Upcoming
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(All events on Oahu, unless noted)
2010
February
BJJ Tournament
(tba)
2009
11/21/09
UFC
106
(Mandalay Bay Events Center, Las Vegas)
11/14/09
UFC
105
(United Kingdom)
November
Aloha
State Championship
of Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu
(BJJ & Sub Grappling)
10/31/09
H.A.P.A.
Hawaii Amateur Pankration Association
Hit-And-Submit
#4
(Pankration)
(Filcom Center, Waipahu)
10/24/09
UFC
104
(Staples Center, Los Angeles)
10/18/09
NAGA
Hawaii
(BJJ/Sub Grappling)
(Pearl City H.S. Gym)
9/19/09
UFC
103
(American Airlines Center, Dallas)
9/16/09
UFC
Fight Night 19
(Cox Convention Center, Oklahoma City)
9/13/09
Renato "Babalu" Sobral Seminar
(MMA/Sub Grappling)
(O2MAA)
9/12/09
Hawaiian
Open Championship
of Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu
(BJJ & Sub Grappling)
(Kaiser H.S. Gym)
Up & Up
(MMA)
(Blaisdell Arena)
8/29/09
MAUI OPEN 2009
Submission Grappling Challenge
(Sub Grappling)
(Maui War Memorial Gym)
Island Assult
(Boxing)
(Blaisdell Arena)
UFC
102
(Rose Garden, Portland)
8/22/09
Destiny: Maui vs. Oahu
(MMA)
(War Memorial Gym, Maui)
8/15/09
Man Up
(Kickboxing & Triple Threat)
(Filcom Center, Waipahu)
8/9/09
WEC
(Las Vegas, NV)
8/8/09
UFC
101: Declaration
(BJ Penn vs. Kenny Florian)
(Wachovia Center, Philadelphia)
8/1/09
Affliction: Trilogy
Fedor vs. Barnett
(Honda Cetner, Anaheim, CA)
7/25/09
X-1
Scuffle On Schofield
(MMA)
(Tropics Recreation Center, Schofield Barracks)
Amateur Boxing at Palolo
(Boxing)
(Palolo Gym)
Gracie Tournament
(Kalaheo H.S. Gym)
**Cancelled**
7/23/09
JUST SCRAP
(MMA)
(Pipeline Cafe)
7/20/09
Dream 10: Welterweight GP Final
(Japan)
7/11/09
UFC
100: Lesnar vs. Mir
(Mandalay Bay Events Center, Las Vegas, NV)
7/10/09
Man up and Stand up
(Kickboxing)
(Waipahu Filcom Center)
6/27-28/09
OTM's 2009
Pac Sub
(Gi & No-Gi competition)
(Blaisdell Exhibition Hall)
6/20/09
The
Ultimate Fighter 9:
Team US vs Team UK Finale
6/13/09
Destiny
(MMA)
(Waipahu Filcom)
UFC
99: Comeback
Silva vs. Franklin
(Cologne, Germany)
6/7/09
WEC: Brown vs. Faber 2
(Versus)
6/6/09
Quest for Champions 2009 Tournament
(Sport Pankration, Sub Grappling)
(Kalani HS Gym)
Strikeforce: Lawler vs. Shields
(St. Louis, MO)
6/4/09 - 6/7/09
World
JJ Championships
(BJJ)
(California State University Long Beach, Long Beach, CA)
5/30/09
Event of the Champions
(Triple Threat, Kickboxing, Grappling)
(Elite Auto Group Center)
5/26/09
Dream 9
5/23/09
UFC
98: Evans vs. Machida
(PPV)
5/16/09
KTI's Scrappa Lifestylez
Scrapplers Fest
(BJJ/Submission Grappling)
(Kauai)
5/9/09 - 5/10/09 &
5/16/09 - 5/17/09
Brazilian Nationals JJ Championships
(BJJ)
(Carson, CA)
5/9/09
X-1 Kona
(MMA)
(Kekuaokalani Gym, Kona)
15th Grapplers Quest Las Vegas
(BJJ/Sub Grappling)
(Las Vegas, NV)
5/2/09
Destiny
(MMA)
(Waipahu Filcom)
Uprising MMA
(MMA)
(Maui)
May 2009
Abu Dhabi World Submission Wrestling Championships
(Sub Grappling)
(Tentative)
4/25/09
MMA Madness Water Park Extravaganza
(MMA)
(Hawaiian Waters Adventure Park, Kapolei)
4/18/08
Kingdom
MMA
(MMA)
(Blaisdell Arena)
NY
International JJ Championships
(BJJ)
(Rio de Janeiro, Brazil)
4/11/09
Hawaiian
Championship of Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu
(BJJ & Sub Grappling)
(Kaiser High)
X-1: Temple of Boom
(Boxing & MMA)
(Palolo Hongwangi)
4/10/09
HFC: Stand Your Ground XII
(MMA, Kickboxing)
(Dole Cannery Ballroom)
4/4/09 - 4/5/09
NAGA
World Championship
(BJJ/Sub Grappling)
(NJ, Tentative)
3/28/09
Garden Island Cage Match
(MMA)
(Hanapepe Stadium, Hanapepe, Kauai)
3/27/09
- 3/29/09
Pan
Am JJ Championships
(BJJ)
(Carson, CA)
3/27/09
Tiger Muay Thai Competition
(Muay Thai)
(Tiger Muay Thai Gym, Sand Island Road)
3/21/09 - 3/22/09
$30k Grapplers Quest/Fight Expo/Make a Wish Weekend
(BJJ/Sub Grappling)
(Del Mar, CA)
NAGA US Nationals
(BJJ/Sub Grappling)
(Georgia)
3/14/09
Hawaii Amateur Pankration Association: "Hit and Submit"
(Pankration & Muay Thai)
(O-Lounge Night Club, Honolulu)
NAGA Vegas
(BJJ/Sub Grappling)
3/7/09
UFC 96
(PPV)
(Columbus, OH)
Grapplers Quest Beast of the East
(BJJ/Sub Grappling)
(Wildwood, New Jersey)
2/27/09
X-1 World Events
NEW BEGINNING"
(MMA)
(Maui War Memorial Gym, Wailuku, Maui)
2/21/09
Destiny
(MMA)
(Filcom Center, Waipahu)
UFC
95
(PPV)
(London, England)
2/15/09
X1 World Events
Temple of Boom: Fight Night III
(MMA)
(Palolo Hongwanji)
2/8/09
IWFF
Submission Wrestling Tournament
(No-Gi)
(IWFF Academy, Wailuku, Maui)
2/7/09
4th Annual Clint Shelton Memorial
(Boxing)
(Palolo Gym)
Manup and Standup
(Kickboxing)
(Kapolei Rec Center, Kapolei)
UFC Fight Night
(PPV)
(Tampa, FL)
1/31/09
UFC 93 BJ vs GSP
(PPV)
(MGM Grand, Las Vegas, NV)
1/30/09
MMA Event
(MMA)
(Schofield Barracks)
1/24/09
Eddie Bravo Seminar
(BJJ)
1/17/09
UFC
93
(PPV)
(Dublin, Ireland)
1/10/09
MAT ATTACK Jiu-Jitsu & Submission Grappling Tournament
(Sub Wrestling)
(Lihikai School, Kahului, Maui)
1/3/08
Uprising - Maui
(MMA)
(Paukukalo Hawaiian Homes Gym)
Hazardous Warfare - Maui
(MMA)
(Lahaina Civic Center)
|
|
September
2009 News Part 1
|
Casca Grossa Jiu-Jitsu
is now the O2 Martial Arts Academy with 7 days a week training!
We are also offering Kali-Escrima (stick fighting) on Monday
nights with Ian Beltran and Kickboxing Tuesday, Wednesday and
Thursday with Kaleo Kwan, PJ Dean, & Chris Slavens!
Kids Classes are also
available!
Click
here for info!
Take classes from the Onzuka brothers in a family-like environment! |
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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Fighters'
Club TV
The Toughest Show
On Teleivision
Tuesdays
at 8:00PM
***NEW TIME***
Olelo Channel 52 on Oahu
Also on Akaku on Maui
Check
out the FCTV website! |
Onzuka.com
Hawaii Underground Forum is Online!
Chris, Mark,
and I wanted to start an official Onzuka.com forum for a while
now. We were searching for the best forum to go with and hit
a gold mine! We have known Kirik, who heads the largest and most
popular forum on the net, The Underground for years.
He
offered us our own forum within the matrix know as MMA.tv. The
three of us will be the moderators with of course FCTV808 being
the lead since he is on there all day anyway!
We
encourage everyone from Hawaii and our many readers around world
to contribute to the Hawaii Underground.
If you
do not have a login, it's simple and fast to get one.
Click here to set up an account.
Don't worry about using Pidgin English in the posting. After
all it is the Hawaii Underground and what is a Hawaii Underground
without some Aloha and some Pidgin?
To
go directly to the Onzuka.com Hawaii Underground Forum
click here!
|
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to Advertise on Onzuka.com?
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information!
Short term and long term advertising available.
More than
1 million hits and counting!
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O2
Martial Arts Academy Day
Your Complete Martial Arts School!
Click here for pricing and more
information!
O2 Martial Arts features Relson Gracie Jiu-Jitsu taught by Relson
Gracie Black Belts Chris and Mike Onzuka and Shane Agena as well
as a number of brown and purple belts.
We also offer a Boxing and Kickboxing classes with a staff that
is unmatched. Boxing, Kickboxing, and MMA champions Kaleo Kwan
and PJ Dean as well as master boxing instructor Chris Slavens
provide incredibly detailed instruction of the sweet science.
To top it off, Ian Beltran heads our Kali-Escrima classes (Filipino
Stickfighting) who was trained under the legendary Snookie Sanchez.
Just a beginner with no background? Perfect! We teach you from
the ground up!
Experienced martial artist that wants to fine tune your skill?
Our school is for you!
If you want to learn martial arts by masters of their trade in
a friendly and family environment, O2 Martial Arts Academy is
the place for you!
|
Want to Contact
Us? Shoot us an email by Clicking Here!
Follow O2 Martial Arts news via Twitter at:
http://www.twitter.com/O2MAA
Quote
of the Day
"The
character of every act depends upon the circumstances in which
it is done."
Oliver
Wendell Holmes, Jr.
|
UP
N UP 3 Weigh In Today!
NEAL BLAISDELL
CENTER
SATURDAY, SEPT 12, 2009
Up N Up 3
Neal Blaisdell Arena, Honolulu, Hawaii
September 12, 2009
MAIN EVENT-UP N UP HEAVYWEIGHT BELT
Lolohea Mahe vs Ruben "Warpath" Villareal
145
CHAMPIONSHIP FIGHT
UNDEFEATED Brandon Visher 15-0 vs Issac De Jesus 11-0
170
Koa Ramos vs Dylan Clay
135
Mark Oshiro vs Rick McCorkell
155
Harris Sarmiento vs Michael Brightmon
170
Zane Kamaka vs Chris Cisneros
145
Jay Bolos vs Colin Mackenzie
135
Brysen Hansen vs Van Oscar Penaveroff
145
Matt Comeau vs Tyler Kahihikolo
we
are in the process of confirming opponents for:
Falaniko Vitale
and many more...
UPNUP Extreme Cage Fighting is pleased to announce their first
state sanctioned Pro MMA event UPNUP 3 this Saturday, September
12, 2009, at the Blaisdell Arena in beautiful Honolulu, Hawaii.
Honolulu
HI 9/07/2009 - The UPNUP 3 press conference will be held at the
Aloha Tower Market Place – Center Stage on Thursday, September
10, 2009 at 2PM.
After
two successful events on Maui early this year UPNUP Extreme Cage
Fighting prepares for their highly anticipated and historic Honolulu
event featuring Hawaii’s top ranked MMA fighters including
undefeated Champion Brandon Visher (15-0) from Kula, Maui against
undefeated rising mixed martial arts (MMA) star Issac De Jesus
(11-0) from Stockton, California.
The
flawless record of Brandon Visher will truly be tested in this
amazing match up with Strikeforce veteran Issac De Jesus. Both
fighters have no blemishes on their records; this fight will
ensure that someone’s “0” must go.
BRANDON
VISHER: “I expect him to come into this fight in shape,
strong and ready to leave undefeated but I'm willing to do the
same. Hopefully he brings it. ...lets hope he's ready for a warm
808 welcome. ...bring your best I'll bring mine and Aloha!”
ISSAC
DE JESUS: “I expect him to come out proud….but I’m
a surprising fighter and I’m coming in there for the same
reasons he is. There’s a belt on the line. I’m undefeated
and I don’t want to loose.”
THE
FOLLOWING WILL BE AVAILABLE FOR QUESTIONS:
Brandon
Visher
Isaac
De Jesus
Mark
Oshiro
Felipe
Chavez
Harris
Sarmiento
Michael
Brightmon
Koa
Ramos
Alan
Taniguchi, the executive officer of the state's Professional
and Vocational Licensing Division, who serves as de facto commissioner
will also be present at the conference.
Also
featured on this staged fight card another one of Hawaii’s
top ranked fighters, Mark Oshiro, will be taking on Felipe Chavez
who is a younger relative to the UFC powerhouse Diego Sanchez.
Oshiro has proven himself to be “the” man to beat in
Hawaii as a veteran of EliteXC and Icon Sport.
Undefeated
Koa Ramos will be taking on Hawaii’s #1 ranked Dylan Clay
on the Up N Up main card. Ramos has made a splash in Hawaii with
dominating performances in X-1 and Icon Sport while Dylan Clay
has also been making his force known through X-1 and M-1. Both
are highly regarded in Hawaii and this fight will solidify who
deserves to be on top of the rankings.
Rounding
out the Marquee card is Harris Sarmiento vs. Michael Brightmon.
The touted technical skills of Sarmiento will clash with the
brute force of Brightmon in this extremely anticipated bout that
will no doubt please the fans. Sarmiento is a true veteran of
MMA fighting such names as Nick Diaz, Jason Dent, KJ Noons, Roger
Huerta, Shane Nelson, Gilbert Melendez, Josh Thomson and Billy
Evangelista. With wins over former WEC Champ “Razor”
Rob McCullough. Brightmon is an unbeaten powerhouse who is a
definite up and comer in the sport who took out UFC veteran Anthony
Torres.
WEIGH-IN
WHEN:
Friday, September 11, 2009 – 4pm
WHERE:
Ala Moana Center – Center Stage, Honolulu, Hawaii
FIGHT NIGHT: UPNUP 3 Extreme Cage Fighting
WHEN:
September 12, 2009
WHERE:
Blaisdell Arena, Honolulu, Hawaii
Tickets
for the event, priced from $15, are on sale at the Blaisdell
Arena box office, all Times Supermarket locations (1-800-745-3000),
and Ticketmaster online (www.Ticketmaster.com) http://www.ticketmaster.com/Up-N-Up-Extreme-Cage-Fighting-tickets/artist/1353209
WHAT:
UPNUP 3 Extreme Cage Fighting
WHEN:
September 12, 2009
WHERE:
Blaisdell Arena, Honolulu, Hawaii
CONTACTS:
MEDIA CREDENTIALS
info@mmahawaii.com
(808) 944-6552
PROMOTER
EMAIL: nexcoastapparel@yahoo.com
PHONE: (808) 357-8645
Source: MMA Hawaii
|
KOSCHECK
GETS BACK TO BASICS TO FACE TRIGG
For one of the most active fighters in the UFC, the last 7 months
have been tough on Josh Koscheck not being able to fight, but
he'll get his wish on Sept 19 when he welcomes former top welterweight
contender, Frank Trigg, back to the Octagon when the two square
off at UFC 103 in Dallas.
Following
a tough loss to Paulo Thiago in February, Koscheck was slated
to get back in action in May, but a broken bone in his foot forced
him out of his scheduled fight. The time off did give the former
NCAA champion a chance to open his new gym, American Kickboxing
Academy of Fresno, and get back to the core training that made
him the athlete that impressed everyone during the first season
of the "Ultimate Fighter."
Koscheck
brought in a strength and conditioning coach for the first time,
while also focusing back on wrestling and the basics to ready
himself for the challenge ahead.
"I
haven't touched a weight in over five years, I've never done
any type of strength or weight training in five years since jumping
to mixed martial arts," Koscheck told MMAWeekly Radio recently.
"I just used mostly body on body, and what it did I think
it recovered my muscles, recovered my body, and brought back
the strength that I used to have when I was wrestling and first
got into the sport."
Following
the loss to Thiago, the call was immediately made to UFC matchmaker,
Joe Silva, to get back in the cage as quickly as possible, and
despite the injury that sidelined him for several months, Koscheck
was happy with the end result.
"I
told Joe Silva, I was like Joe I don't give a (expletive) when
I fight, I don't care who I fight, just get me somebody,"
said Koscheck. "I was excited about fighting Frank Trigg
because he's a pretty big name, he's done his commentary and
things like that, he's fought in the UFC, so it's definitely
got me excited about training and motivated to really go out
there and train my ass off for this fight."
During
his tenure in the UFC, Koscheck has been known as a rapidly developing
fighter, working on his stand-up constantly to help compliment
his tremendous wrestling game. For this fight though, Koscheck
says it was time to get back to the basics and remember what
made him a champion.
"It's
what I've been doing my whole life, competing in wrestling, and
getting back to the grind of hardcore training," stated
Koscheck. "I just feel I need to rebuild that, maybe it
was a mental thing. I'm just in great shape and I'm focused on
what I've got to do, and that's dominate every position and win
this fight."
Facing
another wrestler is always a special challenge, but the former
Edinboro stand-out knows what he has to do to beat Trigg, and
he'll follow that plan to the end.
"I
know I have a good gameplan for this fight, and I'm going to
stick to the gameplan," said Koscheck. "If the gameplan
doesn't work, I'm going to make it work somehow."
From
his early days in the UFC, Koscheck has always had the potential
to be one of the best in the sport, and despite a couple of bumps
in the road, he still has the skills to compete against any top
welterweight. Regardless of what's in the future for Koscheck,
he's only focused on one thing, and the rest, well he'll deal
with that later.
"My
goal right now is to win against Frank Trigg and I'll deal and
express my goals after Frank Trigg," Koscheck said. "I'm
real focused on him, and I know he's going to come to fight and
I can't expect anything less than that."
Source: MMA Weekly
|
PYLE
INTENDS BETTER SHOWING IN UFC RETURN
When asked if he was underprepared for his Ultimate Fighting
Championships debut at UFC 98 this past may, Mike “Quicksand”
Pyle responded in his usual direct approach, “A week’s
notice and 23 pounds overweight, you tell me.”
Indeed,
stepping in for an injured Chris Wilson just days from the show
to face the always tough Brock Larson proved to Pyle’s undoing,
as he was submitted half way through round one.
Pyle
explains, while he would have liked more time to prepare for
such a big fight, the opportunity to join the UFC was just too
important to his career to pass up.
“It’s
not every day the UFC calls you up – when you’re not
under contract with them – asking you to come in and take
a last minute fight with them,” he stated. “I’m
definitely not going to say no.”
Never
one to dwell on the past however, Pyle is eager to return to
the octagon this coming September 16 as part of UFC Fight Night
19.
“A
lot better than it was last time going into the UFC, that’s
for damn sure,” said Pyle of his condition heading into
his promotional return. “I’m a lot more prepared and
ready to go.”
In
an interesting twist, Pyle will square off against the man he
originally replaced in the Larson fight, Chris Wilson.
“He’s
got two losses in the UFC, I’m coming off one, so we’ve
both got to go in there and make a stand and hold our positions
in the UFC,” said Pyle of his match-up with Wilson. “I’m
looking for a good knock down, drag out fight.
“Chris
is tough. (Jon) Fitch wasn’t able to put him away, and he
(Wilson) came into that fight on short notice. We’ll see
if I can’t get in there and put the kid away.”
As
Pyle alluded to, both fighters are on the wrong side of the .500
mark in the UFC.
When
asked if he feels this fight is a must win in order to stay in
the company, Pyle replied, “I don’t know if it’s
a must win for staying in the organization, but for me, personally,
I’ve got to win this fight.
“I
can’t speak for the UFC or what they’re plans are for
me, being at a loss, but I damn know for sure that I want to
win – I want it – I want to stay in the UFC.”
Regardless
of the outcome, this may be the last chance to see Pyle fight
this year, as his fight career will take a back seat to his private
life.
“I’ll
probably have to concentrate on next year, because I’m getting
married,” announced Pyle. “I’ve got a lot of things
to take care of, it’s a big responsibility and I have to
focus a lot of my time on my (personal) life right now.
“Once
I get through that, possibly early next year I could be back
in there. We’ll see.”
After
waiting his entire career to get into the UFC, you can bet that
Pyle wants to remain in the promotion for more than just a cup
of coffee. And he’s more than willing to go through anyone
in order to do it.
“To
the fans: last time was kind of bogus,” he said. “I
stepped in last minute and wasn’t prepared to fight a top
ranked guy. This time – no excuses – and quicksand
will sink another guy this time for sure.
“I’m
coming to win. Before the loss I had four (wins) in a row, before
that, I had nine in a row, and five in a row – I can do
it again and I will.”
Source: MMA Weekly
|
OLYMPIAN
CORMIER HEADED TO STRIKEFORCE
Two-time Olympian Daniel Cormier will make his mixed martial
arts debut Sept. 25 at the third installment of Strikeforce:
Challenger Series in Tulsa, Okla.
Cormier
announced the news Monday via his official Twitter account. His
opponent is TBA.
An
aggressive freestyle wrestler, Cormier placed fourth in the 2004
Olympics and earned a record of 117-10 in collegiate competition
for Oklahoma State University.
Cormier
trains at American Kickboxing Academy in San Jose, Calif. alongside
veterans Mike Swick, Josh Koscheck, Cain Velasquez, Josh Thomson,
and Jon Fitch, among others.
The
Sept. 25 event is hosted by the SpiritBank Event Center and is
headlined by a middleweight match-up between Tim Kennedy and
Zak Cummings.
Source: MMA Weekly
|
HALLMAN
VS. HOWARD AT TUF 10 FINALE
A welterweight match-up between Dennis Hallman and John Howard
is on tap for the season ten finale of "The Ultimate Fighter,"
MMAWeekly has learned from multiple sources close to the fight.
Though bout agreements have yet to be signed, both parties have
agreed to the contest and are expected to finalize the deal soon.
The
heavyweight-centered reality show finals are expected for Dec.
5 at the Palms Casino Resort in Las Vegas, though the UFC has
yet to make the event official.
Hallman
(41-12-2) recently signed a four-fight contract with the promotion
after a four-year absence from the Octagon. He appeared last
in June at Strikeforce: Challenger Series, submitting Justin
Davis in just twenty seconds. In his time away from the UFC,
Hallman has racked up a 6-1 record.
Howard
(12-4) was last seen at UFC 101, where he defeated Tamdan McCrory
in a razor close split decision victory. It was his second consecutive
Octagon win.
Source: MMA Weekly
|
BRYAN
TRAVERS SIGNS WITH STRIKEFORCE
Considered one of the top lightweight prospects in the sport,
Bryan Travers has signed a five fight deal to compete in Strikeforce
as confirmed to MMAWeekly.com by sources close to the negotiations
on Monday.
Travers,
a former Palace Fighting Championships welterweight champion,
has amassed an impressive 13-1 record, and now competes at 155
pounds, where he expects to find immediate success.
A
product of the wrestling program at Bakersfield College, Travers
has added a strong jiu-jitsu game as well working under Dan Camarillo,
currently holding a purple belt on his way to a brown.
While
there is no set date on his debut, Travers could end up on the
Strikeforce card in November, which is likely to feature the
heavyweight tilt between Fedor Emelianenko and Brett Rogers.
As
the Strikeforce lightweight division tries to solidify one champion,
with current titleholder Josh Thomson recovering from an injury
and interim champion Gilbert Melendez chomping at the bit for
a rematch, the addition of Travers helps bolster a tough 155-pound
weight class.
Stay
tuned to MMAWeekly.com for more information on Bryan Travers'
debut as it becomes available.
Source: MMA Weekly
|
ADCC:
Cris Cyborg and Luanna Alzuguir announced
Gregor Gracie also to fight in Barcelona
The
ADCC organization continues announcing the names that will go
into action on the 26th and 27th of September, when the 2009
edition of the prestigious submission wrestling event will be
held in Barcelona.
Two
aces from the female fighting world were confirmed this week.
Current lightweight champion of Strikeforce Cris Cyborg will
compete among the over-60kg ladies. Now current black belt lightweight
world champion Luanna Alzuguir will take her chances against
the under 60kg grappling girls.
Among
the men, the presence of black belt Gregor Gracie in the under
77kg category and WEC star Urijah Faber, under 66kg, was announced.
Stay
tuned to GRACIEMAG.com and we’ll be back shortly with further
information on the ADCC 2009.
Source: MMA Weekly
|
Nog’s
coach: “We blew up Couture’s party”
Fighting
in his home land, Randy Couture was the biggest hope in Portland’s
UFC 102 card, but Rodrigo “Minotauro” Nogueira messed
up with his plans. Taking the unanimous decision victory,
Nogueira
showed he’s back, after a bad fight against Frank Mir, and
his Boxing coach, Luiz Dórea, was satisfied with the Brazilian’s
performance.
“I
was unbelievable… Couture thought that Rodrigo would be
like as his last fight, but now he was the real Rodrigo, who
took care of himself and trained hard. It was one of the greatest
fights I’ve seen in MMA so far. We blew up Couture’s
party”, celebrates Dórea, who trained with Minotauro
for almost three months in the US. “We managed to complete
our whole training, and he was getting better and better in every
stage. It was a great victory”.
Before
the fight, Minotauro said he would strike against Couture, and
a lot of fans thought it’d be a bad idea, remembering Nogueira’s
last fight against Frank Mir, when he was knocked out for the
first time. “We understand the fans, but Rodrigo has to
be respected. When someone loses, everybody thinks it’s
the end, but Minotauro is champion forever”, said Dórea,
revealing that the Brazilian as confident before the fight.
“He
knew that Randy would come inside and try to work in the clinch,
so our best weapon would be the boxing, trying to work in the
long distance. We knew Rodrigo is faster and worked well from
the distance, so we did some combinations and neutralized Couture’s
game. We watched a lot of Randy’s fights and did a perfect
strategy… The boxing helped Rodrigo to win”, said Dórea.
At
the third round, Rodrigo got the third knock down on Couture,
and he almost finished from the ground and pound. To the coach,
the referee could have stopped the fight. “If it weren’t
Randy there, he’d have stopped the fight, finished the coach.
Source: Tatame
|
Vitor
Belfort open to Couture-Belfort IV
Until
UFC 102, Vitor Belfort was the only Brazilian to ever defeat
Randy Couture. Back to the biggest MMA event in the world, Belfort
will do the UFC 103’s main event against Rich Franklin,
but was excited about a possible rematch against Randy Couture,
who defeated him twice.
“That’s
not a bad idea”, said Belfort, when he thought about the
possible fight against The Natural, leaving the decision with
Dana White and Joe Silva. “Whatever has to happen, will
happen… If Dana White and the fans want it, what can I do?
I’ll fight him and try to invert the score”, said the
Brazilian, without risking any thoughts about the fight. “How
do I think it’d be? Just put us there, my friend… That’s
how we see the things”.
Set
to return to the UFC in a catch weight bout against Franklin,
Belfort said he’s going to return to the UFC as a middleweight,
but with Couture’s decision to move to light heavyweight
again, the fight can actually happen in the future.
Source: Tatame
|
Xande
Ribeiro excited for ADCC 2009
Two
times BJJ world open weight champion and ADCC champion in the
weight class, Xande Ribeiro is training hard at Universidade
do Jiu-Jitsu, looking after the biggest grappling title in the
world. In exclusive interview to TATAME.com, Xande spoke about
his preparation to fight at ADCC, pointed some favorites and
guaranteed he’ll fight for the Abu Dhabi Combat Club open
weight title.
“The
open weight is what I still don’t have. I’m going hungry
for my weight and leaving some gas in the tank to run after the
open weight”, said the Royler Gracie black belt, revealing
that he’ll probably be back at Sengoku’s ring by November.
Stay tuned at TATAME.com and check, next week, an exclusive interview
with the fighter.
Source: Tatame
|
UFC
gambling on Huerta, Maynard matchup
The
theory behind putting together matches in the Ultimate Fighting
Championship, because results are unpredictable, is to make matches
where there is a positive outcome for the promotion no matter
who wins.
But
sometimes, like the Sept. 16, Ultimate Fight Night bout with
Gray Maynard vs. Roger Huerta in Oklahoma City, that just isn’t
the case.
The
match, on a live Spike TV special, will be a rare example of
a name fighter, who it is believed, win or lose, is done with
UFC with this as the final match on his contract.
Huerta
(20-2-1) announced in January that he was leaving the sport to
go full-time into acting, but had one fight left on his contract.
It’s the first time in such a high profile situation something
like this has happened since Tito Ortiz was a lame duck fighter
last year in a match with Lyoto Machida. Of course, the irony
is that even though Ortiz lost the fight, he’s now back
with UFC on a new contract, something both sides professed was
next to impossible at the time.
For
Huerta, a win could also make him valuable to Strikeforce, which
needs to add depth with an extensive schedule planned for next
year, or Bellator, which marketed its first season around Hispanic
fighters, paying well above what would be perceived as market
value. Huerta’s first taste of acting came with a small
role in the movie “Tekken,” which also includes MMA
star Cung Le. It comes out later this year.
Instead
of hiding him in an undercard match, as UFC did when Andrei Arlovski
was a lame duck fighter, UFC is rolling the dice on live television,
gambling that beating Huerta, a name fighter, will lead to Maynard
(8-0, 1 no contest) being seen by the masses in a high profile
win over a name fighter. With a win, Maynard could be next in
line for a lightweight title shot against the winner of the Dec.
12th match with champion B.J. Penn vs. Diego Sanchez.
For
Maynard, he’s tried to not let the idea get in his head
that Huerta is playing out the string in the fight.
“He’s
kind of good in Jiu Jitsu, has a wrestling base, good punches
and kicks,” said Maynard. “I have to go in with the
idea he’s the best he can be. I have to be prepared to go
three rounds. I’ve had a hard camp.”
Mentally,
hard camps are nothing new to Maynard, who started wrestling
from childhood. In high school, he was a member of the 1998 national
champion St. Edward High School team out of Lakewood, OH, where
he was an individual national champion at 152 pounds. He then
went to Michigan State, where he was a three-time All-American
(2001-2003) at 157 pounds, and a teammate of Rashad Evans. But
when he looks back over his college years, it is with some regret.
“I
had problems with my coach, most of which were my fault,”
he said.
“It’s
different,” he said when comparing training for a big fight
and high level wrestling. “With wrestling, you’ve got
classes at school. We would train twice a day. It’s a lot
more intense because wrestling is three periods of three minutes,
two minutes and two minutes. Everything is explode, explode,
explode. You have to make weight two or three times a week.”
Back
in high school, Maynard noted that he and two of his best friends
and training partners, Nick Nemeth (145 pounds) and Mike Tolar
(140), were always talking about their future.
“They
would always talk about wanting to go to the World Wrestling
Federation and I’d always talk about going to the Olympics,”
he said.
Nemeth
is currently a star with the renamed World Wrestling Entertainment,
under the name Dolph Ziggler, while Tolar is doing smalltime
pro wrestling, and appeared this past week on WWE programming.
“He
had a weird wrestling style,” Maynard recalled about Nemeth,
who he regularly trained with. “He would give me fits. He
was a great athlete.
After
college I heard he was in the WWE. I’m happy for him.”
Maynard,
on the other hand, didn’t make the Olympics.
“After
college, I went to Arizona State to train,” he said. “The
weight classes were 145 and 163 (152, which would have been his
optimum weight, was eliminated after the 2000 Olympics because
men’s wrestling had to eliminate divisions when women’s
wrestling became an Olympic sport). I came right in between,
too big for 145 and too small for 163.”
With
one year before the 2004 games, a combination of being the wrong
size and running out of money made him go back to Las Vegas for
work.
In
Las Vegas, he discovered a Jiu Jitsu school. With his background,
somehow his name came up when Penn was looking for a top-level
wrestler as a training partner.
For
Maynard, a match with Penn would mean his career has gone full
circle in just four years.
“I
was given an offer to go to Hilo for a couple of weeks,”
remembered Maynard. “I didn’t even know who B.J. Penn
was at the time. I found that the guy was a great athlete who
was good at everything.”
Even
though he only had two professional fights, Maynard was chosen
for season five of The Ultimate Fighter, where Penn was his coach.
He lost via submission to Nate Diaz in the semifinals of the
tournament, but TUF matches, unless they are scheduled three
round fights, aren’t included in overall records.
He
wasn’t high on the show as far as a training camp goes,
noting he wasn’t happy during the filming and that he and
others by the end were just counting the days until it ended.
But he’s got no regrets about doing the show.
“Trust
me, it was a great chance,” he said. “If I had to do
it again, I would. I’m glad it happened.”
He’s
now going for his sixth UFC win in a row. Early on, he used his
wrestling to physically dominate opponents, where he got his
nickname, “The Bully.” He seemed to turn the corner
last year when he stopped previously unbeaten Frankie Edgar.
Much of the match was standing, and Maynard was a bigger and
physically stronger wrestler who held his own standing up, to
carve out a decision. In his most recent fight, with submission
specialist Jim Miller, he took the decision based on dominating
the stand-up and using his wrestling to not allow Miller to get
it to the ground.
Huerta,
who gained fame for being on the cover of a 2007 issue of Sports
Illustrated, was being pushed by UFC as its Hispanic superstar
after his 2006 debut. He was a favorite of the Spanish media,
particularly because he had an interesting life story which included
growing up on the streets of Mexico and having to sell things
on street corners, and later being homeless in the U.S. But things
changed after his biggest career win, a December 8, 2007 come-from-behind
victory via hard knee followed by a choke over Clay Guida in
one of the great fights in UFC history.
Instead
of capitalizing on that momentum, Huerta asked for time off to
go back to college. Contract negotiations for a new deal went
sour with the sides far apart. Huerta, coming off six straight
wins and a classic fight, was asking for a better deal than Penn,
the lightweight champion was getting, including pay-per-view
points even though he had never appeared in a pay-per-view headline
match. His leverage for that kind of a deal fell apart when Kenny
Florian beat him by decision on Aug. 9, 2008, in Minneapolis,
and shortly after that, made the announcement of leaving the
sport for acting.
Source: Yahoo Sports
|
UFC’s
upcoming shows in adjustment mode
UFC
seems like a cyclical feast-or-famine when it comes to shows,
coming into a fall season that includes either seven or eight
between now and Dec. 12 and featuring far less main-event caliber
matches partially due to a series of unforeseen circumstances.
Two
of the company’s five champions are on the sidelines due
to injury: Middleweight champion Anderson Silva is out until
early next year with elbow surgery and welterweight champion
Georges St. Pierre is out with a torn abductor muscle, likely
until February.
In
addition, a match the company was gunning for being its biggest
money match before the end of this year – Quinton Jackson
vs. Rashad Evans that would determine the next light heavyweight
title contender – is now postponed due to Jackson getting
the role Mr. T made famous in the early ’80s as B.A. Baracus
in “The A-Team” movie that starts filming soon in Vancouver.
UFC
president Dana White, after the completion of filming Season
10 of “The Ultimate Fighter,” which debuts Sept. 16
with Jackson and Evans as rival coaches, said by the time the
season is over, the Jackson-Evans match would be the most anticipated
fight in company history. They were also planning a three-week
countdown show to hype the match.
Losing
Silva and Jackson from the next few months leaves the company
having to struggle for main events on one or two shows.
The
biggest question mark is the Nov. 14 show in Manchester, England.
At
one point the company talked about doing three shows in November.
UFC
106 on Nov. 21 in Las Vegas, headlined by Brock Lesnar vs. Shane
Carwin for the heavyweight title, now looks to be the biggest
business show for the remainder of the year, since it also includes
the return of Tito Ortiz.
There
was also UFC 105 in Manchester and a third unannounced show.
There
were two main events in play for those dates: Anderson Silva
vs. Dan Henderson for the middleweight title and B.J. Penn vs. Diego Sanchez
for the lightweight title.
When
Jackson-Evans was in danger for Dec. 12 in Memphis, Tenn., Penn-Sanchez
was moved to that date. Then Silva, who had complained about
facing Henderson again (Silva won via choke in March 2008), told
company officials he would be undergoing surgery.
At
this point, UFC 105 has Michael Bisping vs. Denis Kang as the
top match. There’s nothing wrong with that for a free show
on Spike, but it will be a real test for Bisping, who is coming
off a knockout loss, headlining in a major arena with an opponent
with no prior headline fights in the UFC and with little undercard
support.
Complicating
matters is Henderson has said he would not take a fight with
Nate Marquardt, the other top middleweight contender. That wouldn’t
be nearly as strong as a Silva vs. Henderson title fight, but
under the circumstances would be on paper the logical replacement
match. Henderson felt he’s already earned the shot at Silva
by knocking out Bisping.
For
UFC 107 in Memphis, the reason the show was scheduled for that
market is because of Jackson. Jackson grew up in Memphis and
in 2007 was named the city’s Sportsman of the Year by the
local Memphis Commercial-Appeal newspaper. It’s an untested
market for MMA, as there has never been a major show in the city.
The
postponement in the long-run is not a major issue, since Jackson
vs. Evans would likely take place on a subsequent show and as
long as it takes place, will eventually do whatever business
it would do.
A
major lesson was learned in May, when, 17 months after it was
first scheduled and postponed several times due to injuries,
the Matt Hughes vs. Matt Serra match finally took place, built
off the winter season of “The Ultimate Fighter” in
2007. Many thought because of the time frame and the season being
a distant memory, that the public had lost interest in the fight.
Instead, the live crowd treated it like a major fight, reacting
bigger than to the Lyoto Machida vs. Rashad Evans main event
at UFC 98, and pay-per-view numbers were ahead of most predictions,
believed to be in the 650,000 buy range.
There
is another unannounced show where a full card has been tentatively
lined up and all is on hold until a decision is made when, where
or if the show is going to take place. But it also has no obvious
main event.
There
is also “The Ultimate Fighter” finals on Dec. 5 in
Las Vegas, but that show doesn’t need a marquee main event,
since the antics on the show will lead to a tournament final
showdown and perhaps other fights that get created naturally.
Source: Yahoo Sports
|
WC
FITNESS: WHY FANS HATE BROCK REASON #657
Well,
UFC 100 has come and gone.
With
his dominant victory over Frank Mir, Brock Lesnar not only avenged
his only loss in his short MMA career, but further solidified
himself as not only a genuine MMAist, but also rightful champion.
Yet,
many MMA fans *still* look for (and find) ways to disrespect
- or simply not like - Lesnar as an MMA fighter.
Some
say that he hasn't beat worthy competition yet, claiming that
Heath Herring is now nothing but a journeyman fighter, that Randy
Couture was severely outweighed (and that he's too old), and
that Mir wasn't even the 'true' champ, but only an interim champ.
Personally, I think most of these arguments are stupid, but oh
well.
Others
don't like Lesnar because they say he's too brash, disrespectful,
mean, etc. - that he's not just playing a "heel" type
of character, but that he really is a jerk. (These aren't my
feelings - I'm just passing on what others seem to feel.) If
that's what you think of Brock, then you're more than likely
a relatively new(er) fan of MMA. I say this because if you have
been watching the UFC since the SEG era, then you'd know that
Brock hasn't said or done anything any worse than Tank Abbot
ever did, or that Tito Ortiz (back when he was a champ) ever
put on a T-shirt.
Yet
others dislike Lesnar because of his time spent in professional
wrestling. Which I never really understood because many other
MMAists have spent time in the wrestling ring/industry including
Ken Shamrock, Mark Coleman, Don Frye, Dan Severn, Kazuyuki Fujita,
Kazushi Sakuraba, Frank Trigg, Bobby Lashley, Tank Abbot, and
many others.
Then
there is the tattoo on Brock's chest. No discussion necessary.
While
I might not agree with most of the above, I can understand where
folks are coming from. I don't share the same view(s), but I
"get" it.
However,
there is one major criticism of Brock that I just don't get.
I
can't tell you how many times I've seen it said (usually in a
forum somewhere), that Brock is just - and I'm paraphrasing here
- "big, strong, and in shape. He's not really a good martial
artist - he's just naturally athletic, and a muscle-bound monster."
I'm
sorry, but that is just plain stupid.
First
of all, we like to say that professional MMAists are some of
the best trained, hardest working athletes in the world. Yet,
when a guy who is a natural athlete with a ton of God-given potential
enters the sport and has some immediate success, we want to belittle
him for it?
Second
of all, it's not like getting "big and strong" is easy.
If it were, everybody would be big and strong. In fact, if getting
as big and strong as Lesnar wasn't out of the ordinary, then
Brock would be just that - ordinary.
Let
me digress for a second. Have you ever heard of Mark Robinson?
Again, unless you're a long-time MMA fan, you likely haven't.
Mark Robinson is a South African powerlifter who won several
South African powerlifting and professional strongman contests
in the late '80s. Robinson won the title of World Powerlifting
Champion in 1990, and even had a good martial arts background,
winning a South African Judo championship in 1982, several sumo
titles, and even won ADCC in 2001. (All info courtesy of http://www.markrobinson.co.za/FrontEnd/Index.aspx)
Why
do I bring up Robinson? Because Robinson had a very brief stint
in the UFC. In fact, it was so brief that it lasted only one
event, UFC 30, where he was beaten handily by Bobby Hoffman.
If
being big and strong was such a vital part of succeeding in MMA,
then Robinson should have had a long and storied career in the
UFC. And he didn't.
Face
it people - Brock is a real MMAist, and he's the UFC champion...
whether you like it or not.
Is
being big and strong a big part of Brock's arsenal? Sure it is.
Only a fool would say it's not. Then again, only a fool would
say it's the only (or at least the main) reason why he's been
so successful right out of the gate.
(Funny
- when you hear of guys like Tito Ortiz, Randy Couture, etc.,
that are known for their super-human conditioning, nobody ever
puts these guys down saying that all they do is wear out their
opponents and let their conditioning take over. Yet, when Brock
uses superior strength to help subdue an opponent, it's almost
as if he's cheating).
Methinks
that everybody could learn a lesson or two from Brock, and work
on getting big and strong. That doesn't mean that you have to
be a 265-pound monster like he is, but there's nothing wrong
with putting on a few pounds of muscle (replacing a few pounds
of fat), and getting as strong as you can for your size, is there?
As long as you keep your skills, conditioning, endurance, etc.,
in check, won't that mean you just have another tool with which
you can use to win? Sounds like it to me.
What
kind of program should you use to get big and strong? For an
MMAist, a simple program is best. Two to three times a week is
good - compound exercises, varying intensity. You have to make
sure that you leave enough in your gas tank for skills work,
drilling, sparring, conditioning, and endurance work (though
the last two can be incorporated in with your strength work if
you know what you're doing).
A
good and simple workout might look like this: Day 1 - OH Press
- 3x5, Chins x 50 total reps, Deadlift 3x5. Day 2 - Bench Press
- 3x5, Rows - 4x6, Squat - 3x5. Figure out how much weight you
could use for 5 reps in each exercise, and subtract 20-30%. Start
with that, and add weight each workout. Every fourth week, drop
the weights by 50% as a backoff/deload week.
That
simple workout could keep you getting as strong as you'd need
for quite a while. There are various things you could change/add
to the workout, but it would have to be done in conjunction with
designing your overall program, to make sure that you're developing
a good and complete overall program.
Source: MMA Weekly
|
Quote
of the Day
“Just
as the sun gives light to the moon this heart bestows the effulgence
on the mind.”
Ramana Maharshi
|
Hawaiian
Open Championships of BJJ
Aloha everyone!
This means that only those who register early will have a tournament
t-shirt reserved for them and will not have to pay a late fee.
All those registering late will be charged a $10 late fee and
will not receive a tournament t-shirt.
Absolute
deadline for registration will be Wednesday, September 9th @
midnight. There will be no late entries after this date and no
entries the day of the tournament.
Tournament
start times:
Kids Weigh-Ins: 8-9:30 am
Adult Weigh-Ins: 9:30-11:30 am
Kids: 10 am
Adults: 12 pm
Weigh-in
procedures and weight divisions are posted on our website.
Super Fights this event . . .
No
Gi Match
"Babalu"
vs.
"JR"
Black
Belt Match
Gabe Igawa-Silva
vs.
Carlos Kiko
Aaron
Muller
vs.
Jair Muniz
I
have attached the t-shirt design for this upcoming tournament
for your viewing pleasure.
For
more information or if you have any questions, please visit:
www.hawaiitriplecrown.com
|
DALEY
STEPS IN FOR INJURED SWICK AT UFC 103
Mike Swick is out of a main card bout against Martin Kampmann
for UFC 103 scheduled to take place on Sept. 19 in Dallas. Stepping
in to take his place is British fighter Paul Daley.
U.K.
tabloid The Sun first reported the news on Friday. MMAWeekly.com
independently verified the report.
“I
got the call and I accepted. I came to the UFC to fight the best,
and that's what I am going to do,” Daley told The Sun’s
Mark Gilbert.
Gilbert
also cited UFC U.K. president Marshall Zelaznik as confirming
Daley’s acceptance of the bout.
Daley
representative Anthony Evans told MMAWeekly.com the bout has
been verbally agreed to and they are awaiting a bout agreement.
If
the bout goes through, Daley (21-8-2) will be making his Octagon
debut at UFC 103. He was originally slated to face Brian Foster
on the preliminary portion of the card, but gets the bump up
with the unfortunate injury to Swick. He enters the bout on back-to-back
wins in smaller promotions, following a bumpy ride with Canada’s
Maximum Fighting Championships.
Kampmann
(15-2) also enters the bout on the back of two consecutive victories.
Competing for the better part of his career at middleweight,
he made the drop to welterweight following a loss to Nate Marquardt
at UFC 88. He defeated Alexandre Barros in his UFC 170-pound
debut, and then spoiled the incoming bout of former WEC champion
Carlos Condit in April.
Vitor
Belfort and Rich Franklin square off in a light heavyweight bout
in the main event of UFC 103 at the American Airlines Center.
(UPDATE
/ 10:50 a.m. PT, Sept. 4 – Added confirmation of Swick’s
injury and clarification on contractual status of the proposed
bout.
UPDATE
/ 11:35 a.m. PT, Sept. 4 – Added confirmation of verbal
agreement from Daley representative.)
Source: MMA Weekly |
STEPFATHER
CONVICTED IN JUSTIN EILERS DEATH
James Robert Malec was convicted Thursday of voluntary manslaughter
in the shooting death of his stepson, mixed martial arts veteran
Justin Eilers, according to a report Friday in the Idaho Statesman.
Prosecutors had sought to charge Malec with second-degree murder,
punishable by life in prison, but jurors chose the lesser charge
after deliberating for eight hours.
Malec
could face up to 15 years in prison and/or a $15,000 fine. Sentencing
is expected in October, though a date has not been set.
Eilers
was at Malec’s house for a Christmas party when the two
got into a verbal confrontation after Eilers reportedly became
enraged at the presence of an ex-girlfriend. According to the
report, Eilers’ mother and Malec’s wife, Gwen Moore,
may have been standing between the two when Malec drew a handgun
and shot Eilers once in the chest. Eilers died on the scene.
Defense
attorneys argued that Malec feared for his life and shot Eilers
out of self-defense. During the trial, Malec testified that the
MMA veteran had walked him down while threatening to kill him.
"Never
lose sight of the fact that Justin tried to make a living by
pummeling people into submission," defense attorney Gordon
Petrie said.
Prosecutors
said Eilers was backing away during the confrontation and Malec’s
actions were intentional.
"Justin
Eilers was acting like a jerk, there's no question," Prosecutor
Scott James said. "He was ruining Christmas. He was disrespecting
the defendant in his own home. But he didn't deserve to die."
Eilers,
a disciple of Miletich Fighting Systems, had a six-year career
in MMA and once fought Andrei Arlovski for the UFC heavyweight
title. Eilers lost in the first round after blowing his knee
out. His last fight was in July 2008 at EliteXC: Unfinished Business,
where he lost a title bid against Antonio Silva.
Moore
said she dreaded the verdict, but felt it was just.
"Everyone
asked me what justice I wanted,” she said. “I want
my son back, that's what I want. And I'm not going to get that."
Source: MMA Weekly |
MARK
BOCEK BACK TRAINING, EYES DECEMBER
UFC lightweight Mark Bocek has been cleared to train by his doctor
and will be back in the gym Friday, according to manager Mary
Oliveira.
The
28-year-old Canadian tore his Lateral Collateral Ligament (LCL)
a week before a submission win over David Bielkheden at UFC 97
and was forced out of action all summer.
“If
training goes well, he will probably be ready to fight in December,”
said Oliveira.
Bocek
has gone 3-2 in the Octagon since making his debut at UFC 73,
where he lost to contender Frankie Edgar. His win over Bielkheden
was his second consecutive victory following a submission loss
to Mac Danzig at UFC 83.
Source: MMA Weekly |
BIG
NOG EYEING MIR REMATCH
After dispatching Randy Couture last Saturday at UFC 102, Antonio
Rodrigo Nogueira was game to “play” with reigning champ
Brock Lesnar if the opportunity became available.
“If
they gave me a title shot, it would be awesome,” he told
MMAWeekly.
But
after hearing Frank Mir’s opinions about his performance,
Big Nog is eyeing a rematch with the former champion.
In
an interview with Steve Cofield of ESPN Radio 1100, Mir on Thursday
said he was tired of hearing Nogueira talk about his injuries
after their UFC 92 bout, especially as a part of the pre and
post fight storyline for Nogueira’s victory last weekend.
“It’s
not an excuse…’I almost died from staph infection,’”
said Mir. “It’s like, no, you can’t say ‘I’m
not making excuses’ and make an excuse as you’re saying
it.
“Everybody
has excuses. You lose. You say, hey it’s not my day. All
of us can point to injuries and problems, but at the end of the
day, I don’t think fans honestly want to hear that.”
Nogueira
said his post-fight comments, given in response to UFC commentator
Joe Rogan’s inquiry of his health leading up to the UFC
92 fight, were not meant to excuse his performance against Mir.
“If
I was making excuses, I would have been making excuses right
after the fight,” the former Pride and UFC champ told MMAWeekly.
“I'm not making excuses, I'm giving you a reason.”
Nogueira
said the Mir loss was one of two he hadn’t avenged yet—Fedor
Emelianenko being the other blemish—and he’d be happy
to fight Mir again to prove his point.
"If
Mir feels it’s an excuse, then lets get in the Octagon and
see whether it's an excuse or a reason in December and settle
it,” he continued. “I’d love to fight Frank Mir
at UFC 107.”
Mir
is expected to face Kongo at UFC 107 on Dec. 12 in Memphis, Tenn.,
though the promotion has not confirmed the fight.
On
Thursday, lightweight champion BJ Penn confirmed a rumored match-up with Diego Sanchez
for the southern card. The placement of the bout, however, appears
to be unset after reports surfaced Friday that the event’s
rumored headliner, Rashad Evans vs. Quinton Jackson, was off
due to Jackson’s role in an upcoming movie remake of television
series “The A-Team.”
Source: MMA Weekly |
DONE
WITH UFC JITTERS, CARLOS CONDIT PLANS KO
Former WEC welterweight champion Carlos Condit is set to return
to the Octagon when he takes on newcomer Jake Ellenberger on
Sept. 16 at UFC Fight Night 19, in Oklahoma City, Okla.
He
enters this fight on the heels of an exciting split decision
loss to Xtreme Couture’s Martin Kampmann this past April
(marking his first loss in a near three-year stretch). Condit
will look to rectify his position among the best in his class
with a win over Ellenberger, who is as tough as they come, sporting
a 21-4 record with wins over Jose Landi-Jons, Pat Healy, and
Gil Castillo.
None-the-less,
the loss to Kampann was still hard on the “Natural Born
Killer.”
“It
was pretty tough because I really felt that it was so close;
it was a razor-edge decision and I feel like if I had done just
a little bit more I could have pulled it out,” said Condit
to the MMAWeekly radio crew. “So it was a little bit tough
to swallow, but it just gives me some motivation for my next
fight.”
Though
the name recognition isn’t there for Ellenberger, who is
a late replacement for respected veteran Chris Lytle, Condit
is training just as hard in order to deliver another solid “Mad
Max” performance.
“I
hadn’t heard of him, but I’m not an MMA genius and
I don’t know all the guys, so it doesn’t mean he’s
not tough or well known,” said Condit. “I did have
to get on the Internet and check him, but from what I’ve
seen he’s pretty good.
“We’re
all training hard. It’s been like thunder-dome down at the
gym, so I think we’re well prepared.”
Prior
to the bout with Kampann, Condit had made the conscious decision
to move away from his New Mexico surroundings for a chance to
train with Arizona Combat Sports, which houses some of the best
wrestling affiliated athletes in the sport today, including UFC
veterans Ryan Bader, C.B. Dollaway, and Aaron Simpson.
Many
credit initial losses of UFC newcomers to the “UFC jitters.”
Having
gone through his debut (let alone headlining an event at that),
Condit is now geared up and ready to go for his next showing,
hoping to expel any memories of the loss.
“It’s
a pretty big thing doing your UFC debut and I was pretty nervous
going into the fight,” said the 25-year-old. “A couple
of days before I was pretty nervous, but as soon as I got out
there and got in front of the crowd I just felt the same, just
another fight. It felt good to hear the crowd roar and as for
my next fight, I don’t feel as nervous. I got that first
one out of the way and now I’m just ready to go.”
Though
the UFC debut might get the best of most fighters, Condit isn’t
anticipating Ellenberger would come out to fight half-heartedly.
He’s just looking forward to doing what he and the fans
have become accustomed to, another Condit-like performance, which
win or lose promises to be exciting.
“I
think 80 percent of this game is mental, if not more, and I’m
not going to bank on that. I know that Ellenberger is a very,
very tough guy and I’m expecting a war.
“I’m
sure he intends to knock me out, I got a pretty similar plan
as well so he can run his mouth, but we’re going to find
out what’s up.”
Source: MMA Weekly |
Jucao
overcomes Macaco at Shine
In
the main event of Shine Fight 2, held last Friday night, in Miami,
Roan Jucao Carneiro came out on top. The American Top Team representative
overcame compatriot Jorge Patino Macaco in the unanimous judges’
decision.
In
the other all-Brazilian bout, Flavio Alvaro defeated Jean Silva
by split decision.
Check
out the results from Shine Fight 2:
Brian
Fuery submitted Phil Friedman by neck crunch at 2:03min of R1
Herbert Goodman defeated James Brasco by TKO (strikes) at 3:24min
of R3
Junior Assunção defeated Pete Grimes by split decision
Micah Miller submitted Anthony Morrison with an arm triangle
at 4:25 min of R2
Flavio Alvaro defeated Jean Silva by split decision
Luiz Firmino Buscapé defeated Ryan Healy by unanimous
decision
Yves Edwards finalizou James Warfield by triangle at 4:48min
of R2
Roan Jucao Carneiro defeated Jorge Patino Macaco by unanimous
decision
Source: Gracie Magazine |
Mino:
“The more I hit, the more he woke up”
Lyoto confirms personal desire to test himself against Brock
Lesnar
Late
Saturday night, Rodrigo Minotauro starred on the Sensei Sportv
program and, from Los Angeles, commented on his celebrated win
over the 46-year-old Randy Couture, at UFC 102, on August 29.
Mino
also lamented not having been able to finish his opponent, first
with an anaconda choke and later with an arm-and-neck choke –
he alleged that, besides sweat, both were covered in Vaseline,
which dripped from their faces onto their bodies. And he had
praise for Couture’s durability: “I managed to knock
him out standing, but the more I hit him on the ground, the more
he woke up. He’s an impressive adversary.
Now
the under 93kg champion of the organization, Lyoto Machida, had
nothing but praise for another UFC heavyweight, champion Brock
Lesnar. “I have the personal desire of testing myself against
Brock Lesnar, who is haunting. He’s a monster of strength,
but is technical too. My tactic would be to keep him at distance,
not to let him get a hold on me. Otherwise the punishment would
be enormous.”
Source: Gracie Magazine |
K-1
confirms WGP opening round
Fights are scheduled to Sept. 26
The
card that everyone has been waiting for can finally be made public!
As previously announced around the world by K-1 Event Producer
Sadaharu Tanikawa, FieLDS K-1 WORLD GP 2009 IN SEOUL -FINAL16-
will take place in Seoul, Korea in the Olympic Gymnasium on September
26. With the help of K-1 fans and our sponsors, 8 match-ups have
now been confirmed. Here they are:
4 men have been chosen as a result of the fan poll held on the
K-1 Official Site.
The
card itself is shown here for the first time:
1.
Badr Hari vs. Zabit Samedov
2. Ruslan Karaev vs. KYOTARO
3. Semmy Schilt vs. Daniel Ghita
4. Ewerton Teixeira vs. Singh "Heart" Jaideep
5. Peter Aerts vs. Alistair Overeem
6. Remy Bonjasky vs. Melvin Manhoef
7. Errol Zimmerman vs. Glaube Feitosa
8. Jerome LeBanner vs. Musashi
That
is the 8 fights that will make up the opening round of this years'
World Grand Prix. The Best 8 fighters from last year, the Heavyweight
(KYOTARO) and Super-heavyweight (Semmy) Champions, European GP
winner (Zabit), Final 16 Qualifying GP ace (Ghita), Asian GP
champion (Jaideep) come together to make up the first 13 participants.
The remaining 3 were to be decided by fan vote, and sponsors
suggestions, making up the 2009 Final 16.
Unfortunately,
Best 8 fighter Gohkan Saki injured his leg during his fight against
Pavel Zuravliov in Korea on August 2nd, and as he will not be
able to recover in time it has become necessary to once again
use the fan poll and sponsors suggestions to select a fourth
fighter.
Source: Gracie Magazine |
Coach:
“Dos Santos is a knockout artist”
After
Rodrigo “Minotauro” Nogueira’s victory against
Randy Couture, Luiz Dórea, the Brazilian’s boxing
coach, goes back to the gym to work on Junior “Cigano”
dos Santos striking to face Mirko “Cro Cop” Filipovic
at UFC 103. “The training are great, Rodrigo will stay with
me at the corner and we’ll go for another victory”,
said Dórea, praising Dos Santos game for the fight.
“He’s
a very talented guy, everybody is very impressed with him. He
is, for sure, one of the best boxing fighters in the world. He’s
very strong and fast for this division, seeks the knockout all
the time… He’s a knockout artist”, told the coach,
respecting Cro Cop. “Mirko is a great athlete, deserves
all the respect, but that’s why we’re going inside
him. Cigano has everything to win and we’re confident on
that”, guarantees Dórea, in exclusive interview to
TATAME.com.
Source: Tatame |
Minotauro:
“The cowboys helped me”
UFC
102 took place at Randy Couture’s homeland, but Rodrigo
“Minotauro” was the only one to smile at the after
party. In exclusive interview to TATAME.com after the victory,
the Brazilian thanked the “help” that came from the
crowd. “Man, the cowboys helped me... They made me pissed
and focused (with the boos). I saw that it’d special to
win him in his home”, said Nogueira, revaling that he was
ready to face it.
“When
I entered there and they booed me, it didn’t surprised me
at all. I knew it would be like that”, remembers Rodrigo,
who was aplaused by the fans after the post fight interview,
inside the octagon. “I got the microphone and said that
it was an honor to fight Randy Couture, that he always was one
of my idols. They liked my performance and I thanked Couture,
who’s an idol here in the US”, said the heaavyweight,
celebrating his best performance in the UFC.
“It
was a great fight, he made my victory bigger, escaped from all
of my submissions, went toe to toe... He tried to do his game
on the fence, try to hold me, but we only stood in his game for
two minutes”, told, surprised with Couture not tapping at
the D’Arce choke in the first round. “It was locked,
but he’s really good... It was a little slippery, because
the UFC puts a little more vaseline in the face and when I passed
my arm below the face I couldn’t hold my biceps well”.
Talking
about the boxing training for the fight, Nogueira thanks his
coach, Luiz Dórea. “It was a little hard in the beginning,
but I found the distance and hitted him with good punches. I
realized that Randy showed what he would do. I’d throw the
jab and he’d move his head to the side, but he wouldn’t
escape from the whole sequence. He escapes from one punch, escape
from another, but he wouldn’t escape from the whole sequence,
then I took him down”, said the Brazilian.
ANSWERING
FRANK MIR
After
beating Couture in a great performance, Nogueira heard Frank
Mir’s critics about Joe Rogan and all the coments about
the staph infection that Rodrigo suffered before fighting him,
at UFC 92. “I don’t demerit his victory, I never did
that. He did a great fight that day, it was his fight and I can’t
say anything about it. He really beated me, but everybody saw
that I wasn’t well. I ddin’t say anything at that time,
but everybody saw that”, told Rodrigo, remembering the time
he spent in the hospital. “Twenty days before the fight,
I stood one week in a hospital bed”.
Beating
Couture in the stand up game, Minotauro makes clear that he would
like to face Frank Mir one more time. “The same punch I
took in this fight and didn’t went down... I wanna fight
him again”, said Nogueira, commenting how the duel would
be. “A lot different... I won’t say how it’d be,
but it’d be a lot different than the first one”, finished
Nogueira.
Source: Tatame |
THE
SCIENCE OF CARDIO, PART 2
In
Part 1 of “The Science of Cardio” we covered some of
the basics of cardio physiology and why it’s important.
Now
I’m going to introduce you to a few “behind the scenes”
cardio concepts. This will help provide some rationale for your
cardio workouts and explain some of the variables that impact
your cardio fitness:
VO2
Max
You’ve
probably heard this term before, but what exactly does it mean?
VO2 literally means “volume of oxygen.” VO2 Max is
simply the maximal amount of oxygen your body can use during
exercise. The higher your VO2 Max, the better your aerobic capacity
(cardio) is. You can actually find out what your VO2 Max is by
having it tested on a bike or a treadmill at a performance training
facility. VO2 Max testing is a great way to determine your current
cardio fitness and to see how you are able to improve it over
time.
With
the proper cardio training, nutrition and supplements, you can
improve your VO2 Max significantly by:
·
Increasing cardiac output, or the amount of blood that your heart
is able to pump to your working muscles.
· Increasing the efficiency that blood is delivered to
the working muscles, by increasing the number of blood vessels
that supply the muscles.
·
Increasing oxygen uptake by the muscles (the cell’s ability
to both extract and use oxygen) through increased oxidative enzymes
and more mitochondria.
Lactate
Threshold (aka Anaerobic Threshold)
You
may have heard these terms thrown around before, and they are
basically synonymous. Lactate threshold is defined by a sudden
rise in the levels of lactate in your blood during incremental
exercise. For example, let’s say you’re on the stationary
bike doing 100 Watts and increased your workload by 30 Watts
every 4 minutes. If we were measuring the lactate in your blood
during each 4 minute period it would remain level, up until the
point of lactate threshold. At that point, we would see the lactate
level begin to rise from the baseline (see figure 1). This is
the intensity at which our body begins to shift gears –
from aerobic to anaerobic energy pathways. Note that this does
not mean that you suddenly go from 100% aerobic to 100% anaerobic.
What it means is that your body begins to rely more heavily on
anaerobic energy as the effort increases. It also means you will
start burning less fat and more carbohydrate, not to mention
producing more lactate as a byproduct of metabolism.
Ok,
this is really interesting, but who cares, Mr. Scientist? You
should care because lactate threshold directly relates to how
long it takes before you gas out. The longer you can delay hitting
lactate threshold, the longer you will have before gassing, thus
your cardio is superior.
In
the figure at the top of the page, you can see how lactate rises
as workload gets harder and after training, lactate threshold
increased (these are actual test results from an 8-week block
of training).
The
bottom line: superior cardio will allow you to execute your skills
while your opponent simply does not have the energy to fight
back. Now that’s pretty interesting.
*
Energy Management
In
competitive road cycling there is a term for using precious energy
during a race called “burning matches,” which I think
translates well to the sport of MMA. The “burning matches”
analogy goes like this: you start with a full book of matches
to burn during an event, and once you’re out of matches...
you’re kaput, fried, gassed! Your challenge is to get the
maximum results from the matches you have to burn.
How
you mange this depends primarily on how many matches you have
to start with. Your cardio program is all about increasing the
number of matches you have at the beginning of a fight. If you
start the fight with relatively few matches, your strategy may
be limited to going for a knockout in the first 30 seconds of
the fight. If you have several matches to burn, you can always
take the first round knockout IF the opportunity presents itself,
but you will have several other options that you can go to depending
on how the fight plays out. Having this tactical maneuverability
during a fight is key, and it all links back to the condition
of your cardio.
Also
you will manage your match burning better as you gain experience
in competition. During an event, your adrenaline is through the
roof and your heart is beating in your throat, which can cause
you to behave much differently than you do in training. You are
over-excited, may jump around too much, make ineffective strikes,
and generally wasteful movements – all of which burn matches
and contributes to fatigue. Everyone will go through this, and
it’s part of competition, but the more you compete, the
more efficient you will get.
*
Nutrition and supplements
When
losing a fight is not an option, you need to fine tune your body
to gain every advantage against your opponent. To do this, you
need to treat your body like a Formula 1 racecar. Do those race
teams put just regular old gas in the car? Hell no! That’s
some serious high octane fuel they put into those beasts. You
need to do the same. All of the training and competition you
do demands the highest quality macronutrients (carbs, fats and
protein) and the proper supplements.
About
the author
David
Nader, MS, MBA
David
is an exercise physiologist and biopharmaceutical industry veteran.
David started AdapTx Labs to apply the science of exercise physiology
to the sport of MMA to help fighters maximize their performance.
David is also a competitive bicycle racer.
Source: MMA Weekly |
Quote
of the Day
“Good
sense about trivialities is better than nonsense about things
that matter.”
Sir Henry Maximilian Beerbohm
|
Fighters'
Club TV Tonight!
Channel
52
NEW TIME of 8:00 PM!
If
you are not on the Onzuka.com Hawaii Ground forum, you are missing
the latest news from upcoming events, get to rub elbows with
numerous promoters and fighters, and get to voice your opinion
on any subject you can dream up. Hit the links above to sign
up for a free account and start posting away!
|
BJ
PENN VS DIEGO SANCHEZ CONFIRMED FOR UFC 107
After
weeks of speculation, the fight is settled and so is the date.
UFC
lightweight champion B.J. Penn will fight Diego Sanchez in the
co-main event of UFC 107, which also features a battle between
The Ultimate Fighter Season 10 coaches Quinton “Rampage”
Jackson and Rashad Evans.
“B.J.
is fighting Dec. 12,” UFC president Dana White stated Thursday
afternoon in a video blog on BJPenn.com.
White
already confirmed the bout a week ago at the UFC 102 pre-fight
press conference. At the time, he said there was a chance it
would headline an as of yet unannounced third November event
that would be neither a pay-per-view nor a Spike TV event, leading
to speculation about the oft-rumored network television deal.
Whatever
the reason, a third November event has yet to materialize.
White
has frequently stated, "Once we get the right offer, we
will be on network television." Apparently the right offer
hasn’t yet arrived, or at least not in time for November.
Penn
(14-5-1) last fought at UFC 101 where he defeated challenger
Kenny Florian, submitting him in the fourth round. The event
was the promotion’s first landing in Philadelphia.
Sanchez
(21-2), the winner of the inaugural season of The Ultimate Fighter,
last competed at The Ultimate Fighter Season 9 Finale, where
he defeated the venerable Clay Guida by split decision.
UFC
107 is expected to take place at the FedEx Forum in Memphis,
Tenn.
Source: MMA Weekly
|
JAKE
SHIELDS TIRES OF DELAYS, JUST WANTS TO FIGHT
Former EliteXC welterweight champion Jake Shields says there’s
no delay on his end in facing Jason “Mayhem” Miller
in Strikeforce.
“If
they hand me the bout agreement today, I’ll sign it,”
Shields told MMAWeekly.com.
Miller
last month announced that he’d be facing the Top 10 welterweight
in the near future, though his manager, Ryan Parsons, told MMAWeekly.com
the timing of the bout was uncertain. Strikeforce CEO Scott Coker
said his promotion was working on major events for October and
December and entertained the possibility of an interim middleweight
title fight for Miller and Shields.
Miller
backed off his announcement this week despite a desire to fight
Shields, telling MMAJunkie.com that “something was wrong”
and he had not received a bout agreement.
Shields
Wednesday night said the delays are on Miller’s end.
“People
at Strikeforce told me Miller needed more time, so as far as
what’s going on, I don’t know,” he said. “Maybe
he needed more time and was trying to pass it on.”
Shields
appeared on the first season of Miller’s hit MTV show, “Bully
Beatdown,” and is expected to make an appearance on the
second season. Shields’ manager/father, Jack Shields, said
the two are friends, though a fight between the two would be
“all business.”
Parsons
on Thursday told MMAWeekly.com that Miller had spoken too soon
and there “wasn’t any drama” with the delay.
“Strikeforce
is trying to find the right time for the bout,” he said.
Jake
said he didn’t want to make it personal with Miller, but
was frustrated with the situation.
“I
want to fight now,” he continued. “I don’t want
to be wasting time. I’m training for a certain type of fight,
and I don’t want it to get pushed back. But I guess it happens,
and I’ll deal with it.”
Dealing
with it, Shields added, may include asking for a different opponent
in October.
“If
Strikeforce offers me another opponent, I’ll definitely
take another opponent,” he said. “I’d like to
fight Miller, but I’ll fight someone else. I’d rather
fight now.”
Strikeforce
officials were not available for comment on the delay at the
time of this writing.
Source: MMA Weekly
|
MATT
HUGHES SIGNS NEW CONTRACT WITH UFC
First it was Randy Couture, now it’s Matt Hughes. The UFC
seems to be locking down former champions left and right.
Hughes,
a former UFC welterweight champion, on Thursday affirmed his
desire to remain active, stating that he has signed a new multi-fight
contract with the Ultimate Fighting Championship.
“Last
week I went out to Vegas and I signed a multi-fight deal with
the UFC, which is much like my last contract,” said Hughes
via a post on his official website.
Who
he will fight next is not yet clear, although his most recent
opponent, Matt Serra, whom he defeated by unanimous decision
at UFC 98 in May, would like another shot at him.
“I'd
love to fight Matt Hughes again,” Serra told MMAWeekly.com
last month. “I'm not going to attack him personally, but
at the same time I do feel I won that fight, or at least I should
have got the nod. If not, it's a draw and let's do it again.”
But
according to Hughes, at least one other name has been mentioned.
“They still have to find out who, where and when my next
fight will be... Nothing is decided yet. However, one name the
UFC did bring up is a person I’ve never fought before.”
That
would seem to preclude Serra, but again, it doesn’t sound
as if anything is remotely close to set.
In
an interesting aside, Hughes also mentioned that he’d like
to branch out into Ted Nugent territory, which seemed to have
the UFC brass’ approval.
“I
also brought up the fact that I wanted to do a hunting show,”
he said on his website, “and they thought that would be
a good thing.”
No
specific details of the duration of or number of fights on Hughes’
new contract were available at the time of publication.
Source: MMA Weekly
|
BRETT
ROGERS: I'M GOING TO KNOCK FEDOR OUT
Slated to be Fedor Emelianenko's first opponent in the Strikeforce
promotion, undefeated heavyweight Brett Rogers plans to knock
out the top ranked Russian.
"I'm
going out there to knock Fedor out. I'm going out there to knock
him out just like Arlovski. It ain't going to be no different,"
Rogers told Tapout Radio earlier this week.
"The
way I see it, he's not going to want to stand with me. He's going
to want to take me down and play the little ground and pound
game because he knows damn well my hands are ferocious and he's
not going to be able to handle my power. It's not going to happen."
Questioned
how his ground game matches up against the Russian's, Rogers
said, "If he gets lucky and takes me down, because I'm not
an easy guy to take down, I'm a stand-up fighter, so I train
real hard on standing up, but if he succeeds, I'm cool. I'm cool
with it. I'm a patient guy. I'm just going to hold him and get
back up and make him play my game, and he's going to have to
try all over again."
The
bout has been agreed to, but no date has been set. "They
just told me to be ready by October or November," said the
28-year-old fighter.
"There's
a couple of situations with the UFC. They don't want to schedule
a show on the same day as one of their shows."
*
Tapout Radio (tapoutlive.com) is a content partner of MMAWeekly.com.
Source: MMA Weekly
|
Rafael
Mendes: ‘In the ADCC any error may prove fatal’
Black belt in 66kg category in Barcelona
By Gabriel Menezes
Mendes
in final of South American finals against Raoni Barcelos / Photo:
Gustavo Aragão
Rafael
Mendes is a guaranteed show at the ADCC, this coming 26th and
27th in Barcelona. The black belt was one of seven to qualify
from the South American qualifiers last February.
The
young fighter, the sensation of the moment who has been making
a lot of noise with his wins and Jiu-Jitsu positions, confirmed
he’ll be there to GRACIEMAG.com this week. In his under
66kg category he will have his work cut out for him in the form
of Rubens Charles “Cobrinha” (Alliance), Leo Vieira
(Checkmat), Rani Yahya, Jeff Glover, among others.
The
athlete’s preparations have been going on for some time.
As a purple belt, in 2007 he struck out against current teammate
Bruno Frazzato. In his assessment, he lacked experience at that
time. Now, though, Mendes is invigorated by his recent conquests
in the gi.
“I’d
alternated gi and no-gi training, since I like competing and
don’t want to be let out of the main events during my first
year at black belt, but since the Worlds I’ve only been
training no-gi to better develop my game for Barcelona,”
stated Mendes.
“I’m
training the same way I did for the ADCC trials, with a schedule
in place. I’m practicing submission grappling three times
a day, with different types of training, and once a day I do
physical conditioning with my teacher Thiago Mendes, who heads
training here at Atos in Rio Claro.”
A
dynamo in the gi, Mendes broke down what technical adaptations
are needed for him to cross over to submission wrestling and
says that, at the ADCC, any mistake can prove fatal. “Everything
changes. The lack of grips and the fact you are more slippery
makes the match less stabilizes and you need to put more pressure
on to not lose positions. When you reach a certain level, even
in Jiu-Jitsu, competing with black belts, or now in the ADCC,
any mistake can prove fatal. So, I can’t mess up, I need
to train not to.”
Of
the adversaries he may face in his weight group, Mendes has already
fought (and beaten) Justin Rader at the No-Gi Worlds as a brown
belt and winner of the Japanese ADCC trials Kouhei Yasumi. Mendes
and Yasumi fought at DEEPX and the Brazilian won by a score of
11 to 1.
On
his use of the 50/50 guard at the ADCC in Barcelona, Rafael Mendes
was decided. “It can be used as any other position may,
I don’t limit myself to it. The 50/50 is just a variation
of my attacks from the bottom.”
Source: Gracie Magazine
|
Paulao
to fight for Dream belt?
In final stages before Bitetti Combat, fighter believes there’s
a chance
After
an impressive win over Melvin Manhoef, Paulo Filho is in his
final stage of preparations for Bitetti Combat, where he will
face Alex Schoenauer on September 12, in the Maracanazinho gymnasium.
Paulao talks of his final prep work and what may come in the
future, after his next challenge.
“It
seems the Dream belt is vacant, since Jacare will only be fighting
in Strikeforce now. So I think there will be a title dispute
coming up. I’m almost certain about it, since the Japanese
public liked my last fight. I was impressed by how they applauded
me. I think they’ll want this fight and I want this belt
too,” he told Portal das Lutas, GRACIEMAG.com partner site.
Nevertheless,
the black belt’s mind is now on Bitetti Combat. According
to him, he’s done all his homework.
“Now
it’s time to lose some weight. The hard work is over, thank
God. I’ve been keeping a good pace because of the Melvin
fight and this time I’ll be more comfortable because I won’t
need to lose so much weight. Now I just need to lose three or
four kilos, not much.”
Paulao
says he is thankful to finally get a chance to fight in his hometown
of Rio de Janeiro this coming 12th.
“It’s
an excellent initiative and I’m happy for it. We see a lot
of events abroad with athletes who are, in my opinion, inferior
to those here and our own country doesn’t provide the infrastructure
we need. So I think it’s a great happening, if just because
we’ll have internationally recognized fighters here. It’s
a great step, it’s going smoothly. The thing will grow and
other investors will see there will be return. In the near future
I hope we have a lot of domestic events at the level of the UFC,
Dream and the old Pride,” he says in finishing.
Source: Gracie Magazine
|
Anderson:
“Wanderlei is amazing”
Anderson
Silva and Wanderlei Silva are former Chute Boxe athletes and
used to train together and fight with the other one in the corner,
but Wanderlei’s decision to move to the middleweight division
in the UFC started a bad situation between both. But, before
the UFC 102, they met at the hotel and ended with the polemical.
“It never happened anything between us... Wanderlei is crazy
(laughs), he’s crazy, but it’s ok, we’re ok”,
said Anderson to TATAME.com’s Marcelo Alonso, after the
event. “He knows all my critics are positive, that I know
his talent… We’re together, Wanderlei is amazing”.
Source: Tatame
|
Quote
of the Day
"When
you confront a problem, you begin to solve it."
Mayor Rudy Giuliani
|
UP
N UP 3
NEAL BLAISDELL
CENTER
SATURDAY, SEPT 12, 2009
Up N Up 3
Neal Blaisdell Arena, Honolulu, Hawaii
September 12, 2009
MAIN EVENT-UP N UP HEAVYWEIGHT BELT
Lolohea Mahe vs Ruben "Warpath" Villareal
145
CHAMPIONSHIP FIGHT
UNDEFEATED Brandon Visher 15-0 vs Issac De Jesus 11-0
170
Koa Ramos vs Dylan Clay
135
Mark Oshiro vs Rick McCorkell
155
Harris Sarmiento vs Michael Brightmon
170
Zane Kamaka vs Chris Cisneros
145
Jay Bolos vs Colin Mackenzie
135
Brysen Hansen vs Van Oscar Penaveroff
145
Matt Comeau vs Tyler Kahihikolo
we
are in the process of confirming opponents for:
Falaniko Vitale
and many more...
Undefeated Issac De Jesus (11-0) replaces injured Eddie Yagin
in Up N Up Main Event fight against Hawaii’s undefeated
Brandon Visher (15-0) in Honolulu Hawaii on September 12th ,2009.
HONOLULU,
HI August 25, 2009 - Undefeated rising mixed martial arts (MMA)
star Issac De Jesus (11-0) from Stockton, California, will replace
injured Eddie Yagin in the Up N Up Main Event bout with Hawaii’s
top ranked and also undefeated champion Brandon Visher (15-0)
from Kula, Maui at the Neil Blaisdell Center in Honolulu Hawaii
on Saturday, September 12th.
The
flawless record of Brandon Visher will truly be tested in this
amazing match up with Strikeforce veteran Issac De Jesus. Both
fighters have no blemishes on their record, this fight will ensure
that someone’s “0” must go.
BRANDON
VISHER: “I expect him to come into this fight in shape,
strong and ready to leave undefeated but I'm willing to do the
same. Hopefully he brings it. ...lets hope he's ready for a warm
808 welcome. ...bring your best I'll bring mine and Aloha!”
ISSAC
DE JESUS: “I expect him to come out proud….but I’m
a surprising fighter and I’m coming in there for the same
reasons he is. There’s a belt on the line. I’m undefeated
and I don’t want to loose.”
Another
one of Hawaii’s top ranked fighters, Mark Oshiro, will be
taking on Felipe Chavez who is a younger relative to the UFC
powerhouse Diego Sanchez. Oshiro has proven himself to be “the”
man to beat in Hawaii as a veteran of EliteXC and Icon Sport.
This should be a true test for both men on September 12th.
Undefeated
Koa Ramos will be taking on Hawaii’s #1 ranked Dylan Clay
on the Up N Up main card. Ramos has made a splash in Hawaii with
dominating performances in X-1 and Icon Sport while Dylan Clay
has also been making his force known through X-1 and M-1. Both
are highly regarded in Hawaii and this fight will solidify who
deserves to be on top of the rankings in the 170lbs division.
Rounding
out the Marquee card is Harris Sarmiento vs. Michael Brightmon.
The touted technical skills of Sarmiento will clash with the
brute force of Brightmon in this extremely anticipated bout that
will no doubt please the fans. Sarmiento is a true veteran of
MMA fighting such names as Nick Diaz, Jason Dent, KJ Noons, Roger
Huerta, Shane Nelson, Gilbert Melendez, Josh Thomson and Billy
Evangelista. With wins over former WEC Champ “Razor”
Rob McCullough. Brightmon is an unbeaten powerhouse who is a
definite up and comer in the sport who took out UFC veteran Anthony
Torres.
The
Up N Up event at the Neil Blaisdell Center on September 12th
is stacked with some of the best MMA fights a fan could ask for.
Tickets
for the event, priced from $15, are on sale at the Blaisdell
Arena box office, all Times Supermarket locations (1-800-745-3000),
and Ticketmaster online (www.Ticketmaster.com) http://www.ticketmaster.com/Up-N-Up-Extreme-Cage-Fighting-tickets/artist/1353209
WHAT:
UPNUP 3 Extreme Cage Fighting
WHEN:
September 12, 2009
WHERE:
Blaisdell Arena, Honolulu, Hawaii
CONTACTS:
MEDIA CREDENTIALS
info@mmahawaii.com
(808) 944-6552
PROMOTER
EMAIL: nexcoastapparel@yahoo.com
PHONE: (808) 357-8645
Source: MMA Hawaii
|
Mayhem
Miller: I Entertain the Masses
by Michael David Smith
Jason Mayhem Miller became a professional mixed martial artist
in 2001, and he's long been known to MMA fans as an entertainer,
from the way he dances into the ring to his style of fighting
to his post-fight interviews.
But
it was only when he became the host of MTV's reality show Bully
Beatdown that Miller started to reach an audience beyond the
hard-core MMA community. For Miller, however, moving from fighting
to TV was an easy, natural progression, because he says he views
both jobs as simply an opportunity to entertain.
In
an interview with FanHouse, Miller talked about his TV show,
his past and future MMA fights, and why he doesn't care if he
ever returns to the UFC.
Michael
David Smith: When you first got into MMA, did you think it would
lead to the kind of fame where you had your own TV show?
Jason Mayhem Miller: Do you want to know the truth?
Yes.
I thought I was going to look like my dad, who's a big, strong,
Arnold Schwarzenegger-looking guy, and that I'd be a movie star
because of that. But as it turned out, I look more wild and gangly,
and I got my mom's sense of humor, and so a show like Bully Beatdown
worked better for me.
I
thought I would be a famous guy off fighting and I would use
it to break into another career, but I didn't think I would have
my own funny show like this one. It was only recently, in the
last couple years, that I realized I could be a funny guy and
that could be a big part of my life. It's weird how life works
out that way.
Did
you always know you had a talent for humor?
Oh, yeah. I was class clown, non-stop, and still am. If you look
at what I do, I'm permanently 12 years old. I'm beating up the
bullies on the playground for lunch money.
When
your MMA career began, in 2001, the sport wasn't big enough for
fighters to use it to get their own TV shows. Did you expect
it to get this big?
Yes. Like I said, I thought it would be more that I'd be an action
movie star, but it worked out differently, and I'm totally happy
-- and I could still become an action movie star.
Is
making an action movie still an ambition of yours?
Not necessarily action movies, but I just want to use all the
skills I have. I'm a writer, and I've developed that skill over
the years. I do comedy on Bully Beatdown, and that's a skill
I've developed. I look at acting the same as fighting: It's a
skill I develop. I have my natural talents, but natural talent
alone won't get you anywhere. You have to develop that talent
by working really hard and trying to be the best at it. When
I put all my energy into acting, I'll be one of the best actors
anywhere. I go about it that way: You take your natural talent
and you work at it so you can be good at it.
The
show's second season just started airing. How did the second
season compare to the first?
This season blows the doors off the first. The first season they
just put the camera on me and were like, "Say something
funny." Now we've got it down to a science with a team on
the production who are all on the same page. We all know what
we need to do and we have the shows designed perfectly to be
the most entertainment you can pack into 22 minutes plus commercials.
Is
it hard to juggle training as a fighter with Bully Beatdown?
Absolutely, but more as a scheduling thing. I just have to schedule
it so I can get in one hard workout a day in. I don't schedule
fights within six weeks of filming Bully Beatdown, so I have
time for a full training camp, and Bully Beatdown only takes
two weeks.
You
said recently that you're preparing to fight Jake Shields for
the Strikeforce interim middleweight title.
After I announced that, they told me that's not finalized. The
fight business is very finicky. For some reason, my manager came
back to me and said, "They're not 100% sure." I don't
know. I would love to beat up Jake Shields.
Will
you be disappointed if you don't fight Shields, and if you don't
fight soon?
Of course, I'll be bummed out. My whole life, for the last 12
years, I've been trying to figure out the best ways to beat somebody
up. If I'm not allowed to do it for a while, I'll be pretty bummed.
Aren't
you and Shields friends? Do you have any qualms fighting him?
It's the fight business, man. I have no problems fighting anyone,
even my dad. I've done that a million times.
You're
well known for your entrances. What will your entrance be like
for your next fight, and how much time do you spend planning
those?
Everybody asks me that and I want you to print this so people
stop asking me: I never tell. You know why? Because I don't know.
It comes to me in a wave of inspiration, right before the fight.
I think, "How am I going to express myself through the walk-out
dance this time?" And every time I think of some really
interesting way to put a spin on walking to the ring.
You've
had one fight in the UFC, a loss to Georges St Pierre. Do you
want to get back to the UFC?
Not really. Everybody talks about the UFC. I really respect the
fighters in the UFC, and they are the biggest show in the United
States, but to me everything is a business decision. When it's
worth it to them for me to be in there and it's worth it to me
for me to be in there, then I'll go.
It's
like this: Would you want to work for the best car company, but
work for free? Would you want to be a waiter at the best restaurant
but you never get any tips? Of course not.
On
top of that, I'm in the EA Sports video game, and I heard Dana
White said that if you're in that video game you can never be
in the video game. Well, I guess that means I'll never be in
the UFC, because before he made that announcement I had already
said I'd be in the EA game, and I'm a man of my word.
Do
you think the UFC tries to strong-arm fighters into signing contracts
that aren't good for them?
Of course. Is that a secret? Is that something people don't realize?
Maybe the common fans don't know what goes on behind the scenes,
but if you're in the UFC you're in the biggest show, and with
that is a trade-off. It gives you the opportunity to make the
most money and have the biggest sponsors, but the trade-off is
the UFC owns you. Fighters have to determine whether it's worth
it to them to give up those rights to be able to fight on the
biggest stage in the United States.
You're
on Twitter a lot. What do you like about it?
I love Twitter. Twitter gives me a creative outlet for the random
thoughts that pop into my brain. If I can use it to amuse my
fans for one minute a day, I'm really pumped. I'm all about having
some fun. If people are giggling on their commute to work or
while walking down the street about some random thing I said,
I'm pumped.
After
your fight with Ronaldo "Jacare" Souza in May, you
were saying a lot of nasty things about him on Twitter. Do you
have some personal animosity toward him?
Yes. I feel like he doesn't respect me as a fighter. The tone
of his interviews -- and maybe the translation of the Portuguese
is coming out wrong -- he talks about me like he doesn't even
respect me. I came off knee surgery to fight him, and he still
doesn't respect me? That kind of gets under my skin. Maybe we
just don't communicate and he doesn't understand that I try to
have fun with everything, but with things he's said, it went
from me being mildly annoyed with him to now I really dislike
him.
He's
beaten you once by decision and then you had a no contest when
you injured him with a kick while he was on the ground. Do you
expect to fight him a third time?
Of course. Someone's got to make it happen eventually. He ain't
going anywhere and I'm not going anywhere. We'll eventually run
into each other.
You've
described yourself as a devout atheist. What does that mean?
Exactly what it sounds like. I don't believe in God, the common
conception of a higher power.
Is
there a part of you that hesitates to say that? That's not exactly
a popular thing for a TV star to say.
Not really. If people are going to hate me for that, that's their
problem. There are plenty of other things to hate me for. And
a lot of my close friends are devout Christians, and we're still
friends. I respect their views and beliefs and they at least
tolerate mine.
What
else do you want fans to know?
I'm just pumped that this season is 10 times better than the
last. Everybody watching will have a damn good time. I put all
my motivation into that project, and every time I do that, it
comes out big.
Making
sure everybody watching has a good time seems to be your goal
no matter what you do.
I'm an entertainer first. That's all I do. The main way I entertain
people is by fighting, but now I do it with my TV show, too.
My goal is to entertain the masses.
Bully
Beatdown airs on MTV Thursdays at 9:30 PM.
Source: MMA Fighting
|
Frank
Mir continues to call Nogueira a crybaby and an excuse-maker
By Zach Arnold
Antonio
Rodrigo Nogueira is one of the nicest men you will ever meet
in the MMA business. He’s 100% class and he is a true legend.
Rarely do you ever hear anyone say a bad word about him and there’s
a good reason for that. Nogueira has spent his entire professional
career fighting the best fighters in the world and is the last
guy you would ever accuse of being a wimp, a pussy, and a crybaby.
Which
is clearly why Frank Mir seems to be angling for a re-match against
him and is ready to play the heel here against the lovable Nogueira.
What makes it interesting is that usually you don’t see
winners in first-time fights basically cry out for a re-match
against the loser.
Source: Fight Opinion
|
Couture
Likes Light Heavyweight
by Loretta Hunt
Randy Couture is looking to lighten his load.
The
UFC Hall of Famer said he’s leaning toward dropping from
heavyweight back down to the UFC’s light heavyweight division,
where Couture clinched the title (and its interim version) on
three separate occasions.
“Maybe
this year, or maybe the first of next year,” said Couture
of his next bout. “I haven’t really looked at the cards
and the shows that they have. What’s on the schedule, I
don’t know, but I’m especially leaning towards dropping
down. I’m pushing in weight. It would be easy for me to
make 205 and there’s more interesting fights there right
now.”
The
choice appears to be Couture’s to make. UFC President Dana
White told reporters Saturday following UFC 102 that he’d
welcome bouts for the 46-year-old legend in both divisions, though
White made his preference clear.
“I’d
love to see him at light heavyweight, but he proved he can hang
with heavyweights,” said White. “He’s had probably
the best fight against Brock Lesnar, other than Heath Herring,
since Lesnar’s been in here. I think he’s a monster
at light heavyweight. It’s up to him, to be honest with
you. Whatever he wants to do, I’m in.”
Couture
announced on Saturday that he’d renewed his contract with
the UFC for seven bouts over 28 months. The new contract was
drafted and signed hours before Couture’s 20th Octagon appearance,
and included the Nogueira bout. Sources have indicated to Sherdog.com
that Couture’s new deal pays him six times more per fight
guaranteed up front, along with a percentage of the pay-per-view
sales profit.
Couture
would not comment on the figures.
“They’re
taking care of me very well, and they have since I came back,”
said Couture, who left the promotion for 11 months in 2007 over
a contract dispute. “The pay-per-view deal that I had, with
this last contract, was good and took care of me as well. I don’t
have any complaints there.”
A
host of interesting fights await Couture at light heavyweight.Couture
weighed in at a relatively svelte 220 pounds for his bout with
Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira last Saturday at UFC 102 in Portland,
Ore. Nogueira knocked Couture down in the first and third rounds
and tied the veteran wrestler up with an array of submission
attempts en route to a unanimous decision.
The
move would be Couture’s third between the heavyweight division,
where he began his career in 1997, and the 205-pound ranks. Couture,
a three-time All-American for the famed Oklahoma State University,
wrestled at 190 pounds and competed internationally at 198 pounds
for 16 years.
A
plethora of potential matchups await Couture in the division,
from Keith Jardine to Mauricio "Shogun" Rua to champion
Lyoto Machida.
The
decision might also ensure the four-time Olympic alternate never
rematches Lesnar, who finished Couture with second-round ground
strikes at UFC 91 last November to earn the heavyweight title
in only his fourth career bout.
“I
kind of got moved off that track losing the decision Saturday
anyways,” said Couture. “I don’t know how realistic
it is to think I’m going to be the guy in line to fight
Lesnar after dropping the decision Saturday night.”
The
only obstacle for Couture now might be his flourishing acting
career.
Couture
said he’s under consideration for two action film projects,
either of which could materialize with an offer in the next couple
for weeks.
“That
would put me in work very quickly this month or next month,”
said Couture.
In
that scenario, Couture said he would aim to fight again in the
beginning of 2010.
Couture
also has a supporting role alongside action stars Jason Statham
and Jet Li in Sylvester Stallone’s “The Expendables,”
due out in April.
“It’s
a constant juggling act with all the stuff that I’m doing,
so I’ll have to get plenty of notice for fights and when
I get a fight that comes on the radar that’s interesting,
I shut everything else down for that nine or 10-week period,”
said Couture. “Right now, none of the movie deals are inked,
so I don’t know what’s going to be real and happen
and what’s not.
“I
realize at this stage in my career that I can’t fight forever,
so it’s not logical for me to put the movie stuff on hold,”
added Couture. “I have too many opportunities and options
right now.”
Source: Sherdog
|
Demian
Maia talks first loss
‘I think the error was technically doing the same thing
thrice’
Gabriel Menezes
This Wednesday, Demian conceded an interview addressing the knockout
he suffered, his first career loss, on August 29 at UFC 102.
Check out the interview GRACIEMAG.com had with the grappling
phenomenon.
How
are you dealing with your first MMA loss? What lessons have you
learned from your defeat to Nate Marquardt?
I think I’ve already derived the personal lessons. You learn
a lot from any loss. I made a technical mistake, there was a
bit of a bad-luck factor too, and a strategic one. There were
several things involved. I don’t think there were any mistakes
in my training, the mistake came when I got to fighting. I had
an excellent training camp for this fight and ended up in a mixture
of strategic mistakes and poor luck and was unable to show my
best.
How
have these days since UFC 102 been?
Everything’s fine. I’ve lost in Jiu-Jitsu before, it’s
nothing new. The difference between being champion and not being
champion is to know how to deal with that. Of course I was shaken
at the time, but I’ll be back to training soon and I want
to fight as quickly as possible to win my next one.
What
do you feel was your main mistake in the fight?
I think the technical mistake was basically doing the same thing
thrice, having kicked the guy three times with the same type
of kick. And the other was that strategically I was fighting
one way and when it came down to it I wanted to be a bit more
aggressive standing, which was not the idea. I think there was
a bit of a lack of experience involved too. Props to Nate, who
obviously after Anderson Silva is next in line to be champion…I
think it was a set of things, I also lacked a bit of luck that
he hit me in full, because I can absorb a blow well. The punch
landed in full, but I fell and got up already, thinking it was
a knockdown, but since he stopped that signaled the end of the
fight.
Now
what do you see the path to the middleweight title being like?
I think from now on there will only be tough fights, as I’d
already had in the last ones. I’ll keep on facing tough
opponents. I hope to show my best with wins, God willing, to
get back on my feet as quickly as possible and get in line for
a title shot. By then Anderson will already have retired, so
the belt will be vacant. Should he remain champion, I’ll
be running after it. I’ll surely be one of the main names
in the weight group. It’s just a question of getting back
on the track I was on and learning from this loss.
Are
you thinking of changing anything, or do you feel it is too early
for that?
For sure. I have everything all planned out already. Truth is
it was all very subtle, because the way it went down there was
hardly a fight at all. So I was unable to see clearly all my
mistakes, but I’ll observe other aspects like psychology,
every, so as to correct them.
And
what about the ADCC, what are you expecting on that front?
I don’t think I’ll be in the Abu Dhabi, because I just
want to concentrate now. I cancelled some seminars I was going
to do. I always concentrate a lot for my fights, but now for
my next fight I want to be more than 100%. This time I was 100%,
at the next one I want to be at 120%.
Source: Gracie Magazine
|
After
Win Over Kerr, Lawal Testing Free Agent Waters
By Kelsey Mowatt
Muhammed
“King Mo” Lawal was looking for the quick stoppage
this past weekend win he took on Mark Kerr at M-1’s “Breakthrough”
card in Kansas City, and he achieved just that, as the prospect
pounded out Kerr in 25 seconds to hand the veteran his fifth
straight loss. Due to the fact that Lawal continues to recover
from having his ACL reconstructed, the rising fighter wasn’t
interested in pushing the bout into the later rounds to gain
valuable ring experience.
“A
wins a win; you know what I’m saying?” Lawal told FCF.
“I came out not hurt; I got the payday, and I’m still
healthy. It was cool.”
Originally
Lawal had been scheduled to fight another pioneer of the sport,
Don Frye, but the veteran reportedly did not care for the way
the event was being promoted leading in, and dropped out.
“It
didn’t matter to me,” said Lawal, when asked if he
was disappointed about not facing Frye. “Really this fight
was just a warm-up fight to test where my knee was at. Everyone’s
like why didn’t you fight so and so, people don’t understand
that I’m coming off ACL surgery. I came back early. I’m
supposed to be out for 6 months but I came back at 4 months to
fight. You know what I’m saying?”
“I
think two months from now I’ll be 100%.”
With
the win over Kerr, Lawal extended his record to 5-0, as the accomplished
wrestler remains undefeated since he shocked the MMA world in
his debut, by stopping the veteran Travis Wiuff last September.
To face Kerr, the versatile Lawal moved up in weight to the heavyweight
division, weighing in at 219lbs. prior to the bout.
“I
felt good, but after watching my boy TD (Todd Duffee) knock that
one dude out (Tim Hague) in 7 seconds, it made me think about
maybe dropping down again,” Lawal said.
“I’d
fight anyone at heavyweight, or 205, even 185, you know, but
I just took this fight because I’m just trying to get experience
right now,” Lawal told FCF. “I’m still a rookie.”
To
date, 4 of Lawal’s 5 fights occurred under Sengoku’s
banner, and with his one-fight deal fulfilled with M-1, the 28
year-old-fighter will now test the free agent waters. One would
think, based of Lawal’s performances to date, that the highly
touted prospect will have several offers.
“I’m
a free agent, so there’s always the UFC, there’s always
Strikeforce, there’s always Dream, there’s always Sengoku,”
Lawal noted. “Hell, there’s MFC, M-1, there’s
a lot of organizations out there. That’s up to my manager,
my coach, my nutritionist and chiropractor Dr. Ryan Parsons to
determine.”
As
far as who specifically has expressed their interest in acquiring
Lawal’s services, the fighter did not want to offer any
details.
“I’m
not going to mention anything yet,” Lawal said. “I’ve
heard some rumors but rumors are rumors.”
M-1
has been front and center in MMA news as of late, although the
company has been so largely due to its management of Fedor Emelianenko,
rather than its promotional ventures.
“I
had no problem with M-1; it was cool,” Lawal added. “For
a first show and a small venue I think the numbers were pretty
good. Fans also got to see more of Fedor and (Gegard) Mousasi
so that was good for M-1. I have nothing bad to say about them;
it was good working with them.”
Source: Full Contact Fighter
|
Sean
Salmon admits to a criminal offense by saying he threw a fight
By Zach Arnold
It
takes a special man to be so dumb to say this publicly, but hey,
I guess we’ll take what we can get.
¦Are
you really surprised that fights are fixed or manipulated on
smaller shows? (No.)
¦Are you surprised that a number of MMA fighters are using
one drug or another? (No.)
¦Why is it accepted practice that fighters can bet on
their own fighters or other fights when such activity is considered
activity that could cause permanent exile (like in baseball)?
The last question is the one that matters the most. We know the
history of the mafia (in the States, in Japan) when it comes
to betting on fights in MMA, boxing, and (yes) pro-wrestling.
Hell, one of the big stories coming out of UFC 102 involved fighters
rushing to place bets on Jake Rosholt after they found out Chris
Leben supposedly didn’t train for the fight.
The Salmon article on MMA Junkie is amusing for several reasons.
First, it comes off as if he’s trying to portray himself
in a sympathetic light when it fact it does the exact opposite.
Second, he’s bitching and moaning about the California State
Athletic Commission, about Wolfslair Gym, and about anything
else he can whine about as if it’s some sort of justification
that he took a dive in a fight. Third, he has gotten himself
booked in a fight in New Jersey where Nick Lembo runs the show
and has publicly admitted that he (Salmon) took a dive in a fight.
Think he will be fighting on the New Jersey show now?
Source: Fight Opinion
|
Werdum:
“To beat Fedor, just me”
By Guilherme Cruz
After
a submission victory in the Strikeforce debut, Fabrício
Werdum wanted a shot against Fedor Emelianenko, but Scott Coker
announced the Las Emperor’s debut against the undefeated
Brett Rogers. In exclusive interview to TATAME.com, Werdum commented
the fight.
“Brett
is a huge guy, very heavy, but I don’t know if he has Fedor’s
speed… He’s chubby, but is the best of the world, so
I think Fedor bests him in explosion, even more if Brett tries
to box with him. Brett has a heavy hand, everything can happen,
but Fedor will knock him out”, bets the BJJ black belt,
confidence in his game to beat the Russian.
To
beat Fedor, just me (laughs)… It’s gonna be with me”,
jokes the Chute Boxe athlete, betting in the jiu-jitsu against
the best heavyweight in the MMA history. “My game doesn’t
match with Fedor’s and I trust in me… This fight will
happen and I feel very well, everybody saw in my last fight that
I’m better, lighter, training hard and focused. It won’t
be easy, he showed he’s the best in the world, but I want
this opportunity”, finished Werdum.
Source: Tatame
|
Neer
Replaces Sherk at UFC 104
by Greg Savage
Josh Neer will replace an injured Sean Sherk in a lightweight
bout against Gleison Tibau at UFC 104 on Oct. 24 in Los Angeles,
according to a source close to the matchup.
Sherk,
36, suffered a shoulder injury in training that will keep him
out of the gym for approximately four weeks, according to his
manager Monte Cox. The injury is a setback for the former lightweight
champion, who is 1-1 in his last two Octagon appearances since
failing to recapture the crown from B.J. Penn at UFC 84 in May
2008.
Neer
dropped a tough decision to Kurt Pellegrino at UFC 101 in August
and is 2-2 in his last four UFC performances. The tough-as-nails
Iowan submitted Mac Danzig in a memorable tilt at UFC Fight Night
17 last February.
Tibau
returns to action after a close split-decision loss to Melvin
Guillard at “The Ultimate Fighter 9” Finale in June.
A wrestler fighting out of Florida’s American Top Team,
Tibau had defeated Jeremy Stephens and Rich Clementi before dropping
the bout to Guillard.
Source: Sherdog
|
Lyoto
and Shogun fly together
Opponents concede interview in Los Angeles
Adversaries
in the main event at UFC 104, set for October 24, in Los Angeles,
Lyoto Machida and Mauricio Shogun participated in a press conference
in front of the Staples Center, the venue for the impending event.
Applauded
by the crowd and lauded by the journalists, the Brazilians spoke
of the organization’s light heavyweight title match. And
they commented on an unexpected episode they encountered on their
way to sunny California.
“Lyoto
is a nice guy and we’ve known each other for a while. Even
though we are friends, I got very surprised to see him on the
plane and actually sitting next to me for the whole flight from
Brazil to here. It was a funny situation, but we’re both
professionals, we’re training very hard and we both want
the same goal, so we’re gonna do our best,” said Shogun,
as quoted on UFC.com.
“Lyoto
is a standup fighter. I’m a standup fighter myself, but
he comes from karate and is a very good counter-striker; he fights
in a very efficient style. I’m a Muay Thai fighter and I
fight much more in a pressing style by being aggressive. I think
this is a big motivation for me, to show and prove that Muay
Thai can be very efficient against his style,” added the
Universidade da Luta representative.
True
to his polite and soft-spoken style, Lyoto too adopted a tone
of praise when addressing his next opponent.
Shogun
is a very aggressive fighter with good knees, good punching,
but I’ll try to push him into my style. This is my first
title defense and I hope I’ll win. My opponent is tough,
a great person, very good on the ground and striking, but I know
one thing – I’ll keep doing my homework,” declared
Lyoto, known for his strategic style of fighting.
On
his flight companion, the karateka was spare of words. “We’re
good friends. No problem,” he said, closing with a smile.
Source: Gracie Magazine
|
Quote
of the Day
"It
is difficulties that show what men are."
Epictetus
|
Hawaiian
Open Championships of BJJ
Aloha everyone!
Just wanted
to remind you all that Saturday, September 5th @ midnight is
the deadline for early registration.
This means that only those who register early will have a tournament
t-shirt reserved for them and will not have to pay a late fee.
All those registering late will be charged a $10 late fee and
will not receive a tournament t-shirt.
Absolute
deadline for registration will be Wednesday, September 9th @
midnight. There will be no late entries after this date and no
entries the day of the tournament.
Tournament
start times:
Kids: 10 am
Adults: 12 pm
Weigh-in
procedures and weight divisions are posted on our website.
I
have attached the t-shirt design for this upcoming tournament
for your viewing pleasure.
For
more information or if you have any questions, please visit:
www.hawaiitriplecrown.com
|
'Mayhem'
Not Sure if He's Fighting Shields for Strikeforce
by Michael David Smith
A week after saying he was set to take on Jake Shields for the
interim Strikeforce middleweight title, Jason "Mayhem"
Miller said Tuesday that he's not sure if that fight will go
on after all.
Miller
initially announced the fight on August 24 in a chat at MyFightTeam.com,
but Miller told FanHouse on Tuesday that he has since been informed
a fight with Shields might not be next for him.
"After
I announced that, they told me that's not finalized," Miller
said. "The fight business is very finicky. For some reason,
my manager came back to me and said, 'They're not 100% sure.'
I don't know. I would love to beat up Jake Shields
Strikeforce
has said it expects its next big fight card -- a co-promotion
with M-1 Global featuring a main event of Fedor Emelianenko vs.
Brett Rogers -- to take place in October or November on Showtime.
No date or venue has been formally announced, and other than
Emelianenko vs. Rogers, no other fights have been formally announced,
either. But Miller said he'll be disappointed if he doesn't fight
Shields on the card.
"Of
course, I'll be bummed out," Miller said. "My whole
life, for the last 12 years, I've been trying to figure out the
best ways to beat somebody up. If I'm not allowed to do it for
a while, I'll be pretty bummed."
Miller
said he considers Shields a great opponent and a friend, and
he added that he disagrees with those who think friends can't
step into the cage against each other in MMA.
"It's
the fight business, man," Miller said. "I have no problems
fighting anyone, even my dad. I've done that a million times."
My
full interview with Miller, in which he discusses his reality
TV fame, his thoughts on UFC contracts and his feud with Ronaldo
"Jacare" Souza, will run later this week at FanHouse.
Source: MMA Fighting
|
Josh
Barnett expected to fight for Sengoku on 11/7 in Tokyo
By Zach Arnold
Original
article date - August 1, 2009
Today
was the heat-up press conference for the 8/2 Saitama Super Arena
show and the main topic in the media ended up being… Josh
Barnett and his failed drug test in California. Barnett is expected
to fight for Sengoku on 11/7 in Tokyo at Ryogoku Kokugikan, the
same show that Satoshi Ishii is expected to make his MMA debut
on.
At
the press conference, Takahiro Kokuho (the main boss of Sengoku)
said that he was skeptical about what happened with Barnett’s
test result in California given the problems J-ROCK had in California
with Kazuhiro Nakamura testing positive for marijuana and what
he deemed a lack of transprency with the way drug testing is
handled in California. Kokuho said that he wants Sengoku to be
the ’standard bearer’ for anti-doping practices in
Japanese MMA with the help of the JADA (Japan Anti-Doping Agency)
and WADA (World Anti-Doping Agency).
As
for how the media is portraying Barnett, the answer is they are
continuing to play it straight. This time, they mentioned his
failed drug test(s) in Nevada and then the failed test in California.
This is going to become a bigger issue for Barnett and he needs
legitimate help in terms of finding a manager or agent who is
based in Japan who knows how to handle PR. Using the same old
PR methods to handle the issue of failed drug tests will likely
prove to be a mistake here. History has shown that Josh rarely
changes tactics on this front…
Source: Fight Opinion
|
Title
fight with Barnett looms for Antonio Silva
by Sergio Non
Recommend Antonio Silva says he'll get the championship match-up
he wants, as long as he wins in a few weeks.
A
bout with ex-UFC champion Josh Barnett to crown a Sengoku heavyweight
champion has been promised as long as Silva beats Jim York on
the organization's Sept. 23 show, Silva told Tatame magazine.
"Sengoku's
president confirmed that, if I win, I'll face Josh Barnett for
the title, in November," Silva said. "I already have
three at home. ... I'll do a collection."
One
of those belts came from the now-defunct EliteXC, where Silva
was heavyweight champion. A showdown with Barnett would be a
meeting of two ex-champions who tested positive for steroids
in California.
The
state suspended him for 12 months after a positive test in July
2008, following his win over Justin Eilers. Because of the U.S.
suspension, he went overseas and fought for Sengoku in January,
when he beat Yoshihiro Nakao.
Silva
last month said he wanted to face Barnett in Japan, after California
denied Barnett a fighter's license because urine tests revealed
the presence of a banned substance. It is the third time that
state regulators have said Barnett tested positive for steroids.
Barnett's
troubles started a chain of events that led to the end of Affliction
Entertainment and resulted in several Affliction fighters being
signed by the Ultimate Fighting Championship and Strikeforce.
Source: MMA Fighting Stances
|
Live
Updates of UFC 104 Press Conference
by Ray Hui
The UFC 104 push begins Tuesday with a press conference at the
Nokia Plaza in Los Angeles, Calif to promote the Oct. 24 Staples
Center card.
UFC
light heavyweight champion Lyoto Machida, challenger Mauricio
"Shogun" Rua and heavyweight contenders Cain Velasquez
and Ben Rothwell are slated to be on a panel to discuss UFC 104
in front of media and fans.
Source: MMA Fighting
|
5
Questions for Demian Maia
by Marcelo Alonso
Demian Maia saw his 11-fight winning streak come grinding to
a halt at UFC 102 “Couture vs. Nogueira” on Saturday
at the Rose Garden Arena in Portland, Ore., victimized by a Nate
Marquardt right hand just 21 seconds into their anticipated middleweight
tilt.
Mere
hours after suffering the first loss of his mixed martial arts
career, Maia spoke to Sherdog.com about the defeat and his immediate
future.
Sherdog:
How do you feel after your first loss?
Maia: I knew the first loss would come one day because I intend
to fight for many years. As a matter of fact, though, it happened
in a pretty unexpected manner because I was a little bit casual
in the stand-up fight. I repeated two kicks. He got my timing
down, and, the third time, he came with a straight punch and
knocked me down. At the beginning of the fight, everyone is really
strong, and I think the referee was right to stop the fight.
I stood up well. I had no damage, and that’s most important.
I pretty much believe that some things must happen in your life.
For some reason, God prepares surprises for you, and that’s
life. Maybe it was not the right time for me to challenge for
the belt, but I’m very calm and will keep going.
Sherdog:
Has UFC President Dana White said anything to you about your
next opponent?
Maia: No. We just returned from the event, and it’s too
soon to talk about the next fight. I’ve just fought. Let’s
see what happens. This was my 12th fight. All my other fights
ended by submission. Today, it happened, and I cannot say it
was an accident because he had the right strategy and punched
me at the right moment. But a punch to the chin, like the one
I took at the beginning of the fight, is probably the only defeat
you cannot make comments about. I cannot complain about anything.
Now, I just have to stand up, train hard and be ready for the
next challenge.
Sherdog:
Are you planning to go to the next Abu Dhabi Combat Club event?
Maia: No. Now, I’m just planning a 10-day vacation, because
I trained so hard for this fight, so I think it will be too close
to compete at ADCC. I’m going to be in Europe for a series
of seminars by that time, and I probably will go there to see
the event. But I’m not going to compete because my priority
is the UFC, and I must be 100 percent if I want to fight at the
end of the year.
Sherdog:
What can you say about Marquardt? Is he as strong as everybody
says?
Maia: Actually, I didn’t even have time to get a feel for
him. I hope we have a chance to face each other again in the
near future.
Sherdog:
Who would have a better chance against Anderson Silva -- Dan
Henderson or Marquardt?
Maia: Comparing the styles, I believe Dan Henderson has a better
chance because he is a better wrestler who has more of a chance
to take down Anderson and give him a harder time. Nate is a jiu-jitsu
black belt, but his focus today is much more on the stand-up
fight. And in the stand-up fight, I don’t believe he can
have a good fight against Anderson. I also don’t see him
taking down Anderson, but Nate is a very tough guy and anything
can happen.
Source: Sherdog
|
Duffee
Remaining Focused After Memorable KO
By Kelsey Mowatt
American
Top Team heavyweight Todd Duffee likely couldn’t have asked
for a more memorable performance in his UFC debut Saturday night,
as the highly touted prospect KO’d Tim Hague in just 7 seconds,
to set a new record for the promotion. In an age where UFC events,
and thus Octagon debuts, are becoming more and more common, Duffee’s
first appearance under the Zuffa banner definitely didn’t
go unnoticed.
“I
think the win is more important,” Duffee told FCF, when
asked for his thoughts on earning the fastest KO in UFC history
while making his debut. “To be honest the record is just
a statistic. People are talking to me about how historical it
was. I think what Randy (Couture) and Nog (Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira)
did the other night was historical.”
“I’m
not saying it wasn’t a great thing for me,” Duffee
added. “It’s going to help keep the hype machine going,
it’s going to get me new fans, and it gave me the opportunity
to get seen. I think that’s why it hit the pay-per-view
spot. Those are all good things.”
With
the win, Duffee extended his record to 5-0, a streak which has
seen the 23 year-old go into the second round only once, when
he stopped UFC vet Assuerio Silva at a Jungle Fight event last
September. What makes Duffee’s latest win even more impressive
is the fact that the ATT fighter became just the second man to
defeat Hague, who is widely considered to be one of Canada’s
top heavyweights.
“I
think if I fought Tim Hague tomorrow it would be a tough fight,”
said Duffee. “He’s a tough guy. He’s got some
knock out power; he’s got a decent ground game and he’s
big. He’s a physical, physical opponent, and he goes after
guys.”
Both
Duffee and Hague are heavyweight’s who push the division’s
weight maximum of 265lbs., and with top fighters like Shane Carwin
and of course UFC champion Brock Lesnar also doing the same,
questions continue to rise as to whether or not a new 225lb.
division should be created.
“I
still think that you’re going to see guys that are around
230 come out and fight well in this division,” said Duffee.
“To say that it’s a whole new breed I don’t think
so. I still think you’re going to see guys like Fedor (Emelianenko).
I mean he’s what 230? And he still comes out and waxes guys.
Nog is 240, Cain Velasquez is 240, I just think that a lot of
us got discovered at the same time.”
Duffee
was scheduled to make his Octagon debut earlier this year against
Mostapha al-Turk in June; however, he was bumped from the card
to give accomplished vet Mirko “Cro Cop” Filipovic
a spot. Due to the fact Duffee has competed just once in 2009,
he is hoping to get another opportunity as soon as possible to
showcase his skills.
“I
really couldn’t tell you what they’re going to do,”
said Duffee. “I’m here to fight. I’m definitely
not going to turn down fights that’s for sure; I’ve
had too much trouble getting them. At this point I just want
to get as many fights as possible under my belt and keep busy.”
Source: Full Contact Fighter
|
A
chat with Renzo Gracie
‘In Jiu-Jitsu, the better you get, the more simple it becomes’
By Gabriel Menezes
Moments
before taking off for the Middle East, on his way to Abu Dhabi,
a prideful Renzo Gracie remarked on the achievements of Roger
Gracie at the Jiu-Jitsu World Championship in California, in
June of this year. Roger left the crowd in the Long Beach Pyramid
wide eyed by submitting all nine of his adversaries in the exact
same fashion, with a choke from the mount.
Renzo
Gracie, in the following interview, deciphers Roger and besides
heaping on the praise, he breaks down what qualities make Roger
a champion, on and off the mats. And he affirms with surety:
“If anyone occupies the post he does, surely it’s only
him. I don’t see anyone else as having the moral and physical
qualities that fantastic guy has.”
The
respected black belt, who recently stated in an interview that
he’s not even considering retirement and hasn’t given
up on the idea of making his MMA return on one of the most important
stages around (the UFC), remarked to GRACIEMAG.com on much more
than just Roger Gracie’s performance at the Worlds. He told
of how he feels the champion will do in the ADCC against Drysdale
and also gave his frank opinion on the discussion regarding the
50-50 guard.
Check
out the interview with the Gracie:
Renzo,
have you been keeping up with the discussion on the 50/50 guard?
I
have.
And
what is your opinion on it?
I
like them all [positions], but I’ve got a better one to
get out of it.
You
have a better escape?
(Laughs)
Much better. Look, opinions and ego are like belly buttons, everyone
has one. “Mine is better than the other guy’s”
and so on. It’s a good position for the kids to wrap their
heads around out there. I heard comments asking for the position
to be banned. I couldn’t even believe it when they started
talking about that. I mean, they entertained the idea of banning
a position. It was a great surprise to me, since every position
is a new challenge for Jiu-Jitsu. But I sincerely feel that if
you really want to find out how to get out of a position, ask
the kid who came up with it, because that kid’s a beast
[Rafael Mendes]. I can already see he is out of the ordinary.
When he responded to the folks who were working on his position,
he showed vision. He’s the best one to talk to do find the
way out.
Speaking
of extraordinary, Roger has impressed everyone with his Jiu-Jitsu.
What did you think of his performance at the Worlds?
I
thought it was excellent. I saw his efficacy, calm, attitude,
the fact he will fight till the very end. There was one match
where he tapped the guy in the very last seconds. That shows
how tough he is, he fights to the very last instant.
In
your opinion, what makes Roger so far above the average in the
Jiu-Jitsu today?
Truth
is, Roger has always been a tough guy. He’s smart, calm.
I’ve seen him in sticky situations, like triangles and he
calmly worked his way out. Even though he’s a big guy now,
he started training young. When he was little he was scrawny,
then he got fat… so Roger has been through situations few
heavyweights have, because heavyweights are generally big since
youth and are always steamrolling everyone. Not Roger. Roger
paid for his sins while growing up and that gave him extraordinary
experience. He’s a guy who likes to train. He has more mileage
than anyone else. He’s always training. And now that he
is reaching maturity he’s beginning to see results, his
efficacy in submitting others… he doesn’t let anyone
off the hook. He goes in there to catch them. If he doesn’t
catch the guy it’s an accident. From the Jiu-Jitsu point
of view it’s fantastic, a fighter who goes in so calm. It’s
like I said, he submits people with one second to go. That’s
the big difference between him and the others.
On
his finishes, Roger submitted no less than 9 adversaries on the
same day. Do you think perhaps his opponents hadn’t done
their homework in coming up with a defense?
What
people forget is that in Jiu-Jitsu, the better you get, the more
simple it becomes. And Roger’s living proof of that. I had
the chance to watch Rickson fight and he submitted everyone with
the same position. If you turned your back, he’d catch your
from behind. If you kept forwards, he’d choke you. He was
basically what Roger is today. There’s no difference. I
mean, all those somersaults are great when you’re a blue,
purple or even brown belt, but when you reach maturity you see
Jiu-Jitsu differently, it all becomes more simple. Roger and
Rickson are living proof of that.
Roger
will now be in a supermatch against Robert Drysdale at the ADCC.
How do you think he will do this match?
Roger
just had a son, Tristan. One more champion for the family. I
see him surely winning this match. Every time I talk to him I
don’t feel any wavering from him at all. He’s constantly
firm and keeps his head on straight on what he needs to do. He
started training hard and he’ll surely have a good result.
Source: Gracie Magazine
|
Mass
Appeal
by Jake Rossen
There was once no greater prize in sports than boxing’s
heavyweight championship of the world. Men would lobby for years,
sacrificing memories and cognitive functioning, in pursuit of
concrete proof they were tough. Owning it meant that you were
the best -- or at least the most durable -- in the most punishing
athletic event allowed in civilized society.
Today,
the title is a joke. Like boxing itself, it’s a fractured,
incomprehensible mess, owned by no fewer than three fighters,
including two brothers, the Klitschkos, who will never fight
to unify the pieces. Champions of earlier eras were so broadly
defined that grandmothers passing on the street could probably
acknowledge Tyson or Ali. Who could identify Nikolay Valuev as
anything but a monster in a B-movie?
Boxing
is dying because what was once the most easily understood sport
of all -- hit that guy -- now requires a flow chart to follow
and appliance dolleys for the egos. It does everything wrong.
And when it does something right -- awarding Mayweather/De La
Hoya a record two-million-plus buyrate in 2007 -- it lacks the
cohesion to follow up with another big bout to capitalize.
The
UFC has no such problems. You like Brock Lesnar? You will get
more Brock Lesnar. Shane Carwin has earned a title shot? Shane
Carwin isn’t owned by a competing promoter. Shane Carwin
can fight Brock Lesnar.
Thirty-two
and with only five professional fights, Lesnar is already the
UFC’s biggest star. That he also happens to own their version
of the Toughest Man in the West branding is setting that division
on a path similar to boxing’s in the 20th century.
No
confusion, preamble or qualifiers: If you have the UFC’s
heavyweight belt, you are not one to be messed with.
This
cache is attributable partly to Lesnar’s athletic pedigree
-- unlike sea monsters of the past, he has a legitimate combat
sports education in collegiate wrestling -- and the growing pool
of talent prepared to challenge him. Lesnar’s belt isn’t
made of paper: If he’s still champion a year from now, it
will have been earned.
This
was not always the case. In 2005, the UFC promoted a bout between
then-current champion Andrei Arlovski and Paul Buentello, possibly
the weakest title main event in the company’s history. (Buentello
was knocked out in 15 seconds.) Most of the dangerous big men
were earning tax-free dollars in Japan’s Pride promotion:
An ocean’s distance and a stateside disrespect for MMA kept
that championship off radar.
Heavyweight
talent, once scarce, is now looking quite plentiful.With the
UFC’s basic-cable popularity came financial freedom, and
with that freedom came the ability to have a shelf populated
by dangerous fighters. Carwin and Lesnar meet in the fall: The
winner is likely to face the survivor of the Cain Velasquez/Ben
Rothwell bout in October.
There’s
your toughest guy. Until the next toughest guy comes along.
The
debuting Todd Duffee made strides in that direction Saturday
with a record knockout over Tim Hague; September’s “Ultimate
Fighter” season is a heavyweight-exclusive affair, with
one participant (Roy Nelson) a known headache. Even Pride’s
old guard, including Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira and Mirko "Cro
Cop" Filipovic, are returning to some of their old form.
Heavyweight talent, once scarce, is looking plentiful.
There’s
the angle of the NFL monopolizing most of the bigger athletic
talent in this country. While that’s not without merit,
it ignores a growing concern in the football community over just
how utterly demolishing that sport can be. Concussions -- more
specifically, second-impact syndrome, or a concussion on top
of a concussion -- is churning out more and more cognitively
dysfunctional athletes. If you are a hardcore 250-pound body
who enjoys contact, you may find the premise of fighting twice
a year more appealing than getting sacked by 400-pound linemen
for 17 weeks straight. (You may also have eaten your way into
heart disease in an attempt to match his size.)
Talent
is coming. The talent already here is shadowed by pink elephant
Fedor Emelianenko, a bruising Russian with a 30-1 record who
has been mythologized by media as the greatest heavyweight alive.
Having been aligned with Strikeforce, he’s exempt from the
UFC’s title picture. It would appear to be an infection
of boxing’s chaotic promotion.
A
small dose of that might be a good thing. Lesnar is the UFC’s
absolute champion; Emelianenko is the stray who puts Lesnar’s
dominance in some doubt. That’s watercooler talk that keeps
energy and enthusiasm churning: The occasional hypothetical fight
is fuel for the fire. (Ten or 20 of them, as in boxing, is just
diffusing.)
Ultimately,
one of two things will occur: Either Emelianenko will burn through
Strikeforce’s opposition and sign with the UFC simply because
he lacks any other human worth beating up, or someone -- possibly
Brett Rogers, possibly Alistair Overeem, possibly someone we’ve
not yet heard of -- will pull a Balboa and KO the invincible
man.
At
contract’s end, Strikeforce will be hard-pressed to match
the UFC’s offer. And boxing will be hard-pressed to match
a primary reason for MMA’s rapidly growing influence: the
promise of a truly undisputed champion.
Source: Sherdog
|
Dos
Santos working the striking for Cro Cop
By Guilherme Cruz
Junior
“Cigano” dos Santos will have a tough challenge at
UFC 103. After two huge knockouts in the octagon, the Brazilian
will face Mirko “Cro Cop” Filipovic, one of the best
heavyweights in the MMA history. Training hard at Black House,
Junior wants another knockout. “He’s a dangerous guy
in striking, but I’m going for the knockout. He’s very
dangerous and famous, is not the most dangerous guy in the MMA”,
praises Cigano.
Source: Tatame
|
WEC
42 Sells 1,640 Tickets
by Ray Hui
Compare the tickets sold at WEC 42 to the amount sold at WEC
41, the Miguel Torres vs. Brian Bowles event brought in only
6.2% of what the Urijah Faber vs. Mike Brown rematch did.
Of
course, WEC 41 was held at Sacramento's Arco Arena, which accommodated
12,706 fans as opposed to the Joint in Las Vegas, which has capacity
of 4,000.
According
to the official numbers released Tuesday by the Nevada State
Athletic Commission, WEC 42 sold 1,640 tickets for a gate of
$175,835. 442 tickets were given away and 870 were left unsold.
Still,
it was a huge improvement over the WEC's previous show in Vegas
at WEC 37 last December, which sold 643 tickets for $90,125.
WEC
41 was the promotion's all-time best in gate and ticket sales,
pulling in 10,110 paid for a revenue of $815,415.
Source: MMA Fighting
|
Quote
of the Day
"It
is better to be lowly born and range with humble livers in content
than
to be perk'd up in a glistering grief and wear a golden sorrow."
Anne, William Shakespeare's "Henry VIII"
|
Five
Things We Learned From UFC 102
by Mike Chiappetta
Experts who study boring things that aim to depress us say you
can't learn anything watching TV. I say "bollocks"
(which is a word I learned watching the BBC). Watching UFC 102
with a finely attuned eye, there was much to be learned.
Here's
my list of five things I surmised from Saturday night's fights.
5.
Chris Tuchscherer is the toughest man who ever lived
OK, maybe not the toughest, but he's got to be in the top five
along with Evel Knievel, Aron Ralston (the hiker who cut off
his own hand to survive an accident), Rasputin and of course,
Chuck Norris.
For
those of you who didn't see it, I strongly advise you to never,
ever seek out the video clip. Seriously. (I'm practically dry-heaving
writing this.)
Early
in the fight, Tuchscherer was unintentionally hit with a Gabriel
Gonzaga kick that landed in the worst place a man could be kicked.
And as Mirko Cro Cop knows, Gonzaga kicks really hard. The sound
was sickeningly similar to the one you hear when Albert Pujols
squares up a Brad Lidge fastball.
Needless
to say, if Tuchscherer had announced his retirement right then
and there, no one would have blamed him. Instead, after puking
and taking the full five minutes alloted for unintentional low
blows, Tuchscherer somehow rose to his feet, put in his mouth
guard and continued. Across the world, men doubled over and watched
in equal parts horror and awe. Alas, there was no happy ending
for him, as Gonzaga landed a head kick and eventually pounded
Tuchscherer out.
Here's
hoping that the UFC gives him another fight. He earned it.
4.
Todd Duffee knows how to make an entrance
Most fans watching on Saturday night were probably unfamiliar
with Duffee, but it's likely no UFC fighter ever made a more
circuitous route to his octagon debut than the 23-year-old.
Duffee
was signed back in February and was supposed to fight at UFC
99 before being pulled off the card in favor of the returning
Cro Cop. Adding to his drama, he was asked to fly to Cologne,
Germany as a potential replacement if something should go wrong.
But everything went fine, so he stayed on the sideline. By the
time he arrived in Portland, he'd racked up over 12,000 flying
miles to make it to his debut fight.
Not
surprisingly, Duffee shot out of the gate with the ferocity of
a caged animal, needing only seven seconds to knockout Tim Hague
(that set a mark for the fastest KO in UFC history). Then he
turned to the cameras and said, "Hello, world!"
Hello,
indeed.
3.
There's no home-field advantage in MMA
Five fighters with roots in or close to Portland walked into
the octagon Saturday night, and only one walked out with a win.
And even that one -- Evan Dunham -- needed a split-decision to
do it.
Ed
Herman, Krzysztof Soszynski, Chris Leben and Randy Couture all
lost despite competing in front of 16,000 partisan fans.
2.
Nate Marquardt has made a notable career progression
Marquardt's been thought of as a top 185-er for some time, but
even that fails to take into account just how much he's altered
his fight game in the last few years.
Most
of the time, when fighters say, "I'm a whole different fighter,"
it's simply not true. But Marquardt is a whole new fighter, and
to prove it, we point to this stat: In his first seven UFC bouts,
Marquardt didn't have a single knockout. After knocking out Demian
Maia on Saturday night, he now has three in a row.
Perhaps
it shouldn't be surprising that his striking has been the last
thing to develop. Marquardt spent the early part of his career
fighting under Pancrase rules (open-hand striking only). Marquardt
credits his improvement to renowned boxing coach Trevor Wittman.
Should
Marquardt get another crack at Anderson Silva, his improved hands
will only add to his confidence level. Not to say it's a good
idea to trade blows with "The Spider," but Marquardt
is suddenly showing everyone his standup is truly something to
fear.
1.
Nog's demise is greatly exaggerated
After Frank Mir knocked out Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira last December,
the whispers immediately started that Minotauro was done, that
he was too slow and had taken too much damage over the years.
Some even suggested that Nogueira, who was only 32 at the time,
should retire.
Somehow,
many of us forgot that his whole career -- his whole life, really
-- has been about comebacks.
As
a child, Nogueira almost died after being run over by a truck.
He still bears the scars as a reminder. As an adult, he routinely
takes a beating and finds a way to win. The guy has more sequels
in him than the Harry Potter franchise. Sure, his hands aren't
quite as quick as they were a few years ago, but his jiu-jitsu
is still a loaded gun to respect and fear.
Will
Nog ever capture another major title? Who knows, but Saturday
night was a reminder to bet against him at your own risk.
Source: MMA Fighting
|
MMA,
Lies and Videotape
by Jordan Breen
In his epic strategy-and-swordsmanship treatise “The Book
of Five Rings,” Musashi Miyamoto writes, "You can become
a master of strategy by training alone with a sword, so that
you can understand the enemy's stratagems, his strength and resources,
and come to appreciate how to apply strategy to beat ten thousand
enemies. And you should always watch videotape."
Clearly,
Nate Marquardt and Thiago Silva know the martial way.
Although
I may have fabricated one of the sentences above, the point remains.
No matter how you view MMA -- as pure martial arts, as sport
or even as business -- these are all realms where the adage of
"know thy enemy" are foundational. Yet, it's only in
the very recent past that the concepts of actual strategy and
planning have crept into this sport. This is why I am so ecstatic
for Marquardt and Silva to have dominated Saturday night. More
importantly, it's not that they won but rather how they won.
It
took Marquardt just 21 seconds to completely nuke Demian Maia,
as he countered an ill-conceived Maia kick with a flush right
cross. Instead of tucking his head and keeping his left hand
up to protect his chin, Maia's head was rigid and upright, and
his left hand aimlessly drifted toward Marquardt's face. The
counter was reflexive and instantaneous, because it had already
become muscle memory.
"I
had watched tape on him and had kind of noticed how he telegraphs
when he kicks," Marquardt said at the post-fight presser.
"I have a lot of counters for kicks and stuff … . It's
crazy how it worked so easily."
It's
not that the counter itself was special. It is that Marquardt
focused on a specific technical flaw in his opponent, and the
instant it appeared, he sent him flying at the canvas forehead-first.
Yet for as obvious and effective as this kind of hyper-specific
stratagem seems, it is a rarity in this game. Even with major
money now at stake, MMA is still a sport where lines like "It's
a fight" and "We'll see where it goes" are familiar
phraseology.
Just
a few months back, Josh Koscheck commented that he never watches
his opponents before he fights them and almost seemed to brag
that he had no idea what Paulo Thiago looked like. I imagine
he might have liked to have at least a gander at some fight tape
now. Likewise, talented middleweight Dan Miller admits to not
watching his opponents beforehand, but after being completely
dominated by a one-dimensional Chael Sonnen for 15 minutes, hopefully
he realizes that a bit of time watching tape may have helped
him find an opening for a submission against a fighter far less
skilled in that department than himself.
Part
of the reason these attitudes persist is that MMA is still reliant
on crippling generalities. We still discuss the sport in terms
of "strikers" and "grapplers" and throw out
adjectives like "unorthodox" and "world-class"
without much thought to individual skills and technique. However,
it isn't 1999 anymore, and fighters have become generally, if
not perfectly, well rounded. In 2009, these oversimplifications
are lies, as fights are more often won and lost on the very specific
and unique wrinkles -- both positive and negative -- in a fighter's
game.
If
you want a more concrete example, look at Lyoto Machida's destruction
of Rashad Evans. Any strategy Evans had for Machida relied on
the shallow buzzwords that had been attached to him ("karate
base," "elusive," "counterfighter")
rather than study of his tried-and-true tactics: the lead cross
he throws to close distance, his leg kick feint to set up the
body kick and the short tsuki-style punch that follows. Evans
had hoped that he could simply bounce around, force Machida to
strike first and counter with his hands. Instead, Machida blew
his doors off with the exact same techniques he had used against
all of his prior victims.
Marquardt
knows the martial way.Evans' teammate Keith Jardine couldn't
hide his deficiencies against Thiago Silva. Jardine is normally
lauded as being "awkward" and "unorthodox"
for doing the kinds of things that make coaches cringe. Typically,
great prizefighters who are championed for their unorthodoxy
are those with the fundamental mastery and reflexes to atone
for it, like Machida and Anderson Silva in the cage and Ray Leonard
and Roy Jones in the ring. Courtesy of film study, Silva showed
why moving your back foot first to move forward and throwing
mechanically poor punches without protecting yourself is nothing
but a shortcut to queer street.
Throw
on the tape, and it's easy to see Jardine fails at keeping his
right hand up. Though Houston Alexander clobbered him with right
hands, when Jardine dropped him with a left early in their fight,
his right hand was literally at his waist. A left hook is what
got the ball rolling on Wanderlei Silva's butchery of Jardine.
"Rampage" dropped him with a left hook after Jardine
had failed to protect himself with his right hand. It's all right
there on video, which Silva had four months to watch.
And
so Silva knew exactly how to handle business. In spite of Jardine's
vaunted leg kicks, the right-handed Silva was putting considerable
weight on his lead leg to set up the lead left hook, knowing
a flailing Jardine would be wide open. Watch 1:23 into the bout,
as Jardine looks to rush, and Silva just whiffs on a left hook.
Seven seconds later, Jardine rushes him again, throwing a horrific
“Mortal Kombat”-influenced uppercut, his left leg swinging
out behind him, leaving just his right foot on the ground. His
right hand is about four galaxies from his face. Silva easily
landed his second left hook, and five seconds later, Jardine
was toast.
"[I]
studied Keith a lot, about the way he fights, his style. That
was a combination of training and coaching," Silva told
reporters at the post-fight pow-wow.
These
are hardly the only recent happenings to reflect the importance
of knowing your opponent inside-out. Randy Couture, who is celebrated
for his meticulous fight preparation, admitted after his knockout
loss to Brock Lesnar that he hadn't really considered his opponent's
massive reach advantage, which led directly to the right hand
that smashed him. In the polar opposite circumstance of inexperience-versus-veteranship,
a complete MMA neophyte (albeit Greco-Roman world champ) in Joe
Warren based his entire strategy against Norifumi "Kid"
Yamamoto on tape. Warren used clinch control and set up headlocks
to use knees, and the far more experienced Yamamoto, notoriously
slack in his preparation habits, had no way to counter what Warren
had devised specifically for him.
Even
fighters with a history of lacking strategy are coming around.
Dan Henderson is infamous for undermining himself in fights with
aimless windmilling, yet after watching Michael Bisping on tape,
he noticed the Brit's fatal flaw of constantly circling to his
left. Henderson spent their entire bout trying to get Bisping
to move into an atomic right hand, and brutally succeeded.
The
only game plan Gilbert Melendez ever used was reckless abandon
until his recent rematch with Mitsuhiro Ishida, in which he punches
straight, never left himself out of position to sprawl and methodically
broke Ishida down. Melendez admitted after the bout it was the
first time he had ever really watched tape and planned for a
fight, and it led directly to the best performance of his career.
It's
not even imperative you watch the tape yourself. While Fedor
Emelianenko prefers not to watch fights in his spare time, his
chief trainer, Vladimir Voronov, is exacting in watching fight
film. Emelianenko's M-1 cohort Gegard Mousasi doesn't like watching
his opponents on film -- he feels he starts to respect their
skill too much -- and so he leaves the task to his training partners,
who have come up with brilliant tactics for his K-1 smashing
of Musashi and MMA dismantling of Renato "Babalu" Sobral.
In
the ever-improving climate of modern MMA, preparedness goes far
beyond the deception and empty lies of phrases like "slick
jiu-jitsu," "counterstriker" or "a fight's
a fight." In the “The Art of War,” Sun Tzu writes,
"If you know your enemies and know yourself, you can win
a thousand battles without a single loss. If you only know yourself,
but not your opponent, you may win or may lose. If you know neither
yourself nor your enemy, you will always endanger yourself. So
turn on your DVD player, and always keep YouTube open."
I
may have invented part of that passage, but again, it doesn't
make it any less true.
Source: Sherdog
|
White
Confirms Signing of “Minotoro” Nogueira
By FCF Staff
With speculation running high that Antonio Rogerio “Minotoro”
Nogueira would soon be signing with the UFC, particularly after
Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira stated last week that his twin brother
would soon make his Octagon debut, President Dana White has now
confirmed that a deal has been reached with “Little Nogueira.”
White did not elaborate on the contract, or when and where the
light-heavyweight will make his Octagon debut.
Speaking
to The Oregonian, just days removed from this Saturday’s
UFC 102 event in Portland, White stated that although the promotion
had yet to make an official announcement, “I got Little
Nog” and that further, “we just did a deal with him.”
Nogueira
(17-3), who is FCF’s 6th ranked light-heavyweight, has only
been defeated twice since 2002, losing to Maurico “Shogun”
Rua by UD in June, 2005, and by KO to Rameau Thierry Sokoudjou
in February, 2007.
“Minotoro”
last competed in May, when he submitted Dion Staring in the third
round with a triangle-choke at a Jungle Fight event. Prior to
that, the 33 year-old Brazilian KO’d Vladimir Matyushenko
at Affliction’s “Day of Reckoning” event in January,
to avenge his 2002 decision loss to the UFC veteran.
Source: Full Contact Fighter
|
WEC
43 card and date defined
Event to be held in San Antonio
Initially scheduled for September 2 and postponed due to a training
injury suffered by Ben Henderson, WEC 43 now has a set card and
location. The event moved to October 10 will be held in San Antonio,
Texas, and will maintain the main event of Donald Cerrone versus
Ben Henderson, worth the interim lightweight title while champion
Jamie Varner recovers.
Donald
Cerrone vs Benson Henderson (interim lightweight belt)
Dave Jansen vs Richard Crunkilton Jr.
Damacio Page vs Akitoshi Tamura
Rafael Assunção vs Yves Jabouin
PRELIMINARIES
Muhsin
Corbbrey vs Anthony Njokuani
Scott Jorgensen vs Rafael Rebello
Wagnney Fabiano vs Erik Koch
Manny Tapia vs Eddie Wineland
Charlie Valencia vs Coty Wheeler
Mark Hominick vs Deividas Taurosevicius
Source: Gracie Magazine
|
The
UFC Middleweight title situation
By Zach Arnold
Naturally,
one would think that Nathan Marquardt would get a shot at Anderson
Silva’s Middleweight title after his dominating performance
against Demian Maia at UFC 102. You’d be wrong.
And
you’d be wrong too if you thought Yushin Okami would get
a title shot in the near future.
Lots
of interesting happenings going on with Anderson Silva these
days. Dave Meltzer said that Silva’s camp isn’t keen
on a fight with Dan Henderson for November (either for the UK
show or the Las Vegas event) and that all Middleweight booking
is up-in-the-air right now in UFC.
Okami,
who is the legitimate #1 contender in the Middleweight division,
has been sitting at home in Japan. The closest he’s getting
to UFC these days is doing color commentary for their shows on
WOWOW (which he did for the UFC 102 event). Marquardt, meanwhile,
also deserves a Middleweight title shot and may not end up getting
it against Silva.
The
big question for Silva is what’s next for him? If he isn’t
all that interested in a fight against Marquardt or Henderson,
then who at 205 pounds interests him? Rampage Jackson wants to
do a movie and Rashad Evans is ‘married’ to him in
terms of matchmaking, so what’s next?
Source: Fight Opinion
|
WAMMA
Releases Updated August Rankings
NEW
YORK (August 31ST, 2009) –- The World Alliance of Mixed
Martial Arts (WAMMA) today released the August rankings for its
Men’s Division, the first set of rankings released under
newly appointed Rankings Committee Chairman Andrew Falzon.
“We
are very fortunate to have such an extensive panel of rankers,”
said Falzon. “This broad contingent of contributors has
established the WAMMA rankings as the most comprehensive rankings
in the sport of MMA.”
WAMMA’s
combined panel of rankers represent a wide spectrum of the MMA
media, CBSSportsline.com, ESPN’s MMA Live!, Fox News Fight
Game with Mike Straka, FoxSports.com, MMA Fanhouse, Sirius Fight
Club Radio, Sports Illustrated, The Calgary Sun Newspaper and
The Fight Network.
The
rankings are available online at: www.GoWAMMA.com/rankings
Ranking
Highlights:
Heavyweights
– The past month has seen an entire reorganization of the
top five heavyweights since Brock Lesnar defeated Frank Mir at
UFC 100, Josh Barnett was not licensed for Affliction Trilogy
and Antonio Rodrigo “Minitauro” Noguiera defeated Randy
Couture this past weekend at UFC 102.
Light
Heavyweights – Newly crowned StrikeForce light heavyweight
champion Gegard Mousasi debuts at #4 on this month’s rankings,
replacing Forrest Griffin, who fell to #8 after losing his UFC
101 fight with UFC Middleweight Champion Anderson Silva, after
Silva jumped up a weight class for the fight.
Middleweights
– The departure of Gegard Mousasi to light heavyweight sees
the addition of Yoshihiro Akiyama to the middleweight division,
debuting at #9. The division also sees the addition of the UFC’s
Dan Henderson, as he prepares to fight UFC Middleweight Champion
Anderson Silva. Henderson is coming off a brutal knockout of
Michael Bisping, who finds himself at #10.
Welterweights
– After a loss to UFC welterweight champion George St. Pierre
at UFC 100, Thiago Alves finds himself tied for the number #3
spot with Strikeforce’s Jake Shields. However, Shields’
impending fight with Jason “Mayhem” Miller for the
interim StrikeForce Middleweight championship should see Shields
appear up one weight class in the October or November WAMMA rankings.
Lightweights
– Kenny Florian drops from #3 to #7 after his loss to UFC
Lightweight Champion BJ Penn at UFC 101.
Featherweights
– Despite his split-decision win at WEC 42, Leonard Garcia
drops to two spots down to #8, after being pushed to the limit
by relatively unknown, but talented WEC rookie, Jameel Massouh.
Bantamweights
– Newly crowned WEC Bantamweight Champion Brian Bowles finds
himself in the #1 spot after his impressive KO of former WEC
titleholder Miguel Torres at WEC 42. After defeating Urijah Faber
protégé Joseph Benevidez at the same event, Dominic
Cruz debuts in the #5 spot and Benevidez falls to #6.
About
WAMMA
WAMMA is dedicated to leading the sport of Mixed Martial Arts
to unprecedented levels of integrity, legitimacy and prosperity.
With the help of forward-looking MMA promotions, WAMMA has created
an environment where fighters from all organizations have the
opportunity to openly compete to be the one true, undisputed
champion in their respective weight classes based on WAMMA’s
objective MMA Rankings.
Source: The Fight Network
|
WAMMA
MEN's RANKINGS
August, 2009
Heavyweight
WAMMA
Undisputed Heavyweight Champion
Fedor Emelianenko
1 Brock Lesnar
2 Josh Barnett
3 Frank Mir
4 Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira
5 Randy Couture
6 Alistair Overeem
7 Shane Carwin
8 Brett Rogers
9 Cain Velasquez
10 (tie) Cro Cop
10 (tie) Andrei Arlovski
Also Receiving Votes
Junior Dos Santos
Fabricio Werdum
Light
Heavyweight
1 Lyoto Machida
2 Quinton Jackson
3 Rashad Evans
4 Gergard Mousasi
5 Mauricio Rua
6 Anderson Silva
7 Rich Franklin
8 Forrest Griffin
9 Keith Jardine
10 Chuck Liddell
Also Receiving Votes
Luis Cane
Antonio Rogerio Noguiera
Wanderlei Silva
Renato Sobral
Wanderlei Silva
Middleweight
1 Anderson Silva
2 Dan Henderson
3 Nathan Marquardt
4 Demian Maia
5 Yushin Okami
6 Vitor Belfort
7 (tie) Jorge Santiago
7 (tie Robbie Lawler
9 Yoshihiro Akiyama
10 Michael Bisping
Welterweight
1 Georges St. Pierre
2 Jon Fitch
3 (tie) Thiago Alves
3 (tie) Jake Shields
5 Nick Diaz
6 Josh Koscheck
7 Matt Hughes
8 Martin Kampmann
9 Mike Swick
10 Paul Thiago
Also Receiving Votes
Carlos Condit
Matt Serra
Dan Hardy
Lightweight
WAMMA Undisputed Lightweight Champion
Shinya Aoki
1 B.J.Penn
2 Eddie Alvarez
3 Joachim Hansen
4 Tatsuya Kawajiri
5 Diego Sanchez
6 Frankie Edgar
7 Ken Florian
8 Gray Maynard
9 Sean Sherk
10 JZ Calvancate
Also Receiving Votes
Tyson Griffin
Josh Thomson
Victor Ribero
Featherweight
1 Mike Thomas Brown
2 Urijah Faber
3 Wagnney Fabiano
4 Jose Aldo
5 Hatsu Hioki
6 Joe Warren
7 Norifumi Yamamoto
8 Leonard Garcia
9 Masakazu Imanari
10 Takeshi Inoue
Also Receiving Votes
Bibiano Fernandes
Rafael Assuncao
Josh Grispi
Dokonjonsuke Mishima
Jens Pulver
Diego Nunes
Bantamweight
1 Brian Bowles
2 Miguel Torres
3 Takeya Mizugaki
4 Masakatsu Ueda
5 Dominick Cruzi
6 Joseph Benavidez
7 Jeff Curran
8 Akitoshi Tamura
9 Damacio Page
10 Will Ribeiro
Also Receiving Votes
Rani Yahya
Manny Tapia
WAMMA
WOMEN's RANKINGS
Released August 2, 2009
Featherweight
1 Gina
Carano
2 Marloes Coenen
3 Cristiane Santos
4 Erin Toughill
5 Kelly Kobold
6 Yoko Takahashi
7 Ediene "India" Gomes
8 Jen CaseCindy Dandois
9 Revelina "Nana" Berto
10 Emily Thompson
Bantamweight
1 Tara LaRosa
2 Sarah Kaufman
3 Takayo Hashi
4 Roxanne Modafferi
5 Shayna Baszler
6 Vanessa Porto
7 Hitomi Akano
8 Amanda Buckner
9 Tonya Evinger
10 Julie Kedzie
Super
Flyweight
1 Rosi Sexton
2 Carina Damm
3 Rin Nakai
4 Aisling Daly
5 Kanako Takashita
6 "Windy" Tomomi Sunaba
7 Sally Krumdiak
8 Sophie Bagherdai
9 Emi Fujino
10 Julia Berezikova
Flyweight
1 Megumi Fuji
2 Yuka Tsuji
3 Miku Matsumoto
4 Ana Michelle Tavares
5 Lisa Ward
6 Jessica Aguilar
7 Jessica Pene
8 Lisa Higo
9 Megumi Yamaguchi
10 Angela Magana
WAMMA
Ranking Criteria, Weight Class Recognition and Voting Rules
Ranking Criteria:
1.
Overall Win/Loss record and win percentage
What is a fighter's win total in relation to fighter's total
of losses? What percentage of his total fights has he won?
2.
Quality of wins
What
caliber of opponent has fighter's wins come against? Greater
credit should go to a fighter who has a win over a fighter widely
viewed as top ten. A certain degree should be considered for
an opponent viewed as top 15 and adjusted accordingly for top
20, top 25, etc.
What
fashion is a fighter recording his wins? Is he dominant against
his opponents? Is he able to finish his opponents? A fighter
that can finish fights in a dominant fashion on a consistent
basis should be viewed as one that is separating himself from
others.
3.
Activity Levels
The
frequency in which a fighter competes needs to be taken into
an account. A fighter that fights and wins every three months
should receive consideration over a fighter that only competes
once every 9-10 months, or even less frequently.
Tie-breakers:
Pollsters
are encouraged not to vote multiple fighters in the same ranking
designation. If a pollster finds themselves in a position where
he views two fighters as equally ranked, he is asked to take
the following into consideration:
Head-to-head performance
If
fighter A and fighter B are tied yet have fought one another
in the past, their head-to-head record against each other should
be taken into account when determining which fighter should be
ranked over the other.
Overall skill
A
fighter's pure fighting ability is another attribute to look
at in the event of a tie or a close call. If a fighter possesses
exceptional technique in an individual or multiple combat sport(s)
that falls under the mixed martial arts umbrella, that should
also be used when trying to decipher one ranked fighter over
another.
Weight
Class Recognition:
126-135 lbs.: Bantamweight (added Nov. 17, 2008)
136-145 lbs.: Featherweight
146-160 lbs.: Lightweight
161-170 lbs.: Welterweight
171-185 lbs.: Middleweight
186-205 lbs.: Light Heavyweight
206-265 lbs.: Heavyweight
Voting
Rules:
1.No
fighter under suspension by a major athletic commission is eligible
to receive votes.
2.A fighter gets ranked in most recent weight class only, unless
he holds a title, in which case he is ranked in both his championship
class, as well as the one he is competing in.
3.If a fighter goes 12 months without fighting regardless of
reason, he is ineligible to receive votes and appear in WAMMA's
fighter poll.
4.Per a November, 2008 vote, WAMMA pollsters formally denied
the ability for ballots of absentee owners to be rolled over
from a previous month. A pollster must submit a ballot for the
current month's poll by the mandated deadline in order to have
votes recognized.
Source: WAMMA
|
SEASON
DELAYED, BELLATOR TRIES TO PLACE CHAMPS
by Steven Marrocco
Following the delay of its second season, Bellator Fighting Championships
is trying to secure a fight for each of its four champions “in
different markets around the world” before the start of
2010, CEO Bjorn Rebney informed MMAWeekly.com on Wednesday.
Rebney
said he was open to any promotion that offered “the right
opportunity,” though he anticipated the champions –
featherweight Joe Soto, lightweight Eddie Alvarez, welterweight
Lyman Good, and middleweight Hector Lombard – would fight
above their natural class if they moonlighted elsewhere.
“In
all likelihood, they will fight in bouts analogous to what Anderson
Silva or B.J. Penn would do, fighting outside their weight in
a non-title fight, challenging themselves,” said Rebney.
Last
month, word leaked that the promotion was pushing back the expected
start date of its second season from October to the first quarter
of 2010. Rebney says the scheduling of venues for the promotion’s
12 consecutive events was to blame.
“Everybody
asks me what is the one thing that you wish you could change
about last season, and that is, I wish I could have more time,”
he said. “From a venue procurement perspective, we had two
or three episodes last season where the venue came together very
late. While I’d like to kick off sooner, I’d much rather
kick off and have every venue done and be able to pre-promote
every venue for 60 days minimum.”
The
promotion’s first season, broadcast on ESPN Deportes in
English and Spanish, attracted a respectable viewership for an
inaugural effort, with a 0.5 average rating. Aided by a viral
video campaign that featured stunning highlights from tournament
action, Bellator created buzz on a budget.
Dan
Lambert, manager of middleweight champion Hector Lombard, said
he and his fighter were not happy with the recent development,
but would give the promotion a chance.
“Hector’s
asking for Strikeforce to get him in with Mousasi,” he said.
“He wants (the rematch) bad. They did pay him well for his
tournament win, so we want to respect them and try to do right
by them, but they’ve got to do right by us too,” said
Lambert. “I’m letting them see what works for them
and see if it works for us, and hopefully we’ll find some
common ground. If we don’t, then we’re gonna have to
take it to the next level of conversation.”
Lambert
said Bellator was “very flexible” with non-champion
fighters who wished to pick up a fight before the next tournament.
Bellator’s
next season focuses on a “challenger series” to groom
the next contenders to the champions from season one. An announcement
of a new television partner was expected over the summer. Rebney
on Wednesday said Bellator’s new partners were secured,
but declined to name the platform, despite concerns the company
needed sufficient time to get sponsors for the new season.
“I’m
like the kid in the back seat of the car saying, ‘are we
there yet?’” he said.
In
exchange for allowing Bellator champions a one-off in another
promotion, Rebney is offering tournament spots to their standout
fighters in season two.
“We’re
trying to figure out how to bring over one of these spectacular
names that hasn’t yet fought here, but the endemic market
fans are hugely interested in seeing,” he said. “That’s
the dynamic that we’re going through: can we make that happen?
Of course, other organizations like the concept of the reach
we have moving forward as well. It expands the brand equity that
they’ve got in a fighter like that.
“Some
of the conversations have been hugely positive and some haven’t.
But at least we’re exploring it.”
Source: MMA Weekly
|
Duffee
on Fast Track, White Believes
by Mike Whitman
PORTLAND, Ore. -- Todd Duffee walked into the Octagon for the
first time as one of the sport’s hottest prospects. He walked
out a UFC record holder.
In
the third fight on the UFC 102 “Couture vs. Nogueira”
undercard, Duffee crushed Tim Hague with a stunning seven-second
knockout, as he set a new mark for the fastest KO in promotional
history. Nearly the instant the fight began, Duffee dropped Hague
with a stiff left jab, followed up with heavy shots, relieved
Hague of his senses and ended a near year-long hiatus from competition.
“I
expected a three-round war. I wouldn’t say it’s unfulfilling,
because it gave me an opportunity to get ‘KO of the Night,’
which would have been a complete life-changer for me,” Duffee
said. “Tim’s a tough opponent. I’d like to see
him back out there. It’s been a year since I last fought.
I’d like to get out there again soon to find out how much
I’ve developed. I want to be a better martial artist everyday.”
Despite
such a long break between fights, Duffee showed no signs of ring
rust and was so eager to begin the match that he shunned Hague’s
invitation to touch gloves before the bout began.
“No
disrespect to Tim, but I felt like I was better in every aspect.
I knew I was a better athlete. That’s not me trying to be
arrogant, but there’s maybe three or four guys out there
that are as athletic as I am,” Duffee said. “This week
has been the least-stressful week of my last year -- no question.
Finally getting to walk out there, it was probably the most calming
feeling ever.”
Todd
Duffee stopped Tim Hague in just seven seconds at UFC 102.Though
the American Top Team product did not earn “Knockout of
the Night” honors -- they went to middleweight contender
Nate Marquardt -- he remains one of MMA’s most exciting
young talents. He has a plethora of natural tools at his disposal,
which, when coupled with some experience, could pose a serious
threat to the UFC’s heavyweight division. In his last outing
before entering the UFC, he dominated Pride Fighting Championships
and UFC veteran Assuerio Silva at Jungle Fight 11 en route to
a second-round stoppage victory. At 6-foot-3, 260 pounds and
sporting a physique that would make Charles Atlas blush, no one
doubts the 23-year-old’s potential. The real question surrounding
Duffee’s career is simple: with only five fights under his
belt, has he proven himself ready for prime time?
“[The
quick KO] is a little bittersweet, but I think it’s going
to probably build the hype. People who really know the sport
are going to say, ‘We still need to see him.’ It’s
sickening for me to hear that,” Duffee said. “I want
to prove myself bad. At this point in my career, I feel like
I should already have had 10 or 15 high-level fights, and I would
like a chance to prove that.”
UFC
President Dana White agrees with the heavyweight. When asked
at the post-fight press conference what his plans were for the
young lion from ATT, White did not dance around the question.
“[Duffee]
came up to me in the back and said, ‘I want to fight again.
I want to fight soon.’ I know I have managers and everything
else [to deal with before making a fight], but I want to get
him in there as soon as possible,” White said. “I want
to fast-track him. I want him to fight good guys right now. This
kid is fired up, and I like that.”
Exactly
what that means could be up for debate. There are plenty of intriguing
matchups for Duffee in the UFC’s deep and ever-growing heavyweight
pool, but will White and matchmaker Joe Silva follow through
and throw Duffee into the frying pan against legitimate contenders?
That query notwithstanding, the young heavyweight can take some
short-term encouragement in his record-setting knockout.
Source: Sherdog
|
Lyoto
Machida: “Striking is like chess”
By Eduardo Ferreira
For many and many years, the Brazilian fighters were defined
as good grapplers and average strikers, but Anderson Silva and
Ltoro Machida’s recent victories, besides Thiago Alves’
good fights, are changing this concept . UFC light heavyweight
champion, Machida build his name under an unique karate style,
and remembers that Brazil always had great fighters in the stand
up fight.
“We always had great boxing champions, like Arcelino “Popó”
Freitas, great karate and kickboxing fighters. We always had
good stand up fighters, besides all the promotion we had around
the jiu-jitsu, the sport that opened the doors to the fight world.
We can’t forget that, before mine and Anderson’s conquest
in the UFC, we already had great strikers in the UFC, like Marco
Ruas, the first one to do the cross training, Pedro Rizzo and
Vitor Belfort”, analyzes Machida.
Striking always was defined as a lottery, once that one single
punch can end the fight, but Lyoto guarantees this concept is
not true anymore. “It just doesn’t make sense to me.
Striking is like chess, where I put all my technique. Sometimes
I make the guy walk for where I want, I make him attack me like
I want to counter attack, sometimes I leave my leg open for him
to kick and then I pull his leg and kick him”, explained
the Dragon, in an exclusive interview to TATAME Magazine’s
august edition.
Source: Tatame
|
Quote
of the Day
“Goodness
is achieved not in a vacuum, but in the company of other men,
attended by love.”
Saul Bellow |
Hawaiian
Open Championships of BJJ
Aloha everyone!
Just
wanted to remind you all that Saturday, September 5th @ midnight
is the deadline for early registration. This means that only
those who register early will have a tournament t-shirt reserved
for them and will not have to pay a late fee. All those registering
late will be charged a $10 late fee and will not receive a tournament
t-shirt.
Absolute
deadline for registration will be Wednesday, September 9th @
midnight. There will be no late entries after this date and no
entries the day of the tournament.
Tournament
start times:
Kids: 10 am
Adults: 12 pm
Weigh-in
procedures and weight divisions are posted on our website.
I
have attached the t-shirt design for this upcoming tournament
for your viewing pleasure.
For
more information or if you have any questions, please visit:
www.hawaiitriplecrown.com |
THE
SPIDER RESTS... FOR NOW
UFC middleweight champion Anderson Silva is not gunning to get
back into the ring any time soon, according to manager Ed Soares,
and after decimating Forrest Griffin at UFC 101 and prepping
friend Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira for UFC 102, wants to rest and
let the middleweight division sort itself out.
Silva
rolled with Nogueira at open workouts for UFC 102 last weekend
and looked every bit relaxed as he took in fights ringside. After
middleweight Nate Marquardt smashed Demian Maia, UFC cameras
caught a shrug and a "what, me worry" smile.
During
the workouts, Soares told MMAWeekly.com he suggested the promotion
make an interim title bout featuring the winner of Marquardt/Maia
vs. Dan Henderson. The UFC didn’t jump on the idea.
“They
didn’t really say much to it,” said Soares.
While
Marquardt’s smashing victory eliminated one variable to
the current list of contenders, UFC president Dana White declined
to choose him over Dan Henderson as next in line.
“I’ve
got to figure this thing out,” said White at the post-fight
press conference Saturday.
The
two heirs apparent to contendership have fallen short to Silva,
though Henderson holds the distinction of being the only man
to win a round against the champ in his record-setting reign.
Soares believes they should face one more test before getting
a second shot at the 185-pound title.
“I
think the fight that should happen is Nate Marquardt against
Dan Henderson for the number one title contender,” he said.
In
the meantime, Soares continued, Silva needs time to recuperate.
“He’ll
take a rest... he’s fought twice this year,” he said.
“He’s got three fights left on his contract. He wants
to work out a little kinks and bruises that he’s got. He
wants to take a little break.”
White
said he had plenty of options for Silva and made no mention of
an interim strap.
“I’m
in a good position (with the) 185-pound division right now,”
he told MMAWeekly.com in an exclusive interview. “It’s
a good problem to have. A bad problem to have is Anderson Silva
and nobody to fight him at 185 pounds. Also have the Anderson
Silva that can go to 205 and fight some of the best guys at 205,
possibly fight for the title, possibly fight Lyoto Machida in
a superfight.”
More
a problem, it seems, is keeping Silva interested in the opportunities
available to him. The champ waded his way into light heavyweight
waters after stating a desire to box (or just box Roy Jones Jr.),
even going so far as to express interest in a heavyweight fight
with Frank Mir, according to a recent report on SI.com.
White
will bend a little to keep “The Spider” happy, but
not that much.
“He’ll
box Roy Jones before he fights heavyweight, let’s put it
that way,” said White.
The
question now is how long “The Spider” wants to rest,
and what intrigues him most when he returns. Soares said the
opportunity would decide that.
“Like
we’ve said before, he just wants to fight the best. Right
now, Lyoto has the title, and he’s not going to go after
that title. Right now, he’s relaxing and wants to take a
little time off, and we’ll see what happens.”
Source: MMA Weekly
|
BARONI
LIKELY TO MEET SADOLLAH AT UFC 106
A welterweight contest between Phil Baroni and Amir Sadollah
is likely to take place at UFC 106 on Nov. 21 in Las Vegas, MMAWeekly.com
has learned from sources close to the fight. Though bout agreements
have yet to be signed, but both parties have agreed to the fight
and are expected to put pen to paper soon.
Sadollah
(1-1) appeared at UFC 101, where he lost to Johnny Hendricks
by TKO in a stoppage many considered to be premature. The 29-year-old
winner of “The Ultimate Fighter” Season 8 began his
Octagon career with promise, defeating Steve Byrnes, Gerald Harris,
Matt Brown, and C.B. Dollaway twice to earn the show’s title.
Plagued with injuries, Sadollah was forced to sit on the sidelines
for a year until his return last month.
Baroni
(13-11) recently re-signed with the promotion after a four-plus
year absence fighting for Pride, EliteXC, and Strikeforce. The
colorful New Yorker called the Octagon home for much of his early
career, fighting as a middleweight, but was cut after a string
of losses to former champions Evan Tanner and Matt Lindland,
and Pete Sell. After another string of losses from mid-2007 to
2008, Baroni cut to welterweight and racked up three quick wins.
His last appearance, against Joe Riggs at Strikeforce: Shields
vs. Lawler, was his first loss at 170 pounds.
Brock
Lesnar is expected to defend his UFC heavyweight title against
Shane Carwin in the main event of UFC 106 in Las Vegas.
Source: MMA Weekly
|
MARQUARDT:
SILVA REMATCH IS ENTIRELY NEW FIGHT
Make
no bones about it, Nate Marquardt was “very excited”
by his 21-second knockout of submission wizard Demian Maia at
UFC 102. One punch solidified has case to be considered with
Dan Henderson as the next challenger to UFC middleweight champion
Anderson Silva’s throne.
But
after hundreds of hours in preparation, believe it or not, his
Matrix-style KO was almost anti-climactic... almost.
“When
you train for so long for a fight and you put so much effort
into training for a fight and then it’s over in 20 seconds,
it’s almost a letdown,” Marquardt told MMAWeekly.com
later that night. “It’s kind of a weird feeling. I’m
kind of feeling like I still haven’t gotten a fight in.”
Regardless
the feeling, the fight counts, and it counts big for Marquardt.
It’s the most recent in a successful run that he hopes will
have him once again standing across the Octagon from the Brazilian
kingpin. And this time, Marquardt feels it’s a completely
different fight, or rather he’s a completely different fighter.
“(After
the first fight with Silva) I realized that for a while I was
fighting to not lose instead of going in there and giving it
100 percent,” he reflected. “I think I have improved
so much technically... But the main thing that is gonna make
that different is the mental change that I made, just going in
there, looking for the finish. I think I’m a completely
different fighter now because of that.
“I
know the level that (Silva’s) at and I also saw what I was
able to do against him without that killer instinct that I got
back, so I think it’s gonna make a huge difference in (a
rematch).”
Source: MMA Weekly
|
VERSUS
AND WEC OFF DIRECTV, GET PUSH FROM DISH
In a battle brewing between television industry giants, DirecTV
on Wednesday dropped the Versus Network from its programming
line-up. The move takes away the only on-air option for DirecTV
subscribers to watch World Extreme Cagefighting.
The
promotion has a regular presence on Versus that includes not
only live events – WEC 43: Cerrone vs. Henderson is scheduled
to air live on Oct. 10 – but also WrekCage, a retrospective
show featuring many of the promotion’s top fights.
The
cause of the battle depends on whom you ask.
DirecTV
says that it is purely bullying tactics by Comcast, the largest
cable operator in the United States, which also happens to own
Versus.
“(Comcast’s)
unreasonable demands are the economic equivalent of juicing to
gain an advantage over its competitors,” DirecTV Executive
Vice President Derek Chang said in a prepared statement sent
to MMAWeekly.com.
“The
deal that just expired was well above market value and beyond
what other significant distributors were paying. To add insult
to injury Comcast demanded we carry Versus at a 20 percent premium
in a new deal, thereby forcing us to take down the channel.”
On
the flip side of the coin, Versus president Jamie Davis told
SportsBusiness Daily, "The fact is that those market increases
aren't true. We're simply asking them to pay what the other providers
are paying."
More
so than the battle over fees, Davis indicated to SportsBusiness
Daily that the dispute is primarily over DirecTV’s plans
to move Versus to a lower tier, meaning that more than 6 million
DirecTV subscribers who were receiving Versus at no additional
cost would instead have to pay an additional fee to receive the
network.
One
MMAWeekly.com source close to the situation characterized DirecTV
moving Versus to a lower tier as the “deal breaker”
in negotiations, not the fees. That source characterized the
point as “non-negotiable” to Versus and Comcast.
On
the same day DirecTV pulled the plug on Versus, rival satellite
television provider DISH Network made Versus available as a free
preview to its subscribers for a three month period, which includes
the Oct. 10 WEC event.
While
WEC officials had not responded at the time of publication, UFC
president Dana White recently commented on the situation.
“I
have a new TV deal on Versus. I have a great relationship with
them and they’re owned by Comcast. Trust me when I tell
you, them and DirecTV are gonna work it out. Maybe they’ll
keep butting heads and go off the air for a little while, but
we’re talking about Comcast. We’re not talking about
some wimpy little network or something like that. They’re
gonna figure it out.”
Both
DirecTV’s Chang and Versus’ Davis indicated they would
continue working towards a resolution.
Source: MMA Weekly
|
WHITE
HAS ANOTHER NETWORK MEETING TODAY
As MMAWeekly.com reported last Thursday, UFC president Dana White
said a third event was in the works for November, featuring a
headlining bout between B.J. Penn and Diego Sanchez. The event’s
broadcast platform was neither a pay-per-view nor a Spike TV
event.
“Wait
and see boys... if I can pull this one off,” White told
reporters.
At
the post-fight press conference for UFC 102 in Portland, Ore.,
White told MMAWeekly.com that he was flying to L.A. on Monday
for another meeting with an undisclosed network.
When
asked if he was finalizing a deal, White said, “I hope so...
I really hope so.”
A
press conference for UFC 104, the promotion’s second trip
to the Staples Center on Oct. 24, is scheduled for Tuesday in
Los Angeles.
Source: MMA Weekly
|
RODRIGO
NOGUEIRA WANTS SHOT AT LESNAR
Following
his loss to Frank Mir at UFC 92 many were writing off former
UFC and Pride heavyweight titleholder Antonio Rodrigo "Minotauro"
Nogueira, saying he had been through too many battles and was
a weathered warrior.
The
Brazilian proved his critics wrong by dismantling two-time UFC
light heavyweight and three-time UFC heavyweight titleholder
Randy "The Natural" Couture at UFC 102 by a decisive
unanimous decision.
Nogueira
put himself back into title contention with the win over Couture,
and although expecting big name opponents, but willing to fight
whoever, the 33-year-old Brazilian wants another shot at the
UFC heavyweight crown.
"I
like big fights like that. I'll be ready if they gave me a good
opponent," Nogueira told MMAWeekly.com. "It would be
my pleasure, but if they gave me a title shot, it would be awesome."
Brock
Lesnar holds the UFC heavyweight belt, and asked how he matched
up with him, Nogueira said, "A lot of jiu-jitsu and good
standing up, make him tired man, move around, move around. When
I get his timing, hit him with a good right hand and box him,
box him and get him tired."
Nogueira
sees his wealth of experience as an advantage in a possible bout
with Lesnar. "I'm kind of calm. I can listen to my coach.
I've been in there a long time. I can see what's going on,"
commented the Rio de Janeiro resident. "I have more experience
than him. That's a big advantage I have.
"If
he goes on the top into my guard, I can play with him,"
added Nogueira. "Let's see, let's see what is going to happen."
Source: MMA Weekly
|
ASSISTANT
COACH HECTOR RAMIREZ TALKS TUF 10
While the head coaches and fighters that appear on The Ultimate
Fighter series get all the press, they are far from being the
only reasons for the show’s success.
Behind
the head coaches is a dedicated group of assistant coaches, working
just as hard to prepare their team for victory.
Among
this season’s assistant coaches is former UFC light heavyweight
Hector “Sick Dog” Ramirez, who will be part of Quinton
“Rampage” Jackson’s team as they take on the opposing
force lead by Rashad Evans.
“Rampage
gave me a call and asked me if I was interested in helping him
coach the next Ultimate Fighter season with Rashad Evans, and
I agreed,” Ramirez told MMAWeekly.com.
“We’ve
been training for six or seven years now, he’s a good friend
of mine, and we help each other a lot when we have upcoming fights.
He knows the capabilities I have and don’t have, and whatever
I can do to help his team on The Ultimate Fighter.”
A
longtime wrestling coach in the amateur ranks, Ramirez talked
about what it was like working with the heavyweight talent assembled
for this season’s series.
“It’s
a little bit different when you’re coaching full grown men
who are coming from different backgrounds and have their own
styles of training,” he admitted. “Some are used to
one way and some the other, and you’re just trying to get
them all on the same page in a small amount of time.”
In
the end, Ramirez enjoyed the experience working with the fighters,
especially due to the goodhearted nature of many of them.
“I
was a little surprised on some of the personalities,” he
commented. “For instance, someone like Kimbo Slice, he’s
a guy whose done street fights and is a mean looking guy, but
he’s a really nice guy.
“Wes
Simms is a character 24/7, but he’s genuine and a pretty
nice guy. They were all pretty good. Everybody was pretty respectful
on our team and everybody there was there for a reason. They
let us do our coaching. Nobody came too hard, and everybody was
cool.”
While
the show has seen a few dips in its ratings over the last several
seasons, Ramirez is convinced this edition will be one to bring
the show back to its former high.
“I’m
trying not to take away from any other season, but the Spike
guys were really excited about this season,” he said. “Of
course Quinton just has that humor and personality that everyone
loves. He and Rashad have bad blood, and it’s going to make
for some great TV.
“Some
of the stuff that happens in the show is going to be funny. Honestly,
myself, I can’t wait to watch it. It’s a very entertaining
and exciting show. It’s going to keep you wanting to see
the next episode every week, for sure.”
Now
that taping is finished, Ramirez is focused on his own fight
career, with the goal of eventually re-joining his friend Rampage
Jackson in the big time.
“I’m
now with New Sports Agency and manager Jason House, and he’s
a guy who’s got me going, got my blood pumping,” he
stated. “To stay motivated for a fight, you need somebody
who’s hungry with you, and he’s got me excited.
“I’m
training every day with everybody that’s supporting me.
We’re looking to get me a fight at 185 pounds with a good
match-up. I’ve got a lot of things coming up with this show
and hopefully I can get a good fight and get back in the UFC.”
Opportunities
abound for Hector Ramirez, whether it’s The Ultimate Fighter
or his own career, and he intends to make the most of it and
not only help others reach their fullest potential, but his own
as well.
“I
want to say thanks my loyal fans out there, my agent Jason House,
SoCal MMA, Tony Padilla with SparStar and DogPound MMA,”
he closed out. “I’m excited to move to 185 pounds.
It’s like a fresh start for me. I feel like I have a lot
to prove, and with that said I’ll definitely be a hungrier,
smarter fighter. I’m definitely not done; I’m going
to come hard and strong.
“I
hope everyone tune in on Sept. 16 to watch me and Team Rampage
go out there and take on Team Rashad. It’s going to be great,
funny and exciting. You won’t want to be anywhere else on
Wednesdays instead of Spike TV.”
(Hector
Ramirez will serve as a special guest author to MMAWeekly.com
during Season 10 of The Ultimate Fighter. Hector will add his
insider's perspective, taking MMAWeekly.com reader's inside The
Ultimate Fighter.)
Source: MMA Weekly
|
Thiago:
“I wanna be the UFC champion”
Thiago
Silva showed against Keith Jardine why he’s one of the biggest
light heavyweight fighters in the world this Saturday, at UFC
102. Against the man who did a 15 minutes war against Quinton
“Rampage” Jackson, Silva just needed 95 seconds to
land him on the mat and celebrate the victory.
“I
was ready for the five rounds, but I did a good game and the
opportunity came earlier”, said Thiago to TATAME.com, revealing
the strategy for the fight. “I trained everything ,stand
up and ground game. I work on opportunities… If I see that
the stand up game is good to me, I’ll do it standing. If
I see I’m not in advantage, I try to take it to the ground.
I was ready to do that game, hunt him and waiting for him to
try to punch me and open his guard to put the right hand”.
With
the good victory, Silva says Lyoto Machida still is his focus,
but he won’t chose opponents. “I se myself as a tough
fighter. I’m back to competition and I won’t chose
fights. I’ll fight whoever UFC wants, but I’m looking
for my rematch. I’m reday to fight the best, I wanna be
the UFC champion”, said Thiago, revealing what Dana White
said after his victory. “He said he has good plans to me
and wants to see me fighting soon, so I’ll do my job. I’ll
be ready”.
Source: Tatame
|
Minotauro
speaks
Minotauro at post-UFC 102 press conference / Photo: Josh Hedges
Brazilian addresses historic bout with Couture
Rodrigo
Minotauro proved to those suggesting he was reaching retirement
that he’s still got some fuel in the tank to burn. At UFC
102, his was reminiscent of the performances that made his a
king in Pride and, always with a bit of drama – which made
it all the more exciting – he beat Randy Couture, a legend
of the sport. While still in the octagon, he asked for a shot
at Brock Lesnar, current heavyweight champion. At the post-fight
press conference, the president of the UFC left the Brazilian’s
next step up in the air, but, for the time being, his work is
done. Check out some of what Minotauro had to say after his important
win.
“I
just want to thank everyone who worked with me and Randy, a legend
of the sport. I’ve wanted to fight him for years; that was
always my dream. Dana White gave me this chance.”
“He
said he was ready to face me anywhere. My last fight was the
worst of my life, I was injured, I went to the hospital. Now
I was hungry. I used my Jiu-Jitsu, tried an arm triangle, but
this time my boxing skills worked and I knocked him down twice.
“I
tried my best, but Randy has great technique and escaped (from
the arm triangle). I had a bit of Vaseline on my gloves, from
my face and he escaped.”
“I
knew it would be hard to fight someone where they are from, because
of the home crowd. I was really focused for Randy, really concentrated
on this fight and just did my job.”
“Of
course this was one of the most important in my life. It was
not a title dispute, but a fight against one of my idols, a legend
of the sport. I watched Randy fight Vitor Belfort and Pedro Rizzo,
two heroes of the sport, so to me it was the most important of
my career.”
“When
people say you can’t do it any more, you have to go back
and prove you are still in the game and put on a great fight.
That’s what I did. I worked hard, I’d never trained
as much as I did for this one. I have a lot of respect for Randy,
so I trained a lot.”
“Before
my last fight I was in the hospital for seven days and also had
a problem with my meniscus, I had surgery after the fight. I
wasn’t well, but I didn’t run from the fight.”
Source: Gracie Magazine
|
UFC
heads to Brazil
Dana White confirms country should soon host the event
Nothing
would be more fitting. The president of the greatest MMA organization
around, Dana White confirmed the UFC is on course to return to
Brazil, the country of origin of several of the company’s
major stars and which has not received the event since 1998.
"I
don't know what date yet, but what we're starting to do is ramp
up down in Brazil right now," White said prior to this weekend's
UFC 102 event. "We just hired this big PR firm. We got a
television deal down there. The ratings are kicking ass,"
said White over the weekend, during which UFC 102 was held.
"We're
going to start getting a lot of these guys that deserve to be
seen and known by the Brazilian fans," he said. "That's
what we're working on now. That's our footprint. We go in there,
we start on free television, and then we bring a live event down,”
he added.
Source: MMA Weekly
|
How
much MMA is too much?
As
the Ultimate Fighting Championship, World Extreme Cagefighting
and Strikeforce in recent weeks have talked about expanding their
respective schedules next year, a question is raised: How much
mixed martial arts can be supplied before the demand is oversaturated?
A
couple years back, during another expansion phase, UFC owners
Dana White and Lorenzo Fertitta stated they didn’t believe
overexposure was a possibility. They cited the number of football
and basketball games that are played, and that those sports maintain
their popularity year after year.
Thus
far, they haven’t been proven wrong. UFC has expanded its
number of events every year in recent years, and as a business,
the sport is currently riding its highest wave of popularity.
But
in television, overexposure is a real thing. Whether talk shows,
game shows, or whatever is the hot thing in a given year, TV
is a world of a new concept getting hot, everyone copying it,
and quickly, people burn out on it. Remember the television show
“Who Wants to be a Millionaire?” It was the hottest
thing on television, so much so that at one point ABC ran it
four nights a week.
The
show burned out so fast it’s become a case study of something
being the victim of its success.
Many
credit these television cycles for the ups and downs of boxing
and pro wrestling – when the sports are popular, television
adds more hours, which can lead to overexposure and audience
burnout, which triggers a down business cycle.
When
UFC first started gaining in popularity in 2005 and 2006, many
dismissed it as a fad, but if that was the case, it would have
already started a decline.
UFC
set business records last year on pay-per-view, and its pace
this year will break last year’s marks by a wide margin.
But
even filet mignon can get tiresome if you eat it every night.
White has talked about a schedule that could have UFC doing shows
three weekends a month next year, particularly as they talk about
more overseas expansion. Strikeforce promoter Scott Coker said
that in 2010, they were planning on running 18-20 events between
Showtime and possibly CBS.
Some
will be low-key Challenger Series events designed to showcase
new stars, but the majority are expected to be star-laden major
events.
WEC
vice-president of operations Peter Dropick talked last week about
a schedule next year of 10 events on Versus and possibly a couple
of pay-per-views as well.
Based
on those numbers, there could be a live event on television or
pay-per-view virtually every weekend in 2010, and it’s inevitable
there will be nights with two live competing events.
That
much product has good and bad points. The bad is the more shows
companies put on, the more diluted the shows will become in terms
of top talent. The good is that there are more spots for fighters,
and with more time slots, that means more chances to make new
stars and organically create new matchups the public will want
to see. New stars and intriguing matchups are the life blood
of the sport’s future.
Right
now, with more shows than ever before, there isn’t any major
evidence of a problem developing. UFC had its most successful
show July 11 with 1.6 million buys, blowing away all previous
records as one of the five biggest pay-per-view events of any
sort in history.
They
came back Aug. 8 for a show that recorded an estimated 850,000
buys, a number that blew away even the most optimistic expectations.
And this is during a time of prolonged recession, where all the
other major pay-per-view events are showing declines over the
past few years. The Aug. 8 card also defied the lessons of boxing
and pro wrestling on pay-per-view, where shows that draw records
do not follow up with big numbers on the next show.
While
Strikeforce and WEC events have nowhere near the popularity of
UFC events, Showtime did set its record MMA rating on its most
recent show on Aug. 15, and that was with head-to-head opposition
of a UFC taped show attempting to siphon off some of the audience.
The most recent WEC show, on Aug. 9, coming the night after a
UFC show, headlined by Miguel Angel Torres’ bantamweight
title loss to Brian Bowles did the best rating Versus has ever
done for a show that didn’t feature top drawing card Urijah
Faber.
On
the other hand, UFC television ratings have not increased this
year. More people than ever are willing to pay to see the big
events, but are also willing to skip the free shows that aren’t
headlined by the big names.
MMA’s
attractiveness in the television world goes beyond its actual
ratings to its value to certain advertisers. With MMA, when it
comes to both live and televised events, an advertiser has access
to large audiences of men between the ages of 25-40. So while
it is not drawing the kind of ratings overall that the top mainstream
sports do on television, its ability to help sponsors hit a target
audience brings it greater value than shows that may draw more
actual viewers, but hit a wider variety of viewers.
UFC’s
most recent growth seems to have been fueled by the popularity
of its hit video game, UFC 2009 Undisputed. The game helped bolster
the fan base, as has increased media coverage of the major shows,
which in more and more places are being treated as legitimate
sporting events.
A
few years ago mainstream coverage treated MMA as an oddity and
novelty. MMA is still probably the most popular current sport
that creates a great generational divide, dismissed as a real
sport by most above a certain age, and accepted without question
as a sport by most under that age. But if you look back even
two years, the level of change in coverage and attitudes is astounding,
and that is almost sure to continue as the sport puts down roots
in the culture.
As
things stand, television wants more MMA next year. It’s
a good thing for the sport’s growth until it hits the point
of sensory overload. We aren’t too far from finding out
if weekly major events will establish yet a new level of success,
or if the sport will be victimized by its own success.
Source: Yahoo Sports
|
Notes:
Fast shot puts Marquardt back on map
PORTLAND,
Ore. – There are two ways to the top in the Ultimate Fighting
Championship.
There
are fighters who get the job done in the octagon, click with
the crowd and use their charisma to turn into ticket/pay-per-view
sellers and are put on the fast track to stardom.
Then
there is the other category of headliners: guys who lack glitz
but force their way to the top through hard work and flawless
execution. Saturday night at the Rose Garden, middleweight Nate
Marquardt reminded the mixed martial arts world he belongs in
the latter category.
Marquardt
(29-8-2), the former Japanese King of Pancrase champion, isn’t
flashy, isn’t boastful and doesn’t talk trash. But
the veteran made his case for a shot at Anderson Silva’s
title with a devastating knockout of previously unbeaten Demian
Maia at UFC 102.
Maia
(12-1), who is known for a superior jiu-jitsu game but untested
standup, appeared to be winding up for a high kick or knee in
the opening seconds. Unfortunately for the Brazilian, he left
himself wide open for a nasty right hand that landed flush on
the jaw, dropping Maia to the mat.
Seeing
Maia knocked silly, Marquardt cocked his fist but held off on
a follow-up. Referee Dave Hagen stopped the fight at 21 seconds.
“We
looked at the tapes and saw some things he did with his kicks,”
said Marquardt. “I injured myself about two weeks before
the fight and I knew I wasn’t going to be able to do some
of my usual counters, so we just decided if that happened, I’ll
come right in with the overhand right.” The victory puts
the Wyoming native back in the mix for a shot at Silva’s
middleweight title. Marquardt got a crack at the crown two years
ago at UFC 73, but was TKO’d in the first round. Since then,
Marquardt has won four of five fights, the only loss a controversial
decision against Thales Leites in which Marquardt was docked
two points for fouls and lost a split decision.
After
the match, UFC president Dana White indicated he hasn’t
made up his mind on who will face Silva next. Dan Henderson,
whom Silva defeated at UFC 82, also seems ready for a rematch.
White would also not rule out placing Marquardt and Henderson
in a No. 1 contender match.
But
Marquardt told the crowd his opinions right after the fight,
coming as close to trash talk as you’re ever going to hear:
“If you want someone to go in there and kick Anderson Silva’s
butt, then give the title shot to me.”
Redemption
for Silva: Thiago Silva has lived for seven months with the memories
of a brutal knockout loss. At January’s UFC 94, Silva was
on the wrong end of a bad knockout at the hands of current light
heavyweight champion Lyoto Machida.
But
Silva rebounded from his only career loss with a quick victory
over the tough Keith Jardine on Saturday night. Jardine left
his hands low and charged in after Silva, who met him with a
crushing left to the jaw. Silva landed three more punches before
it became clear the grounded Jardine wasn’t defending. Referee
Herb Dean called it at 1:35.
“It
was a long way to come back after the last loss,” Silva
said through an interpreter. “Jardine is a tough guy and
a unique fighter and I’m just glad I got the win.”
The
victory ensures the hard-hitting Silva stays in the hunt at light
heavyweight. Twelve of his 13 victories have been via finish,
including all five of his UFC wins.
“Thiago’s
a beast,” said White. “We know how tough Jardine is.
Realistically, his loss was to Lyoto Machida. The light heavyweight
division has so many good guys, and he’s right up there.”
As
for Jardine, the loss likely signals the end of his run as a
UFC pay-per-view co-headliner. While he’ll no doubt have
a spot on the card as long as he wants due to his hard-fighting
style, he has now lost three of his past four fights, two via
first-round knockout.
Tough
night for the locals: Despite a raucous pro-Oregon crowd, which
turned the decibels up to rock-concert levels for the main event,
combatants with local ties mostly came up short Saturday night.
Eugene’s Evan Dunham opened the night with a unanimous decision
victory over Marcus Aurelio, but former “Ultimate Fighter”
contestants and Portland natives Ed Herman and Chris Leben both
lost, in addition to main eventer Randy Couture. Herman blew
out his knee in a second-round loss to Aaron Simpson, and Leben
thrilled the crowd with his wild-brawling style before leaving
himself open for a third-round arm triangle by Jake Rosholt,
who is from Sand Point, Idaho, just a six-hour drive from Portland.
“I
had to block it out, man,” said Rosholt of the Portland
crowd. “Right from the beginning they started chanting,
‘Leben, Leben.’ They were real loud. I just had to
block it out and stick to my game plan. Fortunately I at least
was able to have some of my friends and family make the drive.”
Bury
the tape: Gabriel Gonzaga’s first-round TKO victory over
Chris Tuscherer isn’t likely to find its way onto any of
the UFC’s “Best of” DVDs. Seconds into the fight,
Gonzaga connected on an accidental low blow that would have impressed
most NFL kickers with its accuracy and power. The debuting Tuscherer,
who was cornered by UFC heavyweight champion Brock Lesnar, needed
the full five minutes of recovery time. At one point, a bucket
was brought into the cage for fear that Tuscherer was going to
vomit.
While
Tuscherer earns points for continuing, he then took a pounding
from Gonzaga, including a wicked head kick, before referee Dave
Hagen called it at 2:57. The nature of the victory makes it hard
to judge either fighter’s future. Gonzaga is 11-4 overall
but is 3-3 in his past six fights, winning against lesser names
and losing when he has stepped up in competition. The victory
likely gives him another shot at a name foe.
Quoteworthy:
“He found me in the back and he said, ‘I want to fight
again right away. I want to fight good guys. I want to be on
the fast track.’ He’s fired up.” – UFC president
Dana White on unbeaten Todd Duffee, who set a UFC record for
fastest knockout when he stopped Tim Hague in seven seconds.
Source: Yahoo Sports
|
WOODLEY
VS. LIGHT ADDED TO SEPT. 25 STRIKEFORCE
Budding superstar and two-time All-American wrestler at the University
of Missouri Tyron “T-Wood'' Woodley (5-0) of St. Louis,
will face his sternest test to date when he meets former Tito
Ortiz protégé Zach “The Lisbon Outlaw'' Light
(4-8) of Huntington Beach, Calif., in a welterweight (170 pounds)
fight at the Strikeforce Challengers event in Tulsa, Okla., on
Sept. 25.
The
three-round mixed martial arts (MMA) encounter at SpiritBank
Event Center will be one of the five fights televised live on
Showtime.
It
will be the second Strikeforce start for Woodley, the 11th of
13 children raised mostly by a single mother. In an impressive
debut, he registered a first round submission by Brabo choke
over Sal Woods during the non-televised portion of the “Lawler
vs. Shields'' event at Scottrade Center in St. Louis, Mo., on
June 6, 2009.
A
popular up-and-comer, the 5-foot-9, 27-year-old Woodley has been
victorious by submission in all of his outings since turning
pro on Feb. 27, 2009. His initial two starts lasted a combined
1:57 and he has yet to hear the bell for the second round.
“I'm
really excited to be fighting in the Challengers series on Showtime,''
he said. “Any time a major organization like Strikeforce
calls you've got to seize the opportunity. I'm trying to break
down doors.''
Before
turning to MMA, the talented Woodley was Missouri's first conference
wrestling champion. He went 48-0 and won a state championship
during his senior year at McCluer High in St. Louis.
So,
this is a young man accustomed to winning. But he had to overcome
a lot, and his teenage years were definitely a struggle after
his father left the family behind when “T-Wood'' was 10.
“My
mom deserves credit,'' said Woodley, who not only persevered
but also reconciled with his dad. “I learned a lot. Having
that many people in the house with limited resources made me
a better person.''
While
still relatively unknown outside St. Louis, the highly regarded
newcomer remains one to watch. “I continue to work hard
on whatever it takes that I can incorporate into my wrestling
style that will make me better,'' said Woodley, who credits the
birth of his son, Tyron Jr., as a turning point in his life.
“I just want to improve. My goal is to look completely different
every fight.
“I'm
an experienced wrestler, but a baby in MMA. The most important
thing is to be able to go out and compete without hesitation.
If I do that, I'll win. In MMA, I get into that zone. I'm able
to block things out. Hopefully, that will become routine for
me. There's a lot more at stake every fight.
“But
sometimes it doesn't matter who's the best; it's who wants it
the most. Good people lose all the time. To go out there and
take by force what's yours is not something you get to do in
every sport.''
Light
was born and raised in Lisbon, Iowa. On the comeback trail, the
5-foot-8, 35-year-old also possesses a strong wrestling pedigree
and has trained with one of the biggest names in the sport. __“I
moved to California with nothing but a duffle bag and ended up
meeting Tito,'' said Light, who hopes to shine brightly in his
first appearance before a paying audience since Nov. 11, 2008.
“After getting to know me, he offered me a spot on Team
Punishment.”
In
the main event on Sept. 25, American military hero Tim Kennedy
(10-2) of Fayetteville, N.C., will face unbeaten Zak Cummings
(10-0) of Springfield, Mo., in a middleweight (185 pounds) scrap.
In
a second Showtime fight, K-1 legend and six-time world kickboxing
champion, Ray “Sugarfoot” Sefo (1-0) of Las Vegas takes
on Alabama-born Kevin “The Shaman” Jordan (11-7) in
a heavyweight match.
SpiritBank
Event Center doors will open at 7:15 p.m. CT for the Strikeforce
Challengers event and the first preliminary bout will begin at
8 p.m.
Amongst
the Oklahomans scheduled to appear on the card are Tulsa rivals
Travis “The Dark Knight” Calanoc (4-0) and Thomas Longacre
(4-0), who will put their unbeaten records on the line against
each.
The
live Showtime telecast will begin at 11 p.m. ET/PT (delayed on
the west coast).
Source: MMA Weekly
|
Quote
of the Day
“Of
all the joys of life which may fairly come under the head of
recreation there is nothing more great, more refreshing, more
beneficial in the widest sense of the word, than a real love
of the beauty of the world.”
Edward Grey, 1st Viscount Grey of Fallodon
|
NOGUEIRA
TOPS UFC 102 SALARIES
MMAWeekly has obtained fighter salary information from the Oregon
State Athletic Commission for UFC 102 featuring Randy Couture
vs. Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira, which took place on Saturday, August
29, at the Rose Garden in Portland, Ore.
The
following figures are based on the fighter salary information
that promoters are required by law to submit to the state athletic
commissions, including the winners' bonuses.
Although
mixed martial arts fighters do not have collective bargaining
or a union, the fighters' salaries are still public record, just
as with every other major sport in the United States. Any undisclosed
bonuses that a promoter also pays its fighters, but does not
disclose to the athletic commissions (specifically, pay-per-view
bonuses, fight of the night bonuses, etc.), are not included
in the figures below.
In
the listings below, "Main Event Fighters" are defined
as fighters who compete in the main event of a show. "Main
Card Fighters" are defined as fighters whose fights appear
on the main card, but not in the main event. "Preliminary
Card Fighters" are defined as fighters whose matches take
place before the live broadcast goes on the air, regardless of
whether or not those matches end up airing on the TV or Internet
broadcast.
MAIN
EVENT FIGHTERS
–
Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira ($400,000/includes win bonus of $150,000)
def. Randy Couture ($250,000)
*Nogueira and Couture also earned an extra $60,000 for “UFC
102 Fight of the Night”
MAIN
CARD FIGHTERS
–
Thiago Silva ($58,000/includes win bonus of $29,000) def. Keith
Jardine ($55,000)
–
Jake Rosholt ($26,000/includes win bonus of $13,000) def. Chris
Leben ($30,000)
*Rosholt also earned an extra $60,000 for “UFC 102 Submission
of the Night”
–
Nate Marquardt ($80,000/includes win bonus of $40,000) def. Demian
Maia ($28,000)
*Marquardt also earned an extra $60,000 for “UFC 102 Knockout
of the Night”
–
Brandon Vera ($70,000/includes win bonus of $35,000) def. Krzystzof
Soszynski ($8,000)
PRELIMINARY
CARD FIGHTERS
–
Aaron Simpson ($18,000/includes win bonus of $9,000) def. Ed
Herman ($24,000)
–
Gabriel Gonzaga ($120,000/includes win bonus of $60,000) def.
Chris Tuchscherer ($10,000)
–
Mike Russow ($20,000/includes win bonus of $10,000) def. Justin
McCully ($15,000)
–
Todd Duffee ($10,000/includes win bonus of $5,000) def. Tim Hague
($7,000)
–
Mark Munoz ($24,000/includes win bonus of $12,000) def. Nick
Catone ($5,000)
–
Evan Dunham ($14,000/includes win bonus of $7,000) def. Marcus
Aurelio ($13,000)
UFC
102 DISCLOSED FIGHTER PAYROLL: $1,285,000
UFC
102 AWARD BONUSES
(as disclosed by UFC president Dana White)
Each fighter received a $60,000 bonus for the following awards.
Fight
of the Night:
– Randy Couture and Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira
Knockout
of the Night:
– Nate Marquardt
Submission
of the Night:
– Jake Rosholt
Source: MMA Weekly
|
Paulo
Filho
Back
to victories at Dream, submitting Melvin Manhoef in the first
round, Paulo Filho is ready for Alex Shoenauer at Bitetti Combat
4, but already aims tougher challenges overseas. With Dream’s
new partnership with Strikeforce, the black belt eyes Gegard
Mousasi, who knocked Renato Babalu Sobral out to become the new
light heavyweight champion. In the exclusive interview, the black
belt remembered that he and Mousasi were in the same Pride tournament,
but Mousasi was submitted got out when he was submitted by Gono,
commented the training for Bitetti Combat, Dream’s partnership
with Strikeforce and more.
How
are the training to fight at Bitetti Combat?
Everything
alright. He trains with a friend of mine, Sérgio Penha,
and we’ll check it out. I’m prepared, I’m gonna
fight in my weight (205), I’ll be stronger… We won’t
move back, we’ll go there to finish.
In
the ground, do you think you’re in advantage?
That’s
complicated, because maybe he has that secret move that can surprise
me. I’m a long time away from the jiu-jitsu competitions,
I didn’t have enough time to gat back all that knowledge
that I had when I was 20, but I think I’m still gonna give
trouble to a lot of guys. I consider my ground game superior
to anyone’s in any division.
With
Dream’s partnership with Strikeforce, will you be back to
the US?
I
wanna fight now at 205lbs, and I’d like to fight Mousasi.
He fought at my GP at Pride, the one that I unfortunately injured
against Misaki. He knows me, he knows that it’s a whole
different thing. It’s good to know that Strikeforce has
this partnership with Dream…I wanna fight Mousasi and show
that with against me is a whole different thing… He doesn’t
have my strength, he doesn’t have my level on the ground.
He can be a better striker, but he doesn’t have my strength
and he’ll go down once and be submitted.
Did
you watched his fight against Babalu?
Yes,
and I thought that he disrespect Babalu… He were there making
fun of him and Babalu got nervous. He’s well trained, but
I don’t think he’s healthy enough to beat me…
If he wins, I don’t even want my salary. But I guarantee
he’ll be beaten more than he was against (Akihiro) Gono.
The
his fight against Ronaldo Jacaré at Dream’s GP?
That
was totally accidental, (Jacaré) tried a super man punch
and got an up kick, but until then it was easy for Jacaré.
I don’t this he has strength enough to beat me, he’d
need to eat a lot more.
Source: Tatame
|
Vitor
Belfort
Even
with Anderson Silva’s declaration, criticizing Vitor Belfort,
the “Phenom” will be back to the UFC octagon focusing
only in Rich Franklin. But the former UFC light heavyweight champion
guarantees he doesn’t have any problem with the UFC champion.
In the exclusive interview, Belfort said he’d fight anyone,
leaving an open way to the UFC make a rematch between him and
Wanderlei Silva, besides commenting his training with Gegard
Mousasi, the Armenian’s knockout victory over Renato Sobral,
the possibility of moving to the US and Rodrigo Nogueira’s
fight against Randy Couture, next weekend.
How
were the training with Kelly Slater?
Man,
we did a MMA training… He loves fights. We knew each other
ten years ago and have so friends, some guys from fight, then
he spoke with me and said he’d like to train with me.
I
heard some rumors that you had trained with Mousasi. Is that
true?
We
trained once, yes. It was cool, we did a very great training.
He’s a good and cool guy. He’s young, has a huge future
in this sport. I thought (his last fight) was great, very good…
He surprised everybody. He’s very fast, a dangerous guy.
And
your training to go back to the UFC? Where are you training?
Where
I always trained for my fights, at Xtreme Couture with Shawn
Thompinks and some sparrings from here. I’m not training
with Randy, even because he’s gonna fight a guy who I love
(Rodrigo Minotauro), and here everybody has his own training.
From Brazil, I bring Jaime, Vinícius, my karate coaches,
and some guys who train with me.
How
is the life in the US?
If
you want the gold, you have to buy the field. Nothing comes in
life without sacrifice. It’s hard for the kids to understand
that… I try to explain to them, but it happens again and
again. If I need to come here more, I’m gonna buy a house
here, so they’re gonna come with me.
Do
you plan moving to the US?
I
don’t say move, but have a base here.
Talking
about Couture, you fought him and trained with him, besides training
with Rodrigo. What do you think Minotauro should be careful in
the fight?
He
(Randy) will do the same game, try to control Rodrigo and do
his game. I think Rodrigo will try to go for a submission and
impose his rhythm, and Couture will try to annul his game. It’s
gonna be a very studied fight, they can’t do any mistake,
but I think Rodrigo has more weapons. Now, it’s wait and
see what’s gonna happen.
Will
you go there to watch it live?
No,
because I’m training hard here and won’t be able to
go there.
You’re
coming back to the UFC to face Rich Franklin in a catchweight.
After this fight, will you go to 185 or 205 divisions?
I’ll
go down, even because my normal weight is this, 195, 190…I
don’t need to cut a lot anymore, so it doesn’t make
sense go to 205.
How
do you see your weight in the UFC now, with big names as Anderson
Silva, Dan Henderson, Demian Maia, Wanderlei Silva, Nate Marquardt…
There’s
a lot of good guys, which is great. The level is high and that’s
good, makes the sport more entertainment. It’s good to face
guys like that, good, great champions.
When
UFC announced your return, you and Anderson Silva were involved
in some polemical, when he criticized you. Were you surprised
with that?
The
problem is that Anderson has too much people around him. I like
him, I still like him after everything he said. I still cheer
for him, but I think he has a lot of people around him. A great
champion, everybody clapping hands, tipping, a lot of gossipy…
I can’t take it to the personal area, because I know we’re
gonna stop fighting one day and what we’re gonna take home
is our character, our values. The guys were thinking about this
fight and maybe he were upset about it, too, but we can’t
pick up fights. That’s a fight I wouldn’t like to do,
for sure. I like him a lot, no matter what he says.
Do
you think this situation started when you went to the UFC in
his division, like when Wanderlei Silva decided to move down
to middleweight?
Maybe
yes… I think Anderson’s identity, today, is related
to his belt. As a champion, he shouldn’t take it to the
personal side. His identity is not in his belt, it’s in
his values. If he’s threatened, he takes it to the personal
side. Nobody has nothing against him… I cheer for him a
lot, admire him, I know nothing he has were easy to get, I saw
him conquering everything. I can’t let the champion syndrome
be over him… He has to remain the same person he is, simple.
Coming
back to the UFC in Wanderlei’s division, the fans are already
thinking about a rematch. How do you face that?
Look,
now I can’t think anything else besides Rich Franklin, but,
for sure, this possibility exists. Wanderlei is professional,
I’m too, we’re here to work.
Source: Tatame
|
COUTURE
INKS NEW DEAL TO FINISH CAREER IN UFC
Five-time UFC champion Randy Couture on Saturday evening inked
a new six-fight contract that will replace a three-fight deal
he signed in September 2008 after a contentious 11-month absence
from the promotion.
At
a Thursday press conference promoting UFC 102, UFC president
Dana White hinted at a contract extension, saying he wanted to
keep the beloved champion in the fold until retirement, whenever
that came.
At
the post-fight press conference for the Pacific Northwest event,
White confirmed the deal, stating, “(Couture) will be with
us for a lot more fights.”
Couture
said he would end his career in the Octagon, adding the term
of the deal was for 28 months.
Couture’s
decision loss Saturday to Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira served as
the first obligation of the contract. Couture representative
Sam Spira on Saturday evening declined to discuss the terms of
the deal, but confirmed its existence.
Matt
Walker, Couture’s agent, said the deal was “a great
showing of respect to an icon of the sport.”
One
source with knowledge of the negotiations MMAWeekly.com spoke
with said the contract could be valued at the same amount the
UFC allegedly offered Fedor Emelianenko following Affliction
Entertainment’s collapse.
Couture
said he would let the dust settle from this fight before deciding
his next challenge, which could be another bout at heavyweight
or a possible return to light heavyweight.
“Whatever
he wants to do, I’m in,” said White.
Source: MMA Weekly
|
WHO'S
THE NO. 1 UFC MIDDLEWEIGHT CONTENDER?
The
top contender picture in the middleweight division seemed somewhat
clear after Dan Henderson knocked out Michael Bisping, but the
water got murky again when Nate Marquardt put away previously
undefeated Brazilian Demian Maia at UFC 102 on Saturday night.
With one punch Marquardt placed himself directly in the thick
of things for a shot at champion Anderson Silva.
Marquardt
was an odds on favorite heading into the fight, but few expected
the Colorado resident to finish the grappling expert with one
punch less than 30 seconds into the bout.
The
questions started immediately following UFC 102 about where Marquardt's
win places him in relation to a title shot.
"I
think he looked great tonight," UFC president Dana White
said during the post fight press conference. "Obviously
those are the kinds of punches you see in movies, that stuff
usually isn't real, in video games or something. It was an unbelievable
shot. He looked great and I have to figure this thing out now."
Not
taking anything away from Dan Henderson, White was still unsure
about the 185-pound title picture and who would be the next up
for a rematch with Silva.
"Obviously
they're both in the mix for a title shot against Anderson,"
White said of Marquardt and Silva.
Crushing
a top ten level opponent like Demian Maia, Marquardt was happy
with his performance. He says he's okay whether he gets the next
crack at the champion or if he was to go through Henderson first.
"I
don’t really care who I fight next," said Marquardt.
"I want to fight the best opponents, and I feel like I'm
going to get my shot when it's my time. Doesn't have to be next.
I'd be glad if it was next, but whatever's next I'm excited for."
One
thing that has been brought up by several members of the media,
as well as Anderson Silva himself, is putting Henderson and Marquardt
in against each other to prove who the true number one middleweight
contender is.
White
didn't rule out the possibility of the match-up, but did say
that despite the Nevada State Athletic Commission recently passing
a rule allowing five-round non-title bouts, the UFC doesn’t
intend to partake in such bouts at this time.
Nate
Marquardt definitely didn't make the decision any easier for
the UFC to pick who’s next for Anderson Silva, but he definitely
made a strong case that he belongs at the top of the list.
Source: MMA Weekly
|
UFC
102 MEDICAL SUSPENSIONS
The Oregon State Athletic Commission on Sunday released medical
suspensions following Saturday's UFC 102 at the Rose Garden in
Portland, Ore.
Twelve
fighters were given suspensions above the state's mandatory seven
day term.
Portland
resident Ed Herman received the most serious term. He is suspended
indefinitely for a knee injury he sustained in the second round
of his fight with Aaron Simpson on the event's undercard.
Here
is a complete list of fighters on the disabled list:
Randy
Couture: Suspended for 30 days
Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira: Suspended for 30 days
Keith
Jardine: Suspended for 30 days
Thiago Silva: Suspended for 7 days
Chris
Leben: Suspended for 30 days. He must have a CT scan of facial
bones to rule out fracture.
Jake Rosholt: Suspended for 7 days
Demian
Maia: Suspended for 21 days
Nate Marquardt: Suspended for 7 days
Krzysztof
Soszynski: Suspended for 30 days (Laceration)
Brandon Vera: Suspended for 7 days
Ed
Herman: Suspended indefinitely for injury to left knee. Referred
to doctor for MRI.
Aaron Simpson: Suspended 7 days
Chris
Tuchscherer: Suspended for 45 days (Laceration)
Gabriel Gonzaga: Suspended for 7 days
Justin
McCully: Suspended for 30 days (Referred to emergency room for
evaluation of left eye)
Mike Russow: Suspended for 7 days
Tim
Hague: Suspended for 60 days
Todd Duffee: Suspended for 7 days
Mark
Munoz: Suspended for 30 days (Right elbow sprain)
Nick Catone: Suspended for 7 days
Marcus
Aurelio: Suspended for 14 days
Evan Dunham: Suspended for 7 days
Source: MMA Weekly
|
A
party for Mino, incentive for Demian
Bitetti comments on epic bout between Nogueira and Couture
Always
by the side of the brothers Nogueira, or at least in the first
row by the ring, Amaury Bitetti was overjoyed with the victory
of friend Antonio Rodrigo “Minotauro”, in what is already
a historic battle against Randy Couture, at UFC 102 in Portland,
Oregon.
After
the Brazilian’s triumph over the UFC legend, Amaury spoke
to GRACIEMAG.com. “Minotauro’s preparations were burly.
He had two months of breathing, cardio, all kinds of work. [Luiz]
Dorea didn’t leave Mino’s side for two months. Luiz
Alvez came along and added shine to the training. Aside from
that, there was the work we did together, Minotauro, Ramon Lemos
and I. That made the difference. The guy [Couture] is no kid.
Much to the contrary. He’s strong, has a tough neck, is
a world champion… He’s no dummy,” said the two-time
absolute champion of Jiu-Jitsu.
To
the black belt, Minotauro did great standing, thanks to the luxury
assistance of Anderson Silva and trusty sidekick Dorea. “His
boxing was much better, thanks to Anderson Silva and Dorea. And
his ground was flawless. He stabilized, didn’t lose a position.
He was fine tuned,” he said jovially. On Minotauro’s
shot at the title, Bitetti has faith in his chances champion
Brock Lesnar: “It will be a great battle like this one against
Couture,” he said.
Bitetti
also made a point of providing incentive to Demian Maia, who
on the night tasted defeat for the first time in his MMA career.
To Bitetti, the Brazilian knows how to derive lessons from the
lightning-quick knockout. “This defeat happens to everyone.
Demian has to stand tall. I know he’ll make his comeback.
He has a great team behind him, Wanderlei, Lopes, Alejarra. But
that’s all in the past. Now he needs to think to the future.
It was a setback but he’s strong. He has a great head on
his shoulders,” said Amaury in finishing.
Source: Gracie Magazine
|
King
Mo KOs Kerr
Fedor submits Mousasi in exhibition match
Held
Friday night, M-1 Breakthrough saw Mohammed “King Mo”
Lawal knock out Mark Kerr just 25 seconds into the evening’s
main event. In the exhibition match between Fedor Emelianenko
and Gegard Mousasi, the Russian managed to apply an armbar on
the Strikeforce light heavyweight champion.
Check
out the results:
Mohammed
"King Mo" Lawal knocked out Mark Kerr 0.25 min into
R1
Fedor Emelianenko submitted Gegard Mousasi in an exhibition match
Karl Amoussou submitted John Doyle by rear-naked-choke at 3:15
in of R1
Lúcio Linhares submitted Mikhail Zayats by rear-naked-choke
at 1:00 of R1
Jessie Gibbs defeated Rob Broughton by unanimous decision
Michael Kitta submitted Lloyd "Kadillac" Marshbanks
with strikes at 1:50 min of R1
Daisuke Nakamura defeated Ferrid Kheder by unanimous decision
Rogent Lloret drew with Alexey Oleinik
Eric Marriott defeated Tim Bazer by unanimous decision
Sean Wilson knocked out Josh Arocho at 3:05min of R1
Rudy Bears defeated Brendan Seguin via TKO (strikes) at 1:01min
of R2
Molly Ahlers-Estes defeated Andrea Caplan by TKO (referee intervention)
at the end of 1R
Source: Gracie Magazine
|
STRIKEFORCE
RISING STAR JAMES TERRY
As the war for established talent continues to heat up between
Strikeforce and the UFC, the development of young talent could
be key in the future continued success of both companies.
Among
the next generation of stars coming up through the Strikeforce
ranks is welterweight Cung Le product James Terry.
A
former champion in the smaller Cage Combat promotion, Terry debuted
for Strikeforce earlier this year, and has won both his fights
for the company, including a second straight victory over Zak
Bucia on the undercard of the Aug. 15 Showtime: Carano vs. Cyborg.
“I
thought I performed well,” Terry told MMAWeekly.com of his
win. “I didn’t get injured, and my opponent didn’t
get injured. I won with a spectacular knockout, so I’m excited.”
As
Terry points out, while he’s happy his performance made
him a standout for the evening, it was just as important to get
a win like that for the sake of his career.
“I
think definitely it’s important at Strikeforce for me to
impress the promoters, but at the same time, in my career I’ve
had just five decisions in seven wins. For me in Strikeforce,
my future there and in my career to grow as a fighter (it was
important) to get that finish,” he stated.
“Show
myself that I can be confident in my striking, because if I am
confident, look what happens.”
Terry
hopes to return to action before the end of the year against
increasingly difficult opposition, like who he was originally
slated to face on Aug. 15.
“I
have a contract for two more fights with Strikeforce, but nothing
was discussed who my future opponent would be,” commented
Terry.
“I
was supposed to fight Jason Von Flue, but it was changed at the
last minute because he broke his orbital bone in a previous fight
like three weeks before the Strikeforce event. Maybe if he heals
up, I’ll fight him, but really I honestly haven’t heard
anything.”
Terry
reiterates that it’s time for him to take the next step
up, so it may be tougher competition or nothing in his mind.
“I
don’t know who the up and coming fighters are in my weight
class,” he admitted. “I focus on myself and the things
I’m going to do.
“I
obviously know the top-notch guys in Strikeforce from 170-180
(pounds), and I’m definitely looking to step it up and fight
tougher competition and get up to the big show where I’m
fighting in main events for title contention.”
The
coming years could begin to see the shift of veteran fighters
stepping away from the spotlight and the next generation stepping
into it.
If
Strikeforce wishes continued success if that future comes true,
it will need the services of Terry and his contemporaries.
“I’d
like to thank BR Flooring, Ameritech Capital, Key Chiropractic,
MTP Release, and GFY Gear,” he concluded. “I’ll
be back this year and looking to improve on the performance I
had in my last fight, and I’m going to step up in competition
as well.”
Source: MMA Weekly
|
Quote
of the Day
“The
way I see it, If you want the rainbow sometimes you gotta put
up with the rain.”
Dolly Parton
|
Fighters'
Club TV Tonight!
Channel
52
NEW TIME of 8:00 PM!
If
you are not on the Onzuka.com Hawaii Ground forum, you are missing
the latest news from upcoming events, get to rub elbows with
numerous promoters and fighters, and get to voice your opinion
on any subject you can dream up. Hit the links above to sign
up for a free account and start posting away!
|
UP
N UP 3
NEAL BLAISDELL
CENTER
SATURDAY, SEPT 12, 2009
AURYTE! HERE WE GO AGAIN....
BRINGING
THE HEAT ONCE AGAIN!
ALL
THE WAY FROM THE VALLEY ISLE...
COMING
TO OAHU SEPTEMBER 12 TO THE NEAL BLAISDELL CENTER...
THE
CAGE IS BACK...
UP
N UP 3.....OAHU ARE YOU READY!
HERE ARE SOME CONFIRMED FIGHTS...THERE ARE MORE CRAZY FIGHTS
IN THE MAKING...WE'LL KEEP U IN SUSPENSE!?
MAIN
EVENT-UP N UP HEAVYWEIGHT BELT
Lolohea Mahe vs Ruben "Warpath" Villareal
145
CHAMPIONSHIP FIGHT
UNDEFEATED Brandon Visher 15-0 vs Issac De Jesus 11-0
170
Koa Ramos vs Dylan Clay
135
Mark Oshiro vs Rick McCorkell
155
Harris Sarmiento vs Michael Brightmon
170
Zane Kamaka vs Chris Cisneros
145
Jay Bolos vs Colin Mackenzie
135
Brysen Hansen vs Van Oscar Penaveroff
145
Matt Comeau vs Tyler Kahihikolo
we
are in the process of confrming opponents for:
Falaniko Vitale
and many more...
Undefeated Issac De Jesus (11-0) replaces injured Eddie Yagin
in Up N Up Main Event fight against Hawaii’s undefeated
Brandon Visher (15-0) in Honolulu Hawaii on September 12th ,2009.
HONOLULU,
HI August 25, 2009 - Undefeated rising mixed martial arts (MMA)
star Issac De Jesus (11-0) from Stockton, California, will replace
injured Eddie Yagin in the Up N Up Main Event bout with Hawaii’s
top ranked and also undefeated champion Brandon Visher (15-0)
from Kula, Maui at the Neil Blaisdell Center in Honolulu Hawaii
on Saturday, September 12th.
The
flawless record of Brandon Visher will truly be tested in this
amazing match up with Strikeforce veteran Issac De Jesus. Both
fighters have no blemishes on their record, this fight will ensure
that someone’s “0” must go.
BRANDON
VISHER: “I expect him to come into this fight in shape,
strong and ready to leave undefeated but I'm willing to do the
same. Hopefully he brings it. ...lets hope he's ready for a warm
808 welcome. ...bring your best I'll bring mine and Aloha!”
ISSAC
DE JESUS: “I expect him to come out proud….but I’m
a surprising fighter and I’m coming in there for the same
reasons he is. There’s a belt on the line. I’m undefeated
and I don’t want to loose.”
Another
one of Hawaii’s top ranked fighters, Mark Oshiro, will be
taking on Felipe Chavez who is a younger relative to the UFC
powerhouse Diego Sanchez. Oshiro has proven himself to be “the”
man to beat in Hawaii as a veteran of EliteXC and Icon Sport.
This should be a true test for both men on September 12th.
Undefeated
Koa Ramos will be taking on Hawaii’s #1 ranked Dylan Clay
on the Up N Up main card. Ramos has made a splash in Hawaii with
dominating performances in X-1 and Icon Sport while Dylan Clay
has also been making his force known through X-1 and M-1. Both
are highly regarded in Hawaii and this fight will solidify who
deserves to be on top of the rankings in the 170lbs division.
Rounding
out the Marquee card is Harris Sarmiento vs. Michael Brightmon.
The touted technical skills of Sarmiento will clash with the
brute force of Brightmon in this extremely anticipated bout that
will no doubt please the fans. Sarmiento is a true veteran of
MMA fighting such names as Nick Diaz, Jason Dent, KJ Noons, Roger
Huerta, Shane Nelson, Gilbert Melendez, Josh Thomson and Billy
Evangelista. With wins over former WEC Champ “Razor”
Rob McCullough. Brightmon is an unbeaten powerhouse who is a
definite up and comer in the sport who took out UFC veteran Anthony
Torres.
The
Up N Up event at the Neil Blaisdell Center on September 12th
is stacked with some of the best MMA fights a fan could ask for.
Tickets
for the event, priced from $15, are on sale at the Blaisdell
Arena box office, all Times Supermarket locations (1-800-745-3000),
and Ticketmaster online (www.Ticketmaster.com) http://www.ticketmaster.com/Up-N-Up-Extreme-Cage-Fighting-tickets/artist/1353209
WHAT:
UPNUP 3 Extreme Cage Fighting
WHEN:
September 12, 2009
WHERE:
Blaisdell Arena, Honolulu, Hawaii
CONTACTS:
MEDIA
CREDENTIALS
info@mmahawaii.com
(808)
944-6552
PROMOTER
EMAIL:
nexcoastapparel@yahoo.com
PHONE:
(808) 357-8645
Source: MMA Hawaii |
EASY
PICKS FOR $60,000 BONUSES AT UFC 102
As the UFC wrapped up its first show in Portland, Ore., the post
fight bonuses were all no brainers to the fans watching the show.
UFC president Dana White announced that each fighter garnering
honors earned a $60,000 bonus for his efforts.
"Fight
of the Night" landed in the laps of heavyweight icons Antonio
Rodrigo Nogueira and Randy Couture. The two battled through three
rounds with the Brazilian coming out on top of a phenomenal fight.
Nate
Marquardt may have earned a shot at middleweight champion Anderson
Silva with his performance, but he definitely got the $60,000
bonus for "Knockout of the Night," decimating Demian
Maia on Saturday night.
Battling
through two tough rounds against hometown hero Chris Leben, it
was former NCAA champion wrestler Jake Rosholt who picked up
the "Submission of the Night" with a head and arm triangle
that put the former "Ultimate Fighter" to sleep to
get the win.
The
card brought 16,088 fans into the Rose Garden Arena for the show,
with a live gate of $1.92 million. The gate was one of the top
five in Oregon history for a live event.
Source: MMA Weekly
|
Couture,
Nogueira show off staying power
PORTLAND,
Ore. – Randy Couture signed a six-fight contract extension
early Saturday afternoon, so he’s clearly not going anywhere
despite his 46 years and his loss to Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira
in the main event of UFC 102 at the Rose Garden.
And
Nogueira, who seemed much older than his 33 years in December
when he was walloped by Frank Mir, made a statement of his own.
Nogueira
was a little bit better than Couture in every aspect on Saturday,
pounding out a unanimous decision in a rousing battle that was
chosen as the show’s Fight of the Night. It was the second
consecutive loss for Couture, but his age clearly wasn’t
an issue. He was beaten on this night by a guy who was highly
motivated to quiet his critics.
“I
never worked in my life for a fight like I did for this one,”
Nogueira said. “I have a lot of respect for Randy. He’s
been around for 12 years and fighting everyone and that’s
why I trained a lot, so I could make a good show.”
Nogueira
looked like a beginner in his loss to Mir at UFC 92. He suffered
from a staph infection and spent seven days in the hospital less
than a month before the fight. On the day he got out, he tore
the meniscus in his left knee.
The
reason Nogueira is one of the most popular fighters in the history
of mixed martial arts is that he’s the type of person who
said nothing to anyone about his condition and came out and slugged
with Mir as long as he was able to do so.
“He’s
a very game, very durable guy,” Couture said of Nogueira.
“He has a great jab and he followed it with some pretty
good right hands. I’m not terribly surprised he fought the
way he did.”
Nogueira
knocked Couture down about two minutes into the fight and then
spent about a half-minute with a choke, trying for the submission.
It was a pattern that would repeat itself throughout the fight.
The
former UFC and PRIDE titleholder would get Couture in a compromising
position, Couture would make a heroic escape to bring the crowd
to its feet and then they’d go toe-to-toe for a while before
the cycle started over.
Nogueira
had to fight the inclination to get frustrated when nothing he
was doing would result in a finish.
“I’d
just try something else, a different submission, something different,”
Nogueira said. “I knew he was prepared to have a good fight.
I knew it wouldn’t be easy to fight Randy. When I got his
back, he escaped. When I got the triangle, he escaped. He threw
some very tough elbows. I knew it was a tough fight and I was
prepared for that.”
Couture
is going to have a lot of them ahead of him. UFC president Dana
White pretty much gave him carte blanche to fight where he wanted
– at light heavyweight or heavyweight.
Couture
has had three stints as heavyweight champion and two as the light
heavyweight champion. Despite the defeat, he proved he can still
compete at a high level at heavyweight, but he has some physical
advantages at 205 pounds that might make sense for him to drop
to that weight class.
“He
can do whatever he wants to do,” White said.
Couture’s
contract, which is for six fights or 28 months, will take him
within six months of his 49th birthday, if he fulfills it.
He
may not be the fighter he was at his peak, but he’s still
not far off of it.
“I
didn’t have any illusions I won the fight, but I knew it
was a damn good fight,” Couture said. “Going out and
doing what you trained to do is what it’s all about. Of
course you’d like to win, but if you do what you trained
to do, you can’t ask for more than that.
“As
far as staying at heavyweight or going to light heavyweight,
I’m interested in interesting fights,” he said. “There
are a lot of guys in both divisions who would be interesting
fights for me. We’ll see what the Grand Poobah over here
wants to do.”
If
White had his preference, Couture would drop to 205 pounds, where
potential fights against the likes of middleweight champion Anderson
Silva and light heavyweight champion Lyoto Machida could be made.
Nobody
was ready to commit to anything just minutes after a fast-paced,
back-and-forth battle. Couture’s performance on Saturday
keeps another ace in White’s deck and sets the stage for
a few more big fights.
A
fight against Silva would do big business at the box office and
on pay-per-view, but White casually dropped Lesnar’s name
as well.
“There
are a lot of logical opponents for him,” White said. “There’s
a lot of young blood in our heavyweight division and there could
be some fun fights for Randy there if that’s what he wants
to do. The point is, he looked great. Even in losing, he looked
good.”
Nogueira
looked great in winning and Couture look good in losing.
For
a promoter, it doesn’t get any better.
And
it doesn’t get much better for a fight fan, either. Two
of the game’s greats are going to be around a while longer.
There’s nothing to complain about there.
Source: Yahoo Sports |
DAN
HENDERSON HOLDING OUT FOR ANDERSON SILVA
PORTLAND, Ore. – One after the other, UFC Fight Club fans
took the mic to thank Dan Henderson for knocking Michael Bisping
out at UFC 100.
No
problem, said Henderson.
“Honestly,
it was a pleasure to do it,” he said. “You don’t
have to thank me.”
Bisping
has already promised to redeem his loss, but Henderson, a founding
member of Team Quest who lived in Gresham for two years, says
he wants Anderson Silva before anyone else.
“That’s
what Dana White announced, but hopefully, (Silva) steps up and
fights me,” said Henderson.
White
and Silva have sent mixed signals on the possibility of a rematch.
Earlier this month, White said Henderson was next in line for
“The Spider.” Then, at this weekend’s UFC 102
pre-fight press conference, he said the winner of Demian Maia
vs. Nate Marquardt could be the next challenger.
Henderson
believes Marquardt will come out ahead on Saturday, but would
rather face Maia to get to Silva ("I could take advantage
of his lack of striking," he comments). If the middleweight
champion is not the endgame, he’ll be back at light heavyweight,
where Lyoto Machida reigns.
“I’m
in the game to challenge myself and to beat the top guys, and
whether it’s at 185 or 205, that’s what I want to do,
so I would love do to do that,” he said. “If I don’t
get a chance at Anderson right now, I want to fight one of the
top guys that will get me into the title shot (at 205).”
The
39-year-old former Pride champion said every tick of the clock
counted now.
“I’ve
been able to hold my own against some of these younger guys,”
he said. “So I’ve got two or three good years in me,
and I just want to make sure I accomplish some goals first. That’s
why every fight is important for me, because I am towards the
end of my career, and a rematch with Bisping wouldn’t appeal
to me, and when they announced that possibly I might fight Rich
(Franklin) again that didn’t really appeal to me either.”
Henderson
said he looked forward to spending more time with his kids when
he stepped away from the sport, and promised he would always
be involved in a coaching capacity.
The
outcome of Saturday’s middleweight title eliminator should
hold the key to hope or more patience for the longtime veteran.
Source: MMA Weekly
|
WEC
43 LANDS IN SAN ANTONIO, TEXAS
Las Vegas, NV (USA) – World Extreme Cagefighting® announced
today that it is returning to the Lone Star state on Saturday,
Oct. 10 with an action-packed night of fights. Live from the
AT&T Center in beautiful San Antonio, TX, fan favorite Donald
“Cowboy” Cerrone battles feared striker Ben Henderson
in a bout that will crown the interim WEC lightweight champion.
The
10-fight card, which was originally slated for Sept. 2, now heads
to one of the nation’s top cities. What’s more, the
Oct. 10 event will be WEC’s first-ever show on a Saturday
night, making it a historic night for the organization.
“We
are really excited to be bringing this fight card to San Antonio,”
WEC General Manager Reed Harris said, adding that the market
has long been attractive to WEC. “They say everything’s
bigger in Texas. We plan on living up to that slogan by bringing
some of the most prominent mixed martial artists in the world
to San Antonio.
“The
stars have aligned for this card,” Harris continued. “As
we stated earlier this week, an injury to Henderson prevented
him from being ready to fight on Sept. 2, but he’s fired
up and ready for ‘Cowboy’ on Oct. 10. It’s the
perfect scenario. We’ve got a world title fight on a Saturday
night in one of the nation’s biggest cities. It doesn’t
get much better than that.”
Source: MMA Weekly
|
TUF
SNUB LEADS CHRIS TUCHSCHERER TO UFC 102
How does it take a 17-1 heavyweight five years to get into the
UFC?
“I
don’t know,” says Minnesota Martial Arts’ Chris
Tuchscherer, owner of the record in question. “I honestly
think being where I’m from, Fargo, North Dakota, I’m
kind of up in the no man’s land up there. Just not getting
the exposure for someone to notice me.”
In
2005, a green Tuchscherer applied for the second season of “The
Ultimate Fighter,” hoping to leapfrog a small-circuit tour
of duty in the Midwest. He spliced a tape of fight footage and
a self-interview, trying to look respectable and poised.
Spike
TV scouts told him he’d made the first cut and would get
a call back if he was in the top 16. The call never came.
Tuchscherer
shrugged it off and made the circuit, racking up victory after
victory. Along the way, he met Brock Lesnar, who was just getting
into mixed martial arts, and became the future champion’s
training partner.
Success
was a long ways away.
“I
figured I’ll make it into the UFC one way or another,”
said Tuchscherer.
After
defeating UFC vet Branden Lee Hinkle in March, a friend called
with news of a new TUF season for heavyweights. Tryouts were
in Seattle, a half country away. Tuscherer convinced a local
sponsor to spring for a plane ticket.
“The
money wasn’t really there to just get up and go,” he
said.
He
went to the tryouts and impressed again, this time getting a
call to Las Vegas, where Spike execs interviewed him further.
He showed more teeth in the room. They seemed very interested
in his record; he had wins over Hinkle and current prospect Krzysztof
Soszynski. “I figured, cool, maybe I’m in,” said
Tuscherer.
A
week later, Spike called, but it was to tell him he once again
hadn't made the show “for no one reason at all.” “I
hit the floor,” he said. “I was like, ‘Jesus,
what the hell did I do wrong?’”
He
was helping on his father in law’s farm when he got a call
from his manager. UFC matchmaker Joe Silva had emailed a multi-fight
contract with an offer to fight Gabriel Gonzaga at UFC 102.
“I
listened to that message and it was the weirdest feeling I’ve
ever felt in my life,” said Tuchscherer. “I went from
down in the dumps to just, boom. Whoa, here we go. Just telling
you about it I get the feeling.”
Looking
back, he’s happy he didn’t join the Kimbo season of
TUF. He’s trained with one of the cast members, Zak Jensen,
and expects Roy Nelson to win the show. But between six weeks
in a house with 15 guys and a shot to beat an arguably top-ten
heavyweight, he’ll take the latter.
“Being
away from my family for six weeks, I think that would have been
really hard,” he said. “So, I’m glad everything
went the way it did.”
Tuchscherer
says Lesnar helped him briefly in camp and will be there for
Saturday’s fight.
“Gonzaga
is very dangerous if you give him space and time to think,”
said Tuscherer. “It’s a very good opportunity for me
to make a name for myself and see where I’m at.”
As
to whether his long resume we’ll help him, he’ll find
out when his name is called.
“You
can never be ready enough,” he said.
Source: MMA Weekly
|
Gesias
gunning for belt
Brazilian speaks of MMA in Japan
Gesias
Cavalcante is in the books for Dream 11, to take place October
6 in Japan. Coming off back-to-back losses, the latest to Tatsuya
Kawajiri, after over a year without stepping in the ring, the
fighter is looking to get back to his winning ways. JZ is targeting
the organization’s lightweight belt, which is up for grabs
on the same day, in the face-off between Shinya Aoki and Joachim
Hansen. Check out the interview.
Portal
das Lutas – Do you know who your adversary will be yet?
Gesias
Cavalcante – When they were talking about me facing Eddie
Alvarez, the word was I’d be in this event. It started as
Alvarez, but he said he didn’t want to. I’m still on
the books but I don’t know who my opponent is.
PDL
– That happens a lot in Japan (uncertainty). Is that hard
to deal with?
GC
– It’s always good to know who your opponent is so
you know what you need to emphasize, to know what style you need
to train more. It’s always good but, overall, it doesn’t
change much since here at the ATT we do complete training. There
are guys at the weight and style we want. We have really good
human material to work with, especially in my division.
PDL
– So you carry on training regardless of your opponent?
GC
– I’m always training. It’s hard to stop, even
when I don’t have a fight lined up. At most I rest a week
and get back to the gym, which really is my playground. I’m
always here and I’m never out of shape, thank God. I’m
just waiting on my opponent and, when they tell me, we’ll
just need to tie up some loose ends to come up with a good strategy.
PDL
– Beyond this uncertainty business, folks have been complaining
a lot about Japanese refereeing…
GC
– In Japan there is a lot of things different on several
fronts. Even this business about the card, where we often only
find out who our opponent is at the last minute and things are
kind of left up in the air. That’s the culture over there.
The refereeing sometimes favors their side, but that’s been
the controversy for a while already, ever since Pride. That’s
not news to anyone. In the United States it was like that, but
it’s improved. I also feel that’s a bit of the politics
that go on in whatever event or sport.
PDL
– But do you still feel the Japanese market is good for
Brazilian fighters?
GC
– Japan is a great place to fight. The crowd and promoters
respect the athletes a lot, regardless of who they are and their
results. They treat everyone equally and that’s very gratifying.
You’ll rarely see a Japanese fan boo. There’s the refereeing
business and other things, but I think that may also be due to
the crisis the sport went through over there. Dream is established,
thank God, but they lost a lot of prestige when Pride went under.
PDL
– On the same evening two fighters you have faced before
will be in action, in a title dispute: Shinya Aoki and Joachim
Hansen. What do you expect from that battle?
GC
– It will be a dispute in my category and, as it’s
the main event, I’ll probably be able to watch it ringside.
There’s not much I can say about either of them. Hansen
is a tough guy, who’s been in the battle field for ages,
and Aoki is really talented at his game and is smart. Each of
them holds a win over the other and this will be the rubber-match.
I’ll be there watching to go for that belt too, regardless
of who wins. I’ve lost to both of them before. With Hansen
it was kind of contested, with Aoki there was all that drama
and, whoever wins, I’ll be there going for revenge. Either
would be good fights for me. But first I have to win my fight
and set up a shot at the belt.
Source: Gracie Magazine
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Pe
de Pano at ADCC 2009
Babalu receives invite as well
Two
more big-name fighters were added to the list of stars to grace
the line-up for ADCC 2009, to be held the 26th and 27th of September
in Barcelona. Two-time absolute world champion of Jiu-Jitsu (2002/2003)
Marcio "Pe de Pano" Cruz will try for a repeat of his
2003 performance, when he took the over-99kg-division title.
On his march to victory he overcame such grappling monoliths
as Jeff Monson.
According
to the official ADCC Barcelona website, this time Pe de Pano
will try his luck in the under-99kg category.
The
other star announced is Renato Babalu. The leader of Gracie Barra
Cerritos, Babalu put in his first appearance in the ADCC back
in 2001, when he was overcome by Ricardo Arona in one of the
toughest matches the one ultimately crowned champion encountered
on his way to the winners' stand. Check out the video below.
Babalu,
too, will be shooting for the under 99kg title.
The
organizers of the ADCC also confirmed Iceland's Gunnar Nelson
(under 88kg) and American Ben Askren (under 77kg) will be in
the tournament.
Stay
tuned to GRACIEMAG and we'll be back shortly with more information
on further stars to bolster the ADCC 2009 roster.
Source: Gracie Magazine
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Heading
to ADCC, Galvão eyes Strikeforce
In
2007, André Galvão went back home with two bronze
medals at the ADCC, defeating Mike Fowler and Alexandre “Cacareco”,
but wants a different “color” this year. “I’m
glad to be in ADCC this year, and I’m going there to be
the champion”, guarantees the black belt, promising his
best.
“I’m
in a different category now and I won’t have to lose weight,
I feel more comfortable with that. I think I’ll be well,
because I’m training hard to get there 100% and be the champion”,
said André, revealing that his next MMA fight might be
in the USA.
“Nothing
was confirmed yet, but I think I’ll fight in October or
November in Strikeforce”, revealed the black belt, revealing
that the training for ADCC will help him to be ready for the
MMA fight. “I’m more focused in the MMA, but the training
is quite the same and I believe the gas will make the difference
now, helping me to explode and be better”, said. Stay tuned
for more news on Strikeforce and ADCC.
Source: Tatame
|
Pedro
Rizzo wants to be back to the top
Even
coming from two loses, Pedro Rizzo is very confident in the training
for his next challenge, against Jeff Monson at Bitetti Combat,
in Rio de Janeiro, on September 12th. In exclusive interview
to TATAME.com, The Rock said he wants another victory to start
his way back to the tops.
"I
never ran from fights… My style were always go inside the
fights. I’m very excited to get this victory, sign another
one until the end of the year and get back to the rhythm. I think
I still have conditions to stay among the tops and I’m working
on that”, guarantees Rizzo, who fought only six times in
the past six years.
Source: Tatame
|
NAGA
is official
It will
be held on Sunday, October 18th at Pearl City High School Gym.
Eric Goo is also putting on a tournament in February next year.
It will be a NAGA ranked event. All
gi.... NO no-gi divisions. White, Blue, Purple, Brown, Black....AND
Absolute
division's. One day event. Set for be 2010. More info will be
released shorty.
Source: Eric Goo
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