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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)
10/10/09
Man Up & Stand Up
(Kickboxing)
(Waipahu Filcom)
10/3/09
Destiny Unfinished Business
(MMA)
(Waipahu Filcom)
9/19/09
UFC
103
(American Airlines Center, Dallas)
9/16/09
UFC
Fight Night 19
(Cox Convention Center, Oklahoma City)
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 3
|
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! |
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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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1 million hits and counting!
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O2
Martial Arts Academy
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
"When
all is done, human life is, at the greatest, and the best, but
like a froward child, that must be played with and humored a
little to keep it quiet till it falls asleep, and then the care
is over."
William Temple
|
Words
from the winners
Check out what the champions in Barcelona had to say
Braulio
and his finishes
Of
Braulio’s eight matches at weight and in the absolute, just
two were decided by points. Beasts like Andre Galvao and Marcelo
Garcia tapped to the champion. The fighter comments on his sub
seeking:
“I
always look for the finish. A lot of folks just stick to a hang-on
game and I go for the finish from the get go. That’s the
best of what I have, the attack. If I play point-scoring Jiu-Jitsu
I end up losing. I’ve made mistakes like that, so I’d
rather just go for the submission the whole time.”
Werdum
happy to win at home
Fabricio
Werdum didn’t take part in the absolute and made things
easier for Braulio in the open division. If he wasn’t the
name of the event, he was certainly the one who caused the biggest
stir in the stands, when he commanded a giant cheering section.
“I’m
really happy, even more so because this ADCC was here in my home,
since I have Spanish nationality and a team here. I brought my
cheering section here and they became famous, everyone saw and
it was real fun. I only came up against tough guys, the final
against Cyborg was really tough and I was really determined to
win. This title was for Brazilians and Spaniards.”
Xande
analyses his campaign at weight
“At
weight I managed not to wear myself out and have a good performance.
That I fought Vinny, who managed the best submissions of the
championship, is exceptional. I also fought a really good wrestler,
Gerardi Rinaldi. I managed to become champion of the category
through great will.”
Pablo
gets what’s his
After
losing two ADCC finals to Marcelo Garcia, it was Pablo Popovitch’s
turn to go to the top of the winners’ podium. With a last-minute
guard pass, the black belt rallied to 3 to 2 and secured gold.
“I
felt him time in the end, I still had wind in me and I went after
the win in the last three minutes. I trained to beat him, but
I also had great opponents earlier. You better believe going
20 minutes with Marcelo is no easy business. The only thing I
was thinking about all these years was winning the ADCC.”
Rafael
Mendes with wind to spare
Rafael
Mendes proved he was in great shape for the ADCC. Besides beating
beasts like Leo Vieira, he managed victory over Rubens Cobrinha
during the second extra-time, when in a burst of explosion he
managed to take the back.
“For
my conditioning I thank my coach and cousin Tiago Mendes. I managed
to fight the whole time at full blast and had the strength to
explode in the end. I trained four times a day, whether technical
or physical and, when we do things with love, we succeed. We
also have to believe, only then will we get where we want to
be.”
Hannette
and her third title
Hannette
Staack has won her weight group and the absolute before. This
time there was no open class, but the fighter secured another
title by beating Penny Thomas in the grand finale.
“Winning
yet another title was really important. I didn’t know there
would be no absolute, so I was training to have more matches.
But it was gratifying, because I practically fought in an absolute.
I faced girls I’d never faced before and I have to train,
because the new crop is coming in.”
Luanna
debuts on right foot
In
her very first participation in the ADCC Luanna Alzuguir became
champion, having beaten Japan’s Sayaka Shioda in the grand
finale, by taking her back.
“It
was a dream to compete in the ADCC. I’ve been on the path
ahile, I managed a last-minute invite and it’s the result
of working for a long time. I’m so happy!”
Source: Gracie Magazine
|
Cormier
heads night of Strikeforce debuts
The
theme of Friday night’s Strikeforce Challengers Series show
in Tulsa, Okla., was, how would accomplished stars from other
sports fare in their first high-profile MMA match?
While
the answers varied, former amateur wrestling standouts Daniel
Cormier and Tyron Woodley and former kickboxing stars Ray Sefo
and Thomas Longacre all came up with wins in all four men’s
first nationally televised MMA.
Cormier,
the two-time Olympian and captain of the 2008 U.S. Olympic team,
won his debut after only five weeks of hardcore MMA training.
Billed from San Jose, Calif., where he trains, even though he
resides in Stillwater, Okla., Cormier stopped Gary Frazier at
3:39 of the first round in both men’s professional debut.
The
250-pound Cormier did not look particularly flashy but was composed
and disciplined far beyond what one would expect from a first-time
fighter, as he systematically used his jab standing. Strangely,
it was Frazier, who had two years of training in the sport and
himself was a two-time high school state champion in Oklahoma
in wrestling, who rushed in early and went for a takedown. He
wasn’t successful.
Cormier
blocked the takedown and was able to maneuver to get Frazier’s
back, and he threw heavy punches on the ground early but couldn’t
finish in the first round.
Frazier
blocked Cormier’s early second-round attempt at a takedown,
which almost would seem like a moral victory. But he also was
running away from Cormier’s rudimentary stand-up, until
slipping. At that point, Cormier got on top and Frazier was unable
to shake him.
Cormier
got Frazier’s back and threw repeated lefts and rights to
Frazier’s respective ears from the Matt Hughes/Royce Gracie
position until referee Kevin Nix stopped the fight.
“Was
that an exciting fight?” asked Cormier to the crowd when
it was over. “I came to fight. This is what I chose to do.
Thanks to the fans, to [his Oklahoma State] coach John Smith
and to my family and friends for coming out.”
Cormier
had been given high praise by MMA coach Bob Cook and roommate
Josh Koscheck during the past week regarding his adapting to
the new sport.
He
received a cut under the left eye as a souvenir from his debut,
but he never was in trouble. Still, it’s far too early in
his training to get a read on whether he can reach the heights
in his new start that he did in his previous one.
It
may not be too early to get a read on the future of Woodley.
A two-time All-American at the University of Missouri in his
fourth professional fight, Woodley (4-0) looked like a fighter
who is a year or two away from being a major star in the sport.
The
welterweight showed athletic ability, quickness and reflexes
equal to the top level stars of the sport. His wrestling game,
honed for MMA at the American Top Team camp in Coconut Creek,
Fla., showed the transition to MMA with high effective slams
and great ground movement into attempts at submissions against
veteran Zach Light (6-9). He also still is a work in progress,
as he admitted going too hard on two arm triangle submission
attempts that he didn’t quite have and burning out his arms
in the process.
But
he showed a lot of gifts that can’t be taught from an athletic
standpoint, finishing the U.K. Team Wolfslair wrestling coach
with an armbar in 3:38 of the second round.
The
Challengers Series event, which is designed to groom future contenders,
was headlined by U.S Army special forces green beret Sgt. Tim
Kennedy (11-2), a middleweight, scoring a dominant victory over
Zak Cummings (10-1).
Kennedy
immediately was talked about as a potential challenger to the
winner of the proposed Jake Shields vs. Jason “Mayhem”
Miller match on Nov. 7 on CBS for the vacant Strikeforce middleweight
championship.
Kennedy
split two matches with Miller, winning via decision in 2003 and
losing a rematch via decision in 2007.
“It’s
unreal,” said Kennedy about fighting live on the Armed Forces
Network, and giving a shout out to the troops watching.
“I
love you guys,” he said. “I did my best here and you
guys do your best there.”
“Both
those guys are my friends, and they are both very good,”
said Kennedy regarding Shields, generally considered the top-ranked
welterweight not in the UFC, and Miller, best known as the host
of MTV’s “Bully Beatdown.” “I want the winner.
I don’t know if I’m ready for it.
I’ve
got a win and a loss with Miller, so I’d like to finish
it up.”
The
former kickboxing stars both won, although the win by Ray “Sugarfoot”
Sefo was bittersweet.
Sefo
(2-0), one of the top heavyweight stars in Japan’s K-1 organization,
in his first MMA bout in four years, struggled early with Kevin
Jordan, a former UFC fighter (11-8). At 38, Sefo may be old for
a show in which the goal is to concentrate on building future
stars. He was 54-20-1 as a kickboxer, fighting every major heavyweight
name in that sport during the past decade. But his career waned
of late, losing six fights in a row during 2007 and 2008. The
New Zealand native in recent years has moved to Las Vegas and
trains and coaches at Xtreme Couture, and he admitted a need
to work heavily on his wrestling game.
Jordan
got the fight to the ground, which took Sefo out of his game,
but Jordan couldn’t hurt the fighter who gained popularity
with the Japanese audiences for standing there with his hands
down and inviting his foes to take their best shot.
The
match ended at 0:24 of the second round when Jordan tried a takedown,
missed it and couldn’t get back up. The preliminary diagnosis
was a torn right quadriceps muscle. At age 38, that could be
a career ender.
The
other kickboxing veteran, Thomas Longacre (5-0), had one of the
most exciting fights of the year in taking a straight 30-27 decision
over Travis Calanoc (4-1).
The
small crowd sounded like a major arena capacity crowd as the
Tulsa crosstown rivals mostly played the stand-up game in a match
that at times resembled the 2005 Forrest Griffin vs. Stephan
Bonnar fight, particularly at the close of the third round.
Longacre,
with a 36-7 record in kickboxing, formerly fought in Chuck Norris’
World Combat League.
“I’m
not used to getting kneed,” he noted. “I had to change
up my strategy in the second and third rounds. The MMA game is
a big stepping stone to me. I’m just starting in MMA. Hopefully
this will lead to better things.”
Source: Yahoo Sports
|
Rankings:
Reinstatement for McCarthy?
Referee
“Big” John McCarthy is one of the most respected figures
in mixed martial arts history. The former Los Angeles police
officer began officiating at UFC 2 in 1994. He was center stage
for most of the UFC’s biggest matches, and his catchphrase
of “Let’s get it on” is a Pavlovian trigger for
fans around the world.
McCarthy
decided at the end of 2007 to move on to the next phase in his
life. He accepted a huge-money offer from The Fight Network,
became an announcer and commentator, and did not renew his officiating
license with the Nevada State Athletic Commission. At the time,
it was assumed McCarthy was leaving the octagon for good.
There
is a reason why you rarely hear from pro and college sports referees
in the media. A sport’s legitimacy rides on a referee’s
ability to call the action in an impartial manner. Even the perception
of bias, whether or not it actually exists – think Lakers-Kings,
2002 – can mar a sport’s reputation.
So
what do we make of passages from McCarthy’s Fight Network
blog like this one from last summer, in which McCarthy gives
his take on Quinton Jackson’s alleged road rage incident?
“Quinton,
if the State of California takes your license from you just give
me a call. I would love to chauffeur you around in that beautiful
Audi R8 you have … seriously just call for anything, you
will always have a fan here.”
Imagine,
for a moment, that days after Plaxico Burress’ gun incident,
an NFL referee went on a football blog and essentially wrote,
“I’ll hold your guns for you any time, Plaxico. I’m
your biggest fan. Give me a call.” Do you think that official
would ever be allowed to work another NFL game in his life?
Unfortunately
for McCarthy, the gig with The Fight Network didn’t pan
out. And according to a recent Sherdog.com report, McCarthy’s
application for renewal of his Nevada license was not approved.
This
news, per usual, is being portrayed in some quarters as the big,
bad UFC machine (with NSAC as a proxy) going out of its way to
crush the little guy.
But
such complaints display willful ignorance to the ethical minefield
McCarthy’s return poses. Would you want to be Jackson’s
next opponent (and we all know “Rampage” will be back),
have McCarthy in the middle, and know that the referee has gone
public saying he wants to chauffeur his opponent?
McCarthy’s
blog has another post in which he says he’d pay money to
watch Josh Neer fight. McCarthy, who is still licensed in California,
is technically eligible to officiate Neer’s match with Gleison
Tibau at the Staples Center on Oct. 24. Would it be fair to Tibau
to have McCarthy officiate this match?
And
McCarthy runs a gym in the Los Angeles area that boasts a roster
of professional fighters. Would you want to be a fighter who
won a controversial decision over a McCarthy gym fighter, then
have McCarthy officiate your next fight?
McCarthy
has done nothing in the course of his officiating career, including
his capable handling of the Fedor Emelianenko-Andrei Arlovski
match in Anaheim on Jan. 24, that would suggest he would behave
in an improper manner. But the mere perception of impartiality
among officials is just as important as the ability to call a
proper fight stoppage. If you don’t believe that, consider
that respected judge Lester Griffin is not allowed to score Forrest
Griffin’s or Tyson Griffin’s fights, even though none
of the above are related.
There
is no denying McCarthy’s pure in-ring officiating skills
place him in the top tier of a sport with a limited pool of quality
referees. But until McCarthy explains some of his Fight Network
comments and decides whether he wants to train pro fighters or
officiate their fights, then Nevada is right to put him in line
behind officials who focus on overseeing the action, not building
their personal brands.
There
were no matches involving Top 10 fighters in the past month,
and thus no one dropped out of the top 10. This month features
one ranked fighter in action, as No. 4 Lyoto Machida defends
his UFC light heavyweight title against Mauricio “Shogun”
Rua at UFC 104 on Oct. 24.
For
a list of this month’s Y! Sports Top 10 poll panel participants,
go here.
10.
Dan Henderson
Points: 17
Affiliation: UFC
Weight class: Middleweight
Hometown: Temecula, Calif.
Record: 25-7 (won last three)
Last month’s ranking: 9
Most recent result: def. Michael Bisping, KO R2, July 11
Analysis: Wants a shot at Anderson Silva’s middleweight
title; doesn’t want to fight Nate Marquardt to get the shot.
9.
Brian Bowles
Points: 26
Affiliation: WEC
Weight class: Bantamweight (WEC bantamweight champion)
Hometown: Athens, Ga.
Record: 8-0 (won last eight)
Last month’s ranking: 10
Most recent result: def. Miguel Torres, R1 TKO, Aug. 9
Analysis: Still nothing announced for Bowles’ first title
defense.
8.
Miguel Angel Torres
Points: 33
Affiliation: WEC
Weight class: Bantamweight
Hometown: East Chicago, Ind.
Record: 36-2 (lost past one)
Last month’s ranking: 8
Most recent result: lost to Brian Bowles, R1 TKO, Aug. 9
Analysis: The next question for the former champ: Does he want
an immediate rematch, or is a tuneup fight in order?
7.
Quinton Jackson
Points: 42
Affiliation: UFC
Weight class: Light heavyweight
Hometown: Memphis, Tenn.
Record: 30-7 (won last two)
Last month’s ranking: 7
Most recent result: def. Keith Jardine, unanimous decision, March
7
Analysis: Will remain eligible until March if he doesn’t
fight in the interim. And don’t be too shocked if he does.
6.
Mike Brown
Points: 67
Affiliation: WEC
Weight class: Featherweight (WEC featherweight champion)
Hometown: Portland, Maine
Record: 22-4 (won last 10)
Last month’s ranking: 6
Most recent result: def. Urijah Faber, unanimous decision, June
7
Analysis: Defends title against dangerous Jose Aldo in Las Vegas
on Nov. 18
5.
B.J. Penn
Points: 105
Affiliation: UFC
Weight class: Lightweight (UFC lightweight champion)
Hometown: Hilo, Hawaii
Record: 14-5-1 (won past one)
Last month’s ranking: 5
Most recent result: def. Kenny Florian, R4 submission, Aug. 8
Analysis: Likely to remain near the No. 5 spot at least until
his December title defense against Diego Sanchez.
4.
Lyoto Machida
Points: 119
Affiliation: UFC
Weight class: Light heavyweight
Hometown: Belem, Brazil
Record: 15-0
Last month’s ranking: 4
Most recent result: def. Rashad Evans, R2 TKO, May 23
Analysis: Can potentially force his way into the No. 1 discussion
with an impressive win over “Shogun.”
3.
Fedor Emelianenko
Points: 142 (five first-place votes)
Affiliation: Strikeforce/M-1 (never lost PRIDE title)
Weight class: Heavyweight
Hometown: Stary Oskol, Russia
Record: 30-1, one no-contest (won past 10)
Last month’s ranking: 3
Most recent result: def. Andrei Arlovski, R1 KO, Jan. 24
Analysis: Knows Nov. 7 opponent Brett Rogers has punching power.
Rest of Rogers’ game is untested.
2.
Georges St. Pierre
Points: 154 (five first-place votes)
Affiliation: UFC
Weight class: Welterweight (UFC welterweight champion)
Hometown: Saint-Isidore, Quebec
Record: 19-2 (won past six)
Last month’s ranking: 2
Most recent result: def. Thiago Alves, unanimous decision, July
11
Analysis: On the shelf until early 2010. Hopefully the UFC can
come up with a viable contender by then.
1.
Anderson Silva
Points: 157 (seven first-place votes)
Affiliation: UFC
Weight class: Middleweight (UFC middleweight champion)
Hometown: Curitiba, Brazil
Record: 24-4 (won past 10)
Last month’s ranking: 1
Most recent result: def. Forrest Griffin, R1 KO, Aug. 8
Analysis: Silva is milking the leverage of the middleweight title
belt for all it’s worth as he keeps the UFC guessing about
his intentions.
More
•
Votes for others: Brock Lesnar 16; Urijah Faber 15; Rashad Evans
14; Gegard Mousasi 9; Jake Shields 5; Shinya Aoki 2; Kenny Florian,
Thiago Alves 1.
•
Upcoming matches for ranked fighters: No. 4 Lyoto Machida vs.
Mauricio “Shogun” Rua, Oct. 24.
Source: Yahoo Sports
|
Promoters
spar over Mayweather’s big numbers
After
months of being pummeled by suggestions that boxing is dying,
Floyd Mayweather Jr. gave his sport a big boost on Friday by
delivering a higher-than-expected pay-per-view result for his
Sept. 19 fight in Las Vegas with Juan Manuel Marquez.
HBO
released figures showing that Mayweather’s one-sided victory
over Marquez following a 21-month absence sold 1 million on pay-per-views
and accounted for $52 million in pay-per-view revenue.
That
figure does not include the proceeds from tickets sold at movie
theaters around the country, which Golden Boy Promotions chief
executive officer Richard Schaefer said were at about 80 percent
capacity.
Fighting
for the first time since announcing his retirement on June 6,
2008, Mayweather won 33 of 36 scored rounds against Marquez,
who had been ranked No. 2 on the Yahoo! Sports pound-for-pound
rankings entering the fight.
Many
critics, including rival promoter Bob Arum and Ultimate Fighting
Championship president Dana White, predicted the fight would
perform poorly. Arum suggested Mayweather would make no money
after he paid an existing tax debt, paid his expenses and his
taxes due on his current purse. White repeatedly vowed UFC 103
would outsell the boxing card.
The
Mayweather-Marquez results trounced UFC 103, which was on pay-per-
view the same night. Though the UFC does not release its pay-per-view
figures, indications from industry sources are strong that the
boxing card had a better than a 2-to-1 advantage.
Schaefer
suggested UFC 103 barely topped 100,000 buys. He said the performance
of Mayweather-Marquez clearly established Mayweather as the successor
to Oscar De La Hoya as the industry’s pay-per-view king.
“To
all the non-believers who have been saying that Floyd Mayweather
is not a draw, hopefully, this will silence them,” Schaefer
said. “Floyd Mayweather has proven with these numbers that
he’s the No. 1 pay-per-view star in the business.
“I
said all along my goal was to break 1 million homes and so many
people said I was nuts and thought it was just hype or that I
didn’t know what I was doing. Media members kept talking
about boxing is dying, but we knew what we had and we stayed
the course and in the end, we have been vindicated.”
UFC
103 was the company’s fourth pay-per-view in a 10-week stretch,
beginning on July 11 with UFC 100. Mayweather-Marquez was the
first major boxing event since Manny Pacquiao’s win over
Ricky Hatton on May 2.
Still,
few in boxing other than Schaefer were willing to predict such
lofty numbers for the Mayweather-Marquez bout. However, it turned
out to be one of the most successful pay-per-view events in the
sport’s history.
White
continuously boasted that his card would best the Mayweather
card at the pay-per-view box office. He said UFC 103 did far
more than 100,000 buys, but he conceded that boxing scored a
heavy victory.
White
said he thought before the fights, a home run for Mayweather-Marquez
would have been 650,000. But he said Friday he had been hearing
from his contacts that the fight may have reached as high as
1.6 million.
“I’m
an emotional guy and if we’d only have done 100,000, or
barely above 100,000, I would be suicidal,” White said.
“Bottom line, we did a good number and we still got our
asses kicked. What they did was phenomenal and I’m happy
for them. This was our fourth pay-per-view in two months (actually
10 weeks) and we still did a great number, but this was only
their second all year.
“We
honestly thought we’d do our number and that if they knocked
it out of the park, they’d do around 650,000. We are ecstatic
with the number we did, but they did a huge, huge number.”
Mark
Taffet of HBO Pay-Per-View said there have been more than 10
and fewer than 20 boxing matches in history that have reached
or exceeded 1 million sales. Mayweather’s May 5, 2007, bout
with De La Hoya in Las Vegas holds the record at 2.44 million.
Taffet
said the fight drew well across all ethnic groups, through all
demographics and across the country.
“Very
clearly, Floyd Mayweather is a major attraction,” Taffet
said. “The sport of boxing is in the midst of one of its
great eras. There are a crop of welterweights who have the ability
to deliver great matchup after great matchup and that will continue
for as far as the eye can see.
“Boxing
is Monday morning water cooler talk now and that’s what
you strive for. There is a tremendous vitality in the sport and
we’re reaching younger fans and newer fans and that is indicated
by Floyd’s terrific performance.”
In
his last fight prior to announcing his retirement, Mayweather
sold 920,000 pay-per-views for a Dec. 7, 2007, match against
Ricky Hatton.
He
also fared better than Pacquiao against common opponents. Pacquiao’s
fight with De La Hoya sold 1.2 million. His fight with Hatton
did 850,000 and his rematch with Marquez sold 405,000, according
to HBO Pay-Per-View figures.
Schaefer
questioned the legitimacy of UFC pay-per-view results that were
leaked. He said HBO is a publicly traded company that would face
serious repercussions for releasing false numbers. The UFC, he
noted, is a private company with no such concerns.
“I
think the UFC and boxing should be able to co-exist and work
together in this thing that we call (combat) sports,” Schaefer
said.
“I
don’t want to talk (expletive) about the UFC. But Dana White
can’t do an interview without knocking boxing. If he thinks
we’re idiots and don’t know anything about the pay-per-view
business, I’ll make him a challenge.
“I
am willing to hire one of the top three accounting firms, at
my expense, and do an audit of his pay-per-view results. They
are nowhere near what is put into the public. There is talk that
UFC 100 did 1.6 million, but it barely broke a million. I am
willing to pay to have the audits done to prove this.”
White
said he would not allow anyone other than fighters with a contractual
right to do so to audit his numbers.
“Do
you think I’m (expletive) crazy?” he said.
But
he said he thought that the success of the UFC has forced boxing
promoters to be better. He called himself a huge boxing fan and
said he is pleased if he can help make the sport he grew up following
closely better.
He
said the success of the two shows on the same night shows the
interest in combat sports.
“I’m
a true boxing fan and I’m happy for them, but what that
number they pulled shows is the promise of combat sports,”
White said.
“We’re
kicking ass on pay-per-view. This was their second (major) pay-
per-view. We do 13 a year, plus we put fights on free TV. Clearly,
combat sports are more alive now than they’ve been in a
long time.
“This
shows that people are willing to stay at home on a Saturday night
and watch a good fight. Do I think they delivered a good fight?
No.
I think Mayweather is the best boxer in the world, and maybe
one of the best of all-time, but that was a (expletive) fight.
The thing we deliver is consistency, where once a show we give
you that, ‘Holy (expletive),’ moment and you turn off
the TV happy.”
Schaefer
said he thought boxing promoters and the UFC shared common interests
and could benefit from working together.
“I
would love to sit down with Dana White and the Fertittas (who
are the UFC’s primary owners), who I hear are very nice,
first-class people, and see if there are ways we can work together
to make the (combat) sports space, the fight space, even bigger,”
Schaefer said.
In
a statement released by his publicist, Mayweather said he was
“humbled” by the card’s pay-per-view success.
He also hinted at big fights in the future.
“I
returned to boxing to fight the best, and that’s what I
intend to do,” Mayweather said in a statement.
Source: Yahoo Sports
|
Pete
Sell a Guest Security Guard on 'Jerry Springer'
Pete Sell, who hasn't competed since his first-round loss to
Matt Brown at UFC 96 in March, will make his return to a television
near you on an upcoming episode of The Jerry Springer Show. "Drago"
will serve as a guest security guard on the episode, which was
taped on Tuesday in Connecticut, and will air in the coming weeks.
"It's
going to be funny, man. I'm going to be singing "Jerry"
with everybody else," Sell told FanHouse on Tuesday prior
to the taping.
"I
don't watch it religiously, but the running gets boring sometimes,
you know, you're going on those long 45 minute to 1 hour runs,
so I'll definitely have that on sometimes to laugh at the chaos
that is going on there."
The
Jerry Springer Show has been known to feature some intense brawls,
but Sell said he isn't worried about getting hurt.
"Are
you kidding? Have you ever watched it? The people over there
can't fight. It's hysterical. They're scratching and biting --
it's funny. They can't pull my hair because I don't got none.
"I'll
just pretty much wing it. I'll have fun."
Sell
has no upcoming fights booked. The UFC cut ties with him after
the Brown loss, as it marked his fourth defeat in his last five
fights. His lone victory was against Josh Burkman at UFC 90 in
his welterweight debut.
"Right
now, I'm just really working a lot on my wrestling, trying to
become more elusive with my stand-up instead of taking a few
to give a few because my luck ran out with that one. I'm definitely
trying to get hit less and hurt the guy more."
Source: MMA Fighting
|
Sengoku
Notes: Sengoku vs. Dynamite!!;
World Victory Road announced Wednesday during Sengoku 10 that
it's New Year event this year will happen on New Year's Eve --
directly against its No. 1 competitor FEG's event, "Dynamite!!
2009."
The
promotion had been deciding between New Year's Eve or Jan. 3,
and last year avoided going head-to-head against Dynamite!! by
booking "Sengoku No Ran" on Sunday, Jan. 4. Perhaps
the big name signing of 2008 Olympic judo gold medalist Satoshi
Ishii has given the promotion the confidence to run a show on
the most important television date of the year in Japan. Ishii
will make his MMA debut at the event against 1994 gold medalist
Hidehiko Yoshida.
Also
announced during Sengoku 10 is a featherweight bout between GP
finalist Michihiro Omigawa and Hatsu Hioki for Sengoku 11 on
Nov. 7 at the Ryogoku Kokugikan in Tokyo, Japan. Hioki qualified
for the Featherweight GP Final at Sengoku 9 by beating Masanori
Kanehara but suffered a concussion, creating an opening for Kanehara
to return and beat Omigawa to win the championship. This leaves
Marlon Sandro likely to face the newly-signed Cage Force champion
Yuji Hoshino at the event. One of the winners will face Kanehara
for the Sengoku belt on New Year's Eve.
Sengoku
will from now on be referred to as "Sengoku Raiden,"
which tacks on the word meaning thunder (rai) and lightning (den).
Sengoku
middleweight champion Jorge Santiago and Akihiro Gono confirmed
their participation at Nov. 7. Strikeforce light heavyweight
Kevin Randleman was not present but was previously announced
to fight.
Sengoku
11:
Hatsu
Hioki vs. Michihiro Omigawa
Marlon Sandro vs. TBA
Yuji Hoshino vs. TBA
Jorge Santiago vs. TBA
Kevin Randleman vs. TBA
Akihiro Gono vs. TBA
Sengoku
on New Year's Eve:
Satoshi
Ishii vs. Hidehiko Yoshida
Source: MMA Fighting
|
Wanderlei
Silva to Film Reality TV Show
A
reality show competition is currently in the works that will
feature Wanderlei Silva scouting aspiring fighters for his Wand
Fight Team, and FanHouse has confirmed that the show will be
broadcasted on a television network to be announced.
An
open casting call will be held Nov. 14 at the Wand Fight Team
Training Center in Las Vegas. According to Silva, 10 fighters
will be selected and invited to his camp.
"These
athletes will be training with me and my team and after two weeks,
they will have a fight," Silva said. "All this will
be filmed as part of my new reality show."
Silva's
Wand Fight Team currently consists of himself, Demian Maia, Vitor
Vianna, Jorge Lopez, Kit Cope, Sidney Silva and Marlon Mathias and the former PRIDE champion
is always on the lookout for more amateur and pro fighters.
"The
world now is full of good fighters who don't have an opportunity,"
Silva said. "Just like the guy who beat Fedor in Sambo and
nobody knows who he is. There are a lot of great fighters who
don't have the opportunity to become part of a great team."
Source: MMA Fighting
|
MMAPayout.com
Interview with Cung Le
MMAPayout.com
recently sat down with former Strikeforce Middleweight Champion
Cung Le to discuss a variety of topics including vacating the
Strikeforce title, MMA fighters transitioning to the entertainment
field, and Le’s numerous side projects.
KP:
I guess we’ll start with the obvious question that I’m
sure you’ve answered more than a few times now: why was
vacating the belt the right move? I ask in part, because the
answer is the perfect segue to the bulk of our interview today.
CL:
It was the right move, because I haven’t been able to defend
my title, and it’s been over a year and a half now. I’ve
been busy with films, so I felt like the promoter putting up
the interim belt was because he was awaiting my return soon.
But I felt that since I’ve been gone so long and I’m
not ready to do a five rounder, I needed to take a step back
and vacate the belt so the top fighters in Strikeforce could
have a shot.
KP:
If you do come back, how many fights will you have left on the
contract with Strikeforce?
CL:
I’ll have four fights left.
KP:
There seem to be a lot of guys moving from MMA into entertainment.
What would you say is the main motivation there: fame, fortune,
experience, or something else?
CL:
Well, I wouldn’t say that there are a lot of guys moving
into movies. I think that there’s a really small handful
from Rampage to Randy, and now Gina and myself. It’s only
a really small group like that, that are able to take part in
studio films like Warner Bros or the other big studios.
I
feel like it’s a good thing for the sport - it generates
a lot more awareness. It gets a lot more MMA fans, or non-MMA
people who don’t pay attention to MMA, to look at the names
in MMA.
KP:
The latest incident between Rampage Jackson and the UFC has raised
some interesting questions in regards to how promotions should
go about handling promoting fighters in the future – the
success of a fighter is highly correlated to the promotional
push he receives.
Where
do you draw the line between completing your obligations to a
promoter, but also at the same time looking out for your best
interests and taking those opportunities as they come?
CL:
The line for me – I can’t speak on Rampage’s part
– is that I’ve always had an open line of communication
with my promoter, Scott Coker. When we sit down and talk, we’re
very strategic about how it needs to happen on both ends to make
it a win-win situation.
On
my end, I need to live up to the part where if I’m not competing,
I’m always promoting Strikeforce in the best way that I
can. In interviews, any radio, and any kind of media that I get
outside of MMA, I always make sure to push Strikeforce in every
way that I can. It’s always Strikeforce MW Champion Cung
Le starring in Pandorum alongside Dennis Quaid and Ben Foster,
or Strikeforce Middleweight Champion, Cung Le, starring in Fighting
with Channing Tatum and Terrence Howard, etc. It may not be fair
to the fans, but it’s fair to the promotion.
I
know I also have an obligation to the fans, but I think that
every time I’ve stepped in the cage, I’ve come to fight
and put on a good show. I think most of the fans understand that,
“hey, I’d be doing the same thing too if I had the
opportunity to not get punched in the face, but still get paid.”
A
lot of people don’t realize that I’m doing studio films
that get released in theatres; whether they’re limited releases
or full releases like Fighting and Pandorum. Also, when we go
to DVD, I can expect to get a royalty cheque every three months
in the mail.
KP:
So, just to give the fans some idea of the film environment context:
how many fights would you need to take in order to balance out
what you might make on your next film?
CL:
Basically it depends on the part. I think the best thing to say
would be that I’m one to two movies away from making seven
figures. You could say that my next project, I’m expecting
to make three times as much for 8-10 weeks of film work as I
would for one fight.
At
the same time, I’ve got millions and millions of dollars
behind the project and behind my name. It reflects back upon
me, but also back upon Strikeforce because I’m the middleweight
champion.
You
know, at one point I was training to fight while doing the movies,
but now that the roles are getting bigger I no longer have the
time to film during the day and train at night. I hardly have
enough time in the morning to get prepared on set and make sure
I’m ready to film; and when I’m done, I’m exhausted.
I’m on the set for nearly 14 hours a day – it’s
not just acting, but stunts and A-unit and B-unit and it really
doubles your work.
It’s
really demanding and there isn’t time to train, so I just
try to stay in shape and feel good about myself and do the best
I can on the movie set.
KP:
Speaking from your experience, then, can an MMA fighter do both?
Can an MMA fighter do a movie for ten weeks and then flip right
back into the training? Can they do it consistently?
CL:
Only the most disciplined fighter can do that, and I was able
to do that in the beginning – do a project while training
to fight.
But,
now that I’m at the higher level of fighting, I have to
make sure that my camp is at the highest level. Likewise in the
films, I’m now getting larger roles that prevent me from
training, and it comes to the point where I can only do one or
the other.
I
can’t do both at the same time like I used to – those
fights are a little out of reach now, especially because the
fights are getting really tough.
KP:
What would be your advice for any fighters – like Rampage
or any marketable fighter – looking to get into the film
business? Do you have any advice that might help them?
CL:
The first thing is that you make sure you take your acting classes
– you’re only as good as your acting. They might cast
you, but getting cast doesn’t mean that you’ll be able
to do all the things that they ask of you. I would have never
got Pandorum had I not gone through some pretty intensive classes
to really prepare for the role.
Also
make sure that you have an open line of communication with your
promoter. You need to be able to parlay communication into something
that’s going to work for both the promoter and yourself.
KP:
Mind telling us about your new movie, Pandorum?
Yeah!
I play the role of an agriculturalist on this ship. Basically
this ship has 60,000 that they have recruited from different
countries, and everyone is specialized in something, for the
purpose of rebuilding another planet. It’s almost like Noah’s
Arc, but it’s not like Star Trek where you can just jump
to another system – it takes time to get from one solar
system to another.
Over
this period, everyone is staying in a sleep chamber to preserve
their youth, so that when they get on this planet they’re
able to re-start mankind. But, along the way people wake up and
find that things aren’t going the way they should.
KP:
When does it come out?
CL:
It’ll be out on September 25th.
KP:
I also understand you’ve got a deal with Round5 MMA to make
a figurine, right?
CL:
I’ve actually got two of them, and they’re both already
out. The limited edition you can find on CungLe.com, and the
other one can be found at Toys ‘R Us or KB Toys.
KP:
You’re the consummate professional and a great self-promoter.
Thanks for taking the time to speak with MMAPayout.com and we’re
all looking forward to the day when you return to the cage!
CL:
Thanks. I will be back!
Source: MMA Payout
|
Quote
of the Day
"The
advantage of living is not measured by length, but by use; some
men have lived long, and lived little; attend to it while you
are in it. It lies in your will, not in the number of years,
for you to have lived enough."
Michel de Montaigne
|
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!
|
Minotouro
working to box against Cane
Rogério
Minotouro is with the perfect box to his opening on UFC against
Luis Cane. Working with Erival Conceição, Luiz
Dorea’s pupil in Bahia, the UFC fighter is ready.
“Erival
is phenomenal, there’s nobody here in Brazil to fight on
his category, he’ll be a world champion. He trains with
Dórea for ten, 15 years. He’s a southpaw, as Banha
(Cane), so he’s a good sparring to help me. He’s pushing
my train and Rodrigo’s“, said Nogueira, praised by
Erival.
“I
train with Luis Carlos Dórea and Minotouro always went
to Salvador to train. I met him on the gym and we created a friendship
training together. I’m helping him with the box. I came
from Bahia just to help him, his boxing is getting really better,
he has a heavy hand... He’s faster. I’ll be with him
until the fight, we’re always together”, explains the
sparring.
Source: Tatame
|
Lyoto
on UFC 104: “It’s gonna be a big fight“
Lyoto
Machida is training hard for his first title defense, on UFC
104 main event. Invited to an special report by TATAME Magazine,
the karate fighter agreed to be face to face with Maurício
Shogun, his opponent on the fight for the title. In the exclusive
chat, Machda talked about his expectations to the fight.
“I
think it’s gonna be a great fight, a fight that has everything
to be a big show. You (Shogun) have your qualities and your titles,
and I have my qualities and my title, so each one will be prepared
and expecting the victory. The crowd can wait for a big fight“,
bets Lyoto, answering to the ex champion of Pride.
On
the interview, that you can read on TATAME Magazine September’s
edition, Lyoto answered about his popularity in Belém,
his physical preparation, including the habit of drink his own
urine every morning, what he made different to knock Rashad Evans
out and, between other things, how do he takes care of his weight
with Belém’s culinary art.
Source: Tatame
|
Rampage
claims he’s ‘done fighting’ in UFC
Former
Ultimate Fighting Championship light heavyweight champion Quinton
“Rampage” Jackson is no longer part of the UFC’s
“A-Team,” according to a post on his blog.
Jackson,
one of mixed martial arts’ biggest stars, wrote “I’m
done fighting” in a post on his official blog and expressed
displeasure with UFC president Dana White.
White,
who bailed Jackson out of jail last year after an incident in
which Jackson was driving his truck on the wrong side of the
street, was angry with Jackson for accepting a role as B.A. Baracus,
made famous by Mr. T on NBC, in “The A-Team” movie.
Jackson pulled out of a planned Dec. 12 fight with Rashad Evans
because it conflicted with the movie’s filming schedule.
In
his post, Jackson wrote of a series of disagreements with management,
which he said began shortly after he signed with the UFC. He
said he was rushed into a championship fight with Chuck Liddell
in 2007 before he was known by American fans. He said after the
win over Liddell, the UFC arranged a fight with Dan Henderson
without asking him and then pressured him earlier this year into
fighting Evans instead of taking a championship shot against
Lyoto Machida.
Jackson
said he wanted to take the movie role because he used to watch
the television show with his father and it brought back fond
memories.
“Dana
went on the Internet and mocked me because of that and I still
did nothing,” Jackson wrote. “Dana and I finally talked
and we made up and then after that he went back on the Internet
and said some [expletive] and he was talking bad about the movie,
when information is not even supposed to be released … My
body has been getting so many different injuries that I won’t
be able to fight until my 40s and neither do I want to fight
that long. So I feel like my second career could be in jeopardy.
So I’m done fighting. I’ve been getting negative reviews
from the dumb ass fans that don’t pay my bills or put my
kids though college. So I’m hanging it up.”
White
declined to comment Tuesday. He had made no secret of his displeasure
with Jackson for taking the role and said prior to UFC 103 on
Saturday that he had not been speaking with Jackson.
But
White told reporters at the postfight news conference that he
and Jackson had mended fences and were speaking.
“We
kind of made up,” White said. “We’re going to
figure it out. [Jackson] wants the Rashad fight. He’s in
Vancouver doing this movie. It is what it is. Now we just have
to figure out when. We’ll see what happens.”
Jackson
and Evans are coaches on the current season of “The Ultimate
Fighter,” which airs on Spike TV. They were scheduled to
fight Dec. 12 in Jackson’s hometown of Memphis, Tenn., at
UFC 107.
The
UFC’s stance has been that it has offered Jackson a choice
after his victory over Keith Jardine at UFC 96 in March. He would
have been able to fight Machida for the title at UFC 98 or to
fight Evans. Jackson was angry that Evans came into the cage
after his win over Jardine and Jackson reportedly chose the Evans
fight.
At
a media day in June in Las Vegas to promote the 10th season of
“The Ultimate Fighter,” Jackson said he took the opportunity
to coach on the show because of the exposure it would give him.
He was clearly angry that some fans suggested he was afraid of
Machida and said he wanted to fight Machida after he met Evans.
But
in his post Tuesday, Jackson said that wasn’t the case.
At the time Jackson defeated Jardine at UFC 96 in March, Evans
held the UFC’s light heavyweight belt. Jackson fought Jardine
with a jaw injury that would later require surgery and he declined
to fight Evans in May.
Instead,
Machida got the bout and knocked Evans out to claim the title.
After that fight, White announced that Jackson had chosen to
fight Evans and the two agreed to meet at UFC 107 after the conclusion
of TUF.
Jackson
supported that position publicly in numerous interviews but wrote
in his blog Tuesday that White told him what to say.
“
… When Rashad got knocked out [by Machida at UFC 98], I
told them I wanted to fight Machida for the belt, but Dana told
me if I coach TUF against Rashad that I could fight Machida afterwards
cause this was a different type of Ultimate Fighter show they
were doing,” Jackson wrote. “After I signed the contract,
Dana then changes his mind and says I have to fight Rashad and
even told me what to say in the press and so my fans think I
was scared to fight Machida. After all that, I still never complained
and I did it all.”
Source: Yahoo Sports
|
UFC
starts off 2010 with a bang: Belfort versus Silva
Damn!
Even a Belfort fight leaves Silva looking bored!
Bone
spurs be damned, the UFC is looking for Anderson Silva to be
ready for its first card in 2010. UFC president Dana White told
Lance Pugmire of the L.A. Times that Silva will defend his UFC
middleweight title belt against Vitor Belfort on Jan. 2 at UFC
108 in Las Vegas. There's been a little back and forth between
the UFC and the Silva on whether he was getting bone spurs removed
from his elbow. White would like to see him get it done as soon
as possible, while Silva and his manager Ed Soares appear to
be dragging their feet on a decision.
The
timing of the White announcement is interesting considering the
fact that middleweight contender Dan Henderson was in Las Vegas
this week working on his next contract. A sticking point in the
deal was thought to be when Hendo would get his shot at a Silva
rematch. Now rumors are flying that Henderson will face Nate
Marquardt on this same card in a title eliminator.
Henderson
was under the impression that his fight against Michael Bisping
at UFC 100 was a title eliminator. Henderson crushed Bisping
with a devastating knockout. All summer he's been saying that
the only fight he wants is that match against Silva. Two weeks
ago, Belfort returned to the UFC after a near five years layoff,
and beat former middleweight champ Rich Franklin in less than
four minutes. Both Henderson and Marquardt lost title shots against
Silva. It's clear the promotion wants a fresh face to step in
there against "The Spider."
With
Quinton Jackson's hissy fit/retirement, rumors are also swirling
that Rashad Evans, who was supposed to fight Rampage on Dec.
12, may now fight Thiago Silva at UFC 108.
Source: Yahoo Sports
|
UFC
104: fight order
Machida vs Shogun to headline
The
Ultimate Fighting Championship organization defined the order
of the card for UFC 104, to be held October 24 in Los Angeles.
As was to be expected, the Lyoto Machida’s light heavyweight
title defense against Mauricio Shogun will be the last of the
night.
Check
out the official order of fights for UFC 104 (from bottom to
top) and stay tuned to GRACIEMAG.com for further information
on the event:
Lyoto
Machida vs Mauricio "Shogun" Rua
Ben Rothwell vs Cain Velasquez
Josh Neer vs Gleison Tibau
Spencer Fisher vs Joe Stevenson
Anthony Johnson vs Yoshiyuki Yoshida
PRELIMINARIES
Yushin
Okami vs Chael Sonnen
Patrick Barry vs Antoni Hardonk
Rob Kimmons vs Jorge Rivera
Ryan Bader vs Eric Schafer
Razak Al-Hassan vs Kyle Kingsbury
Chase Gormley vs Stefan Struve
Source: Gracie Magazine
|
ADCC
weight group champions
Find out who took gold in Barcelona
The ADCC 2009 weight groups have their champions
Check
out the play-by-play of the finals Luca Atalla posted on the
GRACIEMAG.com ADCC Blog:
Over
99kg
Fabricio Werdum defeated Roberto “Cyborg” Abreu by
9 to 0
Cyborg
started off better, took Werdum’s back and almost mounted.
Roberto then went for a triangle and Werdum escaped, getting
top position. It is a 20-minute battle and Cyborg spent lots
of energy right off the bat.
Werdum controlled in half guard for pretty much most of the time
before the scoring started, and passed twice to open a 6-0 lead.
9-0. Same recipe, back to the half and passed again. “Cavalo”
(”Horse”) is getting close to his second victory. And
there you have it. Fabricio Werdum is the over 99kg champion.
Werdum, who now lives in the US but resided in Madrid for years,
then goes for a speech in Spanish, thanking all “catalonians”.
Under
99kg
Xande Ribeiro defeated Gerard Rinaldi (2 to 0)
Xande Ribeiro and Gerard Rinaldi are now battling for the -99kg
gold. Xande is in an under hook half guard. Rinaldi seems stable.
Now Xande goes for a deep half guard, and Rinardi looks for a
kneebar attempt. Xande defends and gets top position. Rinaldi
amazingly goes for an omoplata and is able to stand.
Half
guard again, now Rinaldi tries a kimura, Xande almost ends on
top. Back in Xande’s 1/2 guard. Xande finally gets a sweep
(2-0) but Rinaldi scrambles and is back on top. Rinaldi attacks
Xande’s back, but the current champion defends well and
almost goes on top. Rinaldi is now trying a kimura, Xande defends
and almost sweeps. It’s a chess game, not really active
but very technical. Xande is capitalizing on Rinaldi’s attacks
and he’s the champion.
Under
88kg
Braulio Estima submitted Andre Galvao with an inverted triangle
Andre Galvao and Braulio Estima engage. Romulo Barral is commentating
on the webcast. Galvao pulls guard. Braulio goes for the footlock,
but Galvao defends well. Now it’s Galvao’s turn for
the foot attack, but Braulio is able to defend as well and he’s
still on top. Another sweep attempt connecting to a leg attack
by Andre, but Braulio handles it.
Nice
attempts by both sides. Galvao sweeps, Braulio goes for an armbar
and they are back on their feet. Galvao is playing guard again.
They stand, and Braulio takes Galvao down, but they are not counting
points yet. Galvao sweeps back. Galvao tries to pass, but Braulio
countered with a nasty inverted triangle and TAPS Galvao!
Braulio is the <88kg champion.
Under
77kg
Pablo Popovitch defeated Marcelo Garcia (3 to 2)
Pablo Popovitch starts taking Marcelo Garcia down immediately
but Garcia quickly goes for an armbar and sweeps. Expect lots
of action in this one. Pablo is back on top, Garcia heel hooks
and sweeps again. The champion goes for a crucifix, a back attempt
and he’s back in Pablo’s guard. Popovitch sweeps beautifully.
Fight calms down, Marcelo kind of got stuck on bottom, 0-0 so
far.
Garcia opens the scoring with an omoplata sweep (2-0). They both
stand. Garcia pulls guard right away. Popovitch stops the match
for the second time claiming a poke to his left eye. Action resumes
with Pablo frustrated inside’s Garcia’s open guard,
not heading anywhere. Popovitch PASSES in the last second, scores
three points and he is the new <77kg champion!
Under
66kg
Rafael Mendes defeats Rubens Charles “Cobrinha” (7
to 4)
Here we go, another bout between Rubens Cobrinha and Rafael Mendes.
Mendes is just a year at black belt and has already fought Cobrinha
five times, all four, before this one, with a gi. Cobrinha starts
with a takedown, but no points are being counted in the first
10 minutes and Rafa comes with the first submission attempts.
First he gives Cobrinha trouble with a d’arce choke. Cobrinha
escapes somehow. Mendes then heel hooks him. Cobrinha defends
and he is still in the game. They are standing, Cobrinha goes
for a beatiful sweep but Mendes counters with another tight d’arce
choke. It takes a while, but Cobrinha frees his head again.
In
their previous matches, Cobrinha always complained that Rafael
was trying just to hold him down but I don’t think he could
say the same for this one. So far, all submission attempts were
from Mendes. They are now standing. 0-0. They exchange sweeps,
Mendes ends on top. Cobrinha now goes for the heel hook and they
roll across the entire area once. The referee stops it and gets
them back to the same position and the same thing happens. They
get back to rolling again and Cobrinha switches for a sweep attempt.
And gets it. Mendes keeps his attacks, now a weird kimura with
Cobrinha’s leg locked, which Cobrinha escapes. Mendes sweeps
and goes for another choke but Cobrinha escapes and sweeps back,
scoring the points also (4-4). They go for the overtime.
Overtime
is all both guys standing so far. Nothing happens and they go
for the second overtime. Pretty boring, with Mendes playing guard,
until he gets the sweep, and takes Cobrinha’s back standing!
3-0 but he doesn’t stop, locks in the body triangle and
keeps trying for the choke on the ground. Time ends and Rafael
Mendes is the <66kg champion. Remarkable victory for the young
kid, who went after victory from the start.
Women’s
finals
Over
60kg
Hannette Staak submitted Penny Thomas with a footlock
Hannette
Staak takes Penny Thomas’ back at the beginning of the match
and keeps it for a lot of time. Eventually Penny manages to escape
but Staak connects with a knee bar attempt. The girls battle
from this position until the end, and Staak comes out on top,
submitting Thomas with a straight knee bar and conquering her
division again.
Under
60kg
Luanna Alzuguir defeated Sayaka Shioda (3 to 0)
Sayaka Shioda begins with a footlock attempt but Luanna Alzuguir
scrambles and escapes, getting top position. Luanna is looking
for the pass, goes for a back attempt but ends up on bottom.
Shioda is warned by the referee. Luanna sweeps. After a while,
Shioda is able to attempt the fooft attack and stands. Luanna
goes for the guillotine but Shioda frees her head. Luanna is
on top, working in Shioda’s guard, sometimes open, sometimes
closed. Shioda manage to land a heel hook, and they roll up to
the end of the mats, but Luana escapes and keeps trying the pass.
They are back on their feet. Now Shioda is on top, in Luanna’s
closed guard.
With
a beautiful move, Luana goes from closed guard straight to Shioda’s
back and opens the scoring (3-0). Shioda escapes, but Luanna
is taking the back again as time ends. Luanna Alzuguir is the
-60kg champion.
Source: Gracie Magazine
|
ELIOT
MARSHALL CONTINUES IMPROVEMENT
Eliot Marshall improved his overall professional mixed martial
arts record to 8-1, including 3-0 in the UFC, with his win over
Jason Brilz at UFC 103. Marshall was critical of his performance,
but was pleased with certain aspects of the fight.
"I
wish I could have done better. I'm not super happy with the performance,"
Marshall told MMAWeekly.com. "I showed improvement in my
wrestling. Everyone has been able to get me down before as far
as wrestlers. Now they weren't able to. He wasn't able to and
he's gotten everyone down in every single one of his fights."
"I
think I stuffed about ten to fifteen takedowns in that fight,
and man I was wrestling my (expletive) off for that fight."
In
his last two fights, Marshall displayed his stand up ability,
something he's not always done.
"I
said to them all in the back before the fight, man this is some
(expletive). I'm a Brazilian jiu-jitsu black belt trying to keep
it on the feet," said the Colorado light heavyweight. "It's
what you have to do in today's MMA. You can't let a wrestler
take you down and ride you out, and that's what Brilz is best
at."
Marshall
continues to improve his skill set, becoming more and more well-rounded.
"Every
fight so far I've improved in the UFC I feel like," said
Marshall. "The Vinny Magalhaes fight I couldn't really rely
on my jiu-jitsu at all, and with the Brilz fight with the wrestling."
"This
fight I knew I could stay on the feet, but the question was could
I keep it on the feet? Could I not get taken down? And I showed
that. It's just a process," added Marshall. "Like I
said after the fight, I'm a young fighter. I only have ten fights
or so, eleven fights. It just takes time. Like if you look at
some of Rashad Evans' first fights coming off the show, I think
he had two or three split decisions."
"It's
just a process. That's what Greg Jackson tells me all the time.
This is just a process, and eventually when that process starts
to come together you start to explode."
Source: MMA Weekly
|
WEC
TO HOLD MORE FREQUENT EVENTS
World Extreme Cagefighting began it's organization on June 30,
2001 in Leemore, Calif. and held it's first 24 events there before
being purchased by Ultimate Fighting Championship parent company
Zuffa in 2006. Their next seven events took place in Las Vegas.
Beginning in Feb. 2008, the fight promotion took it's show on
the road.
In
2008 the WEC went to Albuquerque, Sacramento and Hollywood, Fla.
Thus far in 2009, they've only held one event in Las Vegas but
have traveled to San Diego, Corpus Christi, Chicago and Sacramento
with their next show on Oct. 10 scheduled for San Antonio.
Along
with taking their product to new U.S. markets, the WEC plans
to hold more frequent events.
WEC
co-founder and General Manager Reed Harris told MMAWeekly.com,
"Starting with this October show, the WEC is doing a show
a month until next summer."
Typically
the WEC averages an event every two months. The most fight cards
they've put on in a single year before 2009 was six. This year
they'll beef that schedule up to eight.
In
2010, the organization has announced it plans to travel outside
of it's American base to Mexico City. Expect to see more WEC
events in more places as we close out 2009 and head into 2010.
Source: MMA Weekly
|
GAMBURYAN
READY FOR GARCIA, EYEING TITLE SHOT
Manny Gamburyan had success as a lightweight fighter, making
it to the finals of The Ultimate Fighter 5, but dropping to the
featherweight division and jumping for the Ultimate Fighting
Championship to World Extreme Cagefighting was a move he knew
he was going to have to make.
"155
was pretty big for me. When I fought Thiago Tavares I felt like
he had 20-25 pounds on me. I felt like, wow, this is not fair.
I think I should drop to 145," Gamburyan told MMAWeekly.com.
"When Joe Silva called me for the WEC, I was down to do
it because I felt like 145 was a better weight class for me."
Gamburyan
won his WEC and featherweight debut against John Franchi at WEC
41 in June and now gets a fight with Leonard Garcia at WEC 44
on Nov. 18 and feels a win will put him exactly where he wants
to be, a contender in the 145-pound division.
"When
I talked to Sean Shelby about this fight, I wanted top-notch
guys, number one, two, three guys," said the 28-year old
fighter. "I want to be champion of my weight class so you
can't fight anybody else. I think Leonard is a good opponent
for me."
"This
is a fight that's going to put me where I want," he said.
"He's a top-notch guy. He's been around at 145. He's fought
for the belt. Like I said, he's hungry too. He wants that belt.
He wants to fight the winner of Mike Brown or Jose Aldo, but
at the same time I'm hungrier. I want that belt."
"He's
a gamer. He's been around for a long time. He's been in the UFC.
He's been around. He's fought good guys. He's pretty tough,"
added Gamburyan. I know it's going to be a tough fight and I'm
ready for a war."
Source: MMA Weekly
|
Quote
of the Day
“I
will either find a way, or make one.”
Latin Proverb
|
ADCC
2009 Results
Kid Peligro
ADCC 2009 Barcelona
Results LIVE UPDATES from the Arena on September 26 and 27
Great
first day of action and already some surprises. In the men's
side, Ricco Rodrigues early departure to Tomazs. Great performances
by many, Vinny Magalhaes looked super sharp as he submitted Marcio
Pe de Pano with a flying arm-bar early in their match.
David
Avellan also lloked in top form and caught Tarsys Humphries with
a choke to advance to the semis. Kron Gracie gave favorite Marcelo
Garcia perhaps one of his toughest matches ever eventually losing
by submission in overtime. Ryan Hall gave Leo Vieira a hard time
but lost in OT by choke as well. Gregor Gracie looked extremely
fit and sharp as he reaches the semis. Many other favorites advanced
like Xande Ribeiro, Braulio Estima, Fabricio Werdum, Jeff Monson,Rubens
"Cobrinha", Rafael Mendes. Andre Galvao had an overtime
war with Chris Weideman
Saulo
Ribeiro and Romulo Barral had a war in their quarter finals with
Saulo advancing.
Ladies
surprise of the day was favorite Lana Stafanac losing her first
match against Brazilian Trials Champion Conceicao
Here
are the results:
1-
Fabricio Werdum Vs Roger Lorent - Mat 1 - Werdum beats Roger
2-
Antoine Jaoude Vs Thomasz Janiszewski - Mat 2 - Thomasz bests
Antoine
3-
Romulo Barral Vs Denis Roberts - Mat 3 - Romulo beats Denis
4-
Saulo Ribeiro Vs Koji Kanechika - Mat 3 - Saulo beats Koji
5-
Jeff Monson Vs Karol Bedort - Mat 1 - Jeff Monson beats Karol
6-
Tom Erickson Vs Janne Pekka - Mat 2 - Janne Pekka beats Tom Erickson
7-
Roberto Abreu Vs Tom DeBlass - Mat 3 - Roberto beats Tom DeBlass
8-
Mike Martell Vs Asa Fuller - Mat 2 - Asa Fuller beats Mike
9-
Xande Ribeiro Vs ILIR Latifi - Mat 1 - Xande beats ILIR
10-
Radek Turek Vs Rafael Davies - Mat 2 - Radek beats Rafael Davies
11-
Anthony Perosh Vs Marcio Pe De Pano - Mat 3 - Marcio Pe De Pano
beats Anthony Perosh
12-
Vinny Maghalhaes Vs Rodrigo Henriques - 2 - Vinny beats Rodrigo
14-
Glover Teixeira Vs Vesa Vouri - Mat 1 - Teixeira beats Vesa
13-
Dean Lister Vs Andreas Olsen - Mat 2 - Dean Lister beats Andreas
15-
Rico Rodriguez Vs Tomasz Szczerek - Mat 2 - Tomasz beats Rico
16-
Gerry Rinaldi Vs Yoshiyuki Nakanishi - Mat 3 - Gerry Rinaldi
beats Yoshiyuki Nakanishi
17-
Andre Galvao Vs Kassim Annan - Mat 1 - Andre beats Kassim
18-
Chris Weidman Vs Dan Tabera - Mat 2 - Chris beats Dan Tabera
19-
Tarsis Humphreys Vs Igor Praporshchikov - Mat 3 - Tarsis beats
Igor
20-
David Avellan Vs Trond Saksenvik - Mat 1 - David beats Trond
21-
Braulio Estima Vs Yuji Arai - Mat 2 - Braulio beats Yuji Arai
22-
Gunnar Nelson Vs James Brasco - Mat 2 - James beats Gunnar
23-
Rafael Lovato Jr Vs Tom Lawlor - Mat 1 - Rafael beats Tom
24
- Bruno Bastos beats Jorge Santiago
25
- Marcelo Garcia beats Rodney Ellis - sub
26
- Kron Gracie beats Enrico Cocco - sub
27
- Marcelo Azevedo beats Mike Fowler
28
- K-Taro Nakumura beats Milton Vieira
29
- Pablo Popovitch beats Don Ortega
30
- Ben Askren beats Toni Linden - sub
31-
Leo Santos Beats Yoshiyuki
32
- Gregor Gracie beats Murilo Santos pts
33
- Rani Yahha Beats Kouhei Yasumi
34
- Jeff Glover beats Timo Juhani
35
- Robens Charles beats Hiroshi Nakamura sub
36
- Joel Tudor beats Renier Nicolas sub
37
- Leo Vieira beats David Marinakis
38
- Ryan Hall beats Jeff Curran
39
- Rafael Mendes beats Jayson Patino
40
- Justin Rader beats Baret Yoshida
41
- Penny Thomas beats Shanti Abelha - pts
42
- Cristiane Cyborg beats Ida Hansson - pts OT
43
- Hannett Staack beats Hitomo Hiraiwa
44
- Rosangela Conceicao beats Lana Stephanac - pts
45
- Hillary Williams beats Megumi Fujii - Sub
46
- Sayaka Shioda beats Bianca Andrade
47
- Luanna Alzuguir beats Ina Steffensen
48
- Laurence Cousin beats Ana Michelle Dantas
53
- Fabricio Werdum beats Tomasz Janiszewski
54
- Saulo Ribeiro beats Romulo Barral - pts
55
- Jeff Monson beats Janne-Pekka Pietilainen
56
- Roberto Abreau Cyborg beats Asa Fuller
57
- Xande Ribiero beats Radek Turek
58
- Vinny Magalhaes beats Marcio Pe De Pano - sub flying arm-bar
59
- Glover Teixeira beats Dean Lister - pts
60
- Jerry Rinaldi beats Tomasz Szczerek
61
- Andre Galvao beats Chris Weidman -pts OT
62
- David Avellan beats Tarsis Humphreys - Sub rear naked choke
63
- Braulio Estima beats James Brasco - ref decision OT
64
- Rafael Lovato beats Bruno Bastos - pts
65
- Marcelo Garcia beats Kron Gracie - sub guillotine in OT- fight
of the event so far
66
- K-Taro Nakamura beats Marcelo Azevedo
67
- Pablo Popovitch beats Ben Askren - sub foot-lock
68-
Gregor Gracie beats Leo Santos
69
- Rani Yahya beats Jeff Glover
70
- Rubens Charles beats Joel Tudor - sub
72
- Rafael Mendes beats Justin Rader
71
- Leozinho Vieira beats Ryan Hall pts OT
72
- Rafael Mendes beats Justin Rader
Superfight
Ronaldo "Jacare" beats Roder Drysdale pts - takedown
Day 2
Fabricio
Werdum v Saulo Ribeiro Werdum by ref decision 2 OT
Jeff
Monson v Robert Abreu _ Abreu by ref decision 2 OT
Xande
Ribeiro vs Vinny Magalhaes - Xande by points 4 x 0 OT
Gerard
Rinaldi vs Glover Teixeira - Rinaldi by points 5 x 0 OT
Andre
Galvao vs David Avellan - Galvao by points 2 x 0
Braulio
Estima vs Rafael Lovato - Braulio by submission foot lock
Marcelo
Garcia vs K-Taro Nakamura - Garcia by choke
Rubens
Cobrinha vs Rani Yahia - Charles by submission - Kimura
Pablo
Popovitch vs Gregor Gracie - Pablo by points 3 x 0
Leo
vieira vs Rafael Mendes - Mendes by sub choke OT
Penny
thomas v Cristiane Cyborg - Thomas by points -2 x -1 OT
Hillary
Williams vs Sayaka Shioda - Shioda by Submission arm-lock
Rosangela
Conceicao v Hannette Staack - Staack by Judges Decision 2 OT
Luana
Allzuguir vs Laurence Cousin - Alzuguir by choke 2 OT
3rd
Place Matches:
Over
99KG:Jeff Monson vs Saulo Ribeiro - Monson by Judges Decision
2 OT
Under
99Kg Vinny Magalhaes v Glover Teixeira - Magalhaes by submission
arm-lock
Under
88KG Rafael Lovato vs David Avellan - Avelan by sub foot-lock
Under
77KG Gregor Gracie vs K-taro Nakamura - Gracie by pts 10 x 0
under
66 Jeff Glover vs Ryan Hall (Vieira and yahia out with injuries)
- Hall by pts 3 x 2
Ladies
U60 KG Laurence Cousin v Hillary Williams - Williams by pts
Ladies
Over 60 KG Cristiane Cyborg vs Rosangela conceicao - Cristiane
Cyborg by jduges Decision
Finals
Over
99Kg - Fabricio Werdum vs Roberto Cyborg - werdum by pts 9 (-4)
x 0
under
99KG - Xande ribeiro vs Gerardi Rinaldi - Xande by points 2 x
0
under
88KG - Braulio Estima vs Andre Galvao - Braulio by submission
triangle
under
77KG - Pablo Popovitch vs Marcelo Garcia - Popovitch by points
3(-1) x 2(-1)
under
66KG - Rubens cahrles vs Rafael Mendes - Mendes by pts 7 x 4
2OT
Ladies
Over 60KG Penny Thomas vs Hannette Staack - Staack by submission
knee-bar
Under
60KG Luana Alzuguir v Sayaka Shioda - Alzuguir by pts 3 x 0
Absolute
Marcelo
Garcia v Bruno Bastos - Garcia by submission choke OT
Braulio
Estima v Janne Pekka Pietilainen - Brualio by submission arm-lock
Dean
Lister v Vinny Magalhaes - Magalhaes by Judges Decision 2OT
Chris
Weidman v Antoine Jaoude - Weidman by pts 3 x 0
Ricco
Rodrigues v Xande Ribeiro - xande byy submission key-lock
Andre
Galvao v Tom de Blass - Galvao by pts 3 x 0
Jeff
Monson v Gunnar Nelson - Nelson by pts 3 x 0 2 OT
Roberto
abreu v David Avellan - Avelan by Judges decision 2 OT
Quarter
Finals
Marcelo
Garcia v Braulio Estima - Braulio by sub choke
Vinny
Magalhaes v Chris Weideman - Magalhaes by sub arm-lock
Xande
Ribeiro v Andre Galvao - Xande by pts 3 (-1) x 0
Gunnar
Nelson v David Avelan
Semi-finals
Xande
Ribeiro vs Gunnar Nelson - Xande by Submission Knee-bar
Braulio
Estima v Vinny Magalhaes - Braulio by pts 3 x 0
Finals
Xande
Ribeiro v Braulio Estima - Braulio by saubmission arm-bar
Source: ADCC
|
ADCC
2009: a weekend for the books
Braulio Estima absolute champion!
The
GRACIEMAG.com team is in Barcelona, where the 2009 installment
of the ADCC took place.
GRACIEMAG.com
readers can find out all the goings-on in Barcelona on our Special
Blog, which will take you behind the scenes of ADCC 2009.
The
winner of the absolute title is Braulio Estima, who overcame
Xande Ribeiro in the final.
Here's the list of weight division final outcomes:
Under
66kg: Rafael Mendes aggressively outpointed Rubens Charles "Cobrinha";
Under 77kg: Pablo Popovitch tapped Marcelo Garcia;
Under 88kg: Braulio Estima tapped Andre Galvao;
Under 99kg: Xande Ribeiro doubled his tally beating an impressive
Gerard Rinaldi
Over 99kg: Werdum survived a tough start to control Cyborg and
take his second gold.
Women:
Over 66kg: Hannette was perfect to win again
Under 66kg:Luanna Alzuguir impressed to win among the lightweights.
Sunday,
September 27, is a day to be remembered
Hannette Staack will remember that on this day she became two-time
ADCC champion of the over 60kg category, when she insisted on
a kneebar till the headstrong Penny Thomas tapped.
Luana Alzuguir will also remember fondly here campaign in the
under 60kg. In the final, Alliance’s golden girl (the only
gold-winning team member this ADCC) beat a game Sayaka Shioda
by 3 to 0 by taking the Japanese grappler’s back.
On this day, Marcelo Garcia lost for the first time in the ADCC
at his weight. Pablo Popovitch will remember the last 30 seconds
of the under 77kg final, when he put all he had left into passing
the three-time champion’s guard to take first place. Popovitch
will remember that this was the third final in a row between
the two, in the world cup of grappling. It’s 2 x 1 for the
Alliance rep, but 2011 isn’t that far off.
Rafael Mendes will also remember the final minute of the under
66kg decider. He’ll recall how the match was drawn at 4
to 4, already in overtime, when he managed to make it to Cobrinha’s
back, to make it 7 to 4 and take the gold. Before that, Rafa
will remember that he submitted two-time champion Leo Vieira.
Xande Ribeiro will remember the strategy that put the brakes
on the revelation of the event, Gerard Rinaldi, winner of the
west coast USA trials, who dispatched favorites left and right
in making it to the under 99kg final. Despite his disappointment
in the absolute, Xande will cherish his second title in the event.
Fabricio Werdum will remember the title he conquered at home.
The second championship that he controlled the over 99kg category
of and the stands of the Pavilion that he galvanized. The fans
he lent to friends while they competed.
Braulio Estima will have the greatest memories of the Sunday,
September 27, that he spent in Barcelona. He’ll remember
the dream day he spent in the same gymnasium a certain Dream
Team enchanted the world in 17 years earlier. Braulio was nearly
perfect. In the under 88kg category he caught the foot of Lovato.
Then, he clamped a sightly triangle on Andre Galvao, for the
gold.
In the absolute, the dream turned to reality. In less than a
minute, he extended the arm of Finland’s Janne-Pekka. Then,
he squeezed on the neck of Marcelo Garcia and scored 7 to 0 over
Vinicius Magalhaes.
When asked about the final of the absolute, Braulio will remember
that he went after Xande from the start, that he nearly got the
finish with a beautiful triangle and later with an arm attack.
He’ll also remember that Xande’s bad luck was his good
fortune when his adversary gave up, betrayed by an arm injury.
When asked speak of his time winning his weight and the absolute
categories of the ADCC, repeating the feat of Ze Mario (1998),
Mark Kerr (2000) and Roger Gracie (2005), perhaps Braulio will
break into tears like he did in the gymnasium in Barcelona. It’s
also possible that time will bring Braulio to believe in his
own achievement, which he hadn’t managed to do yet as he
exited the Badalona Municipal Pavilion.
Hannette
Staack will remember that on this day she became two-time ADCC
champion of the over 60kg category, when she insisted on a kneebar
till the headstrong Penny Thomas tapped.
Luana
Alzuguir will also remember fondly here campaign in the under
60kg. In the final, Alliance’s golden girl (the only gold-winning
team member this ADCC) beat a game Sayaka Shioda by 3 to 0 by
taking the Japanese grappler’s back.
The
words of the champion
ADCC 2009 has a grand champion. Besides taking the under 88kg
title, Braulio Estima defeated Xande Ribeiro to take the absolute
one too.
“I just want to say that I could never have done it alone.
I had lots of help. It’s not fair to claim victory for myself.
I trained all I could. All my students helped me. My brother
and coaches helped me in the gym. I’m always learning. I’m
really happy, I had lots of support. My time has come. I trained
really hard for this. I feel I performed well. I’d like
to thank my wife, who gave me a lot of massages. I thank Ze Radiola,
Roger Gracie, for the support,” said the champion.
In tears, Braulio went on: “To my father, my mother, my
whole family. This is for you. Now I’m going to take a vacation.
I’ll go to Brazil on Wednesday to see my parents. I want
to send a big kiss to my son Julian. He will be really proud
that I did what I did. I’m happy to have competed at a good
level,” he finished.
Sunday,
September 27, is a day to be remembered
September
27, 2009 by Ivan Trindade
Hannette Staack will remember that on this day she became two-time
ADCC champion of the over 60kg category, when she insisted on
a kneebar till the headstrong Penny Thomas tapped.
Luana Alzuguir will also remember fondly here campaign in the
under 60kg. In the final, Alliance’s golden girl (the only
gold-winning team member this ADCC) beat a game Sayaka Shioda
by 3 to 0 by taking the Japanese grappler’s back.
On this day, Marcelo Garcia lost for the first time in the ADCC
at his weight. Pablo Popovitch will remember the last 30 seconds
of the under 77kg final, when he put all he had left into passing
the three-time champion’s guard to take first place. Popovitch
will remember that this was the third final in a row between
the two, in the world cup of grappling. It’s 2 x 1 for the
Alliance rep, but 2011 isn’t that far off.
Rafael Mendes will also remember the final minute of the under
66kg decider. He’ll recall how the match was drawn at 4
to 4, already in overtime, when he managed to make it to Cobrinha’s
back, to make it 7 to 4 and take the gold. Before that, Rafa
will remember that he submitted two-time champion Leo Vieira.
Xande Ribeiro will remember the strategy that put the brakes
on the revelation of the event, Gerard Rinaldi, winner of the
west coast USA trials, who dispatched favorites left and right
in making it to the under 99kg final. Despite his disappointment
in the absolute, Xande will cherish his second title in the event.
Fabricio Werdum will remember the title he conquered at home.
The second championship that he controlled the over 99kg category
of and the stands of the Pavilion that he galvanized. The fans
he lent to friends while they competed.
Braulio Estima will have the greatest memories of the Sunday,
September 27, that he spent in Barcelona. He’ll remember
the dream day he spent in the same gymnasium a certain Dream
Team enchanted the world in 17 years earlier. Braulio was nearly
perfect. In the under 88kg category he caught the foot of Lovato.
Then, he clamped a sightly triangle on Andre Galvao, for the
gold.
In the absolute, the dream turned to reality. In less than a
minute, he extended the arm of Finland’s Janne-Pekka. Then,
he squeezed on the neck of Marcelo Garcia and scored 7 to 0 over
Vinicius Magalhaes.
When asked about the final of the absolute, Braulio will remember
that he went after Xande from the start, that he nearly got the
finish with a beautiful triangle and later with an arm attack.
He’ll also remember that Xande’s bad luck was his good
fortune whenhis adversary gave up, betrayed by an arm injury.
When asked speak of his time winning his weight and the absolute
categories of the ADCC, repeating the feat of Ze Mario (1998),
Mark Kerr (2000) and Roger Gracie (2005), perhaps Braulio will
break into tears like he did in the gymnasium in Barcelona. It’s
also possible that time will bring Braulio to believe in his
own achievement, which he hadn’t managed to do yet as he
exited the Badalona Municipal Pavilion.
Hannette
Staack will remember that on this day she became two-time ADCC
champion of the over 60kg category, when she insisted on a kneebar
till the headstrong Penny Thomas tapped.
Luana
Alzuguir will also remember fondly here campaign in the under
60kg. In the final, Alliance’s golden girl (the only gold-winning
team member this ADCC) beat a game Sayaka Shioda by 3 to 0 by
taking the Japanese grappler’s back.
On
this day, Marcelo Garcia lost for the first time in the ADCC
at his weight. Pablo Popovitch will remember the last 30 seconds
of the under 77kg final, when he put all he had left into passing
the three-time champion’s guard to take first place. Popovitch
will remember that this was the third final in a row between
the two, in the world cup of grappling. It’s 2 x 1 for the
Alliance rep, but 2011 isn’t that far off.
Rafael
Mendes will also remember the final minute of the under 66kg
decider. He’ll recall how the match was drawn at 4 to 4,
already in overtime, when he managed to make it to Cobrinha’s
back, to make it 7 to 4 and take the gold. Before that, Rafa
will remember that he submitted two-time champion Leo Vieira.
Xande
Ribeiro will remember the strategy that put the brakes on the
revelation of the event, Gerard Rinaldi, winner of the west coast
USA trials, who dispatched favorites left and right in making
it to the under 99kg final. Despite his disappointment in the
absolute, Xande will cherish his second title in the event.
Fabricio
Werdum will remember the title he conquered at home. The second
championship that he controlled the over 99kg category of and
the stands of the Pavilion that he galvanized. The fans he lent
to friends while they competed.
Braulio
Estima will have the greatest memories of the Sunday, September
27, that he spent in Barcelona. He’ll remember the dream
day he spent in the same gymnasium a certain Dream Team enchanted
the world in 17 years earlier. Braulio was nearly perfect. In
the under 88kg category he caught the foot of Lovato. Then, he
clamped a sightly triangle on Andre Galvao, for the gold.
In
the absolute, the dream turned to reality. In less than a minute,
he extended the arm of Finland’s Janne-Pekka. Then, he squeezed
on the neck of Marcelo Garcia and scored 7 to 0 over Vinicius
Magalhaes.
When
asked about the final of the absolute, Braulio will remember
that he went after Xande from the start, that he nearly got the
finish with a beautiful triangle and later with an arm attack.
He’ll also remember that Xande’s bad luck was his good
fortune whenhis adversary gave up, betrayed by an arm injury.
When
asked speak of his time winning his weight and the absolute categories
of the ADCC, repeating the feat of Ze Mario (1998), Mark Kerr
(2000) and Roger Gracie (2005), perhaps Braulio will break into
tears like he did in the gymnasium in Barcelona. It’s also
possible that time will bring Braulio to believe in his own achievement,
which he hadn’t managed to do yet as he exited the Badalona
Municipal Pavilion.
Posted
in Uncategorized | Tagged Abu Dhabi, ADCC, Alliance, Andre Galvao,
Gerard Rinaldi, Jiu-Jitsu, Marcelo Garcia, Pablo Popovitch, Rafael
Mendes, Xande Ribeiro | Leave a Comment »
The words of the champion
September
27, 2009 by Graciemag
ADCC 2009 has a grand champion. Besides taking the under 88kg
title, Braulio Estima defeated Xande Ribeiro to take the absolute
one too.
“I just want to say that I could never have done it alone.
I had lots of help. It’s not fair to claim victory for myself.
I trained all I could. All my students helped me. My brother
and coaches helped me in the gym. I’m always learning. I’m
really happy, I had lots of support. My time has come. I trained
really hard for this. I feel I performed well. I’d like
to thank my wife, who gave me a lot of massages. I thank Ze Radiola,
Roger Gracie, for the support,” said the champion.
In tears, Braulio went on: “To my father, my mother, my
whole family. This is for you. Now I’m going to take a vacation.
I’ll go to Brazil on Wednesday to see my parents. I want
to send a big kiss to my son Julian. He will be really proud
that I did what I did. I’m happy to have competed at a good
level,” he finished.
ADCC
2009 has a grand champion. Besides taking the under 88kg title,
Braulio Estima defeated Xande Ribeiro to take the absolute one
too.
“I
just want to say that I could never have done it alone. I had
lots of help. It’s not fair to claim victory for myself.
I trained all I could. All my students helped me. My brother
and coaches helped me in the gym. I’m always learning. I’m
really happy, I had lots of support. My time has come. I trained
really hard for this. I feel I performed well. I’d like
to thank my wife, who gave me a lot of massages. I thank Ze Radiola,
Roger Gracie, for the support,” said the champion.
In
tears, Braulio went on: “To my father, my mother, my whole
family. This is for you. Now I’m going to take a vacation.
I’ll go to Brazil on Wednesday to see my parents. I want
to send a big kiss to my son Julian. He will be really proud
that I did what I did. I’m happy to have competed at a good
level,” he finished.
The money
match – BRAULIO wins!
Xande
and Carcara are battling in the most important fight of the weekend.
Braulio
finds a path to his lethal inverted triangle early in the match.
Xande has an overall good defense and with one his arms is kind
of defending it. Triangle is fully locked now but Xande stands,
shakes it and defends.
They
end in Braulio’s guard, but Xande hurts his right shoulder
and gives up.
Bráulio
wins the absolute!
And
carries Jacare to the center of the fight area to provoke him.
Theoretically,
they will meet each other in the ADCC 2011. We’ll see you
guys there!
Absolute
bronze
Only
a few minutes have passed, but Gunnar Nelson and Vinicius “Pesao”
Magalhães are back in the main venue, disputing third
place.
Vini
is playing guard, Gunnar is looking for Pesao’s back. Vinicius
tries to find a leg or an arm, Gunny keeps posture (and balance).
They must be really, really tired by now. This is the sixth match
for Magalhaes this Sunday. And Gunnar’s fourth, among them
one big overtime battle against Jeff Monson.
Gunnar
puts pressure on Vini, who turns back to him. Now Vinicius is
in turtle position, and Gunnar is trying to put in his hooks.
Magalhães escapes trading position with Gunnar, and raises
him really high in a suplex attempt. Gunnar is back at a back
attack attempt when time ends. 0-0. Overtime is on.
Gunnar
quickly manages to get the same position, controlling Vinicius
who is turtling. They get back to their feet. Vinicius takes
Gunnar down but is unable to hold him for three seconds to score.
Pace slows as we get deep in the overtime and Vinicius scores
a takedown in the last seconds to win bronze.
What
a great show these guys put up. A quick recap here: Vinicius
only lost to the very guys who are disputing the final now (Xande
in the <99kg semi and Braulio in the absolute semi).
Source: Gracie Magazine
|
Ronaldo
Jacaré
Two
times BJJ World champion, Ronaldo Jacaré Souza won one
more title to his collection, the ADCC super fight. Fighting
against Robert Drysdale, Ronaldo scored 2x0 in the 20 minutes
battle and won the title, that he’ll have to defend on 2011.
Minutes after the conquest, Jacaré talked with TATAME.com
in Barcelona, Spain.
How
did you feel on the return to ADCC?
I
felt really great. Even far away from competitions, I know I
have potential to make a big fight with who was the best of the
year (2007) when was absolute champion on ADCC, and I came to
show that, even standing still, you saw me fighting 20 minutes.
Unfortunately we haven’t many positions, but wasn’t
because of me.
You’ve
trained with Drysdale before, at Randy Couture’s gym. How
was to face him on ADCC?
I’m
a Judo man, I’ve fought with train partner before and fight
with a guy who was absolute champion is cool. I trained for a
little time with him, I admire him, he’s an excellent person
and athlete, but besides fighting, I needed it. It’s been
11 months that there’s no money on my account (laughs).
I wanted to send a message: Dream didn’t pay me yet.
This
victory motivates you to fight on Jiu-Jitsu again or on Submission?
Unfortunately
you won’t see me on Jiu-Jitsu nor Submission. I’m Strikeforce’s
employee and I want to thank Strikeforce to let me do the ADCC
fight. I want to thank ADCC to give me this credit, I could make
the super fight.
Source: Tatame
|
INTERVIEW
WITH ROGER HUERTA
Lightweight Roger Huerta is in Austin, Tex., spending time with
his family and healing up from his fight with Gray Maynard at
UFC Fight Night 19. MMAWeekly caught up with him recently to
discuss his future plans.
MMAWeekly:
Were you happy with the fight last week?
Huerta:
I was really happy with my performance. I think I’ve improved
a lot, dramatically, where I don’t fight too wild. I was
really focused on Gray and what he does good, which is obviously
his wrestling and his striking. I felt that the fight could have
gone the either way, but then again, it’s my fault for not
finishing when I had chances and letting it go that far.
MMAWeekly:
Was the fight in any way different than what you expected?
Huerta:
Not at all. I expected Gray to be really tough. He’s one
of the best out there right now. He’s going to continue
to do well. The guy’s a gym rat, he’s at Xtreme Couture
24/7.
When
the fight was proposed to me, I was like ‘hell, yeah.’
This guy’s one of the best out there. I said to myself,
I’m going to focus on training, and I ended up going to
Minnesota and preparing with Dave Menne, who I’ve been with
since the beginning, and he helped me prepare for Gray, and brought
in other high caliber athletes to help me prepare for Gray.
MMAWeekly:
A couple of sources I spoke to said the UFC was trying to send
a message by matching you up with Gray. Were you aware of that
at leading up to this fight?
Huerta:
Not at all. I saw Gray as a big opportunity of getting back in
that top five contention.
MMAWeekly:
When you were leading up to the fight, did you already have it
in the back of your mind that you might fight again, were you
sitting on the fence, or were you resolved not to do it?
Huerta:
Going into this fight, I was going in there thinking, this is
my last fight, that I was going to give it my best, and I was
going to go out with a bang, and pursue other things in my life.
After the fight, I was not pleased with the results, meaning,
I wasn’t pleased with the decision that was made that I
had lost. I wasn’t pleased with 30-27, which I just don’t
see that happening at all. It was going to go 29-28 for him or
for me. That’s given me a bitter taste, in that there’s
no way that he won all three rounds, or that he just ran through
me and did whatever he wanted to me. That’s not what happened.
I feel that he’s probably going to be the next number one
contender, and the last two guys that I’ve lost to have
been the number one contenders, like Kenny (Florian). He beat
me decisively; I wasn’t really focused for Kenny. But Gray,
I just can’t really swallow that.
MMAWeekly:
So is it purely the dissatisfaction about the Gray fight that
made you decide to fight again or were there any other factors
involved?
Huerta:
No, it was really this fight. This fight has given me hunger
for fighting again. I had kind of lost that. I was getting burnt
out with it. After this fight, I was like, man, we were so close,
and being with Dave, and seeing how much attention we put to
this, and how close we were to getting this victory, is really
what’s given me back this fighting fire again.
MMAWeekly:
Why do you think you got burnt out?
Huerta:
I think a lot of it was the PR that I was doing. All the press
stuff, just getting distracted. Fighting has gotten me where
I am today.
MMAWeekly:
At what point did acting become the escape from fighting?
Huerta:
It became it when I filmed Tekken. When I started doing that,
I couldn’t really commit to that, but I was really intrigued
by it. I thought it was just something awesome in these actors.
I gotta respect these guys, they work hard at what they do: twelve-hour
days on the set, on-and-off, memorizing lines, becoming these
roles. It’s something I’m still intrigued by, and something
I still want to pursue. If there are any awesome opportunities,
believe me, I’m still going to do it.
MMAWeekly:
How was it being an actor for the time you were away from fighting?
I know you had that three-picture development deal with Lion’s
Gate. How was it?
Huerta:
Well, it was a lot of hard work, and for someone like me that
never experienced that, I was like, oh my God. There’s so
much that goes on behind the scenes of doing these films. I was
like if I really want to do this, if I want to get serious with
this, I have to work hard at it. Even after the Gray fight, I
called the agent, Greg Edwards, from LA, who got me in that movie.
I was like, ‘hey man, I want to go at this really hard,’
because he’s an acting coach as well. But he’s out
in LA and I’m here in Austin. He was like,’ what kind
of computer do you have?’ And I was like Mac, and he’s
like, ‘get into tune with iMovie, get Skype, so that I can
coach you while I’m over here and you’re in Austin.’
It’s awesome, man. It’s a big challenge.
MMAWeekly:
So you’re working on monologues, and audition scenes, and
the standard fare of actors via Skype in Austin?
Huerta:
I’m going to start doing that right now.
MMAWeekly:
How do you plan on fitting acting in with your fighting life?
Huerta:
There are certain days where I’ll have my classes, and I’m
not going to be doing it every day. I’m scheduling class
with Greg once a week. Then I’m training every day. Training’s
just a part of my life, working out is a part of life. I don’t
do much else.
MMAWeekly:
Where do you stand with the UFC?
Huerta:
My relationship with the UFC, I think is fairly well. I haven’t
really spoken with them. Jeff (Clark, my manager) has.
MMAWeekly:
So you don’t know whether the door is open or closed with
them?
Huerta:
Yeah, I’m really clueless to that question.
MMAWeekly:
If the door is closed, theoretically, would you be open to other
promotions like DREAM and Strikeforce?
Huerta:
Definitely. I’m open to anything right now.
MMAWeekly:
I’m wondering if catching this acting bug and going into
the Gray fight with these raised stakes taught you anything about
redefining your relationship to fighting?
Huerta:
Yeah. I’ve just got to balance it out with my life, my social
life. Balance it where I’m not fully just focused on one
thing—I’m focused on fighting, and fighting is everything
I do. I have to balance it out where fighting is my job, and
outside of training, I get to hang out with my family and my
loved ones, then the acting thing. Acting, that it’s just
my job, and not making it where it’s all that I’m about.
MMAWeekly:
What kind of actor would you like to be? Dramatic? Comedic? Action?
Huerta:
I’m open to all that. I’ve been watching a lot of Quinton
Tarantino movies, and those have been great. Robert Rodriguez
is really, really awesome.
MMAWeekly:
And Robert Rodriguez is a Texan.
Huerta:
Yes, he is. Please put that out there: Robert, hook me up.
MMAWeekly:
So what are your immediate plans? Are you going to go into maintenance
training, take some time off?
Huerta:
My elbow and my shoulder are still a bit sore from the event,
but I think within the next two weeks, that it should be better.
I want to start working on my skills again, and I think I might
even go to Thailand for three weeks and work on my Thai boxing.
MMAWeekly:
Did you go see a doctor after Gray? Gray said he heard your shoulder
pop.
Huerta:
Yeah, the doctor saw me after the fight, and I went up to Minnesota
and they checked me out as well. Dude, there’s nothing wrong
me at all. If he thinks he heard something pop, he must have
been hearing something else, because it wasn’t me.
MMAWeekly:
You’re like the Bionic Man. That looked very painful.
Huerta:
It’s funny you say that, because I didn’t know what
the big deal was. When I went back into the locker rooms, the
doctors and nurses all came over and were like, ‘how’s
your shoulder, how’s your shoulder?’ I’m like,
‘what are you talking about?’ It’s fine. Three
days later, I was watching the fight, and I saw that, and I was
like, ‘holy crap…yeah.’ I went to Minnesota, to
my sports medicine trainer, and I walk in, and everyone in the
room looks at me. They’re wondering, ‘where’s
the sling?’ I guess it was like an out of sight, out of
mind kind of thing, because it looked worse than it felt. To
me it felt like more of a stretch than painful. At the end it
was a little bit painful, and I thought, ‘I’ve got
to get out of this.’ I can’t explain it. I think God
must have been looking out for me.
Source: MMA Weekly
|
ROLLES
GRACIE WINS AGAIN AT ART OF WAR
COTAI STRIP, Macao, China – Art of War has deliberately
built its brand as the premier mixed martial arts promotion in
China via its home city of Beijing... until Saturday night when
they hit the road to the Cotai Arena at the Venetian Resort-Hotel.
The
first mixed martial arts event held in southern China, Art of
War 14: Ground Zero proved an enticing night of fights, if not
leaving fans wanting for results. In all, five of the 12 bouts
ended in a draw.
Art
of War does not use judges, instead, any bout that goes the duration
is ruled a draw.
The
main event between Andy Wang and Atsuhiro Tsuboi was the final
draw, as well as the final bout, of the night. The two exchanged
punches and kicks for the duration, but neither did much damage
nor threatened a strong finish.
The
fight just prior delivered quickly, however. In only his third
pro start, his second for Art of War, Rolles Gracie kept his
unbeaten streak alive, submitting veteran K-1 fighter Peter Graham.
In classic grappler versus striker fashion, Gracie immediately
took Graham to the mat, transitioned from side control to mount,
locked on an arm triangle, and then slipped off the side to cinch
it down for the submission.
Antonio
Braga Neto and Rodney Glunder entered the ring with the promise
of fireworks, but their bout met an unfortunate end before it
ever got started. The bell sounded and Neto shot across the ring
to take Glunder down. The force of Neto’s shot drove Glunder
through the ropes, the small of his back crashing on the ring
apron. His legs in Neto’s grasp, Glunder’s upper body
bent unnaturally over the edge of the apron from the force of
the takedown. He was taken from ringside on a stretcher and the
bout ruled a no contest.
Art
of War’s Andy Pi later said that Glunder was taken to the
hospital to get checked out, but that they had no indication
of the severity of his injury at that time.
It
was the only knockout of the night, but it would have taken something
spectacular to take the thunder away from Wang Sai’s blasting
of Lee Yong Jae. The two opened in a flurry, but it was China’s
Sai that drilled a straight right hand that left the Korean crumpled
on the mat.
Joachim
Hansen teammate Simeon Thoresen looked like he had Michael Costa’s
number early on in their bout, but the Wanderlei Silva-trained
Costa came back strong in the latter half of the first round.
Gaining confidence in his striking game, Costa rocked Thoresen
on several occasions through the end of the opening stanza, and
all through the second round, but still couldn’t finish
the tough Norwegian, taking him to a two-round draw.
After
the fight, Costa indicated that he broke his hand at some point
during the bout.
American
Daniel Madrid earned the biggest win of his career, submitting
Pride veteran Daijiro Matsui late in round two. Despite a couple
takedowns and strong leg lock attempts by the Japanese fighter,
it was Madrid that maintained his composure, controlling the
better portion of the fight before securing a reverse triangle
from the back of a face down Matsui for the win.
Thai
boxer Arthit Hanchana, with his height and reach advantage, showed
the flashes of a pending Anderson Silva-like knockout, but despite
finding his mark several times throughout the fight, he couldn’t
put Dai Shuang Hai away. The fight ended in another draw.
Though
their bout also ended in an unsatisfying draw, Vaughn Anderson
and Kim Dong Hyun – no, not the UFC fighter – gave
the fans the undercard fight of the night. Relegated to the prelims,
they fought like main eventers, going toe-to-toe for the duration.
Hyun landed a head kick early with Anderson returning the favor
later in the round, but even in the midst of several stunning
boxing flurries, neither could land the finishing blow.
While
Jason Schmidt and Hattori Kenichi got the crowd warmed up with
their opening fight performance – an entertaining grappling
affair – it was Chinese fighter Yao Qiang that really got
the home fires burning on Saturday night. He immediately let
his hands fly, repeatedly hitting his mark... Jeong Soon Hak’s
face. Qiang knocked the Korean fighter out midway through the
opening minute of their fight, marking a fast start to the night.
Art
of War 14: Ground Zero Results
-Tsuboi Atsuhiro vs. Andy Wang, Draw, R2
-Rolles Gracie def. Peter Graham by Submission (Arm Triangle),
R1
-Antonio Braga Neto vs. Rodney Glunder, No Contest (Due to Injury),
R1
-Wang Sai def. Lee Yong Jae by KO, R1
-Michael Costa vs. Simeon Thoresen, Draw, R2
-Daniel Madrid def. Daijiro Matsui by Submission (Reverse Triangle
Choke), R2
-Dai Shuang Hai vs. Arthit Hanchana, Draw, R2
-Vaughn Anderson vs. Kim Dong Hyun, Draw, R2
-Claes Beverlov def. Zhang Li Peng by Submission (Armbar), R2
-Dorjderem Munkhayasgalan def. Elyorbek Akbarov by Submission
(Americana), R1
-Yao Qiang def. Jeong Soon Hak by KO, R1
-Jason Schmidt vs. Hattori Kenichi, Draw, R2
Source: MMA Weekly
|
BUENTELLO'S
OCTAGON RETURN OFFICIAL
It's been over 3 years since Paul Buentello stepped foot in the
UFC Octagon, but the "Headhunter" will make his return
to the promotion that he called home for over a year when he
faces American Top Team fighter, Todd Duffee, in a heavyweight
showdown at UFC 107 in Memphis, Tenn.
The
fight was confirmed to MMAWeekly.com by sources close to the
fight on Friday, who indicated that bout agreements have been
issued, and Buentello's deal with the UFC already being finalized.
During
his time with the UFC, Buentello amassed an impressive 3-1 record
with his lone loss coming at the hands of former champion, Andrei
Arlovski, in 2005.
Since
leaving the promotional juggernaut, Buentello put together another
great run of victories including wins over David "Tank"
Abbott, Gary Goodridge, and Carter Williams.
Now
the American Kickboxing Academy fighter will look to make an
instant impact in his return fight as he faces a very hungry
young competitor in Todd Duffee.
Duffee,
who takes the fight in Dec with a perfect 5-0 record, blasted
his way through Tim Hague in his UFC debut in only :17 seconds.
The American Top Team fighter had said he hoped to face a top
fighter in his next bout, and Buentello definitely fits the bill.
No
word yet if the fight between Buentello and Duffee will make
the main card or the preliminary card, but more announcements
about the event are expected in the coming weeks from the UFC.
Source: MMA Weekly
|
ROY
NELSON TALKS KIMBO SLICE BOUT
Roy Nelson and Kevin "Kimbo Slice" Ferguson are the
two biggest names on The Ultimate Fighter 10, and on the next
episode the two square off in an elimination bout. While several
contestants were licking their chops at the opportunity to fight
"Kimbo," Nelson wasn't one of them.
Coach
Quinton "Rampage" Jackson picked the first two match
ups on the show and Rashad Evans' team won both of them. When
Evans got the chance to play match maker, he immediately put
his most seasoned fighter against Jackson's most known. Nelson
spoke with MMAWeekly.com about how the bout with "Kimbo"
was made.
"Rashad
(Evans) took us all in the back and said, 'okay, who would you
like to fight? Who do you think you match up good with?' The
whole nine yards. And then you just kind of picked who you wanted,"
explained Nelson. "Me, I went in and was like, I want Zak
(Jensen). They were like, 'why do you want Zak?' I was like,
well, he got gogoplata'd by Brad Imes, so I want Zak. They were
like, 'you match better against Kimbo.' I'm like no I don't.
I match really good with Zak, trust me."
Believing
the decision was as much political as strategic, Nelson commented,
"You just need somebody that will make Kimbo look better
than what he is because he can't lose to nobody else. That's
kind of how I picked it. From a business aspect, it just makes
sense. That's what I would do if I was running the UFC's The
Ultimate Fighter, but as a fighter I wanted Zak."
Nelson's
not new to the fight game. He understands match making and the
format of the show. Tough fights early are not smart. "That's
not the easy fight," said the 33-year old heavyweight.
"There
were like four guys on our team that was like, 'oh I want Kimbo.'
I was like, have him," said Nelson. "I don't want him.
They're looking at it as a meal ticket."
Nelson
and "Kimbo" have headlined fight cards in other promotions.
The match up could main event any number of cards, but it's the
third fight on The Ultimate Fighter and the two realize how much
money could have been made if it took place anywhere else.
"Me
and Kimbo, we talked about it, like how much money we would have
potentially lost by fighting actually on the show," stated
Nelson. "We could have headlined shows just by ourselves,
so it's actually kind of funny to go that route, but I'm glad
that we did it. I think it's probably going to be Spike's number
one show by far than even the premier."
"I
think it's going to be the fight of The Ultimate Fighter, and
then it just gets better because after that you get to see the
drama of what happens to me and Kimbo living in the same room
together."
Source: MMA Weekly
|
K-1:
Overeem beats Aerts
Errol Zimmerman wins decision over Glaube Feitosa
In
the two all-Dutch fights on the card, Peter Aerts and Melvin
Manhoef dropped decisions to Alistair Overeem and Remy Bonjasky,
respectively.
Of
the two Brazilians on the card, Ewerton Teixeira was the one
to make it through by winning a unanimous decision over Singh
Jaideep, while Glaube Feitosa dropped one to Errol Zimmerman.
Check
out the complete results from Saturday’s K-1 World GP
Remy
Bonjasky defeated Melvin Manhoef by unanimous decision
Errol Zimmerman defeated Glaube Feitosa by unanimous decision
Ruslan Karaev defeated Kyotaro by unanimous decision
Ewerton Teixeira defeated Singh Jaideep by unanimous decision
Semmy Schilt defeated Daniel Ghita by unanimous decision
Jerome LeBanner defeated Musashi by unanimous decision
Alistair Overeem defeated Peter Aerts by unanimous decision
Badr Hari knocked out Zabit Samedov at 2:15 min of R1
Lutas
de abertura
Su
Jeong Lim defeated Chen Qing by unanimous decision
Chi Bin Lim defeated Tahir Menxhiqi by unanimous decision
Taiei Kin defeated Catalin Morosanu by disqualification
Source: Gracie Magazine
|
Anderson
vs Belfort in January?
The Los Angeles Times says so
Anderson
Silva may next defend his middleweight title January 2nd against
another Brazilian, Vitor Belfort. That’s what the online
version of the Los Angeles Times newspaper says. Citing UFC president
Dana White, the LA times says the bout has been verbally agreed
to.
Should
it be confirmed, the Spider vs Phenom bout will be the main event
at UFC 108, to be held in Las Vegas.
Vitor
Belfort was the big name of UFC 103, held two Saturdays ago,
when he ran rampant on Rich Franklin.
Anderson
has not fought since August 8, when he laid out Forrest Griffin
in spectacular fashion.
Stay
tuned to GRACIEMAG.com for more information pertaining to the
UFC.
Source: Gracie Magazine
|
Luiz
Alves
Rodrigo
Minotauro and Junior dos Santos’ Muay Thai’s coach,
Luiz Alves is more than satisfied with the victories on UFC.
Back to the gym, Luiz focus on Rogério Minotouro’
next fight, against Luis Cane. In exclusive interview to TATAME.com,
the coach also talked about Vitor Belfort’s victory, using
the Karate against Rich Franklin. “I love Vitor, we get
along, but that doesn’t exist. Exist for Lyoto because he’s
a specialist, created inside Karate, Vitor won’t win a fight
with Karate in only three months“.
What
did you think about Rodrigo’s victory?
Before
we traveled, I heard that he’d go to the ground, sweep and
submit. He didn’t do it, but I said, before the fight, everything
that happened. I knew Rodrigo was good physically and I always
said he was better in striking. There’s nothing to say about
the ground... Everything I said happened because I knew Minotauro
was focused on the fight, was 100% physical. Everything I expected
happened, even more than I expected.
I
remember that, on the day of the fight, when Minotauro came in
and walked around, you said you have never seen Rodrigo that
anxious. Did you think this anxiety can be dangerous or did you
think he will win anyway?
The
team was really confident, we were just a little worried about
his anxiety because he lost the last fight, than that reaction
was normal. We were just worried about he go to the fight and
suffer an counter attack, but the team was very confident on
the work he have done. I had never seen him so anxious. He was
worried, but at the same time he was confident.
You
were on his corner on the mais victories, against Bob Sapp, Cro
Cop and Randy Couture. Wich one of these let you more emotional?
I
always say that the bigger emotion was against Bob Saap, because
of what he had to do. Cro Cop’s was exciting because it
was a title fight, he was in a huge punishment and with a problem
on his back at the time, but the fight with Bob was the most
exciting, he was really well trained.
And
now he’ll probably face Brock Lesnar. How do you think it’s
gonna bet his fight?
That’s
a really tough fight to Rodrigo, but it’s not impossible...
The fight against Randy worried me more because it was three
rounds. Now, against Brock, I think we have to be worried about
the first round. Standing well, we’ll grow a lot on the
second, start to speed, push, and Brock doesn’t have gas
to fight five rounds. The first (round) will worry me, but from
the second on I’ll get more relaxed, because he won’t
handle Rodrigo’s spin.
What’s
the good part of Rodrigo’s training in America?
I
think he has to stay there, because he gets really focused on
training and in Rio de Janeiro is a lot of party. On USA we train
during the whole day, there’s no one inviting to parties
and he gets 100% focused on fighting. I prefer him there, the
team is on his call, where he eats well, sleeps well and stay
focused.
Rogério
will face Luis Cane in his UFc debut. How is the training and
what do you expect from this fight?
I
expect a tough fight. When Cigano’s fight was over, Rodrigo
called me, we talked and he asked me to call Rogério.
I called, we talked and yesterday we started the train. In a
while I’ll go there and we’ll focus the whole team,
Rodrigo is coming on the October 2 to start the training. I believe
in Rogério because he’s a guy with more experience
and his boxing is better, but we can’t give Banha (Cane)
space, because he’s a tough guy, has a dangerous Muay Thai.
But I trust a lot on Rogério’s boxing and ground
game.
Did
you noticed any difference on Belfort’s striking? Do you
think that Karate complemented his boxing on this fight against
Rich Franklin?
I
love Vitor, we get along, but that doesn’t exist. Exist
for Lyoto because he’s a specialist, created inside Karate,
Vitor won’t win a fight with Karate in only three months.
He decided on boxing, I don’t saw any Karate there, he won
the fight on boxing. His potential on boxing is huge, it’s
kind of fantasy to say that his Karate decided the fight. For
those who say that, I say it’s a lie, he used his perfect
boxing.
If
Dana White decided to put Belfort against Anderson. You know
both very well. What do you think that will happen on this fight?
All
the big fighters on Brazil passed thru my hands, and Vitor is
the most intelligent guy I ever trained, has a huge potential,
and Anderson is unbelievable. If Vitor fights what he knows,
being cold and with all the technique that he knows, it’d
be a fight to be on history, but I think Anderson is a little
favorite for his rhythm, beating everybody for years. I think
Anderson is a little on the advantage, but Vitor, if hits once,
is really dangerous.
What
do you expect of Shogun vs. Lyoto?
It’s
a tough fight, Shogun is a guy with a great potential and, if
well trained, it’s hard to be beaten, he’s one of the
tops of the category, but Lyoto is coming on the rhythm and Shogun
didn’t make big fights on Ultimate. To me, the favorite
is Lyoto, besides I like Shogun style, that’s a warrior.
Source: Tatame
|
Quote
of the Day
"The
Stone Age did not end because humans ran out of stones.
It ended because it was time for a re-think about how we live."
William McDonaugh
|
H.A.P.A.
Hawaii Amateur Pankration Association
Date Changed to Oct 31st & Venue Announced!
H.A.P.A.: Hit-And-Submit
#4
Filcom Center, Waipahu, Hawaii
October 31st, 2009
www.hapafights.com
|
The
pitfalls of signing Herschel Walker to an MMA contract
By Zach
Arnold
The upside is obvious for Strikeforce — they are already
getting mentions this morning on ESPN for signing the 47-year
old former NFL star.
The
downsides are obvious, too — he’s an older fighter
who is no Randy Couture. It also comes off as a cheap publicity
stunt, even if Walker is a serious athlete who really is into
fighting. Furthermore, Walker is known to have health issues
and he could suffer some legitimate physical damage in a fight.
There’s
more downside than upside to this move. I suppose in the eyes
of Strikeforce it’s a low-risk move because if Walker loses,
hey, he’s 47 and a rookie. If he wins, then he’s a
star and has football credibility to bring to the table. They
better hope that he doesn’t get hurt in the cage.
Meanwhile,
while Walker is entering MMA, Frank Trigg is making his exit.
Source: Fight Opinion
|
ADCC
timetable announced
Match order from heaviest to lightest
The
organizers of the ADCC, to take place this coming Saturday and
Sunday in Barcelona, have defined the official timetable. The
athletes will take to the competition areas starting from 11am
local time. Unlike what normally takes place in Jiu-Jitsu competitions,
the order will be from heaviest to lightest, or in other words,
starting from over 99kg and ending with under 66kg.
The
disputes stop after two rounds, when the participants in the
round of eight for each weight group are known.
Next,
still on Saturday, the women start off already in the quarterfinals.
After
that there will be four special matches, with Spanish athletes.
At
the end of the program for Saturday the semifinalists for each
male weight group will be defined, with the first day ending
with the supermatch between Robert Drysdale and Ronaldo Jacare.
The
ADCC re-starts Sunday at midday, with the male and female semifinals.
Next will come the third-place matches for each weight group,
followed by the finals.
Considered
the most prestigious of categories, the men’s absolute will
be the last division to be disputed, closing the ADCC 2009 Sunday
afternoon in Barcelona.
The
GRACIEMAG.com team is already on its way to the beautiful Spanish
city and will bring you all the goings-on at the Badalona Municipal
Sports Pavillion.
Source: Gracie Magazine
|
WC
FITNESS: GET MORE DONE IN LESS TIME
by Matt Wiggins
There are all kinds of Complex Training out there (I've written
about it before here at MMAWeekly.com), but one of my favorite
styles is to put 4-6 exercises back-to-back. When you use multi-joint
movements, and pick exercises that (more or less) use a similar
weight, then you're in for a hell of a workout.
The
thing that's so great about this style of training is that, once
you're in shape and can get through a circuit without having
to rest between exercises (just between circuits), it really
increases the density of your workout. This means you're getting
a lot more work done in the same amount of time... maybe even
less.
You're
able to do this, to put it simply, because though your entire
body (as a whole) is still working, you're using different muscle
groups with each exercise. This allows an amount of localized
muscular recovery while another part of the body is working.
In
other words, if you follow up a press with a row with a squat,
your 'pushing' muscles work, while your 'pulling' muscles and
legs rest. Then, your 'pulling' muscles work, while your 'pushing'
muscles and legs rest. Then your legs work while your 'pushing'
and 'pulling' muscles rest. Yet, the entire time, your body is
still working as a unit.
This
style of training can also be demanding for cardiovascular training.
Toss in some Bob Gajda-inspired "PHA" ("Peripheral
Heart Action") type of exercise sequence by placing exercises
that target extreme ends of the body one after another, and the
heart gets even more work, as it has to constantly pump blood
from one end of your body to the other and back again.
If
you're fairly strong, I recommend you start your Complex Training
with what I call LRC - Low Rep Complexes. These are complexes
that, for the most part, keep the rep range for each exercise
in the 6-8 range. Though you can utilize any type of equipment
you like, I really like dumbbell (DB) movements, as you can mix-up
how movements are performed:
-2
DBs (one in each hand)
-1
DB (one limb performed at a time)
-1
DB (1 heavy DB held/moved with both hands at once)
HINT
- Performing one limb at a time work will take your workload
and virtually double it. Though many exercises may only be performed
with one limb, there is still going to be a large part of the
body that is still involved with every rep.
For
example, take the 1 DB Clean & Press. Say you C&P a DB
6x on each side. Now, while that DB was only pressed overhead
6x with each arm, it was still cleaned to the shoulder 6x with
each arm. This means that the hips snapped forward (if you're
doing your cleans properly) a total of 12x – doubling the
amount of stress on the lower body.
The
same principle could be applied to DB Snatches, DB Swings, and
a variety of other exercises.
The
other good thing about this kind of training is that you can
many times use a heavier DB than you normally would. So, if you
could C&P a 50-pound DB in each hand, you very well might
be able to C&P one 70-pound DB, as the entire body can be
used into working that one DB. It's less weight in a sense (70
pounds vs. 50 + 50 = 100 pounds), but since you're doing the
work with each side, you can more or less double the weight of
that one DB (in this case, to 140 pounds) when figuring up your
total volume.
Here's
a good, overall program you could use (done heavy enough, this
could constitute the majority of your S&C program outside
of possibly a dynamic warm-up and mobility work). The beauty
of this is that you could perform the entire program with no
more than maybe 2 DBs (two different pair at the very most) and
a pull-up bar.
-1
DB Clean & Press x 6 reps each side
-(Weighted)
Chins x 8
-1
DB Row x 6 each side
-1
DB Snatch x 8 each side
-Jump
Squats x 10
-1
DB Swing (both hands on 1 DB) x 15
*Repeat
4-6x
Perform
one set of each exercise back-to-back until you've done a set
of every exercise listed. This equals 1 circuit. For exercises
in which you perform one side at a time, perform all the reps
with one side, switch to the other side, do those reps, then
move onto the next exercise.
For
example, start off with DB Clean & Press x 6 reps with your
left side, then DB Clean & Press x 6 reps with your right
side, then move on to (Weighted) Chins.
If
you're not used to performing complexes, then I *highly* recommend
you start off with 30-40 seconds rest between each set, and rest
90 seconds between circuits. Each workout, try to reduce the
rest between sets, keeping the 90 seconds between circuits constant.
Once you can perform all the exercises back-to-back without resting,
then you can work on reducing the time between circuits. Once
you've got that down to roughly 60 seconds, it's time to increase
how much weight you're using across the board.
At
this point, you can increase the rest between circuits back up
to 90 seconds or so, but you don't want to have much rest between
exercises – no more than 15 seconds or so.
Try
this workout an average of 2-3x/week with at least a day of rest
in between workouts. This workout performed a consistent 3x/week
for the next 2-3 months will make a man out of you.
Train
Hard, Rest Hard, Play Hard.
Matt
"Wiggy" Wiggins is a strength coach and author living
in Cameron, N.C. Having trained and designed Workout Plans for
16+ years, Wiggy is a strength moderator at mma.tv, columnist
for MMAWeekly.com, and an avid fan of Mixed Martial Arts Training.
His site, Working Class Fitness.com, is dedicated to designing
low-tech, high-result Workout Programs; earning praise from the
likes of UFC commentator and martial artist Joe Rogan, Ultimate
Fighter alumnus Jules Bruchez, world famous strength and conditioning
coach Charles Staley, UFC veteran Leigh Remedios, and others.
ATTENTION:
Physical exercise can sometimes lead to injury. The information
contained at WorkingClassFitness.com and MMAWeekly.com is NOT
intended to constitute an explanation of any exercise, material,
or product (or how to use/perform them). WorkingClassFitness.com
and MMAWeekly.com are not responsible in any way, shape, or form
for any injury that may result from any person's attempt at exercise
as a result of the information contained herein. Please consult
a physician before starting any exercise program, and never substitute
the information on this site for any professional medical advice
or treatment you may receive.
Source: MMA Weekly
|
Ready
or Not, Here Comes Todd Duffee
by Ariel Helwani
All signs point to Todd Duffee facing Paul Buentello at UFC 107
in December. MMA Junkie first reported the bout over the weekend,
and FanHouse has learned that it is close to being finalized.
FanHouse
recently spoke to the 23-year-old UFC rookie about his stellar
Octagon debut in August, why he was hesitant to fight in the
UFC this early in his career and his unique nickname. The full
interview is below.
Ariel
Helwani: How has your life changed since you knocked out Tim
Hague last month?
Todd Duffee: My life hasn't changed by any means. I think, you
know, my future has changed. I think it's opened a lot of doors
for me. Yeah, I go places like CVS, and people are noticing me,
and things like that. But that's not a life-changer so to speak,
that's just five seconds of your day to shake someone's hand
or take a picture maybe. I'm still the same guy. I still got
the same bankroll. You know, I'm still doing the same things.
I'm back here in the gym right now. I did go to Aruba [recently]
to corner Carmelo [Marrero] for the Vengeance tournament. But
my life hasn't changed, I wouldn't say. I think it's just my
future is a little brighter, and I kind of hit some people's
radar, maybe.
It's
funny that you mentioned your bankroll because a lot of people
were disappointed you didn't win knockout of the night. Did the
UFC at least hook you up with something?
I'm sure they will. [Nate] Marquardt's [knockout] was way more
impressive against a way more highly talented opponent, and not
to mention, was it really a UFC record, Ariel? Let's be honest.
Yeah,
what do you think about that because it seems as though some
believe Duane Ludwig deserves that honor for his 2006 knockout
of Jonathan Goulet?
It is what it is, man. I'll take it as it comes. I have not a
complaint in the world. I will gladly sign my name beside it,
so to speak. It's definitely going to help my career. I mean,
I've seen closer times, but I can't be the one to make that judgment
call, can I? (Laughs) It's not my fault.
I
think the way it works, if you go back and look at his, that
was pretty fast. I don't remember the time on it actually --
I just remember that knockout. I mean, he caught him with a right
hand, and it was over, which was similar to mine. I mean, if
you really want to look at the actual time of KO, it was really
the first punch. I mean, heck, that was like what, two, three
seconds? I think it's all even, you know. But I'm sure that seven
seconds will get broken.
So
you weren't disappointed that you didn't get the bonus?
Man, once I saw the Marquardt knockout, I just kind of looked
at my brother, and said, 'Oh, there goes my hopes and dreams'
(laughs). I had already kind of planned what I was going to do
with it, like put some in for college, do this and that. But
no, man, I'm not disappointed at all because Marquardt, he's
put a lot of work in, man. That guy is more than just a pioneer
in our sport. He's it right now, and he probably earned it a
little more.
Was
there a part of you that wished that the fight went on a little
longer considering the fact that you hadn't fought in almost
a year?
Initially it was, until I sat back with my brother later that
night, and he goes, 'Man, that couldn't have worked out any better.'
Initially I was kind of like, I wanted more, I wanted more. But
in reality, the hype that it created is better than any three
rounds I could have received from Tim Hague. So I can't complain.
... My time will come to give a show and learn who I am as a
fighter. I have a good idea already, but I've developed a lot
over the last year, I feel like, and I'd really like the opportunity
to see how much, and to show that to the world, I guess to the
haters more than anything (laughs).
Do
you feel as though you have more haters now?
Yeah, I mean, I can't see why I wouldn't. The guys that really
know the sport are kind of like, 'Really? This kid?' Even I feel
that way. I was down in Aruba cornering 'Melo, and I'm sitting
beside Matt Lindland, and someone asks to take my picture, and
I'm almost insulted. I'm like, 'What about this guy?' You know,
this guy's the guy whose been there, done that; he created this.
If it wasn't for him, I wouldn't be here.' So that kind of stuff,
it kind of bothers me a little bit, and I can see why other guys
might be like, 'F--- this guy. He doesn't deserve this.' So,
yeah, I'm sure. I've read a few of the message boards, and you
know, guys talking about this or that, but I think that I've
also developed just as many fans as I have people that don't
like me. So it's going to work both ways.
Dana
White said that you wanted to be put on "the fast track."
What exactly does that mean?
I actually don't think I said 'fast track.' I think that's something
that was put in my mouth. I didn't really say much [after the
fight]. I wanted to call my mom, I wanted that time to release,
so I was just, 'Thank you, Dana,' and he was really excited for
me. And then actually, I was like, 'Well, heck, Dana's here,
I need the opportunity to talk to him,' and I went in there and
I said, 'Look, Dana, I just wanted you to know, I'm very grateful
for this opportunity. I'm looking to fight as soon as possible,
man. I'm not injured, I need to go and build my record, and I
would like to fight tough opponents. I don't want any walks in
the park.' I didn't say that, but that's the gist of what I said.
I was looking for tougher opponents. I just don't want to go
into a fight where everybody knows, Oh, Todd's supposed to win
this fight. That's not a fight then. This is about entertainment,
it's about putting on good shows, and that's what I want.
How
frustrating was the whole UFC 99 experience for you? Things obviously
worked out perfectly for you, but I can't imagine getting bumped
off the card then flying to Germany and still not fighting.
Yeah, man. The buildup wasn't bad to it, I thought. In my head,
I thought I was in control, and I was okay with everything. And
then after it was all said and done, and after I watched the
fights, it really kind of hit me and it hurt. Just emotionally,
it was a killer. You know, I kind of walked around in a haze
a week or two afterward. I was still training and doing things
I was supposed to be doing, but I wasn't all there. Just that
dump of all this work and nothing. But you know, there's an ultimate
goal; it's a part of the journey and all that. But it was hard,
man, because I put a lot of stress on my family, and then it
didn't transpire. And that had happened so many times in my career,
that's not like the first time. I mean, I went a whole year without
fighting. I've had two different times I've had like eight- or
nine-month periods where I couldn't get fights, and I was healthy,
training, looking for fights. So it was kind of the culmination
of this, I think. And for about two, three weeks I was feeling
it, I can't lie. Initially, I thought I took it in strides, but
it really did hit me. Looking back on it, looking how I was reacting
to things, I mean, I would just sit around and watch TV.
Were
you just a moody guy to be around?
There just wasn't much going on in my brain to be honest. I think
I just kind of shut down. I'd go home after training, and I would
just sit down on my couch. There wouldn't be a TV on, I'd finish
eating, and I'd just sit there. A little depression I'm sure,
who knows?
Was
it almost worse than losing?
No, nothing is worse than a loss in MMA (laughs). I'll take a
no contest. There's nothing worse than a loss in your career.
I think it was just my maturity level and the way I handled it.
I should've looked at the bright side; I'd still have more opportunities.
But I don't have a complaint now.
For
those who aren't so familiar with your fighting style, is there
anyone you would compare yourself to?
I don't think there is, man. I think that we're all coming up.
I'd say I'm similar to Cain Velasquez. I think I'm better with
my striking and he's better with his wrestling. But if my striking
is equal to his wrestling, and his wrestling is equal to my striking
... Dude, I'm not ready to compare myself to that guy. He's already
proven more than I have. I think we all need to learn together,
so to speak. I still have a lot I need to improve, so to compare
myself to anybody is almost insulting to the person I'd be doing
it to. And I don't think that the comparison is ready to be made
yet. I'd like to think Cain Velasquez, let's say that.
I
read that you weren't really looking to fight in the UFC this
early in your career. Why is that?
It wasn't that I wasn't looking to fight in the UFC, that I wasn't
at the caliber of the UFC, because actually I was; I was looking
for those tough fights. I didn't think I was ready to be put
behind the hype machine that the UFC creates, I think you understand
what I mean. If you go fight a tough opponent in Japan, you just
went and fought a tough opponent in Japan. If you fight him the
UFC, the whole world explodes over that situation, and you're
really under a spotlight and you're really being critiqued. If
it happens in Japan, nobody even really hears about it sometimes.
I'm just using Japan, I mean internationally, so to speak. And
plus I wanted to travel and get some more experience about what
it was to be a real fighter I wanted to earn it. By any means,
I thought I was ready for that level, yeah. And I look forward
to proving that. It wasn't that I wasn't ready for the UFC-caliber
fighter, it's that I wasn't ready for the hype machine I didn't
think. And I wanted to be more proven when I got here, that way
there wasn't any questions about who Todd Duffee was. I mean,
we'll get those answered, it's just a matter of time. I don't
have those answers, because I'm learning when you guys are learning
them.
Some
fighters have said that they prefer to not fight in the UFC early
in their careers because you get to fight more when you are a
free agent. With that in mind, do you think it's best for you
to be fighting only two or three times a year at this point in
your career?
I don't know, man. That's kind of what we talked about before
I signed the contract. We were like, 'Well, we could bounce around
with these other small organizations, and still get good, tough
fights to build me.' And realistically, they weren't out there,
man. I did have two scheduled, and I ended up getting a bad cut
right at the end of the year that killed those two fights for
me. I kind of sat around with that cut for a week or so, and
said, man, how stupid would I be if I were to pass up this opportunity
with the UFC just for a shot at it later, in my own terms? Life
doesn't come at you in your own terms technically, right? So
you might as well take opportunities as they come. So that's
kind of how we looked at it. But you know, to say it is or it
isn't is yet to be determined. I don't know, man. This is a really
funny game, and a really funny sport, and we're all kind of learning
about it together.
Are
you now splitting your training with American Top Team in Florida
and the HardCore Gym in Georgia?
Both. I plan on going back up to HardCore. When I'm getting closer
to fights, I'm definitely going to be at ATT for the good, hard
sparring, the training partners. I really like having [HardCore
Gym founder] Adam Singer as a guidance to my game. He's important
to me. I'm planning on going up there for at least a week or
two to train, just to get his insight, add some things. He's
got a really good, objective opinion and I really appreciate
it. So I definitely like having him. And those are all my good
friends at the HardCore Gym, so I'm always going to be a part
of that gym.
Were
there any hard feelings because you started training at ATT?
No, there were no hard feelings. They were frustrated but they
understood that I did have to get those heavyweight training
partners. There's definitely no hard feelings because I go back
there all the time, and I call Adam all the time for advice.
I call Rory [Singer] all the time for advice, so I don't think
there's any hard feelings. And if there was, they're gone. They
support me a lot.
You
strike me as a passionate MMA fan. Do you spend a lot of time
researching fighters online and just reading news about the sport?
I think it's my job to, isn't it? Yeah, I watch a lot of videos,
man, when I'm able to. I haven't had Internet the last couple
of months, but when I do get on the computer, I'm either reading
through the message boards, just finding out who's coming up,
what's going on. Yeah, I'm a fan, definitely. But more importantly,
I'm watching video. If you're not watching video, you're a fool.
The game's developing every day and something new is coming out.
It
always shocks me to hear some fighters say they don't watch tape
on their opponent.
I watch as much fights as I can. I'll watch amateur fights; I
don't care. A fight's a fight. There's something to be learned,
I think. And I mean, when I'm 40, I'm hopefully going to be coaching,
so there's a lot of aspects of the game that I need to learn.
Are
you planning on going back to school, or is that on hold now?
I'm actually trying to get up to Athens in the next day or two;
I've got two online classes that are at a deadline at the end
of this month that I've got to finish. I'd like to put it on
hold, but my degree is very important to me, and my mom made
a lot of sacrifices to give me that opportunity, so I definitely
want to finish it up for her. Plus, I left high school early
and got some BS home school degree (laughs), so I definitely
want to prove to the world that I'm no dummy. Be part of the
club, I guess.
I
think the last thing you need is a cool nickname. I'm not sure
if "The Irish Car Bomb" works.
I've had a couple of different nicknames but nothing has really
stuck. I would kind of like to go out and create my own nickname.
You
remind me of Robocop. How do you feel about that one?
Oh, that would be a brutal one. That's horrible, dude.
OK,
fine.
Doesn't he die at the end of the movie?
Well,
it was more about your look, not so much about what happens to
him.
Yeah, I want it to be more about the way I fight.
Sorry.
No more suggestions. Finally, do you think you can be a champion
in the next two years?
If not, I'll definitely be contending for it in my mind. Like
I said, that's not my ultimate goal; my ultimate goal is to have
great fights. Yeah, I want to hold a title, everybody does because
that's the only way to really prove your legitimacy to the public.
But more than anything, man, I want to be having good fights,
getting good, big wins under my belt. I think the way the heavyweight
division is, if I do what I'm supposed to do, I could definitely
get that opportunity.
Source: MMA Fighting
|
Spike
TV Launches Original Online 'TUF' Aftermath Show
Spike TV’s hit series “The Ultimate Fighter” has
propelled mixed martial arts into the American mainstream while
becoming the most successful franchise in the network’s
history. With its tenth iteration having premiered to record
ratings, Spike.com will launch the original series “The
Ultimate Fighter: The Aftermath.” Hosted by Amir Sadollah,
the new show will be a video roundtable discussion about the
on-air episode that precedes it, with the fighters that competed
in an elimination bout on hand to talk about what went on, both
inside and outside of the Octagon™, during “The Ultimate
Fighter: Heavyweights.”
“‘The
Ultimate Fighter: Heavyweights’ promises to be the show’s
biggest season yet, and Spike.com has enjoyed great success with
its ‘Aftermath’ franchise,” said Jon Slusser,
SVP, Spike digital entertainment. “In combining the two,
this new show will deliver exclusive content to our audience,
and allow Spike viewers and members of our online community to
interact with our signature franchise in new ways.”
Premiering
Tuesday, September 22 on Spike.com, “The Ultimate Fighter:
The Aftermath” will allow fans, for the first time in the
show’s history, to pose their questions about “The
Ultimate Fighter: Heavyweights” directly to the fighters
involved. UFC® president Dana White will be on hand for the
premiere episode, and, over the course of the season, coaches
Rashad Evans and Rampage Jackson, as well as the show’s
entire cast, including Kimbo Slice, Wes Sims, Marcus Jones, and
Roy Nelson, will stop by to take part in “The Aftermath.”
"Ten
seasons in, and ‘The Ultimate Fighter’ still packs
as much of a punch as ever,” said Brian J. Diamond, SVP,
sports and specials, Spike TV. “We’re excited to build
on the show’s continued on air success and venture into
a new platform with “‘The Ultimate Fighter: The Aftermath.’”
Spike
TV is available in 98.6 million homes and is a division of MTV
Networks. A unit of Viacom (NYSE: VIA, VIA.B), MTV Networks is
one of the world’s leading creators of programming and content
across all media platforms. Spike TV’s Internet address
is www.spike.com and for up-to-the-minute and archival press
information and photographs, visit Spike TV's press site at www.spike.com/press.
Source: The Fight Network
|
Rudimar
Fedrigo
By Eduardo Ferreira
Chute Boxe’s leader, Rudimar Fedrigo watched Alexandre “Cacareco”
Ferreira’s great debut for the team, needing only 16 seconds
to submit Vagner Curió on Jungle Fight, that took place
last Saturday in Sao Paulo. After the victory, the master talked
with TATAME.com about the fight, the team going back to its good
phase, with Cristiane Cyborg’s belt on Strikeforce, the
relationship with the ex stars of the team, Wanderlei Silva,
Pelé Landi, Anderson Silva and Rafael Cordeiro, bet on
Wanderlei’s return and commented the fight between Mauricio
Shogun and Lyoto Machida for the UFC title.
What did you think of Cacareco’s debut for Chute Boxe?
I was really happy. He was anxious, because that time he stood
still... That doesn’t bring benefits to the athlete and
the victory was really good for him to get back the passion and
adrenaline. He’s one of the biggest fighters on Brazil,
and his career still has a lot of gas to burn. I’ll use
all my knowledge to put him on Japan or USA. He really deserves
a big event.
The team is living a special moment, conquering a belt with Cyborg
on Strikeforce and Werdum going really well. How are you see
this?
We have a lot of young guys that Brazil doesn’t know yet,
and we’ll make people know them slowly. We have a lot of
new stars, Chute Boxe has a really good structure, and that helps
a lot. Just because you have a big name doesn’t mean you
will not enter on a crisis, but when you have a strong name it’s
easier to get out this moment. Chute Boxe passed for a moment
of transition, people that have their own goals, having their
own teams, and that happens, it’s natural. Now, everything
is getting on the way and the gym will move on. Always, when
there are events, there will be someone from Chute Boxe.
Maiquel Falcão is another athlete that’s winning
for the team...
He has to be better in some aspects, but he’s an excellent
fighter, has a great punch, he’s a knockout guy. Chute Boxe
keeps on hard work.
When Rafael Cordeiro left, you were upset and didn’t want
to comment the situation, but you met him again on Strikeforce’s
backstage. How was this meeting?
It was a respectful meeting, and I wish the best for people that
have another goal on life. I believe it, he’s a person that
will have competence to make a huge team.
Can he be a support, as in Werdum’s case?
I let each athlete to decide this. But I want him to continue
teaching what he learned in Chute Boxe. He’s a great coach.
Wanderlei left the team three years ago and now he made his own
team. Have you met him after that? How is your relation with
him?
I still didn’t have the opportunity to meet him, our ways
are a little different, but, when I have the opportunity, I want
to meet him. He’s a fighter who have done a lot for Chute
Boxe and will never be forgotten.
How do you see this phase that’s he is passing thru?
It’s a delicate phase, but I think Wanderlei likes what
he does and will move on, fighting for a long time. Besides what
people are saying, that he’ll end his career... Sometimes
you stay away for a while, but you’ll return. He’s
a fighter and he likes that, he’s a showman for who likes
MMA. Every promoter would like to have him fighting.
Pelé Landi was in Curitiba and you get together again.
How was this meeting?
A surprise... I received a phone call and got really happy, I
liked meeting him again, hugged him and talked a little about
what he’s doing for living. He’s a fighter that will
never be forgotten inside the school too. When he’s in Curitiba
he can train here.
And Anderson?
I met him at the hotel, I didn’t see him for a long time.
He said hello in such a respectful way, treating me like a master,
and I’m really happy to see the performance he’s doing
on the rings. He grew a lot technically, but there’s Chute
Boxe things inside him.
Do you get upset that this athletes don’t be a part of the
team anymore, but have the satisfaction to know that you formed
them?
Undoubtedly, and it isn’t me who say that, people say. A
guy came here congratulate me for Wanderlei, Anderson... The
connection exists, people who did for the team. People recognize
this, and I hope to make a gallery inside the gym where will
be a poster of all the champions, and I want TATAME.
How do you think it’s gonna be the fight between Shogun,
that was made inside the team, and Lyoto, who already trained
there?
That’s a tough fight, really tough, and I think that, when
we talk about team partners, Lyoto is more consistent, but Shogun
is a brave guy and can overcome. We have to wait, I think is
50% for each. They’re two top athletes, Lyoto is on an extraordinary
phase, and Shogun has that impetus. And don’t know with
whom he’s training, and I think that maybe this partners
can make the difference.
And Rudimar on politics?
I
think that me as a secretary was important to martial arts because,
my coming was important to people know that we’ve conditions
to administrate the sport on a state or country, we’re capable,
martial arts people are intelligent. But I confess that the end
is coming and I’m turning a bigger force to martial arts,
which put me here.
Source: Tatame
|
Floyd
Mayweather jobs to the IRS
By Zach Arnold
How bad are things for Mr. Money? How about a $5.6M USD bill
from the IRS. That means over half his ‘guarantee’
for the Marquez fight goes to the IRS — before taxes. So,
when it’s all said and done, Mayweather better hope the
PPV buyrate is high for his fight. The way Mayweather’s
tax attorney made it sound today, his client loves the IRS and
is the best American tax-payer citizen in the country.
Meanwhile,
Marquez wants to fight Ricky Hatton. Why not, I guess…
Speaking
of the IRS, one fighter who may not be paying as much as expected
to Uncle Sam is Rampage Jackson if he goes through and stops
fighting in MMA. Yeah, OK. We know Jackson goes off on tirades
and tangents and has made questionable career decisions in the
past, but his biggest crime is that he’s a lousy politician
in an industry that requires and respects people who are good
at it. As I’ve said before, Dana White has every right to
be upset at Jackson. Furthermore, I stand by an earlier proclamation
that Jackson’s erratic behavior justifies UFC being wary
of ever giving him another hard sell after the current push on
The Ultimate Fighter.
Source: Fight Opinion
|
'The
Wrestler' Director to Direct Lee Murray Movie
by Ray Hui
Darren Aronofsky, the award-winning director of Requiem for the
Dream and The Wrestler, will direct a film based on the largest
bank heist in UK believed to be masterminded by one-time UFC
competitor Lee Murray.
Murray
and a band of robbers allegedly broke into a Securitas depot
in Tonbridge, Kent in 2006, escaping with $92.5 million in cash.
"The
story is a very unique British heist tale with colorful London
characters," Aronofsky said in a statement. "I've always
wanted to shoot in England and Kerry is the perfect writer to
bring authenticity to this outrageous true bank job."
Kerry
Williamson will write the script for the film inspired by Jon
Wertheim's article entitled "Breaking the Bank" from
an issue of Sports Illustrated magazine.
Murray
fled to Morocco and was arrested there four months later, but
has never been tried for the robbery since there is no extradition
agreement between the UK and Morocco. Murray remains in Moroccan
police custody awaiting a possible trial though he had a brief
taste of freedom in June.
Murray's
intensely lawless life has more than enough material for a feature
length movie. Besides the alleged robbery, he's had a respectable
MMA career (8-2-1), allegedly knocked out Tito Ortiz in a street
fight, survived a stabbing on his birthday and attempted to break
out of jail.
Source: MMA Fighting
|
Quote
of the Day
"With
enough courage, you can do without a reputation."
Rhett Butler
|
STRIKEFORCE
CONFIRMS SEARS CENTRE FOR NOV. 7
by Steven
Marrocco
The Sears Centre Arena in Hoffman Estates, Ill. will host the
CBS network debut of Strikeforce: Emelianenko vs. Rogers.
Strikeforce
Director of Communications Mike Afromowitz on Wednesday afternoon
confirmed the news to MMAWeekly.com. The CBS telecast will air
between 9 p.m. and 11 p.m. E.S.T.
"We
just got approved," he said.
The
suburban Chicago venue was rumored to be in the running for the
event as early as last Thursday, however, the promotion was waiting
on approval from the Illinois State Athletic Commission.
The
primetime slot marks the Strikeforce debut of consensus top heavyweight
Fedor Emelianenko as he takes on up-and-comer Brett Rogers, who
took the spotlight after a 22-second knockout of former UFC champion
Andrei Arlovski in June.
Jake
Shields and Jason “Mayhem” Miller will also square
off for the newly vacated middleweight title.
Other
scheduled participants include newly minted light heavyweight
champion Gegard Mousasi and women's 145lb. title-holder Cristiane
"Cyborg" Santos, who face opponents to be determined.
Tickets
for the event go on sale Monday, Sept. 23 at Ticketmaster.com,
Strikeforce.com, and the Sears Centre box office.
Source: MMA Weekly
|
A
new Thiago Alves back in December
A
new Thiago Alves. That’s what the Brazilian Pitbull promises
for his UFC return, on December 5. After losing the title fight
against Georges St. Pierre, Thiago wants to restart, focusing
in a rematch. “You’re gonna see a different Pitbull.
You didn’t see my wrestling and my ground game, because
I didn’t have an opportunity to use it, and I feel that
my career started after this last fight… I grew up a lot
as a person and as a fighter, I’m recharged and I’ll
get what I want, the belt”, guarantees Alves, who’s
rumored to fight Paulo Thiago, but didn’t want to reveal
his the opponent. “I’ll fight at December 5… I
have an opponent, but I can’t say yet”.
Source: Tatame
|
Floyd
Mayweather uniting all fans against him with various remarks
By Zach Arnold
A couple of days ago, Junior was crying in the media that if
he was white he would be a bigger star — a comment that
was roundly dismissed by sportswriters of all colors. That’s
a rare feat.
“If
you’re rich, you’re a rich n—–,” Mayweather
said. “If you’re poor, you’re a poor n—–.
If you’re smart, you’re a smart n—–. At the
end of the day, they still look at me as a n—–.”
Mayweather
went on a real tirade. He accused the media of covering up Oscar
De La Hoya’s misdeeds — namely De La Hoya’s two
children out of wedlock, and the lawsuit he settled with an 18-year-old
who accused him of rape. Mayweather said he’d be more beloved
if he were from a different country, and, having not embarrassed
himself enough, he called famed trainer and HBO boxing analyst
Emanuel Steward an “Uncle Tom.”
Now,
Mayweather has stepped up his ‘black hero’ persona
by going after other Black people in boxing — including
Emanuel Steward, who he called an Uncle Tom. Avoid Floyd if you
want meaningful dialogue on race in America, wrote CBS Sports.
What
a way to hype up a fight. Steward has taken the high road and
praised Mayweather going into his fight against Juan Manuel Marquez.
Dana White:
People who buy Floyd Mayweather’s 9/19 PPV are stupid
By Zach
Arnold
Some
quotes from a recent interview Steve Cofield did with Dana White
(video here):
UFC
vs. boxing on PPV and buyrates: “Here’s the reality,
here’s the reality. Let’s say Floyd does a million
buys out there… there’s a million stupid fucking people
out there. All right? That has nothing to say, that doesn’t
mean, oh God, boxing’s better and bigger than the UFC, that’s
not true. The reality is, the UFC is bigger than boxing and the
WWE combined. The funny thing about the Floyd Mayweather thing
is he runs around and he says, you know, money money is all he’s
talking about, you know, they’re paying me [unintelligible],
you’re fucking paying him that! You the fans are paying
him that money! You talk about how much you fucking hate him
and you don’t like the way he fights and you don’t
want to see him run around in circles and you’re the ones
giving him that money.”
On
Mayweather’s comments about HBO and Steward as “Uncle
Tom”: “Listen, I heard the numbers that Mandalay put
out but I was hearing that thing wasn’t selling jack shit,
they weren’t selling anything. And you better believe, you
better believe if there’s fans in there, they’re all
going to be Mexican, you know what I mean, it’s all going
to be people supporting him, Marquez, and not Floyd.”
Arum
calls MMA fans stupid, is Dana doing the same to boxing fans?
“No no, I’m not taking a shot at (boxing) fans. I’m
a fan! I’m a fan! I’m not here going, those guys that
watch boxing are… yeah, I am a boxing fan, but I’m
talking about reality, as a boxing fan the fight that I want
to see is Pacquiao and Mayweather. Is there anybody that will
fucking disagree with that? That’s the fight people want
to see. That’s also a big money fight, but it’s the
same bullshit that you got in boxing right now, in that interview
with Arum Arum’s saying, man, this fight’s not going
to happen because he doesn’t fucking like Floyd, he doesn’t
want to deal with Floyd and he doesn’t want to negotiate
with Floyd. See, I’m different than that. My opinion is,
my fucking job is to make these fights. Dude, there’s plenty
of fucking people that I don’t like that we put fights on
with. It’s not up to me whether I like ‘em or dislike
‘em, it’s up to what the fans want to see. You know?
I don’t think Fedor’s the best fucking heavyweight,
he’s definitely not anywhere in the Top 10 in the fucking
pound-for-pound, but if you fucking guys want to see that fight
then I want to see that fight and I did everything I could to
try to make it happen. You know, you’re not going to hear
me fucking say, ‘yeah, we’re not going to go after
Fedor, we’re not going to try, probably not going to happen’,
I want it to happen, I want to see it, to be honest as a fan
I want to see it if he can beat Brock, so…
But
yeah my point is as a boxing fan, the way that we when I was
putting this whole thing together is I used to so many times
I’d be so fucking pumped up for the fights, man, it’s
Saturday night, call your buddies, come over to the house, you
know you put down your 55, 60 bucks, you go lay your bets, whatever
you do, all the exciting shit that you do the week of a fight,
you’re reading all the fucking articles, all the stories
on stuff that’s happening and then you sit down and watch
you the fight, and at the end of the fight you go, MOTHERFUCKER!
That sucked! He fucking didn’t fight again! The fight sucked,
you thought it was going to be great, and the last one for me
was Floyd and Oscar, you know I was so pumped up for tha fight,
they talk about all the shit they’re going to do to each
other and they avoid fighting so that they can move to the next
one and make another fucking 77 million dollars. That’s
where the fight business went, you know, and that’s what’s
wrong with boxing.”
If
you are one of the many ’stupid’ people who want to
watch the Mayweather/Marquez fight and want to watch it at a
local movie theater instead, here’s the PR on that sent
out by the indefatigable Gillian Grefé:
NCM
Fathom, in association with Mayweather Promotions and Golden
Boy Promotions, will bring live world championship boxing to
the big screen in high definition for the first time ever with
the showing of the highly anticipated 12-round welterweight fight
between six-time world champion in five weight divisions Floyd
“Money” Mayweather and five-time world champion in
three weight divisions Juan Manuel “Dinamita” Marquez
and televised undercard on Saturday, Sept. 19 at 8:30 p.m. ET/
5:30 p.m. PT in select movie theaters nationwide.
Tickets
for Mayweather vs. Marquez: “Number One/Numero Uno”
Fight LIVE are available at participating theater box offices
and online at www.FathomEvents.com. For a complete list of theater
locations and prices, please visit www.FathomEvents.com (theaters
and participants are subject to change).
This
is the first boxing match widely shown in movie theaters since
Sugar Ray Leonard’s victory over Roberto “Fists of
Stone” Duran in the famous “No Mas” fight on Nov.
25, 1980. Providing an up-close and personal, high-definition
experience, fans will get a ringside view of every jab and hook
from the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas. Seeing the event
at your local movie theater is the ultimate virtual experience
and the next best thing to being there. To see the event trailer,
visit www.FathomEvents.com.
For
a complete list of theater locations, prices and to purchase
tickets, please visit www.FathomEvents.com. (theaters and participants
are subject to change). Tickets are also available at participating
theater box offices.
Source: Fight Opinion
|
Cung
Le: The Right Thing for Me To Do Is to Vacate Belt
by Ray Hui
Cung Le has vacated the Strikeforce middleweight belt following
18 months of competitive inactivity since beating Frank Shamrock
for the title.
The
decision came after Le signed on to star in his own action movie
vehicle that will prevent him from fighting in the near future.
Tied down to the film commitments and training his teammates,
Le tells FanHouse in this exclusive interview that the right
thing to do was to vacate the title to allow other contenders
to wear the belt in his absence.
Ray
Hui: How hard was it for you to have to tell Scott Coker that
you would have to vacate the title?
Cung
Le: It is very hard. I work very hard and I've been fighting
for a long time and I'm very proud of the Strikeforce middleweight
belt that I got. And at the same time as a martial artist, out
of respect for all the competitors in the middleweight division,
whose fighting for that opportunity to fight for the title, I
feel that at this time I can't defend my title because of everything
that I got going on right now, because it would be November the
CBS show with Fedor. So I think the right thing to do is to vacate
the title so they can fight for the true middleweight title because
I don't think it's right for them to fight for an interim title
while I'm running off doing movies and promoting the movie I'm
in Pandorum and my other projects I got going on. I feel for
me out of respect for all the other middleweight contenders that
I need to take a step back.
Has
Coker indicated that you'll get an immediate title shot upon
return?
I
definitely got to prove myself when I come back – at least
one or two fights, right? I'm sure if I have a great performance
on my return fight, I would hope that I would get a title shot.
I know what it takes to be a champion and I know what it takes
to work hard again and start from a couple steps back and I'm
willing to do that.
What's
the soonest you could be fighting?
I'm
hoping early next year.
Frank
Shamrock said today that he's looking at a December/January return
for a fight against either you or Nick Diaz.
For
me it'd be awesome if I could pick my own opponents. I do have
a say on who my opponents are but I just try to do my job and
I let my trainer, manager and promoter do their job, and if they
think it's a fight that can sell they would put it together and
hopefully everyone can make some money.
How
do you see the Jason "Mayhem" Miller vs. Jake Shields
title fight playing out?
I
think if it goes down to the ground, "Mayhem" is at
a disadvantage and if it stays standing Jake Shields is at a
disadvantage. I don't know, let's see who comes in at A form
and I think it's going to be a pretty good fight. I hope their
fight doesn't get overshadowed by the Fedor and Rogers which
I believe most likely will happen"
Source: MMA Fighting
|
Dream:
Paulao and Ninja in cage
Japanese organization adopts new stage format
Some
may call it copying, others will agree that it’s keeping
with the trend. But the truth is that Dream, K-1’s MMA even,
is keeping with the UFC, at least in terms of the format of its
stage. The Japanese organization announced that for its October
25 event, in Osaka, it will test drive a white cage.
Besides
the novelty, nine fighters were announced for the card, among
them Brazilians Paulao Filho, Murilo Ninja and Andrews Nakahara,
as well as Eddie Alvarez, Katsunori Kikuno, Yoshiro Maeda, Alistair
Overeem, Kiyoshi Tamura and Marius Zaromskis.
Despite
the participant names announced, no match-ups have been released.
Source: Gracie Magazine
|
Vitor
Belfort becomes a very popular name again
By Zach
Arnold
Local UFC 103 coverage: Dallas Morning News | Fort Worth Star-Telegram
| McKinney Courier-Gazette
There
was a healthy amount of stories on the news wires about Vitor
Belfort’s win over Rich Franklin. A surprising amount of
press, and most of it was on the straight-and-narrow. In fact,
dare I say, a lot of it positive. One curious media note is that
The LA Times had their core group of writers work the Mayweather
show and just ran an AP wire report on UFC 103. Belfort credited
part of his win over Franklin due to focusing on karate training.
The Canadian Press has a good event report.
As
you would imagine, Mayweather’s lopsided win over Juan Manuel
Marquez dominated the traditional sports media in terms of coverage.
The media coverage of the fight and the aftermath is, at best,
mixed. Reuters has a report on Mayweather whining after the fight
and playing the ‘no respect’ card. A lot of newspaper
writers are focusing on Shane Mosley’s challenge to Mayweather
after the fight. Most cheered Shane’s appeal for a match,
while Fox Sports said that Mosley ‘ruined’ Mayweather’s
win over Marquez.
To
top it all off, Manny Pacquiao says he will file a defamation
suit against Floyd Mayweather Sr. because Sr. claimed that Pacquiao
is a steroid user.
Source: Fight Opinion
|
DID
DOS SANTOS TAKE AWAY CRO COP'S APPETITE?
by Steven
Marrocco
Heavyweight prospect Junior Dos Santos spoke with MMAWeekly.com
after his career-making victory against Mirko “Cro Cop”
Filipovic at UFC 103.
The
soft-spoken 25-year-old insisted he wasn’t trying to beat
the striker at his own game, but that’s what happened.
Filipovic
appeared to wilt under the pressure of Dos Santos, leading many
to believe he was not mentally prepared to face the up-and-comer.
Dos Santos isn’t certain about such an idea; he felt his
team, including heavyweight legend Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira,
had prepared him to give his best.
“I
didn’t feel he was intimidated at all in there,” he
said of Cro Cop. “When he would engage, I felt like he was
there. He had the appetite to keep fighting.
“But
I actually hit him with some strikes, and I felt it a little
bit, but thank God, I just kept moving forward and was able to
execute my game.”
Source: MMA Weekly
|
Mirko
Cro Cop Suspended Indefinitely
by Ray Hui
In the medical suspensions released by the Texas Department of
Licensing and Regulation for Combative Sports, Mirko Cro Cop
has been suspended indefinitely following his loss to Junior
dos Santos at UFC 103 in Dallas.
Cro
Cop was battered by dos Santos in a flurry in the third round
until he verbally submitted due to issues seeing. Cro Cop was
sent to the hospital after the fight for further evaluation on
his eyes.
"He's
got to fly 20 hours to get home," UFC president Dana White
said Saturday. "I've got to know he's OK before he gets
on that plane. He took some big shots from a heavy puncher tonight."
The
indefinite suspension means Cro Cop will be cleared to fight
pending doctor's approval.
No
other fighter was suspended past Oct. 20. Rich Franklin, Martin
Kampmann, Frank Trigg, Hermes Franca, Cole Miller and Steve Lopez
were suspended until Oct. 20 for their losses. Lopez's shoulder
popped out during his fight but was corrected backstage and did
not have to go to the hospital.
Other
losing fighters, Jason Brilz, Rafaello Oliveira, Igor Pokrajac
and Rob Emerson were suspended until Sept. 29, while Brian Foster
and Drew McFedries were suspended until Sept. 27.
All
the winners: Vitor Belfort, Junior dos Santos, Paul Daley, Josh
Koscheck, Tyson Griffin, Eliot Marshall, Vladimir Matyushenko,
Rafael dos Anjos, Efrain Escudero, Jim Miller, Nick Lentz and
Rick Story were either suspended until Sept. 27 or 29.
Source: MMA Fighting
|
Huerta
Not Calling It Quits
by Loretta Hunt
Roger Huerta said he’s found the will to fight again.
Huerta,
who passed on a five-fight renewal contract with the UFC last
January to pursue a second career in acting, said his split-decision
loss to Gray Maynard last Wednesday has re-ignited his competitive
fire.
“I
think it could have gone either way and it’s my fault I
let it go to the judges and I can’t go out like that,”
Huerta told Sherdog.com Sunday. “I can’t go out with
two losses in a row. I don’t think I’m going to call
it quits anytime soon.”
The
popular bilingual fighter was heavily promoted by the UFC in
2007 and 2008, especially after he became the first mixed martial
artist to ever appear on the cover of Sports Illustrated following
his dynamo performance against Leonard Garcia at UFC 69.
However,
the 26-year-old lightweight opted not to re-sign with the promotion
earlier this year in favor of acting opportunities, he said.
Huerta completed the last fight on his existing contract at UFC
Fight Night 19 on Sept. 16.
In
recent months, fighters like Randy Couture, Cung Le, and Quinton
“Rampage” Jackson have all juggled movie roles and
their fighting careers with mixed results.
Though
some might consider Huerta’s acting proclamations as a way
for him to not re-sign and become a free agent, Huerta said he
was “dead-set” on leaving fighting behind until he
entered the cage last week.
“I’m
still open to acting,” said Huerta. “Hopefully we get
something going with that, but I’m not going to prioritize
(acting) now. I’ll still prioritize fighting. If the UFC
wants me back, I’d be willing to go back.”
A
return to the UFC is not impossible.
One
common component of UFC contracts is a 60-day exclusive renegotiation
period following a fighter’s last bout. If a new agreement
is not reached within that time, the fighter can begin negotiations
with other organizations. However, the UFC has the option to
review and match any offer made by a rival outlet, sometimes
for up to a year after the fighter’s contract expires.
“We
haven’t spoken to the UFC since last Wednesday, but we’d
definitely keep that option open,” said Huerta’s manager
Jeff Clark, of North County Fight Management.
Huerta
said he hasn’t taken the opportunity to consider other promotions,
such as Strikeforce, just yet.
“I’ve
been with the UFC since 2006. They’re all that I know, but
it’s up to my manager Jeff Clark to decide that for me,”
said Huerta.
Huerta’s
love affair with acting began in the summer of 2008, when he
landed the role of Miguel “The Matador” Rojo in the
feature film adaptation of the popular video game “Tekken,”
due out in theatres sometime this fall.
In
January, Huerta announced he’d signed a three-picture development
deal with Lion’s Gate Films, whose latest titles have included
“Gamer” starring Gerard Butler and “Saw VI.”
However,
Huerta’s transition has been like much of the rest of the
film business crippled by last year’s writers’ union
strike -- slow.
“We
started looking at the things we were going to do with Lion’s
Gate,” said Huerta. “We’ve looked over some roles,
but nothing that I’ve wanted to sink my teeth into (yet).”
In
July, when he received the call from the UFC to face Maynard
in September, Huerta said he dropped all other pursuits to focus
on the bout. Huerta was pleased with the results.
“I
think this last fight was probably the best fight I’ve ever
had, the most focused I’ve ever been,” he said. “I
fought a very dangerous opponent, who is probably going to be
the next number-one contender. I lost to the number-one contender
before that as well. I’m right in that mix, where a little
tweak here and there (in training) and I’m right in there.”
Huerta,
who relocated to Texas earlier this year, said the 13 months
away from competition also gave him new perspective.
“I
went back to (trainer) Dave (Menne in Minnesota) and really just
started paying attention to him finally after all these years,”
said Huerta. “I’ve really gotten into being good to
my body as well, understanding that I only have one body. Your
body’s like a vehicle, depreciating every year and if you
treat it well, you slow down the process.”
Lauded
for his passion in the cage, Huerta said it took only the opportunity
to tap into it again to know he wanted to keep competing.
“I
didn’t know how crucial that Kimura was until I saw the
video,” said Huerta. “I was going to let him break
it. I really was. That’s the competitive blood in me. I’ve
never given up on anything, and I guess that’s back in me
now.”
Source: Sherdog
|
Quote
of the Day
"Simple,
clear purpose and principles give rise to complex and intelligent
behavior.
Complex rules and regulations give rise to simple and stupid
behavior."
Dee Hock
|
Hideous
heavyweights on The Ultimate Fighter
By Zach Arnold
That
fight between James McSweeney and Wes Shivers was simply atrocious
to watch. When I made a proclamation last week that the heavyweight
fights on this season of The Ultimate Fighter would be bad, I
didn’t imagine they could be this bad. At least last week’s
fight had someone juicing red big time.
Shivers
smothered McSweeney and did nothing with him on the mat. He should
have finished that guy in two minutes. McSweeney, other than
leg kicks and a few goofy striking spots, did nothing of note
against Shivers and should have finished his opponent off in
2 minutes (when Shivers already started gassing out).
I’ll
give credit to Spike for heating up a “Rashad vs. Roy Nelson”
angle, given that they pulled the trigger already on Nelson vs.
Kimbo Slice for next week’s show. I agree with Michael David
Smith that next week’s show will be the biggest fighter
ever in the history of TUF, but after that fight where Nelson
will likely win — then what?
We
should all be praying that the fights get better on this show
because the first two weeks have not given fans a lot of hope.
Source: Fight Opinion
|
Antonio
Silva Taps Out York, Nansen Spoils Izumi’s Debut
Hornbuckle Stops Thompson in Veteran Showdown
By Kelsey Mowatt
The
Saitama Super Arena in Saitama, Japan, was once again the host
venue for World Victory Road’s tenth Sengoku event, and
although the card did not feature any title bouts, several notable
fighters like Antonio Silva, Dan Hornbuckle, Nick Thompson and
Joe Doerksen were scheduled to compete.
The
card’s main event did not feature two accomplished veterans
of the sport, but rather, the MMA debuts of Olympic Judo Silver
Medalist Hiroshimi Izumi and kickboxer Antz Nansen. Although
Izumi managed to land a couple of shots of his own moments into
the bout, Nansen quickly demonstrated that he was the superior
striker, dropping Izumi to the canvas with a barrage of punches.
To Izumi’s credit he battled on, but just moments later
another vicious flurry from Nansen sent him crashing to the mat,
and the bout was mercifully stopped.
In
the card’s heavyweight feature attraction, American Top
Team’s Antonio Silva had little difficulties in his bout
with fellow Sengoku vet Jim York. After each man looked to find
their range striking early on, Silva closed the distance and
took York to the ground, where the Brazilian easily passed his
opponent’s half guard and tapped him out with a side choke.
Dan
Hornbuckle continued to demonstrate that he is a considerable
threat in the welterweight division, as he stopped accomplished
veteran Nick Thompson in the second round. The first round was
filled with several scrambles on the ground that saw each man
threaten the other with submission attempts. As the fight continued
into the second bracket, both Thompson and Hornbuckle tested
the other with strikes, until Hornbuckle buckled the UFC vet
with a left jab and a follow up right hook. As Thompson fell
back into the ropes Hornbuckle swarmed in and landed a knee to
the jaw of his opponent, right before the referee jumped in to
stop the bout.
Former
IFL light-weight champ Ryan Schultz was brutally knocked out
by Kazunori Yakota under what where somewhat unfortunate circumstances.
Moments earlier Schultz had taken his opponent to the mat, but
because Yakota had tried to prevent the takedown by grabbing
the ropes, the referee intervened and warned Yakota for the infraction.
The fight was restarted at center ring, however, where just seconds
later Yakota blasted Schultz with a thundering right over hand,
which left Schultz unconscious for quite some time.
Japanese
middleweight Takenori Sato managed to survive an early onslaught
of strikes from Canadian Joe Doerksen, as the UFC vet was unable
to finish Sato, after dropping him with a stunning one-two combo.
Although Sato continued to battle on he was largely unable to
launch any offense of his own, and shortly into the second round,
Doerksen dropped him to the canvas and finished the bout with
a series of strikes.
Shortly
into their light-heavyweight tilt, noted striker Fabio Silva
hurt Ryo Kawamura with several punches while working from the
clinch, and after blasting the Japanese fighter with a follow
up knee, Kawamura’s corner threw in the towel.
Early
on in their lightweight clash Tetsuya Yamada threatened Maxi
Blanco on a couple of occasions with submission attempts, but
shortly into the second round Blanco landed a series of strikes
from the top position, forcing Yamada to verbally tap-out.
In
another bout featuring one of Japan’s more accomplished
judokas, Pride veteran Makoto Takimoto worked his way to a Unanimous
Decision victory over Jae Sun Lee.
Sengoku
Tenth Battle Results
Antz
Nansen def. Hiroshi Izumi via TKO (strikes) R1
Antonio Silva def. Jim York by Submission (arm-triangle choke)
R1
Makoto Takimoto def. Jae Sun Lee by Unanimous Decision
Kazunori Yokota def. Ryan Schultz by KO (punch) R1
Fabio Silva def. Ryo Kawamura by TKO (strikes) R1
Dan Hornbuckle def. Nick Thompson by TKO (strikes) R2
Joe Doerksen def. Takenori Sato by TKO (strikes) R2
Maximo Blanco def. Tetsuya Yamada by TKO (strikes) R2
Ikuo Usuda def. Woo Hyon Baek byTKO (strikes) R1
Shigeki Osawa def. Ki Hyun Kim by Unanimous Decision
Jae Hyun So def. Ryosuke Komori by Unanimous Decision
Source: Full Contact Fighter
|
Some
initial thoughts on The Ultimate Fighter: Kimbo Slice series
debut
By Zach
Arnold
As I’m finishing up a recap of gathering quotes from the
winners of last night’s Oklahoma City show for a new article…
The
Very Good
The
interaction between Rashad Evans and Rampage Jackson is tremendous.
It has the potential for A-grade level television in terms of
creating hype for their upcoming fight. The differences between
the two men make the time fly by when watching the show, which
is a feat considering how many times I’ve watched The Ultimate
Fighter and absolutely dreaded doing so.
The
Good
It’s
clear that Kimbo Slice and Roy Nelson will end up being the two
‘legitimate’ fighters in the eyes of fans after this
show. The first 30 minutes was all about rehabilitating Slice’s
image as someone who is legitimate and Jackson did a great job
in the promos to try to erase the memories of Seth Petruzelli
out of the brains of fans. It is kind of amusing to see UFC in
the first 30 minutes make Slice out to be this incredibly dangerous
monster despite the fact that Slice was entirely exposed on CBS.
It’s a real stretch what they’re doing here, but it’s
also the only promotional move they could do. The right course
in terms of marketing. As for Nelson, it was interesting to see
that Nelson got picked ‘in the middle’ of the team
selection process and that the storyline for him on the show
is that Rashad Evans and Greg Jackson are going to get on Nelson
for not ‘being serious enough’ and too much of a jokester.
Will the public buy into it? Who knows.
The
Bad
Watching
The Very Good and realizing that after making the commitment
for the Memphis fight that Jackson decided to do the A-Team movie
instead. I realize that Dana White & Lorenzo Fertitta play
good cop, bad cop all the time with talent, but White has every
right to be pissed off about Jackson — especially seeing
the dynamic between Jackson and Evans on this show last night.
White is entirely right in saying that the Memphis fight would
have drawn huge money for Jackson and instead he went to the
movies. Irritating.
The
Ugly
The
roster of heavyweights. Outside of Kimbo Slice (the superstar)
and Roy Nelson (the professional), it feels like Spike TV decided
to take a page out of the WWE talent playbook and recruit people
who look like fighters (but really aren’t) instead of actually
bringing in raw talent for the show. Outside of the excessive
blood on display by Abe Wagner in the opening fight, it seems
pretty obvious that Rampage picked the bigger fighters but Evans
recruited the better fighters. That doesn’t exactly predicate
good fights to come, but we’ll see. The first fight was
not a good harbinger of things to come.
Sidenote:
Season 9 of TUF just launched on WOWOW in Japan.
Source: Fight Opinion
|
CBS
Executive Discusses MMA's Return to Network TV
Posted
by Ariel Helwani
Thursday's announcement that the Fedor Emelianenko vs. Brett
Rogers Strikeforce card will air live on CBS caught many people
by surprise, as most expected the event would be shown on Showtime.
FanHouse
spoke to Kelly Kahl, senior executive vice president of primetime
programming for CBS, about how this decision came about and whether
he thinks the UFC will counter-program the telecast. The full
interview is below.
How
did this decision come about?
Well, we had a deal with Strikeforce for some time. When they
did a deal with Showtime, CBS had a deal in place, as well, and
we always kept the door open. We were just kind of waiting for
the right place, right time and right talent. And once Fedor
was signed, that certainly looked to us as a great way to jump
back into MMA on network TV. And talking to our partners at Strikeforce
and Showtime, we were able to put a fight together and we're
very excited to get back on the air.
How
do you juggle satisfying CBS and Showtime's needs in a situation
like this because Showtime clearly has a lot invested in Fedor?
Well, I think the word you used, 'juggle,' is correct. You know,
luckily Strikeforce has a lot of quality fighters and there's
plenty to put together solid cards for each of us. And having
good fights on CBS is also in Showtime and Strikeforce's interests
because it really brings their fighters to a bigger audience.
You know, a lot of the idea here is to help create new stars
and expose these fighters to a wider audience and that's the
real value of CBS to these other two entities.
Will
you be heavily promoting Fedor on CBS like you did when Kimbo
Slice fought on the network?
Certainly that is part of the plan and that's what we're going
to work on almost immediately start doing. While Fedor is certainly
the No. 1 heavyweight in the world, you know, we have to let
non-MMA fans know who this guy is. He's got a great look, he's
got a great story and we need to share that with people.
Are
you concerned that the UFC will try to counter-program this telecast?
You know, the UFC is a great company and a smart company. They're
going to do whatever they feel is necessary to protect their
interests. They've done it before and they've done it really
any time anybody else has put a big show together. So we'll make
due with whatever they do or maybe don't do. But would it surprise
us if they counter-program? No.
Will
anything be done differently on the broadcast from the past EliteXC
shows on CBS?
Each broadcast we really tried to improve and get a little better,
and I think we learned a lot from fight one to fight three. Most
of that team is back in place for this, and they've even gotten
better as they've done more fights on Showtime. I love our broadcast
team; I really don't think there's anybody better. I think Gus
[Johnson], Mauro [Ranallo] and Frank [Shamrock] do an awesome
job, and I think that we're going to try and put the highest
quality MMA event on network TV that we can.
After
everything that transpired during the last EliteXC event on CBS,
did the thought ever cross your mind that MMA would never air
on CBS again?
[Laughs] I certainly always hoped there would be the day that
we would get back on the air. I believe in this sport; I think
our network believes in this sport. You would have to be blind
not to see what's happened, really, I think in the last year
in terms of popularity [with] the coverage MMA is now getting
in the mainstream press, on ESPN, local sports telecasts. I mean,
it's really moved beyond just kind of an Internet-based reporting
where it's really come along ways to the mainstream. So I always
hoped that we would get back to this day and we're very excited
that we have.
Are
you surprised other networks haven't begun airing MMA?
It's hard to say. You know, each network has their own business
plan, so it's not my place to criticize what other networks might
or might not do.
What
would be considered a successful rating for this show?
Well, what we talked about the last couple of times was if we
could improve our demographics on a Saturday night, which we
did a great job of the last few fights, and then, you know, we
have to sell commercials. So if we can sell commercials, if we
can improve our demos then we would consider that a success.
... We don't have kind of the built-in media hot buttons that
maybe we've had in the past, but like I said, we do have the
world's No. 1 heavyweight, who is an interesting and compelling
story, and again, it's up to us to let the people know who he
is and what that story is. When we get that out there, we'll
get people there. Certainly in the MMA world, everyone knows
who Fedor is and we're excited to be giving a lot of these people
their first chance to see him.
Are
there plans already in place for CBS' fifth show?
We'll handle it kind of like we did the first time with Elite.
We'll get one under our belt, see how it goes, see how we do,
and then will plan the second [Strikeforce show]. You know, the
good news is with Strikeforce and Showtime they're great partners
and a great deal of professionalism and a really solid stable
of fighters, so when it is time to go back on the air we know
they can deliver.
Source: MMA Fighting
|
‘With
Jacare it will be more brutal’
Drysdale on what he expects from ADCC supermatch
By Gabriel Menezes
“I’m
heading to Spain today [monday] and ready to win, that’s
all,” stated Robert Drysdale to GRACIEMAG.com today.
For
the much awaited ADCC 2009 supermatch, the absolute champion
of 2007 swears he’s in tip-top shape and expects a high-level
battle against Ronaldo Jacare, who takes an injured Roger Gracie’s
place. In an interview in this month’s issue of GRACIEMAG,
Drysdale affirmed that he would beat Roger Gracie in submission
grappling.
However,
with the current world absolute Jiu-Jitsu champion’s withdrawal,
Drysdale said he is well prepared to face Jacare. Furthermore,
he said he is at peak condition.
“I’ve
never felt so good in terms of strength, explosiveness, stamina
and skill. I’m a bit heavier. But I feel really good physically,”
said Drysdale, on the shape he will e in at the coming ADCC tournament
in Barcelona, to take place this weekend.
Check
out the conversation in which Drysdale comments on how he feels
his supermatch with Ronaldo Jacare will go.
And
keep up with all the goings-on in Barcelona on the GRACIEMAG.com
ADCC 2009 Blog.
What
did you think of the choice of Jacare as a substitute for Roger
in the supermatch?
To
tell you the truth, I was surprised. I was expecting Dean Lister
or Ricardo Arona, who are two absolute champions who were unable
to do their supermatches. So in my mind it was those two. When
they said Jacare I thought it was weird, but let’s do it.
I’m all in there. I think it will be a cool match for the
crowd.
How
do you think the match with Jacare will go?
I
think it’ll be a great match. That I promise. I think it
will be more interesting for the crowd to watch than one with
Roger. A match with Roger might be more tactical, more strategic.
For him, I had something else in mind. With Jacare it will be
pure brutality. I it’ll have each of us going after the
other like crazy, non-stop. I see this match ending quickly,
to tell you the truth. Jacare is high intensity and I’m
not one to bring the pace down. If the guy accelerates, I’ll
accelerate even more. In my opinion, this match will be more
exciting for the public.
Who
of your friends is helping you in your final phase of training?
Rodrigo
Cavaca has been training with me here these last few weeks, and
he is ready too. He didn’t know whether he would be invited
or not, and ended up getting invited by the ADCC and is in great
shape, been training a lot. He is going in to win too. He is
my main training partner here.
Is
there anything else you would like to add?
I’m
going to Spain today and am ready to win, that’s all.
Source: Gracie Magazine
|
CHINA'S
ART OF WAR HITS THE ROAD TO MACAO
Since 2005, the Art of War Fighting Championship has strived
to establish itself as China's premier mixed martial arts organization.
Featuring China's best martial arts athletes, the Art of War
is recognized by fans and industry experts as the pioneer and
leader of China's mixed martial arts revolution.
For
the first time, our fans in Southern China will have the opportunity
to witness the event live and in person. The Art of War Fighting
Championship 14 - "Ground Zero" will make its Macau
debut at the Venetian Hotel inside the fabulous Cotai Arena.
Main
Card:
72 kg - Andy Wang (Chinese Taipei) vs. Atsuhiro Tsuboi (Japan)
96+ kg - Rolles Gracie (Brazil) vs. Peter Graham (Australia)
84 kg - Daniel Madrid (USA) vs. Daijiro Matsui (Japan)
90 kg - Rodney Glunder (Netherlands) vs. Antonio Braga Neto (Brazil)
78 kg - Wang Sai (China) vs. Lee Yong Jae (Korea)
78 kg - Michael Costa (Brazil) vs. Simeon Thoresen (Norway)
Under
Card:
72 kg - Dai Shuang Hai (China) vs. Arthit Hanchana (Thailand)
78 kg - Vaughn Anderson (Canada) vs. Kim Dong Hyun (Korea)
78 kg - Zhang Li Peng (China) vs. Claes Beverlov (Sweden)
84 kg - Moogie Dorjderem (Mongolia) vs. Elyorbek Akbarov (Uzbekistan)
78 kg - Li Jun Lei (China) vs. Jeong Soon Hak (Korea)
72 kg - Jason Schmidt (USA) vs. Kenichi Hattori (Japan)
*Fight
card subject to change
The
main event of the evening will feature TUF (The Ultimate Fighter)
veteran, Andy Wang, versus Japanese Shootboxing sensation, Atsuhiro
Tsuboi. Tsuboi showcased his skills in AOW12 and fought Dai Shuang
Hai to a tough DRAW. Wang is coming off a solid winning streak
and wants to continue with a solid performance in his AOW debut.
“I have seen Tsuboi in action and he is one tough guy! That’s
perfect for me because I’m always looking to fight the toughest
guys,” commented Wang.
Rolles
Gracie will put his legendary family's reputation on the line
as faces K-1 veteran, Peter "The Chief" Graham. Graham
is most recognized for his 2006 stunning KO victory of K-1 Grand
Prix winner Badr Hari using his trademark, “Rolling Thunder”
spinning kick. In 2008, Graham has made the jump to mixed martial
arts where he has fought twice in the Sengoku promotion of Japan.
Graham brings his knock out power to Macau at Art of War 14.
This fight is a classic striker versus grappler match up.
Also
on the card is 2008 heavyweight jiu-jitsu champion, Antonio Braga
Neto. He faces MMA veteran Rodney Glunder, who has victories
over Cheick Kongo, Valentijn Overeem, Cyrille Diabate, and Melvin
Manhoef. Braga Neto will be looking to show why his formidable
submission skills make him a rising star in today's MMA.
Making
their AOW debuts will be Michael Costa and Simeon Thoresen. Costa
is former product of the world famous Chute Boxe Academy and
is now training under the tutelage of former Pride champion Wanderlei
Silva. He will bring his aggressive and exciting style to AOW
fans on September 26. Simeon Thoresen is a disciple of Dream
Lightweight Champion, Joachim Hansen, and is an expert submission
grappler and seasoned MMA veteran. Having submitted 10 of his
last 11 opponents, Thoresen is looking to add another submission
victory to his belt.
Source: MMA Weekly
|
Kimbo
Slice Gets 'TUF' Its Best Ratings Ever
by Michael David Smith
The decision to put Kimbo Slice on The Ultimate Fighter has already
paid off in a big way for the UFC and Spike TV, which saw their
best ratings ever for Wednesday night's Season 10 premiere.
According
to a release issued by Spike today, the episode reached 4.1 million
viewers, easily beating the previous Ultimate Fighter high of
2.8 million viewers for the Season 3 Ultimate Fighter finale
in 2006.
On
Wednesday night's Ultimate Fighter, viewers were introduced to
Kimbo and the other cast members, as well as coaches Rashad Evans
and Rampage Jackson. The show ended with a bloody mess of a fight
between Jon Madsen and Abe Wagner, which Madsen won by unanimous
decision.
The
show allowed Spike to beat all of its competition, both on cable
and on the networks, among the key demographic of men 18 to 49,
including shows like The Jay Leno Show, America's Got Talent,
Glee and So You Think You Can Dance.
It
was the most-watched episode of any Spike TV original show, breaking
the previous record of 3.4 million viewers for The Joe Schmo
Show season finale in 2003.
Source: MMA Fighting
|
McCarthy's
Return to Nevada Nixed
by Jason Probst
Veteran referee “Big” John McCarthy has not been issued
a license to officiate events in Nevada after applying with the
state’s athletic commission earlier this month.
In
a mailed letter from Keith Kizer, executive director of the Nevada
State Athletic Commission, McCarthy, who submitted his application
Sept. 10, was informed that the state “[does] not anticipate
adding any additional referees at this time. We will place your
application in the pending file in case the situation changes.”
McCarthy,
who has refereed nearly 600 MMA events worldwide since UFC 2
in March 1994, would seem a welcome addition to any commission
staff, but the iconic referee said he applied with no expectations.
“I
don’t look at it like that. A license to referee or judge
with an athletic commission -- it’s not a right,” he
said. “It’s a privilege. Everyone kept bringing up
the fact that I wasn’t licensed in Nevada, so I said, ‘Alright,
I’ll apply.’”
McCarthy
retired from officiating in December 2007 to pursue a career
in broadcasting. After various stints with The Fight Network
and then as a commentator for Affliction Entertainment’s
first event, McCarthy’s absence from the sport’s flagship
promotion stood in stark contrast to the game’s early days,
when he refereed virtually every main event from 1994-2001.
McCarthy
left the network in September 2008, citing breach of contract.
He was re-licensed in California, his home state, and has maintained
licenses in Ohio, Utah and jurisdictions in Canada. He returned
to the role he originated in the U.S. at a Strikeforce event
last November.
In
recent years, MMA officiating has been scrutinized often, with
discussions ranging from the timing of referee stoppages to judging
scores. Nevada officiating, where a majority of the higher profile
UFC events take place, has not been excluded and often highlighted.
In
particular, McCarthy was often asked to draw upon his 15-plus
years as a referee in his various broadcasting positions when
commenting on his former colleagues’ performances.
In
October 2008, Yahoo Sports’ Kevin Iole addressed a reader
question in a mailbag about whether or not McCarthy’s comments
on officiating had him on the outs with the NSAC. Iole wrote
“... a little birdie tells me Kizer, one of the sport’s
most influential regulators, is none too pleased with McCarthy
these days for criticisms McCarthy delivered of him. It’s
not to say that it’s impossible, but he’s got a long
road ahead of him.”
In
a March interview with Sherdog.com, McCarthy stressed that his
issues were not with the UFC, nor personally aimed at Kizer and
the NSAC.
“I
had a criticism toward people being put into place as far as
officiating,” said McCarthy. “I have a problem when
you have an official who is put into place to have an impact
on the sport I love when they don’t understand the sport,
when they don’t understand what the fighters are doing.
They understand someone getting hit in the face. They don’t
understand the manipulations of the ground game and who is winning
the fight. I probably should’ve shut my mouth because I’ve
got a big mouth, and it’s got me in a lot of trouble, but
it’s the truth. I want everyone to understand what is really
happening in the sport so they can make educated decisions and
judgments.”
When
asked if Iole’s characterizations held water, Kizer replied
via email: “I do not know who Kevin’s ‘little
birdie’ is, and would no more speak for Kevin than I would
for you. However, I can tell you I have always appreciated constructive
and/or truthful criticism, regardless of source.”
White,
who criticized McCarthy and his involvement with rival promotion
Affliction, was surprised by the NSAC’s decision.
“Wow.
That is my reaction,” said White. “Having a license
is a privilege, and John said a lot of s--t about the Nevada
commission and other commissions.”
Asked
if McCarthy’s past comments or a perceived animosity felt
for McCarthy by the UFC over his Affliction gig may have played
a role in his application for a Nevada license being placed in
the “pending” file, both Kizer and McCarthy declined
comment.
Kizer
said the NSAC currently has six referees licensed to work MMA
fights, with a current “pending” list of 20-30 applicants
vying for an opening in one of those existing slots, most of
which will never work in Nevada due to the high qualifications
demanded and extreme rarity of an opening. The short list is
exactly that, he adds, so qualified referees get enough work
to stay sharp.
“We
keep our list very short,” Kizer said of the existing list
of approved MMA refs, “mainly because we want to keep people
busy. We probably have about 20 cards a year. Some states may
have 100 people licensed, but how often can they work? You want
to have enough work for [referees]. It’s very important
that the ref, doctor and inspectors communicate during a fight.”
Given
the existing list of six licensed referees and numerous applicants,
Kizer could not say when an opening would materialize.
“No
one’s been turned down [for a license],” said Kizer.
“He’s applied, and he’s in the file with other
applicants.”
Since
taking the job as NSAC executive director in 2006, Kizer said
two referees have been added to the state’s list of licensed
MMA referees.
White
was noncommittal as to whether or not the UFC would have an issue
with McCarthy working its U.K. shows. There, the promotion assigns
its own referees in the absence of regulatory agencies.
“I
don’t know. I just don’t know,” said White. “I
would never say never, but …”
However,
it appears some are anxious to see the 6-foot-2 referee return
to the Octagon. In recent weeks, fans have organized campaigns
-- some sent directly to White’s Twitter account -- asking
that McCarthy be utilized at UFC 104 on Oct. 24 in Los Angeles.
McCarthy,
who had extensive involvement with drafting and shaping the unified
rules that now govern most of the sport, said his time away from
refereeing helped him realize how much he loved the job, one
for which he literally built the template through the sport’s
early days. Nevada or not, he’s glad to be back in the mix,
wherever he can work.
“I
just keep doing what I’m doing,” he said. “I’m
a very busy person. I have no problems with anybody in Nevada.
I think the most important thing is you’ve got to be someone
who’s honest and has integrity. Don’t be influenced
by outside things, what fans are saying. You let the fighters
do their thing. They’re the ones that should be deciding
the fight.
“When
you do your job right as a referee, there’s not gonna be
a lot of people saying things,” continued McCarthy. “The
sport is growing; the officiating is having to grow with it.
The whole reason I’m [back] reffing is because it’s
what I love to do, and I’m going to enjoy doing what I’m
doing.”
Greg
Savage contributed to this story.
Source: Sherdog
|
Minotauro
roots for Lesnar
Brazilian wants to face current heavyweight champion
Carlos Ozorio / Portal das Lutas
Rodrigo
Minotauro rediscovered his winning ways against Randy Couture
at UFC 102.
The
win placed Mino once again at the top of the list of challengers
for the UFC heavyweight belt and the Brazilian wants Brock Lesnar.
Check out the conversation the former interim champion of the
UFC and of the now-defunct Pride Championship had with GRACIEMAG.com
sister site Portal das Lutas.
Portal
das Lutas – You had an impressive performance against Couture.
What made the difference?
Rodrigo
Minotauro – I went to America and trained a lot of boxing
with Maldonado and Luiz Dorea. I also trained with really good
strikers and a first-rate wrestling team there, which made me
very confident. I trained three times a day for three months.
I did everything right and the result showed.
PDL
– Randy is a hero in the USA and you even faced him at his
home, Portland. Did you expect such a good performance, even
sweeping him?
RM
– I fought with the crowd against me, but I was focused
and what happened, happened. He came in to strike and I managed
to do it better. He had the wrong strategy, he thought he could
beat me standing. I also swept him twice and landed on top. My
ground game showed and I nearly submitted him.
PDL
– At certain points you could have defined it…
RM
– Twice there I could have finished him and there was that
knockdown. But he’s Captain America and got out of everything.
PDL
– But did it surprise you to sweep a guy known for his excellent
base? It even looked easy.
RM
– I foresaw that. His style of coming at you is what I like
for sweeping. I already knew I would be able to do that and thank
God I managed to do what I had planned.
PDL
– What do you expect from the title match between Brock
Lesnar and Shane Carwin?
RM
– That’s an even match. Brock has an advantage for
being heavier, but now he’s going up against a big guy.
Let’s see what happens. Carwin has a heavy hand, but Lesnar
is a better wrestler. He has a little advantage there, but I
think Carwin has really dangerous hands. It’ll be a great
fight to watch.
PDL
– After your last performance, do you believe the UFC will
give you a chance to recover your belt?
RM
– I hope my next fight will be for the belt. I’ll train
for that and hopefully I’ll be as well prepared as I was
for my last fight. If so, I can’t lose.
PDL
– Now who would you rather face, Carwin or Brock?
RM
– I prefer Brock, of course. He’s a big guy, who impresses
for his size and I can show I can do well against him.
Source: Gracie Magazine
|
Dana
White sounds off on Showtime and Strikeforce on CBS 11/7 show
By Zach
Arnold
Some
quotes from Steve Cofield’s interview with Dana White:
“Let
me tell ya, like I said, I’ve got no beef with Strikeforce.
The reality is, they’re a small regional fucking company,
you know, they’re a small little promotion company, they’ve
been putting on these little fights up in San Jose where they
make money. They put on these fights, Scott (Coker) throws some
money into his pocket, he’s got a good little business going,
he’s not you know Strikeforce is not competition for us.
They’re not our competitor. You know? I don’t like
Showtime. I don’t like ‘em. That’s the only reason
I even fuck around with them and do what I do because I want
to kick them in their balls.”
“It
doesn’t matter, no. Dude, how many fucking how many shows
have to come and go before you guys are going to go, ‘yeah’?”
Network
TV for Strikeforce? “IFL was on network TV. Elite XC was
on network TV. Doesn’t matter. It doesn’t matter, it
doesn’t matter.”
“Before
I was dealing with all these idiots coming up left and right
and everything else, now if you look at all the competition that
has tried to come after us in the last five years, do you think
Strikeforce and Showtime are the ones that are going to fucking
make a difference? Showtime has been second-rate at everything
they’ve ever done. When you talk to these guys who are the
executives of Showtime, they are the most cocky, arrogant, pompous
dicks you’ve ever met in your life, OK? Now, if they were
like that and had something to be cocky and arrogant about, that
would be one thing. They’re second-rate in television, they’ve
been second-rate in sports, boxing and whatever, and they’re
going to be second-rate at Mixed Martial Arts, too. We’re
going to kick Showtime’s ass. OK? Period.”
Why
CBS back in MMA? “I think CBS wants to be in the business.
I think they want to be in the business and we haven’t been
able to come to a deal, so.”
“With
the right deal, we’d do it. We haven’t had the right
deal, yet.”
“You
think Strikeforce is getting the right deal with CBS? You think
they’re making money, you know? And do you think people,
fucking Fedor, Fedor’s not even fighting the best guys in
the world. You know? Fans want to see this guy fight the best
guys in the world and he’s not doing it. Who gives a shit?”
“See,
everybody wants to think that it’s, c’mon, I’ve
done deals with all the best fighters in the world, you know,
the biggest names, Brock Lesnar from the WWE, huge star, I mean
I’ve done deals with all these guys but we couldn’t
come to a deal with this guy? When I walked in wanting to do
that deal…”
Source: Fight Opinion
|
MMAWEEKLY
WORLD MMA RANKINGS UPDATED
The latest MMAWeekly World MMA Rankings were released on Wednesday,
Sept. 23. This system ranks the Top 10 MMA fighters from all
across the world in each of the seven most widely accepted weight
classes.
Taken
into consideration are a fighter's performance in addition to
his win-loss record, head-to-head and common opponents, difficulty
of opponents, and numerous other factors in what is the most
comprehensive rankings system in the sport.
Fighters
who are currently serving drug-related suspensions are not eligible
for Top 10 consideration until they have fought one time after
the completion of their suspension.
Fighters
must also have competed within the past 12 months in order to
be eligible for Top 10 consideration.
Below
are the current MMAWeekly World MMA Rankings, which are up-to-date
as of Sept. 23.
<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<
HEAVYWEIGHT
DIVISION (over 205 pounds)
#1
Heavyweight Fighter in the World: Fedor Emelianenko
2.
Brock Lesnar
3.
Frank Mir
4.
Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira
5.
Randy Couture
6.
Junior Dos Santos
7.
Brett Rogers
8.
Cain Velasquez
9.
Andrei Arlovski
10.
Shane Carwin
<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<
LIGHT
HEAVYWEIGHT DIVISION (205-pound limit)
#1
Light Heavyweight Fighter in the World: Lyoto Machida
2.
Rashad Evans
3.
Quinton Jackson
4.
Anderson Silva
5.
Forrest Griffin
6.
Mauricio "Shogun" Rua
7.
Gegard Mousasi
8.
Antonio Rogerio Nogueira
9.
Thiago Silva
10.
Luis Cane
<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<
MIDDLEWEIGHT
DIVISION (185-pound limit)
#1
Middleweight Fighter in the World: Anderson Silva
2.
Nathan Marquardt
3.
Vitor Belfort
4.
Yushin Okami
5.
Jorge Santiago
6.
Dan Henderson
7.
Robbie Lawler
8.
Kazuo Misaki
9.
Yoshihiro Akiyama
10.
Demian Maia
<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<
WELTERWEIGHT
DIVISION (170-pound limit)
#1
Welterweight Fighter in the World: Georges St. Pierre
2.
Jon Fitch
3.
Jake Shields
4.
Thiago Alves
5.
Josh Koscheck
6.
Matt Hughes
7.
Paul Daley
8.
Martin Kampmann
9.
Carlos Condit
10.
Mike Swick
<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<
LIGHTWEIGHT
DIVISION (160-pound limit)
#1
Lightweight Fighter in the World: B.J. Penn
2.
Shinya Aoki
3.
Eddie Alvarez
4.
Tatsuya Kawajiri
5.
Joachim Hansen
6.
Kenny Florian
7.
Gesias "JZ" Calvancante
8.
Josh Thomson
9.
Frankie Edgar
10.
Diego Sanchez
<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<
FEATHERWEIGHT
DIVISION (145 pound-limit)
#1
Featherweight Fighter in the World: Mike Brown
2.
Urijah Faber
3.
Hatsu Hioki
4.
Wagnney Fabiano
5.
Jose Aldo
6.
"Lion" Takeshi Inoue
7.
Raphael Assuncao
8.
Leonard Garcia
9.
Joe Warren
10.
Marlon Sandro
<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<
BANTAMWEIGHT
DIVISION (135 pounds or less)
#1
Featherweight Fighter in the World: Brian Bowles
2.
Miguel Torres
3.
Masakatsu Ueda
4.
Takeya Mizugaki
5.
Akitoshi Tamura
6.
Dominick Cruz
7.
Will Ribeiro
8.
Damacio Page
9.
Joseph Benavidez
10.
Manny Tapia
Source: MMA Weekly
|
Quote
of the Day
“If
you've got a big mouth and you're controversial, you're going
to get attention.”
Simon Cowell
|
Destiny
Unfinished Business
Saturday,
October 3
Waipahu Filcom
Doors Open at 5:30 pm, Fights start at 6 pm
DESTINY:
Unfinished Business will make it's return to Oahu on Saturday,
Oct. 3rd @ the Waipahu Filcom Center. The much anticipated and
long awaited match between DESTINY undefeated 155lb amateur champion
Nate "Da Great" Quiniola and local mma fan favorite
and rising star Ben "Da King" Santiago will finally
go down...
Be
there to finally see, who is the BEST UPCOMING 155lb fighter
in Hawaii....Don't blink because both of these fighters are excellent
strikers...has KO written all over this matchup!
Also,
that night...Lady MMA action will return to DESTINY...as TJ Rodrigues
returns after a successful debut...her opponent will be Jessica
Jackson of Washington...last FILCOM event the Ladies were the
fight of the night, and we all expect nothing less this time
around!
Other
exciting matchups you should look out for that night is undefeated
808 Fight Factory up n comer Travis Beyer vs the always game
Elijah Manners, Koa Giddens vs Mark Happer, the beast Kapena
Abiley returns vs Ikaika Cabebe, Waianae BC's Thomas Matias vs
Kelii Palencia, always exciting Richard Agustin vs Eddie Ohia,
Sebastian Mariconda vs Matt Waipa...and the little firecracker
Alika Kumukoa returns...
Presale
General just $25, @ door $35
Reserved Seating presale $35, @ door $45 (don't risk standing
up and having to come real early for seats)....
Tickets
available now @ Westside Fight Gear and all TCA Wireless Locations
island wide or by calling (808) 277-2335.
For more info and pre-fight videos please visit westsidefightgear.com
-155lbs
Amateur Title Match
Nate "Da Great" Quiniola vs Ben "Da King"
Santiago (Gods Army)
-175lbs
Koa Giddens (Combat 50) vs Mark Happer (Pain Train Fight Club)
-145lbs
Travis Beyer (808 FF) vs Elijah Manners (UCS)
-135lbs
Kelii Palencia (HMC,Oahu) vs Thomas Matias (Waianae)
-155lbs
Ikaika Cabebe (freelance) vs Kapena Abiley (Hawaiian MMA,Big
Island)
-150lbs
(FEMALE BOUT)
TJ Rodrigues (Bazuko MMA) vs Jennifer Jackson (Team Submit)
-160lbs
Richard Agustin (Team Makaha) vs Eddie Ohia (No Remorse)
-125lbs
Alika Kumukoa (Big Dogs,Oahu) vs Skyler Close (Boars Nest)
-150lbs
Randy Rivera (HMC) vs Bobby Khalek (Team Equal Knockz)
-Heavyweights
(206lbs-260lbs)
James Tivao (94 Block) vs Scooter Buntau (Pain Train Fight Club)
-155lbs
Sebastian Maricanda (HMC) vs Matt Waipa (Freelance)
-170lbs
Keoni Tapaoan (Evolution Fight Club) vs Kapono Kuikahi (Hawaiian
MMA, Big Island)
-185lbs
Charles Hazelwood (Combat 50) vs Nathan Kolii (High Intensity)
-160lbs
Ryan Clay (HMC) vs Keola Mamala
(Evolution Fight Club)
-170lbs
Jason Morinaga (freelance) vs CJ Cottrell (Evolution Fight Club)
-145lbs
Omar Mirza (HMC) vs Shawn Burroughs (freelance)
-155lbs
Arnold Berdon (Hakuilua) vs Lucky Rosario (Bulls Pen)
-170lbs
Bernard Baradi (808 FF) vs Bobby Blauvelte (Team Submit)
-135lbs
Stephen Albanese (Pain Train Fight Club, Oahu) vs Isamu Lopez
(Big Island)
-Heavyweights
(206-260lbs)
Henry Berger (Team Outlaw) vs Charles Herman (808 Alliance)
-170lbs
Jatavious Barree vs Kevin Manners (freelance)
-165lbs
Wade Naki (Team Makaha) vs Eddie Manu (High Intensity)
-135lbs
Adam Rivera (Hakuilua) vs Zach Close (Boars Nest)
-160lbs
Louis Smith (Big Dogs) vs Braden Kalahiki (Team Stand Your Ground)
-Heavyweights
(206-260lbs)
Jarett Lindsey (freelance) vs Terrance Taanoa (High Intensity)
-180lbs
Dwain Uyeda (Team Outlaw) vs Philip Akui (Team Souljahz)
-130lbs
Wai Putapituckul (Team Outlaw) vs Jamin Tayaba (Inner Circle
Grappling)
-125lbs
Joey Balai (Team Makaha) vs Jessie Samejon (Team Equal Knockz)
Japheth
"Jay" Bolos
CEO
DESTINY Entertainment, LLC
Westside Fight Gear
94-144 Farrington Hwy. Ste# 112
Waipahu, HI 96797
Store# (808)381-2790
T-mobile Cell# (808)277-2335
Sprint Cell# (808)368-5568
|
NATE
QUARRY TOPS UFC FIGHT NIGHT 19 SALARIES
MMAWeekly.com has obtained the fighter salary information from
the Oklahoma State Department of Health’s Boxing Commission
for Ultimate Fight Night 19 featuring Nate Diaz vs. Melvin Guillard,
which took place on Wednesday, Sept. 16, at the Cox Convention
Center in Oklahoma City.
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
–
Nate Diaz ($48,000/win bonus was $24,000) def. Melvin Guillard
($14,000)
*Diaz also earned an extra $30,000 for “UFN 19 Submission
of the Night”
MAIN
CARD FIGHTERS
–
Gray Maynard ($24,000/win bonus was $12,000) def. Roger Huerta
($21,000)
–
Carlos Condit ($48,000/win bonus was $24,000) def. Jake Ellenberger
($10,000)
–
Nate Quarry ($60,000/win bonus was $30,000) def. Tim Credeur
($10,000)
*Quarry and Credeur also earned an extra $30,000 each for “UFN
19 Fight of the Night”
PRELIMINARY
CARD FIGHTERS
–
Brian Stann ($22,000/win bonus was $11,000) def. Steve Cantwell
($10,000)
–
Mike Pyle ($30,000/win bonus was $15,000) def. Chris Wilson ($17,000)
–
CB Dollaway ($28,000/win bonus was $14,000) def. Jay Silva ($6,000)
–
Sam Stout ($24,000/ win bonus was $12,000) vs. Phillipe Nover
($20,000/win bonus was $10,000)
*Oklahoma Commission did not allow bout due to medical issue
prior to fight
–
Jeremy Stephens ($24,000/win bonus was $12,000) def. Justin Buchholz
($8,000)
*Stephens also earned an extra $30,000 for “UFN 19 Knockout
of the Night”
–
Mike Pierce ($12,000/win bonus was $6,000) def. Brock Larson
($26,000)
–
Ryan Jensen ($8,000/win bonus was $4,000) def. Steve Steinbeiss
($6,000)
UFC
Fight Night 19 DISCLOSED FIGHTER PAYROLL: $476,000
UFN
19 AWARD BONUSES
(as disclosed by UFC president Dana White)
Each fighter received a $30,000 bonus for the following awards.
Fight
of the Night:
– Nate Quarry and Tim Credeur
Knockout
of the Night:
– Jeremy Stephens
Submission
of the Night:
– Nate Diaz
Source: MMA Weekly
|
RAMPAGE:
I'M DONE FIGHTING
The rift between UFC president Dana White and former light heavyweight
champion Quinton “Rampage” Jackson appears far from
resolved.
In
a blog posting Tuesday afternoon on his official website, Jackson
said he was retiring to become a full-time actor.
“I’m
done fighting,” Jackson wrote.
One
source close to the fighter characterized his actions differently,
telling MMAWeekly.com Tuesday evening that Jackson said he “wasn’t
going to fight for the UFC unless they offered him a (expletive)
of money.”
Last
month, the former champion drew fiery criticism from White when
word leaked that he was scheduled to take on the role of B.A.
Baracus in an upcoming movie remake of “The A-Team.”
Jackson,
who took a second turn as coach on the tenth season of “The
Ultimate Fighter” after declining a title shot against Lyoto
Machida at UFC 98 due to injury, was expected to face rival coach
Rashad Evans at UFC 107 in December.
"He
wants to do this thing, and he's like, 'listen, man, this is
really important to me...there's some sentimental value here
for me, me and my Dad grew up watching The A-Team together and
we loved it,'” White told reporters at a pre-fight press
conference for UFC 102. "Well, guess what, brother? I said,
'guess what Rashad Evans is thinking about right now. He's thinking
about beating your (expletive) ass. He's not sitting around thinking
about him and his mom used to watch the (expletive) 'Love Boat'
together, and he wants to get the role of 'Isaac the Bartender'...you
know what I mean? Get a (expletive) grip, dude.”
Weeks
later, White told the DAM morning show he was not talking to
Jackson after subsequent reports confirmed he had taken the role
and was on set in Vancouver.
“I’m
so mad at Rampage over this,” White railed. “Rampage
is a guy we’ve obviously taken under our wing the last few
years, really like him, and have done a lot of good things for
him, and for him to do this to me, and pull out (of UFC 107)
and do this goofy A-Team movie, I’m not happy about it at
all.”
Yet
at a post-fight press conference for UFC 103 last Saturday, White
said he had mended fences with Jackson and the Evans fight would
likely be pushed to March 2010. In the same breath, he pointed
blame at “Hollywood agents” who he felt had manipulated
his fighter.
"They
got him thinking that they're going to make this movie for nothing,
and then the sequel he'll make $20 million," said White.
In
his blog posting, Jackson said White’s claims pushed him
to quit.
“He
was talking bad about the movie when information is not even
supposed to be released and talking about payments which is not
even true could really hurt my future acting career,” wrote
Jackson.
Jackson
said the slight was the last of several that began when the UFC
acquired his contract from the now-defunct World Fighting Alliance
in 2006.
Among
his grievances, Jackson said White rushed him into a title shot
with Chuck Liddell, failed to recognize his accomplishment when
he unified the Pride and UFC belts against Dan Henderson, and
mislead him about his path back to the light heavyweight title.
“I
reinjured my jaw in the fight with Vanderlei (Silva) & Jardine,”
wrote Jackson. “Frank Mir gets hurt so they wanted to switch
my fight from UFC 100 to the fight Frank couldn't make (at UFC
98) but I couldn't fight cause I needed jaw surgury. So they
give (Lyoto) Machida the fight against Rashad and they told me
they want me to coach TUF season 10 against Rashad. That's why
I wanted Rashad to win so bad but when Rashad got knocked out
I told them I wanted to fight Machida for the belt but Dana told
me if I coach TUF against Rashad that I could fight Machida afterwards
cause this was a different type of ultimate fighter show they
were doing.
“After
I signed the contract Dana then changes his mind & says I
have to fight Rashad & even told me what to say in the press
& so my fans think I was scared to fight Machida. After all
that I still never complained and I did it all.”
Until
he landed the role originally played by “Mr. T.,” Jackson
had but flirted with acting, playing small roles in B-movies
like “Confessions of a Pit Fighter,” “The Midnight
Meat Train,” and “Never Surrender.” The “A-Team”
remake, directed by Joe Carnahan, was his highest profile project
to date.
“I
still feel the UFC is a great organization and I felt like I
was very loyal to them but they didn't respect my loyalty but
I wish the UFC the best,” he wrote. “I did a lot of
things for them. I wish no bad blood between us but I have kids
and a family back in Memphis to provide for and thats all that
matters to me!”
Jackson
is currently under contract with the UFC, though the promotion's
standard contract has a retirement clause that allows him the
possibility of not fulfilling the number of fights left on his
deal, with the exception of fights outside the UFC.
Jackson
and UFC representatives were unavailable for comment.
WHITE RESPONDS
TO RAMPAGE RETIREMENT
UFC president Dana White says he will honor Quinton “Rampage”
Jackson’s decision to pursue acting full-time, though it’s
hard to imagine he will do so without a fight.
Jackson
on Tuesday afternoon wrote on his personal blog that he was fed
up with the promotion’s politics and would mark his turn
as "B.A. Baracus" on the movie remake of “The
A-Team” as the start of a new career on the silver screen.
White,
who made a surprise appearance on the KHTK's Carmichael Dave
show Tuesday evening, had clearly not spoken to the former UFC
light heavyweight champ yet, but said Jackson’s decision
was not something new to him.
Dealing
with its consequences, as White has often said, was his job.
“I
have nothing bad to say about Rampage,” said White. “He’s
a grown man. This guy decides he wants to walk away from guaranteed
good money right now, money he’ll never have the opportunity
to make for the rest of his life, because he wants to go make
movies, he’s a grown man. He can do whatever he wants to
do.”
In
his blog entry, Jackson said White attempted to sabotage his
acting career by disclosing financial information about the particulars
of his "A-Team" deal.
“What
happened was, after he and I had made up, those stories were
hitting,” said White. “I didn’t say anything bad
about him doing the movie, other than I thought it was a bad
idea, because I do think it’s a bad idea.”
White
also disputed Jackson's recollection that he "changed his
mind" on giving Jackson a title shot against current champion
Lyoto Machida, forcing him to instead fight former champion and
rival "Ultimate Fighter" coach Rashad Evans in December.
"He
didn't want the belt," said White. "He said the belt
caused too many problems in his life, he just wants to fight
and make money and feed his family is exactly what he told me."
The
UFC president made no mention of meeting with Jackson to work
the situation out, but hinted the situation might be temporary.
Still, his position on retirement was firm.
“He’s
acting like a baby right now, but he’s a grown man,”
he said. “If he wants to be in the movie business, Rampage,
good luck to ya, man. I hope he makes it big, and I’m not
being sarcastic.
“Rampage
Jackson is a guy that I actually do like, and Rampage Jackson
is a guy that I know doesn’t always make the best decisions,
and I hope the movie thing works out for him. If that what he
thinks his career is, I wish him all the luck in the world.”
Jackson
has yet to further comment on his decision.
Source: MMA Weekly
|
COUTURE:
VERA FIRST, MACHIDA NEXT?
UFC Hall of Famer Randy Couture says he’s game for a quick
turnaround against Brandon Vera.
The
dust had just barely settled on Couture’s “instant
classic” with Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira at UFC 102 when another
opportunity knocked. The promotion’s eighth trip to the
United Kingdom, UFC 105 on Nov. 14 in Manchester, was without
a main draw.
“They
asked me if I’d be willing to step up and fill the spot,”
Couture told MMAWeekly.com on Tuesday. “I talked to my team,
and evaluated the turnaround and how I was feeling after the
Nogueira fight, and it made sense, so we jumped back in.”
Initially,
the UFC offered Rashad Evans as an opponent for the UK event,
but Evans held fast to a fight with fellow “Ultimate Fighter”
coach Quinton Jackson, who passed on meeting him at UFC 107 for
a role in the movie remake of “The A-Team.” The two
are expected to meet early next year.
Couture
felt the Evans match-up was interesting, but was equally intrigued
by a meeting with Vera.
“I
like the match-up,” said Couture of Vera. “We’re
both the same size, he’s a good size light heavyweight as
well. He fought at heavyweight for a while. We both have Greco
background. He uses his Thai skills a lot in his fights. It’s
a good match-up and it’s an interesting fight.”
Vera,
who fought alongside Couture on the main card of UFC 102, notched
his third victory as a light heavyweight with a decision victory
over Krzysztof Soszynski. Once considered a top contender in
the heavyweight class, Vera dropped to 205lbs. after consecutive
losses to Tim Sylvia and Fabricio Werdum. Like Couture, he maintains
a walk-around weight around 220lbs.
Couture,
who showcased a diligent study of the stand-up game in his performance
against Nogueira and, earlier, Brock Lesnar, hinted that he would
return to the ground and pound style that’s defined much
of his career.
“I
haven’t had a chance to break down tape on him yet, but
just the fights that I’ve seen, I’m gonna have to work
and cut him off,” said Couture. “I know he’s good
at throwing kicks, high or low, so I’ve got to be prepared
for that, but I think every time he picks his foot up, I should
be able to transition and put him on the ground.
“I
think I’m gonna focus more on what I do and do what I do
well: just take guys down and put him on the bottom and force
him to work from there. Brandon’s gonna come out and try
to establish his range and land his long punches and kicks, and
I’ve got to be ready to deal with that, and make him pay—put
him on the ground every time he does.
“I’m
not worried about the style match-up. He is what he is. Obviously,
I’ve been in there with a lot of good strikers and done
well. I don’t think he uses his wrestling skills much, and
I think he’s going to be forced to use them here.”
Couture
signed a new seven-fight contract with the UFC that began with
UFC 102, and anticipates staying at light heavyweight for the
near future, though heavyweight opportunities are still possible.
“I
think this fight will put me in the mix at 205,” he said.
“Ultimately, I’d love to compete against Machida. Nobody’s
really seemed to solve that puzzle yet, and I’m very intrigued
by him and his style.”
Machida
has been the talk of the division since his title-winning performance
at UFC 98, with many observers, including Couture, pondering
how to defeat the Brazilian’s unorthodox, Karate based style.
“I
think I have wrestling abilities that he maybe hasn’t seen
yet, that could make his usual game plan and his usual style
a little more difficult,” said Couture of a possible meeting
with the champion.
For
now, though, Vera is the challenge ahead. Couture is currently
in Wyoming shooting a television special on archery hunting for
deer and antelope. He plans to begin camp next Wednesday at Xtreme
Couture in Las Vegas and says his partners will remain in-house.
Couture
has not had such a short gap between fights since May 2001, when
he negotiated a return to the UFC at UFC 31 with new owners,
Zuffa LLC, after a contractual dispute with previous owners Semaphore
Entertainment Group.
As
to whether the Vera fight is an indicator of a busier fighting
schedule, Couture says he will take it a fight at a time, as
always.
“I’ve
been fighting once, maybe twice a year,” he said. “I’m
certainly capable of that schedule. I can do more. I can do three.
I’ve done four before, but that’s pushing it, in my
opinion. It’s more about the match-ups, taking it one fight
at a time, and evaluating things when the opportunities present
themselves.
“We’ll
see what the UFC has and what’s interesting after this fight,
if it’s at heavyweight or light heavyweight, I don’t
think it’s an issue either way.”
Source: MMA Weekly
|
Liddell
Weighs-In at 213.2 Pounds, Earns 10K
Chuck Liddell weighed-in under 215 pounds last week and earned
$10,000 from UFC president Dana White.
It
was all part of a friendly bet White made with Liddell to see
if the former UFC light heavyweight champ could get back into
fighting shape while he's deciding on whether or not to continue
his MMA career. Liddell last fought close to five months in a
loss to Mauricio "Shogun" Rua at UFC 97.
"I
swore to god, the last time I saw him he had to be pushing 250,"
White said in the above video. "He's in total denial saying
he wasn't; [that] he was around 230-something. There's no way
he weighed 230-something, but he took this thing serious, and
I got a little screwed on this because I didn't know he was going
to be on Dancing with the Stars and he had to train to lose that
weight."
As
per the conditions of the bet, Liddell had to make 215 pounds
by Sept. 15 and Liddell during his "official" weigh-ins
(video at 1:25) -- held in his kitchen -- checked in at 213.2
pounds. According to White, Liddell was 238 pounds when they
agreed to the bet.
Liddell
has trained for around a month with professional ballroom and
Latin dancer Anna Trebunskaya for Dancing with the Stars, which
premieres Monday, Sept. 21 at 8 p.m. ET on ABC.
Source: MMA Weekly
|
PAUL
DALEY PROVES HE IS A FIGHTER'S FIGHTER
Anytime
a fighter makes their UFC debut the butterflies are expected
to flutter in the stomach, but according to British heavy hitter
Paul "Semtex" Daley, he was calm, cool and collected
as he walked into the Octagon and knocked out Top 10 welterweight
Martin Kampmann.
Stepping
in for the injured Mike Swick on short notice, Daley came into
the fight with Kampmann as an underdog, but soon evened the odds
as he punished the Danish fighter with heavy left hands and finally
put him away in the latter part of the first round.
"I
was really calm, I think the reception from the fans was a lot
different that what I’ve experienced before, that did well
to settle me," Daley told MMAWeekly.com of his lack of nerves
before the fight. "Everyone's cheering you on, and I think
it played a big part in me feeling so calm."
The
end of the fight brought about some controversy. Daley was pouncing
on Kampmann with a number of unanswered shots, but the tough
as nails fighter did not drop, while appearing completely out
on his feet. The referee swooped in for the save. While it seemed
obvious that Kampmann was done, the questions were still raised
because he did not fall to the mat.
"It
was a fair stoppage, I don’t know what they could complain
about," said Daley. "I knocked him out, hit him, woke
him up, knocked him out again, woke him up, at which point Yves
Lavigne stepped in."
When
he moved to the UFC after the disbanding of the Affliction promotion,
Daley was already set to be a mainstay on the cards in his home
country of England, but instead got the call to fight on the
main card of a show in the United States. Now, after knocking
out Martin Kampmann, the question is up in the air as to who
or where he might fight next.
"I'm
wondering if they know what they want to do with me, put me back
on the British cards as a draw there, or keep me out here and
fight some contenders," Daley commented.
Early
rumors have circled that the UFC may place Daley in a fight against
Kampmann's original UFC 103 opponent, Mike Swick, when he's back
to 100%. No matter who it is, Daley has now proven he belongs
in the UFC, and the welterweight division can take notice.
Source: MMA Weekly
|
CHUCK
LIDDELL STARTS DANCING WITH THE STARS
He’s been on a rocky road with his fighting career, trying
to determine whether he will continue to fight or hang his gloves
up for the final time, but former UFC light heavyweight champion
Chuck Liddell keeps his competitive fires stoked as he joins
this season’s cast of “Dancing With The Stars.”
Liddell’s
quest for an entirely new title begins Monday night with the
season premier at 8 p.m. ET / 7 p.m. CT on ABC.
Liddell’s
dancing partner on the show is Russian dancer Anna Trebunskaya.
She is a professional ballroom and Latin dancer, who has competed
on Dancing With The Stars in the past.
Source: MMA Weekly
|
FORMER
NFL STAR HERSCHEL WALKER SIGNS WITH STRIKEFORCE
Former NFL and NCAA football superstar Herschel Walker will enter
a new chapter in his career as a professional athlete when he
makes his debut as a heavyweight in the world’s fastest
growing sport – mixed martial arts (MMA) - as part of a
multi-fight contract he has signed with world championship promotion
Strikeforce.
The
1982 Heisman Trophy winner and two-time Pro Bowl competitor will
begin a 12 week training camp next month at San Jose, California’s
American Kickboxing Academy (AKA), which plays home to a host
of the world’s greatest fighters, including Strikeforce
Lightweight Champion Josh “The Punk” Thomson. The 6
foot 1 inch, 220 pound former running back, who already holds
a fifth degree black belt in Tae Kwon Do and boasts additional
training in the combat disciplines of Muay Thai and Kenpo, will
be trained by AKA co-owner and head trainer Bob Cook.
“I’ve
been training for several years. I would play college football
games on Saturday and then compete in martial arts tournaments
on Sunday after church I’m now looking forward to opening
up another chapter in my life and to competing in MMA,”
said Walker, who recently was a contestant on the second hit
season of Donald Trump’s Celebrity Apprentice reality series
on NBC.
“I
flew to LA last month to watch Herschel train and was surprised
to see his advanced wrestling and striking abilities,” said
STRIKEFORCE Founder and CEO Scott Coker, a martial arts promoter
of over 25 years. “He’s got work ahead of him, but
he’s committed to training at one of the most notable gyms
in the sport of MMA so it will be very interesting to watch him
progress.”
Walker,
a 1999 College Hall of Fame inductee who was also selected to
Sports Illustrated’s NCAA All-Century Team that year, has
never been one to shy away from the road less traveled.
Following
his junior year at the University of Georgia where he had set
the NCAA freshman rushing record en route to an undefeated season
and Sugar Bowl championship victory over Notre Dame, Walker,
a born-again Christian, astonished the sports world by withdrawing
from school to play professional ball in the newly formed United
States Football League (USFL) rather than wait to enter the NFL
draft after the graduation of his collegiate class, a rule maintained
by the world’s largest professional football league at the
time.
While
the vast majority of football players typically follow an intensive
weight room regimen, Walker relied on bodyweight exercise, conditioning,
and calisthenics while maintaining very little body fat.
Walker
was eventually drafted in 1985 by The Dallas Cowboys and established
himself as a premiere running back in the league. In 1986, he
was the driving force behind a historic trade that sent him to
The Minnesota Vikings in exchange for five players and six draft
picks.
In
12 NFL seasons with four different teams, he became the only
player to gain 4,000 yards three different ways – rushing,
receiving, and kickoff returns. He is one of six players to exceed
60 touchdowns rushing and 20 touchdowns receiving and is the
only player in NFL history to register a 90 plus yard reception,
a 90 plus yard run, and a 90 plus yard kickoff return, all in
one season (1994).
Off
the gridiron, Walker has achieved a handful of feats, including
a seventh place finish in the 1992 Winter Olympics two-man bobsled
competition. He also nearly made the Olympic sprint relay team.
Now
47 years of age, Walker, a native of Wrightsville, Georgia, will
look to conquer a whole new world. It is a challenge he is extremely
optimistic about.
“I
will go in there and test myself against any 20-year-old,”
said Walker. “I know there will be naysayers and I’m
fine with that. I want to prove to people who sit on a couch
and don’t do anything but criticize other people that, if
you’re a true athlete or martial artist, you’re not
old until you can’t get up and walk around anymore. MMA
fighters are said to be some of the best athletes in the world,
my plan at the age of 47 is to show the world I am still one
of the best athletes as well”
Strikeforce
in March 2009 signed a multi-year agreement to stage live MMA
events on the premium cable television network. Last week, Strikeforce
announced that it would make its live, primetime debut on CBS
with its “Fedor vs. Rogers” mega-fight that it will
co-promote with M-1 Global on Saturday, Nov. 7.
Source: MMA Weekly
|
Cro
Cop talks of quitting
Croatian recognizes time to retire is near
In
September of 2006 Cro Cop was at his peak. He had just conquered
the Pride Open Weight GP and the following year would arrive
at the UFC with the status of being the greatest heavyweight
star around. However, his performance in the octagon was well
below what he had displayed in the rings of Japan and the technical
knockout he suffered in his fight against Junior Cigano last
Saturday may have been a melancholy exit from the octagon.
In
an interview with Jutarnj.hr, Cro Cop recognized he hasn’t
the motivation to carry on in the demanding career any longer.
“I've
been living a military life for 20 years now. Getting up at 6
am and having physically challenging task up to 8pm. I want a
normal life. I'm entering a cage and thinking about fishing in
Privlaka. You can't win that way,” he remarked.
“Obviously
i can't break my mental block in the octagon. Besides, I've been
training like a Spartan for 20 years now, my body is worn out.
The years caught up to me, I've been worn out,” Cro Cop,
who just turned 35, added.
The
moment he was TKO’d with a verbal submission was also touched
on in the interview. “Dos Santos punched me in the eye and
tore my eye-lid. Blood and sweat completely blurred my vision.
I was standing there like a blind man. At one moment I confused
my opponent and the referee,” he revealed.
When
queried as to whether he might be hinting at retirement, Cro
Cop was laconic: “Maybe I should have quit after I won OWGP.”
Source: Gracie Magazine
|
Kyra
Gracie out of ADCC
Under 66kg competitor cites injury
Less
than a week from the event, ADCC 2009 suffered a considerable
setback. Current two-time champion of the under 60kg category
Kyra Gracie is unable to defend her title. The black belt informed
GRACIEMAG.com that she aggravated a lower back injury that has
plagued her since the Worlds.
“I
injured my lumbar region at the Jiu-Jitsu Worlds in June. I did
a lot of physiotherapy and adapted my training. I was feeling
well, but this week in New York I trained hard and worsened it.
It is impossible for me to fight like this. I can’t even
find a comfortable position to sleep in,” said the champion.
“I’m
frustrated, no doubt. It’s really bad to be left out of
an event of the proportions of the ADCC. Even more so since I’m
the only woman with two titles in the event. I was confident
I would win my third title, but I will have to postpone my dream,”
he added.
Despite
her inability to compete, Kyra will not be too far away: “I’m
going to Barcelona to watch the event,” the Gracie stated.
Although
it was not specified by the organizers, it is likely Kyra’s
dropping out that left an opening to invite three-time Jiu-Jitsu
world champion Bianca Andrade.
With
Kyra and Roger scratched from the roster, Kron is the lone representative
of the Gracie family left in the event.
Source: Gracie Magazine
|
Belfort
celebrates the KO: “It was perfect”
With
no losses since 2006, Vitor Belfort returned to the UFC last
Saturday. Against the former champion Rich Franklin, who was
knocked out only three times in 29 fights, the Brazilian entered
in the fight as the underdog, but needed three minutes to change
the story. “The train was perfect, everything worked out
fine, thanks God. Our expectations was exactly that, make him
lose his time and, when he wasn’t expecting, we caught him“,
revealed Belfort, who dropped Franklin with his devastating exchanging.
Rocking
one of the big stars of Ultimate on the first round, Vitor became
a strong name to fight for the title. “It’s in God’s
hands. I’ll keep working and training hard, getting better...
I’ll go with everything now. I’m here to do my job.
What they want is ok“, said the Brazilian, who has to steal
the belt of Anderson Silva’s hands, dominating the category
for three years.
“It
wouldn’t be nice, I like Anderson a lot, a have a big admiration
for him, he’s a tough guy, but is hard to predict. It would
be a tough fight, definitely“, said Belfort. “It’s
hard to talk about a fight that didn’t happened yet, there’s
nothing confirmed. Fight is fight, each athlete works in a way
against each other, you gotta see what will happen on the fight.
That’s an unpredictable fight. It would be a tough fight
and hard to know who would win“.
“I
didn’t expect to do this fight, I just got in UFC, but I’m
an employee and I don’t have this power. Who has the power
is the champion, but this isn’t a fight that I planned.
He isn’t a person whom I wanted to fight, but we’re
professionals and we don’t have anything against each other.
I admire him a lot as a fighter, he’s an excellent athlete,
but business is business”, finished the Phenom.
Source: Tatame
|
Mirko
Cro Cop Suspended Indefinitely
In the medical suspensions released by the Texas Department of
Licensing and Regulation for Combative Sports, Mirko Cro Cop
has been suspended indefinitely following his loss to Junior
dos Santos at UFC 103 in Dallas.
Cro
Cop was battered by dos Santos in a flurry in the third round
until he verbally submitted due to issues seeing. Cro Cop was
sent to the hospital after the fight for further evaluation on
his eyes.
"He's
got to fly 20 hours to get home," UFC president Dana White
said Saturday. "I've got to know he's OK before he gets
on that plane. He took some big shots from a heavy puncher tonight."
The
indefinite suspension means Cro Cop will be cleared to fight
pending doctor's approval.
No
other fighter was suspended past Oct. 20. Rich Franklin, Martin
Kampmann, Frank Trigg, Hermes Franca, Cole Miller and Steve Lopez
were suspended until Oct. 20 for their losses. Lopez's shoulder
popped out during his fight but was corrected backstage and did
not have to go to the hospital.
Other
losing fighters, Jason Brilz, Rafaello Oliveira, Igor Pokrajac
and Rob Emerson were suspended until Sept. 29, while Brian Foster
and Drew McFedries were suspended until Sept. 27.
All
the winners: Vitor Belfort, Junior dos Santos, Paul Daley, Josh
Koscheck, Tyson Griffin, Eliot Marshall, Vladimir Matyushenko,
Rafael dos Anjos, Efrain Escudero, Jim Miller, Nick Lentz and
Rick Story were either suspended until Sept. 27 or 29.
Source: MMA Fighting
|
Quote
of the Day
“Good
parenting creates an adult, not a perfect child.”
Russ Nelson
|
Man
Up and Stand Up
Filcom Center, Waipahu, Hawaii
Saturday, October 10, 2009
All matches
and participants are subject to change.
NUI WHEELER
146
JENSEN ESPARTE
MATT EATON
SHW
SONNY
MIKE YARCIA
135
MIKE GAEA
tba
129
ALVIN BERTO
ARMAN
125
SEAN ORTIZ
KOA RAMELB
155
JOE LAA
SHAWN DESANTOS
115
JAY VISCONDI
ISAAC HOPPS
(O2 Martial Arts Academy)
140
ADOR MALONG
NELSON
LUM (O2 Martial Arts Academy)
135
BRANDON PAI
FRED RAMAYLA
140
SHAWN BURROUGHS
JUSTIN
DULAY (O2 Martial Arts Academy)
165
SHAWN AUGUSTINE
JUSTIN BURGESS
165
SOTA NAKANO
AJ
155
KOA TYRE
LAA KAHOOKELE
150
MASA KURITA
BRYSON
LUM (O2 Martial Arts Academy)
145
JORDAN
KEANU DESANTOS
60
TAZ KAHALEWAI
MARK
130
ALEX CHONG
BLAKE VILLANEDA
150
RICKY TUBNIA
LARRY WALKER
(O2 Martial Arts Academy)
155
NEIL DACANAY
ANDYMAR
RENON (O2 Martial Arts Academy)
SHW
PETE SEFO
JAMES
150
ALFRED SANTIAGO
SHELDON CRAWFORD
140
RAHEEN MORRIS
GEARY UDEGAWA
140
MARTIN DAY
DANIEL SANTOS
190
CHEVEZ AUTOKE
SHARON VICTORIA
200
NATACIA MANUMA
NICK CORREA
(O2 Martial Arts Academy)
145
JASON ROCEMAR
|
GSP
PLANNING RETURN TO OCTAGON IN EARLY 2010
In
retrospect, Georges St. Pierre's injury at UFC 100 was not a
surprise.
As
St. Pierre told MMAWeekly.com last Thursday, his right abductor
muscle had been aggravated eight months prior to the fight with
Thiago Alves and he hadn’t let it heal properly.
UFC
show-runners gave him a jolt backstage, calling him to the cage
a fight earlier than he expected (aided by Dan Henderson’s
knockout of Michael Bisping). Thus, he wasn’t able to warm
the delicate muscle.
“It’s
a mistake I did, I (take) all the blame,” said St. Pierre.
“But next time I wish I get better information, because
I was not expecting that.”
Now,
the welterweight champion is focused on healing up completely.
He says he is training lightly and will return to full contact
training in October.
Until
then, he is on a new diet that he hopes will help to build more
quality muscle. St. Pierre says he has never dieted. Before,
his favorite stop for junk food was McDonalds.
“When
I go there, I (get) three or four cheeseburgers, one french fries
(to) replace Poutine, and a McCroquette (chicken nuggets) and
a Coca Cola,” he said. “I love it.
Whether
he steps up in weight or continues dominating the welterweight
class, St. Pierre says the new diet will help his body heal faster
from training stresses and make him faster in the cage.
St.
Pierre’s representative, Sherri Spencer, said he will likely
return to competition in early 2010. Several possibilities exist
for his next opponent: Mike Swick, Paul Daley, and, if he so
chooses, Anderson Silva.
St.
Pierre is still open to the prospect up moving up in weight,
but says he’s enjoying his time outside the Octagon.
“I
can’t wait to be back, but I’m not in a rush,”
he said.
Source: MMA Weekly
|
CUNG
LE ON TITLE SITUATION AND NEW MOVIE
Imagine you wake up on a spacecraft and you don’t know who
you are or why you’re there. You think you are only one
of two survivors, but suddenly learn you are not alone. Factor
in a mental condition that causes hallucinations, disorientation,
and madness.
This
scenario is the plot to the upcoming film Pandorum starring Dennis
Quaid, Ben Foster, and San Shou and MMA champion Cung Le, due
for release on Sept. 25 across North America.
MMAWeekly.com
caught up with Le during his recent press tour to discuss the
film, his inclusion in the Round 5 MMA figure line, and the recent
announcement that he relinquished the Strikeforce middleweight
title.
MMAWeekly:
First off, Cung, tell us your thoughts on the release of Pandorum.
Cung
Le: I’m very excited about the release of Pandorum. The
release date was pushed back twice because it was so crowded
in theaters, but it’s finally getting released and I’m
excited about it.
Christian
Alvart is a pretty intense director, and when you have the producers
of Resident Evil in Jeremy Bolt and Robert Kultzer, you know
you’re going to have some kind of horror intense kind of
film. When I read the script I was really excited about being
a part of this movie.
I
have not seen the movie yet, but a few people I know who are
in the business have seen it in private screenings and say it’s
pretty scary and I did a fantastic job. I just can’t wait
to see how I did.
MMAWeekly:
Tell us what it was like primarily working with Ben Foster, who
is one of Hollywood’s up and coming superstars.
Cung
Le: I knew I had a big task ahead of me because I share most
of my time with Ben Foster, and my manager told me that if I
wasn’t sharp Ben would steal all the scenes from me because
he’s so intense and he’s one of those guys who is a
pure actor.
For
me, I was very excited, but at the same time I felt like there
was a lot of pressure. With Ben Foster I saw how he worked and
how intense he was. The funny thing was, I saw Ben Foster pacing
around before when the director was prepping the set, getting
the lighting right, Ben was getting his dialog down and pacing
around just like a fighter would before a fight.
He
got pumped up before a scene like how I would get pumped up before
a fight; it was funny to see a similarity there. He actually
asked for an action figure, so I signed him one and gave it to
him at Comic-Con and it was really cool.
MMAWeekly:
Tell us about your character, Mahn.
Cung
Le: My character is an agricultural specialist who is woken up
a lot earlier than Ben Foster and Dennis Quaid and knows what’s
going on (around the space ship). I’ve been awake a lot
longer than other people in the film and I know how to survive.
My
character is very tense and survival is first for me. Knowing
I can’t do it myself, I can’t just run around and take
on this massive ship alone, I realize there are other humans
that are alive and I team up with Ben because he’s in an
officer’s flight crew uniform and I figure he can get the
ship going again.
MMAWeekly:
Another big thing for you lately is the release of your official
Round 5 MMA action figure. Tell us how you feel it turned out.
Cung
Le: They did a fantastic job. I was very surprised how it came
out. I took a lot of pictures, like 360-degrees around and it
came out great. They did one with black shorts, gold trim and
red strips, and one limited with gold shorts and red stripes.
I’m grateful that they chose me.
MMAWeekly:
Recently promoter Scott Coker announced that you would be relinquishing
your Strikeforce 185-pound title and that Jake Shields and Jason
“Mayhem” Miller would be fighting for the belt on CBS
on Nov. 7. Tell us what happened with that.
Cung
Le: For me, potentially I have another project, and I know I’m
not in fight shape right now, and I think I should vacate my
title because it’s not fair to them who their livelihood
is fighting for an interim title when I’m here running around
making movies and doing something different.
I
wouldn’t think it would be fair to me (if I were in their
shoes), so I feel right about vacating the title. It does not
mean that I’m retiring; I’m just doing it because I
think it’s the right thing to do. (When I return to fighting)
I will just start from where I need to start to challenge for
it again and be a competitor, because I know MMA has given me
this huge break and I know my roots, and I love to fight and
I love to compete. I know I can’t do it forever, so I’m
going to do it until it’s time to step back, and I know
it’s not time to step back.
I
just want to let all the fans out there know my intentions. I
spoke to Scott Coker about this and I think this is the right
thing to do, because I’m not ready to step up in the next
coming months and fight five-rounders. Every time I’m ready
to start training, I’m off doing another movie, and I’m
grateful for the opportunity and I’m doing very well breaking
into the movies. I’m breaking into the China market also,
where the Hong Kong films are done; and I’m doing movies
out here.
I
definitely intend to return, and I know for a fact that I will
return, but I can’t just jump back in and be able to go
five rounds at peak level when I left (after) the fight with
Frank (Shamrock).
MMAWeekly:
Thanks for your time Cung; it’s always greatly appreciated.
Is there anything you want to say to close us out?
Cung
Le: I’d like to thank my sponsors: Zebra Mats, Throwdown,
ADX, BR Flooring and KNOXX Gear. I just want to say I hope everyone
gets a chance to go out and watch Pandorum. If you’re a
sci-fi, action or horror fan you’ll definitely get your
money’s worth.
If
you want the limited edition (Round 5 figure) you can check it
out at CungLe.com, and the other ones will be released at Round5MMA.com
and MMAWeekly.com. Thank you fans for your support. Believe it
or not, I will be back and doing my side kicks again.
Source: MMA Weekly
|
Blog:
Rafael Mendes says, “I’m no underdog, I believe in
training”
The
under 66kg category at ADCC 2009 will be a true encounter of
generations. Among the 16 lightest competitors in the event,
two-time champion Leonardo Vieira, current champion Rani Yahya,
four-time world champion of Jiu-Jitsu Rubens Charles “Cobrinha”
and rising star Rafael Mendes will all be in the mix.
The
Ramon Lemos black belt enters his first ADCC without the responsibility
of being favored to win, but with the burden of being one of
the main forces among the little guys.
Rafael
won the South American trials. In the final, he passed Raoni
Barcelos’ guard and won by 3 to 0.
Direct
from Rio Claro, where he is wrapping up his preparations, Rafael,
bearer of strong opinions, spoke with the GRACIEMAG.com ADCC
2009 Blog. In the interview, Rafael didn’t skirt controversy
and guaranteed he is heading to Barcelona to win.
Check
out the interview with Mendes on the GRACIEMAG.com ADCC 2009
Blog.
Blog: The under 66kg category will be a true encounter of generations.
You will meet with Cobrinha, Rani and Leo. What do you expect
in the category?
Rafael Mendes: I certainly expect great matches. I believe it
will be one of the most hotly disputed categories and, therefore,
one of the hardest to make a prediction on the final result.
I expect grand combats and, God willing, victory.
Blog:
Are you going into the dispute as a favorite, underdog or just
to compete?
Rafael: I never go in just to win much less as an underdog. On
the other hand, I don’t believe in favoritism. I believe
in training.
Blog:
Tell us a bit about your training.
Rafael: I’m training a lot to make the most of positions.
It’s important not to lose positions so as to wear out less.
And also, I’m putting a lot of emphasis on physical conditioning.
Blog:
What’s the main difference between competing in the gi and
without it?
Rafael: To me the big difference is in stabilizing positions.
In an event like the ADCC it changes even more, because the rules
are so different.
Blog:
Does the 50/50 work without the gi too? Does your game change
much with this transition?
Rafael: It works, as do all other guards when properly trained.
But I’m not about just one position. It’s just another
attack from the bottom.
Blog:
In the history of the ADCC, which fighters have you seen who
impressed you most?
Rafael: Leo Vieira and Roger Gracie.
Source: Gracie Magazine
|
Marcelo
Garcia: “I feel no pressure to be four-time champion”
Marcelo Garcia owns the under 77kg division. That’s just
one of the statements than can be made about his achievements
in the ADCC, since 2003, when he shocked the Ibirapuera gymnasium
with a series of armdrags and the title. On his patch, he submitted
Kiuma Kunioku, tapped two-time champion Renzo Gracie [to this
day Marcelo’s idol] and stunned the gymnasium by finishing
Vitor “Shaolin” Ribeiro in just 30 seconds, in one
of the most remembered scenes in the history of the event. In
the final, Otto Olsen did try to hold out, but the Brazilian
was quickly on his back, squeezing his neck. And thus the one
eliminated in the tryouts became champion.
Two years on, they doubted the Fabio Gurgel student could repeat
the feat in Los Angeles, but he did. Just like Renzo in 2003,
only Leonardo Santos didn’t tap at the hands of Marcelo.
In the final, he submitted Pablo Popovitch. And he thus became
two-time champion.
Marcelo
Garcia owns the under 77kg division. That’s just one of
the statements than can be made about his achievements in the
ADCC, since 2003, when he shocked the Ibirapuera gymnasium with
a series of armdrags and the title. On his patch, he submitted
Kiuma Kunioku, tapped two-time champion Renzo Gracie [to this
day Marcelo’s idol] and stunned the gymnasium by finishing
Vitor “Shaolin” Ribeiro in just 30 seconds, in one
of the most remembered scenes in the history of the event. In
the final, Otto Olsen did try to hold out, but the Brazilian
was quickly on his back, squeezing his neck. And thus the one
eliminated in the tryouts became champion.
Two
years on, they doubted the Fabio Gurgel student could repeat
the feat in Los Angeles, but he did. Just like Renzo in 2003,
only Leonardo Santos didn’t tap at the hands of Marcelo.
In the final, he submitted Pablo Popovitch. And he thus became
two-time champion.
Foto: Guilherme Rafols
Photo:
Guilherme Rafols
Two
more years went by before people would again doubt Garcia. The
Brazilian from the town of Formiga had moved to the United States
and new setting could hinder his performance in New Jersey. But
Marcelinho was right at home. In the final against Popovitch,
another submission and a new name for the under 77kg division:
“Marcelinho’s division”, wrote Luca Atalla, in
GRACIEMAG 123.
Another
coincidence in Marcelo Garcia’s three appearances in the
ADCC is in the Brazilian’s participation in the absolute.
He has not yet found success there. In 2003 he lost to Pe de
Pano; in 2005 he lost to Ronaldo Jacare and beat Xande Ribeiro
in the bronze-medal dispute; in 2007 he was runner-up, caught
off guard by Robert Drysdale’s arm triangle. Even so, according
to him, winning the open weight category is not an obligation.
On that and much more, Marcelo spoke with the GRACIEMAG.com ADCC
2009 Blog.
Blog:
How have your preparations been going? Who have you been training
with?
Marcelo Garcia: As with the previous years, since I moved to
the USA, I’ve been doing my prep work at my academy, training
with my students. For this year, I trained half in Florida and
the final stretch here in New York, where I know live and where
I opened a new academy in October. For this final stretch I put
together a group of friends who came from other states and old
students who are helping me a lot.
Blog:
Does much change in regards to your preparations for Jiu-Jitsu
championships?
Marcelinho: To me, preparation doesn’t depend on rules or
style of championship. Preparations are all the same: lots of
training!
Foto: Guilherme Rafols
Photo:
Guilherme Rafols
Blog:
If you win the under 77kg division you will be the first four-time
champion of a category in the history of the event. Is that pressure
to you?
Marcelo: I don’t even think about it, in 2003 the pressure
was even greater for being the first time I competed without
a gi. In 2005, the pressure was that my armdrags would no longer
surprise people. In 2007 they questioned me because I had moved
to the USA and wouldn’t perform the same. And now, the pressure
is on becoming four-time champion. So, I think I deal with the
anxiousness well.
Blog:
Taking a look at your category, who will be the greatest obstacle
on your way to your fourth?
Marcelo: Ah, that we’ll only know come September 26.
Blog:
Is winning the absolute your greater goal?
Marcelo: To me, the ones who should have the absolute as their
main objectives are the over 90kg guys. My goal is to perfect
my technique till it’s effective enough for me to win the
absolute.
Foto: Guilherme Rafols
Photo:
Guilherme Rafols
Blog:
What moment in your past in the ADCC do you hold dearest to you?
Marcelo: My best memory is of when I was invited to compete in
2003. I remember heading to Ibirapuera and thinking of how I
would be in the event and no one could take that from me.
Blog:
And the most painful?
Marcelo: I’ll never forget losing to Daniel Moraes, at the
2003 qualifiers. The most painful was to lose the final for a
penalty point for having pulled guard.
Blog:
Who is your pick for the best of all times in the ADCC?
Marcelo: My opinion is that it is Renzo, for him having participated
in all the events since 1998.
Who
can stop Marcelo Garcia in the under 77kg category? And will
he finally win the absolute? Leave your comment.
Source: Gracie Magazine
|
Murilo
Bustamante
Former
UFC champion, Murilo Bustamante moved to the United Stated to
start the Brazilian Top Team’s new headquarters. Back to
Brazil to watch Bitetti Combat show, Bustamante spoke with TATAME.com
about his plans to the team, Rousimar Palhares’ next fight
in the UFC and Rodrigo “Minotauro” Nogueira’s
victory against Randy Couture. It was one of Rodrigos’ best
fight I have ever seen, definitively. Minotauro is, actually,
the best heavyweight fighter in the UFC”, said Murilo, in
the exclusive interview.
You
moved to United States... How is everything around there?
Is
everything going well, everything fine. I am with this project
to expand BTT on USA. I was already doing an special work, now
I am alone on BTT, with some partners investing and I am giving
classes in some gyms, we are expanding there.
How
do you see the MMA growth on USA?
Martial
Arts are a market in expansion in the world, not only United
States, but it’s the whole world, and USA are a big consuming
market, not just of products but coaches either. Brazilian is
world-wide specialized in Jiu-Jitsu and MMA, so there is a lot
of people moving out there. My project is to make a training
center and give chances to athletes can fight the competitions
around USA and the whole world.
And
the BTT in Brazil, how is doing there?
It
has a good structure, I have some students taking care, Eraldo
(Paes) and Sérgio Babu are taking care of MMA’s part
and Rubens Vieira, Ricardo Marques and Álvaro are taking
care of kimono’s part.
Rousimar
Palhares (Toquinho) will be back in the UFC by the end of the
year, against Alessio Sakara... How is his preparation?
It’s
great, he’s well trained, recovered from the injury. He’s
starting the training work now, is everything all right. He’s
really motivated, we believe a lot on him and we’re really
confident about this return.
What
did you think about the fight between Minotauro and Randy Couture
on UFC 102?
It
was one of Rodrigos’ best fight I have ever seen, definitively.
Minotauro is, actually, the best heavyweight fighter in the UFC.
He was coming from an awkward phase, wasn’t going right
on his trainings, but his potential he doesn’t has to prove
to anybody. He got right on trainings, and shown who he really
is.
How
do you think that would be his fight against Brock Lesnar?
It
would be a tough fight... Technically, Rodrigo is way superior,
but Brock Lesnar is a mutant, a tough fighter to anyone, but
Minotauro has chances, because he, well prepared, can face anyone.
You
participated of Minatauro’s preparation to fight Bob Sapp.
Do you believe that is the same way to defeat Brock?
Brock
Lesnar is a little bit more athlete than Bob Sapp, and he’s
trying to learn Jiu-Jitsu, so I guess it’d be a fight even
harder that the fight against Bob Sapp. It’ll be a fight
extremely tough and he has to be well prepared to face him. I
always support Brazil, but it’s hard to take a guess because
is a tough fight.
Source: Tatame
|
Thiago
Silva
Two
days after knocking Keith Jardine out on UFC 102, Thiago Silva
was already training hard on American Top Team. Without thinking
about rest, the Brazilian spoke with TATAME.com about his biggest
objective on UFC. “I want the belt and I’m working
hard for it. I get rest one day and it’s fine, I’ll
start the battle if, when UFC call me, I’ll be ready“,
said Thiago, who talked about his desire to fight Lyoto Machida
again, the next title fight between Machida and Mauricio Shogun,
the training with his old time rival, Luis “Banha“
Cane, Rogério Minotouro coming on UFC and more.
Two
days after beating Keith Jardine and you’re already back
to training?
Well,
I think we have to take the opportunities. I made a good fight,
didn’t get hurt, I think there’s no reason for me to
be standing still. I want the belt, I’m fighting for it.
I got rest one day and it’s great, I’m here again,
start the battle for anytime UFC call me I’ll be ready.
That’s it.
Do
you already know who’s gonna bet the next? Did Dana White
told anything about that?
No,
not yet. He just told me he has great plans for me and that’s
a big progress, I’m happy. I’m back showing my potential
again to show I’m between the top fighters, I’ll stay
between them, and that’s it, guys. I’m training, I
have no reason to stop. Let’s go on the battle!
You
and Cane are good with each other now and I want you to talk
about it because people talk a lot about that when you had some
problems but people almost didn’t talk now you’ve made
up. I want you to talk about it.
I
think everything was a big misunderstanding. It were rival teams,
you know, both teachers were rivals, so we were standing each
one beside your teacher. I never had nothing against him and
nowadays his on team, a great friend of mine, he’s coming
from Brazil today. I can’t wait for him to come, I like
him a lot. He’s being a great friend, a great training partner.
We’ve got everything it takes to work good together and
make a good work on UFC.
And
how was the first meeting? It was like "let’s talk,
let’s get along…"?
It
was very friendly. I was here at the gym training, he came, said
hello, we talked, everything got clear, I understood. We’re
professionals, we’re here and nowadays we’ve a strong
friendship. He’s my brother, we’re training together.
The
distance of Brazil made you get closes too...
Surely,
and I can’t wait for him to come so I can have a train partner
to be here with me, he’s awesome.
Thiago,
you already fought with Lyoto and trained with Shogun. What do
you expect of this fight?
I
expect a really though fight, both fighters are high level, different
abilities, of course. It’s Karate against Muay Thai, it
will be really though fight. Lyoto will face a really tough guy
on striking, technical too, and the best wins, there’s no
way to talk.
And
do you think about revenge with Lyoto, once you want the belt?
All
the time. It hurts my soul, I gotta have this revenge, I’ll
search for it until the end of my life, you can count on it.
Now
we have one more Brazilian on top of category, Rogério
Minotouro. How do you see this, Brazilians taking the ranking
on this category?
I
think Brazil have tough athletes and people have to valorize
that, definitely. I think every Brazilian is welcome, and that’s
it. Good luck for him too and we’re here, each one doing
his work and trying to reach his goals.
There
was some chances here, Ouali had some problems with his visa.
Who are training you nowadays?
My
coachs are Katel Kubis, my Muay Thai coach, he’s excellent.
He’s an exceptional coach, and Parrumpa, my ground coach,
now new coachs in Wrestling part are coming, Howard on Boxe.
That’s my coachs.
Source: Tatame
|
Notes:
Contenders state cases
DALLAS
– When Mirko “Cro Cop” Filipovic began his second
tour with the UFC in June, he was very careful about who he was
matched with. But after having little trouble with a Mostapha
Al-Turk, he wasn’t careful at all in agreeing to face Junior
Dos Santos.
Dos
Santos made a name last year in knocking off Filipovic’s
former training partner, Fabricio Werdum, in just 1:21. But while
quick knockouts in MMA are crowd pleasers, they also leave a
lot of questions when they’re administered by young fighters.
Flash KOs don’t give any answers as to what happens when
the fighter is tested, hurt or has to go the distance.
Dos
Santos passed his test Saturday night, moving deeper into the
UFC’s heavyweight mix by knocking off the 35-year-old legend
at his own game. Dos Santos (9-1) kept things standing against
a man who at one time was the most feared striker in the division.
It was the classic jungle story, as the young lion took over
the forest from one of the old rulers, being too big and too
quick for “Cro Cop” to counter.
Dos
Santos clearly won the first two rounds, but in doing so, key
questions were answered. He absorbed plenty of shots, and his
face was badly swollen late in the fight. Stamina wasn’t
an issue, nor was frustration, as Cro Cop was wise enough in
the ring and tough enough to take his best shots without going
down. But in the third round, after being caught with nine hard
knees up the middle, Filipovic took a punch squarely in the eye,
complained to ref Dan Miragliotta that he couldn’t see,
and the match was stopped at 2:00.
“Cro
Cop” was a major crowd favorite, responding to his unusual
entrance music of Duran Duran’s “Wild Boys.” It
came off as a throwback of the days he headlined in Japan, and
perhaps a sign that the he could relive 2006, the year Cro Cop
won numerous fighter of the year awards as the most popular foreign
fighter in Japan.
Although
Cro Cop said he was fine after the match, UFC president Dana
White ordered him to go to the hospital.
“He
needed to go the hospital,” White said. “He said he
was fine and he refused to go, but I made him go. He’s going
on a 20-hour flight [back to Croatia]. He said he was fine and
didn’t want to go to the doctor.”
With
a 2-3 mark in UFC competition, and showing none of the quickness
and aggressiveness of his prime, Cro Cop’s second attempt
at a run at the heavyweight title looks like a marathon with
no finish line in sight.
Dos
Santos wasn’t the only fighter to come out of UFC 103 as
a potential contender. Josh Koscheck and the debuting Paul Daley
both made strides in the welterweight division with big wins.
Koscheck
(15-4) moved up in a muddled welterweight division when he finished
the returning Frank Trigg (19-7) in just 1:25. The battle of
former high-level wrestlers ended up with no wrestling involved,
as the both were confident in their stand-up. Koscheck put Trigg
down with a hard right and finished him with punches on the ground.
Koscheck
had said a few days earlier that he had put his last fight, a
loss to Paulo Thiago he called a bad stoppage, behind him, and
wasn’t thinking of anything but the present. But he said
that if he won, he’d immediately say what he wanted next.
After
winning, Koscheck issued a challenge to Matt Hughes, the longtime
welterweight champion, but later that night threw his name into
the hat to challenge Georges St. Pierre.
Originally,
St. Pierre, who is out of action until February, was to face
the winner of Martin Kampmann-Mike Swick, which was scheduled
for Saturday night. But with Swick injured, and Kampmann losing
quickly to Daley, things are wide open.
“I’ll
fight anyone at any time,” said Koscheck, who lost via decision
to St. Pierre in 2007 before St. Pierre won the title for a second
time. “I’ll be ready to fight next month. If someone
falls out in October in Los Angeles, I’m ready. I’ll
be ready again in November.”
Daley
(22-8-2), a British fighter who was the replacement for Swick,
scored a significant upset over Kampmann (15-3).
Daley,
who has a reputation as a great striker who is weak on the ground,
was able to avoid every attempt Kampmann made to take him down.
A Daley with takedown defense would be dangerous for nearly everyone
in the division. He was hammering Kampmann against the cage when
ref Yves Lavigne stopped the fight, which didn’t go over
well with the crowd, which booed heavily.
But
it was clear up close that Kampmann’s eyes were glassy,
even though he hadn’t gone down.
“It
was a very just decision,” Daley said. “The ref saw
his eyes roll back a couple of times. He’s worried about
his health. It was a good stoppage.”
“I
love guys who step up as late replacements,” White said.
When asked if a Daley vs. Swick match could be made for a title
shot, he answered: “Could be.”
Source: Yahoo Sports
|
Kimbo
still ratings gold
A
year ago, when Kimbo Slice walked into a jab by Seth Petruzelli
and was knocked out in 14 seconds live on CBS, Slice became the
comedy punch line about a fraud who was exposed before millions,
his career as a novelty act done.
But
it seems Kevin Ferguson, the alter ego of Slice, may be getting
the last laugh.
Episode
1 of the 10th season of “The Ultimate Fighter” set
the show’s all-time rating record on Wednesday night on
Spike TV. But that only begins to tell the story.
The
2.9 rating was the fourth highest-rated MMA television broadcast
in history. It trailed three live major fight cards: a 2006 card
headlined by Ken Shamrock vs. Tito Ortiz; a 2007 show headlined
by Dan Henderson vs. Quinton Jackson; and the Slice vs. James
Thompson match in MMA’s debut on CBS last year.
The
4.1 million total viewers more than doubled the first episode
of Season 9, which earned a 1.3 rating and 1.8 million viewers.
It nearly doubled the prior viewership record of 2.4 million
viewers for a regular episode of the show, set Feb. 21, 2005,
for the episode that featured the Chris Leben-Josh Koscheck grudge
match. A live three-hour “Ultimate Fighter” finale
in Season 3 attracted 2.8 million viewers.
With
the show’s ratings slowly eroding since Season 3, it was
generally thought that all series records were long out of reach.
That was, until the announcement of Slice on the TUF 10 cast,
at which point all bets were off. It was the most watched episode
of an original series in the history of the Spike TV network.
The
ratings success is the latest example of a lesson that seems
to come up constantly in MMA. There is a mentality, largely from
people who grew up following boxing, that you have to protect
star fighters because if they lose badly, their marketability
is toast. But in MMA, we’ve seen fighters – most notably
Ken Shamrock, Chuck Liddell, Matt Hughes and Forrest Griffin
– come off bad losses, and in some cases a series of them,
with their drawing power and fan popularity intact.
Once
fans gravitate to someone as an MMA star, the fighter tends to
draw long past his physical prime. It’s a lesson seemingly
proven once and for all by a 42-year-old Shamrock, who had lost
five of his previous six fights, being stopped each time, when
he walked into his third and final match with Ortiz in 2006.
A match that was completely uncompetitive on paper ended up being
the match that established UFC as a significant sports television
franchise. More males aged 18-34 watched that fight than several
games of that year’s World Series.
And
yet every time a top fighter loses, people are quick to write
them off as viable main-eventers. When it comes to what fans
want to see, win-loss records are meaningless. Championship matches
are important, but they aren’t the be-all-and-end-all. More
than anything else, people want to see famous people fight. They
don’t even have to be good fighters, let alone championship
contenders.
But
Slice is a unique case. The others on the list were all established
champion fighters at one point. Slice was a pure gimmick that
had been completely exposed.
There
were many who thought the Slice gig was up when he was lucky
to come from behind against the weak-chinned Thompson on the
first CBS show. Instead, his second CBS appearance drew almost
as good as his first. At the end of the day, even if he was to
lose embarrassingly during the show, when he comes back on the
live special on Dec. 5 in Las Vegas, it will likely be the most
watched Ultimate Fighter final in history.
In
particular, Slice was a monster draw to males 18-34, as they
did a 5.3 rating in that demographic, more than triple what the
show usually draws.
Though
it was on cable, entailing an obvious audience disadvantage compared
to a network broadcast, it was the most watched show in that
age group on all of TV Wednesday night.
Make
no mistake about it: These numbers are directly related to Slice.
Coach Quinton Jackson already coached a season of the show last
year, and he made no difference to ratings. Jackson’s coaching
rival last year, Griffin, is more popular than this year’s
rival coach, Rashad Evans, so it’s not the coaches bringing
in the ratings.
The
coaches will benefit, however. With more eyeballs watching this
season, and with Slice in the middle of the rivalry between the
coaches, there will be more interest when the coaches fight.
It’s also the golden opportunity for other members of the
cast to become like Chris Leben, Michael Bisping, Griffin or
Stephan Bonnar – people who can walk into the UFC and be
more popular than all but the most established stars because
they are being exposed to a much larger audience then usual.
The
Ultimate Fight Night special that preceded the show did a 1.9
rating and 2.5 million viewers, the second-highest of the 19
Fight Night specials. Usually, the live event and the first TUF
episode that follows draw essentially the same audience. This
time, TUF added a whole new audience of 1.6 million viewers who
didn’t watch the live and free UFC event.
It’s
unlikely the numbers in future weeks will maintain this level.
Ratings have dropped from the premiere almost every season. But
it looks likely this will be the highest-rated season in the
history of the show, which had been criticized heavily over the
past year for being long in the tooth.
Source: Yahoo Sports
|
Fedor’s
Strikeforce debut airs on CBS
Strikeforce
makes its CBS debut with a live prime time event on Nov. 7, headlined
by Fedor Emelianenko vs. Brett Rogers.
The
match, which was at first slated for Showtime, is set for a 9-11
p.m. ET time slot. No site has been announced for the show. Chris
DeBlasio of Showtime Sports expected a setting to be named imminently,
once a contract with a venue is finalized.
It
will be the first network prime time mixed martial arts broadcast
since Oct. 4, 2008.
That
event set the wheels in motion for the death of Elite XC, which
had the prior CBS contract, when replacement fighter Seth Petruzelli
knocked out Kimbo Slice in 14 seconds.
Strikeforce,
however, is taking a different tact. Instead of building around
someone like Slice, a well-known personality who delivered ratings
but not a top fighter, they are going with the consensus top
heavyweight fighter in the world.
Emelianenko
(30-1, 1 no contest) has been generally considered the No. 1
heavyweight in the world since winning the heavyweight championship
in the now-defunct PRIDE organization from current UFC star Antonio
Rodrigo Nogueira in 2003. He’s unbeaten in his last 27 fights,
dating back to his only defeat, a loss on a fluke cut nine years
ago.
Rogers
(10-0) has knocked out every opponent he’s faced, eight
in the first round, but the only name fighter he’s beaten
was Andrei Arlovski.
Rogers
knocked out the former UFC heavyweight champion in 22 seconds
in his most recent fight in June. Rogers will go in with a significant
size advantage, at 6-foot-5 and cutting to 265 pounds while Emelianenko
is 6-0 and fights between 230-235 pounds.
Arlovski
was also the most recent victim of Emelianenko, in a Jan. 24
fight in Anaheim, Calif., for the now-defunct Affliction promotion,
winning by knockout in 3:14.
“It
is an honor to have the opportunity to bring the Strikeforce
brand to CBS,” said Strikeforce CEO Scott Coker. “We
are looking forward to briging MMA back to the network and having
the world’s No. 1 heavyweight – Fedor – compete
for the first time on live network television against one of
America’s most promising young, undefeated stars –
Brett Rogers.”
Sources
close to the situation said this was not the beginning of a multi-fight
contract with CBS, and at this point it is the only network show
agreed to.
Elite
XC produced three events on CBS in 2008, two of which were considered
ratings successes, built around Slice and Gina Carano. A third,
an attempt to build around fighters like Jake Shields and Robbie
Lawler, was not a ratings winner.
With
Emelianenko, his name recognition clearly trumps that of Shields
and Lawler, but he’s unproven in terms of the kind of appeal
to the casual sports fan that is needed when a show is on a major
network in prime time. A big advantage is that by holding the
event during football season, the network has a target audience
to promote toward.
The
date will be difficult for the brand leader, UFC, to counter,
since UFC already has announced shows on Oct. 24 in Los Angeles
on pay-per-view, Nov. 14 in Manchester, England on Spike TV,
and Nov. 21 in Las Vegas on PPV.
The
Strikeforce show, which will feature four live fights, will be
produced by Showtime Sports, using the Showtime announcing crew
of Gus Johnson, Frank Shamrock and Mauro Ranallo.
Source: Yahoo Sports
|
Reality
show bites for Kimbo
Dana
White had 15 of the 16 heavyweight contenders line up on Wednesday’s
premiere of Spike TV’s “The Ultimate Fighter.”
Then
White, the Ultimate Fighting Championship president, introduced
the 16th man, Kimbo Slice, who strolled through a side door and
immediately drew scorn and laughter from his fellow competitors
– and even the show’s coaches.
“[Expletive]
him,” said Brendan Schaub, a one-time college football player
and contestant as other fighters nodded. “[Expletive] that
guy.”
Kimbo
Slice, welcome to the UFC’s entry-level show, where the
hungriest of up-and-comers have been scrapping for their lives
– and a six-figure UFC contract – for 10 seasons now.
The
man made famous from YouTube videos of him beating people in
boatyards and back alleys, only to flame out at the wrong end
of a quick network-televised knock out, was immediately in the
cross fire. Hyped by his former promotion and CBS television
to absurd levels, Kimbo now has nowhere to hide, no one to turn
to and no one to make excuses for him.
The
UFC’s motto is “As Real As It Gets” and the pressure
on Slice, a man despised and dismissed by so many hard core fans
as a circus act and an insult to mixed martial arts, is about
as intense as anything you’ll find on television.
It’s
what makes the new TUF, the most anticipated, and expected to
be the most watched, season yet.
“This
is some of the best television we’ve ever done,” White
said.
The
season may hinge on the competition between a diverse group of
fighters, which includes four former NFL players. The show’s
other spice is the real rivalry and incessant trash talk between
coaches Rashad Evans and Rampage Jackson, both one-time light
heavyweight champs who are contracted to fight next year.
It
starts though with Slice, who all by himself brings myriad storylines.
Can he really fight? Can he really dedicate himself? Is he really
for real?
More
than that though, there’s a human element to this. You can
see it in Slice’s eyes on the first show that this is a
hugely intimidating situation to walk into. He was singled out
from the start, shown to be different by his entrance, and with
all eyes and doubts on him, he looked understandably rattled.
“I
think Kimbo Slice has a bounty over his head,” Schaub said.
“When he walked in it was like the sheep entering the room
with a lot of wolves.”
Adding
to the drama is the presence of White, who through the years
relentlessly mocked Kimbo as a “bum” and a “joke”
and everything that was wrong with upstart MMA promotions that
didn’t have the sports’ long-term interests at heart.
“I’ve
talked more [expletive] about this guy than anyone ever, and
coming from me, that’s saying a lot,” White said.
Now
Slice is trying to win his approval, now he is serving at his
favor?
Slice
was so nervous he immediately addressed White as “DW.”
It’s not like he hadn’t heard White’s endless
bashing of him. And he’s not afraid to admit it hurt.
“Yeah,
it [expletive] with me,” Kimbo said in an interview with
Yahoo! Sports. “It [expletive] with me a little bit. I want
him to eat those words.”
Everyone
has been in Kimbo’s spot at some point of their life. This
is the new kid walking into school on the first day. This is
the co-worker everyone doubts trying to prove his or her merit
in a career-making meeting. This is having the full knowledge
that everyone else in the room doesn’t just want to see
you fail; they want to make a name off it ensuring it.
And
it’s all going to happen inside a caged octagon, a full
on, man-to-man fight, not some backstabbing board room or tribal
vote.
TUF
has been a ratings boon for Spike and a huge promotional tool
for the UFC. White credits the first season with saving the company,
which was awash in debt in 2005 but now is valued by Forbes as
worth over $1 billion.
Getting
the chance to find out, once and for all, whether Kimbo was just
a marketing creation or a real MMA fighter would normally be
enough to drive the season.
The
bonus is that all the fighters must live together in a house
in suburban Las Vegas without any outside access – phones,
Internet, managers, etc. So over the course of the show –
or however long Kimbo lasts – there is the added opportunity
to see the real guy. You can fake a personality for only so long.
Slice
has remained somewhat a mystery since he broke into the public
spotlight via those addictive videos. Many of the longer features
written about him seemed saccharine and a little staged. Who
knows though? We do know his real name is Kevin Ferguson, he’s
from South Florida and he’s a working class guy who saw
an opportunity to make some money for his family and took it.
And
it’s worth reminding that Kimbo never declared himself one
of the world’s best fighters. That was his promoters. It
wasn’t Kimbo that compared himself to Tiger Woods. That
was CBS. He seems a little embarrassed about everything but feeding
his kids.
“I’m
a squirrel in this big world trying to get a nut,” he told
Yahoo! Sports.
“I
shop in Winn-Dixie and Kmart like everyone else. I never thought
of myself as a star. I still consider myself the same guy. I
came from the streets. I still hang out on the block with my
guys. I still do the regular [stuff]. I do things with my [kids].”
Either
that or people love watching him pound guys in raw video footage.
Or they want to see him get pounded back.
Either
way, he has decided to risk his persona, risk his reputation
and perhaps his chance at being a career celebrity by walking
into a very difficult situation. No one wants him there. Everyone
wants to knock him out. The stakes are high. The focus intense.
Kimbo
Slice (“the toughest man at the barbeque” as White
mocked him) looks alone on this show.
Stripped
bare, he’s just a guy with two fists, fighting for his future.
Source: Yahoo Sports
|
Quote
of the Day
“There
will always be people who are ahead of the curve and people who
are behind the curve. But knowledge moves the curve.”
Bill James
|
Fighters'
Club TV Tuesdays!
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NEW TIME of 8:00 PM!
If
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|
VITOR
BELFORT VS. ANDERSON SILVA COULD BE NEXT
With his blistering knockout of Rich Franklin Saturday at UFC
103, Vitor Belfort may have leapfrogged past two of the middleweight
division’s top contenders.
At
the post-fight press conference, UFC president Dana White said
Belfort was more of an asset in the middleweight class, where
he fought two times prior to his 195-pound catch weight meeting
with Franklin, than at light heavyweight, where he once won the
title in 2004.
“To
be honest with you, the way that the last two fights happened
with Marquardt and Henderson against Anderson Silva, I think
it would be better to see them fight each other and the winner
of that be the next contender, and I think Vitor is ready,”
said White. “I think Vitor is ready to fight Anderson Silva."
The
opponent gridlock for middleweight champ Anderson Silva wasn’t
a problem, said White.
“You're
in this place in the 185-pound division where you have a guy
that's so dominant, anytime you can come up with new and exciting
fights for him, it's great,” he said. “And actually
I love where we're at. I love the fact that we've got Vitor in
that weight class, and I really like the idea of (Nate) Marquardt
and (Dan) Henderson fighting.”
Henderson
and Marquardt, who both fell short to Silva in respective title
bids, were believed to be in line for a second shot, while Silva’s
camp lobbied to have the two face each other in a final eliminator
bout. According to several reports, the UFC agreed with that
strategy and tried to make Henderson/Marquardt happen for UFC
105, but contract negotiations with Dan Henderson stalled the
fight.
“I
think Henderson's fight with him, he laid there and covered his
mouth for a whole round and Anderson came out and finished it
at the beginning of the second round,” White continued.
“(Silva) finished Nate Marquardt in the first round. I think
having them fight makes sense."
As
expected, White declined to make any concrete announcements about
his next matchmaking move. Silva is expected to undergo elbow
surgery and will be out of action for an unknown period.
Belfort,
however, has caught White’s attention.
"I
think Vitor might be ready now,” he said.
Source: MMA Weekly
|
Whether
new or old, Belfort is back
DALLAS
– It wasn’t a surprise when Vitor Belfort made a religious
analogy to describe his return to the Ultimate Fighting Championship
on Saturday night.
Belfort
(19-8), in his first match with the organization in four-and-a-half
years, stopped Rich Franklin (27-5, 1 no contest), finishing
the former middleweight champion in the first real flurry of
the fight.
“The
Bible tells the story that the story of the second house is greater
than the first,” said the former UFC light heavyweight champion.
Belfort
is a devout Christian, but it is his career that might more aptly
be described as born again.
He
stormed onto the scene and earned the nickname “The Phenom”
in 1997 when he was a 19-year-old heavyweight, scoring flash
knockouts against men much larger than himself, such as 300-plus
pound Scott Ferrozzo and nearly 300-pound Tank Abbott, with the
fastest hands ever seen up to that point in UFC competition.
But
he never reached the level of domination expected. While he had
flashed of brilliance, he also had nights when he didn’t
seem to come to fight, most notably a loss to Alistair Overeem
in a Strikeforce main event three years ago.
But
Saturday’s win was Belfort’s fifth straight, and fourth
by stoppage from punches. It may signal the return of the “Old
Vitor” fans have wanted for more than a decade, or it may
simply be that the “New Vitor” is a fully matured fighter.
Little
happened in the first 2:30 of the main event of UFC 103, with
the packed house of 17,428 fans at the American Airlines Center
starting to boo. Franklin reacted, wanting to pick up the pace
to entertain the crowd, and Belfort responded by catching Franklin
with a grazing punch. Franklin was a little stunned and Belfort
then delivered a looping left hand that was the key blow, and
after a few hard lefts on the ground, referee Yves Lavigne stopped
the fight at 3:02.
The
show, the UFC’s first in the market, drew a $2.4 million
gate, the largest for any sporting event ever in the building.
The
win impressed UFC president Dana White enough that he was already
talking of Belfort as being in the mix for the next shot at middleweight
champion (185 pounds) Anderson Silva, even though this fight
was at a catch weight of 195 pounds and Belfort needed several
attempts to make weight.
White,
though, will have to sort out issues involving Silva and potential
challengers Dan Henderson and Nate Marquardt before deciding
whom Belfort will next fight.
“Dan
Henderson fought Anderson Silva and took him down in the first
round and put his hand over Silva’s mouth, and then in the
second round, Anderson finished him,” said White about their
fight in March, 2008.
“Silva
finished Nate Marquardt in the first round (in a July 2007 title
match). I want to put Dan Henderson against Nate Marquardt with
the winner getting the shot at Silva.”
White
said he would be meeting with Henderson in the next week, whose
contract has expired and is currently a free agent. Henderson
has said that he was promised the shot at Silva, which Silva
doesn’t want, noting he had beaten Henderson last year.
Henderson had agreed to a rematch with Franklin which was the
original main event on this show, but that fell apart when initial
fan response was negative and White acquired Belfort’s contract
after Affliction folded in July. Henderson has declined requests
to face Marquardt, feeling he’d be risking a title shot
he had already earned.
But
White said in the interim, he may put Silva against Belfort,
a match he had talked about back in June on Spike TV before Belfort
was even in the organization, with the winner then facing the
winner of Henderson vs. Marquardt. Or he may wait and put Belfort
against the winner of Silva against the Henderson-Marquardt winner,
depending on how things work out.
White
said earlier in the week that Silva would be undergoing minor
elbow surgery and be out of action for a few months. Silva himself
had claimed this past week he was completely healthy, he had
no injury and that nobody had hurt him.
Another
UFC official said that Silva’s camp had wanted to keep the
surgery quiet and not let people know there was an injury. However,
since the word got out, and since Silva wasn’t going to
fight in the next few months, they weren’t going to deny
the story.
Belfort,
known from the start for his quick, accurate hands and good grappling
skills, credited something new in his training, even though it
wasn’t obvious to the fans watching.
“My
new weapon is karate,” said Belfort, noting it is teaching
him to not waste energy and make every blow count. “I want
to use it. As soon as I saw something and attacked, I wanted
to take his zip code, area code and social security number.”
As
for Franklin, the loss seems to put his career as a pay-per-view
headliner in limbo. It’s his second loss in three fights,
having lost to Henderson in January, and followed with a win
over Wanderlei Silva in June. He’s been used this year largely
as utility main event material, a name fighter who headlines
shows when no champions are available.
White
noted that Franklin was one of the fighters who helped build
the company, being middleweight champion and the second season
Ultimate Fighter coach when the sport hit television.
“He’ll
always have a place with us,” he said.
Franklin
said he wasn’t exactly sure what happened in the fight because
he didn’t remember a lot.
“I
just remember the kick I threw and he caught my leg,” he
said. “I remembered the fans booing and thinking I needed
to push the pace of the fight. I assume I got caught.”
Source: Yahoo Sports
|
TYSON
GRIFFIN READY FOR TOP UFC LIGHTWEIGHTS
On
Saturday night, Tyson Griffin became the first man to give Hermes
Franca the sting of a stoppage loss.
Going
into the fight at UFC 103, the 25-year-old Griffin made sure
to keep his stand-up game sharp. While Franca's boxing skills
weren't the most technical, his hands were heavy.
Griffin
won almost every exchange by controlling the distance and pace
of the fight. Though he caught a few shots in the second, he
regained his composure and continued to chip away at the Brazilian.
When
the Franca got too close, Griffin floored him with a straight
right, setting the fight’s end in motion.
“I’m
not scared to get in there and bang,” said Griffin. “I
knew Hermes had knockout power. He’s one of the guys that
I got in there... not scared, but had the most respect for his
power. I didn’t shy from it, I didn’t take him down,
I went in there, I stood and banged, and I put him away.”
Griffin
said he’d like to face a current or former contender in
his next fight. If given the opportunity to face champion B.J.
Penn, he won’t turn it down.
“I’m
always ready,” he said. “I’ve never turned down
a fight and I never will.”
Source: MMA Weekly
|
STEVE
LOPEZ OKAY FOLLOWING INJURY AT UFC 103
DALLAS – Steve Lopez was forced to quit in the opening moments
of the second round of his bout with Jim Miller at UFC 103 on
Saturday night. While throwing a punch, he displaced his shoulder,
leaving him unable to continue.
Jennifer
Wenk, UFC Director of Public Relations, at the post-fight press
conference said that Lopez dislocated his shoulder during the
fight, but that it popped back in at the arena. He did not have
to go to the hospital for treatment and was doing fine.
The
injury appears to be recurring, as another UFC official indicated
that the same thing has happened to Lopez during training.
Source: MMA Weekly
|
No
Gi season up and running
Deadlines approach for Nationals, Pan; Worlds on for November
Fall
promises to be a lively one for No-Gi Jiu-Jitsu enthusiasts.
With
the International Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu Federation (IBJJF) competitions
around the corner, GRACIEMAG.com took time to summarize tournaments,
deadlines and dates:
First
to take place will be the Nationals, debuting in Las Vegas, Nevada,
on Sep 26.
The
sign-up deadline was extended to this Saturday (19). That means
you can still participate, if you hurry, and enroll.
Next
deadline will be for the No Gi Pan, to be held at New York City
College on October 3 and 4.
Be
forewarned, enrollment is only open till September 23 and can
be performed here.
Wrapping
up the season in grand fashion, on November 8, will be the Worlds,
for the first time will be held in Long Beach, Ca, in the same
venue the Gi Worlds have been hosted at since 2007.
Enrollment
for the Worlds is not yet open, but further information regarding
the event can be found on the IBJJF website.
Source: Gracie Magazine
|
Rolles
Gracie takes K-1 veteran in China
Art of War 14 will be held in Macau on September 26
When
Art of War reaches Southern China, next week, Rolles Gracie will
put his legendary family's reputation on the line as faces K-1
veteran, Peter "The Chief" Graham. Graham is most recognized
for his 2006 stunning KO victory of K-1 Grand Prix winner Badr
Hari using his trademark, “Rolling Thunder” spinning
kick. In 2008, Graham has made the jump to mixed martial arts
where he has fought twice in the Sengoku promotion of Japan.
Graham brings his knock out power to Macau at Art of War 14.
This fight is a classic striker versus grappler match up.
The
main event of the evening will feature TUF (The Ultimate Fighter)
veteran, Andy Wang, versus Japanese Shootboxing sensation, Atsuhiro
Tsuboi. Tsuboi showcased his skills in AOW12 and fought Dai Shuang
Hai to a tough DRAW. Wang is coming off a solid winning streak
and wants to continue with a solid performance in his AOW debut.
“I have seen Tsuboi in action and he is one tough guy! That’s
perfect for me because I’m always looking to fight the toughest
guys,” commented Wang.
Also
on the card is 2008 heavyweight jiu-jitsu champion, Antonio Braga
Neto. He faces MMA veteran Rodney Glunder, who has victories
over Cheick Kongo, Valentijn Overeem, Cyrille Diabate, and Melvin
Manhoef. Braga Neto will be looking to show why his formidable
submission skills make him a rising star in today's MMA.
Making
their AOW debuts will be Michael Costa and Simeon Thoresen. Costa
is former product of the world famous Chute Boxe Academy and
is now training under the tutelage of former Pride champion Wanderlei
Silva. He will bring his aggressive and exciting style to AOW
fans on September 26. Simeon Thoresen is a disciple of Dream
Lightweight Champion, Joachim Hansen, and is an expert submission
grappler and seasoned MMA veteran. Having submitted 10 of his
last 11 opponents, Thoresen is looking to add another submission
victory to his belt.
Scheduled
Main Card:
72 kg - Andy Wang (Chinese Taipei) vs. Atsuhiro Tsuboi (Japan)
96+ kg - Rolles Gracie (Brazil) vs. Peter Graham (Australia)
84 kg - Daniel Madrid (USA) vs. Daijiro Matsui (Japan)
90 kg - Rodney Glunder (Netherlands) vs. Antonio Braga Neto (Brazil)
78 kg - Wang Sai (China) vs. Lee Yong Jae (Korea)
78 kg - Michael Costa (Brazil) vs. Simeon Thoresen (Norway)
Under
Card:
72 kg - Dai Shuang Hai (China) vs. Arthit Hanchana (Thailand)
78 kg - Vaughn Anderson (Canada) vs. Kim Dong Hyun (Korea)
78 kg - Zhang Li Peng (China) vs. Claes Beverlov (Sweden)
84 kg - Moogie Dorjderem (Mongolia) vs. Elyorbek Akbarov (Uzbekistan)
78 kg - Li Jun Lei (China) vs. Jeong Soon Hak (Korea)
72 kg - Jason Schmidt (USA) vs. Kenichi Hattori (Japan)
Source: Gracie Magazine
|
Jungle
Fight: Moraes gets choke to win
Cacareco finishes in 16 seconds
On
a night of inspiration for Sergio Moraes in São Paulo,
the Jiu-Jitsu world champion of 2008 overcame Belgian Tommy Depret
with a rear-naked choke after a grappling clinic all in the first
round.
The
Fabio Gurgel student had no difficulty in taking the fight to
the ground in the opening seconds of the fight, to the pass guard,
put his knee on his opponent’s belly and mount.
On
top, Sergio managed to sink a snug arm-and-neck choke on the
Belgian, who barely managed to escape. Further on, after mounting
a second time, the Alliance black belt took advantage of his
adversary having given up his back to sink his hooks and a rear-naked-choke,
to the delight of the home crowd.
With
the win Sergio notches the fifth win in his fifth MMA career
match. Afterwards the black belt on his way to Barcelona for
the ADCC commented on the win: “It all went just right.
You train hard to have an easy fight. I didn’t manage to
finish with the arm triangle, so I mixed it up, stayed on top,
hit him and when he finally gave up his back, I finished on his
neck.
Check
out the complete results from Jungle Fight Sao Paulo:
Sergio
Moraes (Alliance) submitted Tommy Depret (Golden Glory Belgium)
with a rear-naked choke at 3:55min of R1;
Alexandre Cacareco (Chute Boxe) submitted Vagner Curio (Gold
Team) at 0.16min of R1;
Erick Silva (Minotauro Team) beat Jorge Michelan (Check Mat)
by unanimous decision;
Jerome Mondragon (Bulldog Team) overcame Afranio Silva (Peso
Pesado GT) by desistance at 2:48 of R2;
Vanessa Porto (Iglesias FT) submitted Mahalia de Morais (Check
Mat) at 4:28 min of R1;
Nazareno Malegarie (Argentina Thiago Tavares) submitted Rafael
Wilsinho (Pit Bull FT) by heel hook in R3;
Mauro “Xuxa” (Check Mat) won a split decision over
Gil Freitas (Barbosa);
Saulo Cavalari knocked out Marcelo Correa at 1:11min of R1 and
took the Brazilian kickboxing championship belt (K-1 rules)
Source: Gracie Magazine
|
UFC
106: Manager talks Cane vs. Nogueira
On
UFC 106, that happens on November 21st, Rogério “Minotouro”
Nogueira will make his UFC debut against the tough Luis “Banha”
Cane. Talking with TATAME.com, ATT manager, Alex Davis, responsible
for Cane’s negotiations in the UFC, lamented the decision
to put his athlete against his compatriot.
“That
was the last fight we wanted. When Joe (Silva) offered it to
us, I asked to put his against any other American, Forrest, Rashad,
Rampage, but they said you have to fight whoever they put in
front of you“, said Alex. With an old relationship with
Minotouro, Alex was sad with event’s decision.
“Rogério
is my friend, Banha is his fan... They don’t train together,
but they have an old relationship with me, I was the first to
put him to fight outside Brazil, already train a lot of times
on ATT and he’s everyone’s friend up there. Banha likes
him a lot, we didn’t want this fight“, told Davis,
who also talked to Minotouro about the combat. And his expectation
is for a big fight.
“Is
going to be a tough fight, nobody needs to talk about Rogério,
he has an excellent ground and boxing game. Banha is also really
tough, hits hard, and this fight will be dramatic, really tough”,
analyses Davis, seeing the combat as a short way of Banha getting
closer to the title. “The only thing that cheers me on that
is that, if Banha pass thru Rogério, he’ll have possibilities
to fight fort he title on a close future”, reveled the manager.
Source: Tatame
|
Rudimar:
“Anderson is extraordinary"
Chute
Boxe’s leader, team responsible to launch Anderson Silva,
among many other MMA stars, Rudimar Fedrigo praised a lot the
UFC champion. After humiliate Forrest Griffin inside the octagon,
Anderson talked about his victory on the pages of TATAME Magazine’s
September issue, and Fedrigo also praised the champion.
“He’s
in an exceptional phase, with such a good sense of distance,
in attack as in counter attack. It was one of the best fights
I saw him doing. He’s doing great performances. He’s
very creative and versatile, can be well and execute all this“,
said Rudimar, echoed by Rodrigo “Minotauro” Nogueira.
“Anderson
dominated and showed he’s above his opponents. Griffin didn’t
do a strategy fight as his last opponents. He came on hard and
you saw what happened. On the last move he did as Ali, he avoided
the punch without moving his head and knocked out walking back.
Few boxers can do this“, praises the former Pride and UFC
champion.
Source: Tatame
|
Quote
of the Day
“The
greatest danger we face is not any particular kind of thought.
The greatest danger we face is absence of thought.”
Henry Steele Commager
|
UFC
103: THE PHENOM CRUSHES FRANKLIN IN UFC RETURN
The biggest fighters have to win on the biggest stages to prove
they are the best, and Vitor Belfort answered a lot of critics
on Saturday night with a devastating knockout win over former
UFC middleweight champion, Rich Franklin, in the first round
of their main event match-up.
In
the past, Franklin has been a very effective counter fighter,
but in his bout against the dangerously fast Vitor Belfort, he
decided to be the aggressor, stepping forward and tossing his
jab early on.
The
odd performance from Franklin continued as the round moved on
as he seemed willing to lunge forward with his punches trying
to catch the Brazilian and end the fight.
The
exact opposite happened as Belfort instead caught Franklin with
a clubbing left hand just behind the ear that put the former
Cincinnati math teacher down on the mat.
Belfort
saw the end of the fight coming as he rushed in with punches
to Franklin's head as he turtled up, offering little defense.
It was another big left hand from Belfort to Franklin on the
ground that finally put the former champion out for good, as
the referee saw enough and stopped the fight.
"I
trained so hard, I'm away from my family for almost 3 months.
I don't know how I do it, I guess god gave me the give of speed
and power and I'm using it in the right way," Belfort said
when talking to UFC commentator Joe Rogan.
Even
though the bout with Franklin was a catchweight fight, many saw
it as a chance for Belfort to prove to the UFC that he could
be a top contender in the middleweight division and being only
the third fighter to stop Rich Franklin, he did exactly that.
Belfort
has now put himself directly in the line of fire along with Nate
Marquardt and Dan Henderson as fighters trying to get a shot
at middleweight kingpin, Anderson Silva.
"I'm
here to work, and Anderson is my friend and I like him as a fighter,
(he's) a great fighter," Belfort answered when asked if
he'd like a shot at champion, Anderson Silva. "If Dana and
Frank decide, and I'm an employee and I'm here to fight anyone
who steps in the ring."
As
Dan Henderson continues to negotiate his next UFC contract, it's
very possible that Belfort could step in to face Marquardt in
a #1 contender's match to determine who will welcome Silva back
to the 185lb division in 2010.
Source: MMA Weekly
|
UFC
103: POST FIGHT BONUSES HANDED DOWN
With 17,428 fans in attendance, UFC 103 saw some of the most
exciting finishes with several fighters putting on top notch
performances worthy of the customary post fight bonuses.
This
time around the UFC awarded fighters $65,000 each for a tremendous
card in the promotion's second show in Dallas, that also yielded
a $2.4 million dollar live gate.
Returning
to the Octagon for the first time since 2005, Vitor Belfort the
most of his opportunity by blasting former middleweight champion,
Rich Franklin, with a devastating KO which earned the Brazilian
an additional $65,000 for "Knockout of the Night."
Following
a disappointing loss in his first UFC fight, Ricky "The
Horror" Story definitely showed determination to make his
second appearance a memorable one. A first round war with opponent,
Brian Foster, followed up by another tough round in the 2nd earned
both he and Foster "Fight of the Night" bonuses. Story
capped that off by submitting Foster with an incredible head
and arm triangle choke, while still sitting in his opponent's
guard.
That
move earned Story another $65,000 for "Submission of the
Night", making him the biggest bonus winner of the night
racking up $130,000 for his efforts.
Source: MMA Weekly
|
UFC
103: GRIFFIN VICTORIOUS
Tyson Griffin became the first man to put away the always-dangerous
Hermes Franca, snapping a seven-fight streak of decisions that
made him fodder for critics.
From
the opening bell, the 25 year-old Griffin simply wanted the fight
more. He outworked Franca with constant leg kicks punctuated
by shots to the body and a fast jab that found its way through
the Brazilian jiu-jitsu black belt’s guard.
Franca
appeared out of sorts, flat-footed and banking heavily on the
looping haymakers that complemented his natural power. Griffin
was too smart, though, to be drawn into a firefight, getting
in an getting out with quick combinations.
Franca
woke up in the second round, began moving his head more, and
succeeded in tagging Griffin with a winging punch. For a moment,
the two went toe to toe. But Griffin, heeding the shouts of cornerman
Jay Hierson, showed patience and withdrew.
Griffin
was at close range when he connected with another leg kick. Whether
an afterthought or simply the recognition of opportunity, he
planted his feet and threw a straight right that caught Franca
flush on the chin.
Normally,
a dropped opponent would serve as a reassurance that the bout
was close to done. But Franca fought the conclusion, throwing
up his legs in an attempt to catch Griffin’s down-swinging
arm. He was unsuccessful, however, and subsequent shots forced
referee Dan Mirgliotta to end the bout at 3:26 of the second.
Source: MMA Weekly
|
UFC
103: KOSCHECK GIVES TRIGG A RUDE WELCOME BACK
It was a rude welcome back to the UFC for former top contender
Frank Trigg on Saturday night as American Kickboxing Academy
stand-out Josh Koscheck ended his night and return to the Octagon
with a vicious TKO in the first round.
It
was clear in the early going that the two former All-American
wrestlers were going to test the stand-up and avoid much ground
work. Trigg actually snapped the first solid punch of the night
with a straight punch that put Koscheck on his heels after a
brief exchange.
Trigg
continued to move forward as Koscheck tried to get his distance
and timing down, and once he did the end came quickly and violently.
The
former Edinboro wrestler hit Trigg with a clubbing blow that
staggered his opponent, and Koscheck quickly followed up with
a powerful right hand that that sent Trigg crashing to the canvas.
Koscheck
followed up with a few unanswered shots that sent referee Leon
Roberts flying in for the save. Trigg bounced back to his feet
quickly protesting the stoppage, but the replay showed little
resistance from the Las Vegas based fighter after eating a few
punches from Koscheck.
After
an extended layoff due to a foot injury, Koscheck was happy to
get back in action, and even happier following the TKO win.
"To
get back on the winning ways is awesome," Koscheck said
with excitement following the win. "This is what I've been
training for, I'm super motivated right now, thank you Texas,
2-0 baby!"
Known
as a fighter who never turns down an opponent, Koscheck for possibly
the first time in his career asked for a particular opponent
in his next bout if the UFC chooses to appease him.
"I
know there's a guy that just signed a new contract his name's
Matt Hughes, I've been asking for that for a long time. Joe,
Dana?" Koscheck stated. "If not that I don't care who
I fight to be honest. I'll fight anyone, anytime, any place,
I'll fight every month."
Source: MMA Weekly
|
UFC
103: DALEY EXPLODES WITH KO OVER KAMPMANN
Making the most of an opportunity to step up on short notice,
Paul "Semtex" Daley made an impressive debut at UFC
103 with a striking display in putting away top ten welterweight,
Martin Kampmann, in a welterweight showdown on Saturday night.
Kampmann
was originally scheduled to face fellow top ten fighter Mike
Swick in a bout that was supposed to determine the next contender
to get a shot at Georges St. Pierre's 170lb title, but an injury
forced Swick out of the fight and Daley stepped in.
The
British heavy hitter made his intentions known early on as he
starting winging dangerous punches at Kampmann, landing with
his left hook repeatedly in the first minute of the fight.
With
his corner shouting for a takedown, Kampmann went for only one
shot during the short duration of the fight, opting instead to
stand and trade with the very explosive Daley.
Kampmann
did manage a good straight punch that rattled Daley a little
bit, but it may have instead woke up the lion as the Brit started
headhunting for the remainder of the fight.
As
the fighters started to trade heavy shots, Daley landed another
left hand that put Kampmann on wobbly legs, drifting backwards
towards the cage. Semtex like a shark smelled blood in the water
and went after Kampmann with everything he had, unloading punch
after punch.
Kampmann's
only defense was to turn away as he ate a few more shots and
referee Yves Lavigne came in for the stoppage. Looking at the
replay, it appeared Kampmann may have been able to continue,
but he was eating punch after punch with little movement to defend
himself.
"The
referee obviously saw a few times that his eyes went a couple
of times and he wasn't trying to protect himself," Daley
said about the stoppage following the fight. "I would have
hurt him basically so good stoppage."
Now
a winner in 4 out of his last 5 fights, Daley takes a huge step
forward in a stacked 170lb weight class, while also possibly
throwing a monkey wrench in the UFC's plans to crown a new contender
to face the seemingly unstoppable GSP.
"First
time in the UFC, stepping up to such a great fighter in Martin
Kampmann. He's a great fighter, he's a tough fighter," Daley
commented after the victory. "I understand the fans aren't
happy cause he's a UFC favorite, I'm the new kid, hopefully a
few of those fans will come to like me."
Source: MMA Weekly
|
UFC
103: DOS SANTOS SHOWS HIS DOMINANCE WITH TKO OVER CROCOP
If there was any question that Junior Dos Santos was a top contender
in the heavyweight division, it was all answered as the Brazilian
dominated former Pride fighter, Mirko Cro Cop, en route to a
third round stoppage after a barrage of knees and punches forced
the Croatian to verbally submit.
Dos
Santos came out aggressive immediately to open the fight, as
he tried to establish his dominance and take the center of the
Octagon. The Brazilian fired off several good shots that put
Cro Cop on his heels, but never putting him in any real trouble.
When
it was Cro Cop's turn to fire back, he blasted Dos Santos with
several straight lefts that caught his opponent flush, opening
a minor cut over his eye.
The
2nd round saw a strong performance from Dos Santos, while Cro
Cop played a very curious defensive game that basically consisted
of putting his hands up and then pushing the Brazilian away when
they got in a clinch. Dos Santos kept moving forward and landing
good shots, while also opening up a good sized cut over Crocop's
left eye.
As
the final round started and Dos Santos up 2 rounds to none, the
Brazilian wasn't playing to secure the decision as he found a
weakness in Cro Cop's game, blasting away with knees to the body
and head.
Cro
Cop tried to cover up, but it did little good as Dos Santos just
kept feeding the Croatian a steady diet of knees to the head,
followed up by a big punch that appeared to bust Cro Cop's eye
socket. Shortly thereafter CroCop was covering up and waiving
at the referee to stop the fight giving the Brazilian the biggest
win of his young career.
"I
feel very good, my training was very hard, and tonight I got
one more victory in my career," Dos Santos stated following
the TKO win. "I hope everyone enjoyed my fight, and the
United States has been wonderful to me."
With
UFC heavyweight champion, Brock Lesnar, already paired up with
#1 contender Shane Carwin in November, Dos Santos may have established
himself as the next fighter to move into the top spot for a title
shot with a victory over Pride great, Mirko Cro Cop. Still, Dos
Santos plays a good company man and welcomes any challenger the
UFC puts in front of him
"UFC's
the boss, whatever they want," said Dos Santos.
Source: MMA Weekly
|
Joel
Tudor still in disbelief
Tough surfer comments on ADCC invite
Rodrigo
Medeiros black belt Joel Tudor, 33, is not just any under 66kg
ADCC competitor.
He’s
the youngest surfer ever to win a surfing world title, at 15,
and also stand out in skateboarding. He became the king of the
longboard, influencing a generation, but, ever since 2003, after
a hard day on the waves, he’s sported the gi to relax in
the gym.
His
hobby turned passion a long time ago, and not even a leg broken
in training that caused an outcry from his family for him to
stop kept him from his beloved Jiu-Jitsu. “It was ugly,
but I’ve seen much worse injuries in surfing.”
On
September 13 Tudor made it to the top of the gentle art, after
submitting three opponents at the American Nationals, among them
Wellington Megaton and Rani Yahya, in the final.
The
achievement earned him a last-minute invitation to the ADCC,
and will fly to Barcelona with friend Kid Peligro on Tuesday.
“I’m
training no-gi, after all we’re always training like that
in the academy. I’ve also been training with Dean Lister,
and he’s in awesome shape,” raved Tudor to GRACIEMAG.com.
When
queried as to how he felt after beating the current ADCC champion,
Tudor was sincere.
“I
was in disbelief,” he stated automatically. And he explains:
“After I beat Megaton I got to see Rani beat Rodrigo in
the semi. Obviously I got nervous, he’s Rani Yahya, you
know what I mean? I know who he is, he lives here in San Diego.
I’ve actually trained with him no-gi. The guy’s a beast!
“But
when you’re competing, it’s all about that split second.
I’m still in disbelief. I remember that Bruno Paulista was
at the side giving me instructions on how to adjust it and different
stuff. And my professor Stefano and really good friend Chris
were saying “He’s not going to tap, he’s not going
to tap!
“But,”
he continued, “when I reached and got his far leg, I knew
I had it. You know with certain moves if you got it or not. And
when he fell to his butt, I knew I had it. I knew he was going
to tap. And he did.”
Source: Gracie Magazine
|
Blog:
Stars absent from ADCC
A reminder of the JJ aces who won’t be there
Nine
days from the start of the competition in Barcelona, nearly all
the categories are filled. At the moment, only the under-99kg
division awaits its last three names. The list of stars to shine
in Spain is immense, with beasts like Robert Drysdale and Ronaldo
Jacare; Saulo Ribeiro and Jeff Monson; Alexandre Ribeiro and
Márcio Pé de Pano; Tarsis Humphreys, André
Galvão and Bráulio Estima; Marcelo Garcia and Kron
Gracie; Léo Vieira, Cobrinha and Rani Yahya all set for
action.
Nine
days from the start of the competition in Barcelona, nearly all
the categories are filled. At the moment, only the under-99kg
division awaits its last three names.
Two-time
world champion Romulo Barral will not be there
The
list of stars set to shine in Spain is immense, with beasts like
Robert Drysdale and Ronaldo Jacare; Saulo Ribeiro and Jeff Monson;
Alexandre Ribeiro and Márcio Pé de Pano; Tarsis
Humphreys, André Galvão and Braulio Estima; Marcelo
Garcia and Kron Gracie; Leo Vieira, Cobrinha and Rani Yahya all
set for action.
To
see who will not make it to the tournament, check out our GRACIEMAG
ADCC Blog.
The
Jiu-Jitsu stars absent from the ADCC 2009
Nine days from the start of the competition in Barcelona, nearly
all the categories are filled. At the moment, only the under-99kg
division awaits its last three names.
The list of stars to shine in Spain is immense, with beasts like
Robert Drysdale and Ronaldo Jacare; Saulo Ribeiro and Jeff Monson;
Alexandre Ribeiro and Márcio Pé de Pano; Tarsis
Humphreys, André Galvão and Bráulio Estima;
Marcelo Garcia and Kron Gracie; Léo Vieira, Cobrinha and
Rani Yahya all set for action.
Nine
days from the start of the competition in Barcelona, nearly all
the categories are filled. At the moment, only the under-99kg
division awaits its last three names.
The
list of stars to shine in Spain is immense, with beasts like
Robert Drysdale and Ronaldo Jacare; Saulo Ribeiro and Jeff Monson;
Alexandre Ribeiro and Márcio Pé de Pano; Tarsis
Humphreys, André Galvão and Braulio Estima; Marcelo
Garcia and Kron Gracie; Leo Vieira, Cobrinha and Rani Yahya all
set for action.
Supermatch
Roger
Gracie – surely the greatest absence of the event.
Over
99kg
Gabriel
Vella – 2009’s ultraheavweight world champion.
Antonio Braga Neto – 2008’s super heavyweight world
champion
Leonardo Leite – Ultra heavyweight runner up in 2008.
Under
99kg
Alexandre de Souza – world heavyweight world runner-up in
2009, European absolute champion of Jiu-Jitsu in 2008.
Roberto “Tussa” Alencar – world runner-up in 2007,
third place at 2008 Worlds.
Alexandre Cacareco – heavy presence in last ADCCs, just
missed several times, including in absolute.
Ricardo Arona – another one synonymous with the ADCC was
confirmed and then canceled.
Under
88kg
Romulo Barral – two-time medium heavyweight world champion
2007/2009. World absolute runner-up in 2007/2009.
Demian Maia – champion in 2007, his UFC obligations keep
him from Barcelona.
Rousimar “Toquinho” Palhares – a fracture kept
the BTT star from Barcelona.
Under
77kg
Sergio Moraes – middleweight world champion in 2008, middleweight
world runner-up in 2009.
Renzo Gracie – ADCC legend who, should he participate in
2009, would be the only athlete in every edition of the event.
Lucas Leite – 2007’s middleweight world champion, 2009’s
Pan-American world champion, third place at middleweight at 2009
Worlds.
Michael Langhi – Lightweight world champion in 2009
Celsinho Venicius – Lightweight world champion in 2008
Lucas Lepri – Lightweight world champion in 2007
Mike Fowler – Big surprise of 2007, beating Renzo and submitting
Saulo.
Under
66kg
Royler Gracie –Three-time ADCC champion who dropped out
in 2003, but who is missed to this day. Who could say Royler
wouldn’t do well in Barcelona?
Mario Reis – runner-up in 2007, third in 2008 and 2009 at
featherweight.
Bruno Frazatto – third in 2007, runner-up in 2008 and 2009
at featherweight.
Robson Moura – light featherweight world champion in 2007.
Bruno Malfacine – two-time roosterweight champion in 2007
and 2009.
Female
Under
60kg
Juliana Borges – under 60kg and absolute ADCC champion 2005
Leticia Ribeiro – featherweight world champion in 2009,
third in 2007 and 2009.
Michelle Nicolini – featherweight world champion in 2007,
runner-up in 2009.
Bianca Barreto – two-time featherweight world champion in
2008, 2009.
Leka Vieira – under 60kg runner-up in 2005.
Over
60kg
Ana Laura Cordeiro – medium heavyweight world champion in
2008.
Gabrielle Garcia – heavyweight world champion in 2008.
Did
we forget anyone?
Source: Gracie Magazine
|
Renzo
Gracie plans his MMA return in 2010
In
15 years of career on Vale-Tudo, Renzo Gracie already faced some
of the toughest guys in one of the biggest events around the
world. Despite of not being fighting since February 2007, when
the Gracie defeated Frank Shamrock on EliteXC, Renzo never hide
his desire to keep fighting, and he plans his return to rings.
“At
the beginning of next year, we’ll be playing again”,
said, always in a good mood, the tough fighter, in the break
between one fight and another on Bitetti Combat, event where
he was a referee, along with Big John McCarty. “It’s
was an excellent organization, I’m impressed, this event
will definitely move forward and bring this sport back to Rio
de Janeiro”, said Renzo. “It’s awesome, that’s
what was missing to push MMA now on... What they did was really
made with love, that can be seeing for the quality of the event”.
Source: Tatame
|
NAGA
Hawaii
Pearl City
High School Gym, Pearl City
Sunday, October 18th
BJJ BLACK BELT & ABU DHABI VETERAN Mike Cardoso will be conducting
a FREE, 1 hour No-Gi Seminar at the Saturday night weigh-in/registration
(Oct 17th from 6:30 PM to 7:30 PM at the main gymnasium). This
seminar is open to all spectators and participants of the NAGA
event. All schools and styles are welcome. Individuals of all
skill levels can participate for free.
-
Weigh-In either Saturday night from 6 PM until 8 PM or on Sunday
starting at 8:00 AM and going all day at the Pearl City High
School - 2100 Hookiekie Street, Pearl City, Hawaii, 96782.
8:00
A.M.
1. Doors Open, Registration & Weigh-in's begin
10:00
A.M.
2. Rules Meeting
3. All Kids and Teen (Gi & No-Gi Divisions) Begin - DON'T
BE LATE
12:00
Noon
4. Absolute No-Gi - Championship Belt
5. Adult Novice & Beginner No-Gi Divisions
6. Adult Intermediate & Advanced No-Gi Divisions
Mid
- Late Afternoon
7. Adult White Belt Gi Divisions
8. Adult Blue Belt Gi, Purple, Brown & Black Belts
Source: NAGA
|
|