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(All events on Oahu, unless noted)
2009
November
Aloha
State Championship
of Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu
(BJJ & Sub Grappling)
10/10/09
NAGA
Hawaii
(BJJ/Sub Grappling)
(Hawaii, Tentative)
August
Hawaiian
Open Championship
of Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu
(BJJ & Sub Grappling)
6/27-28/09
OTM's 2009
Pac Sub
(Gi & No-Gi competition)
(Blaisdell Exhibition Hall)
6/6/09
Quest for Champions 2009 Tournament
(Sport Pankration, Sub Grappling)
(Kalani HS Gym)
6/4/09 - 6/7/09
World
JJ Championships
(BJJ)
(California State University Long Beach, Long Beach, CA)
5/26/09
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 2
|
Casca Grossa Jiu-Jitsu
is now the O2 Martial Arts Academy with 7 days a week training!
We are also offering Kali-Escrima (stick fighting) on Monday
nights with Ian Beltran and Kickboxing Tuesday and Thursday with
Kaleo Kwan & Chris Slavens!
Kids Classes are also
available!
Click
here for info!
Take classes from the Onzuka brothers in a family-like environment! |
In
Memory of Lars Chase
Rest in peace my brother
March 10, 1979 - April 2, 2008 |
Looking
for a hotel room on Oahu?
Check out this reasonably priced, quality hotel in Waikiki!
For
the special Onzuka.com price, click banner above! |
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Club TV
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On Teleivision
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at 8:00PM
***NEW TIME***
Olelo Channel 52 on Oahu
Also on Akaku on Maui
Check
out the FCTV website! |
Onzuka.com
Hawaii Underground Forum is Online!
Chris, Mark,
and I wanted to start an official Onzuka.com forum for a while
now. We were searching for the best forum to go with and hit
a gold mine! We have known Kirik, who heads the largest and most
popular forum on the net, The Underground for years.
He
offered us our own forum within the matrix know as MMA.tv. The
three of us will be the moderators with of course FCTV808 being
the lead since he is on there all day anyway!
We
encourage everyone from Hawaii and our many readers around world
to contribute to the Hawaii Underground.
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
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O2
Martial Arts Academy Day Classes Start May 2!
Women & Kids Kickboxing Class starts May 4!
Click here for pricing and more
information!
O2MAA Relson Gracie Jiu-Jitsu Day Classes will be held on Monday,
Wednesday, and Fridays from 11:00 am to 1:00 pm 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
“Truth
is the only safe ground to stand on.”
Elizabeth Cady Stanton |
FOR
RASHAD EVANS, UFC 98 IS BUSINESS AS USUAL
He is the Ultimate Fighting Championship light heavyweight champion
of the world.
He
won season two of The Ultimate Fighter reality series.
His
professional mixed martial arts record stands at 13-0-1.
His
wins include knockouts of former champions Forrest Griffin and
Chuck Liddell and a split decision over fellow Ultimate Fighter
winner Michael Bisping.
He
trains at one of the most respected fight camps in the world,
Greg Jackson's MMA, alongside top fighters like Georges St. Pierre,
Keith Jardine, Nate Marquardt, and Donald Cerrone.
Yet,
when Rashad Evans steps into the Octagon at UFC 98 on Saturday
night, he will be considered the underdog; an assumption supported
by current betting lines, both online and in Las Vegas. It's
not the first time he hasn't been expected to win, and probably
won't be the last. Either way, it doesn't really faze the champion.
"I
don’t take it personal. Whether they believe I can win or
don’t believe I can win it, I mean it really doesn’t
matter because it’s not the first time I’ve been the
underdog going into a fight," he said recently. "And
I haven’t lost – and I haven’t lost, yet. So it
really don’t matter.
"I’m
still the underdog going into this fight. So it feels like business
as usual."
The
perceptions of Evans as an underdog are somewhat unusual for
a fighter that has his resume and is undefeated going into the
fight. Of course, Machida is also undefeated, having beaten many
top-level fighters himself. And it's not often that two world-class
competitors in mixed martial arts, especially competing for a
title, enter the bout undefeated.
"Accomplishing
what me and Lyoto have accomplished, it wasn’t an easy task,"
said Evans in reference to neither of them having lost a fight.
"So I guess there’s some small sort of accomplishment
far as being a big deal. But you know, when I go in there and
fight, just like Lyoto probably, it don’t matter if I’m
undefeated or not. I’m just trying to win that one fight."
Win
the fight is something that no fighter has done with either Evans
or Machida, but Evans isn't troubled by the prospect of trying
to be the first to knock Machida down from the ranks of the unbeaten.
"He’s
got an interesting style. It’s pretty tricky at times, but
I think that anybody going against him is going to have their
own way of doing things. And they’re going to have their
own style. So it’s just making simple adjustments and it
should be all right," said Evans.
“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. I’m just
going to go out there and fight my best.
"I
don’t know how I’m going to approach this fight until
probably fight day. You know it depends on how I feel when I
come out. Sometimes you go out there and you see opportunities
and sometimes you don’t. When you go out there and fight,
if you have your mind set on just one thing and you go out there
and you don’t see it then it takes you a while to recover.
So I like to just react on my feet man. And if I see an opening
I’m going to take it. And if I don’t, then I’ll
just sit back and chill."
Source: MMA Weekly |
JITTERS
GONE, "PROFESSOR X" READY FOR UFC 98
He certainly didn’t look it, but Xavier Foupa-Pokam says
the UFC jitters got him at UFC 97.
“I
was feeling very great in the locker-room, and just before the
corridor to the path to the Octagon,” Foupa-Pokam told MMAWeekly.com.
“Then, I started to feel tense and didn't fight the way
I should have. I wasn't lucid; I was short of breath.”
“Professor
X” is far from alone in the experience. The UFC debut continues
to be, for lack of a better term, an “X factor" when
evaluating newcomers. Foupa-Pokam had 29 fights on his resume
when he stepped into the cage. But as so much anecdotal evidence
has shown, even the most experienced fighters can lose their
composure when they step onto the big stage.
His
opponent, Denis Kang, suffered his own jitters on his debut at
UFC 93, despite 40-plus fights on his ledger.
Nevertheless,
Professor X blasted Kang with kicks and punches throughout much
of their three-round battle, looking every bit an explosive menace.
But he says adrenaline made him more tired than ever before.
“I
had troubles recovering rapidly, and I made mistakes I normally
never do that spoiled a lot of energy,” he said. "Normally,
I often go to a fight very confident. I consider a fight like
a party that celebrates the end of a hard preparation; that's
maybe why I often dance a bit when on the path to the cage or
the ring. The day before the fight, I was still wondering why
a lot of journalists were asking me if I wasn't afraid of feeling
too nervous on this first UFC fight. Now I understand why.”
Foupa-Pokam
is embarrassed when he looks at the fight now.
“I
feel particularly ashamed of myself when I see me bending over
and putting my hands on my knees,” he continued. "I
had never done this before. I always work a lot on my conditioning;
stamina has always been considered as one of my strengths. When
people watch the fight, they have a feeling I have no takedown
defense, no wrestling, and no ground.”
In
the end, it was Kang’s ground game that won him the unanimous
decision from the judges. A humbling moment for the Professor,
to be sure, and one he never wants to repeat again.
Foupa-Pokam,
a native of Paris, France, was ordered to take up a sport by
his mother at age 11 along with his brother. His brother chose
soccer; he chose karate. After seven years of katas, he got bored
with “high-level karate strategies” and took up Muay
Thai at a school next to his house. Champ Cyrille Diabate, current
striking coach for Team USA on “The Ultimate Fighter”
season nine, ran the school. Nine years later, he and Diabate
still train together. A former TV cameraman, he’s now a
full-time fighter.
Foupa-Pokam
faces slugger Drew McFedries at UFC 98, a short-notice replacement
for the injured James Irvin. While he would love the opportunity
to stand and trade, the Professor is not banking on it.
“I
wish he would!” said Foupa-Pokam. “But it’s MMA,
not Muay Thai, and I have to be ready for everything.”
He
says the fact that he and McFedries are southpaws doesn’t
complicate the fight.
“It's
not easier or harder to fight a southpaw, it's just different,”
he said. “Of course, I'm more used to fighting righty guys
in competition, but I’ve already had southpaw opponents.”
Plus,
he has years of experience with Diabate, a lefty with range.
More
than any technique, though, he wants to prove that UFC 97 will
never happen again.
“I've
had a short, but complete fight preparation for this one,”
he said. “I kept working on everything at the same time.
I'm looking forward to show everybody that the Kang bout was
an accident.”
Source: MMA Weekly |
SERRA
VS HUGHES MOVES FROM REALITY TO REAL
“I’ll tell you this for sure, I’ve got one more
fight left in me. Matt Serra needs to come up with a game plan
now. My wife wants it. I want it. And I know these fans want
it, too.”
Such
were the words of Matt Hughes nearly one year ago after losing
to Thiago Alves at UFC 85. New week, on May 23 at UFC 98, that
fight will finally happen. In reality, it's been much longer
than a year in developing.
The
two were supposed to have faced each other at UFC 79 after serving
a stint as coaches on Season 6 of The Ultimate Fighter. Serra,
however, had to withdraw from the bout due to a herniated disk
in his back.
“This
is the hardest thing I’ve ever had to do,” Serra said
at the time. “I’m devastated, especially because this
was such an important fight. I was looking forward to fighting
Matt Hughes... All I can do now is to get better and to fight
again as soon as possible.”
Instead
of fighting Serra for the welterweight championship the New Yorker
had surprisingly taken from Georges St. Pierre at UFC 69, Hughes
accepted a rematch with St. Pierre at UFC 79. He was handed a
second defeat via the Canadian, then moved on to be TKO'd by
Thiago Alves at UFC 85.
Serra
didn't return until UFC 83, where he was soundly defeated in
his own rematch with St. Pierre, giving up the title and taking
some of the shine off the still desired grudge match with Hughes.
Hughes,
however, suffered a knee injury in the bout with Alves and has
been on the sidelines until now.
Both
are healed up and ready to finally step in the Octagon together
on Saturday night. And despite the lengthy delay for both of
them since their last bouts, the fan anticipation has steadily
grown as UFC 98 nears.
"Yes,
we’ve both had injuries but I mean that happens in our sport
when you’re as rough on our bodies as we are. But I mean
I think the fans still want to see it," said Hughes recently.
"Obviously, him and I still want this fight to go on. So
the bottom line nothing’s really changed."
Serra
agreed, "There was a big build up, and unfortunately I had
to withdraw and that killed me at the time. And I’m just
happy that it’s happening man. I’m thrilled that it’s
going to be happening on the 23rd; better late than never you
know."
The
animosity between the two really goes back to season four of
The Ultimate Fighter in the fall of 2006 when Serra was a contestant
as a former UFC fighter trying to make a comeback, whilst Hughes
was a coach opposite Georges St. Pierre. Their open criticism,
stemming from a personal dislike of each other, really started
to make itself known to fans during that season.
After
all this time, at least for them, their disdain for each other
hasn't waned. And for those that ask the question, Serra insists
that none of their friction is manufactured. They just plain
don't like each other.
"Nothing’s
manufactured here. That’s what’s really – that
I have to stress to people. They’re like, 'oh man, you know
is that all fake, the TV?' I’m like no, not really, because
basically if the cameras aren’t there I’ll be doing
the same thing.
"I
didn’t have any agenda you know with anything as far as
I do this and it’ll lead to this and that. I think it’s
great. I mean, it creates a hype, and people like – they
like going in there wanting to see me either get beat down or
me to beat down Matt Hughes.
"A
lot of times some of the greatest fights are what builds them
up, with like Ali and Frazier and whatnot, you know, with the
pre fight stuff. But this one is just genuine.
"The
only fight I want to fight right now, the only person I want
to fight is Matt Hughes. I feel like it’s something that
never got finished. We were on that show together. And it’s
not only for us, for everybody, for the fans, for us, for everything."
And
on Saturday night, at UFC98, everybody who wants this match-up
will finally get it.
Source: MMA Weekly |
CRO
COP SAYS HE'S RETURNING TO UFC
2006 Pride Open Weight Grand Prix winner Mirko "Cro Cop"
Filipovic will soon return to the UFC, according to his official
blog on mma-id.com.
"I
decided to fight in the UFC again, because of the stronger competition
in the heavyweight division," wrote Filipovic. "My
next opponent will be Mustapha Al-Turk."
A
subsequent press release from nokaut.com confirmed the return
is set for UFC 99 in Cologne, Germany on June 13.
The
Croatian kickboxer turned MMA stylist rode a wave of hype into
the Octagon following the Grand Prix, but was decimated against
division contenders Gabriel Gonzaga and Cheik Kongo at UFC 70
and UFC 75, respectively.
He
was released from his contract under amicable terms last February
and signed with Fight Entertainment Group (FEG), where he gathered
two wins and a no contest against Alistair Overeem at Dream 6.
In
recent months, Filipovic hinted at a UFC return for the promotion's
German debut, but gave no concrete details.
The
former Croatian parliament member says he can still make a splash
in the heavyweight division.
"I
didn't do well in my first three appearances - I wasn't myself,"
he wrote. "By returning to the cage I want to prove that
I can still fight at highest level, no matter when or where.
“I
would really like to fight at least three times this year. I
wish to fight against quality opponents and to fight my way up
to a title shot but for now, I'll focus only on my next fight
and after that we'll see what's going to be on the menu next."
Filipovic
thanked UFC president Dana White for the invitation to return.
“I
owe you a lot from our first deal, and I'll make it up to you,”
wrote Filipovic.
Al-Turk,
a former Cage Rage heavyweight champ, lost to Kongo in his UFC
92 debut. The fate of Al-Turk's original opponent, Todd Duffee,
is unknown at this time.
Source: MMA Weekly |
Brazilian
Nationals Saturday overview
Qualified crowd: Paulao Filho, Sergio Moraes, Mike Fowler, Nino
Schembri and others
The
cold and drizzle of the melancholic Saturday afternoon was not
enough to stifle the excitement of the crowd and competitors
filling the Tijuca Tennis Club for the 14th Brazilian National
Jiu-Jitsu Championship.
At
the entrance to the gymnasium Mike Fowler, who this Sunday will
fight in the middleweight category, chatted in a hybrid of English
and Portuguese with his cab driver. In the stands such names
as Roberto Gordo, Alexandre Paiva, Rolker Gracie, Fabio Gurgel,
Andre Marola and Marco Antonio Barbosa surveyed the scene, as
did other renowned grappling beasts like Paulao Filho and Nino
Schembri.
Before
the absolute, seated comfortably in the bandstand was Tarsis
Humphreys, and beside him black belt Michael Langhi – who
was not signed up in the absolute, only participating on Sunday.
Superstitious and in good cheer, Tarsis had not altered his new
look. “You don’t mess with a winning team,” he
said smiling, to disappear into the crowd with his gi under his
arm. Time to compete.
And
he let his game flow naturally, moving through the bracket performing
impeccably. Of his four matches, three he managed to win by submission
(two chokes and an americana armlock).
Charles
Cachoeira too stood out among the competitors. In the second
absolute bracket, he beat three adversaries on points, among
them Eduardo Santoro and Rodrigo Cavaca. Panting, after overcoming
Cavaca, the black belt who’d earned his spot in the semifinal,
revealed:
“I’m
dog tired, brother. I came here to the Nationals more to get
10-minute-match rhythm to do well at the Worlds in the United
States,” said Cachoeira, who ended up losing on points to
Gabriel Vella.
Surprise:
Braga Neto submitted by Thiago Gaia
Sporting
a blue gi, Antonio Braga Neto appeared on the scene and brought
the press and public to frenzy. All eyes and lenses were fixed
on the fight area of bracket four. In his first match, Neto demonstrated
great technique and overcame Julio Pires with an arm-and-neck
choke. In his second match, he won using the same finish, now
on Gabriel Kitober, who had the luxiry of Paulao Filho cheering
for him. In his third match, no one could have expected what
was to come. Nova Uniao’s Thiago Gaia, who had come off
one win by choke and one by points, swept Braga Neto by omoplata.
Braga reciprocated with a sweep. Score tied at 2 to 2. Gaia thus
managed to take Neto’s back, sink his hooks and submit the
Roberto Gordo black belt with a choke, not seeming to believe
what had happened as he tapped out. Seated, sad and in disbelief,
Neto could only say “Man, nothing can justify this loss.”
Gaia’s
glory didn’t last long, though. In the semifinal against
Tarsis, the Nova Uniao Macae black belt, ironically, was finished
just as he had just finished Braga Neto, with a choke from the
back.
Brazilian
Nationals: Gurgel comments on absolute shut out
“Alliance’s position is to let the athletes decide”
After
submitting Thiago Gaia in the semifinal of the absolute category
of the Brazilian National Championship this Saturday, Alliance
black belt Tarsis Humphreys already knew what he’d do, should
his teammate Gabriel Vella beat Charles Cachoeira at the other
end of the bracket.
While
the dispute between the athlete from Sao Paulo and the one from
Santa Catarina was underway, Tarsis told the GRACIEMAG.com reporter,
“No, I won’t fight Vella, should he win,” with
a look of bother.
Right
after referee Muzio de Angelis raised the arm of Vella, who beat
Cachoeira on points, everyone darted over to celebrate with Fabio
Gurgel, who watched on from the stands. Embraced by Michael Langhi,
Sergio Moraes, Gabriel Vella and Tarsis Humphreys, Gurgel was
deafened by the chants of “Alliance is the champ.”
Gurgel
made it very clear he would not influence the absolute finalists’
decision nor address the debate about the issue of shutting out
categories recently brought up by GRACIEMAG.com.
“Alliance’s
position is to let the athletes decide for themselves, they train
together every day and I’m not going to cause conflict in
my gym because of a debate where people are speaking their minds.
I respect all the opinions, but I’m not going to create
an uncomfortable, counter-evolutionary mood in the academy,”
said Gurgel.
“Jiu-Jitsu
is going through this evolution, information is being exchanged,
so it’s up to the athletes to decide. If they come to an
agreement, as usually happens, there won’t be the match.
If they don’t reach an accord, they’ll dispute to see
who will be champion and who will be runner up. I don’t
involve myself in that, it’s in their hands,” the leader
of Alliance declared.
And
the decision was made. Gabriel Vella made it clear what would
be done. “It’s hard work. The credit [for victory]
goes to me and Tarsis. We train so it counts in the gym. I think
that if we were to fight each other professionally it would create
a rivalry that would end up manifesting itself in training. I
don’t think it’s healthy,” explained Vella. “We’ll
do rocks-paper-scissor to figure out who gets the official title
and we’ll split the plane ticket [to the Worlds in California].
But the two of us are the champions,” he said in finishing.
Brazilian
national champions
Abi-Rihan submits Tarsis in 31 seconds
The
Tijuca Tennis Club went off this afternoon. The finals of the
Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu Nationals 2009 packed the stands and offered
great displays of technique and heart on the part of the competitors.
GRACIEMAG.com followed the event up close and brings you the
summary of the black belt finals. Alliance was team champion
in the adult, followed by Check Mat, with Nova Uniao in third.
Roosterweight
In a riveting final, Bruno Malfacine overcame Ivaniel Oliveira
by 6 to 5. The Alliance athlete took a 4 to 0 lead with two sweeps.
In the action that followed, Ivaniel managed to come back with
a sweep and a guard pass, rallying to lead by 5 to 4. In the
final seconds, Malfacine managed a third sweep and won.
Light
featherweight
In a lively match, Pablo Santos (PH Team) beat Pillipe Freitas
(Gracie Barra). A sweep early on guaranteed him the two points
that made him champ.
Featherweight
Bruno Frazatto is the champion of Brazil at featherweight. With
a takedown at the start, Bruno went ahead against Theodoro Canal.
Bruno’s slick guard guaranteed him the sweep that brought
the score to 4 to 0, favoring the Atos JJ athlete.
Lightweight
Michael Langhi kept up his solid form and took gold. The Alliance
athlete submitted Vinicius Marinho (GFT) with an armbar in the
9th minute of the match. Langhi dominated the action taking the
back, catching his opponent’s arm to win.
Middleweight
In a sensational bout, Alan “Finfou” Nascimento raised
the roof by finishing Tiago Alves (Barbosa JJ) to take gold in
the category. At 5:24 min, the Check Mat athlete managed to sink
an armbar from the guard to win. Beforehand, though, Finfou was
taken down and had to escape from Tiago’s onslaught, like
a deep kneebar.
Medium
heavyweight
Rafael Abi-Rihan is the upset of the day. The Carlson Gracie
athlete submitted Tarsis Humphreys with an armbar just 31 seconds
into the final. The lightning-quick win happened after Rafael
himself escaped from an armbar from the first Professional World
Cup absolute champion and counter-attacked likewise.
Heavyweight
Jefferson Moura is the champion. The Gracie Barra teacher made
it 4 to 0 over Alexandre Cecconi (Rilion Gracie). Two sweeps
and a smooth guard guaranteed Moura the win.
Super
heavyweight
Antonio Braga Neto (Gordo JJ) needed seven minutest to make it
to Marcel “Maozinha” Fortuna’s back and finish
him with a choke. The current absolute Pan-American champion
was superior throughout the combat.
Ultra
heavyweight
Leonardo Leite (Alliance) submitted Bruno Matias (Check Mat)
at 8:52 with a clock choke. After an evenly balanced match till
nearly the end, with lots of motion, Leite managed an advantage
and thereafter the sub.
Absolute
Tarsis Humphreys and Gabriel Vella closed out the category for
Alliance. Humphreys took the title and Vella took the Rio-Los
Angeles plane ticket, for the Worlds 2009.
Source: Gracie Magazine |
Pequeno
nearing return
Brazilian’s year suspension nears end
Not
having fought since June 1, 2008, after being suspended for banned
substances after his fight with Jose Aldo in the WEC, Alexandre
Pequeno is getting ready to return to the ring. However, as he
had already stated to Portal das Lutas, the “King of the
Guillotine” will return to Japan, where he came to fame
for having defended his Shooto belt on numerous occasions.
“I’m
going straight to Sengoku. It’s a Japanese event and the
fans are asking for me to make my return there. Financially speaking,
the event pays even more than the WEC,” says Pequeno.
“My
suspension is up at the end of May and I should be back in the
ring in August, the 2nd, in an under 65kg fight along with my
new sponsor, Especie,” he continued, respecting his suspension
on American soil, since the Japanese organization harbors plans
to hold events in the United States.
According
to the luta livre representative, his trip to Sengoku came about
upon popular request in the country, where he is one of the most
respected fighter. His departure from the WEC, after a lightning-quick
stint, was on friendly terms.
“The
WEC released me from my contract. My manager, Alex Davis, spoke
with them and thought it best to put me in Japan. The promoters
there want me in their event. They said my career started there,
my whole life was in Japan and that I couldn’t not be there.
They said I was born in Japan and that I had to fight there till
I retire. So I told them it’s a deal.”
Beyond
that, Pequeno is working on Desafio Peru x Brazil, to be held
in Peru on July 20, in the National Stadium, the most modern
in the country. The event will put five Brazilians against five
local fighters.
Source: Gracie Magazine |
Lyoto
Machida and the Revenge of Karate
Saturday, Lyoto Machida may well wind up finishing what Minoki
Ichihara started.
Ichihara,
if not the pioneering karateka to step into a mixed-rules ring,
was certainly the first to do it for the benefit of a television
satellite truck. An elite daido juku fighter in Japan -- a hybrid
of judo and kyokushin karate -- Ichihara admitted himself in
the 16-man draw of the second Ultimate Fighting Championship
in March 1994.
Stout,
serious and possessed of Bluto-like forearms, he was eager to
meet Royce Gracie, whom he had watched and admired during the
first tournament. Like Gracie, Ichihara sported a gi. Unlike
Gracie, he was unaware it did him more harm than good: Gracie
used it to choke him into submission after five minutes of protracted
struggling.
Because
UFC II’s success on VHS made it the viral video of its time,
karate’s combat impotence was not an easy thing to keep
a tarp over. As events wore on, the idea that someone who spent
a portion of the day in kata or in stilted, mechanical fight
posture would be an effective antidote to the Gracies -- or later,
the wrestlers, kickboxers and now wrestler-kickboxer hybrids
-- became laughable. Traditional arts were relics, sneered at
by fight fans who knew better. Fights were won or lost based
on the time spent gathering mat burn, not perfecting cinderblock
parlor tricks.
But
everything comes back in style eventually. (Possible exception:
Zubaz.) Ichihara had fought blindfolded: His karate had no prior
knowledge of what waited for him in the ring. Like all styles,
it learned. The wrestlers used to beat up the kickboxers until
the kickboxers learned to defend themselves on the ground; the
wrestlers started getting beat up by the kickboxers until their
striking caught up. Now everyone can wrestle and kick, and the
better athlete usually wins.
The
advent of the athlete -- as opposed to the stylist -- in the
past 10 years created narrow opportunity for karate to make cameo
appearances in fights, but only under the control of cross-trained
competitors. Shonie Carter whipping a spinning back fist out
of his pocket against Matt Serra in 2001 was a condition of his
kickboxing and wrestling proficiency. He was in control of the
fight, so he could get cute. You have to know the rules before
you can start breaking them.
No
traditionalist has validated that to greater effect than Lyoto
Machida, who is taking his 14-0 record into a Saturday title
bout with Rashad Evans, also undefeated at 9-0-1.
Machida
is not a “karate fighter” in the sense Ichihara was;
he’s trained extensively in jiu-jitsu, muay Thai and other
styles to help complete his library of martial arts. What makes
Machida a story is his footwork and defensive posturing, which
is classically old-fashioned. And that’s frustrating, because
the sledgehammer-swinging combat hybrid fighter of 2009 doesn’t
go into a gym and practice mounting or defending attacks with
hands low and chins up. For them, Machida’s style might
as well be pluto-fu.
It’s
a blend of technique that’s had answers for everyone from
Rich Franklin (good striker with Western sensibilities) to Thiago
Silva (jiu-jitsu, aggression) to Tito Ortiz (power, power, power).
The only question left is the one Evans is more than capable
of asking: What happens when an explosive wrestler decides he
doesn’t want to keep swinging at air -- he wants to plant
you on your ass and pummel until you sneeze bone fragments?
It’s
a great question -- Evans/Machida holds more interest for me
than any fight so far this year -- and the answer is going to
have real influence on how aspiring fighters choose to train.
When Royce Gracie proved his style’s efficacy in a real
fight, schools began painting “and jiu-jitsu” in their
front windows. Ichihara might find considerable irony in MMA
franchises forced to add “and karate” to their yellow
page ads.
Toiling
in some putrid gym somewhere right now is a guy building a base
of wrestling and kickboxing who’s going to start ending
fights with some bizarre krav maga or kung fu mysticism. And
it’ll work only because being eccentric in the ring comes
with having a contemporary base.
When
you can meet someone at his own game and not be disassembled
by your own ignorance, you can begin to impart your own. Machida
has figured this out. Now it’s up for everyone else to figure
him out.
Source: Sherdog |
12
Questions for Sean Sherk
In his quest to return to the top of the lightweight division,
former champion Sean Sherk will meet Frankie Edgar in a pivotal
main card bout at UFC 98 “Evans vs. Machida” this Saturday
at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas.
The
sculpted 35-year-old Minnesotan rebounded from his title fight
loss to B.J. Penn a year ago with a unanimous decision victory
against Tyson Griffin at UFC 90 in October. Sherk (33-3-1) has
lost to only three men -- Penn, current UFC welterweight king
Georges St. Pierre and future UFC hall of famer Matt Hughes --
and remains one of the sport’s most underappreciated fighters.
In
this exclusive interview with Sherdog.com, Sherk discusses the
possibility of a rematch with Penn, the taxing cut to 155 pounds
and life as a father to two sons who seem unaware of his stardom.
Sherdog:
Let’s start with Frankie Edgar. He’s your next opponent
in the UFC. How are things going in preparation for Frankie?
Sherk: Things are going real good. [I have] a lot of good training
partners. Training camp has been going phenomenal. [I’m]
putting things together and just winding it down, getting ready
for showtime.
Sherdog:
You’ve fought a lot of guys in your career. Is Frankie different
from opponents you have faced in the past?
Sherk: I think he’s pretty well-rounded. He has a great
wrestling background, [and] his striking looks good. Every time
I’ve seen him fight, he looks comfortable on his feet. I
think he’s a purple belt in jiu-jitsu. I think he’s
pretty well-versed. I don’t know how this fight is going
to turn out. It could turn into a wrestling match or a boxing
match. That has yet to be seen. I think you’ll see a lot
of everything in this one. That’s the way it is with everybody
in this industry now, especially at the high level. Everyone
is three-dimensional now. You never know how it’s going
to go until you get in there and start mixing it up.
Sherdog:
B.J. Penn is going to fight Kenny Florian at UFC 101 in August.
You fought both of those guys. If you get past Edgar and Penn
beats Florian, do you think the MMA community is ready for Penn-Sherk
2?
Sherk: I would hope so. My last fight with Tyson [Griffin] was
real exciting. We got “Fight of the Night.” I think
my fight with Frankie is going to be real exciting. I think --
assuming I do pull the win off in two fast-paced, exciting fights
-- that the fans would be excited for Penn and Sherk 2.
Sherdog:
Let’s talk about the time when you were outside of the UFC.
You decided to call up Monte Cox, and he got you back in. UFC
President Dana White has gone on record saying he does not like
Monte. What is so special about Monte and how does he make things
happen?
Sherk: I think the guy is a really good manager. He’s got
so many great guys that he manages, which obviously helps. He
knows a lot of people in this industry. He’s really well-connected.
I don’t know the issues between him and Dana, but if you’re
managed by Monte Cox, you’re in the big show. That’s
just the way it is.
Sherdog:
Let’s talk about some of your past opponents. You’ve
been in there with some of the best fighters in the world --
Matt Hughes, Georges St. Pierre and B.J. Penn. Who is the toughest
guy you’ve competed against in mixed martial arts?
Sherk: All of those guys … my three losses, obviously. When
I fought Matt Hughes, he was number one pound-for-pound in the
world. When I fought Georges St. Pierre, he was on that top 10
pound-for-pound in the world list. When I fought B.J. Penn, he
was on that top 10 pound-for-pound list. All three of those guys
were phenomenal fighters. I couldn’t really put my finger
on one guy. They all posed problems in different ways. I had
a lot of trouble with St. Pierre because of his reach. I’ve
been in the ring with a lot of great guys, not just the guys
that I’ve been beaten by. Look at the guys I’ve beaten.
I’ve beaten 10 guys over my career that have been ranked
top 10 in the world at one point in time, so I’ve beaten
a lot of great guys, and I’ve been beaten by some great
guys. That’s what mixed martial arts is all about to me
-- creating that legacy. When I walk away from this industry,
I don’t want to have any type of question marks next to
my name. I want to know -- and I want the fans to know -- that
I was one of the best guys in the world for a long time and I
fought some of the best guys to prove it.
Source: Sherdog |
Quote
of the Day
“We
must use time as a tool, not as a crutch.”
John F. Kennedy |
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Quest
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 |
UFC
98 FIGHTERS CLEAN FOR PRE-FIGHT DRUGS
The Nevada State Athletic Commission on Thursday released the
results of pre-fight drug tests for four fighters involved in
next weekend's UFC 98.
Tested
for performance enhancers and drugs of abuse were former welterweight
champions Matt Hughes and Matt Serra, who face off in the co-main
event of the evening, as well as former lightweight champion
Sean Sherk and his opponent, Frankie Edgar.
All
fighters came back negative.
Sherk
was required to submit to pre-fight drug testing as a condition
of licensure in Nevada. In July of 2007, he was flagged by the
California State Athletic Commission for the use of Nandrolone;
a charge he denies to this day.
Kizer
told MMAWeekly.com that Nevada's pre-fight testing was going
well a year and a half into its history.
"We're
quite pleased with the fact that all the out-of-town drug tests
we've done have come back negative," he said. "That's
what we were hoping for. It's just another step towards education
of the fighters as well as a deterrent to the fighters against
using banned substances. Hopefully they'll keep coming back negative."
Kizer
said the up to 48-hour notice given to fighters prior to pre-fight
testing will remain.
"It
depends on the situation, but usually I give them 48 hours,"
he continued. "We don't have the budget to send collectors
out to people's homes, so we have to work with the fighters.
But 48 hours, from my understanding with the labs, is not an
issue when you're dealing with steroids. Most fighters do it
within 24 hours."
Source: MMA Weekly |
UFC
98: PHILLIPE NOVER AFTER FIRST UFC WIN
It’s been a while since Phillipe Nover has been seen in
the Octagon. In fact, it’s been almost five months since
we’ve seen The Ultimate Fighter finalist lose to Efrain
Escudero. In that period of time, he has been training hard to
improve his game to make himself a threat in the lightweight
division.
Returning
at UFC 98, Nover will be taking on Kyle Bradley in a chance to
get his first official win in the cage.
“I
feel great,” said Nover on a recent episode of MMAWeekly
Radio. “I've definitely been itching to get back in there.
I actually, from my track record, don't fight that often, so
I'm used to the downtime and taking a few weeks off. Now that
I'm fighting full time and training full time, I definitely got
the itch so I can't wait to get in there.”
Ultimate
Fighting Championship president Dana White had lots of impressive
things to say about Nover when he was on The Ultimate Fighter,
drawing comparisons to the likes of Georges St. Pierre and Anderson
Silva. While flattered by the comments, he realizes that he is
not at that level yet.
“It
depends how you take Dana White's words. I'm not on GSP's level
or Anderson Silva's level. They're years and years ahead of me.
They're training full time and they are super-talented, but there
is no telling in the next five years if I can get to a championship
level. I'm training my ass off and I have some talent, so it
depends how you take it. Anderson Silva would whoop my butt.
I'm not at their level, but maybe someday I will be.”
Most
fighters would love to have their boss compare them to the likes
of two dominating champions, but Nover was more taken back by
a different comment that White made.
“I
took it as a big compliment,” Nover offered. “One of
the biggest compliments that I saw on an episode is that he said
I'm possibly one of the most talented guys to get on the show.
That just blew my mind.
"I
try not to let things gas my head up. It added some pressure
and added some nervous energy, but I really wanted to out in
that fight with Escudero and knock his head off and say, 'yeah,
I'm really good.' But strategy-wise, I was out strategized. Just
over committing to power punches, things of that nature.”
When
Nover lost to Escudero in the finals, it was the first loss of
his career. After finishing his opponents quickly on the show,
the loss took him by surprise. But like all good fighters do,
he took his loss as a learning experience and is ready to unleash
his newfound lessons on Bradley at UFC 98.
“It
wasn't such a bad loss as in getting knocked out or submitted.
I wasn't really hurt after the fight. More than anything I felt
like I was mentally put in a different place. I didn't know how
to come back from that. I went back to the drawing board and
looked at things very positively," he recalled. "I
saw the things that I need to work on and my holes are wrestling,
which I've been working on day and night putting the puzzle pieces
together, working on my wrestling and working on my hands. You
have to put all the puzzle pieces together. I'm more a strategist
now and in this next fight, you'll see that.”
Now
more focused than ever, Nover realizes the opportunity that he
has and doesn’t want to spoil it, which is why he has now
transitioned to full time training.
“People
would kill to get in my position,” he said humbly. “They
have the talent, but they don't have the people around them or
the ability to be like I do because I got on the show and got
to show them the type of fighter I am to show them that I'm a
UFC caliber fighter.
"The
only way to prove you are a fighter is to train full time. I
can't be working forty hours a week as a nurse and go and train.
It's too draining for me.”
Nover’s
opponent hasn’t had great success in the Octagon going 0-2,
but losing to very tough opponents Chris Lytle and Joe Lauzon.
Even though Bradley hasn’t won a UFC fight yet, Nover realizes
the threat that Bradley possesses, especially because it could
be win or be cut from the UFC.
“He's
definitely a wounded dog right now and he's going to go all out.
It's do or die for him, so I'm taking him very seriously,"
Nover said. "He's fought two tough guys and he didn't lose
to scrubs. He has a decent record and he has a few knockouts
on his record, so he is going to pour it all out and he's going
to try to knock my head off. He'll try to win by any means, so
I'm taking that very seriously. I'm not underestimating him at
all."
Source: MMA Weekly |
LESSONS
LEARNED: FRANKLIN ON SILVA TRAINING
Rich Franklin was caught in the middle.
The
former UFC middleweight champ last Friday departed from a short
training camp with current king Anderson Silva in preparation
for a catch-weight showdown with Wanderlei Silva at UFC 99.
A
war of words broke out between the Silvas in recent weeks over
Wanderlei’s intention to move from light heavyweight to
middleweight. The two were training partners in their formative
years at Chute Boxe in Curitiba, Brazil.
But
Franklin says he’d mapped out the trip to the Los Angeles
gym long before the conflict arose.
“None
of the situation between Anderson and Wanderlei played in to
me going out and training with Anderson,” Franklin told
MMAWeekly.com from Seattle, where he trains for another week
before heading back to hometown Cincinnati.
The
decision was good for gossip circles, but he says it was about
good training from a respected fighter.
“I
received a call from (Silva’s manager) Ed Soares many, many
weeks ago about training with Anderson, and I spoke to Rob, my
boxing coach, and Matt (Hume), my MMA coach, and ran the idea
by them about training here,” he continued. “We all
decided it wasn’t a bad idea, so we headed off.
“Ed
told me that Anderson and Wanderlei used to be teammates, and
they’re not anymore, and Anderson had a tremendous amount
of respect for me, and would like to help me prep for the fight.
Aside from that, the whole soap opera of them going back and
forth, none of that stuff had even started. In my life, I really,
really try to keep myself as drama free as possible. I’m
not a guy that likes to encounter conflict; I’d rather avoid
it when it’s possible.”
His
history with the current champ – two devastating stoppage
losses at UFC 64 and 77 – didn’t weigh as heavily as
one might expect.
“The
UFC’s made it clear that they don’t want me to fight
him again, and with that in mind, it made it easy for me to decide
that I wasn’t going to be putting myself in a situation
that I would perhaps end up having to face him again one day,”
said Franklin. “From that point of view, it was just a decision.”
And
in the big picture of his UFC 99 training camp, the time in Los
Angeles was a drop in the bucket. Other than adjusting to “Brazilian
time,” he says he enjoyed the departure from his usual training
regimen, which has been focused in Cincinnati and Seattle.
“Aside
from the scheduling – we had some scheduling conflicts,
guys showing up late for workouts – when we were in the
gym training, the training was really good,” said Franklin.
“We ran a lot of different drills, and got a little bit
of time one-on-one with Anderson. It was definitely an interesting
trip, something I’m not used to doing.
“It
wasn’t like I was going to learn a bunch of techniques that
I didn’t already know, so it didn’t really boil down
to that. Any time you go to a different camp, everybody has their
own way of training, and the way they structure classes, what
they decide to work on, how they divide up their week. It was
slightly different than the way we do things.”
He
did not get a key to defeat Wanderlei, nor was he looking for
it.
“It’s
not like Anderson revealed any kind of secrets or anything we
didn’t already know,” he said. “It was good work
we did down there, but nothing that was a big eye-opener.”
The
experience, however, may have changed his feelings about training
with Wanderlei in Las Vegas. The former Pride champ invited him
to the gym around the time of its opening in March.
“Training
at his facility will be different now, because Anderson helped
me out for this fight,” he said. “The fact that he
even extended the invitation for me to come out there says a
lot to me. With that in mind, if something were to ever come
up between the two of them, I wouldn’t want to be in Wanderlei’s
gym training with them, crossing that line with the possibility
that they might fight each other. At this point, I feel like
Anderson stuck his neck out for me. I just wouldn’t want
to cross that line.”
Would
he help out Anderson in a fight with Wanderlei?
“I
haven’t really given that much thought,” he said. “To
be quite honest, even if I did want to help Anderson get ready
for Wanderlei, I’m not sure I’m the best training partner
for that anyway. I’m southpaw; he’s not. I don’t
move like Wanderlei does. So I’m not sure that would even
be an issue to begin with.”
Source: MMA Weekly |
Minotoro
talks victorious debut in Brazil
The
atmosphere was great even before Rogério “Minotoro”
Nogueira’s fight, and the crowd was excited to see the idol
fighting in his homeland for the first time after 20 fights in
his career. Used to fight in the biggest events around the world,
as Pride and Affliction, Minotoro dominated Dion Staring at Jungle
Fight, which happened last weekend at Fortaleza, Ceará,
and, from the first minute, went inside the opponent and showed
a great striking game, finishing the fight with a tight triangle
choke. After the show inside the octagon, Minotoro spoke with
TATAME.com about the victory, the fans and revealed: wants to
fight again in Brazil.
What
did you think about your first fight in Brazil?
It
was good. Being in Brazil, I felt like I had to go inside and
the responsibility of showing my work, show that the level is
high. We train to reach the highest level. I think he (Staring)
was a little slippery on the beginning of the fight, when we
were at the ground I tried to pass the guard and I actually talked
about it the with referee, but he said he had cleaned him before
the fight. He was a tough guy, handled it and came here to win.
I was faster, more trained… But he hits hard and, when worked
on the ground and pound, I felt he still was alive on the fight.
And
the energy coming from the crowd?
They
were satisfied, I fought well standing, on the Muay Thai, knees,
and, in the end, I finished it on the ground… It was a complete
fight. I’m with a great ground game, Muay Thai and Boxing
too, the guys were very happy and gave me a good energy. I had
the responsibility and went inside all the time. For sure, this
responsibility gives you an extra gas.
How
did you like the organization of the event?
It
was good. We’re used to fight overseas, but it was great
here too. They had the support of the government, had a huge
support. I think it was Wallid Ismail’s best event in Brazil.
I had a locker room just for me, with fruits, food (laughs)…
A great level.
After
the fight, you needs a couple hours to reach the locker room
with the fans all around you and your brother, right?
Yeah,
I just left there one hour later, but it was great… That
normal with that party, the fighter needs to have this responsibility
with the fans, receive everybody, thank, take pictures with everyone
who went there to see me…
After
the debut, do you think about fighting again in Brazil?
Of
course, absolutely… If there’s another opportunity,
I’ll be back for sure.
What
are you gonna do now? Your focus now is to help your brother’s
preparation to fight Randy Couture?
I
still don’t know when I’m going, I think I’m going
to U.S. next week to do that movie with (Sylvester) Stallone,
we’ll be there 12 days doing it. Rodrigo (Minotauro) went
there today (yesterday) and, then, we’ll go to Miami or
California to train.
Source: Tatame |
Galvão
trains at the U.S. for Dream GP
After
passing through the first phase of Dream’s welterweight
GP, the black belt André Galvão decided train for
the final stage of the tournament, which happens on June 20,
in the U.S.. Beside of Anderson Silva, Rafael "Feijão"
Cavalcante and other fighters, André trains hard in Los
Angeles, prepared to face whoever comes ahead. "So far I
haven’t got a defined opponent, but I'm already training
because I know that it won’t be easy", says the black
belt, without choosing opponents.
"Man,
I prefer not to choose, I prefer to train to whoever comes. Of
course (Hayato) Sakurai is the most experienced guy there, already
made lots of title fights, but if it happen for us to face each
other before, there’s no problem ", says Galvão,
with one goal in mind: "what I want is to get out of there
as the champion, no matter who I face". While training in
the USA, André will cheer for the training partner Ronaldo
"Jacaré" Souza, who will fight for Dream’s
middleweight title at May 26 against Jason Miller.
"Jacaré
is training in Brazil with (Josuel) Distak and Rogerio (Camões),
and I think he will do well in Japan. He has everything to win
the belt too, because the quality of training that he is having
is excellent", shows the black belt. After training for
a while with Wanderlei Silva in Randy Couture’s team, at
the same place where Forrest Griffin trains, Galvão now
trains with Anderson Silva, Griffin’s next opponent: "I
only know him through the fights, I never saw him train there.
I know he likes to go inside, make his ground game, which is
good. He is a great fighter and I think it will be a very good
fight".
Source: Tatame |
Thiago
Silva
Thiago
Silva is no longer undefeated, but he doesn’t lose the trust
in the work and will come inside in his next UFC fight. Scheduled
to fight the former champion Forrest Griffin, the Brazilian is
now with a new opponent, and faces Keith Jardine at UFC 102,
hold in the U.S at August. In an exclusive interview to TATAME.com,
Thiago spoke about the fight against Jardine, Griffin’s
fight against the middleweight champion Anderson Silva, Lyoto
Machida, the man who defeated him, fighting for the belt against
Rashad Evans and more.
How
is the training to fight Keith Jardine?
The
training is being the same, I’m keeping it the same and
the only difference is that now I have two more weeks to train
even more. I’m doing a whole complete work here, working
on my back so that I have no more injuries, but it’s cool,
everything is going right. Keith Jardine is a good athlete. Of
course his style is a little different, but I think that, by
now, I’m just working the technical and physical part, and
I’ll set a strategy closer to the fight.
What
difference this fight changes for you, coming from Forrest Griffin,
a former champion, to Jardine?
I
wanted to fight griffin, I think it was a good fight for me,
but Jardine is also a good fight and I can’t pick up fights
for me. I’m coming from a loss and I have to win, put my
money on the pocket and renew my contract… I have to keep
my job, right?
How
do you think it’ll be Griffin’s fight against Anderson
Silva?
It’ll
be a good fight, but I think Anderson has more tools. Everybody
is watching it, this guy is unbeatable. Besides people talk about
his style now, being defensive, I think he’s smart, needs
to continue as the champion. To remain champion, you have to
do everything. I think the 205 division is a little more complicated
for him, because the guys are heavier, but I think this fight
will be excellent for Anderson, because Griffin has a lot of
heart, goes inside and this fight will be awesome.
Do
you think Forrest surprise, just like he did against Shogun?
Sincerely,
I trust on Anderson, this guy is fuckin’ awesome. I still
didn’t see in the UFC a technical quality as his, and he’s
no fool on the ground. I cheer for Brazil, of course.
Your
division is the most stacked in the UFC. How do you see the next
fights of your division?
I
think that the 205 is the most unpredictable division in the
UFC, because has a lot of good athletes. I think Lyoto’s
fight (against Rashad) will be good and I have to cheer for him
to win, because I want my revenge against him, that’s what
I’m going after now.
Wanderlei
recently dropped to middleweight. How do you think will be his
fight against Rich Franklin?
I
already trained with Wanderlei a long time ago and I think he,
at 185, will put a lot of guys in trouble, because he’s
very strong, explosive. I believe he’ll smash Rich Franklin,
for sure. Wanderlei is great.
Do
you think about going to his gym for a training, like Thiago
Alves did?
He
invited me on my last fight, but it depends on the situation.
I want to, but, for now, ATT offers me a good training, but maybe
I can go there and do a little training with him. I love Wanderlei,
he’s one of the guys I looked after when I started fighting.
Source: Tatame |
White
responds to Atencio's challenge, calls him a 'loser'
By
Kevin Iole
Dana
White, the Ultimate Fighting Championship's outspoken president,
isn't one to turn down a challenge.
But
White had to stop laughing on Wednesday before admitting that
he has no interest in fighting Affliction Entertainment promoter
Tom Atencio.
Atencio
is fighting Randy Hedderick on June 27 in Biloxi, Miss., while
at the same time trying to put together a major pay-per-view
fight card of his own featuring heavyweight Fedor Emelianenko.
In
a column on Yahoo! Sports, Atencio said he knew White wasn't
serious when he said he would box former UFC light heavyweight
champion Tito Ortiz.
"I'd
love to fight Dana," Atencio said. "I'm not a former
world champion with a huge record like Tito. I'm a guy who is
on par with him. I like to fight and he says he does, so I'd
love to fight him."
White
is in Miami, Fla., on a corporate retreat and couldn't be reached
in time to get his reaction to Atencio's challenge. But upon
learning that Atencio had called him out, the one-time amateur
boxer began to laugh.
"If
I were him, I'd want to fight me, too," White said. "I'm
the guy who is killing all of his hopes and dreams."
Though
Atencio and Ortiz said White was never serious about fighting
Ortiz — Ortiz said White arranged a Spike TV special to
make him look bad and never had an intention of fighting him
— White said he agreed to do it and trained for two months.
He
agreed to fight Ortiz as a part of contract negotiations when
he resigned Ortiz to a contract that expired last year.
However,
White scoffed at Atencio and said the fact that Atencio is training
to fight when his company is losing money proves he's a fool.
White and his partners, Lorenzo and Frank Fertitta, were on the
verge of shutting the UFC down in 2004 because of heavy financial
losses.
He
said Atencio should be thinking of finding a way to stem the
red ink that he said is putting Affliction in danger of going
under instead of worrying about being a fighter.
"At
the end of the day, I stepped up and said I would fight Tito
and he was a fighter who people cared about," White said.
"But why would I fight this goof? He's neither a fighter
nor a promoter. He's a [expletive] loser. That's all he is."
"Let
me tell you something: When I was $44 million in the hole, the
last thing I was doing was leaving the office and going out to
train for a joke of a fight. I was in the office and trying to
find a way to make this thing work. Why would I waste one second
of my second of my day worrying about this [expletive] guy? He
should be worried about the millions and millions of his bosses,
or his partners' money, whoever it is, that's he's burning. That's
a complete joke."
Source: Yahoo Sports |
Quote
of the Day
“Be
entirely tolerant or not at all; follow the good path or the
evil one. To stand at the crossroads requires more strength than
you possess.”
Heinrich Heine |
Onzuka.com
Back in Action
Sorry for
the lack of posts. We just returned with Kaleo Kwan from his
ShoMMA fight in Fresno. We had a great time and got to enjoy
ourselves with Mike Aina and Rudy Valentino which was a blast.
|
AINA
GETS CONTROVERSIAL DQ; KAUFMAN WINS
Mike
Aina had a dislocated jaw, but was fine when we called him the
next day. Kaleo was perfectly ok during his fight, but may have
given Thomas a mild concussion at the end of the third round.
It was a good fight, but Thomas won the first two rounds with
his great use of kicks and range.
The
inaugural Sho MMA: Strikeforce Challengers Series on Showtime
was a strong opening effort, although the night at the Save Mart
Center in Fresno, Calif., ended in a rather abrupt bout of controversy.
Following
a round and a half of back and forth action with neither fighter
gaining much of an upper hand, the main event bout between Billy
Evangelista and Mike Aina was cut short due to a purported illegal
knee to the head of a downed Aina.
The
moment in question followed an Evangelista takedown and flurry
of ground and pound that had Aina in some trouble. As Aina moved
out from under Evangelista trying to get back to his feet, Evangelista
fired off a knee that referee Herb Dean felt went to the head
of Aina. At the time, Aina clearly had one hand, one knee, and
one foot on the ground, making him a downed opponent, which would
make the knee illegal.
Dean
called a halt to the action. After examining Aina, the doctor
deemed he could not continue. The bout was stopped and Evangelista
disqualified for delivering an illegal knee to the head of a
downed opponent.
It
was an unfortunate end to a night of solid action, particularly
when the replay clearly shows Evangelista's knee making direct
contact with Aina's shoulder, not his head. The shot very well
could have caused enough impact to injure Aina's jaw as the doctor
determined, but the replay was clear in that the contact was
not to the head.
Neither
fighter appeared happy with the result.
"If
I had my choice, I'd take it off my record," said Aina,
even though the fight will go down as a win on his resume.
Miesha
Tate did something no other fighter has ever done; take Sarah
Kaufman all three rounds. She still fell short in the end, however.
Tate
was never really able to use her wrestling skills, as the much
stronger Kaufman shucked off her takedown attempts at nearly
every try, save for round two. Not only did she stuff the takedowns,
Kaufman unloaded on Tate with furious combinations that mounted
over the course of the fight, wearing out Tate and bloodying
her nose.
In
the end, it would be Kaufman that scored a unanimous decision
victory earning 29-28 on all three judges' scorecards.
A
bone of contention in women's MMA for some time has been the
three-minute time limit in their rounds when men are given five-minute
rounds. Kaufman definitely isn’t down with the difference.
"Three
minutes are very fast, so it's hard to get anything going continuously,"
she told interviewer Stephen Quadros after the fight. "Five
minutes all the way, five minutes, come on guys!"
Whenever
heavyweights fight, people want to see the knockout. Well, in
Lavar Johnson and Carl Seumanutafa, they got it. Seumanutafa
shot in right away, but left his head exposed and quickly had
his lights turned out courtesy of a right uppercut from Johnson
with a mere 18 ticks off the clock.
"I
just came in, that was the gameplan, keep my jab in his face
and counter off the takedown," said Johnson afterwards,
although he didn't think the fight was going to be that quick.
"Yeah, I thought I was in for a long night (coming into
the fight)."
In
light heavyweight action, Anthony Ruiz tried to turn his bout
with Aaron Rosa into a street fight. His strategy worked early
on as he was able to bully Rosa up against the cage and go to
work with knees to the legs and punches to the body. But he wasn't
able to keep the fight where he wanted it as Rosa used a double-leg
takedown to turn the tide.
Once
he had Ruiz on the mat, Rosa eventually worked his way onto Ruiz's
back, locked on the body triangle, then proceeded to apply a
rear naked choke that put Ruiz to sleep.
"I
let him get himself tired trying to take me down," recounted
Rosa after the fight. "Finally, I turned him around and
got the takedown myself... and I got the rear naked choke."
The
bout was officially scored as a technical knockout due to Ruiz
going to sleep without tapping.
Tito
Jones can easily chalk up his fight with Bao Quach as the one
that got away. Neither featherweight did much in the opening
round, but Quach took control in round two, punishing Jones with
an onslaught of leg kicks that visibly affected the boxer.
In
round three, however, it was all Jones. He finally got his punching
going, dropping Quach twice with the lead right hook. But as
close as he came to snatching the win, Jones really let the fight
get away by not being as aggressive as he could have been in
trying to finish Quach when he had him wobbling around the cage.
The
fight ended up going the distance with all three judges scoring
the bout 29-28 in favor of Quach. Despite being handily booed
upon the reading of the scores, Quach took it in stride saying,
"Go ahead and boo, I love you anyway."
Main
Card Bouts (on Showtime):
-Mike Aina def. Billy Evangelista
by DQ (Illegal Knee to Head) at 3:40, R2
-Sarah Kaufman def. Miesha Tate by Unanimous Decision (29-28,
29-28, 29-28), R3
-Lavar Johnson def. Carl Seumanutafa by KO at 0:18, R1
-Aaron Rosa def. Anthony Ruiz by TKO (Rear Naked Choke) at 4:29,
R1
-Bao Quach def. Tito Jones by Unanimous Decision (29-28, 29-28,
29-28), R3
Preliminary
Bouts (Courtesy of Sherdog.com):
-Spencer Herns def. Chad Sutton by Majority Decision, R3
-Fabricio "Morango" Camoes def. Torrance Taylor by
Submission (Rear Naked Choke) at 3:21, R1
- Thomas Diagne def. Kaleo
Kwan by
Unanimous Decision, R3
-Ben Holscher def. Cody Canterbury by Submission (Rear Naked
Choke) at 2:47, R1
Source: MMA Weekly |
BOB
SAPP WANTS TO SHOW FANS HE'S STILL AROUND
Styles make fights and the June 27 main event match-up between
contrasting MMA fighters, kickboxer Bob “The Beast”
Sapp and wrestler Bobby Lashley, features a potential instant
classic of pure entertainment on the “Ultimate Chaos”
pay-per-view event live from the Mississippi Gulf Coast Coliseum
in Biloxi, Mississippi.
The
imposing 6-4, 350-pound Sapp (10-3-1), who played in the NFL
for four years before becoming an iconic combat fighter in Japan,
wants to brawl on his feet while the chiseled 6-3, 265-pound
former WWE star Lashley (2-0), 3-time NCAA champion (1996-98)
and 4-time All-America wrestler at Missouri Valley College, prefers
to ground and pound.
Sapp
starred as an offensive lineman on the University of Washington’s
football team, winning the prestigious Morris Award, and he was
selected in the third round of the NFL draft in 1997 by the Chicago
Bears. Bob 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.
“This
fight is what fight fans want to see,” Sapp said. “It’s
intriguing and will be very entertaining. Bobby is bringing ‘The
Beast’ out in me- I want to brawl. I’m the last person
to say I’m a submission artist. I want to box. I’m
a brawler. I’m going to come at him with my long arms and
legs, punching and kicking. He’s going to come strong at
me, trying to take me off balance, but I’ll come back with
a straight right knee to his jaw and follow with a left hook.
He’s never been hit by anybody like me. He’s new on
the MMA scene. Bobby’s more or less a grounder and pounder
who wants to slam me and hold me down. He’ll throw in some
elbows and maybe some new, slick MMA moves. What’s left?
“I’m
a huge test for him, which says a lot about Bobby. He has no
fear of getting cracked real hard. It could be a flash knockdown
or an accumulation of punches, which does worse damage and is
tougher to get over. Bobby’s powerful, his slams are strong
and he does have some pro wrestling moves. But I’ll be faster
than he imagines. If he wants to be a star in MMA, he needs a
more entertaining style of fighting, one that I’ve built
by career on. I’m more of an entertaining fighter than typical
MMA guy.”
After
graduating from Missouri Valley College, Lashley joined the U.S.
Army and was a 2-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. Bobby made his MMA debut last December 13,
stopping Joshua Franklin only 0.41 into the opening round, and
March 21 he won a 3-round decision versus 37-fight veteran Jason
Guida in Pensacola, Fla.
“This
fight is going to let fans in the U.S. know that Bob’s still
around,” Sapp added. “I’ve been fighting for organizations
all over the world, in a ring, not a cage. I want to go at it
and make all my fights exciting. I’ll be training 20 days
in a Judo center in Japan (for a Dream show there in late May)
and it’ll be the first time that I’m only training
for an MMA fight – no movies, no television, just training
everyday. It’s a great opportunity for me and American fans
are going to see the real Beast.”
Source: MMA Weekly |
UFC
IN BOSTON, MMA IN MASS., ONE STEP CLOSER
The Massachusetts Senate Committee on Public Safety and Homeland
Security last Monday approved the state’s first stand-alone
piece of MMA legislation, passing it to the Senate Clerk after
a unanimous vote.
The
Clerk will next pass it to the Ways and Means Committee for a
final review, or move it to the Senate floor for debate and a
vote.
Matt
Moran, Chief of Staff for James E. Timilty, the bill’s co-author
and Security chair, said he expected it to go to Ways and Means.
The committee oversees legislation with a fiscal impact on the
state and votes on whether to pass them to the Senate floor.
While
the original legislation passed the Ways and Means Committee
last year, there was no timetable on a vote, said Moran.
The
current bill, entitled “An Act To Regulate The Sport Of
Mixed Martial Arts,” was introduced in its original form
during last year’s session as part of the state’s budget
proposal, but failed to make it to a Senate vote.
“The
Senator is going to push for an expedient review,” said
Moran. “We’re debating the Senate budget next week.
That will take a week. I’m hoping shortly thereafter we’ll
have some traction on the bill.”
Moran
said last month’s testimony from fighters and industry veterans
did much to steer committee members towards a favorable review.
“I
think when you can get fighters in there – Kenny Florian
is from the senator’s district, Joe Cavallaro has held an
event in the Ways and Means chairman’s district – I
think that first person account really hits home, and really
makes a great deal of impact on the committee members,”
he said.
UFC
president Dana White has been publicly open about bringing an
event to Boston later this year. Moran characterized the committee
members as “sympathetic” to the UFC’s proposed
date in November.
MMA
in Massachusetts is currently a self-regulated industry, with
promoters hiring ring officials and medical personnel to oversee
events. Though Massachusetts Boxing Commission officials still
attend fights, they don’t have the legal authority to regulate
them.
Source: MMA Weekly |
Sengoku’s
featherweight GP semifinals set
At
Sengoku’s Eight Battle, Marlon Sandro needed only 19 seconds
to get his first win in the featherweight GP. After the great
debut, the Brazilian now trains hard for two fights, at Sengoku’s
next event. Set to fight at August 2, Sandro anready knows who’ll
be his next opponent. “They said to us that I’ll face
Michihiro Omigawa, that also won by knockout at Sengoku 8”,
told Marlon to TATAME.com.
Happy
with the fast victory, Marlon wants more. “It was wonderful.
I can’t handle with more injuries, I couldn’t hurt
me more. My goal is to end the fights the faster possible in
every fight. The faster the fights end, better to me. With two
fights in the same night, I need to be fast in the first one.
I want to knock him out or submit fast, I’m training to
fight eight rounds in two fights”, said Sandro. The other
semifinal will put on Hatsu Hioki against Masanori Kanehara.
Source: Tatame |
Givanildo
Santana and the challenge at M-1lonso
Invited
to represent the American team at M-1 Challenge, Givanildo Santana
accepted it and debuted with a victory at April 29, in Japan.
The black belt of Jiu-Jitsu showed why he’s called the “arm
collector” and got one more for his collection, Min Suk
Heo’s arm, on the first round, just like he did on the ten
fights he ended this way. Now, the Brazilian prepares himself
to the next stage of the M-1 Challenge, that happens at Korea
on July 4, and the expectation is to go to the semifinals. Check
below the exclusive interview with the fighter.
How
was your fight at M-1?
It
was great, I won by submission on the first round. I had done
a good physical preparation and everything was alright, not only
for me, but the whole team, including Fabio (Negão), who
fought for the first time in the welterweight division.
How
did you like the event?
The
event was good. I believe that, if it keeps this style, has chances
to grow even more.
What
are the chances of the American team to win this competition?
The
chances are good, we’re the leaders of our group and we’re
undefeated. If we win the next stage at Korea, we won’t
depend on any result to go to the semifinals. I believe we have
good chances.
How
were you and Fabio invited to join the American team?
With
Colin Oyama (Team Oyama), who’s the team of the American
team, and he, knowing about our qualities, invited us, believing
that team event will keep us active between another big events.
Why
you and Fabio accepted to fight for another country?
Fabio
is waiting for the confirmation of the another Affliction and
I’m negotiating with another big organization, so we accepted
it to don’t stay a long tie without fighting, and we actually
went fighting in Japan, another great market.
Were
you invited to the Brazilian team at M-1?
No,
we didn’t received any invite at all, but there’s a
lot of good fighters in Brazil to represent the team.
When
will you be back to the rings for the event?
The
next phase is on Korea, on July 4, in case I don’t receive
any invite from a bigger organization. I’m negotiating with
a bigger event and I’m waiting, if it happens I’ll
tell you guys from TATAME.
How
is the gym at the U.S, is there any changes?
Yes.
Me and Colin Oyama left the gym where we used to work to do some
projects. The team is called Team Oyama MMA and Jiu-Jitsu is
Lotus Club. We wanted to put on a strong MMA team, to fight the
events on levels A, B and C. There are some new kids that will
do a lot of trouble in the future
What
are the projects?
The
new projects are to keep working with the fighters from our another
team and fight at events like Strikeforce, UFC, WEC, WBC Muay
Thai, M-1 Afliction and King of the Cage, and support the new
fighters in the smaller events. Our objective is to have fighters
on every event, so that they can get experience. On the other
hand, my project is to develop Lotus Club on the competitions
here at California. He have some gyms in other states, like New
York, Arizona and Washington, so the idea is to put a strong
team here too, for the next Worlds and Pan-American competitions.
Source: Tatame |
Brazil
closer to the UFC hegemony
Brazilian
is good on the ground, but doesn’t know how to strike standing:
this concept ran the world of MMA for many years, but this has
changed. With the UFC consecrated as the biggest event in the
world, we’re close to get three belts, which would put the
country back on top of the sport. In TATAME Magazine’s May
issue, we’ve talked with the three men who can put our country
on top of the world, and who already changed a tradition.
In
the moment that the UFC was created and the MMA was growing around
the world, Brazil was known as the land of the Jiu-Jitsu. Used
to see shows of Jiu-Jitsu, three masters of striking have shown
that we also make the difference standing. In a amazing report,
we show how Anderson Silva was consecrated as the greatest fighter
in the UFC history, setting the new consecutive victories record
with his demolishing Muay Thai, and we’ve talked to our
"new generation", that has already dominated the UFC
and is set to fight for two more titles, Lyoto Machida (at 205lbs)
and Thiago "Pitbull" Alves (until 170lbs).
"I’ve
battled hard to get here. Since my 14 years old I train and I
pray every day to be the best in the world, and I see all this
as a result of this dedication. I can’t wait to get in that
octagon and bring that belt to Brazil and to ATT, which is my
family here", promises Pitbull, who will face Georges St.
Pierre at UFC 100, in Las Vegas. With an eye on the 205lbs belt,
Lyoto Machida dispute, on May 23, the title against Rashad Evans,
and wants to remain undefeated. "This fight is the realization
of a dream, a personal achievement", says the fighter.
In
the report, TATAME shows how Anderson Silva has been consecrated
as the biggest fighter in the UFC history, winning his ninth
consecutive fight, absolute record in the event, and analyzed
the next belt chance of the Brazilians, who can finish the first
semester with three of the five belts of the biggest event in
the world.
Source: Tatame |
Quote
of the Day
“Everyone
has talent. What is rare is the courage to follow the talent
to the dark place where it leads.”
Erica Jong |
UFC
98: EVANS SAVING HIS ENERGY FOR MACHIDA
If there was a lesson Rashad Evans learned from his title-winning
victory over Forrest Griffin at UFC 92, it was to conserve his
energy.
In
post-fight interviews, the light heavyweight champ said he wanted
to plunk a bed down in the Octagon; he’d never felt so tired
before a fight.
Backstage,
he had made the classic mistake of getting too warm, too soon.
“I
just felt really good, man,” he told MMAWeekly.com. “I
had a good night of sleep, I woke up, had a really good breakfast,
and the nerves weren’t really bad. I just felt like I had
an abundant amount of energy.
“I
came into the dressing room, and the minute I got into the dressing
room, I started jumping around right away. I was jumping around
when Cheick Kongo was fighting – really, really early. I
should have waited a little bit.”
It
could have been worse. He could have been Sam Stout, who's UFC
97 bout was moved from first-up to co-main event due to a scheduling
snafu on the undercard. Stout was on and off the mitts for six
hours.
This
time out, Evans wants to make sure he hasn't drained himself
before he gets to the cage.
He
sees his first defense against Lyoto Machida as an immediate
statement in the division.
“Machida’s
probably one of the best guys,” said Evans. “I know
if I beat Machida, there’s not gonna be too many guys tougher
than that in the weight class. I like to go right to the top.
I don’t want to delude myself and think that I’m a
lot better than I really am. I don’t run away from a challenge
like that.”
There’s
a mixture of wait and see and indifference about the UFC 98 main
event. Historically, the two have been known to counter-fight:
Evans with the traditional mix of MMA styles, Machida with a
unique point Karate and Muay Thai attack. The question is how
they will mesh, and whether it will entertain.
Evans
took two rounds to arise from his energy dump against Griffin,
and when he did, he quickly mustered the power to end the fight.
He may not have that opportunity against Machida.
But
whether fans are excited or not, he isn’t interested. While
he doesn’t plan on boring the crowd, or himself for that
matter, he’s more concerned about what Machida may to do
him. The undefeated Brazilian is a riddle that no one has managed
to solve, and he might very well not be the one to do it.
“This
is a journey, and it’s a challenge for me in every single
fight,” he said. “If I knew I was going to win every
fight, then I wouldn’t want to fight. I like the fact that
there’s a chance that I might get my ass whooped. That excites
the hell out of me. That makes me lose a little bit of sleep.
That makes me train a little harder. That’s what you need
in every fight.”
He’s
mum about any Machida weaknesses he plans on exploiting. He and
Greg Jackson have formulated a plan, which Evans is willing to
throw out the window if things go awry.
“I
plan on going into this fight knowing the plan and let it happen,”
he said. “Just go with the flow. Machida’s very clever
and tricky with his movement, so it’s going to be a chess
match.”
Whether
chess match translates to stalemate, the world will see. Contrary
to the dogfight he anticipated with Griffin, Evans visualizes
a sudden, violent ending to the encounter with Machida. And given
his recent performances, he has the tape to back him up.
“I
see maybe a one-hitter quitter happening,” he continued.
“Getting caught with that one shot – boom! Clean.”
The
belt at the night’s end is an afterthought. The idea that
a victory would make him a “legitimate” titleholder
is of no use. Like fans’ shifting allegiances, they distract
from what he fights for.
“I
haven’t even really thought about it,” he said. “Being
a 'legitimate champion,' that’s something for other people.
That doesn’t really mean anything to me. Whether I go in
and win or lose, it’s not about that to me. It’s just
about competing and giving everything you have.”
And
as he learned, not gassing before that happens.
Source: MMA Weekly |
ATT
LEADER RICARDO LIBORIO LEADS USA GRAPPLING
USA Wrestling announced a new alliance to provide leadership
for USA Grappling, its national program in the sport of Grappling.
Internationally
respected coach Ricardo Liborio of Coconut Creek, Fla. has been
named the National Coach for USA Grappling.
“Ricardo
Liborio brings credibility to our Grappling program,” said
USA Wrestling Executive Director Rich Bender. “We are confident
that we will not only sustain our competitive excellence but
will take it to a new level with Ricardo on our team. USA Wrestling
is committed to maintaining our dominant position in international
Grappling.”
Jeff
Levitetz of Boca Raton, Fla., USA Wrestling’s 2004 Man of
the Year, has been named Managing Director of USA Grappling.
“Jeff
Levitetz has had a significant impact on the programs at USA
Wrestling,” said Bender. “Our Grappling program will
significantly benefit from his leadership and involvement. We
look forward to working with Jeff to build, expand and improve
the sport in America.”
In
addition, FILA, the international wrestling federation, has notified
USA Wrestling that it has been selected to host the 2009 World
Grappling Championships in the United States.
The
2009 Grappling World Championships will be held at the Fort Lauderdale/Broward
County Convention Center, Dec. 12-13. The No-Gi competition will
be held on Dec. 12, with the Gi competition on Dec. 13. The U.S.
is the defending World Team champions in both disciplines.
Ricardo
Liborio is the co-owner and head instructor for American Top
Team in Coconut Creek, Fla., one of the top Grappling and MMA
academies in the world. He was a champion in international Jiu-Jitsu,
and has trained numerous champion athletes in Grappling, Jiu-Jitsu,
Mixed Martial Arts and other disciplines.
In
his new role, Liborio will help develop the national Grappling
program. He will serve as the head coach of the 2009 U.S. Grappling
World Team. Liborio will organize and conduct the 2009 U.S. Grappling
World Team Training camp at the American Top Team facility in
Coconut Creek. He will also help coach U.S. Grappling athletes
from around the nation as part of the USA Grappling program.
“I
am honored to be named the National Coach for USA Grappling,”
said Liborio. “I understand the responsibility of this position.
Our athletes will need to fill in their knowledge in comparison
to other countries. Our intention is to get the best athletes
to compete under the flag of USA Grappling and to represent our
nation at the FILA World Grappling Championships.”
As
an athlete, Liborio was awarded a Black Belt in 1993 under Master
Carlson Gracie. He was a 1996 Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu World (Mundial)
Champion, and was voted the Most Technical Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu
competitor in 1996 Mundial. A three-time Brazilian National Champion,
he placed second at the Abu Dhabi Submission Tournament in 2000
and third in 1999. Liborio was a Brazilian national champion
in judo, and also was a state champion in wrestling in Brazil.
Liborio
was a co-founder of Brazilian Top Team, a successful program
he directed in Brazil for two years. He moved to the United States
in 2001 and along with Dan Lambert, developed American Top Team
into a championship program. He was voted NAGA Coach of the Year
in 2005 and has been inducted into the NAGA Grappling Hall of
Fame. He is the trainer of multiple World Champions and MMA fighters.
Among the champion Grapplers he has coached are Ricardo Arona,
Marcelo Garcia and Jeff Monson. Liborio is expected to receive
his American citizenship later this year.
“Hosting
the National Team here for training will allow our athletes to
go to the next level,” said Liborio. “It will improve
the level of technique and training in our nation. Hosting the
World Championships will provide a lot of tough competition because
it is held in the United States. It will be hard work for our
team. We will have more competition than ever before.”
Levitetz,
a longtime leader within USA Wrestling, has developed an involvement
in Grappling through his sons, who train under Liborio. His personal
friendship and association with Liborio and American Top Team
has developed over time. He has worked with USA Wrestling Executive
Director Rich Bender and American Top Team owner Dan Lambert
to formulate plans to improve the U.S. program.
Levitetz
will be involved in USA Grappling in program development on the
National Team level, as well as developing the brand for the
sport. He will also serve as a spokesman for USA Grappling. He
is excited about USA Grappling and its potential for growth and
success.
“We
start with the best coach we could ever hope for,” said
Levitetz. “We are both very excited to work together. I
will act as a liaison between Ricardo Liborio and USA Wrestling
to help identify where the USA Grappling program is headed. The
alliance between USA Grappling and American Top Team is very
exciting. We welcome the prospects of what this can become. We
are interested in exploring all possibilities for Grappling in
the United States.”
Levitetz
served as Team Leader of the U.S. Olympic Team for Greco-Roman
wrestling at the 2004 Olympics in Athens, Greece. He was a team
leader for other U.S. international teams, including the 2003
Senior Greco-Roman World Team, the 2003 Pan American Games Greco-Roman
Team, the 2002 Senior Freestyle World Team and the 1999 Senior
Freestyle World Team.
He
served as Co-Chairperson of the successful “Wrestling for
the Next Millennium” capital campaign, which benefited USA
Wrestling, the National Wrestling Coaches Association and the
National Wrestling Hall of Fame and Museum. Levitetz developed
The Levitetz Family Memorial Fund, which provides scholarships
for worthy athletes to attend summer wrestling camps they would
not have otherwise been able to afford.
Levitetz
is the Chairman of the Board of Purity Wholesale Grocers, Inc.
of Boca Raton, Fla. His company has been listed among Forbes
top 150 private-owned companies. In 2002, Levitetz was named
as an Outstanding American by the National Wrestling Hall of
Fame, which recognizes former wrestlers for their success in
all walks of life.
FILA
hosted its first Grappling World Championships in Lucerne, Switzerland
in December 2008. The competition features divisions for both
men and women in two disciplines, No-Gi Grappling and Gi-Grappling.
The United States won the team title in both disciplines at the
2008 Grappling World Championships.
The
last time that USA Wrestling hosted a World Championships event
in the United States was in 2003, when the Freestyle World Championships
were hosted in Madison Square Garden in New York City.
Source: MMA Weekly |
JOHN
ALESSIO LOOKS TO REBOUND AT MFC 21
After having lost his last two fights, former UFC and WEC welterweight
John Alessio found himself at a crossroads.
He
could either resign himself to possibly never getting back to
form, or he could make some serious changes to improve himself
and get back on track.
Alessio
chose the latter.
As
he explained to MMAWeekly.com, “I had to re-evaluate what
was going on. I had to do a little soul searching to figure out
what I thought might have been wrong. Whether it be in training
or my personal life, I just re-evaluated everything.”
While
deciding to remain at Xtreme Couture in Las Vegas, Alessio shook
things up by adding top Brazilian jiu-jitsu instructor Robert
Drysdale and famed boxing coach Gil Martinez to his coaching
staff.
Those
additions, including his already established work with Muay Thai
guru Shawn Tompkins, have him anticipating great things in his
future performances.
“I
think you’re going to see a big difference,” he stated.
“You’re going to see a guy who is willing to stand
in the pocket and trade more punches because I know now that
my footwork and head movement have improved a lot.
“My
jiu-jitsu has gotten a lot tighter and we'll be adding more submissions
to my arsenal, but the main thing I’m looking for is more
control on the ground. I’m excited to get out there and
showcase the stuff I’ve been working on.”
Scheduled
to face Andrew Buckland at the Maximum Fighting Championship
on May 15 in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada, Alessio knows he’ll
be in for a tough fight against an up-and-comer looking to make
a name for himself.
“It’s
a dangerous fight when you’re fighting a kid who’s
got nothing to lose,” said Alessio. “He’s probably
going to let it all hang out and be aggressive. But that’s
just going to help me and fall into my game plan.
“I’ve
got the experience, strength and all those things on my side.
I’m going to use that to my advantage and take him out.”
Further
motivating Alessio is his desire to rank among the top fighters
at 170 pounds.
“Honestly,
I’ve had enough of sitting in the middle,” he admitted.
“I’ve been a fighter where you can say I’m not
Top 10, but I’m not trash. I’m sitting in that middle
zone and I’m (expletive) tired of it.
“My
goals now are to become a black belt in jiu-jitsu, for my boxing
and Muay Thai to be world class, continue to learn, develop my
game and make my mark on this sport. I want to end up in the
Top 10 and be a guy who isn’t forgotten about in 10 years
down the road when I’ve stopped fighting.”
A
win on Friday could not only put him back on the winning track,
but it could also bring Alessio one step closer to his goals.
“I
want to say thanks to Tapout, Knockout Wear, GAMMA-O, Dr. Shaw
Chiropractic and Denaro Sports Marketing,” he concluded.
“Thanks also to my girlfriend, my family and friends for
all their support.
“I
want to dominate this fight and then figure out what’s next.
Whether it’s a run at a title in the MFC – which I’m
very interested in – or fighting in the UFC; I just want
to fight good opponents, get paid decent and have a good time.”
Source: MMA Weekly |
Roger
Gracie and the Guard
Runner-up in the election of best guard player of present day,
making up the February issue of GRACIEMAG, multiple-time champion
Roger Gracie analyzes Jiu-Jitsu's main fundamental
GRACIEMAG.com:
Roger, Is pulling guard your first choice in a fight?
ROGER
GRACIE: The option of pulling guard depends on the fight, it
varies according to the strategy laid out.
GRACIEMAG.com:
What's your favorite style of guard (spider, half, open, closed)?
ROGER:
To tell you the truth I don't have a preferred style of guard,
I think if you limit yourself to one style your adversaries will
quickly find a way to dominate you.
GRACIEMAG.com:
From the guard, what's your favorite attack?
ROGER:
My favorite attack is whichever one my opponent offers me. Any
attack at the right moment will always be the ideal attack and
not the one you go looking for the whole time making it obvious
and allowing your opponent to prevent it.
GRACIEMAG.com:
What makes a great guard?
ROGER:
A great guard is one that makes your adversary uncomfortable
the whole time, not letting him adjust himself and not giving
him room to pass your guard.
GRACIEMAG.com:
Do you have any secret or detail that makes your guard special?
ROGER:
There's no secret to my guard, for anyone wanting to have an
effective guard the secret is called training and not getting
stuck in any specific style. The more variations you have the
better your chances of surprising your adversary.
GRACIEMAG.com:
Who taught you the guard and how did you perfect it?
ROGER:
The one to teach me most was training, the more you train the
more mistakes that become apparent, thus making it easier to
work on them. Your best teacher will always be you. Of course
no one learns by himself. If it weren't for my teachers I'd never
have made it to where I am, but everything you learn has to be
adapted to your body type. A single position can be performed
in several different ways.
GRACIEMAG.com:
Who has the best guard you've ever seen?
ROGER:
The best guard I've seen was Roleta's. He's super flexible and
has really strong legs.
GRACIEMAG.com:
Who's given your guard the hardest time?
ROGER:
I don't think any one person gave me a harder time than any other.
I've had several fights where I found myself in complicated positions
but with a bit of time and concentration I recovered bit by bit.
GRACIEMAG.com:
Do you feel comfortable when under pressure from someone trying
to pass your guard?
ROGER:
Whenever someone is on top that person is trying to pass your
guard. There will always be pressure from them, the important
think is to never let anyone get comfortable and control you
to the point where it's too late to prevent him from passing.
Always maintain a position that works in your favor.
Source: Gracie Magazine |
Palhares:
“Wanderlei would beat Anderson”
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 |
Sherk
works on reputation restoration
From
his shredded abdomen to his massive trapezius to his cauliflower
ears, Sean Sherk looks every bit the wrestler. He’s built
like a guy who could pick you up and drive you repeatedly into
the mat for the sheer joy of it.
It’s
pretty much what he did to Kenny Florian when he won the Ultimate
Fighting Championship lightweight title at UFC 64 in Las Vegas
on Oct. 14, 2006. That raw power is what has helped him to become
one of the world’s elite mixed martial artists.
It’s
been a different Sherk in the cage in his last two outings, however.
The Sherk who dropped a title fight in Las Vegas to B.J. Penn
at UFC 84 on May 24, 2008, and the one who claimed an exciting
unanimous decision from Tyson Griffin at UFC 90 in Chicago on
Oct. 25 was far more willing to fire his hands and trade punches.
He
not only was willing to box, but also actually made the conscious
decision to eschew wrestling and rely upon his standup. He’s
worked on his boxing since he was a boy, but he built his professional
reputation as a powerful and hard-nosed wrestler.
He’s
showing other aspects of his game more frequently now, though,
all part of a desire to become the most complete fighter he can.
He’s been working on a slew of new submission moves as well,
though it’s unlikely he’ll be taking part in a black
belt ceremony any time soon.
But
when he meets Frankie Edgar in an important lightweight bout
at the MGM Grand Garden in Las Vegas on May 23 as part of UFC
98, he’ll be a lot more versatile than he was just a few
short years ago.
“The
great thing about this sport is that, even after all these years
as a pro fighter and 40 fights, I’m still learning and still
adding a lot to my game,” he said. “I relied on my
wrestling for a long time in my career, but the way this sport
has evolved, you really can’t be one-dimensional and compete
at the highest level.”
Sherk
is 37-3-1 and his only losses have come to three of the best
fighters ever to compete in the UFC: Matt Hughes, Georges St.
Pierre and Penn, all of whom at one point or another have held
the welterweight title.
He’s
clearly one of the game’s top talents, though his name in
rarely mentioned is such talk.
And
he’s still has to prove that his gaudy record is the result
of genetics, talent and hard work more so than from chemistry.
He
failed a post-fight urinalysis following his victory over Hermes
Franca in a lightweight title bout at UFC 73 in Sacramento, Calif.,
on July 7, 2007. He was suspended for a year by the California
State Athletic Commission.
Sherk,
though, was incensed by the charge and vehemently denied the
allegations. He hired an attorney to prove his innocence and
presented a compelling case.
The
problem from his standpoint is that it was the media that heard
his entire presentation, not the commissioners who would decide
his fate.
“Guys
who are accused of murder were given more rights than I was in
this particular situation,” Sherk said.
He
ultimately managed to get the penalty reduced to six months,
though the damage to his career, his finances and, most importantly,
his personal reputation, was anything but reduced. He lost significant
money in sponsorships, money he hasn’t regained nearly two
years later.
He
looked no less ripped and appeared no less powerful than he did
before, and he passed every test he was given, yet many of his
sponsors simply wanted nothing to do with him.
“I
lost tons of sponsors,” Sherk said. “Basically, I can’t
get a nutrition company to sponsor me. None of them want to touch
me. I’ve had people straight up tell me they don’t
want anything to do with me because of the steroid stuff.”
Keith
Kizer, the executive director of the Nevada Athletic Commission,
said Sherk just passed yet another test. He was tested randomly
prior to his UFC 98 bout, along with Hughes, Edgar and Matt Serra.
He
also was clean both prior to and after his bout at UFC 84, Kizer
said.
That’s
of no surprise to Sherk, who said he’s at least gratified
that California has revamped its testing procedures since his
case.
He
wants to move on and be recognized for his accomplishments and
not for having been tagged as a steroids user.
He’s
not so naive, however, to think that’s a simple task. He
passed polygraph tests, blood tests and urine tests in an attempt
to prove his own veracity, yet to no avail.
With
the passage of time, he believes he may finally be vindicated.
He was chosen randomly by Kizer for prefight testing this time,
but he’s going to be the most-tested fighter in MMA by the
time he’s through.
“I’m
becoming a better fighter all the time and I’m becoming
more well-versed in all aspects,” Sherk said. “That’s
usually not what people want to talk to me about, though. It’s
not what some of these sponsors think. I understand where they’re
coming from, but it’s frustrating for me because I’m
an innocent party who has done nothing but work as hard as I
possibly could to become as good as I possibly can.”
If
he keeps defeating the best the UFC throws at him, he believes
that sooner or later his reputation will be restored.
And
then, he’ll be judged by the ability he shows in the cage
and not by the thought that he became better through artificial
means.
“The
way our sport is evolving is incredible,” Sherk said. “The
next group of guys coming in are a lot more well-rounded than
the group of guys they’re replacing. It’s a constant
improvement process. I want people to look at me and say, ‘This
guy did everything he could to be a complete fighter,’ and
not look at me and think of me as a guy who cheated and took
a shortcut.”
As
Sherk well knows, however, that is much easier said than done.
Source: Yahoo Sports |
Is
a Jones Jr. MMA fight plausible?
It
seems inevitable that some day, somebody is going to promote
a match pitting an elite-level boxer against an elite-level mixed
martial artist.
For
the past year, former pound-for-pound boxing kingpin Roy Jones
Jr. and current UFC middleweight champion Anderson Silva have
talked about being the first to do a fight that would be a subject
of much curiosity.
Silva
has talked of wanting to test himself by boxing Jones, which
UFC president Dana White nixed immediately. Silva still has four
fights left on his UFC contract and it makes no business sense
to risk one of your prime stars in a dangerous sport.
Jones,
at 40, a Hall of Famer who is clearly past his prime as a boxer,
has no big money matches lined up. So he has offered himself
up to fight Silva in a cage under MMA rules, which, if nothing
else, greatly changes the odds on who would win such a fight
in favor of Silva.
White
nixed that idea as well. He said he could probably promote it
into being a big fight, but he felt it could hurt MMA in the
long run and blew it off as something that would be done in Japan.
Freak-show fights did huge business in Japan over the short-term.
One can’t point to such fights as the direct reason MMA
and kickboxing interest in Japan has faded, but it doesn’t
appear it was a long-term positive.
After
UFC turned Jones down, Nick Diaz’s camp talked to Strikeforce
promoter Scott Coker, saying if Jones was willing to do MMA,
they were interested in such a fight.
Coker
said Wednesday it hadn’t gotten past one phone call from
Diaz’s manager earlier that morning. At the same press call,
Showtime vice president Ken Hershman seemingly nipped the idea
in the bud.
“I
get a Roy Jones call once a week pitching me things,” said
Hershman. “[The fight] would be a very long shot of ever
happening.”
When
asked if that was due to financial reasons or sport reasons,
Hershman indicated the latter.
“It
has nothing to do with money,” he said. “I think it’s
an insult to the integrity of mixed martial arts to think Roy
Jones, or any professional boxer, could just come in and fight
Nick Diaz in a mixed martial arts context. In a boxing context,
it’s completely different.”
But
such a fight would not be dismissed by one of the country’s
most influential sanctioning bodies. Keith Kizer, the executive
director of the Nevada State Athletic Commission, indicated he
would not oppose an MMA rules match with Jones, at 0-0 in the
sport, against even Anderson Silva (24-4), the best middleweight
in the sport.
“You’ve
got to give Roy Jones a lot of credit,” said Kizer. “At
the end of the day, the most dangerous part of the sport [of
MMA] is striking, not leglocks or chokes. It’s very different
from Butterbean and Mark Hunt [a proposed 2006 boxer vs. MMA
fight Kizer refused to sanction under MMA rules]. He [Butterbean]
wasn’t a top athlete and the MMA fights he had were with
rules limiting the ground time.”
Kizer
felt in the interest of fairness, a Jones vs. Silva fight would
be best under more neutral kickboxing rules, but also indicated
he would sanction it under boxing rules as well, feeling Silva
has proven himself to be a top-level striker, and Jones is a
proven elite-level athlete.
Silva
boxed some when he was younger, but only has a 1-1 pro record
in that sport, and it’s his attack of kicks, knees and punches,
as opposed to just punches, that makes him so dangerous standing.
From
a business standpoint, a match with Jones, hyped by the UFC marketing
machine, under MMA rules would probably sell more pay-per-view
buys than Silva would with any of his current contenders. Boxing
star vs. MMA star is a gimmick that would probably do big business
once or twice out of the novelty, but it would have to be with
the right people at the right time.
There
hasn’t been a ground swell of interest in the June 13 match
with Tim Sylvia, a former UFC heavyweight champ, against Ray
Mercer, at 47, a former boxing champ. Those two are meeting under
boxing rules, but in a cage, in Birmingham, Ala., a non-commission
state. The commission in New Jersey, the original proposed site
of the match, turned it down.
The
UFC business model involves its fighters signing long-term exclusive
contracts, so that no matter who wins or loses, it can continue
to market the winner.
For
Strikeforce, a distant No. 2 in popularity, there is a different
risk vs. reward ratio in making the match, as it has little to
lose and can make a star out of it, provided it is financially
feasible. Diaz has marketable charisma, and coming off his April
11 win over Frank Shamrock, his popularity is at an all-time
high.
Strikeforce
is expected to eventually get on CBS in a Saturday night prime
time role. The company has proven many times it can produce a
quality show, but with the exception of Gina Carano vs. Cristiane
“Cyborg” Santos, it is uncertain if it can produce
a show that would do viable ratings on network prime time.
Diaz
vs. Jones would fit that bill, plus, with so many eyeballs watching,
should Diaz come out of the fight strong, it’s the kind
of a fight that can make his name as a star to a casual fan.
If
Diaz decided to stand and box with Jones, the truth was, Diaz
didn’t fare well in the standup with K.J. Noons, who was
a journeyman-level boxer. But if Diaz employed the smart strategy,
getting Jones off his feet, he’d likely submit him in less
than one minute.
That
makes the match better suited for television than pay-per-view.
But for Jones to take the match, he’s likely looking for
a new avenue for a big payday. Plus, from Hershman’s standpoint,
Showtime has to protect both boxing and MMA.
“We’re
looking to build the best mixed martial arts brand,” he
said. I believe 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 this moment.”
Source: Yahoo Sports |
TEAM
BRAZIL SCORES A SHUTOUT AT M-1 CHALLENGE
SAU PAULO, Brazil – After losing to Team USA West by a 3-2
margin during the season opener of the 2009 "M-1 Challenge
Presented by Affliction," losing at home in their second
head-to-head series was not an option for Team Brazil.
However,
matched up with the 2008 defending M-1 Challenge Cup Champions
Team Imperial, Brazil felt the need to change four of its five
fighters heading into Saturday's "Fourth Edition" of
the 2009 M-1 Challenge from the Ginasio Esporte Club Sirio in
Sau Paulo, Brazil.
Led
by former IFL superfight veteran Eduardo Pamplona, the team's
lone holdover from the opener, Brazil swept Imperial by a score
of 5-0. Pamplona earned "Fight of the Night" honors
after improving his record to 11-2 following his majority decision
victory over BodogFIGHT veteran Erik Oganov (9-10).
Prior
to Pamplona's fight contested in the M-1 Challenge welterweight
division, Brazilian prospect Hacran Dias preserved his perfect
record (11-0-1) after submitting Amirkhan Mazikhov (1-1), the
first-ever graduate of the M-1 Selection fight series.
The
M-1 Selection was created with the intent to established qualifiers
for the 2010 M-1 Challenge. However, Mazikhov received the promotion
to the M-1 Challenge sooner than anticipated after an injury
replacement was needed for Mikhail Malyutin.
With
big shoes to fill, Mazikhov held tough in the early going before
Dias took control of the fight by submitting Mazikhov with a
rear naked choke at 3:58 of round 1.
The
Brazilians clinched the best-of-five series to move to 1-1 on
the season after middleweight Leandro "Batata" Silva
(14-5) was victorious over Dmitry Samoilov (7-4-1).
Down
3-0, the Imperial Team needed to try and salvage the final two
fights in order to keep their playoff hopes alive in the all-important
individual victories tie-breaking category. Mikhail Zayats (8-3),
one of the top fighters during the 2008 M-1 Challenge, was primed
and positioned to bounce back from his shocking season opening
loss in February to South Korea's Jae Young Kim.
Once
again this was not Zayats' night, as Machado won a three-round
unanimous decision, marking the first-time in the Russian light
heavyweight's career that he has suffered consecutive losses.
Heavyweights
Joaquim Ferreria (Brazil) and Maksim Grishin (Imperial) were
the last two fighters to take the stage with Ferreira (8-2) allowing
Brazil to complete the 5-0 sweep over Imperial after submitting
Grishin, another graduate of the M-1 Selection, with a North-South
choke at 3:57 of round 1.
With
the 5-0 victory, Brazil took sole possession of second place
in Group B. With a 1-1 challenge record and an individual record
of 7-3, a second Brazil victory coupled with a loss for Team
USA West could put Brazil in a position to qualify for a post-season
berth.
In
the night's second team challenge, Russia Legion supplanted Germany
for first place in Pool D by defeating the Germans by a score
of 4-1. The end result was quite disappointing for a German team
that recorded a 5-0 victory over Turkey in Bourgas, Bulgaria
this past March.
Kicking
it off for Legion was steady veteran Yura Ivlev (7-5), who forced
Franco de Leonardis (11-4) to tap out to knee strikes on the
ground at 2:14 of round 1. Legion then moved to 2-0 following
Magomed Shihshabekov's knockout of Sven Heising. Shihshabekov
also defeated Jason Ponet of the World Team during March's event
in Bulgaria and now holds a perfect 3-0 record.
Down
2-0, Gregor Herb kept the Germans' hopes alive after submitting
Sergey Kornev at 4:32 of round 1. It was a quick and dramatic
comeback for Herb, who was losing the round and appeared to be
running low on energy before catching Kornev in an armbar.
Unfortunately,
Germany's hopes of a comeback were dashed by Legion light heavyweight
Gadzmyrat Omarov, who improved to 4-0 after submitting last-minute
replacement Ismail Centikaya.
Despite
having clinched it team challenge vs. Germany, Legion still needed
to notch an additional individual win to take over first place.
Enter heavyweight Akhmed Sultanov (4-3), who submitted German
heavyweight Lars Klug (1-3) with an armbar at just 1:21 of round
1.
The
fourth edition of the M-1 Challenge opened with an upset, as
Bulgaria won a 3-2 head-to-head challenge match with Team Benelux.
Benelux,
an amalgamation of Belgium, the Netherlands, and Luxembourg,
was a finalist in the 2008 M-1 Challenge under its previous identity,
Team Holland. After being upset in Tacoma this past February
vs. Finland during the season opener, Benelux was favored to
defeat a Bulgaria team that lost 5-0 to Team USA East in its
home country this past March. However, it was Bulgaria that was
the team able to redeem itself and not Benelux.
Things
started off poorly for Benelux after Danny van Bergen (7-4-3)
was submitted by Yanko Yanev despite dominating the fight with
strikes administered from the top position. However, Yanev had
a slipper guard and tried numerous submission attempts from the
bottom before eventually catching Yanev with armbar at 2:23 of
round 1. Yanev improved to 7-1 after suffering his first professional
lost in March against jiu-jitsu ace Renato Migliaccio.
There
was a brief momentum change during the welterweight matchup between
Benelux and Bulgaria, when Raymond Jarman (10-8) landed a beautiful
flying knee to Ivan Ivanov (5-1), earning himself a TKO victory
just 35 seconds into the fight.
Former
UFC veteran and one-time Bulgarian national wrestling team member
Jordan Radev (19-4) put Bulgaria back in front following a unanimous
decision victory over Danny Smit.
Despite
a 2-1 lead, Bulgaria was still an unlikely candidate to complete
the victory with Benelux's two best fighters, Jason Jones and
Jessie Gibbs, still slated to compete. However, Jones (8-7) suffered
his second loss of the season after a doctor forced a stop to
his light heavyweight encounter vs. Emil Samoilov (4-0-1) due
a doctor's stoppage as a result of excessive blood from Jones'
nose.
Despite
having been guaranteed a team loss, a rejuvenated Gibbs enacted
a measure of revenge for his Benelux teammates. After missing
the team's February opener, Gibbs (7-2) needed just 1:37 to submit
Nikola Dipchkov (0-1) at 1:37 of round 1.
The
fifth edition of the M-1 Challenge is scheduled to take place
on Friday, June 5 in Kansas City, MO with Team USA East returning
to action against Finland. Lineup information will be released
soon at www.M-1Global.com, with updated results and current team
standings currently available at the site as well.
Official
Results of Saturday's M-1 Challenge Event:
Team
Challenge Number One: Bulgaria vs. Benelux -
1.
Lightweight (154 lbs./-70 kg): Yanko Yanev (Bulgaria) def. Danny
van Bergen (Benelux) via submission (armbar) at 2:23 of round
1
2. Welterweight (167.2 lbs./-76 kg): Raymond Jarman (Benelux)
def. Ivan Ivanov (Bulgaria) via TKO (flying knee) at 0:35 of
round 1
3. Middleweight (184.8 lbs./-84 kg): Jordan Radev (Bulgaria)
def. Danny Smit (Benelux) via unanimous decision
4. Light Heavyweight (204.6 lbs./-93 kg): Emil Samoilov (Bulgaria)
def. Jason Jones (Benelux) via TKO (doctor's stoppage) at 2:09
of round 1
5. Heavyweight: (204.7 lbs.-plus/+93 kg): Jessie Gibbs (Benelux)
def. Nikola Dipchkov (Bulgaria) submission (strikes) at 1:37
of round 1
Bulgaria
defeats Benelux 3-2
Team
Challenge Number Two: Russia Legion vs. Germany -
6.
Lightweight (154 lbs./-70 kg): Yura Ivlev (Legion) def. Franco
de Leonardis (Germany) via TKO (strikes) at 2:14 of round 2
7. Welterweight (167.2 lbs./-76 kg): Magomed Shihshabekov (Legion)
def. Sven Heising (Germany) via knockout (strikes) at 4:27 of
round 1
8. Middleweight (184.8 lbs./-84 kg): Gregor Herb (Germany) def.
Sergey Kornev (Legion) via submission (armbar) at 4:32 of round
1
9. Light Heavyweight (204.6 lbs./-93 kg): Gadzimyrat Omarov (Legion)
def. Ismail Centinkaya (Germany) via submission (strikes) at
1:09 of round 1
10. Heavyweight: (204.7 lbs.-plus/+93 kg): Akhmed Sultanov (Legion)
def. Lars Klug (Germany) via submission (armbar) at 1:21 of round
1
Russia
Legion defeats Germany 4-1
Team
Challenge Number Three: Brazil vs. Team Imperial -
11.
Lightweight (154 lbs./-70 kg): Hacran Dias (Brazil) def. Amirkhan
Mazikhov (Imperial) via submission (rear naked choke) at 3:58
of round 1
12. Welterweight (167.2 lbs./-76 kg): Eduardo Pamplona def. Erik
Oganov (Imperial) via majority decision
13. Middleweight (184.8 lbs./-84 kg): Leandro Silva (Brazil)
def. Dmitry Samoilov (Imperial) via three-round unanimous decision
14. Light Heavyweight (204.6 lbs./-93 kg): Alexander Machado
(Brazil) def. Mikhail Zayats (Imperial) via three round unanimous
decision
15. Heavyweight: (204.7 lbs.-plus/+93 kg): Joaquim Ferreira (Brazil)
def. Maksim Grishin (Imperial) via submission (North-South Choke)
at 3:57 of round 1
Brazil
defeats Imperial Team 5-0
Source: MMA Weekly |
Quote
of the Day
“Live
neither in the past nor in the future, but let each day's work
absorb your entire energies, and satisfy your widest ambition.”
Sir William Osler |
Fighters'
Club TV Tonight!
Channel
52
8:00 PM
If
you are not on the Onzuka.com Hawaii Ground forum, you are missing
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on any subject you can dream up. Hit the links above to sign
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|
FIGHTING
BLIND, BEN HENDERSON OPENING HIS EYES
In mixed martial arts, fighting blind is typically more or less
a euphemism, but in WEC fighter Ben Henderson's case, it's been
applied quite literally.
Often
seen after fights donning glasses that make him look rather scholarly,
Henderson, in a recent interview on MMAWeekly Radio, gave some
insight into the effect his poor eyesight has had on his fight
career.
"It's
not very good, my vision," said Henderson. "I can (my
opponents) far away as a blur, but the closer they get, if I
squint, I can see them more clearly.
"With
the years of wrestling, once I have my hand on somebody, I can
feel them pretty well, where you need to see. But as far as boxing
and kickboxing-wise, it did take me a long time to get used to
it, to really see the punches coming. It took me a while to get
adjusted and really see it coming, but I do the best I can. I
see a general blur, once they get within range, I see enough
to avoid the punches and all that."
That's
surprising coming from someone who has to fend off punches for
a living. But it is also something that Henderson is working
on correcting.
"We
are talking to a guy right now... on some eye surgery, PRK. I'm
not eligible for LASIK because LASIK is for people who don't
do combat sports like wrestling and whatnot. So I have to get
the PRK done," he explained.
If
everything goes as planned, Henderson's recovery time should
only be seven to 10 days, according to what his ophthalmologist
has told him.
"As
bad as my eyes are, after I get the surgery, it'll be like night
and day difference. I'm excited for it," he stated. "I
don't like getting punched in the face. I like to avoid it at
all costs. So if getting surgery helps me to avoid getting punched
in the face, I'm all for it."
Besides
being excited to avoid the punches that are flung in his face,
Henderson is perhaps even more excited for what it will do for
his arsenal.
"I
think with the boxing, my punches will be more crisp and precise,"
he explained. "And also, on top of that, I'll be able to
see the punches coming from a lot further away. So I'll have
three-quarters of a second to pick up the punch, as opposed to
a quarter of a second. Just that less than half a second to see
something coming on the way is a big difference."
Henderson
has made a sizable splash since accepting his WEC debut as a
short notice fill-in. He now has back-to-back wins in the WEC
cage against Anthony Njokuani and Shane Roller. But even with
the promise of finally being able to see his opponent's coming,
he is in no hurry to rush his way into a title fight.
"A
lot of guys in the MMA world are in too big of a hurry. I'm 25
– I'm not super young for the MMA game – by the same
time, I'm not old either. I have plenty of time. I'm not in any
hurry."
When
everything in his fight career thus far has been a blur, literally,
maybe it's that much easier for Henderson to want to slow down
and savor the sights as they come his way.
Source: MMA Weekly |
RANDY
CAN RELATE, SUPPORTS CHUCK'S DECISION
There are a number of options for Chuck Liddell’s future,
and former opponent Randy Couture supports all of them.
Couture
told MMAWeekly.com he empathized with Liddell’s situation
– the former light heavyweight champ is currently stuck
in the middle in a war of words between coach John Hackleman
and UFC president Dana White – though he hadn’t spoken
to him personally in recent weeks.
Having
been asked questions about retirement for much of his career,
Couture can understand Liddell’s struggle.
“I’ve
talked with some of his friends, and I know he’s struggling
with the decision, he’s being pressured, and he’s not
sure that’s what he wants to do,” said Couture. “I
want him to do it on his terms, do what he wants to do, what’s
in his heart. He’s a smart guy, and he’ll be able to
rationally evaluate how he feels physically, how he feels mentally,
where he’s at.”
White
made the unusual decision to announce Liddell’s retirement
after the former light heavyweight champ was TKO’d by Mauricio
“Shogun” Rua at UFC 97. But Liddell never fully committed
to the idea, despite White’s claims of a promise made to
retire in the event of a loss, and he has yet to formally announce
his decision.
Couture
said Liddell’s losses to Rashad Evans and Mauricio “Shogun”
Rua should not be factored into his decision.
“You
almost have to in some ways throw the performances out the window,”
he continued. “He’s got that kind of style anyway,
that’s the fighter he’s always been. We’re just
used to seeing him on the other side of it – landing the
shot instead of taking the shot. He has to rationally evaluate
all the other stuff: his lifestyle, his training, his spirit
and warrior’s heart he has. All those things are the real
factors.”
Couture
notes the issue is further complicated by the friendship between
Liddell and White. Because he has a relationship with both, he
gets where they’re coming from.
“I
see (Chuck’s) point,” said Couture. “It’s
like, ‘you’re not going to fight for the UFC again,
because we don’t want to see you do this anymore.’
That sucks. He should be able to make that determination on his
own and still have the option to fight if that’s what’s
really in his heart. But I understand too, him and Dana are very
close, and Dana doesn’t want to see him get hurt, get knocked
out. He has his own strong opinion and he’s willing to voice
it.”
But
as someone who’s struggled with the UFC over his destiny,
he believes the fighter should have the final say on his future.
Should
Liddell decide to retire, he sees an active future for the former
champ.
“He’s
still going to be a public figure for the company, an ambassador
for appearances, for representing products and fights,”
said Couture of the option.
“Could
he get into training and helping fighters prepare? Absolutely.
He’s got some great kids that he works with now that are
in the WEC now. The UFC’s getting involved in this whole
gym endeavor – that’s an area that Chuck could be of
use for them, setting up curriculums and training regimens for
striking and wrestling. There’s places for him for sure.
Whatever he decides to do, I’ll back him.
“Maybe
he’ll be the accountant.”
Source: MMA Weekly |
INOUE,
GOMI WIN AT SHOOTO TRADITION FINAL
"Lion"
Takeshi Inoue reaffirmed his position as one of the top five
featherweight fighters in the world, defeating Rumina Sato by
TKO at the Shooto Tradition Final in Tokyo on Sunday.
The
win was the second straight for Inoue after being upset by Savant
Young early last year. The loss continued the decline of Sato's
career. Once a Top 10 fighter himself, Sato has now lost four
straight, and six of his last seven bouts.
Having
once reigned atop the lightweight division, Takanori Gomi finally
returned to his winning ways, having been on a two-fight skid
before Sunday's Shooto event. He handed Takashi Nakakura just
the third loss in his 14-fight career, knocking out Shooting
Gym star late in the second round.
No.
8 ranked lightweight Mitsuhiro Ishida lost for the second time
in his past four fights. He was upset by rising star Mizuto Hirota
by TKO stoppage early in round one. The loss puts Ishida on shaky
ground, while Hirota scored the biggest win of his career.
In
the night's opening bout, Megumi Fuji, widely regarded as one
of the top female fighters in the world, wasted no time finishing
her Korean opponent Won Bun Chu. She used an armlock to submit
her opponent just 52 seconds into the opening round.
-"Lion"
Takeshi Inoue def. Rumina Sato by TKO (Strikes) at 4:41, R1
-Takanori
Gomi def. Takashi Nakakura by KO (Punch) at 4:42, R2
-Willamy
Chiquerim def. Yusuke Endo by Submission (Guillotine Choke) at
5:00, R1
-Mizuto
Hirota def. Mitsuhiro Ishida by TKO (Strikes) at 1:33, R1
-Kenichiro
Togashi def. Tetsuji Kato by Majority Decision (30-28, 29-29,
29-28), R3
-Kotetsu
Boku def. Yutaka Ueda by TKO (Strikes) at 4:56, R1
-"Wicky"
Akiyo Nishiura def. Takumi Ota by Unanimous Decision (20-18,
20-18, 20-17), R2
-Megumi
Fuji def. Won Bun Chu by Submission (Armlock) at 0:52, R1
-Sol
Kyung Pyo vs. Takesuke Kume was cancelled (Sol did not make weight)
Source: MMA Weekly |
Minotouro
wins at Jungle
Brazilian submits Dion Staring in his Brazilian debut
The
night of Saturday at Jungle Fight Ceara was marked by the excitement
of the fans in Ceara and hard-fought battles. Anxious to witness
the Rogerio Minotouro’s debut on Brazilian soil, at 9:15
pm the crowd went into a delirium with the light show and then
the image of Minotouro appearing on the screen, interviewed direct
from his dressing room. The frenzy was brought to fever pitch
when Wallid Ismail too appeared at the opening ceremony for the
event: “This evening the eyes of the world are on Ceara,
and its warrior people,” said the former fighter from Amazonia.
In
the evening’s main event, Minotouro faced Dion Staring.
In an impeccable performance, the Brazilian brought the crowd
at the Paulo Sarasate gymnasium its feet. Inspired, the black
belt from Bahia met the locals’ expectations, as they cheered
him forth in his combat with the Dutchman.
Undeniably
the superior fighter, Minotouro controlled all the action both
standing and on the ground, opening cuts on the Dutchman that
momentarily brought the bout to a halt for medical attention.
Throughout the first two rounds the Brazilian mercilessly beat
his opponent, who showed great spirit in resisting till he was
finished by triangle in the third round, the only instance where
the European fighter found himself on the ground in top position.
Check
out the rest of the results from the event:
Johil
de Oliveira (Johil de Oliveira Team) submitted Rodrigo Jacome
(Fighter Sport) by kimura in R1;
Arimarcel Santos (Nocaute Fight) submitted Marcos Mota (Clube
da Luta) by armbar in R1;
Erick
Silva (Minotauro Team) submitted Carlos Villamor (Argentina)
by kneebar in R2;
Alex Nacfur (Constrictor Team) defeated Anistábio Gasparzinho
(Hikari) in R1;
Alexandre Pulga (Nova Geração) defeated Andrézinho
Nogueira (Fight Sport) by unanimous decision;
Edinaldo “lula molusco” (Minotauro Team) defeated Artur
Tubarão (Bulldog) by TKO in R1;
Ivan Pitbull (Peru) submitted Jamil Silveira (Nocaute Fight)
by arm-and-neck choke in R2;
Pedro Manoel (Clube da Luta) submitted Júnior Killer (Fighter
Sport) by arm-and-neck choke in R1;
Rogério Minotouro (Minotauro Team) submitted Dion Staring
(Golden Glory) by triangle in R3.
Source: Gracie Magazine |
Galvão
trains at the U.S. for Dream GP
After
passing through the first phase of Dream’s welterweight
GP, the black belt André Galvão decided train for
the final stage of the tournament, which happens on June 20,
in the U.S.. Beside of Anderson Silva, Rafael "Feijão"
Cavalcante and other fighters, André trains hard in Los
Angeles, prepared to face whoever comes ahead. "So far I
haven’t got a defined opponent, but I'm already training
because I know that it won’t be easy", says the black
belt, without choosing opponents.
"Man,
I prefer not to choose, I prefer to train to whoever comes. Of
course (Hayato) Sakurai is the most experienced guy there, already
made lots of title fights, but if it happen for us to face each
other before, there’s no problem ", says Galvão,
with one goal in mind: "what I want is to get out of there
as the champion, no matter who I face". While training in
the USA, André will cheer for the training partner Ronaldo
"Jacaré" Souza, who will fight for Dream’s
middleweight title at May 26 against Jason Miller.
"Jacaré
is training in Brazil with (Josuel) Distak and Rogerio (Camões),
and I think he will do well in Japan. He has everything to win
the belt too, because the quality of training that he is having
is excellent", shows the black belt. After training for
a while with Wanderlei Silva in Randy Couture’s team, at
the same place where Forrest Griffin trains, Galvão now
trains with Anderson Silva, Griffin’s next opponent: "I
only know him through the fights, I never saw him train there.
I know he likes to go inside, make his ground game, which is
good. He is a great fighter and I think it will be a very good
fight".
Source: Tatame |
Dos
Santos wants to knock McCully out
With
six victories and only one defeat in the MMA career, Junior “Cigano”
dos Santos debuted in the UFC as the underdog against Fabrício
Werdum, but shocked the world by knocking Werdum out with only
81 seconds, something that none of the 15 other opponents that
faced Werdum before were able do. In the next fight, the Brazilian,
more popular after the KO, faced Stefan Struve. In this fight,
the Brazilian needed only 54 seconds to win, again by knockout.
Still
without official confirmation of the UFC, Cigano trains hard
in Bahia to face Justin McCully, at the UFC 102, which happens
on August 28. "I haven’t signed the contract yet, but
is already agreed", says the fighter, who has already studied
the game of the opponent, who has two victories in three fights
in the octagon. "We have watched videos of his fights...
He is from the old times, fights for a long time, and is good
on the ground, Rodrigo (Minotauro) have already trained with
him", says.
Purple
belt of Jiu-Jitsu, the Brazilian can have the chance to show
his potential in the ground, once the American, despite of being
a good wrestling and having five victories by submission in his
career, was submitted four times, in the four fights that he
lost. "He doesn’t have much striking standing, but
is a great athlete, very tough. I’ll train to try to impress
on the ground, but my goal is to fight standing, I’ll prefer
to strike again, is going well and I'll look for another knockout.
But if the fight goes to the ground, I’ll be well trained".
Source: Tatame |
Brazilian
Nationals: young Langhi shines on 1st day
Michel Langhi, Brazilian champion at purple belt / Photo: Marcelo
Dunlop
Purple belt gets submission in all five matches
The
Brazilian Nationals of Jiu-Jitsu began yesterday at the Tijuca
Tennis Club, but the signs the CBJJ tournament that started in
1994 was nearing were evident a few days before, at least to
those paying attention.
Academies
full, different accents and chatter about Jiu-Jitsu across the
city. On bus 175 coming from Barra da Tijuca, for example, an
eavesdropper listened in on a local lady chatting with a competitor
from Rio Grande do Sul – who, besides being a competitor,
is a Jiu-Jitsu instructor, math teacher and… hair dresser,
in the city.
And
the first day of the 16th installment of the tournament brought
more than promising young talent fighting to show their stuff.
Coming from practically every state in the nation, athletes from
teams like Alliance in Sao Paulo, Gracie Barra Detonado of Mato
Grosso, Nova Uniao Ceara and Check Mat of Paraiba made up a good
(and exciting) sample of domestic Jiu-Jitsu.
In
the stands masters Murilo Bustamante and Alexandre “Gigi”
Paiva swapped thoughts, as did world champions Jefferson Moura
and Celsinho Venicius. Rolker Gracie watched the Gracie Humaita
students, while recent black belt Rodolfo Vieira toyed with fame
and told of his adventures in Abu Dhabi, after his World Pro
JJ title. Now idol Fernando Terere, smiling, greeted passers
by, and confirmed: he will be entering as a lightweight next
weekend, when the black belts take to the mats.
At
the divisor, Antonio Braga Neto, on the cover of the current
issue of GRACIEMAG, egged on his student Ze as he resisted featherweight
Michel Langhi’s guard, until a helicopter sweep followed
by an armbar sent the Alliance athlete through to the finals.
The young Langhi, brother of black belt Michael, wasn’t
the only beast of pedigree present. Carlos Robson Gracie Jr and
Vitor “Gigizinho” Paiva, silver at blue belt, also
sweated up their gis to the pride of family members.
As
did Michel Langi, upon submitting Pedro Alexandre (GF Team) with
a triangle in the gold deciding match, at 5:29 min, and running
into the arms of Fabio Gurgel – and then to his Nextel,
to send word to the folks in Sao Paulo. He made it five submissions
in five matches, with a slick guard.
Next
weekend, GRACIEMAG.com will bring you all the excitement from
the black belt disputes, in which beasts like Tarsis Humphreys,
Terere and Nino Schembri, among others, may compete.
Source: Gracie Magazine |
Quote
of the Day
“Live
neither in the past nor in the future, but let each day's work
absorb your entire energies, and satisfy your widest ambition.”
Sir William Osler |
X1
World Events Results!
Saturday, May 09, 2009
Kekuaokalni Gym, Kailua, Kona, Hawaii
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)
Penovaroff by TKO (referee stoppage due to punches) 3:36 min
in round 1
155
- Aleka Rincon (Freelance) vs Dominic Ahnee (Maui Jiu Jitsu)
Ahnee via majority decision.
145
State Title - Dave Moreno (Kohala) vs Justin Mercado (MMAD)
Moreno by rear naked choke 4:18 min in round 1.
SHW
- Pat Fuga (Kona BC) vs Mark Smith (Maui Mulisha)
Smith by tapout due to knee injury/smoother at 1:00 min in round
1.
145
KB - Spencer Higa (HIBC) vs Abe Cortes-Kaleopaa (Freelance)
Higa by unanimous decision
Undercard
140
- Robert Midel (BJ Penn) vs Sang Van (HIBC)
Van by TKO, Midel could not continue after round 1.
155
- Kevin Soong (Lava MMA) vs Ikaika Moore (Kona BC)
Soong by KO at 11 sec in round 1.
155
- Wyatt Leong (HIBC) vs Tyler Kahihikolo (Average Joe’s)
Kahihikolo by KO at 53 seconds of round 1 (punches from the mount).
145
- Daniel Friend (HIBC) vs Kiley Tanioka (706 DTP Gym)
Freidn by TKO, referee stoppage due to punches at 51 sec in round
1.
135
- Timothy Meeks (HIBC) vs Nick Gersaba (Kona BC)
Meeks by armbar at 1:13 min of round 1
170
XMA - Kaeo Meyers (Kona BC) vs Malu Benedicto (Kanu/ PFC)
Meyers by unanimous decision (29-27) (30-27) (30-27)
145
- Levi Agcalon vs Daniel Alcos (Freelance)
Agcalon by armbar from guard at 2:43 in round 1
|
RETIREMENT
OR NOT? CHUCK STUCK IN THE MIDDLE
Since
his first round technical knockout loss to Mauricio "Shogun"
Rua at UFC 97 on April 18, everyone has been talking about Chuck
Liddell's retirement... except Liddell.
A
war of words between two of Liddell's long-time friends, UFC
president Dana White and trainer John Hackleman is playing out
in the media while he tries to remain neutral, but clearly caught
in the middle.
Liddell,
one of the most prolific mixed martial artists in the sport's
history, has lost four of his last five outings, including being
knocked out in three of those losses.
White
made several comments leading up to the UFC 97 co-main event
between Liddell and Rua that if Liddell did not win and do so
in impressive fashion, it would be the last fight for the former
UFC light heavyweight titleholder.
At
the UFC 97 post-fight press conference, White reiterated those
sentiments citing concerns for Liddell's health, "At the
end of the day, I care about these guys. I don't want to see
anybody stick around too long. You're never going to see Chuck
Liddell on the canvas again."
Liddell
wasn't quite ready to fully commit to the idea of retirement
at the time. "That's probably safe to say," he said
about whether he agreed with White's sentiments, before adding
the disclaimer, "but I'm not gonna make any decisions until
I go home and talk to everybody, talk to all my people, my friends."
And
he hasn't rushed in to a decision. It has been three weeks now
and there still has been no public decision from the former champion.
White and Hackleman have been the ones publicly discussing Liddell's
future, both adamantly of differing opinions.
Unlike
White, Hackleman believes Liddell has more fights in him, if
the 39-year-old fighter wants to continue fighting. “If
Chuck was getting the (expletive) 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,” Hackleman told
Sherdog.com on Thursday. “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.”
White
disagrees and believes Hackleman is looking out for more paydays
instead of the well-being of their mutual friend.
"Everything
Hackleman is saying is (expletive)," White told MMAWeekly.com
on Friday, but insists the disagreement with Hackleman is not
jeopardizing his relationship with Liddell.
"There
isn't and never has been and never will be a problem with me
and Chuck," stated the UFC president. "Hackleman is
(expletive) up that he can't get another payday."
White
maintains that Liddell is going to retire. "Chuck and I
are working out how we're going to do it," he said, adding
a note of finality to his statements.
Liddell
still wasn't ready to discuss his retirement on Friday, but told
MMAWeekly.com, "I just want to keep out of it," while
two of his closest friends verbally spar over his next career
move.
Source: MMA Weekly |
ROUSIMAR
PALHARES SUFFERS BROKEN LEG (UPDATED)
UFC
fighter Rousimar Palhares suffered a fractured tibia in training
while wrestling. He underwent surgery on Thursday night at Hospital
Miguel Couto in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, according to a report
by Martins Denis on intheguard.tv.
Palhares'
trainer, Murilo Bustamante, later confirmed the injury to MMAWeekly.com,
which will keep the Brazilian Top Team fighter out of a planned
bout against American Top Team fighter Alessio Sakara at UFC
101.
"Probably,
he will be fighting again before the end of 2009," said
Bustamante. "But right now, I can tell that Sakara is the
luckiest man in the world. Rousimar won't fight in August 8 for
sure."
With
a 9-2 overall record, Palhares has gone 2-1 in the Octagon, his
only UFC loss being a three-round unanimous decision to Dan Henderson.
He rebounded in his most recent fight, at UFC 93, by scoring
his own unanimous decision victory over Jeremy Horn.
Sakara,
an Italian fighter, has gone 4-4 in his UFC tenure with one no
contest. He most recently scored a brutal knockout of Joe Vedepo
with a kick to the head at UFC Fight Night 15.
There
has been no word yet as to who might replace Palhares, or if
Sakara will even remain on the UFC 101 fight card in Philadelphia.
The fight card is headlined by UFC lightweight champion B.J.
Penn defending against Kenny Florian.
Source: MMA Weekly |
HEATH
HERRING READY FOR HIS NEXT RODEO
Win or lose, Heath Herring will never stray from a 13-year credo:
entertainment first, results second.
The
“Texas Crazy Horse” has never had it easy, in Pride
or the UFC. He’s faced enough top-ranked fighters for three
men’s careers. The difference between the two organizations,
he says, is that entertainment is job security in Japan.
“It
was a whole different thing,” said Herring. “The fighters
were pushed more to go out there and put on a good show. The
UFC’s definitely, if you don’t win – especially
with the contracts they have – they’ll cut you with
a loss. So I have had to change my mentality a little bit.”
Given
the mismatches that continue to dot the Japanese scene, not much
has changed.
“In
Pride, I used to take fights on 10-day notice, one-week notice,”
he continued. “And as long as you went out and put on a
good show, you were fine. You’d be back next time. UFC’s
a little different. And I think the drawback of that is that
sometimes you get really boring fights. You have guys that are
worried about winning; they’re not really worried about
putting on a show. I think you’ve seen that in the last
couple of events in the UFC, and that’s the double-edged
sword.”
For
much of the decade, the 31-year-old has held a spot on Top 10
heavyweight lists. He’s fallen short to the division’s
elite, but had many high-profile wins, particularly in his early
Pride days.
Whatever
the outcome, he believes fighting is about the show, or more
aptly, the rodeo.
He’ll
face Cain Velasquez next month at UFC 99 in Cologne, Germany,
a stress test for another rising star in the heavyweight division.
Since his Octagon debut at UFC Fight Night 8, he’s hop scotched
between losses and wins. Wrestlers have given him trouble. He’s
also caught some bad breaks: failing to finish an unconscious
Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira at UFC 73, a broken orbital bone from
Brock Lesnar’s first punch.
Entertaining,
always. But in the UFC, he notes, it doesn’t buy him much.
Against Velasquez, maybe the remainder of his contract.
“A
quarter pounder at McDonald’s,” he laughed. “That’s
about it, to be honest with you. It’s just another fight
on my contract. Me and Kongo fought, and they said it was going
to be for a title shot. Obviously, that didn’t happen. I’m
not holding out any hopes.”
Conventional
wisdom says the fight will be about takedown defense. Velasquez,
a staunch perfectionist, will not hesitate to shoot if he can’t
dominate Herring on the feet. The veteran’s best chance
is to grind it out from the top or slug it out.
Predictions
aren’t of much use to Herring.
“This
ain’t my first rodeo,” he said. “You’ve just
got to be ready for everything. I think the best laid plans,
as soon as you get in the ring, get thrown out the window anyway.
So it’s a lot more important to concentrate to be in great
shape, come out and have a great fight, and we’ll see what
happens.”
He’s
currently training in Vegas, logging time at former Pride stablemate
Wanderlei Silva’s new gym and nearby Warrior Training Center.
He lives with his trainers in a gated Las Vegas community. The
rented house doesn’t scream Texas. Its carpets are a bizarre
mix of purple and blue and there’s Vegas kitsch everywhere.
In the middle of everything are these fighters, biding time before
the big show.
Herring
says he’ll depart to Cologne, Germany just in time for the
weigh-ins, an old trick from his Pride days. If he isn’t
there for long, there’s no chance for jet lag.
And
he’s diversifying, with a new line of hair products to be
sold online and at local salons.
If
his roller coaster ride with the UFC has put his back to the
wall, he’s resigned to whatever happens.
“It’s
a lot of added pressure and stress,” he said. “I think
the most important thing is to go out there and put on a good
show. There’s other organizations out there, other promotions
out there. I think at the end of the day, even if the UFC was
to cut me, I’ll go back to Japan or find somewhere else.
Worse things have happened.”
Source: MMA Weekly |
Barcelona
to host ADCC 2009
Event to be held in September
After
much mystery from the organizers of the ADCC a date and location
has finally been defined for the 2009 chapter. Unlike the last
two installments, held in the United States, this time Barcelona,
Spain plays host to the world’s premiere grappling-fest
.
Kid
Peligro broke the news on ADCCnews.com.
The
exact dates have not yet been released, but the championship
is expected to take place at the end of September.
According
to the event’s organizers, the decision to take the event
to Europe came about due to the massive growth of the ADCC on
the Old Continent, as well as Barcelona’s proven capacity
for receiving big events, like the’92 Olympics.
Stay
tuned for more on the ADCC 2009.
Source: Gracie Magazine |
ADCC
American Trials sign-ups open
Anyone can try for a spot in the main tournament
Imagine
having the opportunity to share the spotlight with some of the
biggest names in world submission grappling. This dream may be
more attainable than most people think. Organized by the same
team responsible for successfully holding IBJJF championships,
the ADCC American Trials are already open for sign-ups and all
are welcome to participate.
To
keep competitors from having to travel great distances, two events
will be held as trials, one on each coast of the United States.
The
first will be held on the 23rd and 24th of May, on the campus
of the California State University Dominguez Hills.
Now on the 13th and 14th of June the ADCC Trials lands on the
East Coast, and will have as a venue the J Collins Arena, at
Brookdale Community College.
The
main ADCC 2009 competition will take place in September, in the
city of Barcelona, Spain. Stay tuned to GRACIEMAG.com and we’ll
be back with more information on the event.
Source: Gracie Magazine |
Filho
and Wand together? “It’d be an honor”
After
the surprising invitation from Wanderlei Silva, opening the doors
of his academy to his ex-rivals Paulo Filho and Ricardo Arona
(remember here), we went after the fighters to know the answer
to Wand’s invitation. Surprised with the invitation, Paulão,
who is training to return to the rings at Dream, commented the
Wanderlei interview to TATAME Magazine’s may issue, and
advised: "It would be an honor, I’m very happy to have
received this invitation and tell him to wait for me... What
he needs from me, I’m here to help", said Paulão.
Stay tuned on TATAME.com and check tomorrow an exclusive interview
with Filho, who also spoke about his training and preparation
to his next fight at Dream, at light heavyweight division.
Source: MMA Weekly |
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
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