debut last December 13,
stopping Joshua Franklin only 0:41 into the opening round, and
on March 21 he won a three-round decision versus 37-fight veteran
Jason Guida in Pensacola, Fla.
Sapp
starred as an offense lineman on the University of Washington’s
football team, winning the prestigious Morris Award. He was selected
in the third round of the NFL draft in 1997 by the Chicago Bears.
He turned to pro wrestling after football and was later recruited
by Pride in Japan, where his incredible size, strength and bull-rush
style made him an instant fan favorite. He went on to star in
K-1 as well as become an actor, playing roles in movies like
"The Longest Yard" and "Elektra."
In
the co-feature, controversial Dutch heavyweight Gilbert Yvel
faces Brazilian striker Pedro Rizzo, former UFC heavyweight title
challenger.
Lightweight
Din Thomas, an alumnus of The Ultimate Fighter 4, meets former
King of the Cage and Gladiator Challenge champion Javier Vasquez,
while Canadian lightweight prospect Chris Horodecki tangles with
William Sriyapai.
Also
fighting on the card, welterweights Brett Cooper and Waachim
Spirit Wolf throw down, Affliction vice president Tom Atencio
moves from the office to the cage against Randy Hedderick, middleweights
James Oros and Colby McMahan also square-off.
Source: MMA Weekly |
GONZAGA
VS. CHRIS TUCHSCHERER AT UFC 102
A heavyweight bout between former contender Gabriel Gonzaga and
newcomer Chris Tuchscherer is likely for UFC 102 on August 29.
MMAWeekly.com
learned of the match-up Wednesday through multiple sources close
to the fight, confirming both parties have agreed to the contest.
It’s unknown, however, if bout agreements have been signed.
Though
not announced by the UFC, sources say a venue agreement with
the Rose Quarter arena is close to finished and an official announcement
is expected soon.
The
29 year-old Gonzaga came up short against heavyweight prospect
Shane Carwin at UFC 96, dominating the fight’s first round
before catching a straight right that dropped him.
The
Team Link fighter has seen mixed results inside the Octagon since
a meteoric rise to the top of the division, culminating in a
title shot against Randy Couture at UFC 74, when a shattered
nose led to a TKO stoppage. Best known for his devastating head
kick knockout of Mirko “Cro Cop” Filipovic, Gonzaga
will look to rebound against Tuchscherer.
Tuchscherer
is a primary training partner for heavyweight champion Brock
Lesnar and trains out of the Minnesota Mixed Martial Arts Academy.
Scouts for the tenth season of “The Ultimate Fighter”
earmarked him for a UFC debut when they saw his extensive professional
record and training background. A five-year veteran of the sport,
he is 17-1 as a professional and holds victories over UFC vets
Krzysztof Soszynski, Travis Fulton, and Brandon Lee Hinkle, with
a sole defeat at the hands of Travis Wiuff in last April’s
one-and-done Yamma Pit Fighting Championships.
A
long awaited heavyweight fight between former champions Couture
and Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira headlines the card.
Source: MMA Weekly |
BOBBY
LASHLEY PAVING HIS OWN WAY IN MMA
This past Saturday night, former professional wrestling superstar
Bobby Lashley was the special guest of promoter Tony Metcalfe’s
Bullet Fight Gear Presents: “The Battle of Rome VII”
in Rome, Ga.
It
was one of those deals, where the promoter of a small show, brings
in a big name guy to make an appearance and put people in the
seats. Some guy that has been there and done it, a champion,
a top contender, or a pay-per-view main-eventer.
Lashley
has been all of those things in the world of pro wrestling, but
has yet to climb to the top of the mixed martial arts ladder.
In fact, there were only two fighters on the card that night
with fewer fights to their credit than Lashley.
Even
with minimal experience, he feels like he has found a home in
the sport.
“Mixed
Martial Arts has always been a passion of mine,” he said.
“It was something I had to try, to find out what I was really
made of.”
A
three-time NAIA National wrestling champion, and a two-time Armed
Forces Champion; Lashley already had a solid foundation on which
to build his fighting skill set. Pro wrestling helped him build
his name, but that’s where it ends in terms of translating
to real fighting.
“The
training for wrestling and MMA is completely different,”
he stated. “Wrestling is more about entertainment. It’s
about making things look good, and putting on a show. In MMA,
it’s about doing what you have to do to win.”
Making
the jump from wrestling to MMA, there have been the inevitable
comparisons to Brock Lesnar, but Lashley doesn’t give them
a second thought.
“There’s
really no comparison. He went one way, and I am going another,”
said Lashley. “The only thing we have in common is that
we have the same goal, and that’s to be the champion. He’s
there now, and I’m on my way.”
The
next step on the road to a championship is Mike Cook. The two
are set to face off on May 15, in a Maximum Fighting Championship
promotion.
“I
don’t really know much about him, just that he trains in
California with Frank Shamrock,” he said of his MFC 21 foe.
Another
opponent on the horizon is Bob Sapp. The PRIDE and K-1 veteran
has been very outspoken about the fight, scheduled for June 27,
but Lashley doesn’t care to engage in the banter.
“I
really don’t have anything to say about him. I let the people
who talk just do what they do, and I do my talking in the ring,"
he stated.
There
are skeptics out there who are unsure about what the future holds
for Bobby Lashley in MMA, but there doesn’t seem to be any
doubt in his mind.
“I
just plan to keep on winning”.
Source: MMA Weekly |
Wallid
bets in Paulo Thiago against Fitch
When
Paulo Thiago debuted at the UFC octagon, everybody thought it’d
be an easy fight for Josh Koscheck, but the Brazilian impressed
with a first round knockout. Now scheduled to face Jon Fitch,
the undefeated welterweight has another tough challenge ahead,
but his manager, Wallid Ismail, the Jungle Fight promoter, where
Paulo fought many times in the career, bets on the athlete. “Paulo
Thiago will do another show, mark my words… He will get
Fitch, he will,” bets Ismail. “Ataíde (Jr.,
Paulo’s head coach) is doing a great job. I saw this guy
training at Brasilia and I bet he’ll win it”. The fight
takes place at UFC 100, at July 11, Las Vegas.
Source: Tatame |
Jean
Silva
Former
Cage Rage champion, Jean Silva is considered by the English fans
as one of the most exciting fighters of the MMA rings. After
suffering a knee injury, pass through a surgery and stay away
for more than a year of training, Jean is back with thirst for
fight. In exclusive interview to TATAME.com, Jean spoke about
his busy agenda, with four fights in the next three months, explained
his left of the Chute Boxe, commented the other loses of the
team and talked about the life in England.
Where
are you living nowadays?
I’m
living in London, and I train at the London Shoot Fighters gym.
When
and why did you leave Chute Boxe?
I
left Chute Boxe at the beginning of 2007, because it was very
difficult to live in Curitiba and the trainings were high level,
but it were many good athletes and I had to be disputing space
in my own team, while here I'm always in front of the other guys...
And it had to get some money for the family, right?
Why
you don’t fight for so long?
I
spent a year and three months away, recovering from a surgery
on the knee caused by the last fight in Cage, against (Mazakazu)
Imanari, but I'm brand new and very thirst for combat.
You
were always an idol in London because of the great performances
you’ve done at the Cage Rage. How did you saw the end of
the event?
I
tell you that I stayed bad some days, because I not only saw
the birth of this event, I fought in almost all editions, then
I saw my house fall, literally, but is already being born a new
major event here, the Ultimate Challenge UK.
How
did you saw the left of Wanderlei, Shogun and recently of Cristiano
Marcello and Rafael Cordeiro from the Chute Boxe?
The
left of the great names of the Chute Boxe has been a shock to
everyone, especially the one from Master Rafael, who gave his
life in Chute Boxe. Actually, this is a bad phase they're going
through, but they’ll overcome, even because they’re
champions former.
How
will it be the preparation for the marathon of four fights in
three months? What’s the expectation to fight these events?
I
fight when I want here in London, so I decided to get all events
that came. The preparation is really high level. I decided to
live in the gym, where I already wake up training, go out to
eat and come back to train again. I don’t know about the
results, but one thing is certain: I will make the best fights
of the night. The expectation is the best possible. Certainly
I will make the best fights of the night, because I'm paying
hard for that to happen.
Who
will be you opponents in each event that you’ll fight?
The
first fight will be on May 9, in the Ultimate Challenge, against
the English J. A. Ween. The second will be against Dave Elliot
in the British FC tournament, on May 30. In FX3, June 13, I’ll
face Sami Bering and, on July 25, I’ll face Flávio
Álvaro at Shine, in Miami.
Source: Tatame |
Quote
of the Day
“Better
be despised for too anxious apprehensions, than ruined by too
confident security.”
Edmund Burke |
Scrapper
Fest Tournament
Saturday,
May 16
The tournament will be held at 3-1875 Kaumualii hwy Lihue
This is located at the Island school gym, located behind the
Kauai Community College.
8-10 Minutes from Lihue airport
Thanks
for your patients. Changed all flyers+forms so mailing them out.
Aloha
Pono
|
ROBBIE
LAWLER WILL LET HIS FISTS DO THE TALKING
Never
being known as a trash talker is just the reputation that former
EliteXC middleweight champion Robbie Lawler looks to have when
getting ready for a fight. He simply lets his fists and feet
do the talking for him come fight time.
Much
like his match-up in ICON against Frank Trigg when his opponent
had a few words for him before the fight, Lawler answered back
by winning the fight emphatically with a vicious knockout.
Now
the stage is set for Lawler to once again prove himself as he
faces a challenge from former EliteXC welterweight champion Jake
Shields, who makes the move up a weight class for the bout.
Lawler
made a similar move a few years ago when he moved from welterweight
to middleweight and the results have been astonishing. Regardless
of his move, Lawler says there are certain things you have to
make sure you have when you make the shift to a higher weight
class.
"You
definitely have to be strong at 170, which he was. Hopefully
his strength comes with him up to 185," Lawler told MMAWeekly.com
recently.
Is
Shields biting off more than he can handle with this first fight
at middleweight, taking on a top five level competitor in Robbie
Lawler? The former UFC and ICON fighter believes his opponent
is fully aware of what to expect from the heavy-handed fighter
training out of the HIT Squad in Illinois.
"I
think he knows what he's in there with," Lawler said about
Shields. "I don't think he would have taken the fight not
knowing what kind of fighter I am. I think he thinks he can nullify
me, and I just need to be ready."
When
prompted with the question if he believes Shields can deal with
his strength and power, Lawler reminded everybody that he simply
doesn't like to talk down about his opponents and he'll do his
talking on June 6.
"I'm
a strong fighter, we'll see when we get in there, when we lock
horns," he stated in closing.
Robbie
Lawler will battle Jake Shields as the main event for the second
Strikeforce on Showtime event, Saturday night June 6.
Source: MMA Weekly |
Thales
Leites
With
five victories in the UFC, Thales Leites had the greatest opportunity
of his career at UFC 97, when faced Anderson Silva for the UFC
title. However, the Nova Uniao athlete couldn’t repeat the
good performances of past fights and was defeated by the champion.
Back to Brazil, the black belt spoke with TATAME.com about the
fight, the criticism he’s receiving from some fans, his
future in UFC, who can beat Anderson and gave tips for Demian
Maia, another Brazilian trying to get a shot against Silva.
What
did you think about your fight with Anderson? How do you analyze
having fought the five rounds with him?
I
didn’t like my performance, because I trained a lot and
I know I could have done better... I’m not arrogant to say
that I could have won... It was all his merits, who annulled
my game and I lost, but I know I could have done better, I could
have attacked more, have been a little more aggressive, risking
more things, as I was doing (before)... Now, this thing about
people talking "Thales was five rounds with him and no one
fought for real"... This doesn’t bother me at all,
I’m a fighter, I'm professional and I’m always looking
for the best performance and victory, of course. I know that
Anderson is the best pound for pound of the world, but if you
want to be the best, you have to fight the best. Anyways, I didn’t
like my performance, I thought I could have gone better, as I
was doing at the trainings, but I didn’t go well in the
fight, his merit for annul my game.
In
some moments Anderson could have attacked you more and he didn’t,
he used knee stomps and even applied a different kick with the
legs crossed… What did you think of this kind of blow? Did
you think he showed superiority, respected you or had no respect?
No,
man, I think that this doesn’t say anything. Fight is fight,
you are there to fight. If I want to get there spinning my arm
around or flying in the man’s chest... You can do whatever
you want, and Anderson feels comfortable to do those things.
I don’t think that is disrespect doing what he did... When
he used that elbow at Cage Rage, if he didn’t knock him
out, someone would say that was disrespect... I don’t think
so; he trusted his game and used it... Disrespect would be if
he was debauchee, making faces to me...
People
are criticizing you for not being so aggressive and falling with
your back on the ground and waiting for Anderson. What do you
think of those criticisms?
Actually,
I didn’t watch television and I wasn’t aware of many
criticisms, I haven’t heard the criticism of Ed Soares (Anderson’s
manager), but I try to take care of this in a constructive manner...
Actually, I was the challenger, I was fighting for the belt and
tried to impose my game, I didn’t achieve and Anderson dominated
the fight. He is a dangerous man and that plays counter-punching,
everyone who fought against him and wanted to hit was counter-punched
and knocked out. I knew the beginning of the fight would be like
that, we both were studying each other, I trying to overthrow
him... I was a little afraid of striking and the knees. This
is fight, we are two professionals and it was a fight for the
belt, which has a much bigger weight and any mistake is fatal,
even more against Anderson. I deal with those criticisms in a
positive way, like Dana White said. He is right, because they
expect for a more aggressive fight... But the funny thing is:
everyone who fought with Anderson has been knocked out and nobody
criticized the person who was knocked out by him... So if I go
inside and take a kick on the head and get knocked out, the guys
will say “cool, now is everything at home, Thales is knocked
out, Anderson did it fast, then everything is alright...”
But, only because it were something different, I tried to get
him down and didn’t achieve, even more in the third and
fourth round.
And
after this fight, what do you think of Anderson and who do you
think can beat him?
I
just confirmed what I already knew: he is the best in this category,
he is versatile man... I believe that, if I have to choose who
is the best pound for pound in the world, I would put Anderson
with BJ Penn, George St. Pierre and Fedor. I think someone can
beat him, fight is fight, is 50% for each one, anything can happen.
Everyone has a chance, since you don’t make little mistakes,
because Anderson is a very versatile guy who offers a very high
risk, because he does his game and does it very well. I don’t
think it is impossible to beat him, is not that, as Fedor is
the best in the world, anyone can come and beat him, nobody is
invincible.
You
have now to do your job again to earn a second shot at Anderson.
Is that what you’re going to do?
Of
course, now I don’t want to think about belt, I want to
go back climbing my steps, getting mature and improving every
fight. In this fight I learned a lot of things, and will use
all of that, all criticism as learning.
In
case of Demian Maia faces Anderson, what advices will you give
him?
Demian
must train a lot, believe in his Jiu-Jitsu, in all his potential
and know that he will fight a very tough guy. You can’t
let the fact that he’s the best pound for pound affect your
head. He must fight is if it were against any other opponent,
must train a lot and believe in his game.
Source: Tatame |
Rafael
dos Anjos ready for more battles
Facing
a tough opponent at UFC Fight Night 18, Rafael dos Anjos did
a good job, but lost the 15 minutes battle against Tyson Griffin
in the judges decision. Earning $ 30 thousand for the fight of
he night bonuses, the Gracie Fusion athlete spoke with TATAME.com
about the fight.
"The
fight was good, the best of the night. The guys (of the UFC)
liked it, thanks God", said Rafael, praising his opponent.
"Tyson is very strong, hard to lock in the positions. I
knew he was tough on the ground, that’s why I didn’t
try to take him down, to don’t get me tired. I had a strategy
set from the beginning, I would make the fight standing, so I
just took him down once... It was a good fight”.
In
one of the few times that the fight went the mat, Rafael tried
a leg lock, but the American resisted. "I don’t do
this position at my training, because everybody already knows,
but always when the guy gives me a chance I'll reach it and locks
it. He turned to the side I wanted and the position was fit,
I was able to put him in trouble", remembers Raphael, investing
the extra bonus in trainings, with an eye in his next fight in
the Ultimate. "They liked the fight and I have one more
in the contract, but I don’t know when it will be”,
finalized.
Source: MMA Weekly |
Magnificent
Maynard a picture of courage
Kyle
Maynard, a congenital amputee, is in a bear crawl, on all fours.
In his case that’s two short stubs that make up his arms
and two abbreviated legs with deformed feet. He’s inside
a black caged ring in the Alabama woods, the ground outside covered
with dirt, straw and a modest crowd of curious locals and frat
boys.
Crouching
over Maynard is Bryan Fry, who is fully able, 5-foot-9 and in
the process of reaching down to punch Maynard directly in the
face.
This
is a freak show. This is a circus act. This is the human cockfighting
that mixed martial arts was once called.
This
is what the picture says.
It’s
absurd, a fight between a regular man and a guy with essentially
no arms or legs. Maynard doesn’t even have gloves on because
it was so hot and humid they kept slipping off his stubs. As
a result, he was barred from punching even if he’d been
able to reach Fry. The fight goes on anyway because Alabama has
no regulations; ridiculous is allowed to reign.
The
punch in the picture would be one of the few points of action
in the contest. Fry would win a unanimous three-round decision.
The fight was marked by Maynard’s unsuccessful attempts
to chase Fry down and wrestle him to the ground where Maynard
believed he could gain victory by submission.
Maynard
would get up on all fours and charge. Fry would get out of the
way. Every once in awhile Fry would throw a punch. If he’d
wanted, Fry could have kicked Maynard and quite possibly kicked
him repeatedly. Maynard argues, however, that strategy would’ve
opened Fry up to a take down.
There’s
another theory, too. Fry wasn’t going to beat Maynard to
a pulp and endure the national scorn. America went nuts this
year when one high school girl’s basketball team beat another
100 to zip. No one actually got hurt in that one. Do you want
to be the guy who beat up a congenital amputee?
There’s
a reason the fight’s promoter said “six or seven”
other fighters passed on taking on Maynard.
At
first glance, or many glances, the fight made no sense. It was
base. You look at the picture and you watch the video and you
shake your head, or laugh with regret or just feel terrible that
in 2009 something like this could actually happen.
The
voice through the phone, despite being thoughtful and soft spoken,
screams out too.
It’s
36 hours since Kyle Maynard was carried by a friend, piggyback
style, into that cage and took his shot at being a mixed martial
artist. To say he has no regrets understates it. He calls it
“fun,” an “awesome experience” and a “huge
accomplishment.”
“I
accomplished everything I wanted to short of winning that fight,”
Maynard said.
When
Kyle Maynard speaks of accomplishment, you listen. The term hero
is overused in sports, but this is the real deal. He was born
with a rare physical disorder that left him deformed and incapable
of walking. He proceeded to spend most of his life doing exactly
what he wanted anyway.
In
the process he’s made plenty of able-bodied folks first
uncomfortable, then inspired.
When
he was in middle school he played football (he was a nose tackle
who occasionally charged through the center’s legs). He’s
been a champion weightlifter, hooking chains around his arms
on one end and bars of iron on the other.
When
he went out for wrestling as a teenager, he was told by many
that it wasn’t possible, that there should be a rule barring
him from getting hurt. He lost his first 35 matches. He never
quit. By the time he was a senior in high school, he was one
of Georgia’s best in the state at 103 pounds.
He’s
been honored by presidents, won humanitarian awards and appeared
on “Oprah.” He wrote a national best-selling book,
“No Excuses,” and has spent the last few years giving
motivational speeches across the country. He got so busy he had
to drop out of the University of Georgia. He now owns his own
gym and just opened a training center.
Don’t
judge him by his limbs. The guy is incredible.
“Quite
frankly everybody has a disability,” Maynard said. “People
go through personal issues of character, morality, spirituality,
emotional. It doesn’t just have to be something physical.
Everybody has something to overcome.”
Still,
don’t you need limbs for mixed martial arts? He doesn’t
think so.
He
wasn’t pummeled like many predicted, he said, deflecting
most punches. He just couldn’t knock Fry to the ground –
“I’m not going to outbox somebody,” he joked.
However, the fact that Fry ran to avoid Maynard’s wrestling
and submission skills was a moral victory.
He
even appreciated the two or three clean punches he took.
“They
landed hard,” Maynard laughed. “That in and of itself
was a huge confidence boost for me. I wanted to get hit in the
fight.”
He’s
23. He’s a tough guy. He knows what he’s doing.
Back
in high school, Maynard wanted to join the Army and be an airborne
ranger. He went down and talked to the recruiters, who loved
his heart and intelligence. They laid it out, though: He could
be an asset to the Army, just not on the front lines because
if someone ever had to help him, that person would be at risk.
“I
understood that,” Maynard said. “The last thing I want
to do is endanger someone else. But on the flip side, with mixed
martial arts, I think it should be my choice. I’m the only
one in harm’s way, so to speak.”
The
ugly tableau of unregulated Alabama aside, how was this a bad
thing? How is Kyle Maynard ever a bad thing?
Maynard
didn’t win the fight. He did receive five separate standing
ovations from the estimated 1,000 fans. On the Internet the reactions
have been mixed. He’s received both scorn and praise. He’s
been laughed at and lionized and even called crazy (“I agree,”
he laughed).
He
said none of it matters. He competed for himself. He did it to
prove that after four and a half years of MMA training that he
could get into that cage and take a punch and keep on going.
He
understands the initial reaction, of the people staring at the
picture or watching the video and calling it a freak act. He
just doesn’t care. “I wouldn’t have gone into
this without a viable chance at winning,” he insists.
Mostly,
though, he asks why shouldn’t he be allowed to compete in
an amateur MMA match?
“It’s
borderline infringement on my civil liberties because the government
doesn’t have an accurate way to measure what my capabilities
are,” he said of Georgia’s refusal to grant him a license.
“I’m
capable of doing that. My trainers, sparring partners, doctors
– those are the people capable of describing my limitations.
Those individuals (say) I’m capable.”
He
plans on fighting again, better trained, more experienced and
hopefully against a lighter opponent. Did you actually think
he was going to quit? You can be repulsed. You can be encouraged.
The
picture doesn’t fade. The voice on the phone doesn’t
either.
Source: Yahoo Sports |
EMILY
THOMPSON WON'T YIELD TO TOUGHILL
Nor Cal Fighting Alliance fighter Emily “Timebomb”
Thompson is a realist.
Thompson
knows she’s an underdog to “American Gladiators”
TV star and MMA veteran Erin “Steel” Toughill at the
upcoming Palace Fighting Championship 13 on May 8, and she wouldn’t
have it any other way.
“It
doesn’t bother me at all, because she’s the one who
has all the pressure,” said Thompson. “I love the position
I am in now. Go ahead underestimating me, because it’s just
going to come out as an advantage for me.
“I’m
confident in my skills, and my coach and management is confident
in my skills. They wouldn’t throw me into a fight expecting
me to lose. I’m going into this fight expecting to win.”
Despite
only having four fights to her record, and having been inactive
for much of the last year due to the disbanding of the AFL, Thompson’s
not letting her eagerness to return to action get the better
of her.
“For
me, obviously this will be one of the bigger fights of my career,
but I’m trying to look at it as just my next opponent,”
she stated. “I’m not trying to make it bigger or smaller
than it is.
“I’m
fully aware of her skill level, how well-rounded she is, and
I trained for every aspect of this fight – just as I would
for any other opponent.”
Strategic
intentions aside, Thompson feels the fight could come down to
being the classic striker versus grappler confrontation from
days past.
“Obviously
with her experience standing, I’m most likely going to be
going to the ground, but I’ll take the fight wherever it
goes,” she commented.
“If
I feel more comfortable going to the ground, that’s where
I’m going to take it. I’m just going to kind of go
out there, feel it out, see where it goes and take it where I’m
most comfortable.”
Regardless
of where the fight occurs, she intends to push the pace as she
has in previous fights.
“No
matter whom the opponent is, I try to go out in any fight and
be the aggressor and be the one to push the pace and dictate
the fight,” she stated. “I can’t see this upcoming
fight being any different.”
No
matter how the fight turns out, Thompson is looking to make this
bout the catalyst for a year that could see her finally able
to make fighting her full time profession.
“That’s
my main focus,” she stated. “That’s why I’m
down here training; putting in the hours at the gym is to stay
as busy as possible and get in as many as I can.”
She
may be seen as a sacrificial lamb to some against a name opponent,
but that’s not how Thompson sees it, and she’s determined
to prove she’s the real deal at the May 8 PFC.
“I
really want to thank my coach Dave Terrell, my management, Fairtex
and Adaptex Labs,” she closed out. “Also, thanks to
all my teammates and everybody for kicking my ass every night
in training.”
Source: MMA Weekly |
DON
FRYE, JESSE TAYLOR WIN AT SHARK FIGHT 4
Regional MMA was on display Saturday night in the “South
Plains” of West Texas when “Shark Fights 4,” the
fourth installment from the upstart organization based out of
Amarillo, Texas, came together inside Lubbock’s Citibank
Coliseum. The event did not disappoint as the crowd got to witness
eight of the nine fights end in a finish.
In
the main event, Lubbock’s own Rex Richards and Darill Schoonover
fought a frenetic back-and-forth fight with action taking place
on the feet and on the ground. Richards attempted numerous submissions
and landed some solid shots, but he couldn’t put away the
scrappy Schoonover who ran his MMA record to a perfect 14-0.
In
the fourth round Schoonover found the opening he needed, landing
a clean combination. The punches dropped a visibly tired Richards
and Schoonover promptly followed his opponent to the ground where
he finished the fight with his ground and pound attack.
“That
was a hell of a fight,” Shoonover said in his post fight
interview. “He was yelling at me, trying to intimidate me.
So I yelled right back and said ‘lets do this.’ I feel
like I won the first and second round, but in the third round
he started kickin’ my butt. I really wanted to finish this
fight and I knew he was tired. In the fourth round, I caught
him with the hook and then the right. He went down, I got on
top of him, and went crazy from there looking to finish the fight.
I am the champion and this means a lot to me.”
In
the co-main event, Jesse Taylor wasted little time finishing
off crowd favorite Eric Davilla. Taylor put on a textbook performance,
forcing Davilla to give up his back within the first minute.
Davilla made Taylor wait another minute before the inevitable
rear naked choke was applied.
Taylor
looked to be in phenomenal shape and one has to think he’s
just a fight or two away from getting called up by Strikeforce
or back to the UFC.
“I
was actually surprised how fast I finished this fight. I threw
the pressure on him right away and I don’t think he was
ready for me to take him down,” said Taylor. “Textbook
was the perfect way to describe the performance for me. I am
just going to keep plugging away and I would love to fight for
Strikeforce or the UFC when they have me. I would love to come
back to Texas (even though they were hating on me) and fight
for a Middleweight belt when they create one. Their belts are
as good as the ones in the UFC.”
In
a fight that sent the crowd into a frenzy, Don Frye and Rich
Moss engaged in a classic staredown. Moss got in Frye’s
face, something Frye didn’t take too kindly to. The referee
had to step in and make sure these two waited for the bell to
sound.
The
fight started out with the two pressed up against the cage. An
accidental low blow by Moss sent Frye to his knees before action
resumed.
The
fight went back against the cage and then in a sudden burst of
textbook judo, Rich Moss applied a perfect throw only to have
Frye ready and waiting. Moss’s judo throw was countered
perfectly, with Frye transitioning into a gift-wrapped rear naked
choke. After the fight was stopped, Moss and Frye exchanged more
words only to have them hugging it out after Frye’s hand
was raised in victory.
When
asked about the pre-fight machismo by Moss, Frye said, “Some
jackass in Japan started that crap with me about five years ago
and ever since then, everyone feels the need to put their nose
against my nose. I am getting pretty tired of it and I might
have to start punching people when it happens. As far as Moss,
he is a great judo practitioner so I am going to be a man and
fight him in a straight judo match next. I will put my pajamas
on and meet him in a tournament somewhere.”
In
regards to his MMA future, Frye said he would like to go back
to Japan and fight for his fans over there. He quipped that he
liked the look of the Shark Fights belt and may have to take
it away from the young Schoonever.
“I
would love to come back to West Texas and fight again,”
he continued. “The crowed showed me a lot of enthusiasm,
which was great to see. My energy was sky high.”
In
the other two main event fights, Cardella and Wallburger put on performances
that made MMA look easy. They both secured submissions over their
respective opponents with relative ease. Their futures look bright,
with Wallburger winning Shark Fights Welterweight title.
In
jest, an enthusiastic Wallburger called out UFC Welterweight
champion George St. Pierre. For Cardella, he informed us a return trip to
the WEC lightweight division is likely in August of 2009. He
went on to say he would love to continue to fight for Shark Fights
and compete for a lightweight title once one is created.
Overall
the event was a success for Shark Fights. Given that it is the
upstart organization’s fourth event, the future looks bright.
Special
guest appearences by WEC feathweright Leonard Garcia, WEC Lightweight
Donalde Cerrone, UFC lightweight Joe “Daddy” Stevenson,
Strikeforce Welterweight Joe Riggs, and Affliction Heavyweight
Paul Buentello went over very well with the crowd.
Paul
Buentello, who hails from Amarillo, told the crowd he planned
on competing on a future Shark Fights card. Perhaps a heavyweight
match between Don Frye and Paul Buentello would be something
the fans could get excited about.
While
a success, the night was not perfect for Shark Fights.
The
event fell victim to technology problems with the Internet connection
being spotty throughout. This caused issues for the PPV show
which was streaming live on the Shark Fights website.
While
the problem does not fall squarely on the shoulders of Shark
Fights (more on the Internet provider), it is still something
Shark Fights will take responsibility for with the fans who purchased
the event.
Shark
Fights 4 Full Results:
Main
Card:
Darill Schoonover def. Rex Richards via TKO in R4
-Jesse Taylor def. Eric Davilla via rear naked choke in R1
-Don Frye def. Rich Moss via rear naked choke in R1
-Phil Cardella
def. Johnny Flores via armbar in R1
-TJ Wallburger def. Shannon Ritch via armbar in R1
Undercard:

-Rolando Scott def. Zach Haney via TKO in R1
;Douglas Frey def. Louis Luna via KO in R1
Jessica Miramontes def. Brandi Hainey via Unanimous Decision
(29-28 x3)
Josh Shephard def. Aaron Garcia via TKO in R1
SHARK FIGHTS MISSION MORE THAN JUST MMA
The
Shark Fights promotion presents Shark Fight 4 tonight in Lubbock,
Texas, featuring fighters like Don Frye, Rex Richards, and Jesse
Taylor (it is available live on Internet pay-per-view). But for
promoter Jim Larson, Shark Fights is as much a vehicle to fight
against cancer, as it is a passion for mixed martial arts.
Below
is Larson's story, as told to Brian Oswald, on how and why he
got involved in fight promotion in the first place and how Shark
Fights has ended up being involved in the Children's Miracle
Network:
The
start of the company is a little bit of story. I was introduced
to mixed martial arts six years ago and was 18 years into the
car business at the time. I did not have much time to watch much
television but one of my friends invited me over to watch this
new thing called the UFC.
I
was absolutely mesmerized from the start and could not take my
eyes of the screen. I fell in love with the sport and became
one of those radical super fans. I started watching everything
I could watch and reading everything I could read. I became a
student of the sport really trying to find out as much as I could.
Not knowing at the time that I would go on to have aspirations
of being a promoter. I just loved it.
Then
one of our local fighters, (in Amarillo, Texas) Brett Dudley,
decided he was going drop everything he was doing, move to Las
Vegas, and room with UFC veteran Evan Tanner. And Evan is from
Amarillo. ??So I realized we have all this fighting base in Amarillo;
really, MMA in Texas was started in Amarillo. You have got Evan
Tanner, Paul Buentello, Paul Jones (only loss to Chuck Liddell),
and Heath Herring. So I thought to myself, I really want to start
focusing in on these fighters from Amarillo.
What
we decided to do, through Brett being Evan’s roommate, was
to start sponsoring Evan Tanner. So I used my car dealership
at the time to do just that. Evan started having me come out
and corner fights for him in the UFC.??How cool is that? ??From
there, I was able to get behind the scenes and get to see things
that the normal person wouldn’t get to see. I used my access
to my full advantage. I started to really think that I could
do this. I can put on my own show.
So
we went to an amateur show here in Amarillo about two years ago.
I walked in and was expecting what I see on TV. It ended up being
what I call grassroots or high school gymnasium style shows.
It was a teensy little cage, no catwalk, the acoustics were horrible,
and the screens were as big as my desk. It was just a horrible
production. The fights were average at best. I just thought,
'you have to be kidding me.' Now I knew that I could really do
this.
I
left that fight and researched for a solid year what it took
to become a promoter, what it look to get the licenses, how much
start-up money would I need. I wanted to have all my ducks in
my row.
When
everything was ready, I applied for a promoter’s license
and I got it. We immediately started Shark Fights promotion.
Shark Fights 1 was set to take place in Amarillo and 22 days
before the event Evan Tanner dies.
He
was a just a tremendous human being. And, on the business side
of things, he was a tremendous form of help, encouragement, consulting,
and all of that for Shark Fights. So in Evan’s memory we
started the Evan Tanner scholarship fund. ??Evan was a high school
wrestler and a two time State Champion. He has an upbringing
that was underprivileged at best. We wanted that sentiment to
be a part of what we were doing with the scholarship fund.
We
didn’t realize by working on all of that, we would attract
the attention of HDNet. They ended up loving the show and loving
the fights. Two weeks after that, they contacted us and said
we are going to put you on Inside MMA and show highlights. From
there, things have just taken off. We really started focusing
in on Shark Fights the name and branding.
Along
the way, my beautiful 33-year-old my wife who you got to meet,
got diagnosed with melanoma cancer and six days before our second
event she has four feet of her small intestines removed. ??We
absolutely decided at that time, we were going to shift our focus
directly to the Children’s Miracle Network. The whole experience
changed our lives. Because insurance did not pay for a lot of
it, people stepped in and gave us food, money, and their time.
Now
I know so deeply what these kids and these families go through
with cancer. It can just completely destroy everyone in the family,
not just the patient. Your ability to function in society. Sometimes
you just want to fall apart like a soup sandwich. And yet you
don’t have the money or the ability to do that so you just
keep on going on. And you want to be strong for that person in
your family. What these people need is support, they need people
to step in and say, "hey I know what you are going through
and here is some help and some money and some ability to coexist
in our society and our community."
The
flip side of that coin is I love the connection between Shark
Fights and Children’s miracle network. I have got cage fighters
up in the cage banging away for their living and we also got
these children that our in the cage of life and banging it out
against a disease – a disease that they have no cure for.
??They are in this cage of their disease, and they are battling
their way and trying to fight. What we want to do is bring those
two together.
So
here we have a fight platform and here is a cancer fight platform.
Let’s get our sponsors to work together and get the MMA
community to work together to start make a difference in specific
people’s lives... to help them cope and not only survive,
but thrive. Our fight with cancer is very real.??We fight it
as a shark fight family and also as a Larson family. We want
to join in the fight because not one man’s voice is enough.
It takes fighters and families, and communities and sponsors.
And individuals who are going to step up and say, "I am
not going to let this thing beat our community."
There
may not be a cure for cancer yet so Shark Fights is taking a
bite out of cancer one fight at a time. We are going to continue
to do that and it is absolutely our passion and our focus to
support these local communities that don’t have anybody
to step in and fill the gap. ??That is our mission. Yeah, I love
the fans, I love the fighters, I love cage fighting, and I love
the business aspect, but my passion and my team is my family;
and my family is fighting cancer. Shark Fights is going to fight
cancer too and we aren’t giving up until we make a difference.
Source: MMA Weekly |
Quote
of the Day
“Learn
to get in touch with the silence within yourself and know that
everything in this life has a purpose.”
Elisabeth Kubler-Ross
|
Fighters'
Club TV Tonight!
Channel
52
8:00 PM
If
you are not on the Onzuka.com Hawaii Ground forum, you are missing
the latest news from upcoming events, get to rub elbows with
numerous promoters and fighters, and get to voice your opinion
on any subject you can dream up. Hit the links above to sign
up for a free account and start posting away!
|
FOR
IMMEDIATE RELEASE:
X1 World
Events
May 9, 2009
Kekuaokalani Gym, Kailua-Kona, Hawaii
X1
World Events in their first ever event on the Big Island has
an action packed card lined up featuring some of Big Island’s
best talent. The live event takes place 7:00 PM Saturday May
9, 2009, at the Kekuaokalani Gym in Kailua-Kona, Hawaii.
Standout
amateur and professional boxer Van Oscar Penovaroff of Kailua-Kona
will go head to head with the reigning X1 135lb World Champion
Kana Hyatt of Hilo. Penovaroff is a pure striker with great instincts,
having spent time in MMA camps on the mainland he feels he has
what it takes to keep the belt in Kailua-Kona. Hyatt who is coming
off a successful title defense over Maui’s bantamweight
king, has both the striking skills and the ground skills necessary
to keep the title around his waist where it belongs.
The
co-main event will feature two well rounded fighters both from
the Big Island. Dominic Ahnee who now resides in Maui will return
home to face off against former 155lb MMA Champion Aleka Rincon
in a lightweight matchup. Justin Mercado of Team MMAD on Oahu
will also be returning home to the Big Island to take on the
very talented and very colorful Dave Moreno in a featherweight
matchup. Both matches will be non stop action with an exciting
mix of ground and standup action.
The
grudge match of the evening will pit Kona Boxing’s Pat Fuga
against the seasoned veteran Mark Smith. These two have some
unfinished business that will be settled in exciting fashion
for the Big Island MMA fans. Also that night the always exciting
Tyler Kahihikolo will go up against Wyatt Leong of Hawaii International
Boxing, and Spencer Higa will take on Peni Taufa’ao for
the X1 145lb Kickboxing Title. Both guys are well rounded strikers
and will put it all on the line with the hopes of capturing the
vacant title.
Also
that night will be an exciting Undercard featuring more of Big
Island’s top fighters.
Tickets
can be purchased by calling
Big
Island Surf – 808.959.2472 | 808..935.1430 | 808.885.9283
A’Ama
Surf & Sport – 808.331.1777 | 808.326.7890
Pacific
Island Fitness – 808.334.1977
Hilo
Fight Company – 808.345.9678
CD
Wizard – 808.969.4800
Christine Young
X-1 World Events Executive Director
Cell: 808-723-0504
Fax: 808-689-8866
Email: christine.x1events@gmail.com or x1events@yahoo.com
X1
World Events
May
9, 2009
Kekuaokalani
Gym, Kailua-Kona, Hawaii
Main
Card
135
World Title - Van Oscar Penovaroff (Kona BC) vs Kana Hyatt (MMAD)
155
- Aleka Rincon (Lava MMA) vs Dominic Ahnee (Wailuku Boxing)
145
State Title - Dave Moreno (Kohala) vs Justin Mercado (MMAD)
SHW
- Pat Fuga (Kona BC) vs Mark Smith (Maui Mulisha)
155
- Wyatt Leong (HIBC) vs Tyler Kahihikolo (Average Joe’s)
145
KB Title - Spencer Higa (HIBC) vs Peni Taufaao (Team Assassin)
Undercard
155
- Rohan Nanton (Freelance) vs Javin Santos (Bang Inc)
140
- Robert Midel (BJ Penn) vs Sang Van (HIBC)
135
- Timothy Meeks (HIBC) vs Nick Gersaba (Kona BC)
155
- Kevin Soong (Lava MMA) vs Ikaika Moore (Kona BC)
145
- Daniel Friend (HIBC) vs Kiley Tanioka (?)
145
- Levi Agcalon (?) vs
XMA
- Kaeo Meyers (?) vs Malu (?)
KB
- Nicolai Wassman (AP Boxing) vs Nainoa Dung (Waianae Boxing) |
World
Pro JJ Cup winners list
Black belt categories have champions
The
champions of the five black belt categories at the World Pro
JJ Cuphave been defined. The finals are over in done in Abu Dhabi,
United Arab Emirates.
Under
65kg
In
the third meeting between the two, Rafael Mendes finally managed
to overcome three-time world champion Rubens Charles. In a back-and-forth
final, the Ramon Lemos student, from Rio Claro, managed a takedown
with 10 seconds left till the end and took gold with a score
of 6 to 4. “In the two fights I lost, I played defense and
this time I went on the attack,” Rafael said in summing
up his strategy.
Under
75kg
In
a same-academy final, there wasn’t much action. The decision
to allow two teammates to face each other in the final didn’t
favor combativeness. Michael Langhi and Marcelo Garcia had a
monotonous match that ended 0 to 0 even in advantage points.
The ref handed it to Langhi, who played guard the whole time.
Garcia was visibly put off by the outcome
Under
85kg
Tarsis
Humphreys was the bane of the Estima family in Abu Dhabi. In
the absolute, he overcame Braulio and at weight beat Victor.
In the final, a sweep concluded the category. “Victor has
a dangerous guard, always on the attack. I played my game well,
I managed to sweep and not mess up, since in six minutes there’s
no coming back,” assessed Tarsis, between laughing fits.
Under
95kg
Another
of the evening's most hard-nosed was Rodolfo Vieira, the black
belt hunter. First he beat up Braulio in the semifinal and in
the decisive match he left no room for Antonio Peinado to work.
In a hotly-disputed match, the threats of passing guard guaranteed
three advantages and a gold medal for the brown belt. “I
suffered an injury just two weeks ago and even I didn’t
believe I had a chance, but with the support of my family and
partners from GFT, I did it,” celebrated Rudolf.
Over
95kg
There
was no revenge. In the sequel to the final of the Brazilian qualifiers,
in March, Alexandre de Souza once again got the best of Gabriel
Vella, a sweep at the start followed by two near mounts in quick
succession paid out in two points and two advantages. Vella reciprocated
with a sweep, but it was too little too late to turn the tables.
The
World Pro JJ Cup had a gala night this Saturday. Sheikh Mohammad
Bin Zayed Al Nahyan paid a visit to the Zayed Sport City Tennis
Court and celebrated from the stands, most vocal after the victory
of Yahya Mansoor, a soldier from the UAE army, who snatched gold
against Egyptian Tarek Mattar.
Source: Tatame |
LUDWIG
VS BEERBOHM LIKELY TO HEAD SHO MMA
A bout pitting UFC veteran Duane "Bang" Ludwig against
undefeated upstart Lyle Beerbohm, as part of the Sho MMA: Strikeforce
Challenger event on June 19, is nearing finalization.
Ludwig's
manager, Sven Bean, says that, while they have agreed to the
bout in principle, they are currently negotiating the final details
of his fighter's contract before fully committing to the fight.
"As
long as we get the contract worked out, that should be the fight
(with Beerbohm)," Bean told MMAWeekly.com on Friday.
"It's
a lot more complicated process now to negotiate the terms of
a contract than it used to be," he added, referring to the
evolving landscape of mixed martial arts, including the addition
of television entities and the like.
"We
hope to have Duane's contract extension (with Strikeforce) completed
and signed any day now," stated Bean.
If
Ludwig's contract is finalized, as expected, the bout between
he and Beerbohm is likely to headline the June 19 Sho MMA event
to be televised on Showtime. It will be the second edition of
the new series created when Strikeforce signed on with Showtime
to fill the gap left by the now defunct EliteXC promotion.
Following
a disappointing loss to Takanori Gomi early in 2008, Ludwig has
since righted the ship with back-to-back victories over Sam Morgan
for Ring of Fire and Yves Edwards for Strikeforce.
Beerbohm
maintains a 9-0 professional record in MMA, including a victory
over UFC veteran Gerald Strebendt.
Source: MMA Weekly |
UP
FOR TUF 10, REX RICHARDS HAS BUSINESS FIRST
Could
2009 be the year of Rex Richards?
It
could be if he has anything to say about.
The
former professional football player for the National Football
League's Indianapolis Colts and the Arena Football League's San
Jose Sabercats has long had a keen interest in mixed martial
arts.
"I
was watching the first UFC's when there was no gloves and no
rules and I was like, 'Wow! This is what I want to do,'"
he recalls. "But there wasn't really an outlet to do it
successfully and make a career out of it."
Richards
has trained in all facets of the fight game ever since, including
during his tenure as a professional football player.
"I
was always training jiu-jitsu, kickboxing and everything for
MMA. That's the ultimate form of competition."
Now
boasting a professional MMA record of 6-1 – his only loss
to fast-rising UFC contender Shane Carwin – Richards has
his sites set on joining the roster of one of the premier organizations
in the sport. As it is for most, the UFC is at the top of his
list.
"I
went and tried out (for the next season of The Ultimate Fighter).
I can't say much more beyond that," he says before adding,
"UFC is the NFL of MMA and I'm ready to get back in the
NFL. I just don't want to wear a helmet."
With
The Ultimate Fighter still on the perimeter, Richards first has
to get past his opponent on Saturday night before he completely
shifts his attention. He faces undefeated prospect Darrill Schoonover
at Shark Fight 4 in Lubbock, Texas.
"When
I played football, I went in there with the same intensity, the
same fears, the same confidence (no matter who we faced),"
Richards responded when questioned about focusing on Saturday
night's fight while contemplating bigger opportunities. "That's
what I'm going to do with this guy on Saturday. I'm going to
go out there and I'm gonna unleash hell. We're going to see how
long the guy can survive.
"If
I was supposed to survive two rounds with this guy, I want to
beat him in 20 seconds. If I get the opportunity to clinch this
win quick and show the world that I'm ready to move up, that's
what I'm going to do."
Shark
Fight 4 has a little added incentive for Richards. The event
will stream live on Internet pay-per-view at www.sharkfights.com
with a portion of the proceeds benefiting the Children's Miracle
Network.
"As
a fighter, you don't make as much obviously as when I was in
the NFL. You don't get to do the charities as much as you'd like.
Just being able to be a part of something like this is huge,"
he told MMAWeekly.com. "They were really thinking outside
the box and they're really just trying to benefit an organization
and a lot of people rather than just be a cash cow. This company
has done a lot of really good things."
Still,
Richards knows what his first order of business is and that's
to add to his two-fight winning streak.
"We've
got some business to take care of Saturday night and that's what's
gonna be done."
Source: MMA Weekly |
DAN
HARDY TO END MARCUS DAVIS' BRIT BASHING
U.K. welterweight Dan Hardy is ready to finish the war he started.
Prior
to UFC 95, he had no real problems with Marcus Davis. They had
met at Xtreme Coture in Las Vegas and got on well. They shared
a locker room at UFC 89.
But
Hardy thinks Davis is threatened by his recent success.
“Since
the last fight, I think he’s been keeping an eye on me,
because he seems to have this hold over the U.K.,” Hardy
told MMAWeekly.com. “He’s beaten a couple of British
fighters now and he kind of likes to pad his record out with
British names. I kind of got that feeling from him.”
So
he decided to get the drop on “The Irish Hand Grenade”
by calling him out directly. And as Hardy thought, Davis exploded,
immediately asking the UFC for the match-up. The promotion acquiesced,
billing them fourth on the Cologne, Germany UFC 99 card.
In
an interview with MMAWeekly.com after the fight was agreed to,
Davis couldn’t contain his anger towards the Brit.
“When
his name gets brought up or I hear anything, my girlfriend, or
my friends, they just tell me, ‘calm down,’” said
Davis. “I literally sweat on the back of my hands when I
hear his name. I just don’t like this kid.”
Hardy
says the call-out was just fight hype 101, and he knew Davis
would take the bait.
“That
was just something to get under his skin a little bit,”
he said. “He’s quite an emotional guy, so it’s
quite easy to get him wound up.”
It’s
still surprising to him that Davis has gotten as wound up as
he has, particularly because the Ultimate Fighter alum has used
hype so well in the past. It’s a sign his skills are respected.
“Cause
he knows I can beat him,” said Hardy. “He looks at
me and sees I’ve got all the skills to beat him. I’m
quicker than him, I’m fitter than him, and I’ve got
a reach advantage. I can knock him out. As soon as he presents
the opportunity, I’m going to be taking it. This is going
to be his last fight against a British fighter.”
Hardy
has recently worked with Freddie Roach on his boxing skills,
and will begin his full training camp in Nottingham shortly.
His last victim, Rory Markham, succumbed to a left hook in 69
seconds, but Hardy wants to further refine his technique, especially
against former boxer Davis.
A
win at UFC 99 is a bridge to bigger things.
“Without
a doubt,” says Hardy. “If you look at any Top 10 ranking,
you see Marcus Davis in there sometimes. He does move in and
out of the rankings quite a bit, based on people’s opinions.
To beat a guy like him, who would be worthy of a Top 10 ranking,
it’s certainly going to make people pay attention to me.
“I
didn’t get an easy welcome to the UFC with Gono; then it
was followed by Rory Markham, who’s a real power puncher.
They’re not giving me any easy challenges.”
Hardy
says Davis will decide whether their beef continues after June
13.
“It
all depends on how he handles being beaten, really,” says
Hardy. “If he’s gracious in defeat, I think we can
leave it at that. But if he continues, then I might have to put
it on him one more time. It all depends on how he deals with
loss.”
Source: MMA Weekly |
Rudimar
puts Wanderlei among the top
Even
losing to Quinton "Rampage" Jackson, who he beat twice
at Pride, Wanderlei Silva still is one of the most exciting and
loved fighters. Leader of Chute Boxe team, which Wanderlei used
to train until 2007, Rudimar Fedrigo watched Wanderlei’s
evolution, which took him to the top of the world at the Japanese
event. In exclusive interview to TATAME MAgazine, Rudimar spoke
about the biggest fighters in the world.
"Anderson
Silva and Fedor are the most complete, today. I also like (Alistair)
Overeem, who has developed a lot. On an inspired night, Wanderlei
Silva too", points the Chute Boxe leader, who commented
Wandy’s decision to move to middleweight division. "I
prefer Wanderlei at 205lbs. If he persists in this category,
get back his confidence and rhythm of fight, I believe he has
great chances of becoming UFC champion", bets Rudimar, commenting
about Maurício "Shogun", another former Chute
Boxe fighter. "I also believe that Shogun, well trained
and with rhythm, has great chances to get the title, but Lyoto
is the favorite to take the belt because of the excellent phase
he’s going through".
Source: Tatame |
Silva’s
contenders stuck in the middle
The
fallout of Anderson Silva’s two recent dull middleweight
title defenses – with the UFC feeling the need to “challenge”
him with Forrest Griffin, a former light heavyweight champion
with a reputation for exciting fights – has left a slew
of viable challengers spinning their wheels.
Right
now there are five viable middleweight title contenders, although
that number will likely be whittled to three at the end of the
summer. With Silva fighting Griffin on Aug. 8, whomever emerges
is likely to get a title shot in the fall or winter.
The
two biggest names are former PRIDE champion Dan Henderson (24-7),
and his coaching rival on the current season of The Ultimate
Fighter, Michael Bisping (17-1) of the U.K.
The
others on the list include the last fighter with a win over Silva,
the snake-bit Yushin Okami (23-4), past Silva victim Nate Marquardt
(28-8-2), and standout submission expert Demian Maia (10-0).
Henderson
will face Bisping on July 11 in Las Vegas, eliminating one contender.
Marquardt vs. Maia has been reported for Aug. 29 in Portland,
Ore., at UFC 102, although Marquardt noted the fight is not yet
official and contracts haven’t been signed.
Okami,
the youngest of the pack of challengers at 27, was scheduled
to face Dan Miller on May 23 in Las Vegas, but suffered a torn
medial collateral ligament in his knee this week, and is now
on the sidelines until at least September.
Okami
beat Silva on a controversial disqualification call when he couldn’t
continue after an illegal kick on January 20, 2006, in Honolulu.
Silva rolls his eyes whenever he’s asked about the match,
believing Okami wasn’t hurt that badly but knew if he couldn’t
continue from the foul he’d be awarded the win.
But
Okami has also gone 7-1 in UFC competition and his lone loss,
to Rich Franklin, was a close decision in a fight where little
happened in the first two rounds, and Okami clearly won round
three.
Okami
was scheduled for a title shot last year, but suffered a broken
hand. With this latest injury, he finds himself submerged in
a deeper pack of contenders, with this injury likely leaving
him in third place for the next title shot behind the winners
of the two summer fights.
Before
Silva’s win over Thales Leitis on April 19 in Montreal,
Maia, with five straight submission wins in UFC competition,
was being talked of behind the scenes in the UFC offices as the
next challenger.
More
than anyone else, Maia ended up the victim of the fallout of
the Silva-Leites five-round decision. The dull fight saw the
crowd turn to obscenity-based chants, as the challenger gave
up trying to win, and the champion was content to take the decision.
Given
that Maia, like Leitis, is a Brazilian jiu-jitsu expert, not
known for his stand-up, there became two question. First, could
UFC sell such a fight to the public after the Leities fight?
People could think twice about plucking down $44.95 if they thought
they may get a repeat of the last title fight.
The
second was, what if it was a similar fight?
“It
doesn’t matter what country you are from or your style,
everyone is different,” said Maia, 31, who felt Leitis lost
his confidence during the fight which caused it to turn out as
it did. “My style is totally different than his. If I fight
Anderson, it won’t be the same fight.” “His (Silva)
fight with Patrick Cote wasn’t exciting at all,” noted
Maia. “And that’s with a Canadian striker. It doesn’t
matter your style or your country when it comes to having an
exciting fight. My personality is to be more aggressive than
those two.”
Silva’s
jiu-jitsu, which is at black belt level, has been strong enough
to neutralize those who are considered better on the ground,
and there is nobody in UFC who has been able to even test him
on the stand-up.
Maia,
in particular, is questionable when it comes to stand-up, largely
because his fights have been fought on the ground, where he’s
looked spectacular. In his Feb. 21 win over Chael Sonnen in London,
he got a belly-to-belly takedown on the former All-American wrestler,
and faster than you can say submission of the night, he’d
already earned it with a triangle choke.
Maia
made it clear he’s got nothing bad to say about Silva, and
said Silva has made negative remarks about him in their home
country that he feels were spurred on by the Brazilian press.
“I
don’t care if I fight him,” said Maia. “I just
want to fight for the belt. I have nothing against Anderson.
I just want a shot at the title.”
Marquardt,
30, who lost a title match to Silva on July 7, 2007, in Sacramento,
Calif., has been trying to avenge that memory, but also feels
Silva got a bum rap in the wake of Montreal.
“He
(Silva) showed up to fight,” said Marquardt. “A lot
of the blame should be on Thales. Anderson had a game plan and
it was working.”
Marquardt
feels he’s a different fighter from two years ago, more
experienced, and tougher because of constantly being pushed by
the best training partners in the world, including Keith Jardine,
Georges St. Pierre, Shane Carwin and Rashad Evans.
“First
of all, I won’t run away from a stand-up fight,” he
said. “I don’t care where the fight goes. I’m
going to take my openings. If there’s an opening standing,
I’ll take it. If there’s an opening for ground-and-pound,
I’ll go for it. If a submission opens up, I’ll go for
it. I feel I have a lot of different options.”
Marquardt
felt he was winning the fight with Silva at UFC 73 until he got
caught at 4:50 of the first round. He also noted that Leites
got the title shot based on beating him in a fight where Marquardt
lost two points because of accidental fouls, including a very
controversial call for an elbow behind the head.
To
this day, different commissions have had different interpretations
of what constitutes the back of the head. There is the “Mohawk”
interpretation (a line down the center of the back and any blow
within one inch in either direction is illegal) or the “Headphones”
interpretation (put on headphones and any below behind that line
would be illegal). Marquardt’s elbow behind the ears he
thought was legal based on what he believed the rule was.
Regardless,
the Henderson-Bisping winner will come out of the fight as the
highest profile-challenger because to the general public, between
the buildup on Spike TV, and its place on UFC 100, which will
be seen by considerably more viewers than the proposed Marquardt
vs. Maia battle. Both were already bigger names coming in, as
Henderson has headlined three UFC events, including a fight with
Quinton Jackson before its largest U.S. mixed martial arts TV
audience ever, and held championships in two weight classes in
PRIDE.
The
38-year old Henderson is the most proven commodity of the five,
and if there were any questions where he stands today because
of age, he beat Franklin via decision on Jan. 17, which could
have been considered a No. 1-contenders caliber match, except
it was fought at light heavyweight.
Henderson
also been looking for a rematch with Silva, who beat him on March
1, 2008, in a fight in which Henderson won the first round. Henderson
blamed his second-round TKO loss on incorrect training.
Bisping,
30, is one of the company’s most popular fighters, but has
only fought three times in the division after dropping from light
heavyweight.
He’s
also the most untested against top competition. But a win over
Henderson, which would be considered an upset, would answer all
criticism.
“He’s
got good stand-up,” said Maia. “He’s aggressive.
His ground is I think is so-so. I want to see him fight Henderson.
I’m curious.” From a business standpoint, if Bisping
was to score the upset, Silva vs. Bisping would be the choice.
Those
in the company’s U.K. office say if a Silva-Bisping match
materialized, they would want to hold it at one of the big soccer
stadiums in the country and predicted drawing a UFC record crowd.
But
Maia strongly feels he’s the deserving contender if he wins
his next fight, which he expects to be Marquardt, who he called
the most complete fighter of the different contenders.
“If
I win against Marquardt, I think it’s my chance,” he
said. “If I win, I’m 6-0 in UFC and I’ll have
beaten top contenders.”
Source: Yahoo Sports |
Quote
of the Day
“In
taking revenge, a man is but even with his enemy; but in passing
it over, he is superior.”
Sir Francis Bacon |
FIGHT-BY-FIGHT:
SENGOKU 8 GRAND PRIX PREVIEW
Sengoku
Featherweight Grand Prix Bout:
Hatsu
Hioki vs. Ronnie Mann
Shooto
veteran Hatsu Hioki faces off with British featherweight wunderkind
Ronnie Mann in the main event of the night. Hioki looked like
an absolute beast in his domination of Chris Manuel at Sengoku
7, while Mann won a comfortable decision over the talented but
inexperienced Tetsuya Yamada. Going into the fight, Hioki must
be considered the heavy favorite to win the fight and possibly
the tournament.
Both
fighters favor the ground game, but Hioki should have a rather
comfortable advantage over Mann, who is just simply not as nearly
skilled as Hioki on the ground. Mann’s best chance in the
fight will be to keep it standing and out strike Hioki, but he
will still be giving up a considerable reach advantage. For Hioki,
he’ll want the fight on the ground where he can work his
grappling mastery over Mann.
Sengoku
Featherweight Grand Prix Bout:
Michihiro
Omigawa vs. Nam Phan
Japanese
judoka Michihiro Omigawa faces off with Strikeforce veteran Nam
Phan. This is one of the more intriguing fights of the night,
as both fighters have an equal chance to win. Omigawa shocked
many when he won a dominating decision over LC Davis, who was
considered to be one of the tournament favorites, while Phan
looked impressive in his featherweight debut by stopping former
Shooto champion Hideki Kadowaki.
Omigawa
needs to use the same strategy against Phan that he did against
Davis, use his judo to control the fight on the ground and frustrate
Phan. Although Phan isn’t a slouch on the ground, Omigawa
does hold a slight advantage over him. Phan needs to keep the
fight on the feet, where he can use his superior boxing technique
and work over Omigawa to a possible stoppage. Out of all the
tournament fights, this is the hardest to predict a winner as
both fighters are so evenly matched.
Sengoku
Featherweight Grand Prix Bout:
Masanori
Kanehara vs. Chan Sung Jung
ZST
veteran Masanori Kanehara faces off with Korean featherweight
wunderkind Chan Sung Jung. This could end up being one of the
more exiting fights of the night. Both fighters like to come
forward and that is always the best recipe for excitement. Kanehara
comes off a workman like decision victory over Jong Man Kim,
while Jung had the fight of the night against Shintaro Ishiwatari
in a back and forth brawl that ended with Jung submitting Ishiwatari.
If
the fight stays on the feet then expect an all out brawl. Both
fighters come forward at all times, but Jung has shown that he
has quite a chin and can pack a lot of power in his strikes.
Kanehara can win the stand-up if he stays on the outside and
isn’t lured into a brawl, as he can low kick all night long
to frustrate Jung. If the fight hits the ground then neither
has much of an advantage over the other, as they are equally
good on the ground. The outcome of the fight simply depends on
whether or not the fight turns into a brawl or a slower technical
affair.
Sengoku
Featherweight Grand Prix Bout:
Marlon
Sando vs. Nick Denis
Featherweight
King of Pancrase Marlon Sandro faces off with King of the Cage
champion Nick Denis. Both fighters are undefeated, but after
it’s all said and done, one of these young prospects will
have a blemish on his record. Sandro imposed his ground expertise
over Matt Jaggers at Sengoku 7, finally finishing him off with
a standing side choke. Denis looked impressive in battering Seiya
Kawahara to a stoppage via strikes.
From
the onset, it’s fairly obvious that each fighter has a distinct
advantage over the other in his area of expertise. If the fight
goes to the ground then Sandro has the advantage with his grappling
pedigree. If the fight stays on the feet, Denis has the advantage
because of his extensive stand-up background. Denis is the more
explosive of the two, so if the fight is high paced it will benefit
him. Sandro will look to slow the pace and impose his technical
prowess on Denis. Either way, whichever fighter comes out victorious
in this one will have to be considered a favorite to win the
tournament.
Source: MMA Weekly
|
RASHAD
EVANS: "YOU CAN'T PLEASE EVERYBODY"
There’s no class or seminar for being champion. You either
accept it or face a bumpy ride. Life changes completely, and
there’s no break.
UFC
light heavyweight champion Rashad Evans got a first taste of
fame after appearing on the second season of “The Ultimate
Fighter,” though the attention wasn’t always positive.
Some fans branded him a “showboater,” and met his wrestling-based
style with suspicion. He always seemed to be fighting for acceptance.
Prior
to “TUF,” Evans fought on the California circuit, slugging
it out with other fighters paying their dues. Pay was low, and
recognition was a pat on the back. Microsoft was a long ways
away.
In
December, he dealt critics their greatest blow with a TKO victory
over Forrest Griffin, and the spotlight heated up. There aren’t
as many haters as before, but everyone is watching.
“It’s
been pretty good, man,” Evans says of life since the belt.
“My life is… actually… excellent.”
Then,
a heavy pause.
“You
know, with being champion, there’s always stuff that’s
coming at you left and right, and you’re like, damn, it
didn’t need to be like this,” he continues. “I
wish it was like the old days.”
That
is, the days where fighting was just fighting. Though Evans’
history doesn’t run back to the old, old days, he’s
been around long enough to see money change things. And nowhere
has that been more present than his life as champ.
“When
you have so many people coming at you from different angles,
trying to tell you to do this and do that… the kind of person
I am, I give everybody the chance,” he says. “Because
I don’t know everything, and I don’t want to think
I know everything. So I listen to a lot of people, but sometimes
you can’t listen to everybody, because people don’t
always know what they’re talking about.”
Of
course, nobody asked him to be champ. Don’t cry for me,
Argentina, they’ll say. And Evans is well compensated for
his job – though maybe not as much as those in relative
fields – and reaps benefits like Microsoft and Silver Star.
But
it’s not always easy to remember that under the microscope,
and the things he says and does are public, always.
“It
is different, because you have all these expectations, people
expect you to be this way, be that way,” he says. “I
just want to be myself.”
Because
he trains with Georges St. Pierre, people think he should be
like the welterweight champion.
“People
say, Georges is like this as a champion,” says Evans. “I’m
not Georges, Georges is Georges. I don’t need to be like
him. Georges doing what he’s doing and me doing what I’m
doing are two different things. But it doesn’t make either
one of us less of a champion.”
St.
Pierre, however, has been a shoulder to lean on during the experience.
It’s his advice that Evans has listened to most.
“Georges
and I talk about it a lot,” says Evans. “Georges told
me you can’t please everybody, so don’t even try. Don’t
get so caught up in trying to appease everybody.”
While
he continues to polarize fans, Evans is focused on doing what
makes him happy and fighting without additional burdens.
“What
you need to do is worry about yourself first and foremost, and
then sort everything alone or with someone you can trust, somebody
who gives you good advice,” Evans says of St. Pierre’s
advice. “And don’t be obsessed in any one area. Don’t
be obsessed with training, don’t be obsessed with hanging
out and having a good time, partying. Have a perfect balance.”
He’ll
need balance in every sense to defend against challenger Lyoto
Machida, who appears to be one of the most unshakable fighters
in the division. Fans have already brought out the negatives
on the match-up, but Evans is unconcerned.
“I’m
not going to add any pressure to myself to say it’s going
to be this kind of fight or that kind of fight,” he said.
“I’m just going to go out there and fight my best.
I really can’t worry about what people are going to say
if they’re going to say it’s a boring fight. There’s
always been harsh critics of me, saying this, that, and the other.
If I listened to the fans every time, I wouldn’t be where
I am right now.”
And
as fans have thought of him, an underdog, so he’d like to
be remembered, whether he’s champ.
“As
somebody who was never considered the best, but ended up being
the best,” he says.
Source: MMA Weekly
|
JJ
Worlds list out
Competitors confirming presence at biggest JJ event
Sign-ups
are underway and competitors have been confirming their presence
at the event to take place from the 4th to the 7th of June, in
Long Beach, California.
And
as is the tradition, the International Jiu-Jitsu Federation (IBJJF)
provides and updated list of those signed up, thus allowing fans
to keep up with who will be battling for medals and glory in
the biggest sport Jiu-Jitsu arena there is.
Daisuke
Sugie, Reza Monfaradi, Marcel Ribeiro, Felipe Costa, Renan Borges,
Rodrigo Teixeira, Rodrigo Cavaca, Leonardo Leite, Otavio Sousa,
Rafael Lovato Jr. and Augusto Vieira are just some of the gi-clad
beasts who will be there.
Click
here for the updated list.
It
is worth noting that anyone to sign up by May 15 will enjoy the
promotional rate of US$ 111. Now those who leave signing up till
between the 16th and 26th of May will have to shell out US$ 126.
Click
here to sign up.
And
stay tuned, throughout the month of May GRACIEMAG.com will be
bringing lots of information about the Jiu-Jitsu World Championship
2009.
Source: Gracie Magazine
|
World
Pro JJ Cup: black belt semis defined
Champions to be known this Saturday
The
semifinals of the five black belt divisions of the World Pro
JJ Cup, that is taking place in Abu Dhabi, UAE, have been defined
this Friday. The day was full of great fights and lots of emotions
for Jiu-Jitsu lovers.
Under
65kg
Rubens “Cobrinha” submitted Guilherme Mendes to guarantee
his spot in the semis. He choked the opponent in the last minute
of the match. Before that, Cobrinha also submitted Marcio livio,
but with an armlock. His opponent will be Tiego Fernandes, who
beat Reza Monfaradi and Kataniwa Katsunori to get there. On the
other side of the bracket, Rafael Mendes overcame seven-times
world champion Robson Moura to be in the semis. Rafael’s
opponent will be Renato Tavares, who defeated Eliott Bayev and
Gustavo Pinto.
Under
75kg
Marcelo Garcia had no problems to be in the semifinals. With
two quick wins, he guaranteed his spot among the final four.
His opponent will be teammate Michael Langhi, who also submiited
his way to the semis. Michael Naia e Claudio Calasans will be
on the other semifinal.
Under
85kg
Victor Estima came back from a disappointing performance in the
Pan-Ams to be in the semifinals against the surprise of the event
Paulo Ricardo. The semis is completed with a match between Tarsis
Humphrys and Zumbi Lara.
Under
95kg
The category was the place for one of the great moments of the
event so far. Fábio Gurgel and Braulio Estima dwelled
for a spot in the semifinals. Braulio came out on top with a
sweep and won. He will face his teammate Lucio Rodrigues, who
struggled to beat Moacir Oliveira. The other side of the bracket
will feature Rodolfo Vieira, who beat world champion Rafael Lovato,
and Antonio Peinado, another rising star of Jiu-Jitsu.
Over
95kg
The rules of the event which prevent two athletes from the same
academy to face each other in the final, moved forward one of
the fights which would be the greatest fight of the division.
In the semifinals, Gabriel Vella will face Alexandre de Souza.
The other side will feature teammates Bento Ribeiro and Lucas
Sacchi.
Open
Class
Is underway as you read this article and you will know the result
as son as it is defined. Keep on logged to GRACIEMAG.com to find
out all the latest news of the World Pro JJ Cup.
Here
are the Open Class brackets:
Bracket 1 – left side
Gabriel
Vella vs. Anthony Peroshi
Vs.
Edmilson Conceição
Klaus
Riffel vs. Jonathan Willis
Vs.
Victor Costa
Bracket
1 – Right side
Tarsis
Humphreys vs. Tiago Braga
Vs.
Zumbi Lara
Bento
Ribeiro VS. Bernardo Magalhães
VS.
Lucio Rodrigues.
Bracket
2 – Left side
Marcelo
Garcia VS. Elmoutti Azeddine
VS.
Eduardo Santoro
Victor
Estima VS. KAtsunori Katama
VS.
Luccas Sacchis
Bracket
2 – Right side
Antonio
Peinado VS. Marcos Oliveira
VS.
Alexandre de Souza
Rafael
Lovato VS. Amar Alah
Vs.
Braulio Estima.
Source: Gracie Magazine |
Tarsis
comes up spades in absolute
First day of World Cup JJ Pro is over -- but not without lots
of action and upsets
By Luca Atalla
Friday
night was going great for Braulio Estima. On the first day of
the World Pro JJ Cup, in Abu Dhabi, the Brazilian from Pernambuco
state met with success after success, especially against opponents
from rival Alliance. His first victim was Fabio Gurgel, in the
under 95kg category. A sweep early on guaranteed Carcara’s
move into the semis, which will be disputed this Saturday. The
next challenge was the absolute.
After
going past Rafael Lovato Jr, Braulio was spared a tough Alexandre
de Souza, who wasn’t feeling well and dropped out of the
dispute. The substitution, however, came as bad news for Estima.
His next adversary was none other than Marcelo Garcia, back in
sport Jiu-Jitsu after a two-year lay-off. Marcelo had just finished
off Braulio’s brother, Victor, with a choke from the back.
In a sort of familial revenge, Carcara gave a choke right back,
but by way of a slick triangle a little over two minutes into
the bout.
Meanwhile,
at the other end of the bracket, Alliance was ruling the roost.
Gabriel Vella and Tarsis Humphreys tore through adversaries until
meeting in the semifinal. Tarsis overcame Tiago Braga and eeked
by Zumbi Lara. In the quarters, Tarsis overcame a game Bento
Ribeiro before coming up against Vella, who was coming off of
wins over Anthony Peroshi, Edmilson Conceicao and Victor Costa.
The semifinal between teammates didn’t happen and the decision
as to who would go ahead took into account the last Capital Challenge
championship, held in Jordan, at the end of 2008. On the occasion,
Tarsis opened the way for Vella.
When
the final began, a minority among those present at the Tennis
Court da Zayed Sports City believed the Paulista could triumph
over the absolute European champion. And Tarsis knew it. “I
know my recent results were not ideal, but I suffered injuries
in 2008 and needed to reformulate my training regimen. But I
always believed in my Jiu-Jitsu,” assessed Humphreys, revealing
how he paid closer attention to physical preparation: “I
started training in Sao Paulo with Edmilson Dantas, who is the
coach of Brazil’s Olympic weight lifting team.”
In
the final, Braulio took the lead with a sweep, but was unable
to develop his game, trapped in the Fabio Gurgel student’s
formidable guard. A foot attack yielded an advantage for Tarsis,
who needed two points to take the lead. With only 40 seconds
left, Braulio was punished for a lack of combativeness and needed
to get moving. That opened up the room Humphreys needed to go
for a sweep, with less the ten seconds remaining. The strategy
paid off and the ref ended the match designating two points and
the win to Tarsis by advantage. In good cheer, Gurgel joked:
“I told Braulio his house would cave in at the worst moment.”
The
Pernambucan complained about the refereeing, for the penalty
incurred and for thinking the sweep had not been stabilized for
three seconds. But, in the end, he recognized he didn’t
put up in the final what he’d been showing throughout the
day: “I had everything under control throughout the championship,
accept in the final five seconds.”
The
World Pro JJ Cup carries on this Sunday, with the semifinals
and finals of each category, for all belt groupings, white to
blue, as well as purple, brown and black. Stay tuned to GRACIEMAG.com
for find out about everything going on in Abu Dhabi.
Source: Gracie Magazine
|
Jacaré
wants war against Miller at Dream
Without
fighting since September of 2008, at Dream’s middleweight
GP final, Ronaldo “Jacaré” Souza will be back
at May 26th to fight for the belt one more time, now against
Jason Miller, who he defeated at
the tournament’s quarterfinals. In interview with TATAME.com,
Jacaré revealed he loved the fact that he’ll fight
Miller again.
"I
hope this fight to become a war. I didn’t like at all when
I fought against him... It is great that they’ve putted
me to fight against him again", says Jacaré, praising
the opponent. "He is a very strong man and flexible at the
same time. His strong point is to handle with hits and, the weak
point is that he thinks that his bones can handle anthing”,
said Jacaré. Always polemic in his interviews, Jason called
the Brazilian “asshole”, but Jacaré doesn’t
mind. "He is like that when he’s in an interview, but
I don’t care. I met him in Japan and he didn’t say
anything in front of me".
Training
hard at X-Gym, Jacaré saw the good debut of his partner
of trainings, André Galvão, at the Dream welterweight
tournament, winning his third fight by submission, against John
Alessio. "He was spectacular. He trained a lot for this
fight and gave no chance for the experienced John Alessio”,
praises Souza, pointing Hayato Sakurai, who defeated Shinya Aoki,
as the biggest threat in the Brazilian way towards the title.
Talking
about another sparring partner, Ronaldo praises Anderson Silva
for another win at the UFC, the ninth in a row, criticizing the
critics to the reign champion. "I think is unfair! Many
(people) just look at the Anderson fighter... The guy has made
history in the UFC and I'm not seeing anyone celebrating this
record of our Brazilian fighter", finalized.
Source: Tatame
|
JAMES
IRVIN VS. WILSON GOUVEIA AT UFC 102
The revolving door of fighters over the last 24 hours continues
to turn as now it appears James Irvin, who was just forced out
of his UFC 98 fight due to a knee injury, will get the chance
to fight on Aug 29 instead against American Top Team fighter,
Wilson Gouveia, at UFC 102.
The
news was confirmed to MMAWeekly.com on Friday by sources close
to the negotiations.
Gouveia
was already scheduled at UFC 102 against Team Quest fighter,
Chael Sonnen, but he was pulled from that slot and placed into
a fight at UFC 98 against Dan Miller, who lost his original opponent,
Yushin Okami, to a knee injury on Thursday.
Irvin
will return in August after a torn miniscus kept him out of his
scheduled fight for UFC 98 against Drew McFedries. The California
based fighter isn't expected to need surgery on the knee, but
will have to rehab it for approximately 5 weeks according to
his manager, Mike Roberts, who discussed the injury with MMAWeekly
Radio on Wednesday.
As
it stands now Sonnen vs. Miller is set for UFC 98, while Irvin
vs. Gouveia is a go from UFC 102 in August.
When
contacted on Thursday about some of the fight changes, Chael
Sonnen expressed an interested to fight in both May and August,
but the decision has been made to only keep him in the May fight,
and place James Irvin in his slot for August.
Source: MMA Weekly
|
Quote
of the Day
"Our
lives improve only when we take chances -
and the first and most difficult risk we can take is to be honest
with ourselves."
Walter Anderson
|
X1
World Events
Saturday, May 09, 2009
Kekuaokalni Gym, Kailua, Kona, Hawaii
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:
X1 World Events in their first ever event on the Big Island has
an action packed card lined up featuring some of Big Island’s
best talent. The live event takes place 7:00 PM Saturday May
9, 2009, at the Kekuaokalani Gym in Kailua-Kona, Hawaii.
Standout amateur and professional boxer Van Oscar Penovaroff
of Kailua-Kona will go head to head with the reigning X1 135lb
World Champion Kana Hyatt of Hilo. Penovaroff is a pure striker
with great instincts, having spent time in MMA camps on the mainland
he feels he has what it takes to keep the belt in Kailua-Kona.
Hyatt who is coming off a successful title defense over Maui’s
bantamweight king, has both the striking skills and the ground
skills necessary to keep the title around his waist where it
belongs.
The co-main event will feature two well rounded fighters both
from the Big Island. Dominic Ahnee who now resides in Maui will
return home to face off against former 155lb MMA Champion Aleka
Rincon in a lightweight matchup.
Justin Mercado of Team MMAD on Oahu will also be returning home
to the Big Island to take on the very talented and very colorful
Dave Moreno in a featherweight matchup. Both matches will be
non stop action with an exciting mix of ground and standup action.
The grudge match of the evening will pit Kona Boxing’s Pat
Fuga against the seasoned veteran Mark
Smith. These two have some unfinished business that will be settled
in exciting fashion for the Big Island MMA fans.
Also that night the always exciting Tyler Kahihikolo will go
up against Wyatt Leong of Hawaii International Boxing, and Spencer
Higa will take on Peni Taufa’ao for the X1 145lb Kickboxing
Title.
Both guys are well rounded strikers and will put it all on the
line with the hopes of capturing the vacant title.
Also that night will be an exciting Undercard featuring more
of Big Island’s top fighters.
Tickets can be purchased by calling
Big Island Surf – 808.959.2472 | 808.935.1430 | 808.885.9283
A’Ama Surf & Sport – 808.331.1777 | 808.326.7890
Pacific Island Fitness – 808.334.1977
Hilo Fight Company – 808.345.9678
CD Wizard – 808.969.4800
Christine Young
X-1 World Events Executive Director
Cell: 808-723-0504
Fax: 808-689-8866
Email: christine.x1events@gmail.com or x1events@yahoo.com
Kekuaokalani
Gym, Kona, Hawaii
Saturday, May 9, 2009
Fights Start At 7:30 Pm
135lbs World Title Match
Kana Hyatt Vs Van Oscar Penovaroff
160lbs
Mma Match
Aleka Rincon Vs Dominic Ahnee
145lbs
Mma Match
Dirty Dave Moreno Vs Justin Mercado
Shw
Mma Match
Pat Fuga Vs Mark "Da Bear" Smith
145lbs
Kick Boxing Match
Spencer Higa Vs Peni Taufaao
155lbs
Mma Match
Kevin Soong Vs Ikaika Moore
135lbs
Mma Match
Timothy Meeks Vs Nick Gersaba
145lbs
Mma Match
Levi Agcalon Vs Wally Haina
Xma
Match
Kaeo Myer Vs Malu
145lbs
Mma Match
Daniel Friend Vs Tba
145lbs
Match
Zang Van Vs Tba
140lbs
Girls Match
Shali Padilla Vs Lii Furuta
Source: Event Promoter
|
Manny
Pacquiao Blows Out Ricky Hatton in 2 Rounds
By John Novoselac at ringside for DoghouseBoxing.com
People should listen to Freddie Roach more, because lately he’s
been right on the money. Once again, Manny Pacquiao dominated
an opponent in more devastating fashion than Floyd Mayweather
Jr. Ricky Hatton was never in the fight, not for a second, and
there were only 359 of them.
It
was immediately apparent that Manny would jump on the Hitman
right away, as he entered the ring with a good sweat going. Referee
Kenny Bayless had to actually hold him back before the opening
bell. Hatton tried to apply pressure and succeeded in driving
Pac to the ropes once, but that was the extent of his success.
Hatton
tasted the canvas for the first of 3 times about midway through
the first. A right hook put Ricky down, the speed was just way
too much. He went down again shortly thereafter, this time by
a straight left.
The
look of bewilderment covered the face of the Manchester fighter.
Ricky came out and was more competitive in the 2nd round, but
Manny kept turning p the heat, and a vicious left at the last
second of the round put Hatton flat on his back. There was no
need to count, Hatton wasn’t moving anywhere for a while.
Afterwards,
Manny said, ‘I mean I am surprised that it was that easy,
but the fighter fights hard. He is strong and has a lead hand.
Our strategy was the one punch. Left hook. Right hook. That was
going to be the key to this fight. In the first round I expected
my right hook was going to be dangerous for him. He was open
and coming forward and his hands were down.’
‘I
was just doing my job in the ring and dong my best to make the
people happy. Nothing personal, I am just doing my job. I am
satisfied. I am always trying my best in the ring and make a
good impression on the people. I can fight anybody. My promoters
will handle that. I am just doing my job and training’
Freddie
Roach added, ‘Every time he throws the left hook and cocks
it, he is wide open for the right hook from the southpaw stance.
We worked on that every day in the gym and it jst worked beautifully.
I knew it was over. Ricky fights the same way over and over.
He doesn’t have the ability to adjst. I watched the tapes
over and over the last few months. I know him pretty well.
‘I
think it is (a fight with the winner of Marquez – Floyd)
a very good possibility. It is a natural fight. The fans would
want to see it. I think it would be great.’
Compubox
saw Pacman land 73 of 127 punches, with 65 power shots landed.
Hatton landed only 18 of 78, of which 16 were called power punches.
34 of 53 power shots landed for Pac in the 2nd round alone.
Official
attendance was 16, 262.
Source: Doghouse Boxing
|
Sengoku
'Eighth Battle' Play-by-Play
Saturday, May 02, 2009
Sherdog.com reports from the Yoyogi National Stadium Second Gymnasium
in Tokyo with live play-by-play of Sengoku's "Eighth Battle."
Don't
forget to check out the MMA Forums to discuss tonight's event.
The
event kicks off with the opening bout at 3 a.m. ET/12 a.m. PT
Saturday morning.
Click
here for quick results.
Hit
F5 on your keyboard to refresh often, as play-by-play is updated
in real time.
Hirotoshi
Saito vs. Yoshitaka Abe
Round 1
Saito sparks Abe with a right hook and Abe goes down on all fours.
Saito follows him down and tries to finish. Abe's instincts get
him to pull guard, and he drags Saito's head into a guillotine.
Saito pulls out, stands up and starts stomping. Abe tries to
catch a leg for a leglock, but rolls Saito onto his back instead.
Saito locks up the armbar from behind and works to pull it out.
Abe turtling up and holding on to keep it from extending. Saito
flips Abe over, and his legs get tangled in the ropes. Saito
muscles it out and Abe taps once. Referee Tomoki Matsumiya sees
the tap and stops the bout at 2:52.
Shigeki
Osawa vs. Kota Ishibashi
Round 1
Osawa tries to take Ishibashi's head right off with an uppercut.
Ishibashi is throwing in return, tags Osawa with a nice right.
Osawa double legs him off that punch and lands in half against
the ropes. Ishibashi works his legs up to go for a triangle,
but Osawa pulls out, punching all the while. Osawa stands and
lunges with a punch right into Ishibashi's guard. Ishibashi grabs
hold of Osawa's hand in an attempt to stop him from punching.
Osawa pulls out his right hand and slams a few fists into Ishibashi's
face. Ref Matsumiya repositions the fighters at the center, and
Ishibashi tries for wrist control. Osawa busies himself with
looking for shots every couple of seconds from Ishibashi's guard.
Osawa seems to have settled into the standard wrestling ground-and-pound
game. Matsumiya stands them up and gives Ishibashi a warning
for just holding on and stalling. Osawa takes him back down again
however, and this time gets a riding time position off to Ishibashi's
right side. Ishibashi is about to roll into guard, but the bell
sounds. 10-9 Osawa.
Round
2
Both trade low kicks. Ishibashi hits a hard low kick on Osawa,
then hits him with a right. They both fly at each other with
knees, and smash to each other's body, mid-air. Ishibashi tries
for another, but Osawa spears him out of the air and lands in
his guard. Referee Matsumiya calls for action as Ishibashi ties
Osawa up. Osawa passes to half guard, and throws a few harrying
punches at Ishibashi from in close. Break by Matsumiya. Matsumiya
gives Ishibashi a yellow card for stalling, and warns Osawa for
stalling. Ishibashi flies at Osawa with a flying side kick, and
Osawa evades. Osawa takes Ishibashi back down against the ropes.
Ishibashi tries to scramble to his feet, but Osawa grabs a hold
of his head and forces him back down. Ishibashi pulls Osawa back
into guard and holds onto his wrists. Osawa yanks his hands out
and stands. Ishibashi grabs Osawa's foot—apparently, Osawa's
wrestling shoes are giving Ishibashi the grip to hold onto them
and look for a leg lock. Osawa scrambling to escape, but his
legs are tied up in Ishibashi's. At the last ten seconds, Osawa
attempts to sit up, over Ishibashi. Bell. 10 – 8 Osawa (owing
to Ishibashi's yellow card).
Official
judges:
Masanori Ohashi: 20-18 Osawa
Tenshin Matsumoto: 20-19 Osawa
Gen Isono: 20-19 Osawa
Maximo
Blanco vs. Akihiko Mori
Round 1
Blanco rushes forward and gets a trip takedown on the heels of
some punches and a clinch against the ropes. From guard, Mori
slaps on an armbar that deep. Blanco rolls to escape danger,
and ends up on the back of his opponent. Blanco, whose nose is
dripping blood, punches the head with his right hand until referee
Yoshinori Umeki stands the fighters. Blanco drops Mori with a
left hook and immediately stomps the face of his downed foe in
brutal fashion. Mori recovers and stands, where he eats another
solid left hand. Blanco misses a flying knee, but lands a spinning-back
kick. Blanco lands a right hook that buckles Mori’s knees.
The Japanese fighter collapses to the canvas and is soccer-kicked
in the face by Blanco’s left foot. Mori is out and the kick
was illegal. Stoms are allowed in Sengoku, but soccer kicks are
not. Blanco is disqualified, and Mori takes the win after being
knocked out at 4:20 of the first.
Travis
Wiuff vs. Stanislav Nedkov
Round 1
Wiuff muscles Nedkov to the canvas but both fighters stand quickly.
Nedkov knees Wiuff on the groin protector and time is called.
Referee Tomoki Matsumiya gives Wiuff a short reprieve and the
action is back on. Wiuff bullies in and clinches with Nedkov
against the ropes. Nedkov knees the body and thigh while Wiuff
works an over-under. Matsumiya breaks the fighters and Wiuff
is hit again on the cup as soon as they are restarted. Wiuff
screams in pain and falls to the canvas. Nedkov is given a red
card. After several minutes of squirming on the ground, Wiuff
stands and the fight is back on. Wiuff rushes in to clinch and
they are separated quickly. Nedkov steps forward with a wild
flurry of punches and we’re back to the clinch. Nedkov smacks
Wiuff’s cup squarely. Nedkov is given a second red card.
A third red card will result in a disqualification. After another
clinch fest, a fight breaks out with both fighters winging leather.
A right hand knocks an off-balanced Wiuff to the floor, where
Nedkov punches the head from his opponent’s closed guard.
Jordan
Breen scores the round: 9-8 Wiuff
Tony Loiseleur scores the round: 9-8 Wiuff
Mike Fridley scores the round: 9-8 Wiuff
Round
2
The fighters clinch and Wiuff gets off a nice slam as he deposits
Nedkov to the floor. Wiuff stays busy with short punches from
both hands on the inside from Nedkov’s guard. Wiuff passes
to half guard, and just when it looked like he was putting something
together, the fighters are stood. It’s a poor judgment call
by Matsumiya. Nedkov cracks Wiuff with a right hand that shakes
his frame. Wiuff shakes it off and gets a guillotine in a scramble
from the top position. Nedkov escapes and goes to a butterfly
guard.
Jordan
Breen scores the round: 10-9 Wiuff
Tony Loiseleur scores the round: 10-9 Wiuff
Mike Fridley scores the round: 10-9 Wiuff
Round
3
Nedkov puts Wiuff down with a right-hand counter. Nedkov pounces
with punches as his downed opponent is tied up in the ropes.
Matsumiya watches closely and saves Wiuff at 0:42 of the final
round.
Makoto
Takimoto vs. Michael Costa
Round 1
Takimoto checks two Costa leg kicks. Make it three. Costa attempts
a flying knee that grazes the head. Takimoto grabs a leg and
works for a takedown as Costa holds onto a guillotine choke.
Takimoto moves to half guard and side control, where he sets
up a beautiful armbar. Costa stays calm and frees his arm. Costa
escapes danger and goes for a toe hold. Takimoto grabs a foot
and the fighters trade leg locks. Takimoto switches to the other
foot and secures a tapout with a mean heel hook at 3:31 of round
one.
"I
was thinking that if I lost this fight, I'd think about retiring,"
said Takimoto.
Costa
stated that he would like to fight in Japan again, and offered
Takimoto a Bible. Takimoto returned to the ring and embraced
the gift.
Marlon
Sandro vs. Nick Denis
Round 1
Sandro makes extremely quick work of Denis. A right uppercut
and a left hook floor Denis. Several right hands in violent succession
force referee Kenichi Serizawa to intervene at 0:19 of the opening
frame.
Chan
Sung Jung vs. Masanori Kanehara
Round 1
Kanehara works a jab and pieces together a punching combination
that is punctuated with a kick to the body. Kanehara gets the
bout’s first takedown and begins to work from half-guard.
Kanehara has Jung’s right hand tied up from the far side
but he does little with the offensive position. Jung ties up
the head and Kanehara elbows the thigh from on top. Referee Serizawa
stands the fighters and issues Jung a warning for stalling. Kanehara
eats a knee to the body before getting a quick takedown. Jung
sweeps and stands before the round closes.
Jordan
Breen scores the round: 10-9 Kanehara
Tony Loiseleur scores the round: 10-9 Kanehara
Mike Fridley scores the round: 10-9 Kanehara
Round
2
Jung lands a solid knee to the body and stuffs a takedown attempt.
Kanehara drives forward on the shot and the fighters get caught
in the ropes. Serizawa frees them and stands the fighters. A
slugfest plays out with Jung getting the best of the wild exchange.
Kanehara gets a takedown and fights off an omaplata. From the
bottom, Jung fires upkicks that narrowly miss their target. Kanehara
gets a little cute from the top position and Jung secures an
armbar. The hold is deep, but Kanehara smoothly escapes. Jung
attempts another armbar that fails. Jung’s guard has improved
vastly. Jung stands and Kanehara works for a single. Jung pushes
the head down and fights off a heel hook as Kanehara dropped
to his back.
Jordan
Breen scores the round: 10-9 Jung
Tony Loiseleur scores the round: 10-9 Kanehara
Mike Fridley scores the round: 10-9 Jung
Round
3
Jung doesn’t want to touch gloves to start the final frame.
He walks forward with his hands down and throws a head kick so
uncontrolled that his leg gets tied up in the ropes. Kanehara
hops on top and begins to work from half guard. Kanehara briefly
gets to side control, where he lands a few knees to the head
before being put in full guard. From his back, Jung works for
a triangle and uses it to stand when it’s defended. Kanehara
wants to keep the fight on the floor and he succeeds. However,
Jung is not to be denied. From his back, Jung blasts Kanehara
with two kicks. Kanehara stands and is hit with a knee flush
on the chin. Kanehara drops to his back and is punished by Jung.
With 10 seconds remaining, Kanehara works for a heel hook.
Jordan
Breen scores the round: 10-9 Jung
Tony Loiseleur scores the round: 10-9 Jung
Mike Fridley scores the round: 10-9 Jung
Official
judges:
Ohashi: 30-29 Kanehara
Matsumoto: 30-29 Kanehara
Isono: 29-28 Kanehara
Alexandre
Ribeiro vs. Keiichiro Yamamiya
Round 1
Ribeiro lazily works for a single. Referee Yoshinori Umeki watches
closely and separates the fighters. Ribeiro rushes forward with
punches and gets an easy slam takedown. Ribeiro doesn’t
waste much time before moving to mount. Ribeiro shows a good
base as he postures up to tee off with punches. Yamamiya gives
up his back to avoid punishment. Ribeiro goes back to the mount
and spins for an armbar. The hold is tight but he runs out of
time.
Jordan
Breen scores the round: 10-9 Ribeiro
Tony Loiseleur scores the round: 10-9 Ribeiro
Mike Fridley scores the round: 10-9 Ribeiro
Round
2
Ribeiro dives in for a single-leg takedown. Yamamiya pushes the
head down and defends well. Umeki restarts the fight in the center
of the ring and Ribeiro slaps his opponent with a head kick.
Ribeiro bends over for another single and again the referee steps
in to break a stalemate. Both fighters look sloppy on their feet,
but Yamamiya is assuming control as he stalks the Brazilian around
the ring. Yamamiya lands a body shot and a right hand. Ribeiro
is winging haymakers that are missing by yards. Ribeiro catches
a flying-knee attempt and deposits Yamamiya on the ground. Just
before the horn sounds, Ribeiro takes the mount.
Jordan
Breen scores the round: 10-10
Tony Loiseleur scores the round: 10-9 Ribeiro
Mike Fridley scores the round: 10-9 Ribeiro
Round
3
Ribeiro steps forward and the fighters trade punches. Both land
solid. Ribeiro exits the exchange to catch his breath and times
a clean right-hook counter on the chin. Yamamiya folds and Ribeiro
pounces with right hands until Umeki pulls him off at 0:51 of
the third.
Leonardo
Santos vs. Kazunori Yokota
Round 1
Low kicks are traded through the bout’s opening minute.
Santos ducks under a Yokota right hand and scores a takedown.
Yokota gives up his back and Santos quickly sinks in both hooks.
Yokota controls the hands and defends his neck until he spins
to take the top position. To the body with left hands goes Yokota.
Santos is showing an offensive guard, but he is unable to mount
a deep attack. Yokota stomps the head and rains down punches
in the round’s final 30 seconds, landing clean on several
occasions. With just seconds remaining, Santos is close to locking
on a triangle.
Jordan
Breen scores the round: 10-9 Yokota
Tony Loiseleur scores the round: 10-9 Yokota
Mike Fridley scores the round: 10-9 Yokota
Round
2
Santos turns up the heat with a grazing punch and a jumping knee
that nearly connects with the chin. Yokota uses the close distance
to score a takedown. Yokota remains active from the top, punching
closely and landing a knee to the head from Santo’s extremely
long open guard. Santos sweeps and ends up on top. Santos takes
the mount and lands a few punches before transitioning to Yokota’s
back. He goes briefly to mount and then to the back again. Yokota
turns into his opponent and takes the top.
Jordan
Breen scores the round: 10-9 Yokota
Tony Loiseleur scores the round: 10-10
Mike Fridley scores the round: 10-10
Round
3
To the clinch goes the fighters to start round three. Yokota
tries to drag Santos to the canvas, but he has none of it. Yokota
knees the body and thigh until referee Samio Kimura restarts
the action. Yokoto lands a clean front kick and a right hand.
Santos reveres a shot and takes the top position. From half guard,
Santos tries diligently to free his trapped leg and he gets it
out. Now in the mount, Santos is warned for punching the back
of Yokota’s head as the Japanese fighter squirmed to avoid
the blows. Yokota bid his time on the floor and found an avenue
for a sweep. The final 40 seconds is all Yokota from the top
with punches.
Jordan
Breen scores the round: 10-10
Tony Loiseleur scores the round: 10-9 Santos
Mike Fridley scores the round: 10-9 Yokota
Official
judges:
Ohashi: 30-28 Yokota
Matsumoto: 30-29 Yokota
Isono: 29-28 Santos
Nam
Phan vs. Michihiro Omigawa
Round 1
Omigawa gets an easy takedown but immediately has to fight off
a heel hook from Phan. Omigawa defends but loses his position.
Omigawa gets up and takes top in a four-point stance, where he
knees the head. Omigawa plays with a guillotine and then gives
it up to knee the head again. He switches back and fourth from
the guillotine to standard head control. Phan gets to his feet
and lands a solid body shot. Omigawa throws a left hand and then
shakes it off, as if he hurt it while bouncing it off Phan’s
right glove. Omigawa absolutely tees off with punches against
the ropes. Lefts and rights connect at will. Phan connects with
another body shot before being taken back down. Omigawa lands
a hard knee to the head and a few punches. Phan is hurt, but
defending. Referee Yoshinori Umeki watches closely as Phan defends
and secures his guard. With eight seconds left in the round,
Umeki steps in as Omigawa continued to rain down punches. The
stoppage was unnecessary. Phan complains little, but this fight
should still be going.
Hatsu
Hioki vs. Ronnie Mann
Round 1
Hioki reaches for an inside trip and Mann defends beautifully.
Mann isn’t so lucky on Hioki’s second try, as Mann
finds himself under Hioki on the canvas. Hioki works on a brabo
choke but lets it go to take the mount. From the top, Hioki sets
up a triangle and it’s deep. Hioki goes to his back to finish
the hold. Hioki bashes the face of his foe with both of his hands
until Mann taps out at 3:09 of round one due to the triangle
and punches.
Source:
Sherdog
|
Demian
happy about shot at Marquardt
Black belt also comments on Anderson against Griffin
Carlos Ozorio / Portal das Lutas
On
taking off for the United States, Demian Maia commented that
he would return from the country knowing who his opponent for
his next bout would be. Said and done, the one chosen the UFC
headmen is Nate Marquardt. The fight takes place August 29, at
UFC 102, in the United States. Undefeated in MMA, with five submissions
in the Ultimate Fighting Championship, Demian approved of the
stalwart he has ahead of him.
“I
think the guy’s great. It’s a great fight for me, a
great test and a match that will help build me,” he said
to Portal das Lutas. “He’s a real well-rounded fighter,
good at everything. A really aggressive fighter.
Contenders
to dispute the belt, the Brazilian believes the one to win the
fight will have the next shot at Anderson Silva.
“I
think so. I believe the winner of this match will become a candidate
for Anderson,” commented Demian, who is preparing for the
challenge just as he always does: “I’ll train like
I always do. I start in Brazil and finish up in the United States,
with Rafael Alejarra and Wanderlei.”
On
the category champion’s next challenge, a superfight against
Forrest Griffin, Demian believes it will be a great bout.
“The
fight between Forrest and Anderson is unpredictable, but it will
be really good. Anderson has a lot of the tools he would need
to win, because he’s an excellent striker and also has really
good Jiu-Jitsu. But Forrest always puts the effort in and, even
when he starts badly, he manages to rally back, as well as being
really well rounded. It’s going to be a great fight to watch,”
he finished.
Source:
Gracie Magazine
|
Jose
Canseco to Collide with Choi in Super Hulk Tournament
by Jordan Breen
Although
the featherweights were thought to be the center of attention
for Dream 9, parent company Fighting and Entertainment Group
has added another tournament focal point on the other side of
the scales.
In
a true Japanese mixed martial arts-style spectacle, FEG has announced
its second tournament series of 2009: an eight-man open-weight
competition that includes Major League Baseball bad boy Jose
Canseco and has been christened the Super Hulk Tournament.
Four
quarter-final bouts are slated for Dream 9 on May 26 at the Yokohama
Arena in Yokohama, Japan, pitting fighters of all shapes and
sizes against one another.
The
opening round of the Super Hulk draw will see middleweight Ikuhisa
Minowa play a familiar David role against Goliath Bob Sapp; Pride
Fighting Championships and UFC veteran Rameau Thierry Sokoudjou
will square off with K-1 veteran Jan Nortje; former Dream middleweight
titleholder Gegard Mousasi will meet 2001 K-1 World Grand Prix
champion Mark Hunt; and South Korean super heavyweight Hong Man
Choi will face Canseco.
Minowa
(41-30-8) is coming off of a disappointing decision loss to professional
wrestling convert Katsuyori Shibata at Dream 8, while Sapp (10-3-1)
has not seen action since he stopped amateur wrestling convert
Akihito Tanaka -- under his now-infamous Kinniku Mantaro costume
-- on New Year’s Eve. Sokoudjou (5-4), loser of three of
his last four, was submitted in the second stanza by Renato "Babalu"
Sobral at Affliction’s “Day of Reckoning” in January.
The 6-foot-11 Nortje (2-5), despite being stopped in consecutive
K-1 bouts by Peter Aerts and Bjorn Bregy, was victorious in his
last MMA venture in February 2008, as he stopped fellow tournament
competitor Sapp in 55 seconds inside the Strikeforce promotion.
The
23-year-old Mousasi (24-2-1) -- one of MMA’s hottest prospects
after his 6-0 blitz in 2008 that saw him take Dream’s middleweight
grand prix by storm -- recently vacated his Dream 183-pound throne
in order to move up to 205 pounds and beyond. He has not fought
since winning the crown by polishing off Melvin Manhoef and Ronaldo
"Jacare" Souza in September. Hunt (5-5), 35, has lost
his last four MMA bouts. He was shockingly knocked out by the
aforementioned Manhoef in just 18 seconds on Dec. 31.
New
Year’s Eve also marked the last action for the 7-foot-2
Choi (1-2), who was chopped down with leg kicks by Mirko "Cro
Cop" Filipovic in the first round. Canseco, 44, has never
competed in MMA, despite reported backgrounds in tae kwon do
and muay Thai. The steroid whistleblower’s most prominent
combat sports forays have come in celebrity boxing exhibitions.
Canseco was knocked out in the first round of his bout with former
NFL special teams maven Vai Sikahema in July and fought to a
three-round majority draw with former child star Danny Bonaduce
in January. He played for seven teams in his 17-year career in
the major leagues and ranks 32nd on the all-time list with 463
home runs.
Dream
event producer Keiichi Sasahara did not reveal any additional
details on the tournament’s structure and scheduling for
future rounds. However, Sasahara did promise a 15.0-percent television
rating for Dream 9, the promotion’s first primetime broadcast
of 2009 on the Tokyo Broadcasting System. In the promotion’s
inaugural year, Dream garnered only paltry ratings in a flagging
Japanese MMA market, pulling ratings of 8.9, 10.0 and 9.0 for
its three primetime broadcasts. The strongest ratings star of
Dream’s last two primetime broadcasts was Yoshihiro Akiyama,
who has since left the promotion and signed with the UFC.
The
Dream 9 telecast will be supported by a boxing lead-in, which
will feature Japan’s most popular combat sports commodity,
Daisuke Naito, defending his WBC 112-pound title against China’s
Xiong Zhao Zhong. Naito has routinely drawn in the 25.0 rating
range since he took his title from Thai rival Pongsaklek Wonjongkam
in July 2007. Naito’s last defense, an 11th-round stoppage
of countryman Shingo Yamaguchi in December, drew a 25.6 rating
on TBS.
Source:
Sherdog
|
Miller
Looking to Make Statement May 23rd
Middleweight Ready to Face Top Contender in Okami
By Kelsey Mowatt
The
challenges continue to build for Dan Miller, as after going a
perfect 3-0 since arriving in the UFC last fall, the former IFL
middleweight champion will next test his abilities against established
contender Yushin Okami. The bout, which will take place at UFC
98, May 23rd, in Las Vegas, Nevada, will present Miller a fantastic
opportunity to entrench is own status in the upper rankings of
the middleweight division.
“I
was excited, just really excited,” Miller (11-1) told FCF,
when asked for his reaction upon finding out Okami would be his
next opponent. “It’s a big opportunity for me and it’s
a big step up in my career. The fact the UFC thinks I’m
capable of competing with Yushin is pretty awesome.”
Okami
(23-4) has long been the focal point of speculation as to whether
or not the UFC will grant the Japanese veteran a shot at current
champ Anderson Silva. Although a lingering hand injury sidelined
Okami’s title aspirations last year, at the end of the day,
the judoka has gone 7-1 thus far during his UFC tenure. Despite
holding wins over notable competitors like Mike Swick and Alan
Belcher, Okami’s conservative fighting style is likely on
the of key factors, as to why he remains somewhat removed from
the promotion’s spotlight.
“I
thought as a fan he deserved a shot,” said Miller. “I
can see where they’re (UFC) coming from too. They want to
put on exciting fights and Yushin’s fights haven’t
exactly been entertaining. But, you know, I’m sure he’s
capable of putting on a good fight.”
Despite
not being a highlight reel factory, Okami’s takedown defense,
strength and punishing ground-and-pound, can present any 185lb.
fighter considerable difficulties.
“From
what I’ve seen and from what I’ve heard, he’s
extremely strong,” Miller told FCF. “He’s got
a great clinch and he’s very good on top. If I get taken
down and he’s on top, he might be able to control me. But
I’m pretty confident in my abilities off my back, it’s
not like I’ve never been there before.”
“I
really don’t know what his plan is,” Miller added,
while discussing Okami’s possible game-plan. “From
what I’ve seen I think he’ll probably come in and stand
with me for a little bit. Because he’s dominant on top,
I think he’ll probably try to put it there.”
But
as mentioned earlier, Miller has also been impressive during
his brief stint in the UFC, demonstrating an advanced jiu-jitsu
skill set throughout his three victories.
“My
game-plan is to implement mine basically,” Miller stated.
“It’s basically the same game-plan that I’ve always
had, which is to go in punch him in the face, and if I feel the
need to take to him the ground, I will try to do that. Obviously
I would like to put him on his back at some point in the fight.”
Miller
is coming off a quick tap-out victory over middleweight prospect
Jake Rosholt. At Fight Night 17 in February, Miller submitted
the renowned collegiate wrestler with a guillotine choke at 1:03
of round one.
“I
think it did,” Miller said, when asked if he thought his
most recent performance helped line up his shot at Okami. “It
was a good opponent for me. It showed that I could beat a great
wrestler. I definitely think it helped my career out a bit.”
And
as far as Miller’s training camp?
“Basically
the same. All the fighters at the AMA fight club; still working
with Martin Rooney, Mike Constantino, Jamie Cruz, still working
with my brother (Jim). I’ve been lucky that Frankie Edgar
and Chris Liguori have been coming out, helping me get ready.
It’s been good.”
Source:
Full Contact Fighter
|
ED
HERMAN REPLACES YUSHIN OKAMI AT UFC 98
by Damon Martin
A
change has been made to the upcoming card for UFC 98 as Yushin
Okami has been forced off the show with a torn ligament in his
knee. Team Quest fighter Ed Herman has been tapped as a replacement
to face New Jersey native, Dan Miller, as confirmed to MMAWeekly.com
on Thursday by sources close to the fight.
A
certain level of disappointment has to be felt surrounding Okami's
exit as the Japanese fighter has long been considered a top contender
in the 185-pound division, and with a win may have been in line
for a shot at champion Anderson Silva.
Okami
holds the last win over the Brazilian, a 2006 fight that ended
in a disqualification while the two were competing for the Rumble
on the Rock promotion.
Dan
Miller, who trains out of the AMA Fight Club in New Jersey, currently
holds a 3-0 record in the Octagon, with his last win coming over
former NCAA champion wrestler turned MMA fighter Jake Rosholt
in February.
The
former IFL middleweight champion will look to keep his win streak
alive when he faces former "Ultimate Fighter" season
3 finalist Ed Herman.
Herman
enters the May 23 contest fresh off of a UFC 97 win over popular
Canadian fighter David Loiseau just two weeks ago. Before the
win, Herman had been on a two-fight losing streak, but he rebounded
with the win over Loiseau.
There
has been no official word from the UFC about the change, or if
the match-up will remain on the main card or be moved to the
preliminary portion of the pay-per-view broadcast.
Source:
MMA Weekly
|
WEC
Finalizes WEC 41 Line-up for June 7
Las
Vegas, NV (USA) – World Extreme Cagefighting® proudly
confirms the remaining bouts for WEC: Brown vs. Faber II live
from ARCO Arena in Sacramento, CA on Sunday, June 7.
Tickets
for Brown vs. Faber II are on sale now and priced at $40, $75,
$135, and $200. Tickets may be purchased by calling Ticketmaster
Charge-By-Phone at 1-800-745-3000 or by visiting the ARCO Arena
Box Office. Tickets also are available online through www.wec.tv
or www.ticketmaster.com.
Presented
by Bud Light®, Brown vs. Faber II will be televised nationally
live on VERSUS beginning at 9:00 p.m. ET/6:00 p.m. PT. All of
the network’s live WEC events are presented in HD and Spanish
language SAP where available. For more information and how to
find VERSUS in your local viewing area, visit http://www.versus.com/findversus.
In
addition to the featherweight title bout between champion Mike
Brown (21-4) and Sacramento’s Urijah Faber (22-2), nine
other bouts round out a stacked card in California.
Before
Brown and Faber lock horns in one of the most anticipated fights
in WEC history, featherweight contenders Jose Aldo and Cub Swanson
do battle in a bout that may very well determine the next in
line for a title shot. Undefeated in the WEC at 4-0 with four
knockout victories, the Brazilian Aldo (14-1) has cemented himself
as a rising star in the 145-pound division. In his last fight
in March, the 22-year-old scored a menacing first-round stoppage
victory over Chris Mickle. He’ll put his winning streak
on the line against gifted ground expert Swanson. A winner of
three out of his last four bouts, Swanson (13-2) is a gritty
performer with a knack for submissions. No stranger to fighting
through adversity, Swanson waged war with Hiroyuki Takaya in
his last bout in December and earned an impressive, unanimous
decision victory. The 25-year-old Californian will look to get
one step closer to the featherweight title with a win over Aldo.
Donald
“Cowboy” Cerrone (9-1, 1 NC) hopes a June win over
undefeated newcomer James Krause (10-0) earns him another shot
at the WEC lightweight title. Having come ever so close to defeating
champion Jamie Varner in January, the heavy-handed Cerrone believes
a win over Missouri’s Krause will solidify a second title
opportunity. The task of beating Krause will not be easy though.
With 10 stoppage victories, only one of which went past the first
round, the submission-savvy Krause will look to outgun “Cowboy”
at the ARCO Arena.
One
of the sport’s most recognizable personalities returns at
Brown vs. Faber II to take on one of MMA’s best prospects.
Former UFC lightweight champion and MMA legend Jens Pulver (22-11-1)
enters the cage on a mission to knock off once-beaten Bostonian
Josh Grispi (12-1). Only a year removed from pushing Faber to
the limit in Sacramento last June, the 34-year-old Pulver vows
to show the knockout power and pedigree that have made him one
of the most feared strikers in the world. The 20-year-old Grispi
understands Pulver’s thirst for a knockout and is prepared
to trade leather with the future Hall of Famer. A refined striker
with an equally competent ground game, Grispi hopes to build
a legacy of his own by defeating Pulver.
The
Ultimate Fighter® Season Five runner-up Manvel Gamburyan
(10-5) makes his WEC featherweight debut when he takes on unbeaten
John Franchi (5-0). Known for his judo throws and effectiveness
inside an opponent’s guard, Hollywood, California’s
Gamburyan drops to 145-pounds and becomes an instant contender
at featherweight. He hopes to make a great first impression against
the 26-year-old Franchi. Training out of Cortland, NY, Franchi
earned a hard-fought decision victory over Mike Budnik in his
WEC debut in March. Riding the momentum of his first WEC win,
Franchi plans to offer Gamburyan a rude welcome to the 145-pound
class when the two collide in June.
Exciting
bantamweights Kyle Dietz (13-0) and Charlie Valencia (10-5) meet
in what many think could be a free-swinging barnburner. Fighting
out of Bettendorf, IA, Dietz has quickly gained a steady following
on the Midwest bantamweight scene. A punishing ground fighter
with crisp standup, Dietz is looking to make a name for himself
in the WEC by besting the veteran Valencia. A seasoned fighter
with good wrestling and one punch knockout power, Valencia believes
he can use his experience to outwit and overpower the 22-year-old
Dietz. Recording a unanimous decision win over Seth Dikun in
his last bout in January, Ontario, California’s Valencia
is determined to move himself another rung up the bantamweight
ladder with a win on June 7.
Anthony
Pettis (6-0) brings his ferocious standup game to the WEC lightweight
division with hopes of one day fighting for the title. The 22-year-old,
nicknamed “Showtime,” will face a stern test in his
WEC debut when he takes on the powerful Mike Campbell (6-1).
A certified strength and conditioning coach who trains at Mark
DellaGrote’s famed SitYodTong gym in Massachusetts, Campbell
has devastating hands and the stamina to outlast most opponents.
The former welterweight looks to make a splash in the 155-pound
division when he takes on Pettis at ARCO Arena.
Fighting
out of “The Pit” in San Luis Obispo, California, bantamweight
Antonio Banuelos (16-5) brings an aggressive ground-and-pound
game into his bout against the rugged Scott Jorgensen (6-2).
A close friend and training partner of former UFC light heavyweight
champion Chuck Liddell, the 29-year-old Banuelos is ready to
emulate “The Iceman’s” success. With heavy hands
and a solid wrestling background, Banuelos hopes a win will show
that he has the skill sets to contend for the world title. With
two straight victories over Kenji Osawa and Frank Gomez, the
26-year-old Jorgensen could be Banuelos’s toughest match
to date though. Touting excellent wrestling, supreme conditioning,
and a relentless approach, Jorgensen is a dangerous competitor
capable of ending the fight both on the ground and on the feet.
Training
under the tutelage of Greg Jackson, the same man who shaped the
careers of stars such as Keith Jardine, Rashad Evans, and Georges
St-Pierre, 23-year-old Frank Gomez (6-1) has proved himself to
be a rising prospect in the bantamweight division. The Las Vegas-born
Gomez looks to earn his first win in the WEC when he takes on
former 135-pound champion Eddie Wineland (14-6-1). A full-time
firefighter in Indiana, Wineland’s strength and aggressiveness
have posed problems for many of the 24-year-old’s past opponents.
With solid hands and a slick ground game, Wineland hopes a win
over Gomez puts him back on track to reclaim the bantamweight
crown.
Victorville,
California’s Seth Dikun (6-3) is a tough matchup for anyone
at 135 pounds. Standing 5’10” and boasting a significant
reach, the former member of the Armed Forces is a scrappy fighter
who loves to engage. His willingness to trade punches will be
put to the test when he battles Chula Vista, California’s
Rolando Perez (4-2-1). Training in the same camp as UFC vet Brandon
Vera and WEC featherweight Dominick Cruz, Perez is cutting to
bantamweight with the aim of fighting the top stars in the division.
Given that both share an affinity for striking, the Dikun-Perez
clash could become an instant classic.
Source:
Fight Network
|
Marlon
wants more submissions at
By Erik Engelhart
With
a stand up triangle choke, Marlon Sandro secured his first victory
in Sengoku and presence in the second stage of the Sengoku featherweight
tournament pena weight of the event, which happens this weekend
in Tokyo, Japan. In the next phase of the GP, the Brazilian will
face the tough Nick Diaz. Expert in striking, the "Ninja
of Love" is unbeaten in his career - like Marlon -, and
won most fights by knockout in the first round.
The
Brazilian fighter was training hard and suffered a contusion
on the back that toke him out of the fight for a week, but he
guaranteed that’s already back to the trainings and ready:
"I had an inflammation on the back, I had to stop the training
for a week. I made a specific training in the pool and took anti-inflammatory,
but now I’m well", said the black belt, who pretends
to take the Canadian down.
"As
Nick’s specialty is Muay Thai, I pretend to take the fight
to the ground, trying to submit. He must be training ground,
but it isn’t the same thing. I want to get the same done
of the last fight", said the black belt of Nova União
team, also training the striking for this bout. "The standing
part I'm training too, I train Boxing with Giovane Diniz, Muay
Thai with Johnny Eduardo and Felipe Olivieri and train ground
with Leonardo Santos, Marcelino Freitas and others. Thank God
I'm 100% focused for this fight", ended.
Source:
Tatame
|
DREAM
announces 'Super Hulk Tournament'
In
what will likely stand as the most outrageous tournament in mixed
martial arts history, DREAM has announced the "Super Hulk
Tournament" for DREAM.9 taking place May 26 in Yokohama,
Japan.
Where
else would you find in the same tournament the eclectic mix of
Bob Sapp, Jose Canseco, Gegard Mousasi, Rameau Thierry Sokoudjou
and Hong Man Choi?
Those
are among the names booked for an eight-man open-weight tournament
that will span three events.
Light-heavyweight
Ikuhisa “Minowaman” Minowa will continue his quest
against opponents twice his size when he faces off against the
near 400-pound Bob Sapp.
And
for an even stranger matchup, former MLB baseball player Jose
Canseco will make his mixed martial arts debut against seven-foot-two
Hong-Man Choi.
Rameau
Thierry Sokoudjou will take on kickboxer Jan Nortje. Besides
the size disadvantage Norte is a perfect matchup for Sokoudjou,
whose biggest weakness is on the ground.
Gegard
Mousasi, who vacated his DREAM middleweight title, will fight
2001 K-1 World GP champ Mark Hunt.
Source:
MMA Fighting
|
Meet
the Man Behind Sengoku
by Tony Loiseleur
TOKYO
-- Sengoku made its debut in early 2008 in the shadow of Dream,
Pride Fighting Championships’ spiritual successor. To the
skeptical and jaded fan base abroad, Sengoku looked like just
another big-money venture destined to fall into obscurity in
the shrinking Japanese mixed martial arts market.
Almost
six months later, the scene changed. Kicking off its lightweight
and middleweight tournaments, Sengoku suddenly transformed from
“that other Japanese promotion” into a true proving
ground for the world’s best talents not yet signed by the
UFC or Dream.
Sengoku
finally found a direction, and, refreshingly, it was not what
the MMA community had come to expect from watching Japanese shows
promoted by Dream and Pride.
“Pride
had great competition during its time, but K-1 and Dream lean
toward garnering television ratings and entertaining the masses,”
Sengoku representative Takahiro Kokuho said. “For us, Sengoku
is a competition. We want it to be real sport. We want to find
out who really is the strongest, so we search the world over
for new prospects, so we do not end up relying on fighters who
are just big names or are names that are past their prime.”
For
better or worse, Japanese MMA has always been tied to the ghost
of professional wrestling, which explains its spectacle-oriented
promotional practices. Thus, Kokuho’s words are a surprising
revelation for a promoter of a major Japanese show. Though billed
as public relations director of Sengoku parent company World
Victory road, Kokuho’s title can be misleading. He is the
brains -- and brawn -- behind Sengoku.
Booking
venues, rallying sponsor support, negotiating with camps, forging
relationships with grass-roots promotions and visiting the smaller
shows to scout talent -- Kokuho does it all, making him one of
the busiest men in all of Japanese MMA.
In
addition, Kokuho owns and directs J-Rock, a management company
representing athletes, entertainers and fighters, such as Hidehiko
Yoshida, Kazuhiro Nakamura, Makoto Takimoto and Michihiro Omigawa.
As the manager of notable Japanese fighters in a promotion still
working to garner mainstream support, no one could blame Kokuho
for tossing softballs at his charges. Most might expect it.
“To
be honest, I’d really like it if a Japanese fighter could
win our featherweight grand prix,” Kokuho said, “but
to book easy opponents against our Japanese fighters will not
make them great. Even if they win, their value doesn’t rise,
and they don’t learn anything. Since this is a tournament,
they’ll eventually meet up with strong fighters anyway,
so why not let them face each other now?”
When
the first lineup for Sengoku’s featherweight tournament
was revealed, fans were surprised to see compelling matchups
from the outset. Recent high school graduate Tetsuya Yamada faced
his stiffest test yet in Ronnie Mann; tournament favorite Hatsu
Hioki squared off against then undefeated American Top Team prospect
Chris Manuel; and J-Rock’s own Omigawa met rising featherweight
force L.C. Davis. While Yamada put forth a valiant effort in
defeat and Hioki amazed with technical dominance, the often-overlooked
Omigawa’s stock rose when he pitched an unexpected three-round
shutout against Davis.
“In
the past, the Japanese MMA audiences couldn’t really tell
if star fighters were being challenged by their opponents, but
these days, their eyes are not as forgiving, so we have to be
more diligent in booking,” Kokuho said. “Take, for
example, Wanderlei Silva. While he is certainly a very strong
fighter, in the beginning, they lined up many weak Japanese fighters
for him for a very long time. They just lined them up. During
his career in Japan, he only had strong competition every so
often. Whenever he fought someone that could challenge him, he
took them to decisions and sometimes lost. This also explains
his performance now in the UFC.”
Kokuho’s
scientific matchmaking may be a boon to dedicated fans of the
sport, but history has taught that catering to the hardcore base
is not feasible when it comes to attracting the new viewers needed
to pay the bills.
“We
don’t want to only cater to one side or the other,”
Kokuho said. “We want to keep the hardcore fans while slowly
expanding beyond them to add more.
“In
March, we had the [James] Thompson-[Jim] York fight on the same
event as our featherweight tournament, and that was it for show-style
bouts on that card,” he added. “We won’t be doing
things like Bob Sapp-Kinniku Mantaro, however, because while
that draws a lot of attention, it hasn’t proven to keep
people interested beyond that fight, and it drives hardcore fans
away. Our formula is like introducing new fans to water, then
giving them cola. Afterward, when you give them water again,
they’ll realize how much better it is for them.”
It
seems like a logical modus operandi, but for now, Sengoku still
lags behind Dream, which has experienced a drop in popular interest.
Kokuho paints a wider picture.
“When
we’ve surveyed people in the city about martial arts, 80
to 90 percent recognized K-1,” he said. “It drops to
about 50 percent recognition when we asked about Pride. Then
it drops to almost nothing if we ask about Dream. Sengoku is
in the same situation. However, for the people that do know Dream,
when asked if they know Sengoku, they do and vice-versa. Hardly
anyone really knows either promotion here, but hardcore fans
certainly know both.”
Kokuho
acknowledges Dream’s deal with the Tokyo Broadcasting System
as much larger than Sengoku’s deal with TV Tokyo. However,
he points out that Dream still has not made inroads into the
public consciousness despite the advantage.
“The
problem is that Dream isn’t really gaining traction beyond
their TV shows,” Kokuho said. “If you look at Dream
right now, there’s hardly anyone that people recognize outside
of [Norifumi] “Kid” [Yamamoto], [Kazushi] Sakuraba
and [Hideo] Tokoro. Ask anyone outside, you won’t even find
a hundred people who know who [Shinya] Aoki is.”
Still,
Kokuho remains optimistic, and despite his rival’s difficulties
with ratings and the differences in their end product, he hopes
for their eventual success. He understands that the welfares
of Sengoku’s fighters -- and others -- are tied into Dream.
“We
really, truly hope that Dream can succeed at the end of the day,
for various reasons,” Kokuho said. “One big reason
is that if they get popular, Sengoku will rise in popularity,
as well. Another reason is that if Dream were to go away, all
of their fighters would be out of jobs, and we at Sengoku do
not have the capability to support all of them. If anything,
we just want to be a different product to them in the MMA world
-- something for fans to compare and contrast.”
Given
the matchups of solid talents and the devotion to developing
up-and-comers like Muhammed Lawal, Maximo Blanco and Shigeki
Osawa, Sengoku’s product as a major Japanese promotion feels
unique. Its approach to the sport looks like a novel and optimistic
compromise of catering to the hardcore base while gradually reaching
out to newer fans.
“In
soccer and baseball, teams build a strategy, fight and compete
for real,” Kokuho said. “It’s easy to generate
attention by pitting, say, a pro baseball player against a TV
personality, but we’re not in that business. Stars are born
naturally throughout the season for sports like soccer and baseball,
and we believe that stars can be born in MMA through natural
competition, as well. We now have this fine line that defines
us and differentiates us.”
Source:
Sherdog
|
Wanderlei
Silva Talks Life After Fighting, Anderson Silva Training Rich
Franklin & More
By Raj Giri
In an exclusive six-page interview in this month's issue of Fighters
Only USA, Silva says he talks about how much longer he will be
fighting for, and how he'll be in trouble once his fighting career
comes to a close. “I want to fight for another five, maybe
seven years?," Silva noted in the interview. "I don’t
know. I need to respect my body. My body now is good, I am feeling
good and training good. In the next year I will make a decision…”
"I
don’t have any hobbies, I don’t have a lot of friends,
because of my fighting, my life is very private [closed off].
I live for my family and my job," he continued. "I
don’t fight for money, because I have money to live for
all my life, but I fight because I love it, it stays in my heart."
Silva
also recently spoke to MMAWeekly.com about his upcoming fight
with Rich Fanklin at UFC 99, saying “He’s a gentleman,
I talked with him a lot of times. I’m so happy to fight
with him, because he likes to fight, (he’s) not afraid.
Because if you fight with one guy who’s afraid of you, it’s
hard because there’s no action."
Silva
goes on to talk about Anderson Silva training Rich Franklin,
noting “It’s smart, because Silva has a lot of techniques.
It’s possible for him to train with who he wants. For me,
it doesn’t matter, because I’m going to beat him. It’s
possible he could train with Mike Tyson – I’m going
to beat him.
“It’s
a professional time for MMA, and everybody needs to go to the
best place for having the best options. Maybe Anderson is a good
option for him, because Anderson beat him two times.”
Source:
Fight Line
|
KAUFMAN
IN TALKS TO REPLACE COUTURE
by Steven Marrocco
Less
than 24 hours after Kim Couture withdrew from a scheduled fight
with Meisha Tate at SHO MMA: Strikeforce Challenger Series, a
replacement is in the works.
Sarah
Kaufman on Thursday afternoon told MMAWeekly.com negotiations
were underway to step in for Couture at the May 15 event.
Strikeforce
officials and Kaufman's representatives have agreed to the match-up,
and contract details are being ironed out, said Kaufman.
Kaufman,
currently undefeated in MMA with eight professional wins, was
one of the contracts acquired by Strikeforce in a purchase of
ProElite assets last September. She made her first post-buyout
appearance last week at Palace Fighting Championships: Best of
Both Worlds 2, where she stopped Sara Schneider with strikes
in the second round.
A
strong striker, the Victoria, B.C., native said she was prepared
for wherever the fight went.
"She's
known as a wrestler, so I expect her to be doing that,"
said Kaufman. "But she might not. She might strike with
me, and that's fine as well."
The
up-and-comer series will hit the Save Mart Center in Fresno,
Calif. and will be headlined by a lightweight showdown between
Billy Evangelista and Mike Aina.
Source:
MMA Weekly
|
World
Pro Cup: 80 black belts
Preview list of black belts in event
There
are so many big names it would be unfair to point out only a
few standouts among those in action tomorrow and Saturday during
the maiden World Pro JJ Cup, in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates.
GRACIEMAG.com
is already in the Middle East and had access to the complete
list of black belts signed up. The most contested category is
of the under 85kg athletes, with a total of 24 competitors.
Check
out the list of the highest ranked to fight for the US$ 111 thousand
in prize money and stay tuned, we will be back shortly with more
information on the World Pro JJ Cup, direct from Abu Dhabi.
Under
65kg
Eliott Bayev
Kataniwa Katsunori
Robson Moura
Guilherme Mendes
Remco Van Baardewijk
Gustavo Pinto
Rubens Charles Cobrinha
Reza Monfaradi
Tiego Fernandes
Bernardo Cruz
Marcio Livio
Renato Tavares
Rafael Mendes
Under
75kg
Jonathan Willis
Roberto Santoshi
Jacob Mackenzie
Claudio Calasans
Olivar Geddes
Talgat Ilyasov
Marcelinho Garcia
Michael Langhi
Luis Huber
Gibran Salvador
Bruce Tafoya
Morten Josephson
Nic Nikolaisen
Jameel ALi Taylor
Under
85kg
Fabio HOlanda
Andrew McInes
Max Fernandes
Marcelo Salazar
Gustavo Campos
Eduardo Santoro
Michel Salvadori
Pablo Guimarães
Fabio Moraes
Tarsis Humpreys
Victor Estima
Zumbi Lara
Pedro Bessa
Yazan Mamoon Altamini
Ricardo Oliveira
Pablo Leite
Lubomir Guedjev
Yues Noel
Paulo Ricardo Rodrigues
Zaid ABu Soud
Eduardo Rios
Trond Saksenvik
Edmilson Conceição
Mauricio de Paula
Under
95kg
Ammar Al Ahmad
Karim Ait Khalifa
Louie Cerqua
Juan Caio Kamezawa
Moacir Oliveira
Rodolfo Vieira
Karin Mosbha
Antoni Peroshi
Braulio Estima
Rafael Lovato Jr.
Fabio Gurgel
Antonio Peinado
Lucio Rodrigues
Lucas Sachs
Bento Ribeiro
Matheus Costa
Francisco Santana
Over
95kg
Rodrigo Munduruca
Naomiti Nagata
Alexandre de Souza
Rogent Llorent
Michael Wilson
Marcos de Oliveira
Gabriel Vella
Victor Costa
Amin Touati
Michael Zenga
Arous Abdeslem
Source:
Gracie Magazine
|
Quote
of the Day
"If
you wish success in life, make perseverance your bosom friend,
experience your wise counselor, caution your elder brother and
hope your guardian genius."
Joseph Addison
|
Destiny
Today
Waipahu
Filcom Center
DESTINY:
Bad Blood will be held on Saturday, May 2nd at the Waipahu Filcom
Center. Below are some of our feature bouts. In our main event,
former ICON State champion Bronson "the chosen one"
Pieper will attempt to avenge his twin brother Brandon's KO loss
against Tim "majik" Moon.
Full
card will be posted soon. Don't miss this event, buy your tickets
early. Last event we SOLD OUT all presale tickets 2 days before
the event.
Main Event:
- 145lbs
Bronson "The Chosen One" Pieper (freelance) vs Tim
"Majik" Moon (frelance)
-145lbs
Nui "Soljah Boy" Wheeler (Team Soljahz) vs Colin "Intensity"
Makenzie (Gods Army)
-145lbs Amateur Championship
Dustin Kimura (Gracie Technics) vs John Barnard (Gods Army)
-155lbs
Ben "The King" Santiago (Gods Army) vs Treston Rebaliza
(Inner Circle Grappling)
-185lbs
Gino Venti (808 Fight Factory) vs Kaleo Gambill (Polynesian Fight
Club, Big Island)
-185lbs
Alex Pulotu-Steverson (freelance) vs Mike Solomen (Bulls Pen)
-155lbs
Raymond Tran (Bulls Pen) vs Kanamu Roan (Valentino MMA, Big Island)
-155lbs
Herman Santiago (Inner Circle Grappling) vs Tyler Pavao (freelance)
-145lbs
Waylen Mata (Bulls Pen) vs John Delarama (freelance)
-155lbs
Elijah Manners (Na Koa/Universal Combat) vs Richard Agustin (Team
Makaha)
-210lbs
Matt Eaton (Bulls Pen) vs Ata Tivao (94-Block)
-125lbs
Jan Quimiyong (Inner Circle Grappling) vs Mahi Newbury (Polynesian
Fight Club, Big Island)
-135lbs
Keka Doi-Toilolo (Team Makaha) vs Jordan Fontes (Inner Circle
Grappling)
-195lbs
Koa Giddens (Combat 50) vs Tyson Yosh (Polynesian Fight Club,
Big Island)
-175lbs
Philip Akui (Team Souljahz) vs Kapono Kuikahi (Valentino MMA,
Big Island)
-140lbs
Gavin Ramos (808 Fight Factory) vs Isamu Lopez (freelance, Big
Island)
-185lbs
Rocky Gemmati (808 Fight Factory) vs Travis Lau (Team Soljahz)
-140lbs
-Kupono Debebar (Island Rebels) vs Marck Yumol (freelance)
-150lbs
Bryan Dugan (Combat 50) vs Lathan Pacheco (Na Koa)
|
Pacquiao,
Hatton Will FInally Get It On this Saturday
LAS
VEGAS (CP) -- There's only one Ricky Hatton, as his admirers
constantly sing to anyone who will listen. Good thing, because
if there were any more Ricky Hattons his devoted followers in
England might never have time to do anything but sing.
The
problem for Hatton is there's also only one pound-for-pound champion
in boxing. His name is Manny Pacquiao, and all he did his last
time out was give Oscar De La Hoya such a beating that De La
Hoya decided it was time to retire.
That
fight not only introduced Pacquiao to a lot of casual boxing
fans, but prompted oddsmakers to make him a 2-1 favourite when
he and Hatton meet Saturday night in a 140-pound fight that is
the first big bout of the post-De La Hoya era.
Despite
the lopsided odds, both Hatton and his fans fervently believe
he will be the one with his gloves raised when the fight finally
ends.
"I've
been here before," Hatton said. "People say (I'm) over-hyped,
overprotected, a fat, beer-drinking Englishman. Well, I'm going
to shock the world again."
A
Hatton win might not be quite enough to shock the world, but
it would deal a blow to the Philippines, where Pacquiao is such
a national hero that there is talk about him running for president
when he gets out of boxing.
While
the Pacman was always huge at home, it wasn't until he stopped
De La Hoya that many in boxing began giving him his due as the
best pound-for-pound fighter in the game.
It's
a mythical title, but Pacquiao has won enough real titles to
justify his coronation.
Though
the Hatton fight is for a lightly regarded crown, winning at
140 pounds will mean Pacquiao has won titles in six weight divisions,
beginning at 112 pounds.
"If
that happens, people will want to put my name in boxing history
and that will be my legacy," Pacquiao said.
The
two fighters got together Wednesday for the final pre-fight press
conference at the MGM Grand hotel-casino, where both had spectacular
performances the last time they were in the ring.
For
Pacquiao it was the win over De La Hoya, but Hatton showed off
some himself a few weeks earlier by stopping Paulie Malignaggi
in front of thousands of his ever-singing fans.
Hatton's
only loss came when he was stopped by Floyd Mayweather Jr. in
the 10th round of their December 2007 fight, and his record and
fan base were enough to get him a guarantee of US$8 million for
the scheduled 12-round bout.
"Manny
has not fought anybody that's going to put as much pressure on
him with as much force and strength and power and hand speed,"
Hatton said. "I'd like to think I'll be too much for him,
but I think it's going to a wonderful fight."
Promoters
claim the fight has already sold out the 15,000-seat arena at
the MGM and are selling closed circuit viewing at other Las Vegas
hotels.
They're
also hopeful that even an ailing economy won't stop people from
spending 50 bucks to order the fight on pay-per-view, perhaps
with a few friends.
But
the two fighters have largely avoided the kind of trash talk
that normally happens before big fights, leaving that to others
in their camps.
For
Pacquiao that means trainer Freddie Roach, and for Hatton it's
his new trainer, Floyd Mayweather Jr., the estranged father of
the only fighter to beat him.
Mayweather
read a poem he wrote about the fight Wednesday and did his best
to taunt Roach. But Roach maintained his manners, for what promoter
Bob Arum said was a good reason.
It
wasn't just because Pacquiao's mother was in attendance in her
first trip to the United States to see her son fight for the
first time. No, even in boxing sometimes there must be some decorum
of sorts.
"The
trainer (Roach) is training a future president of the Philippines,"
Arum said.
Source:
Fight Network
|
DREAM
9 (5/26 Yokohama Arena):
Kid Yamamoto vs. Joe Warren
By Zach Arnold
Update (4/30): I guess ticket sales aren’t so strong for
this event, because Choi Hong-Man vs. Jose Canseco has been booked.
Even Deadspin is marking out.
This
fight is part of a four-match “Super Hulk Tournament”
featuring: Bob Sapp vs. Minowaman, Jan “The Giant”
Nortje vs. Sokoudjou, and Mark Hunt vs. Gegard Mousasi. Plus,
Jason “Mayhem” Miller vs. Ronaldo Jacare Souza on the
undercard.
5/26
Yokohama Arena (6 PM start time)
Featherweight
GP: Norifumi “Kid” Yamamoto vs. Joe Warren
Featherweight GP: Hideo Tokoro vs. Abel Cullum
Featherweight GP: Yoshiro Maeda vs. Hiroyuki Takaya
Featherweight GP: Bibiano Fernandes vs. Masakazu Imanari
Event promoters replaced DJ Taiki with Hideo Tokoro on the card
because Taiki has a fractured eye socket.
Thoughts:
What a rib on Kid Yamamoto. Yamamoto, who had his own marijuana
scandal nationally in Japan, is booked against a former USA Wrestling
star who failed two drug tests for using marijuana. Of course,
marijuana usage carries a negative stigma in Japan, so the promoters
will not mention it. They will simply say that Warren is a former
world amateur wrestling champion. The fight media in Japan will
not likely bring up the failed drug tests at all.
Sure,
there’s plenty of money at stake for Yamamoto in this fight,
but this fight is mostly a losing proposition to him.
Warren’s
only other MMA win was against Virginia MMA no-shower Chase Beebe
at DREAM 7. If Warren keeps the fight competitive or wins outright,
Yamamoto’s stock is publicly damaged in Japan.
If casual fans learn of Warren’s marijuana usage and his
past failed drug tests, they will immediately think about Shukan
Gendai’s media blitz on Yamamoto. The irony is thick, given
what happened to Enson Inoue.
The politics in the Japanese fight game always amaze me, but
then again this shouldn’t be a surprise given all the controversy
last year about Yamamoto taking time off due to a knee injury
which some MMA insiders questioned the seriousness of (I thought
it was legitimate and still believe that it was on the up-and-up).
The politics between management, agents, and fighters in Japan
has always been volatile, but this is an intriguing story to
watch develop.
I
do wonder how much leverage Yamamoto has left in the Japanese
fight scene given how down everything is lately…
Source:
Fight Opinion
|
Fedor
Emelianenko in talks for summer fight
Vadim Finklestein, the manager of Fedor Emelianenko, said today
that he's looking to have the current WAMMA heavyweight champion
fight again in July or August.
Finklestein
added that the fighter standing across Fedor will most likely
be a top ten-caliber opponent.
The
fight could take place at a DREAM event. Finklestein revealed
that he's currently negotiating with a Japanese organization
and DREAM has expressed interest in bringing in Fedor for a fight
in the summer.
For
now, the only guaranteed Fedor match is his exhibition bout on
Wednesday against Shinya Aoki.
Source:
MMA Fighting
|
BASEBALL
PLAYER JOSE CANSECO VS. HONG MAN CHOI
In a surprise move on Thursday, Dream event producer Keiichi
Sasahara announced the addition of an open-weight tournament
to the promotion's Dream 9 event on May 26. The announcement
was made at a press conference in Tokyo.
Perhaps
even more surprising is one of the tournament participants. Former
professional Major League Baseball player Jose Canseco is a part
of the tournament. He will face Hong Man Choi in the opening
round of the "Super Hulk Tournament - World Superman Championship,"
as it is being dubbed by Dream.
Also
in the opening round of the open weight brackets are bouts pitting
Ikuhisa Minowa against Bob Sapp, Rameau Thierry Sokoudjou facing
Jan Nortje, and Gegard Mousasi fighting Mark Hunt.
NightmareOfBattle.com
reports that, unlike most Dream tournaments, the semi-finals
and finals of the Super Hulk Tournament will not take place on
the same night. And while the rules for the tournament are not
yet set, it is expected that the fights will be shorter than
the usual 10-minute first round and 5-minute second round, and
that no knee strikes will be allowed to the head of a downed
opponent.
Source:
MMA Weekly
|
Anderson
vs Griffin at UFC 101
Dana White confirms the match-up
 
This time Dana White didn’t wait for the rumors to abound.
Chatter of Anderson Silva possibly facing Forrest Griffin at
UFC 101 had just started to arise and the UFC president did an
interview with Yahoo Sports confirming it’s true.
This
will be the first time the two meet, as Griffin, who just lost
to Rashad Evans, performs in the light heavyweight division,
of which he was the champion, while Anderson has been dominating
the organization’s middleweight category.
The
fight will not put Anderson’s belt on the line.
Initially
linked to a match with Forrest Griffin, also-Brazilian Thiago
Silva is waiting to hear who his opponent at UFC 101 will be.
Check
out the provisory card for the event and stay tuned to GRACIEMAG.com
for further information.
BJ
Penn vs Kenny Florian
Anderson Silva vs Forrest Griffin
Thiago Silva vs to be defined
Josh Neer vs Kurt Pellgrino
Rousimar Palhares vs Alessio Sakara
Johny Hendricks vs Amir Sadollah
John Howard vs Tamdan McCrory
Dan Cramer vs Matthew Riddle
Shane Nelson vs Aaron Riley
Jesse Lennox vs Danillo Villefort
Source:
Gracie Magazine
|
11
Questions for Greg Jackson
by Greg Savage
He
heads arguably the world’s premier mixed martial arts camp
and trains some of the sport’s most accomplished fighters,
from UFC light heavyweight champion Rashad Evans to UFC welterweight
titleholder Georges St. Pierre.
Former
middleweight King of Pancrase Nate Marquardt and light heavyweight
contender Keith Jardine also call Greg Jackson’s Albuquerque,
N.M.-based academy home. In short, it has become a haven for
top-flight MMA talent. Jackson stands at the center of it all.
In
this exclusive interview with Sherdog.com, he discusses his influences,
experiences away from the cage and the fighters who succeed outside
of his umbrella.
Sherdog:
If you had one principle by which to live your life, what would
it be?
Jackson: I really want to fulfill my potential. I really think
that encompasses it. To me, everything is arbitrary -- what you
put meaning into has meaning -- and, so, this is what I put meaning
into, this is what I have decided to make my life; it is the
pursuit of making myself the absolute best trainer I can be,
to be the best martial artist I can be. That, to me, is what
I live my life by, just trying to fulfill my potential.
Sherdog:
You have traveled the world for your profession. Of the places
you have visited, what was your favorite?
Jackson: What was really, really cool to experience was Egypt.
One of my students is from Egypt, Ali [Ibrahim], so I went and
spent like nine days out there, and it was an amazing experience
staying with his family. I found there were two Egypts, and I
am sure this is the same everywhere you go, right? But in Egypt,
it is really pronounced, I think because it’s Third World.
You had this tourist Egypt, and then there was the Egypt I experienced,
which is like walking around, taking cabs everywhere, taking
these slow trains, dodging the donkey carts and going and bargaining
with all these guys at the Pyramids. Ali took me to where he
grew up, and the people are just so amazing in Egypt. They’re
so friendly, and when you are in the ghetto in Egypt, there was
a dignity to their poverty; it was really cool. I really respected
them. And seeing something as stupid old as the Pyramids was
humbling. Then you get to see Ramses II … you study his
battles, and then there is the dude. There are these rock statues
that have been standing for 3,000 years, and then there is the
mummy, like his hair is still on his head. It was amazing.
Sherdog:
What is the most memorable thing you have gotten to do because
of your status in the fight game?
Jackson: I would have to say the highlight would be hanging out
with Steve Irwin and his family for the years I got to spend
with them, and, right before he passed, getting to wrestle crocs
on the Kennedy River [in Northern Australia]. Ever since I was
a little kid, I wanted to wrestle a dinosaur. As a kid, you don’t
have any real sense. You can’t wrestle a dinosaur -- he
would bite your head off -- but it was always in my mind, and
there I am trying to help these animals, wrestling them and figuring
out ways to pin them down. I would have to say that was, aside
from my wife and kids, the best experience mixed martial arts
has given me.
Sherdog:
What is your favorite book, something that really influenced
you?
Jackson: I don’t know if I have one favorite; that is a
tough one. I have a group of favorites, but if you are going
to pin me down on one, I will have to say the book that has influenced
me the most is “The Book of Five Rings.” I can’t
overstate [Miyamoto] Mushashi’s influence on me and the
way I look at the inner-connectedness of the world through the
eyes of a martial artist.
Sherdog:
What do you do to decompress, and aside from mixed martial arts,
what interests do you have?
Jackson: Well, aside from spending time with my wife and kids
-- which recharges my batteries -- I am a huge ghost town nerd.
In New Mexico, especially, but all around the western part of
the [United] States, there are these old towns that are just
abandoned. I like to track them down, research them. I go to
the University of New Mexico, I go find the old maps, find the
information and then you just drive and you go in the middle
of the desert and you try to find these old towns. It’s
surreal. You’ll be driving through, there is nothing there,
then all of a sudden, boom, and there is this giant town just
sitting there like they left it yesterday. There really are so
many cool things about it. I really enjoy the research. I enjoy
finding out about the history, and I enjoy the experience of
trying to hunt them down.
Sherdog:
Who is the best MMA fighter not under your tutelage?
Jackson: I honestly really think it shifts around, but I really
like Anderson Silva’s creativity. I am going to go with
him outside of my guys because of his last fight. I loved [his
fight with Thales Leites at UFC 97]. Everyone hated it and thought
it was boring stuff. I saw him reach down and punch a guy in
the thigh. I love that. It’s legit. To me, I was like, ‘Wow,
that’s cool.’ The side kicking, the cross kicking,
doing all that good stuff … I mean maybe he didn’t
commit to this position or that position, but I loved that fight;
I thought it was so creative and interesting what he was doing.
I really like Anderson, and, hopefully, Nate [Marquardt] will
end up fighting him again because I am really looking forward
to the challenge of getting after him again.
Sherdog:
What is the most important trait a fighter can have?
Jackson: The most important trait has to be a positive mental
attitude through both success and the adversity of failure.
Sherdog:
What style fighters do you like to watch?
Jackson: I like the unorthodox fighters, I really do. I like
the [Lyoto] Machidas, I like the Andersons. I like watching B.J.
Penn fight. When he is fighting at [lightweight], he is great.
Outside of my guys, those are the kind of fighters I like --
the guys who are very creative and do all kinds of cool things.
I also like, like any other fan, the good heart and fire fights.
Guys like Chris Lytle who are going to go in there and give it
their all and go for it, I really enjoy that, too.
Sherdog:
Do you get to watch any television and if so what do you watch?
Jackson: I have this deal with my wife. She usually just kicks
me out of the living room when she is watching her shows because
I can’t just sit there and watch some of those things without
making snide remarks. So, generally, I don’t just not watch
TV. I regularly get booted from my own living room. When I do
get a chance to watch, I love Nova, 100-percent, got to love
the Nova. I also watch a little bit of the Military Channel.
I like “The Daily Show.” That makes me laugh, and “The
Office” is funny. And even though I hate reality TV, I will
watch “The Soup” because it is so damn funny to make
fun of reality TV.
Sherdog:
Who is your favorite philosopher?
Jackson: Oh, man. I don’t really have any one favorite.
I have a lot of favorites for a lot of different reasons. I really
like [David] Hume. I really like [Rene] Descartes. But for training
philosophy, there is no one better than Mushashi.
Sherdog:
What was the last book you read?
Jackson: “War,” by Azer Gat. It is the evolutionary
psychology of combat.
Source:
Sherdog
|
Tito
Ortiz Rips Chuck Liddell, Chimes In On UFC
By James Kimball
Never one to hesitate before speaking his mind, Tito Ortiz, while
appearing on “The Junkies” radio show on 106.7 WJFK
in Washington D.C., shared some unfiltered thoughts on Chuck
Liddell and the UFC.
When
asked how much he thought Chuck made for his last fight, Tito
threw out some eye-opening numbers. “Chuck made $1.5 million
for his last fight. The UFC will then make roughly $45 million
off that event.” Ortiz also claimed, as he has numerous
times in the past, that “fighters in the UFC don’t
even make 5% of the total revenue that the company earns from
any given event.” That, as we all know, is the whole basis
for the feud between Tito and his former manager, current UFC
President, Dana White.
Later
in the interview, when Ortiz was asked what he thought was the
best base for a young fighter to have when trying to break into
MMA, he replied with this not-so-subtle jab at Chuck Liddell,
“Wrestling is the best base to have. I wouldn’t encourage
anyone under the age of 20 to spar or box. Don’t be stupid,
because you get punched in the face and then you end up talking
like Chuck Liddell.” Ouch. Clearly hinting at Liddell’s
recent tendency to appear a bit punch-drunk in his interviews,
Ortiz was happy to use his old buddy’s career path as a
blueprint for what not to do.
Tito
would also later mention the world’s worst kept secret,
his intentions to return to the cage later this year with Strikeforce,
where he said he plans to “tear threw the light heavyweight
division.” He also said that he wanted to fight until he
was 36 or maybe even 38 if the money is right. No word yet on
when he plans to retire from taking shots at Chuck Liddell and
the UFC.
Source:
Fight Line
|
Vladimir
Matyushenko vs. Jason Lambert on May 16
Former
IFL light-heavyweight champ Vladimir Matyushenko will take on
fellow UFC veteran Jason Lambert at "Call to Arms 1"
at the Citizens Business Bank Arena on May 16 in Ontario, Calif.
Matyushenko
in January had an eight-fight win streak snapped by Antonio Rogerio
Nogueira at Affliction "Day of Reckoning" in Anaheim.
Matyushenko was knocked out with a knee in the second round.
He had previously only been knocked out once, against Andrei
Arlovski at UFC 44 in September 2003. After leaving the UFC on
the loss to Arlovski, Mayushenko made a comeback by tearing through
the competition in the IFL as a member of the Tokyo Sabres.
This
will be Lambert's first fight outside of the UFC since September
2005. Lambert made his Octagon debut at UFC 58 in March 2006
and fought until UFC 88 in September 2008, splitting eight fights.
Lambert holds (T)KO wins over Terry Martin and Renato "Babalu"
Sobral.
In
the other featured bouts, Tiki Ghosn will take on Brian Warren
and Daniel Puder will fight Jeff Ford.
Source:
MMA Fighting
|
Fredson
back at WEC 42
Brazilian from Manaus coming off loss to Wagnney Fabiano
After
dropping a decision to Wagnney Fabiano, after two years without
stepping into the ring, Fredson Paixao already knows when his
chance to get back to his winning ways will be. The Brazilian
will see action again at the 42nd installment of the event, to
take place August 3.
The
black belt’s opponent has not yet been defined for the fight,
his second for the organization. At the same event, one of the
event’s biggest stars will be putting his belt on the line,
bantamweight champion Miguel Torres against Brian Bowles. While
Torres is coming in with a 17-fight winning streak, Bowles remains
undefeated in MMA, in seven professional appearances.
Source:
Gracie Magazine
|
Quote
of the Day
"Just
because something doesn't do what you planned it to do doesn't
mean it's useless."
Thomas A. Edison
|
Destiny
Tomorrow
Waipahu
Filcom Center
DESTINY:
Bad Blood will be held on Saturday, May 2nd at the Waipahu Filcom
Center. Below are some of our feature bouts. In our main event,
former ICON State champion Bronson "the chosen one"
Pieper will attempt to avenge his twin brother Brandon's KO loss
against Tim "majik" Moon.
Full
card will be posted soon. Don't miss this event, buy your tickets
early. Last event we SOLD OUT all presale tickets 2 days before
the event.
Main Event:
- 145lbs
Bronson "The Chosen One" Pieper (freelance) vs Tim
"Majik" Moon (frelance)
-145lbs
Nui "Soljah Boy" Wheeler (Team Soljahz) vs Colin "Intensity"
Makenzie (Gods Army)
-145lbs Amateur Championship
Dustin Kimura (Gracie Technics) vs John Barnard (Gods Army)
-155lbs
Ben "The King" Santiago (Gods Army) vs Treston Rebaliza
(Inner Circle Grappling)
-185lbs
Gino Venti (808 Fight Factory) vs Kaleo Gambill (Polynesian Fight
Club, Big Island)
-185lbs
Alex Pulotu-Steverson (freelance) vs Mike Solomen (Bulls Pen)
-155lbs
Raymond Tran (Bulls Pen) vs Kanamu Roan (Valentino MMA, Big Island)
-155lbs
Herman Santiago (Inner Circle Grappling) vs Tyler Pavao (freelance)
-145lbs
Waylen Mata (Bulls Pen) vs John Delarama (freelance)
-155lbs
Elijah Manners (Na Koa/Universal Combat) vs Richard Agustin (Team
Makaha)
-210lbs
Matt Eaton (Bulls Pen) vs Ata Tivao (94-Block)
-125lbs
Jan Quimiyong (Inner Circle Grappling) vs Mahi Newbury (Polynesian
Fight Club, Big Island)
-135lbs
Keka Doi-Toilolo (Team Makaha) vs Jordan Fontes (Inner Circle
Grappling)
-195lbs
Koa Giddens (Combat 50) vs Tyson Yosh (Polynesian Fight Club,
Big Island)
-175lbs
Philip Akui (Team Souljahz) vs Kapono Kuikahi (Valentino MMA,
Big Island)
-140lbs
Gavin Ramos (808 Fight Factory) vs Isamu Lopez (freelance, Big
Island)
-185lbs
Rocky Gemmati (808 Fight Factory) vs Travis Lau (Team Soljahz)
-140lbs
-Kupono Debebar (Island Rebels) vs Marck Yumol (freelance)
-150lbs
Bryan Dugan (Combat 50) vs Lathan Pacheco (Na Koa)
|
UFC
98 (5/23 Las Vegas) card line-up
By Zach Arnold
As it currently stands:
Dark
matches
Lightweights
(155 pounds): Dave Kaplan vs. George Roop
Welterweights (170 pounds): Yoshiyuki Yoshida vs. Brandon Wolff
Light Heavyweights (205 pounds): Houston Alexander vs. Andre
Gusmao
Lightweights (155 pounds): Phillipe Nover vs. Kyle Bradley
Heavyweights (up to 265 pounds): Pat Berry vs. Tim Hague
Welterweights (170 pounds): Brock Larson vs. Chris Wilson
Main card
Lightweights
(155 pounds): Sean Sherk vs. Frankie Edgar
Middleweights (185 pounds): Ed Herman vs. Dan Miller
Light Heavyweights (205 pounds): Xavier Foupa-Pokam vs. Drew
McFedries
Welterweights (170 pounds): Matt Hughes vs. Matt Serra
Light Heavyweights (205 pounds): Rashad Evans vs. Ryoto (Lyoto)
Machida
Source: Fight Opinion
|
XAVIER
FOUPA-POKAM STEPS IN TO FIGHT MCFEDRIES
by Damon Martin
Just
hours after learning that James Irvin was forced out of UFC 98
with a knee injury, MMAWeekly.com has confirmed that Xavier Foupa-Pokam
will step in to replace him to face Drew McFedries in a middleweight
showdown.
The
news was confirmed late on Wednesday night with sources close
to the fight stating verbal agreements are in place at this point,
but nothing officially signed.
Xavier
Foupa-Pokam was on a seven-fight win streak up until his UFC
debut earlier this month. He was derailed at UFC 97 by former
Pride star Denis Kang, losing a three-round decision.
Seizing
the opportunity to step back into action quickly, Foupa-Pokam
will look to put his considerable striking skills up against
a tough opponent in Miletich fighter Drew McFedries.
Currently
holding a 3-4 record in the UFC, McFedries has to feel the pressure
in what is essentially a must win situation to stay with the
promotion. Always exciting in his fights, McFedries brings a
wealth of experience into his match-up against Foupa-Pokam.
There
was no word if the fight between McFedries and Foupa-Pokam would
remain on the main card or get moved to the preliminary slot
for the show.
Source:
MMA Weekly
|
Team
USA Beats South Korea 5-0 at M-1 Challenge
Tokyo,
Japan -- After going winless in last year, Team USA West is now
just one win away from clinching a post-season berth in the 2009
"M-1 Challenge Presented by Affliction."
The
Colin Oyama-coached team took sole possession of first place
following Wednesday night's 5-0 shutout over South Korea during
M-1 Challenge's "Third Edition," which emanated from
Differ Ariake.
Lightweight
David Jansen improved to 10-0 after utilizing his outstanding
wrestling ability to grind out a unanimous decision victory over
Nam Yui Chul (8-2), an impressive prospect who had been 8-1 coming
into the fight.
The
win marked Jansen's second consecutive M-1 Challenge victory
following his unanimous decision victory over Brazil's Flavio
Alvaro during the '09 opener on Feb. 21, 2009. In a field of
16 lightweight competitors involved with this year's M-1 Challenge,
Jansen is well on his way towards establishing himself as the
competition's top 155 pound fighter.
Jansen's
fight vs. Chul marked his first time competing in Japan, however,
Jansen expressed his desire to return and has issued a public
challenge to DEEPlightweight champion Katsunori Kikuno.
USA
West then moved out to a 2-0 lead following Fabio Negao's (9-4)
majority decision victory over the talented Myung Ho Bae (7-4).
The fight was Negao's first bout since a unanimous decision loss
to Matt Lindland at Affliction's "Banned" event last
July.
Next
it was time for the middleweights, with Giva "The Arm Collector"
Santana (12-1) clinching the team victory for USA West following
a armbar submission win over Min Suk Heo (4-8) at 4:05 of round
1. In an incredible statistic, Santana now has 11 career wins
via tapout with all of them having come via armbar.
Despite
having clinched the team win, Team USA still needed to rack up
additional individual victories due to the fact that it competes
in a deep Group B division that includes South Korea, Brazil,
and the defending M-1 Challenge champions Imperial Team.
All
eyes were on Jae Young Kim (12-7) in his return to the M-1 Challenge
following his stunning upset over Imperial's Mikhail Zayats during
the Feb. opener courtesy of a head kick. However, former IFL
veteran and submission wrestling champion Raphael Davis (6-1)
continued his evolution as a striker following a second round
TKO over Kim.
Last
for Team USA West was heavyweight Shane Del Rosario, who entered
the ring wearing his WBC Muay Thai championship belt. The blue
chip prospect also entered the contest with a perfect 5-0 record
at stake but Del Rosario improved to 6-0 following a first round
knockout over Doo Hee Lee (11-7).
The
5-0 shutout improved Team USA West's record to 2-0 with a combined
individual record of 8-2. The team can clinch a playoff berth
with a win over Team Imperial in its next matchup, with a date
between the two juggernauts yet to be determined.
In
addition to Team USA West's win over South Korea, the debuting
Team England could possibly be the team to beat in Group A following
its victory over host country Japan during the night's main team
challenge.
The
confident Ian "M-16" Butlin (6-8) ruffled several feathers
during a Tuesday press conference in which the anointed England
team leader informed the Japanese media that he and his teammates
would shut out the Japanese by a 5-0 score.
Despite
the bold proclamation, Butlin wasn't too far off the mark, as
England dominated Japan by a 4-1 score. In a twist of irony,
it was Butlin's first round loss to Luiz Andrada (9-6-3) that
prevented the team from recording the shutout.
After
promising a knockout win all week, Butlin was unable to implement
his game plan as Andrada elected not to engage him in the standup
and instead tapped him an armbar at 3:20 of round 1.
England
then stole Japan's momentum after Simon "The Executioner"
Phillips (7-2) displayed his professional boxing skills and put
the entire M-1 welterweight division on notice following his
crushing 20 second knockout over DEEP and Pancrase veteran Hidehiko
Hasegawa (16-12-5).
Japan
then appeared to be well on its way to regaining the lead with
Yusuke Masuda forcing Matt Thorpe to fight on his heels for virtually
the entire first round. Despite losing the first frame, Thorpe
displayed one of the basic principles of jiu-jitsu as a self
defense technique by overcoming a more aggressive Masuda with
a rear naked choke at 1:30 of round 2.
Following
his teammate's lead, Tom Blackledge (8-6) also used a rear naked
choke to clinch a team victory for England after submitting Tatsuya
Mizuno (5-5). However, Blackledge differentiated his win from
Thorpe's by showing shades of Matt Hughes vs. Frank Trigg and
utilizing a standing choke en route to victory.
In
addition to having his teammates support him at ringside, Blackledge
was also cornered by former UFC light heavyweight champion Quinton
"Rampage" Jackson. Jackson, a well-known figure in
Japan thanks to his successful tenure in PRIDE, returned to the
country in order to support Blackledge, his good friend and training
partner at the Wolfslair Academy in London.
Looking
to fortify its standing as the early leader of Group A, British
heavyweight Rob "Godzilla" Broughton (9-4-1) displayed
excellent ground skills for a big man during his unanimous decision
victory over Yusuke Kawaguchi.
For
Broughton, the win over Kawaguchi marked yet another notch on
his belt when it comes to defeating rising heavyweight prospects.
In addition to holding a win over British up-and-comer Martin
Thompson, Broughton now can boast that he was the first man to
inflict a loss onto Kawaguchi's record, who previously had been
8-0.
While
Team England's next fight has yet to be finalized, officials
with M-1 Global and Cage Warriors are currently working towards
bringing a 2009 M-1 Challenge event to England.
The
19-bout M-1 Challenge Japan event also featured a superfight
between Karl "Psycho" Amoussou and IFL veteran Kazuhiro
Hamanaka, an M-1 Challenge Group A team matchup between France
vs. Spain, and a special sparring exhibition between WAMMA heavyweight
champion Fedor Emelianenko andWAMMA lightweight champion Shinya
Aoki.
While
Amoussou's countrymen suffered a 3-2 defeat to Spain, he lifted
his former teammates' spirits with a brilliant flying knee knockout
victory over Hamanaka just 23 seconds into their fight with the
capacity crowd rising to their feet.
The
Japanese crowd displayed even more emotion during Fedor and Aoki's
public sparring session, which was advertised locally as a "special
super exhibition." With no scoring in effect, the encounter
between the two undisputed world champions resembled a training
session that you might see inside of a fight gym. The only difference
was that nearly 1,000 spectators were on hand to watch the two
square off while donning Gis.
Fedor
utilized his strength advantage to send Aoki soaring with several
Sambo throws. At one point, Aoki played to the crowd and removed
his Gi in jest and attempted a flying armbar on Fedor. With both
fighters pressing each other well less than 100 percent, the
two smiled for much of the session and embraced after the final
bell had sounded. The video of the session will air free of charge
on a video-on-demand basis starting on Monday, May 4 at www.M-1Global.comand
www.Mixfight.ru.
Below
are complete results from Wednesday's "M-1 Challenge"
event.
Preliminary
-
1.
Featherweight (65 kg/143 lbs.): Tomoaki Ueyama def. Takayuki
Hosakawa via TKO (punches) at 2:51 of round 1.
Team
France vs. Team Spain -
2.
Lightweight (70 kg/154 lbs.): Jose Luiz Zapater Aguirre (Spain)
def. Makhtar Gueye (France) via DQ (illegal kick) at 1:21 of
round 3.
3.
Welterweight (76 kg/167.2 lbs.): Abner Lloveras (Spain) def.
Gael Grimaud (France) via three-round split decision.
4.
Middleweight (84 kg/184.8 lbs.): Christophe Dafreville (France)
def. Rayco "Kakin" Romero Silva (Spain) via submission
(Anaconda choke) at 2:48 of round 1.
5.
Light Heavyweight (93 kg/204.6 lbs.): Christian Mpumbu (France)
def. Enoc Solbes (Spain) via submission (armbar) at 4:59 of round
1.
6.
Heavyweight (+93 kg/204.7-plus lbs.): Rogent Lloret (Spain) def.
Soufian Elgarne (France) via submission (Anaconda choke) at 2:44
of round 1
Spain
Defeats France via 3-2 score
Preliminary
-
7.
Lightweight (70 kg/154 lbs.): Kosuke Umeda def. Muneyuki Sato
via unanimous decision.
USA
West vs. South Korea (best-of-five series) -
8.
Lightweight (70 kg/154 lbs.): David Jansen (USA West) def. Yui
Chul Nam (S. Korea) via unanimous decision.
9.
Welterweight (76 kg/167.2 lbs.): Fabio Negao (USA West) def.
Myung Ho Bae (S. Korea) via majority decision.
10.
Middleweight (84 kg/184.8 lbs.): Giva Santana (USA West) def.
Min Suk Heo (S. Korea) via submission (armbar) at 4:05 of round
1.
11.
Light Heavyweight (93 kg/204.6 lbs.): Raphael Davis (USA West)
def. Jae Young Kim (S. Korea) via TKO (punches) at 3:45 of round
2.
12.
Heavyweight (+93 kg/204.7-plus lbs.): Shane Del Rosario (USA
West) def. Doo Hee Lee (S. Korea/103 kg) via KO (head kick) at
2:27 of round 1.
USA
West Defeats South Korea via 5-0 score
Superfight
-
13.
Middleweight (84 kg/184.8 lbs.): Karl Amoussou (France) def.
Kazuhiro Hamanaka (Japan) via KO (flying knee) at 0:23 of round
1.
Special
Super Exhibition -
14.
Fedor Emelianenko (Russia) vs. Shinya Aoki (Japan): Match was
conducted as a sparring exhibition with no scoring.
Japan
vs. England (best-of-five series) -
15.
Lightweight (70 kg/154 lbs.): Luiz Andrada (Japan) def. Ian Butlin
(England) via submission (armbar) at 3:20 of round 1.
16.
Welterweight (76 kg/167.2 lbs.): Simon Phillips (England) def.
Hidehiko Hasgawa (Japan) via KO at 0:20 of round 1.
17. Middleweight (84 kg/184.8 lbs.): Matt Thorpe (England) def.
Yusuke Masuda (Japan) via submission (rear naked choke) at 1:30
of round 2.
18.
Light Heavyweight (93 kg/204.6 lbs.): Tom Blackledge (England)
def. Tatsuya Mizuno (Japan) via submission (rear naked choke)
at 3:22 of round 1.
19. Heavyweight (+93 kg/204.7-plus lbs.): Rob Broughton (England)
def. Yusuke Kawaguchi (Japan) via unanimous decision.
Source:
Fight Network
|
Fedor
submits Aoki
Fight was an exhibition match in Japan
Sporting
a red gi, Fedor Emelianenko was one of the attractions at the
M-1 event held this morning, in Japan. Much heavier than his
opponent, local star Shinya Aoki, Fedor “won” the demonstration
with a heel hook, to the delight of the crowd.
Due
to the friendly nature of the exhibition, the fight will not
count on the professional records of the fighters.
As
GRACIEMAG.com reported yesterday, Fedor Emelianenko should fight
again mid-year, and likely at one of his favorite locations:
Japan.
The
announcement the Russian is negotiating a return to Japan was
made by the fighter’s manager, Vadim Finkelchtein, at a
press conference held yesterday in the Land of the Rising Sun.
According to Vadim, the likely date will be some time in July
or August, against a “Top-10 athlete.”
Source:
Gracie Magazine
|
Kyle
Maynard loses unanimous decision in MMA debut
Kyle
Maynard fell short in his MMA debut on Saturday at "Auburn
Fight Night" at the Auburn Covered Arena in Alabama.
Even
though his effort did not produce a victory, Maynard, who was
born with his arms at his elbows and his legs at his knees, realized
a dream to compete in MMA.
Fighting
previous 0-2 fighter Bryan Fry, Maynard's only attempt at offense
was to look for a takedown. Maynard had learned that night that
punching was not allowed on his part due to his glove not being
able to stay on because of the humidity. He was able to elbow
his opponent but the opportunity to do so in the fight did not
present itself.
Fry
on the other hand was not allowed to kick since Maynard was considered
a "downed opponent" at all times.
But
Fry was able to keep his distance to avoid takedowns and utilize
his reach to land jabs. All three judges scored the fight 30-27
in favor of Fry.
Source:
MMA Fighting
|
Kyle
Maynard internet PPV draws around 100 buys
The
Kyle Maynard internet pay-per-view "Auburn Fight Night"
on Saturday drew only about 100 buys, reports Sherdog.com.
Maynard,
a 2004 ESPN Athlete of the Year winner for Best Athlete with
a Disability, drew widespread attention for his amateur debut
but the curiosity of how a congenital amputee would fare in a
mixed martial arts bout was not enough for many to throw down
$14.95 for the stream at KyleMaynardFight.com.
"It
wasn't many," promoter David Oblas told Sherdog.com. "The
pay-per-view was more about people wanting to see it than actually
making money. Because we didn't have Internet access, I had to
bring in a satellite truck. It was kind of a pain to do it all.
We expected a couple thousand, we were shocked it only drew about
100."
The
estimated attendance was 1,200 at the Auburn Covered Arena in
Alabama.
Source:
MMA Fighting
|
Keith
Jardine To Face Thiago Silva At UFC 102 In Portland
By Dave Peze
Earlier today, it was reported that Thiago Silva's scheduled
fight with Forrest Griffin at UFC 101 on August 8th would be
scrapped in favor of a matchup between middleweight champion
Anderson Silva and Forrest Griffin. According to John Morgan
of MMAjunkie.com, Keith Jardine (14-5-1) will now be squaring
off against Thiago Silva (13-1) at UFC 102 in Portland on August
29th.
Both
Thiago Silva and Jardine are looking to bounce back from recent
defeats to top contenders in the light heavyweight division.
Jardine, the Greg Jackson trained fighter, was beaten by former
champion Quinton “Rampage” Jackson in a close decision
at UFC 96 last March. Silva, of American Top Team, was knocked
out in the closing seconds of the first round by Lyota Machida
at UFC 92 in early February this year. Machida will next challenge
Jardine's teammate Rashad Evans for the light heavyweight title
at UFC 98 on May 23rd.
Jardine
and Thiago Silva were considered contenders for the title in
the very deep light heavyweight division until they each suffered
a setback loss in their last fight. Jardine, known for his brutal
leg kicks, owns notable wins over Chuck Liddell, Forrest Griffin,
Brandon Vera and Wilson Gouveia in his 10 UFC appearances.
Thiago
Silva was riding a hot streak rattling of 13 straight wins (10
of which were KO/TKO's) to start his career before being defeated
by Machida. Silva's won 4 times in the UFC over opponents Antonio
Mendes, Houston Alexander, Tomasz Drwal and James Irvin.
The
fight between Anderson Silva and Forrest Griffin was likely made
due to Silva's last two lackluster performances against Patrick
Cote and Thales Leites. Griffin is expected to be a much steeper
challenge than Silva's last two opponents and should make for
a much more exciting fight.
The
Jardine-Silva matchup will likely be on the same fight card as
a heavyweight bout between MMA legends Randy Couture and Antonio
Rodrigo Nogueira.
Source: Fight Line
|
8
Questions for Fedor Emelianenko
by Tony Loiseleur
TOKYO -- Before he met Shinya Aoki in a sambo exhibition at Wednesday's
M-1 Challenge card in Tokyo, I was able to catch up with Fedor
Emelianenko for a short interview.
And,
by “catch up,” I really do mean “catch.”
Between doing a multitude of interviews for other media outlets
and fulfilling his many commitments for the Japanese side of
the evening's Deep/M-1 co-promotion, it was difficult to find
time to talk to Emelianenko.
But
“The Last Emperor” was kind enough to set aside some
time to answer what few questions I could field him in our 11-minute,
41-second interview. While I couldn't ask his opinions on the
upcoming Lesnar-Mir title bout, whether or not he's been in touch
with the UFC or who he believes his next opponent will be, there
are a few gems contained herein.
Sherdog.com:
You've been fighting less and less these days. Is there ever
a desire or a restlessness in you to fight more often?
Fedor Emelianenko: I'm quite satisfied with the schedule that
I have right now. I think for every fighter, there's a time that
you have to fight more often to win a reputation or to establish
your name. Then after that, there comes a time when you have
to prepare yourself more seriously for a certain fight, and you
have more responsibility for each fight you have to fight. So,
I'm pretty satisfied with the time schedule right now.
Sherdog.com:
Would you rather have been really fighting someone instead of
just grappling with Aoki? What motivated you to take the exhibition
match in the first place?
Emelianenko: Of course I want to fight in a real fight, especially
in Japan. We are now in the process of negotiations with Dream
and other companies, other organizations, but we have not reached
any concrete decision yet. Regarding this exhibition match, I
was ready to show myself to the Japanese fans -- I think we've
missed each other a lot. Of course, I wanted to show my technique
to the Japanese fans, who are always supporting me.
Sherdog.com:
I know this has been asked before, but regarding rankings, do
these things matter to you? At the end of the day, is it important
to you that people know you as the best fighter in the world?
Emelianenko: I try not to pay much attention to rankings, but
I want to keep my ranking just because I am performing on behalf
of my country. For me, it’s more important that Russia is
considered to be a strong country and not myself, personally.
Regarding how I can finish my career, that all depends on God's
will. Maybe my career will finish all of a sudden, or maybe I'll
be able to continue working as a fighter as long as possible.
Sherdog.com:
Do you see the end as near? Or is that something you don't think
about?
Emelianenko: Of course I try not to think about it. But if you
consider my age, of course it's time for me to start thinking
about it, I know. But I try not to think about it.
Sherdog.com:
Is fighting a "legacy in the making" for you, or is
it just a job to earn money for you and your family? Or like
you said just now, is it something you do to show how strong
Russian fighters are? Ultimately, what is it that you fight for?
Emelianenko: MMA is everything for me -- everything in my life.
It's a way I can represent my country. It's a way I can please
the fans that support me, and this is something that I can do
best. So this is all. My life.
Sherdog.com:
Another top pound-for-pound fighter, Anderson Silva, recently
defended his title at UFC 97. Did you see that fight, and if
so, what did you think? What are your thoughts of the criticism
leveled on him after the fight?
Emelianenko: Regrettably, I didn't get to see the match because
I was training in the mountains. And well, for those who want
to criticize, I think that anything that catches their eye can
be adopted for criticism. We're not supposed to think too much
about criticism.
Sherdog.com:
After the fight, Anderson Silva and his manager, Ed Soares, recently
expressed in an interview with Yahoo an interest in possibly
fighting you in the future. As a top pound-for-pound fighter
yourself, what are your thoughts on Silva and a potential fight
with him?
Emelianenko: He's two classes lighter, and there's no possibility
to negotiate with fighters still in the UFC. But if there is
any possibility, of course we are open to proposals.
Sherdog.com:
He's said to walk around at 215 pounds -- about 15 pounds lighter
than you -- and his contract will eventually be up someday. Is
there a time in the future that you can foresee fighting him?
Emelianenko [After taking a moment to confirm the weight issue
with his interpreter]: Why not?
Translation
by Junpei Takahashi
Source:
Sherdog
|
MMA
Fastball: Mauricio Rua looks like Shogun again
by Robert Rousseau
Mauricio
"Shogun" Rua looks like Shogun again: Since Mauricio
"Shogun" Rua defeated Chuck Liddell by first round
TKO at UFC 97: Redemption, all of the talk has been about Liddell's
fall from grace. No, it does not look like we will ever see "The
Iceman" fight as a title contender again. In fact, we may
never see him fight again, period. However, the talk should be
about the speed with which "Shogun" connected with
kicks and punches on his adversary. It should be about the frantic
pace that was set by Rua in a fight where he finally began to
remind us of the guy we once saw throwing down in PRIDE.
Said
another way, leading up to the Rua encounter, Liddell had at
least been in his last three fights. He lost a pretty close decision,
one that he dominated in the first round, against Keith Jardine
at UFC 76. He won a close decision over longtime PRIDE Middleweight
Champion Wanderlei Silva at UFC 79. Liddell even looked pretty
good in the first round against Rashad Evans (until Evans got
his timing down in the second round, that is). But against Rua,
Liddell never had a chance.
Rua
is back.
Kyle
Maynard is amazing: Turns out that the fight card congenital
amputee Kyle Maynard was showcased on this past Saturday only
drew about 100 online PPV buys, according to Sherdog.com. Too
bad. That said, the fact that Maynard was able to make it to
a decision against Brian Frye in his MMA debut with no elbows
or knees is simply astounding: forget whether he won or lost.
Further, the notion that he went 35-16 as a high school wrestler
in Georgia is amazing as well.
In
sum, he's one of the best stories of the year. Heck, he's one
of the best stories of any year and should serve as an inspiration
to us all.
Anderson
Silva fights a boring fight against Thales Leites: Silva is one
of the greatest MMA fighters of all-time. He may be the greatest
striker that has ever stepped foot in the Octagon. But his decision
victory over Leites at UFC 97 was one of the most boring main
event bouts we've seen in a long time. Silva certainly deserves
a pass considering what he's done during his career, even if
his last encounter against Patrick Cote wasn't of the exciting
variety either. Further, it takes two to fight and Leites really
wasn't doing much to help.
That
said, you have to think that Silva will come out motivated to
stop his opponent as quickly as possible in his next bout. If
not, expect an even more significant backlash from the fans than
what he's already received.
The
British Fighters on TUF 9: I'm an American. There's no doubt,
therefore, that I'm going to root for the Americans to bring
home the TUF 9 crown, just as I would expect every available
British citizen on the planet to root for Bisping's team. That
said, you have to give the British credit where credit is due
so far on the show. They're not the ones that brought Junie Browning's
brother on the show to start trouble. They're not whining. They're
working hard and are clearly coming together as a team.
Right
now, it's hard to say the same about the Americans. But it's
early.
Cheick
Kongo vs. Brock Lesnar: Anyone else out there want to see this
fight? There is no doubt that Lesnar is capable of taking this
encounter to the canvas. While there, he'll likely dish out a
good whooping. But those big punches he's been connecting with
on his feet due to an extreme size and reach advantage on opponents
(he landed on Couture, Herring, and even Mir to an extent) may
be harder to come by against a man with the striking skills and
sheer size of Kongo. In other words, if Kongo can survive the
ground and pound he's likely to come up against for any length
of time, his size and athleticism could prove lethal when upright
against Lesnar.
Then
again, maybe not. Either way, it might be interesting to see
how things play out.
If
Chuck Liddell's fighting days are over: He's been an amazing
fighter and a good ambassador for the sport. Liddell never made
excuses; he never backed down; and he always came to fights ready
to do just that, fight!
He'll
be missed.
Alistair
Overeem as the Strikeforce Heavyweight Champion: All of a sudden
with Strikeforce's recent dealings, the fact that Overeem is
their heavyweight champion has some meaning. After all, they
now have Brett Rogers and Fabricio Werdum for him to tangle with.
Hmmm.
Ronaldo
"Jacare" Souza vs. Jayson "Mayhem" Miller
at DREAM 9: The first time these two met at the DREAM Grand Prix
2008, a submission clinic was put on. Souza deservedly won a
decision, as his submission offense was more relevant. Still,
you've got to love a rematch here if you enjoy grappling encounters.
The speed with which these two transitioned from move to move
and escape to escape was special.
Nick
Diaz is a lot bigger than first thought: Most knew that Diaz
would have a reach advantage over Frank Shamrock when the two
went at Strikeforce: Shamrock vs. Diaz. But who knew that Diaz,
supposedly the smaller fighter in that he was coming up in weight
after competing in mostly the lightweight division, would be
bigger (not just taller and lankier) as well?
Regardless
of size, there was no doubt who the better fighter was after
that encounter.
Scott
Smith gets props for being the most sudden knockout puncher in
the game today: When Smith knocked Pete Sell out with that now
famous punch from nowhere, you had to give him his props. But
after losing most of the fight against Benji Radach, to then
come up with a huge punch like he did in the third round kind
of causes you to expect that kind of performance from him.
Scott
Smith is never out of a fight.
Source:
MMA Fighting
|
|