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2010
November
Aloha State BJJ Championships: Final Conflict
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X1: Showdown In Waipahu
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|
|
February
2010 News Part 1
|
Casca Grossa Jiu-Jitsu
is now the O2 Martial Arts Academy with 7 days a week training!
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Quote
of the Day
"Pessimist:
One who, when he has the choice of two evils, chooses both."
Oscar
Wilde, 1854-1900, Irish Dramatist/Novelist/Poet
|
DESTINY:
Fast n Furious
Event:
DESTINY: Fast n Furious
What: Sporting Event
Start Time: Saturday, March 6 at 5:00pm
End Time: Saturday, March 6 at 10:00pm
Where: LEVEL 4 Night Club @ Royal Hawaiian Shopping Center
|
Couture’s
next stop: title shot
LAS
VEGAS – Fighters with more than two decades of experience
in two different sports collided Saturday night in the first-ever
battle of UFC Hall of Famers as Randy Couture scored just the
third submission victory of his storied career in stopping Mark
Coleman.
The
main event of UFC 109, which took place before a sellout crowd
of 10,687 fans at the Mandalay Bay Events Center, pitted two
guys who started as national champions in amateur wrestling and
later became heavyweight champions in mixed martial arts.
The
46-year-old Couture (18-10) was the heavy favorite and he appeared
quicker standing, employing his usual strategy of using a Greco-Roman
wrestling-style clinch against the cage, his best position, to
tire out Coleman (16-10) and throw punches.
Couture
used mostly uppercuts in winning the first round. Coleman was
unable to take Couture down or really get any strong offense
going, and Couture was happy to keep Coleman in a clinch for
most of the round.
The
match ended at 1:09 of the second round, as Couture got Coleman
again in the clinch and was able to fire punches before taking
Coleman down – a position that Coleman said before the fight
he needed to avoid.
Couture
threw more punches on the ground, forcing Coleman to turn his
back, and from there he seized the choke in a fight that had
to be almost a blueprint of what he was hoping would happen.
Through
both luck and sound training, Couture preserved far more of his
athletic ability than is logical to expect from someone of his
age. Coleman, on the other hand, looked his age, not maintaining
the speed or power that made him one of the great MMA fighters
of the 1990s.
Couture
took little punishment and was never in trouble, as Coleman is
not the same striker as his last two opponents, Antonio Rodrigo
Nogueira and Brandon Vera, who both knocked Couture down.
“I
enjoy what I’m doing,” Couture said. “I’m
the best fighter I’ve ever been. I have benchmarks in training
and I hit them.”
In
one respect, though, the game plan was different for Couture,
showing respect for Coleman’s freestyle wrestling game.
“Usually
I like to move forward, but with Mark, it would have opened me
up for a takedown,” said Couture. “I went to make him
come forward and come after me.”
“He’s
a great fighter, one of the best of all-time,” Coleman said
after the loss. “He beat me to the punch. I was a little
slow tonight.”
There
were a lot of themes going into the match. It was Greco-Roman
vs. freestyle in wrestling, as Couture was a four-time national
champion in Greco, just never during an Olympic year. Coleman
was a freestyle wrestler who won a college national championship
at Ohio State (Couture’s best finish in the NCAAs was second)
and made an Olympic team (1992). At his peak in 1991, he was
second in the world championships.
Coleman
defeated Couture in a freestyle match in 1989, the only time
the two had ever met, but he said that didn’t play a part
in his motivation, noting that it was a long time ago and in
a different sport – and it wasn’t a match he’d
thought about a long time.
In
fact, Couture has helped Coleman, inviting him to his gym in
Las Vegas last year to train with a wider variety of training
partners and coaches than he ever had in his career leading up
to Coleman’s July 11 win over Stephan Bonnar. Coleman did
have to find a new gym, the Tapout gym, to train for this fight,
but he did train with Shawn Tompkins, who was one of Couture’s
coaches in the past.
“We
both come from the wrestling background,” said Couture .
“On paper, he was a little better than I was. He was a national
college champion, which I tried to be and never was. He went
to the Olympics, which I tried and never could do. Fighting him
wasn’t an issue. In wrestling, we often have to fight our
best friends to make an Olympic team.”
Couture
also noted that Coleman using his former striking coach was nothing
that upset him, and that in a roundabout way, he owes some of
his success to Coleman.
“He
was one of my inspirations to get into this,” said Couture,
who followed Coleman from the elite level of wrestling into the
UFC. “I watched him take people down and ground-and-pound
them.”
The
win opens up all kinds of possibilities for Couture, who behind
the scenes has had three of the UFC’s five champions –
Anderson Silva, Lyoto Machida and Brock Lesnar – showing
interest in fighting him. Couture, probably one of the three
most popular fighters in UFC history, brings marquee name value
to any championship fight, both due to his enduring popularity
and because the story of the aging warrior going for a record
sixth championship is easy to market.
Plus,
for fighters who are paid based on how well pay-per-view events
draw, he would be the biggest money fight possible for Silva
and Machida, and the second biggest, behind Frank Mir, for Lesnar.
Of
the three, the Silva fight makes no sense because it would have
to be at light heavyweight and thus wouldn’t be for the
championship. The light heavyweight champion, Machida, or possibly
Mauricio “Shogun” Rua, who faces Machida on May 8 in
Montreal, makes the most sense, since Couture has scored two
straight wins in that division.
A
possible fight with Lesnar brings with it the most financial
sense, but it’s harder to justify since Couture lost his
last heavyweight fight to Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira.
Couture
said he’s happier to stay at light heavyweight, but he also
said that if he’s asked to face Lesnar in a rematch of their
2008 fight, he would most likely not turn it down.
“I
like being at light heavyweight,” said Couture, who walks
around at 217 pounds and had what he considers an easy weight
cut – 55 minutes in the sauna on Friday – to sweat
out eight pounds and make 205. “The camp is better going
against guys my size. The heavyweights are good and it’s
hard when giving up 30 pounds.
“I’ll
fight whoever they ask me to fight. I think I was doing pretty
well against Lesnar,” said Couture, who gave up close to
60 pounds on the day of the fight in their initial meeting, where
Lesnar captured the heavyweight title. “If they ask me to
take the fight, I’ll most likely say yes.”
Coleman
is in a tough position. He may not have needed a win, but for
him to remain in the mix with the top guys, he needed an impressive
performance. His conditioning was improved from most of his recent
fights, but he didn’t really show any new tricks. He was
admittedly slow – in a sport where he can’t get away
with that, particularly when he’s no longer fighting as
a heavyweight.
Perhaps
a small door opened for him after the fight. While he was doing
an interview with Joe Rogan, Tito Ortiz walked past him at ringside
and said, “Payback’s a [expletive],” and followed
with another expletive, apparently mad at something Coleman,
or someone in Coleman’s camp, said about his girlfriend,
Jenna Jameson. Or perhaps because Coleman was his scheduled opponent
on Nov. 21 but had to pull out due to injury. Ortiz lost his
UFC return to Forrest Griffin instead.
Coleman
fired back in kind as a response.
“Tito’s
fighting Chuck [Liddell] next,” said Dana White, referring
to a match scheduled for the summer while not wanting to touch
on the possibility of an Ortiz-Coleman match. “That’s
just Tito.”
Source:
Yahoo Sports
|
Serra
does some fist-pumping on Trigg's face
Matt
Serra is definitely New York through and through. His video blogs
this week were filled with hilarious back and forth banter with
his trainer Ray Longo. He even joked that they may be bound for
Season 2 of "Jersey Shore." That's perfect.
A
jiu-jitsu ace, Serra definitely knows how to use his fists. Frank
Trigg chose to duke it out with the diminutiive Serra and paid
the price just over two minutes into the fight. Trigg threw a
sloppy left hand, left it out there for way too long and got
crushed by a Serra right-hand counter. Trigg fell to his back,
where Serra bounced his head off the canvas three times before
the referee stopped it.
Serra
opened the UFC 109 pay-per-view with a win at 2:23 of the first
round.
"Frank
is such a stud wrester, I really have a lot of respect for him,"
said Serra. "He does well with jiu-jitsu guys because of
his ground-and-pound. I believe in my standup. I'm not the prettiest
guy on the pads, but when I land it hurts."
Shortly
after the stoppage, Trigg could be seen asking "What happened"
and once he got to his feet, he was yelling, "That's [expletive]."
But he came to his senses quickly and admitted the stoppage was
proper.
Serra
wanted to test Trigg's boxing and stand-up defense.
"I
think the power comes from being so stocky, you thought I would
say short," joked the 5-foot-6 Serra. "I wanted to
work a lot on the body and work my way up."
Serra
(10-6, 7-6 UFC) was the more aggressive and crisp striker throughout.
He also seemed to throw his punches with a lot more conviction.
He snapped a two-fight losing streak with the victory. Serra,
a former UFC welterweight champ, probably won't get another shot
at Georges St. Pierre. His loss at UFC 98 to Matt Hughes was
close and he does deserve that rematch. It would certainly be
a sellable fight and one that would motivate Hughes. First Hughes
has to get by Renzo Gracie at UFC 112 in early April.
This
was the second straight quick KO loss for Trigg (19-8, 2-5 UFC)
in his second go round with the promotion. At 37 years old, this
may have been his last fight in the UFC. He certainly has the
name and drawing power to fight for smaller promotions.
Speaking
to Cagewriter before this fight, it sounded like Trigg was ready
to jump full-time into sports broadcasting if he lost to Serra.
Trigg was the color voice for PRIDE before it was purchased by
the UFC.
Source:
Yahoo Sports
|
DANA
WHITE SAYS MARK COLEMAN IS PROBABLY DONE
LAS VEGAS – “I think tonight was probably (Mark) Coleman’s
last fight in the UFC.”
Those
were the words of UFC president Dana White following Randy Couture’s
domination of his fellow Hall of Famer at UFC 109 at the Mandalay
Bay Events Center.
Giving
Coleman due credit for back-to-back strong performances against
Mauricio “Shogun” Rua and Stephan Bonnar, White still
couldn’t help but put the first UFC heavyweight champion’s
Saturday night performance in perspective.
“Mark
Colemna’s always been a stand-up guy with me and he’ll
always be a part of this organization. I just think he’ll
have a hard time competing with the guys at the top of the level,”
said the outspoken executive.
“Age
is a factor for him.”
Leading
up to UFC 109, you got the sense that this wasn't just a novelty
act for Coleman. He put a lot of pressure on himself, not doing
much to hide the fact that it was a pivotal point in his career.
“He
said it best at the press conference. He said, ‘Randy Couture’s
accomplished a lot of things, has a lot of things, and I want
to take some of those things from him Saturday night,’”
recounted White. “And he went in there and he wasn’t
able to do anything. He didn’t get off. Randy pretty much
beat him everywhere.”
Of
course, White has written the ending for other fighters before
Coleman, only to have what he thought was the final draft sent
back for a re-write.
Chuck
Liddell immediately comes to mind.
“Is
a fighter ever accepting, or any top athlete? It’s tough
to say it’s over and I gotta hang it up,” White said
about whether he felt Coleman would be accepting of his opinion
that the end was here.
“It’s
the hardest thing in the world and I hate dealing with it. It
sucks.”
There
are always opportunities out there for fights that sell themselves,
even if you think Coleman can’t compete at the highest levels
anymore. Not every fight has lead down the road to a title shot.
Tito
Ortiz – who has some past heat with Coleman due to Coleman
pulling out of their scheduled fight at UFC 106 – seized
a moment of disarray and called Coleman out as he was doing his
post-fight interview with Joe Rogan in the Octagon.
Would
White reconsider lowering the curtain on Coleman for a grudge
match with Ortiz? Don’t bet on it.
“I
don’t know. Tito’s a lot younger than him. Tito’s
talking (expletive) to Coleman after Coleman just lost this fight
that he’s wanted his whole life. And Tito’s fighting
Chuck,” mulled White before declaring, “I’m not
even thinking about Tito/Coleman.”
If
the Octagon door does close on Coleman’s career, there should
be no head hanging from the decorated athlete. He won two UFC
tournaments in 1996 before capturing the first UFC heavyweight
championship the following year. He moved on to Pride Fighting
Championships in Japan, winning that promotion’s Open Weight
Grand Prix tournament in 2000.
Prior
to mixed martial arts, Coleman also earned numerous accolades
in wrestling. He won the NCAA national championship in college,
placed second in the 1991 world championships, and seventh in
the 1992 Summer Olympics.
Source:
MMA Weekly
|
PAULO
THIAGO PROVES HE'S AMONG THE BEST AT 170
A year ago at this time, Paulo Thiago was an undefeated fighter
who many wrote off as soon-to-be-road kill when he was matched
up against Josh Koshceck. Fast forward to UFC 109 on Saturday
night, and Thiago was picking up his second win over a Top 10
ranked fighter, as he submitted Mike Swick with a textbook D'arce
choke.
The
Brazilian has had no easy path to the top in the UFC, facing
all three top ranked welterweights from the famed American Kickboxing
Academy. He is 2-1 versus AKA, with his loss coming at the hands
of Jon Fitch in a tough decision.
Speaking
praises about Thiago on Saturday night was UFC president Dana
White, who believes Thiago could be a true contender in the welterweight
division.
"Talk
about a kid that's come out of nowhere. This kid comes out, knocks
out Koscheck, then comes back and has a war with Fitch, loses
a decision to Fitch, and then tonight he could have knocked (Swick)
out, and he ends up submitting him," White commented.
"The
kid is dangerous in that weight division right now. Very dangerous."
The
recent UFC 109 Countdown show featured a segment on Thiago and
his job back home in Brazil, where he works with an Elite Special
Forces police unit. White says that Thiago has shown great skills
in the Octagon, to match his strong will outside of fighting.
"This
guy's at the top of the 170-pound division, no doubt about it,"
said White. "He is a force to be reckoned with. He's good
on the feet. He's good on the ground.
“Usually
when guys come in the UFC for the first time, they're real nervous,
and everything else. This guy has nerves of steel, obviously
because of what he does for a living. This is a hobby compared
to what he does for a living."
Happy
with another big win, Thiago feels very passionate about both
of his jobs, but says the UFC fills a different need in him,
and it's something he loves to do.
"I
love both professions, to be a cop and to be a fighter, but what
I feel inside the Octagon is unbelievable, it's priceless,"
Thiago said after the fight.
One
thing is for sure. Whoever is matched up with Paulo Thiago next,
they now know what a tough fighter he is, and they still might
not be able to do anything to stop him.
Source:
MMA Weekly
|
Nick
Diaz speaks up
Nick
Diaz is known for not mincing his words when he speaks. And that’s
precisely what he did at the end of the Strikeforce event, this
past Jan. 30 in Miami. After beating Marius Zaromskis and securing
the organization’s welterweight belt, the fighter let loose
his tongue. He didn’t miss out on challenging Georges St.
Pierre, champion of the same division in the UFC, or criticizing
adversaries. Our Nalty Jr. was there at Strikeforce and interviewed
the champion exclusively for GRACIEMAG.com.
What
did you think of the fight?
I
knew he’d come after me, so I was prepared and let him come.
Then I started to throw more blows. It took a while to find my
range and that was when my coach started talking to me and managed
to get me back into the fight. I was careful with the range.
I heard his corner yelling for him to accept the kicks; I felt
bad for him because not always is listening to your corner the
best option. I saw an interview saying he does everything his
coaches tell him to do. Without wishing to belittle anyone, he’s
a good fighter and should have more confidence in himself. He
shouldn’t have attempted the kicks and knees without finding
his range first. Perhaps that’s why my hits entered and
it he took so many punches to the face.
How
did preparations for the fight go?
I
trained hard. My brother (Nate Diaz) helped me. Jake Shields
and Gilbert Melandez also helped me a lot in training. My coach
Cesar Gracie, as always, came up with good sparring partners
and Jiu-Jitsu fighters to participate in training. Also Ralph
Gracie. I’m from the Gracie family; it’s always good
to remember where you come from and how it all began.
Do
you feel you had a hard time?
I
was never in any trouble in the fight.
Who
will your next opponent be? There’s talk of Jay Hieron …
I
want to fight Georges St-Pierre; I just want to fight the best,
whoever is in the media, because no one seems to notice me, no
one puts me and my brother in the magazines. Jay Hieron? Who
is that guy?
Do
you think you should now be among the top five in your division
in the world?
Why
not? In my opinion, I’ve won practically every fight of
my career, despite a no contest I don’t agree with. I lost
to Jeremy Jackson, but then had a rematch and beat him twice.
Against Diego Sanchez I lost because I had a bad strategy for
that fight and was really angry, but the truth is that his face
was the one all messed up afterwards, not mine. Diego Sanchez
is the biggest idiot of the fighters I’ve faced, but I’m
not going to be unfair and say that I won that fight.
What
would you like to say in closing?
I
just have to thank my fans, friends, teammates, my boxing coach
and Cesar Gracie for the support!
Source:
Gracie Magazine
|
Shogun
bets on “Minotouro” against Griffin
On
the same month that Maurício “Shogun” gets his
second shot at the UFC light heavyweight title against Lyoto
Machida, on May 8, another great fight will move the divisions
rakings, and Shogun knows well the fighters. Rogério “Minotouro”
Nogueira, who faced him on Pride, will face Forrest Griffin,
who submited Maurício in his UFC debut.
“This
is the toughest category, it’s going to be a great fight”,
said, betting on his compatriot. “Griffin has a lot of heart
and Minotouro very technical... It’s going to be a cool
fight. I believe in Minotouro, he has a better boxing... I bet
on him”, said, without considering a new meeting with both.
For now: “my focus is on Lyoto’s fight, then I’ll
see what I’ll do”.
DADDY
RUA
With
three months left to the rematch against Machida, Shogun is enjoying
a new phase. Between training, he shows his daddy side, taking
care of the little Maria Eduarda, born on January 15. “I’m
enjoying my daughter, just training lightly”, Shogun said,
who hasn’t tight the trains for the fight yet. “I’m
training nice. It’s missing three months to the fight, I’m
ok”, explains.
Source:
Tatame
|
Aldo-Faber
LAS
VEGAS -- Reigning World Extreme Cagefighting featherweight champion
Jose Aldo does not feel slighted by the fact that his first title
defense will take place in his opponent’s hometown.
Aldo
will collide with former titleholder and promotional poster boy
Urijah Faber at WEC 48 “Aldo vs. Faber,” the company’s
first-ever pay-per-view event, on April 24 at the Arco Arena
in Sacramento, Calif. The Brazilian welcomes the challenge of
competing in a hostile environment.
“There’s
no pressure at all,” Aldo said. “There could be a million
people there cheering for Urijah. The only people I’m going
to be listening to are in my corner. I’ve fought three times
in Sacramento. I know it’s Faber’s hometown, but I
feel at home there, too.”
Nearing
the end of a 30-day stint in the United States, Aldo spent the
last month training at Blackhouse MMA in Los Angeles. The 23-year-old
also trained briefly with famed boxing coach Freddie Roach but
plans to return to his native Brazil on Monday, when he will
begin formulating his game plan for Faber with Nova Uniao founder
Andre Pederneiras.
“It
was great training [in America], a lot of new opportunities,”
Aldo said. “My team’s down there [in Brazil]. I need
to go down there and talk about strategies and a game plan. Those
are the people I like to be around. I like having that team atmosphere.
There are tons of guys down there at Nova Uniao at my weight.”
The
ever-confident Faber, who submitted Raphael Assuncao with a rear-naked
choke in January, admits to a certain level of anticipation in
matching up with one of the few martial artists who can test
him athletically.
“I’m
excited about it. It’s a challenge,” Faber said. “You
wait for fights like this. I’d fight it in my backyard with
my girl watching. It’s a good thing that I’m older
and experienced but not old and out of my prime. I think I have
more tools on my side. I’m going against a guy who I have
no doubt is going to be a huge name in this sport for a long
time, and I’m going to get a win.”
At
the forefront of the push to move the WEC onto pay-per-view,
Faber concedes he was caught off guard by the official announcement.
“It
kind of snuck up on me,” he said. “When you’re
in a situation like I am, you have to focus on the fact that
you’re going against a guy who’s trying to kill you.
All I did was focus on that.”
Just
six fights into his meteoric rise through the WEC, Aldo sits
alone atop the 145-pound weight class. He understands the opportunity
being placed before him.
“I’m
glad to be in the position I’m in,” he said. “I’m
going in there to do my job. My goal is to keep that belt. I
worked hard for it. Every athlete’s dream is to be recognized.
It just motivates me to go back to Brazil and train even harder.
I want to carry the flag for my team. Urijah wants to take my
dream, wants to take my belt, and I’m not going to let that
happen.”
Source:
Sherdog
|
Tanquinho
ready to get back to training
Augusto
“Tanquinho” Mendes (Soul Fighters) had plenty of work
in the realm of fighting at the European Championship late January.
But just as a referee, he is still convalescing from an arm injury
suffered in 2009.
“The
arm is coming along great, but I’m still not practicing.
My physiotherapist Octavio Amazon has done an excellent job and
I nearly have the full range of motion back. My impression is
that I should be back in training soon, well ahead of schedule.
I’ll be in Brazil on the 10th and will go to the doctor
for a new assessment. If he releases me, I’ll slowly get
back into training; at least I think it will. But I’ll wait
for his orders,” he said to GRACIEMAG.com via email.
“To
compete, I think I’ll wait to get back to the pace in training
and physical preparation that I was in, after all I’ve gone
four months only exercising my lower limbs, with no real training
in the gi. I’ll wait to fight only when I’m 100% and
I’ll stick to my Master Alvaro Mansur for him to correct
me and iron out the details of my game, so when I get back I’ll
be able to put up a front against all the tough guys in the lightweight
division,” added Tanquinho.
Augustus
worked as a referee at the European Championship in Lisbon and
followed up with a trip to Malaga, Spain.
“Yesterday
I conducted a seminar, and it was a success! Just one week after
announcing it, we gathered 20 people, and it was really cool.
On the next trip here will organize it earlier, I’m in touch
with the people here, “he said in finishing.
Source:
Gracie Magazine
|
Quote
of the Day
"Nothing
great was ever achieved without enthusiasm."
Ralph
Waldo Emerson, 1803-1882, American Poet and Essayist
|
Fighters'
Club TV Tonight!
Channel
52
8:00 PM!
If
you are not on the Onzuka.com Hawaii Ground forum, you are missing
the latest news from upcoming events, get to rub elbows with
numerous promoters and fighters, and get to voice your opinion
on any subject you can dream up. Hit the links above to sign
up for a free account and start posting away!
|
THE
BRAZILIANS COME OUT ON TOP: THIAGO & MAIA WIN
It was a good night for the Brazilians at UFC 109 as both Paulo
Thiago and Demain Maia picked up wins in pivotal fights in the
welterweight and middleweight divisions.
A
slow start had the crowd booing early as Paulo Thiago and Mike
Swick kept a methodical pace with each trying to gain the upper
hand in the striking game.
Swick
came out much more aggressive in the 2nd round, coming after
Thiago early and often, trying to land the knockout punch. The
strategy backfired when both fighters were firing back and forth
and Thiago countered with a beautiful left hook.
Seeing
Swick drop to the mat, Thiago immediately rushed in and as the
American Kickboxing Academy fighter tried to get an underhook,
the Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu black belt seized the moment, locking
on a D'arce choke.
"I
know he was dizzy because of the punch, and I know when he came
over me, I was going to submission him," Thiago stated about
the D'arce choke that put Swick to sleep.
Just
a few seconds in Thiago's grip and Swick was choked unconscious,
as the Brazilian picks up his third win in the UFC, proving he
can hang with any top welterweight in the sport.
As
two Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu black belts stepped in the cage on Saturday
night, a kickboxing match broke out with Demain Maia getting
the better of Dan Miller using some much improved stand-up to
win their fight at UFC 109.
Since
being knocked out by Nate Marquardt last year, it seems Demian
Maia used all of his down time to work on his striking game,
and it showed as the Brazilian displayed solid footwork, and
counter punching throughout the fight.
Miller
defended the strikes well, and the two fighters kept a slower
pace in virtually the entire fight. After landing a takedown
early, Maia finally got Miller back to the ground late in the
third round.
Hitting
a few punches from inside Miller's guard, Maia likely sealed
up the decision with the offense he needed to put his opponent
on the defensive as the bout came to a close. Bouncing back from
a knockout loss, Maia showed no fear standing up with Miller,
and proved he does have some striking in his arsenal.
"I
came here to show the people that I can also fight stand-up,"
Maia said. "Because if you want to fight for the title one
day, I need to fight stand-up also."
Source:
MMA Weekly
|
Big-talking
Sonnen shows star power
LAS
VEGAS – There hasn’t been much sizzle in the Ultimate
Fighting Championship’s middleweight division in the last
few years. Champion Anderson Silva has been so dominant since
winning the title in 2006 that most challengers are beaten before
they step into the cage.
That
changed in a big way on Saturday at UFC 109 at the Mandalay Bay
Events Center when Chael Sonnen pummeled Nate Marquardt, a 5-1
favorite, and earned a title shot with a unanimous decision victory.
It’s
a shorter list to name the body parts that Sonnen said weren’t
hurting after the physical, bloody battle with Marquardt. He
looked like Frankenstein with a long set of stitches across his
forehead. He had another set of stitches crossing his nose, his
face was dotted with welts and he was gingerly shaking hands.
Sonnen,
though, performed as big in the cage as he talked prior to the
fight when he trashed Silva, referred to most of the sport’s
fighters as dirtbags and raised such a fuss that he caused UFC
president Dana White to say Sonnen’s comments in a Yahoo!
Sports column were “as crazy as some of my video blog rants.”
An
Olympic alternate wrestler, Sonnen used his wrestling ability
to repeatedly take Marquardt to the mat, where he held him down
and blistered him with punches and elbows.
After
the fight, he was as defiant as ever. He’ll fight the winner
of the title fight at UFC 112 in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates,
between Silva and Vitor Belfort. Silva is the top-ranked fighter
in the world, but Sonnen said he’d much rather have Silva
win.
It
wasn’t some corny token comment about wanting to test himself
against the best. Rather, he took the opportunity to taunt Silva
once again.
“I
hope Anderson wins because I think Vitor is a lot tougher fighter,”
Sonnen said. “If I have to choose between the two, I’m
going to take the low road and choose the easier opponent. I
really do mean it. Vitor Belfort, in truth, has really never
lost a fight. The blueprint to beat Vitor is out there, but it’s
not to stand up with him. I am picking Vitor.
“But
look, at the end of the day, if you want to get to the top of
the card in the UFC, you have to fight tough guys. If you want
to be a fighter, get in the cage and be a big deal at your local
strip club, go to Showtime. But if you want to fight real guys,
this is the place to do it.”
Sonnen
hasn’t been regarded as among the elite middleweights, though
he has wins over many top fighters, including Paulo Filho, Dan
Miller, Yushin Okami and, now, Marquardt.
His
coach, Matt Lindland, isn’t surprised by his sudden emergence
as an elite competitor. Sonnen, he said, has always had the skills
but was dogged by a tendency to give in when the going got tough.
Somehow, Lindland got through to him and convinced him to gut
it out.
The
result is that he’s become a legitimately dangerous man,
as evidenced by how thoroughly he thrashed Marquardt.
“He
had to learn how to get tough,” Lindland said. “If
there was one thing he lacked in the past, it was toughness.
If he took a knee to the head, well, you can take that knee and
say, ‘I’m good,’ and keep fighting through it.
But nobody would have blamed him for quitting. You get knocked
out with a knee to the head and everyone would say, ‘Hey,
good job. You worked hard. You fought tough.’
“But
you know what? That’s not good enough in this sport. It’s
not good enough if you’re going to take a title. You have
to fight through that [expletive]. That’s what he’s
willing to do now and that’s what he’s going to do
when he goes out and shocks the world and wins the world title.”
Sonnen’s
next move isn’t to start breaking down film of Silva, however.
He’s got a campaign to run.
He’s
running for a seat in District 37 of the Oregon House of Representatives
– he plugged his campaign website, VoteSonnen.com, and noted
that UFC chairman Lorenzo Fertitta made a generous contribution
– and will begin plotting fundraising and campaign strategy.
It’s
not the norm for a professional fighter, but Sonnen said he needs
to make a contribution to society.
After
the way he described the experience of sharing a cage with Marquardt,
the frequently nasty, cutthroat world of politics may look good.
“He
knocked the heck out of me [with an elbow from the bottom in
the second round],” Sonnen said. “He knocked me out
with a flying knee. He nearly choked me to death in the third
round. It was a miserable experience. I’m glad it’s
over.”
He
was clearly on his way to a life-changing win when Marquardt
caught him in a guillotine choke along the fence late in the
third round. Sonnen’s faced looked like a Lakers’ road
jersey as Marquardt squeezed with all his power as he tried for
the stunning finish.
Somehow,
though, Sonnen found a way to wiggle free. Only a few minutes
later, he was officially the winner and headed for a title shot.
He
had a lot to deal with, including the repercussions that his
comments caused. But he said he was never bothered by anything.
“I
can say I’m going to beat up Nate Marquardt and he can say
he’s going to beat me up, but the real truth is that no
matter what I say, it’s not going to help my skills,”
Sonnen said. “No matter what he says, it’s not going
to help his skills. No matter how much [betting] money comes
in on him, or how much comes in on me, it’s not going to
help our skills.
“My
skills are my skills, and when we get into that ring, I have
to make sure I can use them. I can’t let my mind buy into
anything else. I have to shut everything out and be ready to
fight hard for 15 minutes.”
He
angered a lot of fans with his bold prefight talk. He made a
lot more fans with his superb performance on Saturday. And he
convinced White that he’s a serious contender.
“This
guy,” White said, shaking his head, “is the real deal.”
And
he’s a guy, Lindland insists, with the style to knock Silva
off from his lofty perch.
“You
know that’s true,” Lindland said. “He’s a
bad matchup for Anderson. Everybody knows that. If there’s
a style that beats Anderson, it’s Chael’s style. There’s
no question.
“The
big question is, he’s going to get hit – will he keep
going through those and put him on his back and beat him up?”
It
would have seemed more than outrageous just four months ago to
say these words in succession: Chael Sonnen, middleweight champion.
While
he’s a long way from wearing the belt, one thing became
abundantly clear: Chael Sonnen is no joke, and the middleweight
division just got a heck of a lot more intriguing.
Source:
Yahoo Sports
|
CHAEL
SONNEN UPSETS MARQUARDT AT UFC 109
Middleweights Nate Marquardt and Chael Sonnen went into the UFC
Octagon on Saturday with a title shot looming on the horizon
for the winner.
Marquardt
was the favorite going in and widely considered the second ranked
middleweight in the world, but Sonnen continued his winning streak
by pulling the upset and gaining a title shot with his UFC 109
unanimous decision victory against the winner of Anderson Silva
and Vitor Belfort that main events UFC 112 on April 10 in Abu
Dhabi.
Sonnen
dominated the first two rounds with takedowns and wrestling.
Marquardt was unable to get off his back, but in the second round
did land an elbow that hurt and opened up a cut on Sonnen.
“He
hurt me early on even when I was on top. I was hurt from the
first round. I just had to hang in there,” Sonnen said after
the fight.
Concerned
about the cut, Sonnen pressed on, imposing his well on Marquardt
until the final moments.
“I
was scared that (the cut) was going to stop the fight,”
added the Team Quest trained athlete.
In
the final moment of the bout, Marquardt gained momentum, applying
a guillotine choke that had Sonnen’s face a shade of red
only a choke can produce.
Asked
how close Marquardt was to getting the submission, Sonnen replied,
“It was very tight. I was hanging in there. I was even counting
the seconds down in my head hoping he’d let go.”
For
Marquardt, it was a set back in his mission to get back to a
title shot.
“I’ll
be back. I still want that title. I feel I’m the man to
do it. Chael’s a tough guy,” said the Team Jackson’s
trained Marquardt.
“I
think I just executed my game plan the wrong way,” Marquardt
told those in attendance following the loss. “I’m really
sorry to all my fans and teammates and stuff. I really don’t
think I should have lost that fight.”
Looking
toward his impending title shot, Sonnen said, “I think I
can beat any man God ever made.”
Source:
MMA Weekly
|
COUTURE
CHOKES OUT COLEMAN IN LEGEND'S MATCH
In a battle of legends, Randy Couture showed his new found life
at 46-years of age, dominating Mark Coleman and finishing his
fellow UFC Hall of Famer with a rear naked choke in the 2nd round
of the main event match-up for UFC 109.
Before
the fight ever started, Couture had said that he had some new
tricks to show when he stepped in against Mark Coleman, but the
former UFC heavyweight and light heavyweight champion used some
classic tools as well.
Establishing
his stand-up early on, Couture cracked Coleman with a few good
shots that sent the Ohio State wrestler back peddling to avoid
the stand-up. There was some slowness in the step of Mark Coleman,
but he did fire a right hand that caught Couture flush, backing
him off.
In
the 2nd round, Couture again blasted away at Coleman's head and
then worked for a quick takedown, putting the former Pride champion
on his back. It didn't take long for Couture to move to mount
and then take Coleman's back.
Couture
quickly worked his arm underneath Coleman's neck, cinching up
the hold, but the Ohio native was not about to tap, and he went
to sleep instead.
"I
felt like I wanted to come out here, if I got him to the ground
I wanted to head hunt. I got a chance to get it, and sometimes
it works out," Couture said about the rear naked choke that
ended the fight.
At
46-years young, Randy Couture makes yet another statement in
his career, beating Mark Coleman, and solidifying his place in
the 205lb weight class.
"I
feel like I'm improving each and every time I'm out here,"
said Couture. "This is my 3rd fight in seven months, and
it feels good to be so active."
Obviously
saddened by his performance, Coleman was steadfast in his stance
that he will be back again, surely with a renewed fire once again
to succeed in the Octagon.
"I
don't know what the hell happened," Coleman commented after
the loss. "I'm disappointed, I think I can do better, I
won't quit, I'll be back."
Following
the fight, "Ultimate Fighter" 11 coach Tito Ortiz had
some words for Coleman while sitting Octagon side, and the Ohio
State legend called him on out for it, and that match-up could
be a barn burner in the future. As for Randy Couture, he once
again shows how great he truly is and that while he's a legend,
he's far from done.
Source:
MMA Weekly
|
Exclusive:
Urijah Faber promoted to purple belt
This
past Monday, February 1, former WEC featherweight champion Urijah
Faber was promoted to purple belt in Jiu-Jitsu, reports GRACIEMAG
collaborator Diego Marcello.
The
professor responsible for the promotion was Fabio “Pateta”
Prado (Gracie Ilha), who heads grappling practice at Faber’s
gym, Ultimate Fitness.
Pateta
mentioned that Faber has only been training in the gi for three
years and has evolved tremendously. Furthermore, the fighter
traveled to Brazil, where he brushed up on his Jiu-Jitsu and,
in 2010, may repeat the trip, perhaps during this month of February.
And
having his ground game up to date is essential, as Faber’s
next challenge is Jose Aldo, a Gentle Art black belt. The title
fight is set to take place April 24, in Sacramento, California.
A
fixture at the World Championships in California, Faber is a
Jiu-Jitsu enthusiast. And he doesn’t think twice about putting
his name on the line if it’s to evolve technically. Already
an MMA star, at ADCC 2005 he faced one of Jiu-Jitsu’s greatest
stalwarts, black belt Marcio Feitosa.
Source:
Gracie Magazine
|
Belfort,
what if you were challenged by a friend?
The
UFC top brass have had enough of this story of training partners
not wanting to face each other, those days are coming to an end.
Vitor Belfort has accepted the challenge posed by the organization
of facing Anderson Silva for middleweight title this coming April
10 in Abu Dhabi. The fact they have trained together in the past,
whether at Minotauro Team or at Black House, did not prompt a
negative response from the Rio native.
The
one who didn’t like it one bit was Anderson, which became
in remarks he made to the media. But what would Belfort think
if a sparring partner or teammate of his were to challenge him
in the near future?
“If
tomorrow I’m training with someone they want me to fight,
I’ll think that’s fair. I’m secure enough to say
to the person, ‘Your time has come and, if you win, you
did nothing more than what you were obligated to.’ It’s
a cycle and we all have to let go of thinking it is something
personal. Not at all, it’s professional,” he is quoted
as saying in NOCAUTE magazine 84, now on newsstands in Brazil.
Source:
Gracie Magazine
|
Jon
Fitch versus Pitbull showdown
Jon
Fitch and Thiago “Pitbull” Alves will again face off
in the enclosure of the Ultimate Fighting Championship. The fight
shall take place March 27, at UFC 111 in New Jersey.
Fitch
and Thiago have met before, in June of 2006. On the occasion,
at UFN 5, the American landed a second-round technical knockout.
After that, Pitbull began a seven-fight winning streak, until
losing, in his attempt at winning the welterweight title, to
Georges St. Pierre at UFC 100.
Coincidentally
– or not – Jon Fitch’s last loss was to the very
St.-Pierre. Since then, the American has defeated three opponents.
The fight was to have taken place in December, but Fitch suffered
a knee injury.
The
same night, GSP, the last to overcome Fitch and Alves, defends
his belt against England’s Dan Hardy. Also for the title,
but the interim heavyweight one, Frank Mir faces the undefeated
Shane Carwin.
Check
out the card:
UFC
111
New Jersey, United States
March 27, 2010
Georges
St. Pierre vs Dan Hardy
Shane Carwin vs Frank Mir
Thiago Alves vs Jon Fitch
Martin Kampmann vs. Ben Saunders
Mark Bocek x. Jim Miller
Nate Diaz x Rory Markham
Ricardo Almeida vs Matt Brown
Fabricio Camoes x Kurt Pellegrino
Jared Hamman x Rodney Wallace
Tomasz Drwal vs Rousimar Palhares
Ricardo Funch x Matthew Riddle
Source:
Gracie Magazine
|
Thiago
Silva hungry, return expected to July
Thiago
Silva was close to fight for a belt on UFC, but the two defeats
on the last three fights postponed his plans. Forced to rest
for two months, he wants to put the gloves on again. “I
have four hernias, the doctors won’t let me to train ground,
wrestling... Just physical therapy on the next six weeks”,
Thiago said.
And
the Brazilian expects to be back and his health is 100%. “If
it depended on me... I want to fight as soon as possible, If
it were for me I’d fight next week”, tells the fighter
from American Top Team, who was called to be back to the octagon
in July, but waits the authorization from medical department.
“They (UFC) want me to fight in July, I don’t have
a right date yet, but I don’t want to fight hurt again,
man”, reveals Silva, who faced Rashad Evans (UFC 108) with
an injury on the back, suffered in 2008.
EXTRA
MOTIVATION
For
Thiago, the will to face the biggest names in category is big.
In seven fights on the octagon, faced athletes as Lyoto Machida,
Keith Jardine, Rashad Evans and James Irvin, and don’t want
easy on the return. “The category is very tough, but that’s
good. It makes us to want more, who fights with the tops wants
to continue, that’s my goal”, guarantees, promising
good fights.
“I
don’t choose opponents. I want to fight with the best”,
said. Other thing Thiago doesn’t do is to leave the dream
of becoming the UFC champion go away. While this day don’t
come, the black belt talks about the next fight title fight,
on the rematch between Lyoto Machida and Maurício Shogun.
“It’s going to be another battle. I like Shogun, support
him... He won the first fight and he can win again”, finished
Siva, who didn’t agree with the result of the first fight.
Source:
Tatame
|
Quote
of the Day
"The
best executive is the one who has sense enough to pick good men
to do what he wants done, and self-restraint enough to keep from
meddling with them while they do it."
Theodore
Roosevelt, 1858-1919, 26th President of the United States
|
2010
808 Battleground"
Event: FEB 19th, 2010 808Battleground
Start Time: Friday, February 19 at 5:00pm
Where: Waipahu FILCOM Center
Waipahu
Filcom Center, February 19, 2010 Doors open at 5pm fights start
at 6pm. Call me if you have any beginner fighters that want to
compete 808-366-2005.
|
2010
Open Tournament
Aloha everyone,
This
is to inform you that our 2010 Open Tournament will be held on
Saturday, March 20, 2010. As always, we welcome everyone to participate
as we try to make it "A Positive Experience" for everyone.
Attached is the event flyer for your reference. If you have any
questions, e-mail me or call me at 205-9133. Mahalo.
Sigung
Trent Sera
Sera's Kajukenbo
|
DANZIG
AND GUILLARD LOOK REJUVENATED AT UFC 109
The UFC 109 prelims did not disappoint with Mac Danzig, who was
seemingly fighting for his UFC career on Saturday night, and
it paid off as he performed with a rejuvenated spirit, while
Melvin Guillard carried the spirit of New Orleans with him getting
the victory over Ronys Torres.
It
was a make or break night for Mac Danzig, but the Pittsburgh
native did exactly what he needed to do as he controlled Justin Buchholz, getting a unanimous
decision win at UFC 109 on Saturday night.
After
dropping three fights in a row, Danzig relocated back to Los
Angeles where he re-focused his training, and the dedication
showed in the fight. The former "Ultimate Fighter"
winner did get popped a few times by Buchholz, who looked good
on the feet, but gave up the ground control to his opponent.
Landing
several takedowns, Danzig mounted Buchholz a couple times in
the fight, working away with punches, punishing the Alaska born
fighter. As the third round came to a close, Danzig almost locked
on a rear naked choke, but ran out of time before he could finish.
An elated Danzig got the win, and talked about how tough a road
the lightweight division is to travel following the fight.
"This
division is so steep, it's such a tough division," Danzig
commented when speaking about the 155lb weight class. "No
offense to the heavyweights, but they don't understand what it's
like to fight in this division. Everyone, even the guys towards
like the bottom of the rankings in the UFC are world class."
The
chants of "Who dat?" started a day early as New Orleans
native, Melvin Guillard, pulled off a unanimous decision victory
over Ronys Torres to kick off the prelims for UFC 109 on Spike.
A
Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu black belt, Ronys Torres did a good job of
getting Melvin Guillard to the ground a few different times in
the first round, but despite the position he was unable to hold
on and the New Orleans native got back to his feet repeatedly.
An
ice bag breaking caused a delay going into the 2nd round, and
if he needed the time to rest, Guillard took advantage because
he came out storming after Torres. Landing a knee strike flush
to Torres' jaw when he shot for a takedown let the Brazilian
know he had to be careful going forward.
The
third round saw Guillard once again land some very solid combinations,
while Torres again worked for a few takedowns. As the fight was
coming to a close, Torres went for a slam, and Guillard reversed
positions, landed in mount and reigned down punches as the final
horn sounded.
A
very close fight, but in the end the judges scored the bout 29-28
on all cards for Melvin Guillard, who picks up his 6th win in
the Octagon.
"This
starts the mark of my new career," Guillard said after his
first victory while working with guru Greg Jackson. "I'm
1-0 as far as tonight, those other fights, don't care about them,
I don't need them. Tonight I'm 1-0 and I want to try to get to
that title by 2011."
Source: MMA Weekly
|
SERRA
KO'S TRIGG WITH SIGNATURE RIGHT HAND
Before the fight on Saturday night, Frank Trigg commented how
Matt Serra catches everyone he fights with his big right hand.
Despite the preparation, lighting struck once again as Serra
clubbed Trigg with that right en route to a first round TKO win
at UFC 109.
It
looked to be a stand-up fight when both Serra and Trigg trotted
to the middle of the Octagon and took a boxing stance. Trigg
never lowered his body looking for a takedown, while Serra was
content pounding away at his opponent's mid-section.
Playing
a somewhat tentative strategy, Trigg threw out his jab trying
to keep Serra away, but the Ray Longo trained fighter kept moving
forward, looking for the punch that would end the fight.
Just
a few exchanges later, Serra threw a picture perfect right hook
that clipped Trigg's chin, and sent the veteran crashing to the
canvas. Serra followed up and blasted away with more strikes
before the referee rushed in to stop the bout.
"I
knew he was worried about the right, I've been working a lot
on my left, but hey what the hell, I'll take the right,"
Serra commented about the finishing shot.
A
Renzo Gracie Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu black belt, Matt Serra has always
shown tremendous progression in his striking game as well, and
it showed through on Saturday night as well.
"I
believe in my stand-up," said Serra. "I'm not the prettiest
guy on the pads, but in sparring I land, it works, so that's
okay I'll take that."
Taking
another step forward in a tough welterweight division, Serra
looked great getting the KO win, while Frank Trigg may find himself
looking for a new promotion after the loss.
Source: MMA Weekly
|
Malfacine:
“It was missing only this title”
Champion
of everything. Bruno Malacine won, the last weekend, the missing
title. “It was my debut on European and I wanted a lot to
win... It was missing only this title on my collection, now is
to work to have a better year than 2009”, celebrates the
rooster weight.
“This
is the tri year. If I win the Pan-American, World’s, Brazilian,
I’ll be tri Champion on three”, revealed the Black
belt, thanking the work at Alliance team. “I’ve been
working a lot with Alliance, my friends are helping me on trains
and I try to get better always on each competition I learn a
little. I’m seeing the details to be good on the World’s,
that’s my goal”, thanks the champion.
Source: Tatame
|
Bráulio
Estima anxious to debut on MMA
The
great name of ADCC 2009, Bráulio Estima is close to make
one more dream come true: to debut on MMA. With signed contract
with Shine Fights, American event that may do its next edition
in April, the black belt gets excited. “I just signed the
contract. It was in my hand, but I only had time to sign now”,
tells Bráulio, who’s making a seminary tour on United
States. Excited for the first fight, the black belt tells that
he could appear in other events on the future.
“I
liked the proposal, it will be on pay-per-view. It was a non
exclusive contract, a lot (of events) looked from, but I won’t
talk about it because I may fight in some of them because I have
an one contract (laugh)”, explains the fighter who signed
a three fights contract, but hasn’t a chosen opponent yet
to the debut.
Although,
who is thinking that the black belt will be out of the main competitions
with kimono to fight on the rings is wrong. “I love Jiu-Jitsu
and I’m always training. I have nothing to lose. MMA is
MMA and Jiu Jitsu... I’m not afraid to lose, I fight because
I like to. And I feel there’s a good ‘challenge’
on the world’s”, guarantees Estima, with confirmed
presence on the 2010 World’s.
Source: Tatame
|
Renzo
dropped 14kg to fight with Hughes
Renzo
Gracie was in Rio de Janeiro this week. But not to train Jiu-Jitsu,
work on his boxing with his friend and coach Claudinho Coelho
or do physical prep work in Rio’s nature. Renzo was invited
to a wedding.
He
was not just any guest. Indeed, he was the best man of his uncle
George, brother of Renzo’s mother.Saturday night in family
for the UFC fighter.
Among
his relatives most clued in to the MMA world, the chatter was
about how seriously the Jiu-Jitsu professor living in New Jersey
was taking his fight against Matt Hughes.
“He
lost 14kg for the fight; he’s lean” they said, impressed.
In the group were black belts like Daniel Gracie, Carlos Russo,
Flavio Canto, Leo Leite and Kyra Gracie. Naturally happy, Renzo
drank only water.
And,
of course, father to the fighter Grandmaster Carlos Robson Gracie
drew everyone’s attention with his storytelling.
The
attention of the guests was also drawn to the dialogue between
the great master, famous for his catch phrases while presenting
the TV show “Heróis do Ringue” in the late 1990s,
and Olympic medalist Canto.
Source: Gracie Magazine
|
Jiu-Jitsu
loses another grandmaster
Jiu-Jitsu
has lost another grandmaster. He died on January 28, aged 86,
the pioneer of the sport in the Brazilian state of Pernambuco,
Master Jurandir Moura. Promoted to black belt by George Gracie,
Jurandir was an 8th-degree Jiu-Jitsu red-and-black belt.“I’m
sure all the fighters in the North and Northeast know the story
of this great fighter. He certainly is part of the history of
Jiu-Jitsu in Pernambuco! ” said the master of Gracie Barra-PE,
Zé Radiola.
Master
Jurandir arrived in Recife in the mid-‘50’s, when Brazilian
Jiu-Jitsu was just getting started. He opened his academy in
1955 and also competed in MMA at the Portuguese Club, between
‘60 and ‘64.
Black
Belt George Gracie was the largest producer of champions in MMA
at the time, at the old Pernambuco Academy of Jiu-Jitsu. From
there came such stalwarts as Ivan Gomes and his brother José
Gomes, the brothers Stariovitis (known as the Gypsies), Amaro
Pé de Pombo, Cabo Vasco (aka Calango Elétrico)
and many others who fought MMA on the old TV Ring-Torres.
Source: Gracie Magazine
|
Lucas
Rocha’s unprecedented promotion
Lucas
Rocha is a very happy young man these days. He just received
his brown belt and his future is looking bright. In fact, everyone
is looking at Rocha these days, watching and waiting to see what
he will do this 2010 season. His past BJJ record is one big reason
why. As a blue belt in the juvenile division, Rocha competed
in the Brazilian Nationals and the Worlds and won gold in both.
In the blue belt Adult division, he competed in the Brazilian
Nationals, the Europeans, the Pan Ams and the Worlds and won
gold in all of them. Then, as a purple belt, he competed in the
Europeans, the Pan, the Worlds, and the No-Gi Worlds, and yes,
you guessed it, he won gold in all of them, too.
So,
when Rocha received his brown belt last week at GB America in
Irvine, CA, the mood was high and the talk was rife about his
potential at this new belt level.
Rocha’s
brown belt ceremony was very emotional for him. Marcio Feitosa,
Head Instructor of GB America, in Irvine, CA, made sure that
Rocha’s professor and Uncle, Ze’ Radiola (master of
Braulio and Victor Estima, Max Carvalho, and Otavio Sousa) was
on hand, via Skype, to “give” Rocha his new belt, witness
the ceremony, and extend his warm congratulations to his beloved
nephew. As Radiola spoke, Rocha choked up and tried to keep his
emotions at bay. “I’m very happy to give my nephew
and student, Lucas, his brown belt. He deserves it because he
is a good fighter and a good person,” Radiola said, “I’m
very happy he’s there with Master Carlos and Professor Marcio.
I’m thrilled he has the opportunity to receive his brown
belt with so many talented GB black belts standing next to him
and training with him on the mats.”
Marcio
Feitosa, Head Instructor of GB America then added his comments,
“I am thankful we have young men like Lucas who decide to
represent GB and BJJ. It’s a huge honor for me to be here
today and congratulate Lucas on behalf of Ze’ Radiola and
Master Carlos.” He then asked Rocha to step up and receive
his coveted new brown belt.
Still
a purple belt, beside Zé Radiola
With
his old purple belt draped across his shoulders, Rocha said although
he is homesick and misses his family, friends, and girlfriend,
he is happy to be in California, “It’s a dream for
me to be able to live here, and work and compete for GB. I want
to win gold at all the tournaments this year as a brown belt.
I want to thank my Uncle and family for always believing in me.
It gives me the strength to work hard and succeed in this sport
and I will do my best to continue to represent GB at the highest
level possible.”
Source: Gracie Magazine
|
AL-TURK
VS. MADSEN ADDED TO UFC 112 IN ABU DHABI
Visa issues kept Mostapha Al-Turk out of UFC 109 this weekend,
but it won't keep him out of an April fight in Abu Dhabi against
"Ultimate Fighter" alum, Jon Madsen, at UFC 112.
Both
fighters have agreed to the fight according to sources close
to the situation as confirmed to MMAWeekly.com on Saturday.
Following
back-to-back losses in the UFC, grappling champion Mostapha Al-Turk
(6-5) looks to duplicate the success he had in England while
fighting in the Octagon.
Losses
to Mirko CroCop and Cheick Kongo have put Al-Turk in a must win
situation, and following visa issues that put him out of his
scheduled fight this weekend against Rolles Gracie, he'll be
gunning for a win in April instead.
It
will be a busy weekend for the HIT Squad as Jon Madsen (3-0)
makes his first appearance for the UFC since winning at the "Ultimate
Fighter" season 10 finale show, and he becomes the third
member of the Illinois based camp set for the Abu Dhabi card.
Team
leader, Matt Hughes, along with lightweight Matt Veach will also
be featured on the upcoming card. Madsen has been working with
the team including coach Marc Fiore for some time now, and he'll
look to capitalize on his last fight and make it 2 in a row in
the UFC.
UFC
112 is scheduled for April 10 from Abu Dhabi and will be features
in the United States as a live pay-per-view that will show during
the daytime, and then re-broadcast again later that night as
well. Madsen vs. Al-Turk will serve as an undercard fight on
the untelevised portion of the card.
Source: MMA Weekly
|
Quote
of the Day
"Destiny
is no matter of chance. It is a matter of choice.
It is not a thing to be waited for, it is a thing to be achieved."
William Jennings Bryan, 1860-1925
|
UFC
109 Full Results
Mandalay Bay Events Center, Las Vegas, NV
February 6, 2010
Full
write up at Full Contact Fighter:
Randy Couture def Mark Coleman by Rear Naked Choke 1:09 Rd 2
Chael Sonnen def Nate Marquardt by Unanimous Decision (30-27,
30-27, 30-27)
Paulo Thiago def Mike Swick by D’Arce Choke 1:54 Rd 2
Demian Maia def Dan Miller by Unanimous Decision (30-27, 29-28,
29-28)
Matt Serra def Frank Trigg by KO 2:23 Rd 1
Mac Danzig def Justin Buchholz by Unanimous Decision (29-28,
29-28, 29-28)
Melvin Guillard def Ronys Torres by Unanimous Decision (29-28,
29-28, 29-28)
Rob Emerson def Phillipe Nover by Unanimous Decision
Phil Davis def Brian Stann by Unanimous Decision
Chris Tuchscherer def Tim Hague by Majority Decision (29-28,
29-28, 28-28)
Joey Beltran def Rolles Gracie by TKO (Strikes) 1:31 Rd 2
Source: Full Contact Fighter
|
MORE
MARQUEE NON-TITLE FIGHTS ON THE WAY
by Damon
Martin
Five UFC weight classes = Five UFC champions
Simple
logic for five champions means the UFC is just not able to put
a championship bout on every single card they promote. Company
president Dana White says that we will be seeing more headline
fights pushed in the coming months that won't necessarily include
a title belt on the line.
Because
of the number of shows the UFC is now producing, 30-plus per
year, champions are all competing regularly, but there are only
so many title fights to go around.
"We
got so many fights and we’re not slowing down, we’re
doing more," White said. "Listen, there’s tons
of interesting fights that people want to see and not every fight
is going to be a title fight. Kenny Florian vs. (Takanori) Gomi,
we’re doing that on free TV."
The
main event for UFC 109 is a case where fans will be treated to
a match-up of two legends and UFC Hall of Famers in the main
event, but no title on the line.
Still,
White believes that regardless of title fights, the fans are
ultimate the winners in the whole situation because they get
more quality main events and a great many of the cards are being
given away for free on networks like Spike and now Versus.
"Believe
me, we’ve got so much going on, it’s great for the
fans," White stated. "When I say the fans are spoiled
it’s because they’re so used to all the stuff we’re
doing. When I was a boxing guy I was talking about Tuesday night
fights, I wish this kind of (expletive) was going on when I was
a fight fan when I was younger. It’s good stuff man.
"It’s
a win, win, win for the fans."
Source: MMA Weekly
|
Aldo
vs. Faber Headlines First WEC PPV
By FCF
Staff
World Extreme Cagefighting has announced that the promotion will
make its pay-per-view debut, April 24th, with a card that will
feature current featherweight champion Jose Aldo, taking on former
champ Urijah Faber in the main event. The card will take place
at the Arco Arena, in Sacramento, California, Faber’s hometown.
The
news was announced on the WEC’s Twitter account and in a
report from the Associated Press, the promotion also confirmed
that the PPV will feature a rematch between lightweight champion
Ben Henderson and Donald Cerrone, as well as a featherweight
bout between former champ Mike Brown and UFC vet Manny Gamburyan.
The
news ends months of speculation as to if and when the Zuffa owned
WEC would eventually break into the pay-per-view market. Purchase
of the broadcast will cost $44.99.
Aldo
(16-1) laid claim to the WEC featherweight title in November
by stopping Brown in the second round with strikes. The win entrenched
the dynamic fighter’s presence at the pinnacle of the world’s
rankings, after also dominating Rolando Perez, Chris Mickle and
Cub Swanson in 2009.
After
spending extensive time on the DL, due to a broken hand Faber
(22-3) incurred in his decision loss to Brown last June, “The
California Kid” returned in January and tapped out Rapheal
Assuncao in the second round with a rear-naked-choke. Prior to
Faber’s initial loss to Brown in November, 2008, the Sacramento
fighter had won 13 straight.
Source: Full Contact Fighter
|
UFC
Undisputed Cover Shows Brock Lesnar Is Star of the Show
By Michael David Smith
He fought just once in 2009 and won't fight again until the summer,
but there's no disputing that Brock Lesnar is the biggest star
in the UFC.
The
latest piece of evidence: Lesnar has been chosen for the cover
of UFC Undisputed 2010.
For
the UFC, choosing Lesnar as the cover boy is an affirmative statement
that the heavyweight champion, whose last fight was a victory
over Frank Mir at UFC 100, is the face of the promotion. All
four of the other champions -- Lyoto Machida, Anderson Silva,
Georges St. Pierre and B.J. Penn -- are popular fighters who
would have been worthy choices to make the cover, but none of
them has even close to the drawing power of Lesnar.
The
UFC's recent slump in pay-per-view buys was caused by an unlucky
string of injuries to several marquee fighters. But none of those
injuries were nearly as significant to the promotion's bottom
line as the illness that caused Lesnar to pull out of a fight
with Shane Carwin in November and to consider retirement before
finally making a recovery that Lesnar himself described in January
as miraculous.
Now
Lesnar is getting ready to come back to fight the winner of the
upcoming Mir-Carwin fight, and he's the star of the promotion's
video game. It's a reminder of how fortunate the UFC was that
after his recent health scare, Lesnar has decided to return to
the Octagon.
Source: MMA Fighting
|
Zuffa
knows best - WEC PPVs at $45. Everybody has a price…
By Zach
Arnold
…but
I don’t think $45 will generate more than 25,000 PPV buys
for the April 24th event with Urijah Faber vs. Jose Aldo.
Then
again, Affliction did decent PPV buyrates (not enough to stay
in business, however). To Affliction’s credit, they built
their deal around the best Heavyweight in the world who had a
name from the PRIDE days. Yes, WEC has the best talent at 145,
but it’s America and the heavyweights still draw more interest.
Even
if Zuffa gets a 50% cut of the PPV profits at $45 a clip, it
becomes an issue of math regarding whether or not the move to
PPV becomes more profitable. We’ve seen UFC do some ridiculous
business in terms of converting cable viewers to PPV customers
(UFC 100 will forever be the peak example of this), but it’s
hard to see how a largely “I won’t pay a dime”
audience on Versus TV converts a lot of the TV viewers into PPV
customers. If WEC draws on a good day 500,000 viewers, 25,000
PPV buys would be about 5% of the audience. Sounds about right?
Over or under 25,000?
I
don’t have a large issue with the $45 price point in the
following sense… If they charged $30 for the show, would
they really entice more people to buy the show? It’s hard
to believe that a drop off in price point would generate any
more buys than will happen. Just like with WWE, if you want to
pay to watch the show, you will pay to watch the show. If it
was $70 or $80, OK, that’s one thing, but $50 right now
seems to be the price point range for most PPV events. Let’s
say you do drop the price point from $45 to $30 — that means
you would need 3 people to buy the show at the lower price to
match the 2 people you counted on to buy it at $45. Do you think
that there would be enough fans to make up for the 50% slack
to buy the show? Doubtful.
Many
fighters in WEC said they wanted to be on PPV. Well, here you
go. Their wish has been granted. But it’s not under very
good circumstances. The 4/24 date opens up Zuffa to get hammered
by Strikeforce on CBS (should CBS choose to run that date). We
already know that Strikeforce’s show last December from
San Jose matched the same amount of viewers as the WEC show from
LV did on Versus (Donald Cerrone vs. Ed Ratcliff). By opening
themselves up to Strikeforce on CBS, it will no doubt create
the urge in Zuffa circles to run UFC programming on Spike against
the CBS show. By doing that, Zuffa would be essentially cannibalizing
the WEC show and would also give Strikeforce a bump up in media
coverage because of the easy storyline that the media would bite
on.
Which
may be the point of Zuffa’s experiment here. They accomplished
keeping off competition from Versus by having WEC as the vehicle
to do it. Anything else WEC-related is gravy for them. If the
PPV experiment works, great, they make money and the fighters
stay happy. If the PPV experiment fails (most likely), then they
can turn around and say hey, the marketplace has a verdict, and
it’s they don’t want to pay to see you fight. Of course,
as alluded to up above, UFC’s brand is so strong (it’s
not a meme) for bigger shows that without the UFC label, it’s
going to be really difficult for Faber and company to get the
PPV buys.
It’s
not as if you can tell Faber, Torres, etc. that they need to
go out and sell the tickets and PPV buys. They’ve done everything
they can already to put on the most exciting fights possible.
They had their chance to go to Strikeforce and they decided to
stay with WEC. Will it prove to be a mistake for the fighters?
The
odds are likely that WEC on PPV will struggle, but it doesn’t
mean that I am rooting against the fighters. Far from it —
I’d love to see the shows do really well, but the tea leaves
suggest otherwise. Which leads us to the long-ball question —
if a PPV bombs or you have a couple of WEC PPVs that fail to
meet standards internally in Zuffa, then what? WEC keeps saying
that they are in it for the long haul and are starting to expand
worldwide through various TV contracts, but if the league stagnates
business-wise then what? Will a vaunted talent exodus happen
with WEC guys demanding to fight on UFC shows?
One
thing is for sure — the WEC PPV announcement got zero air
time on American sports media. When I saw the “MMA”
tab on ESPN’s news ticker yesterday, I thought the WEC PPV
announcement would be covered. Nope. What was ESPN’s MMA
story? That Jose Canseco wrote on his Twitter account that he
wanted to fight Herschel Walker.
I
guess I may have to show Herschel Walker who the real bad Boy
of the Sports industry is. If the powers that be are reading,
I want in.
My
people spoke with Cesar Gracie today. Looks like things are moving
at a fast pace. Dan Black and Cesar seem to have a plan together.
The
irony of Canseco mentioning Cesar Gracie’s name is that
Cesar can’t get any media ink for his boy Nick Diaz’s
win over Marius Zaromskis at last weekend’s Strikeforce
event. The two big stories coming out of that event: 47-year
old Herschel Walker beating a jaybrone and Rex Ryan getting fined
$50,000USD for flipping the bird. I got a kick out of how many
times the general US sports media called Strikeforce’s event
“the Miami MMA show” on ESPN, about 8 million times.
As
for Herschel’s response to Canseco…
“Jose
wants to do this for money,” Walker said. “My thing
is, if he wants to fight me and he thinks it’s going to
be a circus, I will hurt him. This is not a joke, I will hurt
him, because I don’t do things as a joke. I don’t do
this as entertainment. If we go out and play a flag football
game, that’s entertainment. We’re having fun. But this
MMA fighting, is real. You can get hurt, and he doesn’t
understand it. I do this as an MMA fighter, not as a joke.”
Jose
Canseco vs. Herschel Walker is getting more sports media attention
than the WEC… and we’re in 2010. Ugh.
Source: Fight Opinion
|
Belfort,
what if you were challenged by a friend?
by Carlos
Eduardo Ozório
The UFC top brass have had enough of this story of training partners
not wanting to face each other, those days are coming to an end.
Vitor Belfort has accepted the challenge posed by the organization
of facing Anderson Silva for middleweight title this coming April
10 in Abu Dhabi. The fact they have trained together in the past,
whether at Minotauro Team or at Black House, did not prompt a
negative response from the Rio native.
The
one who didn’t like it one bit was Anderson, which became
in remarks he made to the media. But what would Belfort think
if a sparring partner or teammate of his were to challenge him
in the near future?
“If
tomorrow I’m training with someone they want me to fight,
I’ll think that’s fair. I’m secure enough to say
to the person, ‘Your time has come and, if you win, you
did nothing more than what you were obligated to.’ It’s
a cycle and we all have to let go of thinking it is something
personal. Not at all, it’s professional,” he is quoted
as saying in NOCAUTE magazine 84, now on newsstands in Brazil.
Source: Gracie Magazine
|
Sonnen
Balances Political Aspirations, MMA Career
by Brian
Knapp
LAS VEGAS -- Outspoken middleweight contender Chael Sonnen has
called the bluff of fighters who lean on time-honored clichés
and claim to train “six hours a day, seven days a week.”
Sonnen
will collide with Nate Marquardt in the UFC 109 “Relentless”
co-main event on Saturday at the Mandalay Bay Events Center and
plans to throw his hat into the political arena this spring when
he runs for public office in his home state of Oregon.
Following
a path similar to that of Team Quest teammate Matt Lindland,
Sonnen, a registered Republican, will vie for the vacated District
37 seat in the Oregon State House of Representatives. The primary
for the district, which covers roughly five cities, will be contested
in May; the general election will follow in November. Sonnen
estimates the campaign will cost him $400,000. He does not foresee
his political ambitions conflicting with his mixed martial arts
career and claims UFC President Dana White has “contributed
to the campaign.”
“Nothing
would change,” Sonnen said. “I practice three hours
a day now. I’ll practice three hours a day then. I get insulted
if someone refers to me as a full-time fighter. It’s three
hours a day; that leaves 21 hours. There’s no such thing
as a full-time fighter. Go contribute to society.”
Sonnen
has never flown higher on the MMA radar. One of the world’s
top 10 middleweights, he could solidify himself as the number
one contender to UFC champion Anderson Silva’s throne should
he defeat Marquardt at UFC 109. He likes his position on the
lineup.
“It’s
a good spot to be in,” Sonnen said. “If you’re
in the fight business, you want to be near the top of the card.”
Sonnen
had nothing but praise for his latest foe, a former middleweight
King of Pancrase who will carry a three-fight winning streak
into their match. Marquardt blasted Brazilian jiu-jitsu ace Demian
Maia, the last man to defeat Sonnen, in a cool 21 seconds at
UFC 102 in August. It took just one nuclear right hand.
“I
didn’t hype this fight at all,” Sonnen said. “Is
there bad blood [between us]? No, there isn’t. Every now
and then, you run into one of the good guys, and Nate’s
one of those guys.”
Having
improved his own stock with a surprisingly lopsided unanimous
decision victory against Yushin Okami at UFC 104 in October,
Sonnen admits he admired Marquardt’s work in his encounter
with the previously unbeaten Maia. The Brazilian submitted Sonnen
with a triangle choke a year ago.
“I
was jealous,” Sonnen said. “I wish I had thrown that
punch.”
Like
many, Sonnen believed Marquardt had locked up a title shot with
the performance. Instead, Silva will defend his middleweight
crown against former UFC light heavyweight champion Vitor Belfort
in April.
“I
thought [Marquardt] would get it,” Sonnen said. “He
climbed the ladder. He did everything he needed to do to get
there. But I get it. If I was a promoter, I’d put Vitor
in there, too. That’s a fight people want to see.”
Though
he was complimentary of Marquardt, Sonnen again took aim at Silva,
the man who has ruled the UFC’s middleweight division with
his fists, feet and knees for more than three years.
“I’m
not a fan of his,” he said. “A guy with earrings, crooked
hats and pink shirts wouldn’t last in my neighborhood. When
I get done with Nate and sink my teeth into that bum, it will
be far more interesting than anything I’ve said.”
Source: Sherdog
|
Strikeforce
‘Miami’ Attendance Figures Released
by Sherdog.com
Staff
The
debut of Herschel Walker and two championship bouts sold 4,927
tickets for a net gate of $301,424.60 at Strikeforce “Miami,”
according to documents obtained by Sherdog.com from the Florida
Department of Business and Regulation.
According
to the paperwork, 2,083 comped tickets were distributed for the
Jan. 30 event held at the BankAtlantic Center in Sunrise, Fla.,
boosting the overall attendance to 7,010 spectators. The disclosed
fighter payroll for the event was $469,600.
EliteXC
“Heat,” held in the same venue with Kevin “Kimbo
Slice” Ferguson and Gina Carano as headliners in October
2008, reportedly sold 7,723 tickets for a $826,433 gate (gross
or net not specified). “Heat’s” disclosed payroll
topped out at $1,316,000.
UFC
108, held in Las Vegas over New Year’s weekend, drew 8,005
paying attendees with an additional 5,314 comped tickets for
a $1,969,670 gross gate. The event’s disclosed payroll was
$843,000.
Source: Sherdog
|
Shogun
bets on “Minotouro” against Griffin
By Guilherme
Cruz
On the same month that Maurício “Shogun” gets
his second shot at the UFC light heavyweight title against Lyoto
Machida, on May 8, another great fight will move the divisions
rakings, and Shogun knows well the fighters. Rogério “Minotouro”
Nogueira, who faced him on Pride, will face Forrest Griffin,
who submited Maurício in his UFC debut.
“This is the toughest category, it’s going to be a
great fight”, said, betting on his compatriot. “Griffin
has a lot of heart and Minotouro very technical... It’s
going to be a cool fight. I believe in Minotouro, he has a better
boxing... I bet on him”, said, without considering a new
meeting with both. For now: “my focus is on Lyoto’s
fight, then I’ll see what I’ll do”.
DADDY RUA
With
three months left to the rematch against Machida, Shogun is enjoying
a new phase. Between training, he shows his daddy side, taking
care of the little Maria Eduarda, born on January 15. “I’m
enjoying my daughter, just training lightly”, Shogun said,
who hasn’t tight the trains for the fight yet. “I’m
training nice. It’s missing three months to the fight, I’m
ok”, explains.
Source: Tatame
|
MMA
Headlines for Feb. 4 - Griffin-Nogueira at UFC 114
Headlines
making news around the mixed martial arts world...
-Griffin
vs. Nogueira likely set for UFC 114 in Las Vegas, not UFC 113
in Montreal (Credit: MMAJunkie.com)
-Bellator
announces four Kansas City dates (Credit: TheFightNetwork.com)
-Rick
Story to meet Nick Osipczak at UFC 112 (Credit: MMAFighting.com)
-"Countdown
to UFC 110" preview show debuts on Feb. 18 on Spike TV (Credit:
MMAJunkie.com)
-TapOut
opens Charles "Mask" Lewis Theatre (Credit: MMAWeekly.com)
-"MMA
Unltd.” magazine ceases operations (Credit: MMAPayout.com)
-Jorge
Santiago to defend title against Mamed Khalidov at Sengoku 12
(Credit: MMAFighting.com)
-Paulo
Thiago may have easier job in the cage than out (Credit: MMAFighting.com)
-Florian-Gomi,
Nelson-Struve, five others set for UFC Fight Night 21(Credit:
MMAFighting.com)
-UFC
2009 Undisputed reaches "Platinum Hits" status (Credit:
MMAPayout.com)
-Herschel
Walker: "I will hurt Jose Canseco" (Credit: MMAFighting.com)
-Aaron
Simpson returns to UFC 114 in May (Credit: MMAJunkie.com)
-MMA
Big Show showcases stars at “Triple Threat” (Credit:
TheFightNetwork.com)
-Q&A:
Daniel Worin, Anderson Silva's muay thai coach (Credit: Tatame.com)
-In
the blue corner with Rory McDonell (Credit: TopMMANews.com)
-With
Rakoczy up next, Frausto already eyeing showdown with Tate at
Strikeforce (Credit: MMAJunkie.com)
-UFC
109's Mac Danzig: "If I don't beat Justin Buchholz, I don't
belong in the UFC" (Credit: MMAJunkie.com)
-UFC
welterweight Frank Trigg latest addition to "EA Sports MMA"
videogame roster (Credit: MMAJunkie.com)
-WEC
sets first PPV for Apr. 24 (Credit: Sherdog.com)
-Markham
sees Diaz fight as new beginning (Credit: MMAWeekly.com)
-Q&A:
Babalu: “I want to fight with big names” (Credit: Tatame.com)
-SRC
have announced three fights for their next event in Ryogoku Kokugikan
(Credit: Japan-MMA.com)
-Video:
Spanking that ass, or tapping out? (Credit: TopMMANews.com)
-“Colleseo
Championship Fighting” a go as ECSC approves DREAM rules
(Credit: TopMMANews.com)
-TJ
Grant looking to blemish Hendricks record (Credit: TopMMANews.com)
-Bellator
aligns with online poker giant UB.net (Credit: TheFightNetwork.com)
Source: The Fight Network
|
NICK
DIAZ NEEDS TO "PLAY THE GAME"
by Damon
Martin
When Nick Diaz knocked out Marius Zaromskis last weekend the
questions immediately started to come up about the welterweight's
future and if a UFC return could ever happen.
The
Gracie trained fighter competed in the UFC for several years,
but left and signed on with EliteXC and then Strikeforce, where
he has come to be considered among the best pound-for-pound fighters
in the sport.
UFC
president Dana White commented on Diaz's recent performance and
had nothing but compliments for the California native.
"I
like Nick Diaz very much, and I’ve said this many times,
if Nick Diaz would just play the game even this much... but Nick
Diaz refuses to play the game," White said. "He’s
anti-the game."
So
what exactly does White mean when he says 'play the game'?
"
Listen, you have certain rules and guidelines, and last time
Nick Diaz was in the UFC he got in a fist fight in the hospital
with the guy that he fought here," he said, referring to
Diaz's fight against Joe Riggs in 2006. "You can’t
do that kind of stuff. The kid is very talented and he probably
should be in the UFC, but that kind of stuff has got to stop."
Nick's
younger brother, Nate, has been a mainstay in the UFC over the
last few years. White maintains a good relationship with the
elder Diaz, and doesn't close the door to working together again.
"I
have a great relationship with Nate and I have a good relationship
with Nick," he stated. "It’s not like I hate Nick
Diaz. I talk to Nick Diaz every time I see him. Every time I
see him he’s a good kid, but it’s the stuff after and
the stuff away from the Octagon that’s stopping Nick. So
everybody has to play the game at least this much."
Diaz
is still currently awaiting Strikeforce's decision as to whom
he will face next. The Gracie jiu-jitsu black belt could potentially
face Japanese fighter Hayato "Mach" Sakurai or Jay
Hieron at some point this year.
Source: MMA Weekly
|
Wisconsin
Signs MMA Regulation Bill Into Law
By Mike Chiappetta
Wisconsin became the 43rd state to sanction mixed martial arts
when Gov. Jim Doyle signed into law a bill to regulate the sport.
The
state's Department of Regulation and Licensing will govern the
fights, adding MMA to its duties overseeing pro boxing contests.
Unlike
other states, Wisconsin's law passed through the legislative
process in just a few months. The bill was first introduced in
September 2009.
MMA
fighters and notables that have links to the state include Eric
Schafer, Pat Barry, Duke Roufus, Anthony Pettis and Jameel Massouh.
Organizations have run unsanctioned events in the state for years
but will now fall under state jurisdiction.
New
York is the most prominent state that does not sanction MMA,
but Gov. David Paterson recently unveiled a bill to regulate
it in the Empire State.
The
other states that have yet to sanction the sport are Alabama,
Connecticut, Vermont, West Virginia, Alaska and Wyoming. The
last two states, however, have no athletic commissions in place
Source: MMA Fighting
|
Storm
on how to become a business black belt
by Luca
Atalla
Bill
Storm is an experienced martial arts management guru. His company
has helped martial arts academies for over two decades. He’s
now focused on helping Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu and MMA academies
to become as organized and successful as businesses as the more
traditional martial arts are, without losing the technical essence
of BJJ.
For
such purposes Storm struck up an association with UFC veteran
Hermes Franca, and he’s even learning Portuguese (“The
good thing is I know all the bad words now so I know if someone
is talking about me,” he jokes). Among his BJJ clients are
Pablo Popovitch, Master Mansur, Milton Regis and Eduardo Santos.
United Professionals is also sponsoring the Long Island Pride
tournament. “I am really serious about connecting with this
community,” he says. Storm will attend the 5th Arizona International
Open, and then teach a seminar in a local academy. He’s
now taking GRACIEMAG’s questions:
You are going to Arizona this March to teach a seminar on marketing.
What services does your company provide and how did you get started
in them?
United
Professionals (www.unitedprofessionals.com) has been the leader
in martial arts billing, consulting and marketing products for
two decades. In fact we are coming up on our 21st year. Just
like BJJ, experience counts!
How
can a school owner benefit from a seminar like this one?
An
academy owner will be able to immediately walk away with ideas
that will increase his income using systems that United Professionals
has perfected over the years for attracting new students. Secondarily
I will offer all BJJ school owners a month of business coaching
absolutely free so that they can see the value of being a client.
What
do you see as the biggest thing being neglected by JJ/MMA school
owners that can be learned from the traditional martial arts
system? Or, simply put, if you have to give just one short piece
of advice to a JJ school owner, what would be it?
Professional
BJJ academies are new to the United States. United Professionals
respects the tradition of Brazilian Jiu Jitsu and does not want
BJJ academies to water down their programs. In fact, I have started
training in it myself. Teaching authentic BJJ was so important
to me that I invested in bringing a Brazilian black belt in from
Brazil to teach at my academy.
The
advice I would give to an academy owner is to learn the United
Professional systems. The have given owners of all different
styles the luxury of being able to teach what they love while
making a great income.
Do
you feel it is possible to reconcile having a strong competition
team with having a successful academy?
Absolutely.
In fact, the highest paid school owners in the country are very
competitive. The trick is to take the competitive spirit you
have for BJJ and apply it to business. Becoming a business black
belt isn’t easy. This is a fact I’m sure BJJ school
owners can appreciate.
Source: Gracie Magazine
|
PR:
Fight Advertising Network to offer affordable MMA advertising
By Zach
Arnold
New
online niche advertising network for MMA advertisers and MMA
publishers set to launch on February 1st, 2010.
Allentown,
PA (web) January 21st, 2010 – MMA advertisers can now affordably
expand their online presence while MMA publishers can monetize
their website traffic with a new online advertising network that
is geared toward the sport of Mixed Martial Arts and the male
18-35 year old demographic.
MMA
business owners, once forced to seek out their own publishers
for online ads, can now use Fight Advertising Network to display
a range of static or dynamic web banners on MMA-related web sites.
MMA web site owners now have to choice to display advertisements
geared towards the male demographic with MMA advertisements and
other sports-related products and services.
“As
a publisher, I was constantly seeing advertisements for national
banks, tires, and other products and services that would be of
little interest to the viewers on the site. I knew that my viewers
would be more likely to click the ads of MMA-related products
and services.” – Brandt DeLorenzo, Owner of Fight Advertising
Network
Unlike
other generic sports advertising networks, Fight Advertising
Network is focused primarily on one demographic and a single
sport. Businesses that advertise through the network are not
required to sign yearly contracts or spend a minimum dollar amount.
Publishers can start getting paid just one month after joining
and statistics are available 24/7 through a user-friendly web
interface.
For
additional information on the news that is the subject of this
release contact Brandt DeLorenzo or visit www.fightadnet.com.
About
Fight Advertising Network:
Fight
Advertising Network is a part of Backfist Media LLC, a company
focused on MMA publishing, photography, and advertising.
Contact:
Brandt
DeLorenzo, Owner
Fight Advertising Network
Backfist Media LLC
brandt@fightadnet.com
http://www.fightadnet.com
Source: Fight Opinion
|
Quote
of the Day
"They
always say time changes things, but you actually have to change
them yourself."
Andy Warhol, 1928-1987
|
UFC
109 Today
Las Vegas
at Mandalay Bay Events Center
2/6/10
By Zach Arnold
Dark
matches
¦Heavyweights:
Joey Beltran vs. Rolles Gracie
¦Heavyweights: Tim Hague vs. Chris Tuchscherer
¦Light Heavyweights: Brian Stann vs. Phil “Mr. Wonderful”
Davis (he better watch out for Paul Orndorff)
¦Lightweights: Phillipe Nover vs. Rob Emerson
¦Lightweights: Melvin Guillard vs. Ronnys Torres
¦Lightweights: Mac Danzig vs. Justin Buchholz
Main card
¦Welterweights:
Matt Serra vs. Frank Trigg
¦Middleweights: Demian Maia vs. Dan Miller
¦Welterweights: Mike Swick vs. Paulo Thiago
¦Middleweights: Nathan Marquardt vs. Chael Sonnen
¦Light Heavyweights (#1 contender’s match): Randy
Couture vs. Mark Coleman
Source: Fight Opinion
|
Sidney
Silva Seminar Today
After almost a year Training and teaching in Las Vegas at Wanderlei
Silva’s Gym ( www.wandfightteam.com ) I have the pleasure
to be back in Hawaii to see my good friends and students for
a few days and also use this opportunity to share my grappling
skills with you guys.
This
MMA,NO GI, seminar it is about to show you effective positions,
the ones that really work, not the fancy acrobatics ones, the
real ones, the most commons attacks, transitions between strikes
and grappling, mistakes, combination's and of course the defenses
and escapes for all that using LEVERAGE which is the real weapon
of Jiu-Jitsu.
It
is all about the details. Everybody knows how to do an arm bar,
triangle, choke … right? But also a lot of time people miss
the positions because they miss the details. A little detail
can make the position successful or not, can be the difference
between the victory and the defeat.
Also
I would like to do a different style of seminar, which instead
of only showing you the positions and drills, like the traditional
types of seminar, you will also be allowed to ask your own questions
about specific positions and/or moves that you concern about.
I
want you, at the end, to feel that you learned as much as possible
and especially had fun.
So
I would like to invite you and your friends to learn and have
fun on February 06 from 10am to 1 pm at HMC ( Kalihi ).
The
investment is only $ 30 and the seminar will start at 10am until
1pm and after will have lots of time for free training and enough
time to get back home and watch the UFC.
If you want to pre-register and guarantee your place send a check
or money order to:
Erick
Alves
1927 A Wilhelmina Rise
Honolulu HI 96816
Call
Erick for more information at (808) 386 - 8265 for more info
or email him at erik25wa@hotmail.com
|
UFC
109 beckons Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu lovers
by Carlos
Eduardo Ozório
UFC
109 takes place this Saturday. For some of those present at the
Mandalay Bay Events Center in Las Vegas, the fight between veterans
Randy Couture against Mark Coleman is the real main attraction.
However, to Gentle Art lovers, this event is of special interest,
as at least six Jiu-Jitsu black belts will see action in the
octagon: Demian Maia, Rolles Gracie, Matt Serra, Paulo Thiago,
Ronys Torres and Dan Miller.
A ground specialist who has won such tournaments at the pinnacle
of the sport grappling as the ADCC, Demian Maia faces Dan Miller,
who is no slouch on the ground either, having recently been promoted
to black belt in Jiu-Jitsu.
“Everything
is great. I’m already here and I trained today. I’m
prepared for the fight and all that’s missing are some final
adjustments. Dan Miller may well be the most dangerous guy I’ve
faced ground,” said Demian to GRACIEMAG.com.
Another
black belt, Paulo Thiago had help in improving another variable,
his striking. The fighter was in Rio de Janeiro training with
none other than Anderson Silva to prepare for Mike Swick, which
GRACIEMAG.com reported first hand (see here).
“To
have the opportunity to train with Anderson was a privilege for
me. In the latest issue of UFC magazine he was voted best MMA
fighter of all time. He really added a lot to my learning and
I made some adjustments to my game and in training,” he
told the UFC website.
Rolles Gracie will have the tough task of representing the family
that has represented the Gentle Art in the UFC since Royce Gracie
first fought for the organization. Thus, besides the prep-work
he has undergone with Renzo Gracie, in preparing for Saturday’s
bout – now against last-minute-substitute Joey Beltrano
–, he sought the help of one of MMA’s most successful
coaches, Greg Jackson.
“First
of all, he’s a cool guy. But I like going there to train,
because the guys I’m going to fight are exclusively MMA
fighters. In New York, I have great training sessions with Renzo
and all my training partners, but they’re more Jiu-Jitsu
guys and they accept the ground game. They’re not worried
about going to the ground with me, and I don’t think that’s
what will happen when I step into the octagon. I think they’ll
try and avoid the ground, and at Jackson’s academy I was
able to train with guys like that,” Rolles explains.
Another
great finisher in the event is Ronys Torres. The beast from Manacapuru,
in the Brazilian state of Amazonas, will face one of the Gentle
Art’s mortal enemies: Melvin Guillard.
“The
good thing about Jiu-Jitsu guys is that they give me the chance
to get the knockout of the night bonus. That’s how I’ll
go into my next fight. I’ll be explosive and I’ll unload
everything I have on this guy”, says Melvin Guillard.
Ronys
responds: “I’ve trained Jiu-Jitsu since 1999. I can’t
expect him to take me down and use what he’s learned of
Jiu-Jitsu, and he can’t expect me to strike with him using
excellent muay thai and boxing. Of course it’s MMA and I’m
ready standing and on the ground, but I don’t believe he’ll
fight me on the ground. You can’t learn Jiu-Jitsu in just
six months. He’s been losing and he doesn’t intend
to get another poor result. That’s why I think they matched
this fight, pitting a newcomer to the organization against a
guy who needs a win. He’ll try to knock me out, I know,
but I’ve done my homework. Now we just have to wait for
showtime. ”
For
Jiu-Jitsu lovers who also enjoy MMA, the only better thing better
would be to put on a gi and roll!
Check
out the complete card:
UFC
109
Las Vegas, Nevada, USA
February 6, 2010
Randy
Couture vs Mark Coleman
Nate Marquardt vs Chael Sonnen
Mike Swick vs Paulo Thiago
Demian Maia vs Dan Miller
Matt Serra vs Frank Trigg
Preliminary
fights (not broadcast on TV)
Mac
Danzig vs Justin Buchholz
Melvin Guillard vs Ronys Torres
Phillipe Nover vs Rob Emerson
Brian Stann vs Phil Davis
Tim Hague vs Chris Tuchscherer
Rolles Gracie vs Joey Beltran
Source: Gracie Magazine
|
SONNEN
SCRATCHING AND CLAWING TO TITLE SHOT
by Damon
Martin
It may not be the main event for UFC 109, but when Chael Sonnen
and Nate Marquardt meet on Feb 6 it will be the only fight on
the card pitting two top ten ranked fighters against one another.
The fight will have long standing implications in the title picture
as well. UFC president Dana White on Thursday confirmed that
the winner will get a the next shot at the UFC middleweight championship.
Marquardt
was already told he would get the shot if he defeats Sonnen,
but the Oregonian wasn’t so sure prior to Thursday.
"Nobody's
said anything like that to me, but that's what I think will happen,"
Sonnen said when appearing on MMAWeekly Radio recently. "I
don't know that for sure. I don't know that, that goes both ways,
it's not set in stone for me."
Since
coming back to the UFC following the removal of the 185-pound
weight class from the WEC, Sonnen has gone 2-1 in the UFC, with
impressive wins over Yushin Okami and Dan Miller. His most recent
win over Okami made quite a few people take notice and give him
the respect he deserves, but to hear Sonnen tell it, respect
is just a made up word.
"I've
been ranked in the top ten for a while now, in the fight game
that's all there is," Sonnen commented. "They only
talk about the top ten, they don't talk about the top 2 or 3.
If you're anywhere in the top ten, you're getting what you called
respect. I don't know what that word means. That's what some
gangbanger put in a rap song when I was in middle school, the
word 'respect' and now we've got guys shooting each other over
it.
"I
don't use the word respect, but as far as being regarded and
recognized for my success, I've been in the top ten for a few
years now, I've been pleased with that."
Facing
some of the stiffest competition the middleweight division has
to offer, Sonnen is okay with the idea that he has to truly fight
his way to the top because he doesn't want anything handed to
him.
"They've
definitely dealt me some aces," said Sonnen. "I don't
know that Nate is any higher up the food chain than Okami or
Paulo Filho for that matter, or Jeremy Horn, I fought him twice
when he was ranked No. 1 in the world. I fought Babalu twice
when he was ranked No. 2 in the world. He even had two title
shots with Liddell. I don't know if this fight's any tougher,
but when they've got somebody that nobody else will fight, they
call me cause I will show up and fight."
Admitting
that this is another tough fight, Sonnen points out that he's
not necessarily excited about fighting Nate Marquardt in particular,
but he does give credit to what his opponent brings into the
cage with him.
"He's
just a good tough guy. He's scratched and clawed to get where
he is at. I can't fault him at all," Sonnen commented about
Marquardt. "He's certainly beatable, that style he's got
is beatable. He's beaten up a lot of people, there's no way around
that."
Sonnen
will look to scratch and claw his own way towards a shot at the
UFC middleweight title when he faces Nate Marquardt at UFC 109
on Saturday night in Las Vegas.
Source: MMA Weekly
|
UFC
109 Preview and Predictions:
Couture vs. Coleman, More
By Michael
David Smith
Randy
Couture vs. Mark Coleman would have been a better fight in the
1990s, but it will suffice on Saturday night as the main event
of a UFC 109 pay-per-view card that has a couple of good fights
in the middleweight and welterweight classes. We've got the full
preview and predictions below.
What:
UFC 109: Relentless
When:
The non-televised undercard starts at 7:30PM ET Saturday, the
two Spike TV fights start at 9 and the pay-per-view card starts
at 10.
Where:
Mandalay Bay Events Center, Las Vegas
Predictions
on the five pay-per-view fights:
Randy Couture vs. Mark Coleman
This fight is the first bout ever between UFC Hall of Famers,
and it also has the oldest combined age (91) of any fight in
UFC history. A lot of fans are counting Coleman out and acting
as if a Couture victory is a foregone conclusion, but I'm not
convinced of that at all. Coleman looked focused and powerful
in beating Stephan Bonnar at UFC 100, and from all accounts his
preparation for UFC 109 has gone very well. Still, I do expect
Couture, a better all-around fighter who's stayed more active
in his mid-40s, to win a decision.
Pick: Couture
Nate
Marquardt vs. Chael Sonnen
Marquardt believes he deserves another shot at UFC middleweight
champion Anderson Silva, and if he beats Sonnen he might get
that shot. Sonnen has been making noises about getting a shot
at Silva of his own with a win. I don't give either Marquardt
or Sonnen much of a chance against Silva, but Marquardt's superior
striking should rule the day against Sonnen.
Pick: Marquardt
Mike
Swick vs. Paulo Thiago
Swick is a good striker who's looking to bounce back from a tough
loss to Dan Hardy in November. I think he'll do that against
Thiago, who's strong on the ground but not in Swick's class on
his feet.
Pick: Swick
Demian
Maia vs. Dan Miller
This should be a great ground battle between submission specialists.
I think Maia will demonstrate the difference between good Brazilian
jiu jitsu and world-class Brazilian jiu jitsu by submitting Miller.
Pick: Maia
Matt
Serra vs. Frank Trigg
Like the main event, this is a battle between two guys who are
a bit past their primes but still have a solid following from
the fans -- and still know how to sell a fight. I like Serra
to take Trigg down and grind out a decision.
Pick: Serra
Source: MMA Fighting
|
Florian
vs. Gomi Confirmed for Fight Night 21
By FCF
Staff
The Ultimate Fighting Championship has confirmed today that former
Pride lightweight champ Takanori Gomi, will make his Octagon
debut March 31st, against perennial contender Kenny Florian.
The bout will headline the promotion’s Fight Night 21 event,
which will take place at the Bojangles Coliseum in Charlotte,
North Carloina.
Despite
two failed attempts at winning the UFC lightweight crown, while
facing Sean Sherk and BJ Penn, Florian (12-4) continues to be
a dominant force in the promotions 155lb. division. Most recently
Florian tapped out Clay Guida with a second round rear-naked-choke
at UFC 107, for his fourth win in five fights. Aside from his
loss to Penn during that stretch, Florian has defeated Joe Lauzon,
Roger Huerta, Joe Stevenson and the aforementioned Guida.
Gomi
(31-5) will make his UFC debut having gone 3-2 in his last five
fights. After rising to the top of the world rankings from 2004
through 2008, Gomi has struggled somewhat over the last couple
of years, incurring losses against Sergey Golyaev and Satoru
Kitaoka while competing for Sengoku. In 2009, “The Fireball
Kid” went 2-0 while fighting in the Shooto organization,
defeating Takashi Nakakura and most recently Tony Hervey in October.
Some
of the other bouts scheduled for Fight Night 21 include Roy Nelson
vs. Stefan Struve, Nate Quarry vs. Jorge Rivera, Ross Pearson
vs. Denis Siver, and Cole Miller vs. Andre Winner.
Source: Full Contact Fighter
|
Thiago
Silva hungry, return expected to July
By Guilherme
Cruz
Thiago Silva was close to fight for a belt on UFC, but the two
defeats on the last three fights postponed his plans. Forced
to rest for two months, he wants to put the gloves on again.
“I have four hernias, the doctors won’t let me to train
ground, wrestling... Just physical therapy on the next six weeks”,
Thiago said.
And the Brazilian expects to be back and his health is 100%.
“If it depended on me... I want to fight as soon as possible,
If it were for me I’d fight next week”, tells the fighter
from American Top Team, who was called to be back to the octagon
in July, but waits the authorization from medical department.
“They (UFC) want me to fight in July, I don’t have
a right date yet, but I don’t want to fight hurt again,
man”, reveals Silva, who faced Rashad Evans (UFC 108) with
an injury on the back, suffered in 2008.
EXTRA MOTIVATION
For Thiago, the will to face the biggest names in category is
big. In seven fights on the octagon, faced athletes as Lyoto
Machida, Keith Jardine, Rashad Evans and James Irvin, and don’t
want easy on the return. “The category is very tough, but
that’s good. It makes us to want more, who fights with the
tops wants to continue, that’s my goal”, guarantees,
promising good fights.
“I
don’t choose opponents. I want to fight with the best”,
said. Other thing Thiago doesn’t do is to leave the dream
of becoming the UFC champion go away. While this day don’t
come, the black belt talks about the next fight title fight,
on the rematch between Lyoto Machida and Maurício Shogun.
“It’s going to be another battle. I like Shogun, support
him... He won the first fight and he can win again”, finished
Siva, who didn’t agree with the result of the first fight.
Source: Tatame
|
UFC
to make history in Abu Dhabi at UFC 112
FIRST
EVER OPEN-AIR EVENT TAKES PLACE IN UAE APRIL 10
DOUBLE MAIN EVENT
ANDERSON SILVA DEFENDS MIDDLEWEIGHT CROWN
AGAINST VITOR BELFORT
AND
BJ PENN DEFENDS LIGHTWEIGHT BELT
AGAINST FRANKIE EDGAR
PLUS:
MIXED MARTIAL ARTS ICONS MATT HUGHES AND RENZO GRACIE MEET WITH
FAMILY PRIDE AT STAKE
Abu
Dhabi, UAE – The world’s greatest indoor sporting event
goes outdoors on April 10 as the Ultimate Fighting Championship®
organisation lands in Abu Dhabi in the United Arab Emirates for
the first time.
Some
of the world’s greatest mixed martial artists will appear
on the historic open-air UFC 112 event at the Concert Arena,
Ferrari World, Yas Island.
Topped
by a double main event, two UFC world titles will be on the line
at UFC 112. First, UFC lightweight champion BJ ‘The Prodigy’
Penn puts his belt on the line against No.1 contender Frankie
‘The Answer’ Edgar and then UFC middleweight king Anderson
‘The Spider’ Silva defends his crown against fellow
Brazilian striker Vitor ‘The Phenom’ Belfort.
As
well as two fascinating UFC title clashes, the UFC’s first
venture into the region will also showcase an intriguing battle
of legends as UFC icon Matt Hughes locks horns with MMA pioneer
and Brazilian jiu-jitsu legend Renzo Gracie at welterweight.
UFC
President Dana White said: “This is one of the biggest and
most significant nights in the history of the UFC. UFC 112 is
our first ever outdoor event and it is taking place in the hometown
of our brand new partners, Flash Entertainment. We are very happy
we could deliver what fans around the world will recognise as
a stacked card featuring the sport’s biggest stars.”
“Anderson
Silva is back in the Octagon(TM), and back at 185lbs to defend
his belt against maybe the one guy he may want to take the fight
to the ground with. Vitor Belfort has recaptured the form which
saw him rip through heavyweights and light heavyweights a decade
ago, and Silva vs Belfort is one of those fights where, if there
was a roof for this event, it would come off just before the
start of the first round.”
“BJ
Penn is another UFC champion who is looking unstoppable right
now, but Frankie Edgar is improving so quickly and has such an
attacking style that he may be the guy to end BJ’s reign.
“Plus,
Matt Hughes vs Renzo Gracie is a clash between two legends who
each have a lot on the line in this fight. The winner adds another
great name to his list of victims and gets right into the title
hunt.”
John
Lickrish, Managing Director of Flash Entertainment, said: “UFC
112 is going to be incredible. Flash and the UFC have been working
very hard to bring this event to fruition, and we’re delighted
to now announce what will truly be a great night of sport in
Abu Dhabi.
“Abu Dhabi has a long tradition of mixed martial arts, and
hosting UFC 112 continues the country’s love and passion
for the sport. We really can’t wait to welcome these elite
athletes, and showcase a truly magnificent sport to the people
of the region.”
As
far as elite athletes go, very few hit harder or can boast dominance
like Anderson ‘The Spider’ Silva (25-4). Considered
by many to be the pound-for-pound best fighter in the world today,
Silva is the reigning UFC middleweight champion and is currently
unbeaten in a record shattering 10-bout UFC win streak.
Listed
among his most notable victims are the names of Chris Leben,
Rich Franklin (twice), Nate Marquardt, Dan Henderson and Forrest
Griffin. Such is the striking quality of Curitiba’s Silva,
only one man has managed to last the distance with ‘The
Spider’ during his Octagon stint.
Enjoying
a reign of terror on top of the middleweight division as well
as showcasing his skills in breathtaking cameos at light-heavyweight,
Silva now puts his belt on the line against one of the most dangerous
strikers in the game.
Nicknamed
‘The Phenom’, Vitor Belfort, (19-8), is a natural talent,
and one that has been knocking out opponents since his teenage
years in the UFC. Having appeared at UFC 12 in 1997, this former
light heavyweight champion now looks to become only the third
man to win titles in two divisions by annexing the UFC middleweight
title.
The
Rio De Janeiro-native is renowned for his devastating, lightning-fast
punch combinations. In a career spanning over 13 years, Belfort
has dazzled in victories over Wanderlei Silva, Gilbert Yvel,
Heath Herring, Randy Couture and, most recently, Rich Franklin.
Returning
to the UFC after a four-year absence, Belfort made up for lost
time with a stunning first-round knockout of Franklin last September
to earn his title shot.
Current
lightweight king BJ ‘The Prodigy’ Penn, 15-5-1, is
a man who cuts a fearsome figure for any opponent. Now settled
in the 155lbs lightweight division, Penn’s current form
is ominous for a division chock-full of young and hungry contenders.
The
31-year-old Penn has already established himself as a UFC fan
favourite and future Hall-of-Famer, having won UFC titles as
both a lightweight and welterweight. He became only the second
fighter in history to hold UFC belts in separate weight divisions.
En
route to this amazing feat, Penn beat a variety of standout mixed
martial artists, including Matt Hughes, Jens Pulver and Renzo
Gracie. Since focusing his sights on the 155lbs division, Penn
has added the scalps of top contenders Joe Stevenson, Sean Sherk,
Kenny Florian and Diego Sanchez to his resume.
One
man who hopes to have ‘The Answer’ to Penn’s recent
air of invincibility is New Jersey challenger Frankie Edgar,
11-1. Considered one of the most exciting fighters in the game
today, Edgar has won six UFC bouts so far in his career and appears
to get better and better with each outing.
The
28-year-old number one-ranked contender started out his UFC career
with an eye-catching decision win over Tyson Griffin in February
2007. As well as picking up his first UFC win, Edgar also walked
away with a ‘Fight of the Night’ bonus that night.
Fight
of the Night bonuses and Frankie Edgar became synonymous over
the next two years as the talented American pitched more exciting
brawls and victories over Hermes Franca and, most recently, Matt
Veach. In climbing the lightweight ladder, Edgar also grabbed
big wins over Spencer Fisher and Mark Bocek.
It
was Edgar’s May 2009 victory over Sean Sherk that really
caught the imagination of fight fans and displayed the extent
of ‘The Answer’s improvements. Boxing cleverly on the
back foot and countering whenever he got the chance, Edgar put
on a striking clinic to diffuse the former UFC champion and set
up his tilt at Penn’s belt.
Icons
Matt Hughes and Renzo Gracie will battle for personal pride and
family tradition in their UFC 112 welterweight clash.
Respected all around the world, Hughes is a former two-time UFC
welterweight champion and one of the greatest fighters to ever
compete inside the Octagon. In a career stretching 12 years,
Hughes has etched his name in the history books, having been
involved in some of the most exciting and inspiring Octagon battles
of the modern era.
Born
in Hillsboro, Illinois, Hughes, 44-7, first appeared in the Octagon
at UFC 22 in September 1999. He went on to lift the UFC Welterweight
Title on two separate occasions, defeating a who’s who of
the best 170lbs fighters, including BJ Penn, Royce Gracie, Frank
Trigg, Sean Sherk, Georges St-Pierre and, in his last UFC outing,
bitter rival Matt Serra.
The
first obstacle in Hughes’ quest for a third world title
- and no stranger to the UFC’s finest ever welterweight
- is Brazilian jiu-jitsu expert Renzo Gracie, cousin of the legendary
Royce. A pioneer of the sport Renzo, 13-6-1, 1 NC, will finally
take his UFC bow in Abu Dhabi, much to the delight of his legion
of MMA fans throughout the world.
Famed
for his world-class grappling ability and iconic family heritage,
Renzo enters the UFC with the opportunity to avenge his cousin’s
2006 defeat to Hughes. With career wins over former UFC champions
Pat Miletich, Carlos Newton, Frank Shamrock, and Maurice Smith,
Renzo enters the UFC with his eyes firmly set on securing a title
shot. In order to get there, Renzo must first restore family
pride against Hughes at UFC 112.
Flash
Entertainment, which has been behind some of Abu Dhabi’s
biggest concerts and entertainment projects, will also confirm
ticket details and further event information in the coming weeks.
Source: UFC
|
Tompkins:
Coleman the Tougher Legend
by Brian
Knapp
LAS
VEGAS -- Few know the two principals in this main event better
than Shawn Tompkins.
Having
amicably split from Xtreme Couture Mixed Martial Arts in 2009,
the famed striking coach will corner Mark Coleman in his marquee
showdown with Randy Couture at UFC 109 “Relentless”
on Saturday at the Mandalay Bay Events Center. It marks the first
time in the promotion’s history that two enshrined hall
of famers will meet inside the Octagon.
Tompkins
considers Coleman and Couture “the two toughest men”
he has ever encountered but gives an edge to the former in terms
of durability.
“Coleman’s
the tougher of the two,” he said. “He’s got the
chin. Everyone knows what kind of fighter [Mauricio] ‘Shogun’
[Rua] is, and you saw what [Coleman] did with a week’s worth
of training [at UFC 93]. He got the s--t kicked out of him, but
he didn’t quit.”
Couture
-- who has been knocked down at least once in each of his last
three fights -- reacted with indifference when made aware of
Tompkins’ sentiments and maintained that the two have remained
friendly despite their decision to part ways.
“I
ran into him earlier today,” Couture said. “We’re
still friends.”
Tompkins
admits he had second thoughts about training Coleman for his
long overdue match with Couture. He weighed all the dynamics
involved, and the positives far outweighed the negatives.
“It’s
an opportunity I couldn’t pass up,” Tompkins said.
“I was up in the air for a little while. Randy and I have
been friends for a long time, but Coleman’s a good friend
of mine, too. In the end, it’s the Mandalay Bay, it’s
the main event, it’s two hall of famers for the first time.
I thought to myself, ‘I’ve got to be a part of this.’”
Now
based at the Tapout Training Center in Las Vegas, Tompkins joined
forces with Coleman in advance of his UFC 100 matchup with “The
Ultimate Fighter” Season 1 runner-up Stephan Bonnar in July.
The first heavyweight champion in UFC history and the 2000 Pride
Fighting Championships open weight grand prix winner, Coleman
snapped a two-fight losing streak with a unanimous decision over
Bonnar.
Tompkins
raves about Coleman’s drive and athleticism, even at this
late stage of his career. Experiencing true training camps for
the first time has reinvigorated the 45-year-old Columbus, Ohio,
native.
“I
think a big part of this is he’s done this on his own his
whole life,” Tompkins said. “He wrestled with wrestling
partners but did not train with actual coaches. Now, it’s
more about using game plans and technique. He’s probably
one of the best athletes I’ve ever trained.”
Tompkins
knows as well as anyone the problems Couture poses. Revered for
staying one step ahead of his opponents, the 46-year-old has
broken many a men inside the Octagon’s unforgiving confines.
“Mark
has to be prepared to take the fight to him,” he said. “He’s
got to stay calm and not get frustrated. The most dangerous part
of Randy Couture is not how he thinks in the gym; it’s how
he thinks in the cage. He’s an active thinker.”
Source: Sherdog
|
DREAM
3/22 Yokohama Arena
By Zach
Arnold
The news regarding the show is that Bibiano Fernandes will face
Joachim Hansen for the DREAM Featherweight title. Also booked
on the card is Ryo Chonan.
There
was also a press conference featuring comments from K-1/DREAM
management. They were asked about what kind of punishment Shin’ya
Aoki will face? The answer: He’s been punished enough. No
further punishment is coming his way.
Regarding
the DREAM schedule for 2010 - 3/22 Yokohama Arena, April date
(South Korea), May, July, September, October, and then Dynamite.
The focus will be on a DREAM Light Heavyweight GP tournament
with either 8 or 16 fighters. Plus, hope for Aoki vs. Kawajiri
along with focusing on booking Alistair Overeem in high-profile
fights.
Source: Fight Opinion
|
Daniel
Worin
By Eduardo Ferreira
Responsible for Anderson Silva’s Muay Thai, the French Daniel
Woirin is excited to the next defense for the belt against Vitor
Belfort, on UFC 112. Talking to TATAME, the trainer makes his
bets to the combat, revealing that he already trained Belfort,
and talked about the revenge between Lyoto Machida and Maurício
“Shogun”, scheduled to UFC 113. Check below the exclusive
chat.
He’s well recovered, now is the first part of the train.
He’s very well and it has it all to be a good fight.
Do you think that Vitor will be a dangerous opponent to Anderson?
Sure. Vitor Belfort is an excellent fighter, no one can miss
this fight, but I think Anderson has more weapons. He’ll
come more prepared... Brazil can’t miss this fight. We don’t
know if it’s going to have knockout because it’s really
hard to say, but what I can say is that is going to be a beautiful
fight to see because they are two great fighters.
What strategy you made for this fight?
We don’t say that, we have a strategy, sure, but that’s
secret. We’ll say after the fight.
Where do you think Vitor is more dangerous?
Vitor is dangerous, on the ground or standing up. He’s a
complete fighter and we have to be careful on everything, there’s
no easier situation. We have to prepare to everything when it’s
about Vitor Belfort.
Do you think that he will want to exchange or try the ground?
I think he will try to exchange because he has a good boxing,
but it’s hard to preview.
Did you already train Vitor?
Yes, I also traveled with him when he fought Cage Rage 31...
He’s skillful. Nowadays things are professional, one day
you may train a fighter and on the next day to be training the
fighter that will fight against him, it’s not like before
with closed team. Everything changes, we’re professionals.
You trained Lyoto on Black House... Do you think he won the first
fight against Shogun? What do you think he most do to go well
on the revenge?
I thought this fight equilibrated and people focused a lot on
the hands, the punches, but Shogun kicked a lot. I would give
the tie. It’s hard to define this fight, on the second now
they will come with all, it will be interesting. I loved the
first fight, Shogun’s trainer is congratulations because
they made an excellent strategy, as Lyoto’s trainer made
a good job.
Shogun found spaces on Lyoto’s game, as the kicks on the
legs. Do you think now it will be harder to Shogun to find new
spaces?
I
think he will find, there are always new spaces, as Lyoto can
find spaces, but is not this that will define the fight, but
the psychological, because it’s going to be a lot of pressure
for both. I have a strategy for both, but I won’t say either,
that’s a secret (laugh).
How’s
Anderson to face Vitor? Is he 100% recovered?
Source: Tatame
|
Strikeforce
Goes Global with International TV Deal
LOS ANGELES, February 2, 2010 - Shine International has expanded
the STRIKEFORCE brand internationally, selling more than 70 hours
of STRIKEFORCE's mixed martial arts (MMA) programming in six
markets across Europe, Australia and Latin America. Virgin Media
Television's Bravo in the UK, Turner in Latin America, FX in
Portugal, Ukraine's Megasport, Seven Network Australia and Dahlia
TV in Italy have all purchased STRIKEFORCE's library of TV programming.
"STRIKEFORCE
is the leader in mixed martial arts content as proven by the
huge demand for their programming around the world. They have
the world's best fighters, the world's best events and they know
how to translate that into fast-paced programming that captures
what will soon be the most popular sport in the world,"
said Chris Grant, President of Shine International.
This
includes 30 episodes and 56 hours of fights that have aired on
NBC and SHOWTIME®, respectively. Internationally distributed
content includes upcoming live fights through February 2012 as
well as STRIKEFORCE Challengers fights, pitting STRIKEFORCE up-and-comers
against each other. After signing a landmark deal to air live
events on SHOWTIME last year, STRIKEFORCE earned the premium
network its highest MMA rating ever on August 15, 2009 with "Carano
vs. Cyborg."
About
Shine International
Shine
International is the sales and distribution arm of the Shine
Group, a leading independent production and distribution company
focused on exploiting worldwide intellectual property rights
through scripted and alternative television formats. Shine International
distributes programming from the growing library of programming
of the Shine Group, including Reveille, Kudos, Dragonfly, Princess
Productions and Metronome, along with a broad array of programming
acquired from independent producers and U.S. networks, to more
than 150 countries worldwide.
About
STRIKEFORCE
STRIKEFORCE
(www.strikeforce.com) is a world-class mixed martial arts cage
fight promotion which, on Friday, March 10, 2006, made history
with its "Shamrock vs. Gracie" event, the first sanctioned
mixed martial arts fight card in California state history. The
star-studded extravaganza, which pitted legendary champion Frank
Shamrock against Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu black belt Cesar Gracie
at San Jose's HP Pavilion, played host to a sold-out, record
crowd of 18,265. Since 1995, STRIKEFORCE, sanctioned by ISKA,
has been the exclusive provider of martial arts programming for
ESPN and, after 12 years of success as a leading, world championship
kickboxing promotion, the company unveiled its mixed martial
arts (MMA) series with "Shamrock vs. Gracie." In May
2008, West Coast Productions, the parent company of STRIKEFORCE,
partnered with Silicon Valley Sports & Entertainment (SVS&E),
an entity created in 2000 to oversee all business operation aspects
of the San Jose Sharks and HP Pavilion at San Jose.
Source: The Fight Network
|
BROCK
LESNAR LIKELY TO RETURN IN JULY
by Jeff
Cain
UFC heavyweight titleholder, NCAA wrestling champion, and former
WWE superstar Brock Lesnar will be back in the Octagon most likely
in July, according to Ultimate Fighting Championship president
Dana White.
“He
could fight probably in July (in Vegas), end of June or July,”
White told a group of media following the UFC 109 pre-fight press
conference on Thursday.
Lesnar
has been sidelined battling a serious case of diverticulitis,
an intestinal disorder that nearly ended his fighting career.
But despite a grim early prognosis, Lesnar has fully recovered
and now waits to see who his next opponent will be.
While
his health was uncertain and his return unknown, the UFC put
together an interim title bout between former champion Frank
Mir and Shane Carwin, as well as another showdown between Antonio
Rodrigo Nogueira and Cain Velasquez.
“We
gotta find out what’s gonna happen with the next two fights,
the heavyweight fights, and then we’ll figure out what we’re
gonna do,” said White. “This fight (Cain Velasquez
vs. Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira) will happen in Australia first,
then we’ll do the Newark fight (Frank Mir vs. Shane Carwin),
and if those guys come out of that fight healthy, we’ll
do that fight.”
So
if the winner of Mir and Carwin is healthy and ready to go, he
will face Lesnar in late June or early July in Las Vegas.
Lesnar
last competed at UFC 100 in July defeating Frank Mir in a rematch
to unify the UFC heavyweight title.
Source: MMA Weekly
|
Luiz
Alves still in induced coma
by Carlos
Eduardo Ozório
Luiz Alves remains hospitalized in Rio de Janeiro. Luiz suffered
a stroke while driving on January 26th.
The
trainer underwent surgery shortly thereafter and remains in an
induced coma, under the effect of powerful sedatives. He is in
stable condition, but precise information regarding the outlook
will only be available after he is brought to consciousness,
which should happen within the next 10 days.
An
MMA coach, muay thai grandmaster and president of the Brazilian
Muay Thai Confederation, Luiz Alves has produced such standout
athletes as Rodrigo Minotauro and Rogerio Minotouro. He has also
released two books in partnership with also-muay thai master
Artur Mariano, one on MMA and the other muay thai.
Artur
Mariano is watching his friend’s condition closely and asks
everyone to continue praying.
Source: Gracie Magazine
|
Quote
of the Day
"In
attempts to improve your character, know what is in your power
and what is beyond it."
Francis Thompson, 1859-1907
|
MANUP
AND STAND UP TONIGHT!
WAIPAHU FILCOM CENTER
FRIDAY FEB 5
DOORS OPEN AT 6:00
TONY
PERREIRA 170 JACOB SMITH
NUI
WHEELER 140 JONAH VISTANTE
MIKE
UEMOTO 145 ROBERT ANDUHA
FRED
RAMAYLA 150 SHAWN BURROUGHS
ALVIN
BERTO 130 JULIO MORENO
KALAI
MCSHANE 120 JAYCOBI VISTANTE
RICHARD
BERNARD 152 RED DAVIS
MARK
YARCIA 135 ISAAN HATTORI
SOTA
NAKANO 170 JOSEPH ENAENA
KAIPO
ADEZIADO 97 RONSON VEA
ANTHONY
MURAKAMI 145 JAMES LEOLE
JOEY
SEDENO 115 JED HARWOOD
BRYSEN
LUM (O2 Martial Arts Academy) 150 IKAIKA GOODRIDGE
SAI
HOLBRON 175 PHILLIP AKUI
CHEVEZ
ANTOQUE 200 MIKE VINANO
SPIKE
KAHALEWAI 70 KAENA DESANTOS
RICKY
SAJORDO 115 COMBAT 50
JENNA
ODA 150 GABBY DENNIS
ROBERT
BONAS 155 HAROLD CHUN
FERDINAND
RAMIREZ 159 BRONSON CALPITO
ROYAL
KAUA (O2 Martial Arts Academy) 155 AJ BROWN
LINDSEY
170 GEORGE FELIX
SCOTT
ENDO 185 MARK TIGER
COLT
DANTE 100 CHRISTIEN RAQUEDON
KANALOA
COOKE 125 JAN QUIMOYOG
SHAWN
DESANTOS 125 JORDAN TIGER
JEFFREY
PERKINS 200 DENNIS KAM
IKAIKA
KUPUKAA 230 94 BLOCK
All
matches and participants are subject to change.
Source: Event Promoter
|
Sidney
Silva Seminar Tomorrow
After almost a year Training and teaching in Las Vegas at Wanderlei
Silva’s Gym ( www.wandfightteam.com ) I have the pleasure
to be back in Hawaii to see my good friends and students for
a few days and also use this opportunity to share my grappling
skills with you guys.
This
MMA,NO GI, seminar it is about to show you effective positions,
the ones that really work, not the fancy acrobatics ones, the
real ones, the most commons attacks, transitions between strikes
and grappling, mistakes, combination's and of course the defenses
and escapes for all that using LEVERAGE which is the real weapon
of Jiu-Jitsu.
It
is all about the details. Everybody knows how to do an arm bar,
triangle, choke … right? But also a lot of time people miss
the positions because they miss the details. A little detail
can make the position successful or not, can be the difference
between the victory and the defeat.
Also
I would like to do a different style of seminar, which instead
of only showing you the positions and drills, like the traditional
types of seminar, you will also be allowed to ask your own questions
about specific positions and/or moves that you concern about.
I
want you, at the end, to feel that you learned as much as possible
and especially had fun.
So
I would like to invite you and your friends to learn and have
fun on February 06 from 10am to 1 pm at HMC ( Kalihi ).
The
investment is only $ 30 and the seminar will start at 10am until
1pm and after will have lots of time for free training and enough
time to get back home and watch the UFC.
If you want to pre-register and guarantee your place send a check
or money order to:
Erick
Alves
1927 A Wilhelmina Rise
Honolulu HI 96816
Call
Erick for more information at (808) 386 - 8265 for more info
or email him at erik25wa@hotmail.com
|
UFC
109 Tomorrow
Las Vegas
at Mandalay Bay Events Center
2/6/10
By Zach Arnold
Dark
matches
¦Heavyweights:
Joey Beltran vs. Rolles Gracie
¦Heavyweights: Tim Hague vs. Chris Tuchscherer
¦Light Heavyweights: Brian Stann vs. Phil “Mr. Wonderful”
Davis (he better watch out for Paul Orndorff)
¦Lightweights: Phillipe Nover vs. Rob Emerson
¦Lightweights: Melvin Guillard vs. Ronnys Torres
¦Lightweights: Mac Danzig vs. Justin Buchholz
Main card
¦Welterweights:
Matt Serra vs. Frank Trigg
¦Middleweights: Demian Maia vs. Dan Miller
¦Welterweights: Mike Swick vs. Paulo Thiago
¦Middleweights: Nathan Marquardt vs. Chael Sonnen
¦Light Heavyweights (#1 contender’s match): Randy
Couture vs. Mark Coleman
Source: Fight Opinion
|
COLEMAN
IS FIGHTING COUTURE WITH RESPECT
by Damon
Martin
Legends are a rare commodity in any sport. Even more rare is
the chance to see two legends compete against each other at any
given time. The NFL missed out on Peyton Manning vs. Brett Favre
in the Super Bowl, but MMA fans are about to get the first ever
match-up of UFC Hall of Famers when Mark "The Hammer"
Coleman faces Randy Couture at UFC 109.
This
fight is literally years in the making. The two were previously
set to match-up when both were in the heavyweight division, but
an injury forced Couture out of the fight and eventually Coleman
left the UFC.
Now,
with both fighters competing at 205 pounds it seemed like perfect
timing. With Coleman working full time in Las Vegas with head
coach Shawn Tompkins, it looks like all the pieces are being
put together for a great fight. Coleman, a mainstay of Columbus,
Ohio, for his entire life, says that moving to Las Vegas for
his fight camp was the only way for him to truly succeed in the
sport he's competed in for the last 13 years.
"I
had to get away from Columbus to get away from all the distractions,"
Coleman told MMAWeekly Radio recently. "I wasn't able to
focus, I wasn't able to train properly, and I just had too many
things on my plate back in Ohio. I've got my kids back there.
I'm not calling them distractions that's for sure, but they do
take up a lot of your time and energy, so being out here I'm
in my hotel room, I go to practice, I'm back in my room, that's
it. It's full time."
Coleman
admits that he has a lot of admiration for what Couture has done
in this sport, and he looks forward to competing against him
again. The two legendary wrestlers met once in 1989 in a freestyle
competition. Coleman got the best of Couture by points.
"I've
known and followed Randy's whole career even before he started
fighting," Coleman commented. "We wrestled each other,
and I had to coach against him in college. He was in college
when I was coaching at Ohio State. He's older, but he was in
college while I was coaching at Ohio State. I had to coach against
him when he was competing at Oklahoma State. Then we did wrestle
each other in freestyle one time. I admire his whole fight career.
I admire how he was able to rise to the top and get knocked down
and be able to rise back up to the top again. That's what a real
champion does."
When
the match-up was proposed to the former Ohio State wrestler,
Coleman admits that he was elated with the chance to fight in
a main event against his old foe, although he has no beef with
Couture.
"I
never go around looking for opponents, I never pick my opponents.
The only reason I would want to fight Randy is because of his
pedigree, because of his prestige, because of what he's done,"
said Coleman. "That's the only reason I want to fight him,
for no other reason."
With
their extensive wrestling backgrounds essentially cancelling
each other out, it would appear that a stand-up fight could be
the end result. Coleman has been working with Tompkins, a famed
striking coach, and is happy to show off some of those skills
when he fights Couture.
"I'm
going to have to or else I'm going to be on the losing end of
this fight. I'm going to have to control the tempo, I'm going
to have to control where the fight ends up and takes place. I
do anticipate some stand-up fighting," Coleman stated. "It's
going to be necessary. He's not going to be easy to take down.
He's definitely not going to be easy to take down at will, and
once I do get him down he's pretty damn good on his back at nullifying
the ground and pound.
"I
had to work on my stand-up game, hopefully going to be able to
use it out there. I've wanted to use the stand-up in past fights,
but my instincts have always just taken over and by habit I just,
the legs are right there in front of me, I just snatched it up.
If the opportunity's there I'll try to take him down, but if
not, I'm going to have to stand and bang with him."
With
the fight nearing, Coleman is physically fit, walking around
at about 218 pounds, and he believes that everything is in place
for a victory at UFC 109. But despite the obvious rivalries that
could have been placed in this fight, Coleman contends that Couture
is just an opponent. One he has a tremendous amount of respect
for.
"I'm
very familiar with Randy, very nice guy, nothing but respect
for him."
Source: MMA Weekly
|
UFC
109 Main Event Breakdown:
Randy Couture vs. Mark Coleman
By Mike
Chiappetta
It may be over a decade too late for some, but there will still
be countless fans interested in the matchup of legends that will
cap off UFC 109.
While
there is nothing of major substance at stake in the bout between
ex-UFC champs Randy Couture and Mark Coleman, it features two
of the most prideful, competitive fighters the mixed martial
arts world has ever known, and that alone should make for an
intriguing fight.
So
how will it go down? Let's take a look.
At
a combined age of 91, Couture (46) and Coleman (45) have the
oldest combined age of any two combatants in UFC history. They
have many wars behind them -- Couture is a five-time UFC champ
in two weight classes and also won the UFC 13 heavyweight tournament;
Coleman won two UFC one-night tournaments, was the first-ever
UFC heavyweight champ and won the 2000 PRIDE Open Weight Grand
Prix.
Notably,
and not surprisingly, most of those achievements are well in
the past. Though Couture was the UFC heavyweight champ as recently
as 2007, he's just 4-4 since the start of 2005. Coleman, meanwhile,
has competed just six times since the start of 2005, splitting
those bouts.
What
makes them so hard to count out, however, is their collective
competitiveness. Couture's career comebacks are already the stuff
of MMA legend, while Coleman was the man who snapped the long
winning streak of the seemingly unbeatable Mauricio "Shogun"
Rua, fluky as it was.
When
it comes to their weapons, both fighters are grounded in the
wrestling background that brought about their early success at
a time when UFC matches pitted style vs. style and before the
sport was known as "mixed martial arts." While Couture
is thought of us as the master of "ground and pound,"
it was really Coleman who innovated the style. In the early days,
he used elbows, punches and even headbutts (the unified rules
did not yet exist) in a destructive fashion. Although there had
been amateur wrestlers around, his success opened the floodgates
for the sport as a viable alternative to former collegiate wrestlers
who still harbored a competitive itch.
One
of those men was Couture, who saw Coleman competing at an early
event and soon followed his lead.
In
the time since, the two men became legends, but while Coleman
largely stuck around his Columbus, Ohio roots and rarely ventured
far to train, Couture has continually sought out the best and
most advanced training. As one of the founders of Team Quest,
and then striking out on his own at Xtreme Couture, "the
Natural" has worked with a who's who of MMA fighters and
trainers, and as a result, his game has become vastly more well-rounded
than Coleman's over the years.
Though
Couture cannot be characterized as a slick standup fighter, his
striking has become more efficient and effective over the years.
Yet he still does most of his damage in two places: in the clinch
and on the ground. The former has become a Couture specialty.
From his extensive experience in Greco-Roman wrestling, Couture
excels at controlling the clinch and using elbows, knees and
punches to wear an opponent down or execute a takedown.
Against
Coleman, that won't be quite as easy.
Though
Coleman has his roots in the freestyle discipline rather than
Couture's favored Greco-Roman, he was actually a more decorated
amateur wrestler than his rival,winning an NCAA championship,
making the 1992 Olympic team, and once beating Couture in a freestyle
match.
Largely
due to his wrestling pedigree, Coleman dominated right from the
get-go. And though he was successful for much of his career simply
outmuscling his opponents to the mat and overpowering them on
the ground, it may have hurt him in the long run as he didn't
evolve the way Couture did.
While
Coleman has made an effort in the last year to seek out better
trainers and add new weapons to his game, he'll have a tough
time matching Couture's repertoire of tricks.
There
are a couple of potential X-factors at play for both men. For
Coleman, it's his stamina. He's struggled late in fights his
last few times out, including his UFC 100 win over Stephan Bonnar.
For Couture, it's his ability to take a hit. In each of his last
three fights, he's been floored at least once.
Looking
at their skillsets, Couture gets the edge in standup and clinchwork,
while the wrestling is even. Couture gets an edge in groundwork
while Coleman may have a bit more overall strength. Coleman's
only true advantage comes in punching power, but it's a significant
one to have, as it represents his most likely road to victory.
It's
unlikely that Coleman can outwrestle Couture for 15 minutes,
so unless Coleman can land a big right hand and finish, expect
Couture to use his superior offensive arsenal and gas tank, and
outlast Coleman en route to a win.
Either
way, both legends deserve their last few turns in the spotlight.
Success in sports is fleeting, and these two should be lauded
for holding on to it for so long.
Source: MMA Fighting
|
Strikeforce
Payouts: Diaz Earns $100,000
Nick Diaz was the big winner at Saturday’s Strikeforce “Miami”
in more ways than one. The one-man demolition crew took out Dream
champion Marius Zaromskis in the first round to secure the promotion’s
170-pound title to the tune of an event-high $100,000, according
to figures released Wednesday by the Florida Department of Business
and Regulation.
Diaz
also spurred on talk of top-10 status with his dismantling of
Lithuanian striker Zaromskis, who took home $30,000 in his first
defeat in six fights.
Former
NFL football star Herschel Walker earned a disclosed $600 for
his third-round victory against Greg Nagy, though reports have
put Walker’s undisclosed pay at six figures. The 47-year-old
Heisman Trophy winner said he’d donate his take to Project
Turnaround, a Dallas-based charity that aims to “rebuild
communities from the inside out with a comprehensive, faith-based
program designed to improve and enrich the lives of urban youth
and families.” Nagy took home $5,000 in defeat.
Cristiane
“Cyborg” Santos continued her terrorization of the
women’s 145-pound ranks with another sound victory against
Dutch ace Marloes Coenen. Cyborg, who made $55,000, pummeled
and out-muscled Coenen for a third-round stoppage. Coenen, a
10-year veteran of the women’s circuit, made $2,000.
Strikeforce
“Miami” Payouts
Nick
Diaz -- $100,000 (no win bonus listed)
def.
Marius Zaromskis -- $30,000
Cristiane
"Cyborg" Santos -- $35,000 (including $15,000 bonus,
$5,000 championship bonus)
def.
Marloes Coenen –- $2,000
Herschel
Walker -- $600 (no win bonus listed)
def.
Greg Nagy –- $5,000
Robbie
Lawler -- $100,000 (no win bonus listed)
def.
Melvin Manhoef -- $5,000
Bobby
Lashley -- $50,000 (no win bonus listed)
def.
Wes Sims -- $25,000
Jay
Hieron -- $65,000 (including $35,000 win bonus)
def.
Joe Riggs -- $30,000
Joe
Ray -- $1,500 (including $500 win bonus)
def.
John Clarke -- $1,000
David
Gomez -- $2,000 (including $1,000 win bonus)
def.
Craig Oxley -- $1,500
Pablo
Alfonso -- $3,000 (including $1,500 win bonus)
def.
Marcos da Matta -- $2,500
Hayder
Hassan -- $2,000 (including $1,000 win bonus)
def.
Ryan Keenan -- $2,000
John
Kelly -- $2,000 (including $1,000 win bonus)
def.
Sabah Homasi -- $1,000
Michael
Byrnes Jr. -- $2,000 (including win $1,000 bonus)
def.
Dave Zitanick -- $1,500
Note:
These numbers, sent to Sherdog.com by the Florida Department
of Business and Regulation, are disclosed pay only. They do not
include additional compensation agreements, bonuses or percentages
of other revenue.
Source: Sherdog
|
GSP
trains with Mousasi:
“What I learned was worth the trip”
by Carlos
Eduardo Ozório
Two of the most celebrated fighters in MMA today trained together
and shared knowledge with each other over the last weekend. The
beasts are Georges St. Pierre and Gegard Mousasi, UFC welterweight
and Strikeforce light heavyweight champions, respectively. The
fighters met up to train at the academy of Cesar Carneiro, in
Miami. While GSP is preparing to defend his belt against Dan
Hardy on March 27, Mousasi will have “King” Mo Lawal
ahead of him in his first title defense in April.
“I
see myself in Mousasi, but two weight classes above. He is a
great fighter and has a very open mind. It’s amazing. He
taught me two great techniques and those two things I learned
today are worth my whole trip. I am going to work on it a lot,
“said the Canadian, GSP, to the ‘Sports Illustrated’
website, going on to further praise the Strikeforce champion:
“He
does things he doesn’t think about. He just does it. It’s
really amazing. It’s something not everybody has. You can’t
teach that. There is something from him that I know I can learn.
If I can help him at the same time, we both are going to gain
from each other. It’s a great experience. ”
Mousasi
doesn’t follow a fixed training program or team. Recently,
he trained with the man considered to be the world’s number-1
heavyweight, Fedor Emelianenko. The fighter is one of those who
doesn’t mind practicing the so- called ‘exchange’.
After working with the Armenian, St.-Pierre approved. What counts
is knowledge.
“If
I could have a choice between money, fame or wisdom and knowledge,
I would take wisdom first, without hesitation. I’m already
a better fighter than I was before the practice. I have more
knowledge.” concluded GSP.
Source: Gracie Magazine
|
HDNet
Announces Partnership to Carry King of the Cage
DALLAS
(February 1, 2010) HDNet announces a multi-year partnership with
"Mark Burnett Presents: King of the Cage," in which,
under terms of the agreement, the network will feature LIVE "King
of the Cage"events every month.
The first event will air on HDNet on Friday, February 12 at 10:00
p.m. ET.
"King of the Cage and Mark Burnett are pioneers in their
respective fields, and we are excited to feature 'Mark Burnett
Presents: King of the Cage' on HDNet as part of our commitment
to being the home of MMA," said Mark Cuban, Chairman and
Co-founder of HDNet. "The award-winning story telling of
Mark Burnett will bring the personalities of MMA to life in a
way that has never been seen before."
"MMA fighters are some of the most fascinating personalities
I have ever encountered, and I am excited about the opportunity
to help KOTC to bring those characters to life on HDNet,"
said Mark Burnett. "I am impressed with the quality of King
of the Cage, and we look forward to bringing their brand to the
next level in conjunction with Mark Cuban, who is one of the
truly great entrepreneurs of media and sports."
"King of the Cage is committed to delivering great fights
while developing the stars of tomorrow in MMA," said Terry
Trebilcock, President of King of the Cage. "Working with
Mark Burnett and HDNet provides us with the perfect platform
to do just that."
Founded in 1998, "King of the Cage" has become the
most prolific MMA promoter in the United States, and has grown
into an internationally recognized brand, with events in Canada,
the United Kingdom, Singapore, Hong Kong, and Japan. It has launched
the careers of many MMA superstars including Forrest Griffin,
Quinton Jackson, and Urijah Faber.
Mark Burnett is a leading executive producer for primetime television,
cable and the Internet, and has produced over 1,100 hours of
television programming which regularly air in over 70 countries
around the world. Burnett has revolutionized television with
continuing hits such as "Survivor" (CBS), "The
Apprentice" (NBC), the now syndicated "Are You Smarter
Than a 5th Grader?" (FOX), which is currently being produced
in 55 countries, the daytime syndicated hit "Martha,"
and the hit series "Shark Tank" (ABC); giving Mark
a different series on each of the four major networks.
Burnett also produces the MTV Movie Awards and Bully Beatdown
(MTV). Burnett started off 2010 with a bang, producing the 36th
annual People's Choice Awards (CBS).
Source: The Fight Network
|
Bellator
Signs Greco-Roman Champ Joe Warren
By FCF
Staff
Bellator
FC has announced the addition of another notable competitor to
its ranks, as accomplished wrestler and Dream veteran Joe Warren,
has signed “a long term promotional agreement” with
the company. The former Greco-Roman wrestling champion transitioned
into MMA in 2009 and went 2-1, while competing in Dream’s
Featherweight Grand-Prix. Warren defeated former WEC champion
Chase Beebe and renowned Japanese veteran Norifumi “Kid”
Yamamoto, before being submitted by Bibiano Fernandes in the
tournament’s semifinals.
“We
are very excited about this signing and being the MMA organization
that brought Joe back to the states,” Bellator founder and
CEO Bjorn Rebney was quoted saying in a press release from the
promotion. “Joe has the ability, drive, confidence and personality
to become a star in our sport. His first two wins would make
a good career for most fighters and as his stand-up continues
developing, the sky is the limit for Joe Warren.”
“I
competed for the USA for 10 years and I bleed red, white and
blue,” said the 33 year-old Warren, who fought Beebe after
only a few months of MMA training. “So I’m ready to
come back to this country, make my U.S. debut and fight in front
of the American MMA fans. I love everything that Bellator is
doing and I’m just honored to be a part of their organization.”
Warren
will compete in Bellator’s upcoming second season tournament
which will begin April 8th. Some of the other featherweights
that have been confirmed for the competition include Georgi Karakhanyan,
Will Romero, and Bao Quach.
“My
hands are getting quicker, I’m seeing the openings quicker
… I’m just getting better every single day. I’m
already 1,000 times better than I was in my last fight,”
Warren added. “With my style and my experience and my never-lose,
never-die attitude, it’s gonna be really exciting for Bellator
and for everyone who’ll be watching on TV.”
Source: Full Contact Fighter
|
(Business)
A buzzkill for implementing an online subscription model
By Zach
Arnold
Over
the last couple of years, there has been debate amongst publishers
in the MMA media as to what the best financial model would be
to support good sites and the ability to generate content worth
everyone’s time and trouble. The two most-popular ideas
dealt with ad-based sites and subscription-based sites.
Most
people have already had an inkling about the damage putting site
content behind a firewall can do in terms of pushing visitors
away. The New York Times is proof positive of this. However,
the ultimate proof of the flawed nature of the subscription-based
model comes to us from New York Newsday, which according to this
report has gained 35 paid online subscribers since putting up
a firework on their site. If there was any questions about the
long-term viability of the subscription-model, those have largely
been put to rest. That’s not to say that a site like the
Observer won’t make it, but that’s because they largely
are the only game in town for certain information. Even with
that advantage, the pickings can be slim when you have 8 million
copy and paste sites online.
I
am a believer in the ad-based business model, which is what Brandt
DeLorenzo is pushing with his Fight Ad Network. You can also
go the route of BlogAds, but you have to give up a 30% cut of
the money. Plus a lot of Firefox add-ons can easily block the
BlogAd javascript code.
It
doesn’t take a rocket scientist to figure out that the most
successful business model online is not always the most feasible
or most popular, which is selling actual goods and bringing in
traffic. Sherdog has done this for years and On the Mat has been
successful as well at what they do. It’s hard enough for
writers in broad topic ranges like politics or sports to make
a living, but it’s even harder to manage to make ends meet
if you are trying to give the MMA writing career a go. I would
love to see as many MMA sites thrive as possible because the
more money that is put into developing and cultivating media
resources, the better the content will be and the more time writers
in this field will be able to really put their energy into doing
the best job they possibly can.
Source: Fight Opinion
|
Demian:
“Anderson already had bad days”
Demian Maia’s ground game is known by everyone, but the
tough Brazilian is dedicating more to make his exchanging better.
Scheduled to face Dan Miller on UFC 109, on February 6, the black
belt is training hard in San Diego, United States, with Luis
Dórea, Nogueira brothers’ boxing coach. In interview
to UOL website, Maia said his plans involve beating Miller and
keep dreaming with a title show, against Anderson Silva. “He’s
not unbeatable, nobody is. He’s undefeated in the UFC, but
he already had bad days, not just once”, he said. Click
here to see the video, published by Demian on his Twitter.
Source: Tatame
|
DANA
WHITE TALKS LIDDELL'S ALLEGED ALCOHOLISM
by Jeff
Cain
At a media day to promote the upcoming season of Spike TV’s
“The Ultimate Fighter,” former UFC light heavyweight
titleholder Tito Ortiz alleged that his longtime rival and fellow
former champion Chuck Liddell was an “alcoholic.” He
added that their former manager and now UFC president Dana White
had to do “an intervention” on Liddell.
Following
the UFC 109 pre-fight press conference on Thursday, White denied
ever having done an intervention and said Liddell isn’t
“too happy” about Ortiz’ comments.
“It’s
not true. I never stepped in and had an intervention with Chuck
Liddell and he never went to rehab or anything like that,”
White told a group of reporters. “Tito says some crazy stuff
sometimes.”
Asked
if Liddell was an alcoholic, White answered, “That I don’t
know. Chuck Liddell is not drinking. He absolutely quit drinking
to get ready and get back.
“Me
and Chuck have been battling over this fighting thing. That’s
it. All I’ve ever said to Chuck is, ‘If you come back,
you better take this seriously.’ Never did I say, ‘You’re
never fighting again and you’re gonna quit drinking and
you’re gonna clean your room and brush your teeth,’”
added the UFC president. “That’s not the relationship
I have. This guy is my friend. I care about him.
“I
think Chuck Liddell is a rich guy with a lot of time on his hands.
He likes to run around in bars. He’s single. He likes to
go out and meet girls, and you know, do what most guys do,”
explained Liddell’s longtime friend. “He’s a little
old to be doing it, but that’s what he likes to do. No different
than any other person who goes out on the weekends and parties;
no different than Tito when Tito’s not fighting.”
In
March of 2007, an incoherent Liddell appeared on “Good Morning
Texas” to promote the movie “300” and TMZ has
published video of a drunk Liddell more than once, leading to
public concern about his lifestyle further fueled by Ortiz’
comments.
“That
was a whole nother story! I wouldn’t say that was an intervention
either,” White said about Liddell’s “Good Morning
Texas” appearance. “I just stepped in and said, ‘What
are you doing and who let you go on TV that morning? They need
to be hung from the streetlight and beat like a piñata,
whoever let you go on that show.’”
Liddell
and Ortiz are coaching against each other on the upcoming season
of The Ultimate Fighter, and will fight for a third time, likely
in Vancouver at UFC 115. Liddell decisively defeated Ortiz in
both of their previous Octagon meetings.
Source: MMA Weekly
|
Jacaré
wants to see Renzo follow Gurgel’s lead
by Graciemag Newsroom
Professor
Romero Jacaré (Alliance) didn’t make the most of
his trip to Europe as he had wished to.
In
Lisbon, Portugal he had hoped to catch up with old black belt
friends, but he couldn’t – he fell victim of an invisible
enemy. ”I caught a cold and was weak the whole time, but
it was worth it,” he tells GRACIEMAG.com.
The
best part of the trip, to him, was being able to witness the
gold medal in the adult division won by his pupil, Fabio Gurgel,
40, now his partner in charge of the Alliance, winning team of
the European Championship 2010.
“It
was especially worth it to see Fabio win the heavyweight, going
against the laws of genetics. He is proof that those who care
for themselves, train and eat well, these days, can prolong their
time as athletes, “he explains.
And
Romero adds: “I hope that Renzo (Gracie) is also doing his
homework just right. I’ll always root for him. Besides being
a great human being, he’s a tremendous fighter. I hope this
return to MMA, at the UFC in Abu Dhabi in April, will be a happy
one. For him and Rolles, who I will be cheering for on Saturday.
Source: Gracie magazine
|
10
February Tussles Worth Watching
by Tim
Leidecker
February will be a month of extremes as far as this list goes.
The lightest and heaviest weight classes are featured almost
exclusively, with no welterweight bouts and just one middleweight
contest in between.
Reminder:
This list does not focus on the bouts you already know to watch
but rather on fights from all over the planet that are worth
seeing. Fights from the major promotions -- UFC, Strikeforce,
WEC, Dream and Sengoku -- are excluded by design.
With
that in mind, let’s start a tour around Europe, Asia, North
and South America for a list of bouts to watch you won’t
find anywhere else.
10.
Issac de Jesus vs. Nam Phan
TPF 3 “Champions Collide,” Feb. 4 -- Lemoore, Calif.
Both
de Jesus and Phan are coming off of losses, but at 23 and 26
years of age respectively, these two California-based featherweights
have considerable potential. They face off Thursday at Tachi
Palace Fights 3 for the promotion’s 145-pound championship.
The matchup pits de Jesus’ control and wrestling-based approach
against Phan’s experience and explosive striking.
9.
Nick Penner vs. Chris Price
MFC 24 “HeatXC,” Feb. 26 -- Enoch, Canada
The
Canadian fight scene is gaining more and more international relevance,
particularly with the UFC now promoting north of the U.S. border.
One promising Canadian light heavyweight prospect is former 230-pounder
Nick Penner out of Blumenort, Manitoba. The 29-year-old kickboxer
has lost just once in his professional career and will take on
two-time UFC veteran Chris Price on the main card of Maximum
Fighting Championships 24. The fight, which will be streamed
live on www.maximumfighting.com, promises to be a standup war.
8.
Kenneth Rosfort vs. Franco de Leonardis
Fighter Galla 12, Feb. 6 -- Odense, Denmark
Denmark
may not have caught the attention of the international fight
community as much as neighboring countries Finland or Sweden,
but it does have a couple of excellent fighters. Kenneth Rosfort
is one of them, and he is considered among the top 10 155-pound
fighters in Europe. The EVT vet will face a true European in
Franco de Leonardis, a German-Italian kickboxer who was also
recently promoted to a black belt in BJJ by Gracie Barra’s
Aldo Caveirinha. De Leonardis will try to snap Rosfort’s
four-fight win streak in his home country.
7.
Geronimo dos Santos vs. Edson Franca
Jungle Fight 16, Feb. 27 -- Vila Velha, Brazil
Brazilian
vale tudo legend turned promoter Wallid Ismail recently claimed
that his event series Jungle Fight is the Brazilian launching
pad to the UFC. That may very well be the case for heavyweights
Geronimo “Mondragon” dos Santos and Edson “Conterraneo”
Franca. The well-rounded Mondragon boasts wins over Pride veterans
Zuluzinho and Assuerio Silva. Conterraneo is strong on the ground,
though, and will try to derail Mondragon’s progression toward
a U.S. deal.
6.
Paul Reed vs. Alan Omer
BAMMA 2, Feb. 13 -- London, England
The
second installment of fledgling promotion BAMMA will pit seasoned
Welshman Paul Reed against German whiz kid Alan Omer in the main
event for the vacant BAMMA featherweight title. Reed was originally
scheduled to take on Englishman Mark Adams, who had to cancel
due to the swine flu. Omer has jumped at the chance of going
five rounds with Reed, who is ranked fourth in Europe at 145
pounds and accepted the challenge on two weeks’ notice.
Which will prevail, youth or experience?
5.
Jason Day vs. Jesse Taylor
Aggression MMA 2, Feb. 5 -- Edmonton, Canada
Two
UFC veterans will headline the bill at AMMA’s sophomore
show. The well-rounded Day climbed high on the MMA ladder when
he co-headlined UFC 85 against Michael Bisping, but he was ultimately
released from the promotion following two straight losses. His
opponent on Friday, Taylor, looked like a solid prospect on the
seventh season of the “Ultimate Fighter,” but his immature
behavior ruined his chances of winning the competition. Both
men are in desperate need of a win after subpar performances
as of late.
4.
Travis Wiuff vs. Mike Kyle
King of the Cage “Vengeance,” Feb. 12 -- Mescalero,
N.M.
KOTC’s
new partnership with HDNet will guarantee a larger number of
high-profile fights for the long-running regional show. They
kick it off in New Mexico with a card that features three title
fights and a clash between Wiuff and Kyle that, given the history
of both fighters, is unlikely to be anything but brutal. Both
men have been hot and cold in recent years, with fairly significant
wins as underdogs (over Ricco Rodriguez in Wiuff’s case
and over Rafael Cavalcante in Kyle’s) and then losses as
favorites. Watch it on HDNet.
3.
Takafumi Otsuka vs. Takeshi Yamazaki
Deep “46 Impact,” Feb. 28 -- Tokyo
Hiroyuki
Abe student Otsuka is considered one of the brightest young talents
in all of Japanese MMA. The 23-year-old jiu-jitsu player showed
great maturity for his age when he beat former King of Pancrase
Shoji Maruyama and Deep featherweight champion Dokonjonosuke
Mishima to win the promotion’s 145-pound title. That belt
will not be on the line as he returns from a six-month layoff
to take on fellow Dream veteran Takeshi Yamazaki. The Grabaka
fighter has been luckless as of late, but he is still seen as
a durable competitor and a good test.
2.
Jorge Masvidal vs. Luis Palomino
G-Force Fights “Bad Blood,” Feb. 4 -- Miami
Florida
seems to have become a new hotbed for MMA in the U.S. With Shine
Fights, the XFC and G-Force, the state has three promotions consistently
putting on good cards. The crown jewel in G-Force’s latest
effort is the “Battle of Miami,” as American Top Team’s
Jorge Masvidal takes on Team Nogueira’s Luis Palomino. Masvidal,
long tipped for greatness by many experts, has plenty of talent
but has also slacked off in supposed lower-profile matchups in
the past. Bellator vet Palomino is no pushover, though, and has
the hand speed to make for an interesting bout.
1.
Glover Teixeira vs. Jeff Monson
Bitetti Combat 6, Feb. 25 -- Brasilia, Brazil
This
is a fight that was supposed to happen last December, but it
had to be scrapped when Monson was denied entrance into Brazil
due to visa issues. Now the “Snowman” has properly
dealt with his paperwork, and the long-awaited confrontation
with “The Pit” BJJ head coach Teixeira can go ahead.
The 30-year-old Brazilian holds first-round victories over compatriots
Jorge Oliveira and Leonardo Lucio Nascimento as well as a big
knockout over Rameau Thierry Sokoudjou back when that still meant
something. He’ll try to add another quality win to his résumé
against Monson, a former UFC heavyweight title contender.
Source: Sherdog
|
Quote
of the Day
“I
am still determined to be cheerful and happy, in whatever situation
I may be; for I have also learned from experience that the greater
part of our happiness or misery depends upon our dispositions,
and not upon our circumstances.”
Martha Washington, 1732-1802
|
MMA
Bill Hearing Yesterday
A small
contingent of MMA supporters showed up at the Capitol to show
support for MMA and hear about two bills.
HB 2639 recommended the inclusion
of amateurs to the regulations of MMA events as is currently
required by the professional fighters. It was stated that the
Up & Up show at the Blaisdell was the only sanctioned event
since the new MMA law went in to effect. MMA events are still
going on strong, but the promoters have turned to running amateur
events because the amateur fighters are currently not covered
by the law and the promoters and fighters do not have to pay
any licensing fees, doctors present, or have blood testing.
Almost every one that testified, including Onzuka.com's own Mike
Onzuka and the Department of Commerce and Consumber Affairs'
(DCCA) Alan Taniguchi, stated that regulation is welcomed if
it ensures the protection and safety of the fighters, both pro
and amateur. One person testified that the additional costs would
hurt the ability for promotors to put on events and adds unnecessary
costs to amateur athletes. The main problem is for most MMA events,
the difference in rules between the professional and amateur
fights are very few which further enforces the need for regulated
safety measures for amateur MMA competitors.
HB 2764 recommends the elimination
of the 2% fee on the gross sales for the sale, lease, or other
exploitation of broadcasting, television, internet, and motion
picture rights in order to receive a permit.
DCCA head Alan Taniguchi recommended against the current modification
to the bill because he wanted to add a $50,000 cap to the PPV
and DVD sales fee to promotions. Currently there is no limit
so as the PPV and DVD sales increase, the fee to the promoter
increases. He stated that he talked to the UFC and they were
acceptable to a cap on the PPV and DVD sales fee at $50,000.
BJ Penn's mother, Mrs. Shin, testified on behalf of BJ Penn and
JD Penn to reduce or eliminate the fees that are currently in
the MMA bill citing that the added fees have killed professional
MMA events in Hawaii.
The DCCA division, which is responsible for the regulation of
MMA, may be the only agency in the state that is self-subsidized,
which means it does not get any money from the state and through
the fees, they pay for all the staff and services that are required
to perform supervisory functions at the events to ensure that
all laws and rules are followed. Some of the testimony got a
bit off course from the specific bills at hand and were pointed
at the original items on the bill that has already been passed
and is law such as licensing fees and overall fees for the promoters
that were not addressed in HB 2764.
The blood work is about $120-$130 per fighter and is based on
the price to perform blood work at private laboratories just
as Diagnostic Labs and the like. The current fee to license a
fighter is $140 for two years or $90 if the license if applied
for during the second year of the license so the cost of each
fighter would be around $220. The blood work ensures that the
contestant has a verification that he/she has tested negative
to HIV and Hepatitis B/C and is good for 6 months.
Other MMA licensing fees include:
Promoter license fee: $695 for 2 years
Event Permit fee: $500 (per event)
Second (corner): $140 for 2 years
Physician or Judge: $170 for 2 years
Referee or Manager: $245 for 2 years
Normally, the licensing fees for each individual (for example
Fighter, corner, Physician, judge, referee, and manager) is paid
for by that individual and not the promoter because the licensing
allows each individual to work at numerous events and promotions.
It is also arguable if the blood work should be paid for by the
contestant or the promoter since the contestant (fighter) would
able able to fight in different promotions with a single blood
test because it is good for 6 months.
The cost for a fighter if he/she took care of their own licensing
fees and blood work would be:
$140 + $130*4 (2 full years of blood testing) = $660
The would be the total cost to the fighter for 2 FULL YEARS would
be $660.
If the promoter consumed the costs of all the fees and licenses
for his staff and fighters, the approximate cost would be (excluding
the fee for the corners and gross fees):
Promoter license fee: $695 for 2 years
Event Permit fee: $500 (per event)
Physician or Judge: $170 for 2 years * 3 judges * 2 physicians
= $1,020.00
Referee: $245 for 2 years * 2 referees = $590.00
28 fighters (14 fight card) * ($140 License + $130 Blood work)
= $7,560.00
Total = $10,365.00
For different venues in order to calculate the gross fees, the
additional costs would be (assuming no PPV or DVD sales):
1,000 people at $30 per ticket = $30,000 gross revenue would
result in a fee of $1,200.00
3,000 people at $30 per ticket = $90,000 gross revenue would
result in a fee of $4,800.00
Obviously, the above items exclude the venue, production, staff,
advertising, transportation, room, air, boarding, etc. that are
standard costs to run an MMA promotion.
The issue that was not brought up was that if the fees are removed,
the revenue to run the DCCA regulatory inspectors and division
would be removed and where would the money come to perform regulation
of MMA? Do you think that the legislature would be willing to
take money from their existing programs that they are cutting
or from education that they are fighting over? In fact, they
are over budget currently so there would be no money to allocate
to the department so there would be no one to approve licenses
and allow events. The fees seem to be a necessary evil, but maybe
the promoters, the DCCA, and the legislature can come up with
some fee amounts that will pay for the costs the inspectors and
department to process the paperwork and oversee MMA events and
not break the banks of the promoters and the competitors.
|
MANUP
AND STAND UP
WAIPAHU FILCOM CENTER
FRIDAY FEB 5
DOORS OPEN AT 6:00
TONY
PERREIRA 170 JACOB SMITH
NUI
WHEELER 140 JONAH VISTANTE
MIKE
UEMOTO 145 ROBERT ANDUHA
FRED
RAMAYLA 150 SHAWN BURROUGHS
ALVIN
BERTO 130 JULIO MORENO
KALAI
MCSHANE 120 JAYCOBI VISTANTE
RICHARD
BERNARD 152 RED DAVIS
MARK
YARCIA 135 ISAAN HATTORI
SOTA
NAKANO 170 JOSEPH ENAENA
KAIPO
ADEZIADO 97 RONSON VEA
ANTHONY
MURAKAMI 145 JAMES LEOLE
JOEY
SEDENO 115 JED HARWOOD
BRYSEN
LUM (O2 Martial Arts Academy) 150 IKAIKA GOODRIDGE
SAI
HOLBRON 175 PHILLIP AKUI
CHEVEZ
ANTOQUE 200 MIKE VINANO
SPIKE
KAHALEWAI 70 KAENA DESANTOS
RICKY
SAJORDO 115 COMBAT 50
JENNA
ODA 150 GABBY DENNIS
ROBERT
BONAS 155 HAROLD CHUN
FERDINAND
RAMIREZ 159 BRONSON CALPITO
ROYAL
KAUA (O2 Martial Arts Academy) 155 AJ BROWN
LINDSEY
170 GEORGE FELIX
SCOTT
ENDO 185 MARK TIGER
COLT
DANTE 100 CHRISTIEN RAQUEDON
KANALOA
COOKE 125 JAN QUIMOYOG
SHAWN
DESANTOS 125 JORDAN TIGER
JEFFREY
PERKINS 200 DENNIS KAM
IKAIKA
KUPUKAA 230 94 BLOCK
All
matches and participants are subject to change.
Source: Event Promoter
|
DIAZ
WAS NEVER HURT, PUT THE HURT ON INSTEAD
Following a career that has spanned some of the most memorable
fights in mixed martial arts, Nick Diaz finally wrapped a title
around his waist when he TKO'd Dream champion Marius Zaromskis
to claim the vacant Strikeforce welterweight title.
The
Gracie Jiu-Jitsu black belt showed once again that his stand-up
could be his deadliest weapon, popping his opponent time and
time again with amazing accuracy and power.
Speaking
after the fight, Diaz talked about the strategy that put him
over the top and got him the win against Zaromskis on Saturday
night in Florida.
“He
came running at me so I just waived him in. Come on," Diaz
commented. "So I circled out of that and just started putting
my punches in. I came out standing a little tall. I heard my
trainer yelling at me telling me to get right. He went ahead,
let me put that knee to the leg over and over again, so I was
like I’ll take me what you’ll give me.
“You
can’t take that to the leg over and over again. After knees
like that, you’re not going to walk good. I’m sure
he’s having issues with that right now walking around."
The
knees may have taken away some of Zaromskis' power in his kicks,
but he did tag Diaz with a heavy punch midway through the first
around that appeared to buckle the California native. According
to the new champion though, it was all smoke and mirrors and
he was fine the whole fight through.
“I
was never hurt at any point or time in this fight. The only thing
I got hit with, it just kind of put a hole in my lip, but I wasn’t
hurt, rocked, dazed or whatever you want to call it. I think
I lost my footing a little bit, so I went ahead and sat down,"
Diaz said.
"I
don’t need this guy running up throwing one of his jumping,
flying kicks at me. If he wants to come in and engage that on
the ground then he can do that, but I think it would have been
a mistake for him.”
The
ground game is what Diaz was known for early in his career, submitting
fighters and displaying the tremendous pedigree of his jiu-jitsu
game. Lately though, he has abandoned that strategy and picked
up a deadly boxing game that saw him knock down two middleweights
before claiming his welterweight title.
“I
know I could have finished this guy on the ground. Everybody
is always like why are you so stubborn and do your stand up?
People make it real hard for me. They don’t want to go on
the ground," said Diaz. "They know I’m going to
finish them on the ground. I wasn’t being stubborn. I’ll
take whatever opportunity they give me. He was letting me put
the punches in, and there’s no reason to try and take this
guy down.”
Now
that Diaz takes home the third Strikeforce title for his home
camp at the Cesar Gracie Fight Team, he's more focused on the
fight and not so much about the new gold belt he gets as a prize.
“It’s
just another fight. I’ll fight anybody. I’ve had some
hard fights that weren’t title fights," Diaz stated
about his championship fight. "I’ve had harder fights
than this that weren’t title fights. A title, it’s
a belt. It’s an object.”
Source: MMA Weekly
|
MAC
DANZIG MAKING HIS WAY ON HIS OWN TERMS
Mac Danzig, winner of season 5 of “The Ultimate Fighter,”
had everything going for him. Following a memorable stint on
the reality show, where he was dubbed as the favorite early on
and the unofficial leader of Matt Hughes’ team, Danzig would
eventually win his six-figure contract at the show’s culmination
opposite teammate Tommy Speer in the welterweight division.
Since
dropping back to his more natural weight class, the lightweight
fighter has had a string of bad luck. Following up the win over
Speer with a win over Canadian grappler Mark Bocek at 155 pounds,
Danzig has since gone 0-3 against stiff competition in the form
of veterans Clay Guida, Josh Neer, and Jim Miller.
Though
the pressure to win always exists, the former King of the Cage
lightweight champion is truly in need of a win to remain within
the UFC, something that he’s heard time and time again.
“It’s
the same story,” said Danzig while a guest on the MMAWeekly
Radio show.
“That’s
what happens whenever you have a loss, or a string of losses.
A lot of guys, they feel that same pressure when they’re
coming off of one loss, and I just happen to be in a weight class
that is really, highly competitive,” he said.
“Its
not easy to go in there and put together a lot of wins unless
you are fighting turds, and there’s no turds in the UFC
really. So it’s just one of those things where I think I
felt all the pressure for the last three fights, especially the
Guida and Neer fights, and I think I have a lot less pressure
this time around, because I’ve hit rock bottom so to speak.”
Making
his first start since the loss to contender Jim Miller this past
July at UFC 100, Danzig will come back to his familiar stomping
grounds of Spike TV when he faces Team Alpha Male product Justin
Buchholz at UFC 109, as part of the televised portion of the
undercard dubbed “UFC 109: The Prelims,” which will
also feature another lightweight bout between Melvin Guillard
and Ronnys Torres.
“When
I found out (Spike TV decided they) were going to air it, I thought
that was pretty cool,” said the 30-year-old.
“I
think it should be a fun fight, an exciting fight for the fans.
This guy, if nothing else, he’s exciting. He comes out there
and gives it his all and everyone knows that I do too.
“I
think it’s a good match-up, as far as exciting fights for
the fans, and than on top of that it doesn’t hurt to be
on Spike TV. It helps my sponsorship check, so I’m not complaining
there.”
Following
a move from Las Vegas to his current residence in Los Angeles,
Danzig believes the change of scenery is exactly what he needed
in order to refocus and reinvigorate his career. Long past him
now are the days in Vegas where “there’s nothing really
else to do unless you’re one of those crazy, party people
that wants to have glow sticks behind their ears and jump around
in a club on various drugs and alcohol.”
With
a new group of guys behind him and no more free-for-all sessions
at the famed Xtreme Couture, the father of a one-year old baby
girl will look to cement his spot in the sport, but only on his
own terms.
“I’m
not too concerned about my status in the sport or any of that
stuff anymore,” said Danzig.
“I
feel like I’ll get back on top and I’ll get back and
put myself in a good position again in this weight division.
I’ll do it in my own time and on my own terms and I’m
not really worried about what people think too much anymore.
I think that’s where a lot of fighters go wrong is they
start to listen to what everyone else says instead of what’s
really going on.”
Source: MMA Weekly
|
AGENT
TALKS HIERON FREE AGENCY; UFC AN OPTION
There are no guarantees in life or in the fight game.
That's
the motto that Jay Hieron has lived his life by lately due to
some unfortunate timing and opponent changes that left the former
IFL fighter off of the latest Showtime televised card and without
an expected title shot.
Now
officially a free agent able to negotiate a new contract, Hieron's
agent, Ken Pavia from MMA Agents, clarified the timeline for
his client's next deal.
"He
has an exclusive negotiating period with Strikeforce, but beyond
that he is, he has no more fights left on his deal," said
Pavia in an interview with MMAWeekly.com on Sunday. "There's
an exclusive negotiating period, and then there's also a right
to match, which is pretty standard in the industry at this point."
Pavia
wasn't 100 percent sure of the exclusivity or the right to match
time period, but he's confident that the right deal will get
done for Hieron.
Following
the fights, Strikeforce CEO Scott Coker said that despite his
win over Joe Riggs on Saturday night, Hieron was not a lock for
a title shot in his next fight. When asked if this was a serious
offense or just a negotiation tactic, Pavia reacted calmly about
the comments.
"It's
words until it happens. I wouldn't read into it too much,"
he commented. "We think Jay's entitled to a title shot.
We've thought he was the top contender for a couple fights now
and we've won, but until they officially announce who's fighting
for the belt, I'm not going to concern myself too much about
that until something actually occurs.
"A
lot of stuff has to be sorted out before hand. I believe it will
be good faith negotiations and I'm sure a resolution will come,
whether it's a title shot or something else that happens."
Of
course the question immediately comes when speaking about free
agents in MMA, will the UFC get involved and would they consider
a return for Hieron to that organization instead?
"You've
got to consider every option and opportunity for a fighter. You've
ultimately got to way the benefits and the detriments for everyone.
It's basic logic, you've got to consider everything," said
Pavia.
"That
being said, he's not unhappy with Strikeforce. I mean he's unhappy
he hasn't made television and it affects his sponsorship money.
He's unhappy that he didn't get to fight for the title shot,
but we also recognize that it's not all Strikeforce's fault.
There are a lot of different issues that come into play, so it's
not to say we wouldn't have issues if we were in the UFC, or
with a Japanese organization."
Timing
is everything for the contract negotiations, and Pavia says that
Hieron had to get eight stitches after the fight. Financially
his client is doing well, and with only one teammate with a fight
coming up soon, he's alright taking a little time off to make
sure the right deal gets done.
Hieron's
agent is also quick to point out that while a lot of people want
to point fingers at Strikeforce for not putting his fighter in
the right place, he understands that they still paid him his
full fight purse and win bonus for a non-televised fight, when
they could have easily delayed things and pushed the bout back
to another card.
Pavia
says that Hieron will not play the victim in all of this, and
he's mentally ready for whatever the best option happens to be,
even if it's not a title shot. At the end of the day though,
money talks, and anyone that tells you different isn't telling
the truth.
"I
think there's a multiplicity of factors and money being the number
one factor, but not the only factor. There's television, there's
title opportunities, there's opponents, there's timing, there's
so many factors that come into play and as an agent we go out
and cultivate the opportunities, and try to maximize every element
out there," Pavia commented.
"If
they tell you it's not about money, they're lying. It's always
about money. That's an overwhelming factor. And time and time
again, people say it's not about the money, they're lying to
you. It's always, always, always about the money, but everything
else does chip away at that ultimate motivating factor.
"Next
to money he wants to fight the toughest guys and he wants a title
shot, and I respect that."
Source: MMA Weekly
|
THE
HAMMER STILL HUNTING TITLES AT 45
He's a UFC Hall of Famer. He's a former UFC heavyweight champion.
He's a Pride Grand Prix champion. For all of his accomplishments
in mixed martial arts, Mark Coleman, at age 45, still isn't done
hunting for more titles to add to his collection.
The
Ohio State alum is set to face Randy Couture at UFC 109, and
Coleman is quick to point out that he's hoping with a win that
a title shot could loom in his future.
"I'm
not just in this to play around. I'm in this to be a winner.
I'm in this to be a champion still. I'm still a competitor,"
Coleman said. "If I put in the time, if I work my ass off,
if I train hard enough, at 205 I feel like I can compete with
anybody. That's the goal. I don't want to look past Randy. I'm
not looking past Randy, but with everybody asking that question
you kind of have to sometimes."
Coleman's
potential for a title shot could hinge on the upcoming rematch
between champion Lyoto Machida and top contender Mauricio "Shogun"
Rua at UFC 113 in Montreal. Coleman and Rua have met in the past,
with each picking up a win over the other.
A
great storyline also follows Coleman and Rua, who battled in
Pride some years ago. The resulting broken arm that Rua suffered
coupled with the rivalry that broke out between Coleman's Hammer
House team and Rua's Chute Boxe academy is the stuff of legend.
Still,
Coleman plays down the rivalry with Shogun, and believes that
ultimately it would just be a good fight to get again.
"For
the most part I've never had a problem with any fighters. The
Shogun fight, it was hyped up as a lot of hatred there, but basically
that was mainly Shogun," Coleman stated. "He had had
a problem with me and I could understand that. He's a lot younger,
and I can understand why he had a problem with me, I never had
no problem with him."
The
question has come up time and time again, if Coleman were to
win, and if Shogun defeats Machida, could we be in for a rubber
match between to two Pride veterans?
"Certainly
if I was to beat (Couture), and Shogun could beat Machida, then
obviously that would be a nice little match-up. Me and him for
round number three," Coleman said. "With both of us
coming in, in top shape, it would be a hell of a fight."
Now
it's just up to Coleman and Rua to win and that very scenario
could just play out in the future, possibly as soon as later
in 2010.
Source: MMA Weekly
|
NICK
DIAZ WILL FIGHT ANYONE, WANTS GSP
You either love him or hate him.
There
aren’t too many people that ride the fence when it comes
to Nick Diaz.
That’s
not surprising considering he’s not one to ride the fence
himself. You don’t get the sterile, filtered answers of
today’s practiced professional athletes when you talk to
Nick Diaz.
You
get Nick Diaz.
Following
Saturday’s win over Dream champion Marius Zaromskis at Strikeforce:
Miami – where Diaz won the vacant Strikeforce welterweight
championship, he spoke as freely as ever.
While
everyone else has been focused on whether or not Jay Hieron will
finally get the title shot that he signed up for, Diaz hardly
gives him a second thought.
“I’d
rather fight somebody that’s a little more important than
Jay Hieron,” he said plainly. “(His) fight wasn’t
even on the main card, so why am I going to fight him? Nobody
saw it. Nobody even knows who he is. They keep bringing me these
guys nobody knows.”
The
same goes for K.J. Noons, who defeated Diaz when the two fought
for the now-defunct EliteXC.
“Who
is Noons? He hasn’t fought forever. This guy doesn’t
even fight anymore or something or quit, is scared,” assessed
Diaz.
So
who does he want to fight? How about UFC welterweight champion
and the consensus No. 1 170-pounder in the world?
“I
want to fight Georges St-Pierre,” Diaz stated without hesitation.
“If they give me an option, that’s the only fight I’m
talking about. I want to fight the best. I want to fight the
people that everybody thinks is the best out there.”
That’s
not likely to happen any time soon. St-Pierre is locked in with
the UFC and Diaz is now dialed in as Strikeforce champion.
Mixing
the two promotions is like trying to blend oil and water. It
just ain’t gonna happen.
In
the meantime, Diaz will keep chugging along, doing what he does
best... fight.
“There’s
people in the world to fight,” he stated, adding, “I’ll
do whatever is going to pay me. I need money so I can take care
of my family.
“I’ll
fight whoever you want me to. Just pay me more money. Whoever
you can pay me the most money to fight, I’m going to fight.”
Source: MMA Weekly
|
Coker
Says Aoki, Sakurai, Toughill Will Get Title Shots
SUNRISE,
Fla. -- An exhausted Strikeforce CEO Scott Coker asked to sit
down before granting an interview in the wee hours of Sunday
morning following what he termed a successful Strikeforce Miami
show, but he wasn't looking to take much of a break.
Coker
is already preparing to promote several big fights in the spring,
including fights pitting champions Gilbert Melendez, Nick Diaz
and Cris Cyborg against new challengers.
A
few of the fights Coker said he's working on booking:
Shinya
Aoki vs. Gilbert Melendez: "Aoki and Melendez is going to
happen before summertime," Coker said confidently. Talking
to Coker, you get the sense that he's personally more excited
about bringing Aoki to the United States than he is about any
other fighter he can sign. Melendez is the Strikeforce lightweight
champion and Aoki is the Dream lightweight champion, and a bout
between the two of them would be one of the best lightweight
bouts of the year.
Nick
Diaz vs. Hayoto Sakurai: Most people thought Jay Hieron earned
a shot at the welterweight title by defeating Joe Riggs, but
Coker said it's more likely that Sakurai will be the challenger
in Diaz's first title defense. Sakurai fights for Dream, and
Coker said Strikeforce's co-promotional arrangement with Dream
ensures that "I could get it done." Hieron's win over
Riggs was the last fight on his Strikeforce contract, and it's
not clear whether Hieron will return to the promotion.
Cris
Cyborg vs. Erin Toughill: The next shot at the 145-pound women's
title will go to Toughill, who boasts a 10-2-1 record and a good
ground game. It's hard to see Toughill providing much of a challenge
for Cyborg, but then again it's hard to see any 145-pound woman
providing much of a challenge for Cyborg. Toughill is as good
an opponent as anyone else for now, and later this year Strikeforce
will find another challenger for Cyborg by pitting eight 145-pound
women in a tournament to determine the No. 1 contender in the
weight class.
Bobby
Lashley vs. Brett Rogers: I was surprised when Coker mentioned
this fight as a serious possibility, but he says it absolutely
could happen, and that he wants it to happen. Personally, I'd
be shocked if Lashley agrees to face Rogers, and even more shocked
if Lashley makes it out of the first round against Rogers if
this fight gets booked. But Coker said a huge step up in quality
of opposition is coming for Lashley, and that Lashley will stay
active and get back into the cage soon.
Source: MMA Fighting
|
Strikeforce
Post-Mortem: Punches in Bunches, Football’s Revenge, and
More
Nick
Diaz is not a knockout artist in any traditional sense: you don’t
need to fear a lunch box of a hand crashing into your temple.
What Diaz does instead is arguably more impressive: instead of
connecting once, he transmits force over and over and over again
-- 95 times in the first round alone against Marius Zaromskis
on Saturday. If the first ten don’t wear on you, the next
85 will.
Diaz’
evolution from a pestering striker with a black belt reserve
to a genuinely threatening combination artist has been fascinating
to watch. Western boxing has had a tradition of being the most
criminally under-represented element in MMA. Part of the blame
lies in the ineffectual nature of a boxing stance -- feet planted
-- which will get you kicked or swept into a coffin; part of
it is just the handyman nature of the sport and the limited time
afforded to any one element.
Diaz
is by no means a striker who can step into a boxing ring, a suggestion
made -- hopefully in jest -- by commentator Mauro Ranallo last
night. By boxing’s standards, he is eccentric at best. But
in a sport where bad boxing is the only kind being practiced,
eccentric is enough.
Next
for Diaz: Likely a long-overdue Jay Hieron, but there’s
more suspense in a rematch with pro boxer Karl James Noons, who
busted Diaz up badly in a 2007 bout. Is Noons willing to go to
170 to try it again?
Next
for Herschel Walker: Eating up the incoming praise for being
a 47-year-old who just went three rounds in his MMA debut without
dropping dead from exhaustion. (That’s a feat more accomplished
heavyweights can’t manage.) Opponent Greg Nagy looked to
have been enlisted from the morgue, but Walker showed poise and
athletic ability that makes him one of MMA’s better curiosities.
His is the kind of fame that could make David "Tank"
Abbott or Ken Shamrock employable again.
Next
for Cristiane "Cyborg" Santos: Waiting for Strikeforce
to develop Erin Toughill as a worthy contender; prank-calling
Laila Ali.
Next
for Bobby Lashley: Strikeforce running out of gift-wrap and giving
him someone to measure his skills against. Even Mike Kyle would
be welcome at this point, but Brett Rogers in an eliminator for
Fedor Emelianenko is a sound plan in the absence of Alistair
Overeem.
Next
for Robbie Lawler: Cung Le if Le is up for it; Frank Shamrock
if not.
New
Questions
Do
promotional exchanges work?
In
their starry-eyed optimism, Dream officials may have believed
they were sending Marius Zaromskis and Melvin Manhoef on bombing
missions to the States. Instead, both men were wrecked by fighters
belonging to Strikeforce. And if Zaromskis had happened to win
the welterweight title, it could’ve been several months
before he came back around to defend it.
Co-promotion
is a noble idea, but what’s good for fans isn’t necessarily
good for business. And if it’s not good for business, that
business might not last. If Strikeforce insists on these matches,
the introduction of a separate world title might be in order.
What
will it take to beat “Cyborg” Santos?
At
this point, an athlete loading their gloves with birdshot would
still only be a 50/50 proposition against Santos, a woman who
can take a punch to deliver three of her own. Controlling her
in the clinch or on the ground seems impossible. What’s
the solution?
In
looking at the beginning of the end for Wanderlei Silva, another
Chute Boxe savage, Ricardo Arona had to stifle his violence by
pinning Silva’s back to the ground. No one in Strikeforce’s
current 145-pound division seems capable of doing that to Santos.
Instead, it might be worthwhile to gauge the interest of female
Olympic wrestlers: Irina Merleni won the first women’s gold
medal at the 2004 Games.
Men’s
MMA changed dramatically with the introduction of amateur grapplers.
It might be time for the female division to experience the same
evolution.
What
do you do with Herschel?
Signing
an ex-football player flirting with 50 to a fight contract is
stunt casting at its worst. But someone forgot to tell Walker
he was supposed to be a punch line: the former NFL standout displayed
poise and athleticism lost on some lumbering heavyweights half
his age. And he pulled off the neat hat trick of being gracious
and ingratiating during promotion while looking like someone
shot his dog once he got in the cage.
Walker
is a fun distraction from the main business of title contention.
So long as he’s treated as such, his participation is welcome.
Etc.
Talking
to Fanhouse, Strikeforce President Scott Coker floated Hayato
Sakurai as a possible contender for Nick Diaz’s 170-pound
welterweight title. Sakurai is good, but his best years are in
the rear-view mirror. Coker also mentioned Shinya Aoki’s
looming shot against Gilbert Melendez, which would steal any
show it’s held on…MMAJunkie.com learned that Walker
was paid “six figures” for the Nagy demolition, which
Walker intends to donate to charity…Lashley, apparently
investing in a heel gimmick, is making noise about wanting a
title shot next. The road from Sims to Fedor Emelianenko is unpaved,
Bobby… EA Sports drew heat for an inability to successfully
stream the Jay Hieron/Joe Riggs undercard bout at EASports.com
prior to the start of the live telecast. As promising as Internet-on-Demand
video seems, it’s still at the whim of broadband capacity
and glitch-infested PC headaches…Robbie Lawler christened
Melvin Manhoef “so frickin’ powerful” in his post-fight
interview and admitted to being “sore” following a
barrage of lower leg kicks. He also plugged his new sponsor.
Source: Sherdog
|
Post-Fight
Notebook: Lashley Asks for Test, Cyborg Eying Improvement
SUNRISE,
Fla. --- Though Wes Sims taunted newcomer Bobby Lashley with
some pro wrestling-style showmanship to start their heavyweight
bout at Strikeforce “Miami” on Saturday, Lashley said
the showboating wasn’t enough to distract him.
“I
can’t get mad at this stage in the game,” Lashley said
after the event. “I tried it once and I didn’t want
to go out there.”
He
said the taunting makes the fight exciting.
“They
are going to come at me with the pro wrestling stuff which is
pretty cool because at least they are watching,” said Lashley,
who was a WWE champion and now wrestles for TNA wrestling.
The
American Top Team affiliate member said he intends on fighting
someone who is not classified as a “middle guy.”
“I
hate critics that think I am not good enough to fight,”
said Lashley. “If you are going to put me up against the
champ than put me up against the champ.”
The
undefeated MMA fighter said he will review video of his fight,
but plans on working on his standup, since he is confident with
his 18 years of wrestling experience.
“When
I am sparring, I feel great about my standup but when I get inside
the cage, I don’t know for some reason I don’t perform
it that well,” he said. “I want to do a lot of standup
sparring.”
“Cyborg”
Sees Room for Improvement
Fresh
of her victory against Marloes Coenen, Strikeforce's women’s
145-pound champion, Cristiane “Cyborg” Santos said
her opponent brought competition, but her training prepared her
for victory.
“I
was prepared for all rounds,” said Santos with a smile.
“I believed in my training.”
Santos
held on to her belt by defeating her Dutch opponent by strikes
at 3:40 in the third round. And despite being the top women fighter
in the MMA world, she says there is always room for improvement.
“I’d
like to work on my muay Thai,” she said.
Mousasi
Meets St. Pierre
On
the heels of a 15-fight winning streak, Strikeforce light heavyweight
champion Gegard Mousasi is looking forward to training with another
MMA great: UFC welterweight champion Georges St. Pierre.
Mousasi
said both champions met cageside at the event and will train
together Sunday in Florida for the first time.
“I
got an invitation (to his camp) and I am happy about that,”
said Mousasi during the conference. “I am curious about
his training. There are a lot of things I want to change in my
training. I look forward to learn how GSP trains in his wrestling.”
Although
not confirmed, Mousasi said it’s more than likely that he
will fight Muhammed “King Mo” Lawal at an upcoming
Strikeforce event.
“I
want to test myself,” he said. “King Mo would be a
great fight.”
Hughes
Preps for Gracie
Saturday’s
event brought out several well-known MMA fighters including former
Pride champion and former UFC contender Dan Henderson, who recently
signed up with the California-based Company, as well as former
UFC welterweight champion Matt Hughes.
Hughes
came out in support of friend and training partner, “Ruthless”
Robbie Lawler, who did a great imitation of his former foe Scott
Smith with a comeback victory over Melvin Manhoef 3:33 into the
first round.
Hughes
says he is preparing for his upcoming bout against Renzo Gracie
and believes his opponent will be seen as the home favorite when
the UFC will make its first visit to Abu Dhabi on April 10 for
UFC 112.
“I
am training and doing some cardio,” he said. “I am
also watching a lot of video on him.”
Aside
from focusing on his next foe, he says a rematch with St. Pierre
would be great.
“I
would love another fight with GSP,” he said. “I was
disappointed with my last fight with GSP. But, I have another
formidable opponent (in Gracie).”
Source: Sherdog
|
FORMER
POWER RANGER, JASON FRANK, WINS DEBUT
HOUSTON – It wasn't a perfect beginning for Jason David
Frank, but it was a victory nonetheless.
Frank,
a former cast member of the hit Power Rangers show in the 1990's,
survived a brutal opening onslaught from opponent Jonathan Mack
to score a first-round submission win in his mixed martial arts
debut.
Mack
landed several hard punches, including one that sent Frank crashing
to the canvas. He allowed Frank to return to his feet before
taking him back to the ground. Frank, who figured to be more
of a technical striker than a submission artist in his debut,
quickly pulled Mack into an omo plata for the submission win.
Frank
moves his mixed martial arts record to 1-0 with the victory,
while Mack drops to 0-1. Frank's debut will be televised on HDNet
in the coming weeks.
Source: MMA Weekly
|
Quote
of the Day
“I
would never die for my beliefs because I might be wrong.”
Bertrand Russell, 1872-1970
|
MANUP
AND STAND UP
WAIPAHU FILCOM CENTER
FRIDAY FEB 5
DOORS OPEN AT 6:00
NUI
WHEELER 140 JONAH VISANTE
THE
MAIN EVENT WILL FEATURE THESE TWO SKILLED WESTSIDERS FIGHTING
FOR THE SOLJAH BOY’S NEWEST EDITION TO HIS BELT COLLECTION.
BOTH OF THESE BANGAS ARE WAIANAE RAISED AND ON FRIDAY NIGHT WE
WILL SEE WHO HAS MORE WAIANAE IN THEM. JONAH IS THE HIGH SCHOOLER
CHASING HIS DREAM THAT NUI WEARS AROUND HIS WAIST. HE BRINGS
EXCITEMENT RIGHT FROM THE ENTRANCE TO THE DECISION (UNLESS IT
DOESN’T GO TO THE DECISION). HE HAS NEVER MET DEFEAT HERE
ON MAN-UP AND HOPES HE NEVER MEETS IT, ESPECIALLY ON FRIDAY NIGHT.
NUI ON THE OTHER HAND IS THE ARROGANT AND COCKY ADULT WHO WILL
TRY TO PLAY TEACHER WHEN THE SCHOOL BELL RINGS. BE THERE TO SEE
WHO IS GIVING THE LESSONS WHEN CLASS STARTS.
KALAI
MCSHANE 120 JACOBI VISANTE
THESE
TWO 15 YEAR OLD HAMMAS HAVE MET ON MAN-UP BEFORE WITH KALAI PULLING
OUT THE W. BUT JACOBI HAD DIFFERENT FEELINGS ON THAT FIRST MATCH
AND WANTS A SECOND CHANCE AT HIM. THAT NIGHT HE WALKED OUT THE
RING WITH NO POORSPORT ATTITUDE AND EXCEPTED THE LOSS LIKE A
MAN (OR DID HE EXCEPT THE LOSS). THESE TWO CHAMPIONS ALREADY
OWN BELTS AND ARE OLDER, FASTER AND STRONGER FROM THE LAST TIME
THEY MET. WE’RE GONNA MAKE THINGS INTERESTING AND DO IT
ALL OVER AGAIN WITH ANOTHER BELT ON THE LINE. SO IF YOU THOUGHT
THE FIRST MEETING WAS ACTION PACKED, THAT WAS JUST CHILD’S
PLAY. FRIDAY NIGHT WILL FEATURE ONE GUY TRYING TO PROVE THE FIRST
TIME WASN’T A FLUKE AND THE OTHER GUY TRYING NOT TO LET
IT GO THE DECISION AGAIN.
FERDINAND
RAMIREZ 160 TONY PERRERA
FERDINAND
WILL STEP UP TO THE PLATE AND TAKE ON THE WAIANAE BOXING SENSATION
IN AN AMERICAN STYLE KICKBOXING MATCH. FERDINAND FAVORS HIS LEG
KICKS AND KNEES WHICH HIS LAST OPPONENT FOUND OUT BUT WILL TURN
IT DOWN A NOTCH FOR THIS SHOW. OR SHOULD IT BE SAID THAT TONY
WILL STEP UP TO THE PLATE TO TAKE ON THE NEW MIDDLEWEIGHT CHAMP.
WELL, NOBODY IS STEPPING UP OR DOWN BECAUSE BOTH OF THESE FIGHTER’S
ORIGINAL MATCHES GOT SCRATCHED AND THEIR COACHES DECIDED THAT
IT WOULD BE A GOOD MATCH AND EVEN A BETTER CHALLENGE FOR BOTH
FIGHTERS. FOR THE BOXER NOW HAS TO WORRY ABOUT KICKS TO DEFEND
AND THE K1 STYLE FIGHTER NOW HAS TO DO WITHOUT THE LEG KICKS
AND KNEES. DON’T MISS THIS BOXING CHAMPION VS KICKBOXING
CHAMPION MATCH.
GABBY
DENNIS 150 JENNA ODA
THE
ONLY FEMALE MATCH WILL SHOWCASE THESE TWO WOMEN SWINGING INSTEAD
OF PULLING HAIR OR SCRATCHING. GABBY HAS STEPPED IN TO FACE JENNA
IN A LAST MINUTE REPLACEMENT. JENNA’S ORIGINAL MATCH WAS
UNABLE TO MAKE THIS SHOW. THIS IS GABBY’S DEBUT ON MAN-UP
& STAND-UP BUT TRAINS WITH UNIVERSAL COMBAT SPORT THAT COMPETE
IN ANY KIND OF COMBAT ACTION. AS FOR JENNA, SHE HAS ONLY TWO
KICKBOXING EXHIBITIONS AND IS GOING TO FINALLY SMELL HER FIRST
REAL MATCH. COME DOWN AND SUPPORT THESE TWO WOMEN FOR THIS ONE
GOES ON THE RECORD. SEE YOU THERE
RICHARD
BERNARD 152 IKAIKA RAMOS
MIKE
UEMOTO 145 ROBERT ANDUHA
FRED
RAMAYLA 150 SHAWN BURROUGHS
MARK
YARCIA 135 ISAAN HATTORI
SOTA
NAKANO 170 JOSEPH ENAENA
KAIPO
ADEZIADO 97 RONSON VEA
ANTHONY
MURAKAMI 145 JAMES LEOLE
JOEY
SEDENO 115 JED HARWOOD
BRYSEN
LUM (O2 Martial Arts Academy) 150 IKAIKA GOODRIDGE
SAI
HOLBRON 175 PHILLIP AKUI
CHEVEZ
ANTOQUE 200 MIKE VINANO
SPIKE
KAHALEWAI 70 KAENO DESANTOS
RICKY
SAJORDO 115 ISIAH WALLER
ROBERT
BONAS 155 ROYAL
KAUA (O2 Martial Arts Academy)
COLT
DANTE 100 CHRISTIEN RAQUEDON
KANALOA
COOKE 125 JAN QUIMOYOG
SHAWN
DESANTOS 125 JUSTIN KAHALEWAI
JEFFREY
PERKINS 200 DENNIS KAM
IKAIKA
KUPUKAA 230 NICK RIVERA
JONAH
CARTER 50 CLIFTON SYLVA
DENNIS
MONTERA 125 JORDAN TIGER
JOSEPH
CARTER 130 SIT YOU DOWN
OLA
LUM (O2 Martial Arts Academy) 135 RICKY PLUNKETT
GEORGE
FELIX 180 MARK TIGER
MATCHES
AND PARTICPANTS MAY BE SUBJECT TO CHANGE |
Quest
for Champions Results
Sport-Pankration:
Children 6-7yrs. (Bracket A)
1)Daven Sakamaki (Kempo Unlimited)
2)Jonah Yoshimoto (Kempo Unlimited)
Children 6-7yrs. (Bracket B)
1)Justin Ishida (Kempo Unlimited)
2)Jonah Lopes-Carter (Nanakuli Kickboxing)
Children 8-9yrs. (Bracket A)
1)Christian Tavares (Kempo Unlimited)
2)Skylar Yoshimoto (Kempo Unlimited)
Children 8-9yrs. (Bracket B)
1)Chad Foster (Kempo Unlimited)
2)Quinn Nakasato (Kempo Unlimited)
3)Jonas Leiato (Kempo Unlimited)
Children 10-11yrs.
1)Classyc Tavares (Kempo Unlimited)
2)Casey
Nitta (O2 Martial Arts)
Children 12-13yrs.
1)Brandon Kurosawa (Kempo Unlimited)
2)Dayton Higa (Groff Kajukenbo)
3)Angus Mersberg (Kempo Unlimited)
Children 14-15yrs.
1)Joseph Lopes-Carter(Nanakuli Kickboxing)
2)Niko Paiva (Tapnutin Krew)
Adult Novice -132lbs
1)Pomai Yamaguchi (Kempo Unlimited) 2)Melonie Verosa (Tapnutin
Krew)
Adult Novice +203lbs
1)Kai Patacsil (knuckle Up)
2)Dennis Abensur (Gracie Barra-University)
Junior Intermediate 16-17yrs.
1)Jenna Koseki (Kempo Unlimited)
2)Arlena Cook (Tapnutin Krew)
Adult Intermediate -162lbs (Bracket A)
1)Kai Kunimoto (Average Joes)
2)Rigo Trujillo (Kempo Unlimited)
Adult Intermediate -162lbs (Bracket B)
1) Stirling Mcanliffe (HMC-Wahiawa)
2) Troy Tamashiro (Kempo Unlimited)
Adult Intermediate -182lbs (Bracket A)
1)Steven Burroughs (Advanced Kempo)
2)Damon Flood (Kempo Unlimited)
3)Alaric Dolphin (Advanced Kempo)
Adult Intermediate -182lbs. (Bracket B)
1)Scott Kawai (Gracie Uptown)
2)Braddah Kepa Medeiros (Tapnutin Krew)
Adult Intermediate -202lbs.
1)Shang Ong (Advanced Kempo)
2)Clifton Sato (Gracie Barra-Waipio)
3)Richard Giel (Advanced Kempo)
Adult Open -182lbs.
1)Kyle Collins (Kempo Unlimited)
2)Koa Nakamura (Blazin Steaks Kapolei)
3)Joey Yadao (Kempo Unlimited)
Adult Open Division
1)Jay Yano (Kempo Unlimited)
2)Danny Mabalot (HMC-Wahiawa)
3)Matthew Kaaihue (Advanced Kempo)
Submission Grappling:
Novice -150lbs.
Champion-Ryne Okimoto (Gracie KTeam)
Novice - 160lbs.
Champion-Chris Domingo (UP-N-Up/Break yo Neck)
Novice - 170lbs
Champion-Royal Mitchell (Freelance)
Novice - 190lbs.
Champion-Zac Shepard (Freelance)
Novice -220lbs.
Champion-Steven Donahue (Jesus is Lord)
Intermediate - Open Weight
Champion-Scott Wright (Gracie Kteam)
Advanced -Open Weight
Champion-Abe Rodrigues (Baret Submission Grappling)
Junior Divisions:
Lightweight
Champion-Skylar Yoshimoto (Kempo Unlimited)
Middleweight
Champion-Makana Tapia (Gracie Kteam)
Heavyweight
Champion-DJ Chinen (Gracie Kteam)
Children 6-7yrs.
1)Jonah Yoshimoto(Kempo Unlimited)
2)Juan Aburto(Advanced Kempo)
3)Jonah Lopes-Carter(Nanakuli Kickboxing)
Children 8-9yrs.
1)Chad Foster(Kempo Unlimited)
2)Skylar Yoshimoto(Kempo Unlimited)
3)Dylan Kelling(United Gojukan)
Children 10-11yrs. -100lbs
1)Classyc Tavares(Kempo Unlimited)
2)Casey
Nitta (O2 Martial Arts)
3)Nolan Goo (Kempo Unlimited)
Children 10-11yrs +100lbs
1)Austyn Aglanao(Combat 50)
2)Athena Hemo(United Gojukan)
3)Angus Mersberg(Kempo Unlimited)
Children 12-13yrs
1)Brandon Kurosawa(Kempo Unlimited)
2)Tyson Bantaga(United Gojukan)
3)Jonathan Kuroiwa(United Gojukan)
Children 14-15yrs.
1)Joseph Lopes-Carter(Nanakuli kickboxing)
2)Derrian Bolds(Kempo Ohana)
Intermediate 16-17yrs.
1)Dejalynn Bolds(Kempo Ohana)
2)Jenna koseki (Kempo Unlimited)
3)Kruzzette Makanani(Kempo Ohana)
Adult -202lbs
1)Jeremy Nitta (Team CAT)
2)Rowney Martinez (Team CAT)
3)Glenn Laosao(Ordonez Kajukenbo)
Masters +40yrs. open
1)Derek Bolds (Kempo Ohana)
2)Roger Nitta (Team CAT)
|
Pro
advice for Wand to get back to winning ways
All
Wanderlei is to be back to his winning ways.
Wanderlei
Silva will be back in action come February 20, at UFC 110, the
organization’s maiden incursion into Australia. He is set
to fight England’s Michael Bisping. In his past six fights,
the superstar from the days of now-defunct Pride FC has won just
once, an unthinkable number compared to when he fought in Japan..
In
an article recently published in NOCAUTE magazine, in the December
issue, acquaintances of the fighter offered some tips on how
he might be able to return to his best. Check out some excerpts
from what they had to say:
Mauricio
Shogun
“When
he went to the UFC a lot of things changed in his career. To
adapt to all these changes is not something that happens overnight.
Wanderlei is someone who is always ready, and has to work with
people he can trust. You must train based on what you are good
at, which is to hunt down and knock out people. ”
Anderson
Silva
“With
Wand it’s a smack down the whole time and you have to be
prepared for violence. We had some disagreements in the past,
but I have much respect for him. He was Chute Boxe’s flagship
and was an inspiration to us all. If advice were something good
you wouldn’t give it, you’d sell it! As a friend, I
think he has to invest his time in knowledge. Gas and a mindset
he has to spare. It’s not a critique, but a constructive
opinion. He is a warrior and, with some adjustments, he’ll
be really hard to beat. Of that I’m sure. ”
Cristiano
Marcello
“He
has to draw up a different strategy for each opponent and have
more faith in his ground game. I believe he has a good Jiu-Jitsu
and takedowns. These days he is very refined and focused. So
he should train specifically for each opponent.He doesn’t
lack potential, no doubt about it, he just needs to organize
his training. ”
Murilo
Ninja
“Wanderlei
still has a great career ahead of him, for sure. He always says
and really does have will to fight. This is the main thing. I
think he has to focus on fight strategy, training specifically
for each opponent. The sport has evolved a lot. It’s not
like before, the days of Pride. There was an evolution and we
all have to keep up with it. ”
Wand
really has been investing in training. Proof of this is how he
is back with Coach Rafael Cordeiro, his former master.
Source: Gracie Magazine
|
HERSCHEL
WALKER EXPERIMENT PAYS OFF WITH WIN
Strikeforce took a big risk signing and showcasing 47-year old
former NFL player, Herschel Walker, in his professional debut
on Saturday, but it paid off as the one time Heisman Trophy winner
dominated Greg Nagy on the way to a TKO win.
In
the early going, Walker did a good job of stuffing the takedown
attempts from opponent, Greg Nagy, who struggled under the power
of the former running back. Eventually, Walker reversed the position,
landed on top, and started to throw down punches at Nagy.
Keeping
out of too much danger, Nagy did position his body well enough
to almost lock on a heel hook in the first round, but Walker
rolled and stayed out of the submission.
The
second round looked much like the first, except this time Walker
took the mount and his opponent's back, pounding down shots leaving
Nagy only to squirm and try to survive.
The
former All-Pro football player took Nagy down again in the third
round and moved to take his opponent's back, blasting down punches
from above. A continued barrage of punches with Nagy doing virtually
nothing to get out of the position, and referee Troy Waugh saw
enough to pull Walker off and stop the fight.
It's
been several years since Walker has scored a touchdown, but he
proved that an old dog can learn new tricks as he came out and
lived his dream of competing in mixed martial arts.
"The
experience was exciting," Walker said after the win.
Never
setting specific goals, Walker stayed very humble and thanked
the trainers and fighters from American Kickboxing Academy, while
saying it's up to them if he's good enough to fight again.
"When
I came to AKA, I left it up to Javier Mendes when I needed to
step out, all the fighters there I told them that if they don't
think I can do it, I've got to quit. So I've got to come back
and train and they're going to make that decision for me,"
said Walker.
Herschel
Walker came out and proved that he was serious about doing MMA,
and now it's just a waiting game to see if the urge to compete
has been satisfied, or if the former Heisman trophy winner will
come back to fight another day.
Source: MMA Weekly
|
FREE
AGENT HIERON REFLECTS ON RIGGS, WANTS DIAZ
On a media conference call leading up to Jay Hieron’s fight
with Joe Riggs, Strikeforce CEO Scott Coker said if he got past
Riggs, he’d likely get a title shot with the winner of Nick
Diaz and Marius Zaromskis.
Hieron
defeated Riggs, dominating the first two rounds and came back
in the final stanza after being knocked down to drop Riggs and
get the unanimous decision victory.
“The
game plan was to try and go out and put pressure on him. Try
to stay sharp because he’s a lefty. You can’t go after
a lefty because everything is opposite, so I was a little more
strategic,” Hieron told MMAWeekly.com after the fight. “I
felt great in my performance.”
Discussing
getting knocked down in the third round, the Xtreme Couture trained
athlete said, “The third round of course he clipped me behind
the ear, great shot. It wobbled me a little bit, but I’m
in tremendous shape and I came back. I just couldn’t see
because the blood was running into my eye.”
“It
just shook my legs a little bit. He caught me right - there’s
a spot (gesturing behind his ear) - my equilibrium. He got me,”
added Hieron. “He’s a lefty, so it’s hard to see
those punches coming if you don’t train for it that much.
I felt great. Everything went well.
“I’m
a smart fighter, so I got my wits back, so it was on. The punch
went away quick. It was the blood in my eye that I had to gather
my thoughts and start thinking straight.”
After
a referee stand up, Hieron returned the favor and sent Riggs
crashing to the canvas from a cleanly landed punch.
“I
was trying to finish him, but I couldn’t. It was a great
fight. I take my hat off to Joe,” said the 33-year-old New
Yorker.
With
the win over Riggs, Hieron fulfilled his contractual obligations
with Strikeforce, but still has his eyes set on a bout with newly
crowned champion Nick Diaz.
“I
think I match up great with Diaz. I think he has holes in his
game, and I think I’m the man to exploit it,” said
the Strikeforce welterweight top contender.
“It’s
all timing. Hopefully we’ll sit down with Strikeforce and
move forward in that direction, but right now I’m just going
to enjoy this victory, get back home, heal up. Hopefully that’s
next.”
What’s
really next for Hieron is contract negotiations.
Source: MMA Weekly
|
CRIS
"CYBORG" SANTOS PREPARED TO FIGHT ANYONE
Cris “Cyborg” Santos (7-0) defended her 145-pound women’s
Strikeforce title against Marloes Coenen (17-5) on Jan. 30 at
the BankAtlantic Center in Sunrise, Fla., and is prepared to
fight whoever Strikeforce puts in front of her.
Coenen
was game and gave Santos a better fight than most of her previous
opponents including Gina Carano, but the power and tenacity of
Santos proved too much. The fight was stopped in the third round
with Cyborg on top of Coenen landing unanswered strikes.
“I
was prepared for the five rounds, and I was happy that she was
also prepared for this fight,” Santos told MMAWeekly.com
following the title bout. “To have a good fight, you have
to have your opponent want to fight.”
The
game plan heading into the contest is always the same for the
Brazilian. “My plan was to be prepared in any situation,”
said Santos.
Strikeforce
CEO Scott Coker has said that Erin Toughill (10-2-1) could be
the next to get a shot at Santos’ belt.
Questioned
about Toughill, Santos commented, “I’m prepared to
fight anyone. It’s up to Scott Coker and my manager. I’m
ready.”
Asked
if there is a female fighter out there that can challenger her,
the Strikeforce titleholder simply replied, “I’m prepared
to fight anyone.”
Source: MMA Weekly
|
Thales
Leites fights for MFC title on April
After
defeating Dean Lister in his MFC debut, Thales Leites will be
back to the ring at April 9. Without an opponent set yet, the
black belt from Nova União team revealed that it’ll
be a title fight. “Yes, 2009 wasn’t a good year to
me, but I ended well. I’ll fight on April 9 on MFC, Canada,
and will be for the belt for sure, but I still don’t know
who’s going to be my opponent. I have three opponents on
my mind, I’m training. I want ten victories there”,
Leites said, in the exclusive interview you can read here.
Thales
Leites
The
Nova União black belt talked to TATAME about the Fataliry
Arena combats, revealed that he will fight for the MFC belt on
April 9, without a chosen opponent yet, and commentes Anderson
Silva's fight against Vitor Belfort. Check below the chat.
The
battle against Ximú was decided only in the end…
That’s
true, man. I knew everyone on my team could win. I work hard
since the beginning of the fights. Of course we wanted 5 x 0,
but it’s hard, guys are though. It ended the best way it
could be, I congratulate my team. I’m a little piece here,
I’m just doing my work as leader, there are the trainers,
the guys that train for years. You can’t make an athlete
in one, two months and I chose tough guys who fight until the
end. I want to thank everybody.
How
did the idea of this confront came?
In
the middle of October Diogo called me and said he wanted to make
an event of my team against Ximú’s, that wanted to
start slowly. He started to make it happen. We know that people
who does MMA events in Brazil do it for love. To pay a decent
sponsorship, to rent a ring, a gym, to pay cars, food...
Are
you thinking about doing another edition? When?
Diogo
knows that. I’ve heard this year, from to half to the end.
I hope it happens, it only makes the sport bigger. People have
to understand MMA as an usual individual sport, as Tenis. You
don’t see Nadal and Federer hiting each other after the
game. Is there contact? Yes. But we train it all the time, we
know how to protect ourselves.
The
fact that you defeated Ximú over the ring and now to win
like this... Is there any difference?
Victory
is always good. Ximú is an excellent athlete and person,
no one’s better or worse. Just on that night was that way.
On the team was a nice sportive thing, I respect him from my
heart, I know people from his family that I adore, his cousin
is a big friend.
Saying
like this, let’s talk about your category on UFC, that will
have Anderson and Vitor...
I
talked to the others, this fight is hard to talk about, because
they’re both tops. Anderson is on the high spot of his career,
he’s a comet, but fight is fight. Until it starts it’s
50% to each side, and there’s Vitor, he’s though, knocked
a lot of people out. A certain we have, it’s going to be
a huge fight, because none of them run away from fight. Techniques,
speed, heavy hand... I don’t support any of them, I like
them both, they’re Brazilians, athletes, so I hope the best
wins.
And
when will you fight again? It seems it will be for the belt…
Yes,
2009 wasn’t a good year to me, but I ended well. I’ll
fight on April 9 on MFC, Canada, and will be for the belt for
sure, but I still don’t know who’s going to be my opponent.
I have three opponents on my mind, I’m training. I want
ten victories there.
Source: Tatame
|
Rodrigo
Damm wants rematch with Melendez
Back
to national events, Rodrigo Damm is training hard to face the
Peruvian Ivan “Pitbull” on Jungle Fight, which happens
on February 27 in Vila Velha, Espírito Santo. Visiting
the X-Gym, in Rio de Janeiro, we met Damm, who prepares with
the trainers Josuel Distak and Rogério Camões.
“I came to look for a train, in Espírito Santo is
very slow: I’ll stay here until the day of the day, we’ll
train hard”, tells Rodrigo, excited for the fight.
“The
expectation is always to win. I expect to make a good fight,
honest, fair, and try to win. I know he has a tough hand, but
he isn’t an expert on exchanging. I know he makes a good
ground and pound, I’m studying his game to make the anti
game”, said the fighter talking to TATAME.
According
to Damm, his next fight will be on United States. “after
this fight I might be back to Strikeforce, I still have two fights
to do. If I make one fight and win I’ll ask a rematch against
(Gilbert) Melendez”, tells, remembering the combat with
the champion of the category.
“I
was at the beach with my family and the manager called and asked
if I accepted the three fights contract. I flew to United States
with extra pounds... Training will be different, on the second
round I couldn’t event lift my hand. It’s tough to
fight tired, but will be different now”, finished.
Source: Tatame
|
Machida-Nogueira
in teammate showdown?
Just
when Mike Swick was pointing out the pitfalls of fighting one
of his American Kickboxing Academy teammates, Antonio Rogerio
Nogueira and Lyoto Machida’s manager discussed how his clients
could potentially wind up across each other in the Octagon.
“(Rogerio)
wants what every other light heavyweight wants in that category
and that’s he wants a belt,” said Ed Soares. “Whatever
fight is going to be, put him up a little bit closer towards
that title shot, that’s where he wants to be, that’s
who he wants to fight.”
It
turns out Nogueira is expected to face former UFC light heavyweight
champion Forrest Griffin at UFC 113 on May 8 in Montreal. A win
over a former champion surely would “put him a little bit
closer towards that title shot.”
Despite
Nogueira and Machida being Black House teammates, Soares believes
a battle over the belt would be enough for the two to face each
other, not out of any disparagement, but out of respect.
“They
both want the same thing. Lyoto wants to keep his belt and Rogerio
wants it. We’ll cross that bridge when it comes, but I think
when push comes to shove if that fight was to come up, I think
they’d fight each other. They’re friends they respect
each other very much,” Soares told MMAWeekly Radio recently.
“At
the end of the day, they both want one thing. If the only way
is that they’re going to have to fight, like I said, we’ll
cross that bridge when it comes, but I think it could happen.”
Nogueira,
of course, first has to get past Griffin, which is no small task.
Machida
also has his own hurdle to cross, Mauricio “Shogun”
Rua. Machida and Rua fought once before, at UFC 104 last October,
with the champ earning a controversial unanimous decision. Many
felt that Rua should have gotten the nod, and UFC president Dana
White granted an immediate rematch.
There
are other contenders in the mix as well; fighters like Rashad
Evans, Quinton Jackson, Jon Jones, and even another teammate,
middleweight champ Anderson Silva.
But
if each wins his next bout, another section of the bridge between
Machida and Nogueira will be in place.
Source: Yahoo Sports
|
All
the emotions from day two at European
Bleachers
packed throughout the day. Cries of joy in victory. Dismayand
cries of defeat. Complaints about refereeing.
All
this and the black belts haven’t even put on their gis yet.
The
second day of competition of the European Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu
Championship 2010, on Friday in Lisbon, proved once again how
the power behnd the art is the passion of its practitioners,
which leads to to friendly competition, training partners, and,
of course, their families.
From
the eight match areas came several examples of this passion.
Herbert
and his notebook
Nicholas
Herbert is 53 years old and has practiced Jiu-Jitsu since 2005.
A student at Jiu-Jitsu Factory, the Dutchman born in Bahrenfeld
has collected nine European Championship medals, all at blue
belt. But that’s nothing, the technician now residing in
Ede carries in a small notebook a true monument to his dedication
to the sport. A black belt in judo and also a practitioner of
sambo and traditional Japanese Jiu-Jitsu, Herbert records on
the yellowed pages the results from every single one of the competitions
he has participated in since, astonishingly, 1972. Why such dedication?
Why compete?
“To
survive!” he replies.
At
the other end of the spectrum, Makenzie Dern is about to turn
17 years old. The young and beautiful talent comes from noble
lineage. The daughter of Wellington “Megaton” Dias,
the now-European champion’s father is her greatest motivator
and, at the same time, an unwavering guide. The winner of her
weight division in several championships, including the 2009Worlds,
Makenzie still still has some time ahead of her before getting
her purple belt.
-
“She’s still really young!” Megaton sums up.
Makenzie
strut her technique, strength and beauty at blue belt
Talent
passed from father to daughter
From
Greece, comes another example. Andreas Michailidis had 10 matches
at blue belt in Lisbon. Of these, he got the submission in nine.
He left the Casal Vistoso gymnasium with two gold medals on his
chest, one for the heavyweight and one for the absolute blue
belt. He overcame Kari Peltola 6 to 0 in the open weight final.
Greek
beast Andreas
And
finally, a student of Renzo Gracie in Manhattan, Kay Stephenson
won the absolute female purple with three submissions in three
matches.
Kay
finishes for the gold
When
the lights went out at the Casal Vistoso, the one thing for certain
is that tomorrow there would be more to come. The black belt
beasts come on the scene and those who put on today’s show
will have something to smile and cheer about. One day they’ll
get there themselves.
Team
results for white belt (Novice) and blue belt (juvenile) have
been published:
Juvenile:
1
– Ilan Turjeman Academy
2 – Gracia Barra
3 – Gokudo
Novice:
1st
– Alliance
2 – Gracie Barra
3 – Checkmat BJJ
Source: Gracie Magazine
|
Quote
of the Day
“Ability
will never catch up with the demand for it.”
Malcolm Forbes (1919 - 1990)
|
Fighters'
Club TV Tonight!
Channel
52
8:00 PM!
If
you are not on the Onzuka.com Hawaii Ground forum, you are missing
the latest news from upcoming events, get to rub elbows with
numerous promoters and fighters, and get to voice your opinion
on any subject you can dream up. Hit the links above to sign
up for a free account and start posting away!
|
Brandon
Vera: “My Jiu-Jitsu is world-champion level”
Coming
off a dubious loss to Randy Couture at UFC 105, Brandon Vera
prepares himself to face Jon Jones at the UFC on Versus event
March 21. In an exclusive interview with NOCAUTE magazine, Vera
spoke about the fight among other things. Check out part of the
interview with Mike Fowler’s training partner to our Nalty
Jr:
What
do you have to say about the Couture fight? A lot of people felt
the outcome was unfair.
In
my opinion, I won that fight. After the result, I started thinking
about the strategy of keeping the fight standing the whole time.
Truth is, not many people know that my Jiu-Jitsu is really good.
I’m world-champion level. I haven’t shown the world
my Jiu-Jitsu yet, just for the fact that I want to keep the fight
standing and because I’m good at defending takedowns. But,
after this fight, I started thinking, ‘what would be the
problem with fighting some on the ground and using my Jiu-Jitsu
more?’
There
are those who say Jon Jones has the best takedowns in MMA. What
do you think of him as a fighter?
I’m
not even thinking about his takedowns. He’s an excellent
fighter with many different qualities. I like his standing game.
I hope he uses his boxing in this fight. I’d love to stand
and trade with him and see if he can handle the pressure.
Source: Gracie Magazine
|
Promise
of good ground skills at WEC 47
Fredson
will be looking for first win in the WEC
Jiu-Jitsu
black belt Fredson Paixão will see action yet again at
the March-6 WEC show. According to MMAWeekly, the three-time
world champion will face Bryan Caraway. The fight is part of
the card for the 47th installment of the event, to take place
in Ohio, USA.
Fredson
is coming off back-to-back bad results, defeat to Wagnney Fabiano
and a no contest in his last fight, against Cole Province.Caraway
is also coming off a loss at WEC 46.The fight promises excitement,
though, as both fighters come into the match with considerable
ground-fighting experience.. If Jiu-Jitsu is the mainstay of
Paixão, his opponent is not far behind, with 12 submissions
in 14 wins.
At
the same event, undefeated featherweight champion Brian Bowles
faces Dominick Cruz, while former champion Miguel Torres, a Carlson
Gracie disciple, looks to get back into title contention against
Joseph Benavidez. Jens Pulver is yet another big-name attraction
featuring on the card.
Check
out the card as it stands so far:
WEC
47
Ohio, United States of America
March 6, 2010
Brian
Bowles vs Dominick Cruz
Joseph Benavidez vs Miguel Torres
LC Davis vs Deividas Taurosevicius
Karen Darabedyan vs Bart Palaszewski
Jens Pulver vs Javier Vazquez
Chad George vs Scott Jorgensen
Erik Koch vs Chad Mendes
Bendy Casimir vs Ricardo Lamas
Leonard Garcia vs Diego Nunes
Bryan Caraway x Fredson Paixão
Source: Gracie Magazine
|
World
Pro’s selective in Maracanãzinho?
It’s
already defined! One of the selective to one of the biggest championship
of Jiu-Jitsu of the world, the Abu Dhabi World’s Professional,
will really be on Rio de Janeiro. It will be two selective in
Brazil, one in Gramado, Rio Grande do Sul, on March 13 and 14,
and the other in Rio de Janeiro, on 20 and 21 of the same month,
in a place that will still be chosen, according to the South
American selective organizer, Fernando Paradeda.
“We
never made an event in Rio de Janeiro, that’s Jiu-Jitsu’s
crib. We’re very anxious to make this selective to the World’s
Professional and thank God we have good partners. People from
royal family will come and we’re still deciding where it’s
going to be... It may be in Maracanãzinho, Tijuca Tênis
Clube, we’re still defining that”, Paradeda said.
Source: Tatame
|
Silva’s
trained talks fight with Belfort Ferreira
Vítor
Belfort’s ex trainer and Anderson Silva’s boxing trainer
nowadays, Josuel Distak analized the combat scheduled to UFC
112, in Abu Dhabi. Distak talked about the strong spots on both
athletes, but guaranteed that Anderson will win. "Anderson
will be the winner. I don’t know Vitor’s strategy,
but our is kept in secret", said the trainer, who also talked
about the possible fight between Paulo Filho and Kazushi Sakuraba
on Bitetti Combat, in Brasília. "Paulão well
trained is the best of the world", guarantees.
So
Distak, the training are hot here...
Yes.
We’ll make Rodrigo Damm, who will fight in February... We’re
full of work, 2010 started with a lot of work. Rodrigo Damm,
Erick Silva, Ronaldo Jacaré, Galvão, Rafael Feijão
and we have Anderson Silva in April. After Anderson’s fight
we’ll rest a little.
Anderson
Silva went to Abu Dhabi. It was the first time that he met Vitor
since the rumors?
Yes,
for a long time, it’s the first time he will met Vitor up
there to sign the contract, to promote the show.
How
is he? Is he 100% recovered?
He’s
already recovered, he’s ready and he’s training to
keep our belt, whoever the opponent is.
You
already trained Vitor, so you know both games a lot. In your
opinion, who will take this fight?
Vitor’s
game... we’ve trained on the past, he changed. Anderson’s
too, is an evolution sport. We’re training to keep our belt,
Anderson will win.
How
do you think the combat is going to be?
Look,
I don’t know the strategy I’ll be doing, but ours we
kept in secret.
Why
did Anderson avoid so much to talk about this combat?
Let’s
say that you’re preparing a war, so you can’t say your
strategy or your target.
Paulo
Filho fought on Bitteti twice... Are still training him?
Now
he’s training Jiu-Jitsu and Amauri will put him on Bitteti
again, he told me yesterday it will be with (Kazushi) Sakuraba.
Here he can train more to be Paulão again. Everybody knows,
I think that Paulão well trained is the best fighter of
the world.
Can
you bring him to train here with Anderson and all these guys?
I’m
praying in the name of Jesus so he came down X-Gym’s stairs,
that’s his place, where he will be back to his pedigree.
He’s talented and he has to enjoy this talent. Brazil wants
to see Paulão again, on a pedestal, where’s his place,
number one.
And
to face Sakuraba may be the greatest fight on Paulão’s
career?
Sakuraba
is a legend, whoever beats Sakuraba nowadays... It’s a good
fight for Paulão to be back, he’s a tough guy, fought
a lot of Brazilians, he was stopped by Wanderlei Silva, then
by Arona, now it’s Paulão’s turn to finish it.
It’s an important fight for Paulão so he can be back
to American and Japanese market. He deserves it. Every man has
defects, but Paulão have an issue that calls depression.
Will be as he says: “On top of the ring I’m the pitbull“.
Source: Tatame
|
LAWLER
KO'S MANHOEF, LASHLEY GETS TKO WIN
It ended fast and it ended with a bang.
Robbie
Lawler was feeling the power and dangerous strikes of Melvin
Manhoef, but too much aggression and a perfectly timed counter
punch sent the Dutchman crashing to the canvas, a victim of a
vicious knockout.
To
his credit, Melvin Manhoef approached the fight with Lawler with
a much better gameplan that his usual bull rush style. The powerful
Dutch striker planted some powerful leg kicks that left Lawler
limping, backing up across the cage.
It
looked like a completely one sided fight as Manhoef blasted away
at Lawler's head and body with his signature punching power.
Just as Manhoef went for the kill, Lawler finally threw a big
punch, and that's all he needed.
Lawler
connected with a devastating overhand right, and followed it
up with a left hand on the ground that put Manhoef down and out
for good. Usually a very subdued fighter, Lawler let loose as
he celebrated the win after looking in trouble.
"I
feel really good, this guy's a killer, he was coming after me,"
Lawler stated. "I kept my hands up, and I knew I was going
to catch him. I just didn’t want to get overextended, and
I knew I'd have a chance to catch him. His hands seem to drop
once he goes to finish guys and that's what I wanted to wait
for."
Still
a top ten ranked middleweight, Lawler wasn't ready to call out
champion Jake Shields, or anybody else for that matter. The HIT
Squad fighter was just happy to get the win.
"I'm
going to take this win, I'm going to run with it, rest my leg,
he was kicking the crap out of my leg and we'll see what happens.
Who knows."
It
was a short night's work for Bobby Lashley against Wes Sims,
as the former wrestling champion ground and pounded his way to
a victory in his first Strikeforce fight.
It
didn't take long for Lashley to use his wrestling pedigree to
take Sims down and put him on his back. Within seconds of hitting
the mat, Lashley started to hit Sims with a heavy barrage of
shots.
Sims
tried to roll out of trouble, but instead he turtled up and took
some heavy punches from Lashley, who was going for the kill.
After a few punches landed, Sims fell on the canvas and the referee
quickly jumped in for the save.
As
soon as the fight was over, Sims was complaining to the referee
about the stoppage, but it seemed that Lashley did enough to
finish the fight, while his opponent wasn't doing much to defend
himself.
"Anytime
you go in there and you come out victorious, you've got to be
satisfied with it," Lashley said after the win.
Setting
a goal for himself to go for the biggest match-ups possible after
approximately 8 professional fights, Lashley stayed on course
picking up his 5th win on Saturday night.
"Right
now I'm at 5 so I'm looking for that 6th,7th, and 8th,"
Lashley commented looking towards the future.
Source: Yahoo Sports
|
Diaz,
Santos leave Florida as champions
SUNRISE,
Fla. – Nick Diaz had what should have been the biggest moment
of his career three years ago. As a heavy underdog, he submitted
PRIDE lightweight champion Takanori Gomi, who was considered
among the top fighters in the world at the time, with a gogoplata
in Las Vegas.
It
was a non-title match, but the victory was later ruled a no-contest
when Diaz tested positive for marijuana.
On
Saturday night at the BankAtlantic Center, Diaz (21-7 with one
no contest) was once again put in with a Japanese promotion’s
champion, Dream welterweight title holder Marius Zaromskis (13-4).
Like
with the Gomi match, Diaz survived an early knockdown but used
his reach and hand speed to overwhelm his Lithuanian-born opponent
and become Strikeforce’s first welterweight champion.
Diaz
connected on 49 of his 70 punches and 46 of 47 kicks in a fight
that only went 4:38 before Diaz’s barrage of head and body
punches put Zaromskis down and out.
It
had been a long road for the 26-year-old from Stockton, Calif.,
who made a name for himself in UFC at the age of 20 but lost
several close decisions. Diaz left the organization after a big-money
offer came from Elite XC.
When
his contract was picked up by Strikeforce, Diaz headlined the
first show of the new promotion on Showtime, stopping Frank Shamrock,
and he followed that by finishing Scott Smith, both of whom normally
fight at middleweight.
Diaz’s
win on Saturday capped off a show that had several curiosity
fights, most notably the MMA debut of Herschel Walker and Strikeforce
debut of Bobby Lashley, but it also exemplified a problem with
Strikeforce booking international stars. A lot of the top fighters
appeared to be unknown to the vast majority of the estimated
8,000 fans in attendance.
Zaromskis,
Dutch fighters Marloes Coenen (who lost to Cris “Cyborg”
Santos in the women’s championship match) and Melvin Manhoef
(who was stopped by Robbie Lawler) have all been stars on the
Japanese MMA scene for a number of years. But all were unknowns
to the South Florida audience, making it the quietest crowd for
a major MMA event in the U.S. in recent memory.
There’s
clearly a learning curve between fighters hardcore fans would
like to see, and the vast majority of viewers. In the building,
the biggest name fighters were not those in the cage – Dan
Henderson, who was recently signed from UFC, and UFC welterweight
champ Georges St. Pierre.
Coenen
gave Santos, the Strikeforce women’s lightweight champion
(145 pounds), her toughest fight to date. But Santos’ superior
strength seemed to be the difference in what was still mostly
a one-sided fight that ended with Santos winning by stoppage
after repeated punches on the ground at 3:40 of the third round.
Coenen
didn’t shy away from punching and connected on some solid
shots. But Coenen’s strategy was to take it to the ground
and try and use her submission skills.
Every
takedown attempt saw Santos (9-1) wind up on top, and Coenen
(17-4) never seriously threatened her on the ground, taking punishment
in all three rounds.
“The
fight proved that I would be able to go the full five rounds,”
said Santos, who didn’t appear to be tired at all in her
longest fight on U.S. soil. “People thought I wouldn’t
be able to go more than one round.”
Santos
said she never felt threatened by Coenen on the ground, even
though she had 12 wins by submissions in her career as one of
the pioneers in women’s MMA.
“My
favorite is doing Muay Thai but I train hard for everything,”
said Santos, who is expected to next face Erin Toughill for her
championship.
But
the jury remains somewhat out regarding women as headline fighters.
While Santos vs. Gina Carano was one of the biggest fights of
2009, arguably the biggest MMA fight ever on Showtime, the question
had been whether it was women’s fighting or simply the appeal
of Carano that made it happen. On Saturday, the crowd was appreciative
but largely quiet during the fight, partially because they didn’t
know Santos’ opponent.
They
may not have known Melvin Manhoef, a middleweight with the reputation
as being one of the best strikers in MMA, but he made an impression
in losing to Robbie Lawler.
Manhoef
(24-7-2) was a leg-kicking machine for much of the first round,
but Lawler (17-5 with one no contest) had scouted him well, knocking
him out at 3:33 of the first round.
“When
he’s trying to finish, he leaves his hands down,” Lawler
said. “I knew when I punched him, I hit the sweet spot.
I wanted to make sure and finish him because I didn’t want
him getting up and kicking at my leg anymore.”
“He
ripped through my leg,” added Lawler, who was limping heavily
after the fight.
Lawler,
whose wife is expecting a child in the next two weeks, blew off
any questions about wanting a match with middleweight champion
Jake Shields.
“I
want to go home and rest. And then, more rest,” Lawler said.
“After that, even more rest.”
Lawler
said his strategy was to take the fight to the ground as soon
as possible, but the opportunity never came about as he was afraid
to duck and get caught with a kick or knee to the head.
Pro
wrestler Bobby Lashley (5-0), in his Strikeforce debut, steamrolled
6-foot-8 Wes Sims (22-13-1, two no contests) in 2:06.
Sims,
who took the fight on late notice and didn’t appear to be
in good physical shape, got up and complained about it being
an early stoppage.
Hours
after the match, when both were in front of the media, Sims was
the one seemingly playing pro wrestler, shoving Lashley, making
a scene, challenging him to fight again and complaining again
about an early stoppage.
Finally,
Sims was pulled out of the room.
“This
is a sport where we are supposed to be respectful,” Lashley
said. “We aren’t supposed to be out there acting like
neanderthals.”
Lashley
said he felt he needed to win fast. “He was telling people
he only had eight days or 10 days notice, so I thought I had
to finish him quick so there weren’t any excuses.”
Lashley
said he’d like to fight again in two months, and was unhappy
he didn’t get to show much stand-up. The former nationally
ranked Greco-Roman wrestler, took Sims down and finished him
with punches on the ground.
“I
really wanted to show my stand-up, but the wrestling instincts
in me take over and when I see an opening, I naturally take the
guy down,” Lashley said.
Lashley
has wavered back-and-forth regarding whether he can continue
pro wrestling while also training MMA. He was doing pro wrestling
television tapings for Spike TV’s “Total Nonstop Action”
promotion as late as two weeks before the fight.
“They
give me my schedule well in advance, so you just work around
it,” Lashley said. “If I need to be there on Saturday,
I train like crazy until Friday and use the days there as my
rest from MMA training.”
Source: Yahoo Sports
|
Toquinho
at UFC 111: watch out for your heel
One
of the fights confirmed by the Ultimate Fighting Championship
for its March-27 card in New Jersey, UFC 111, Rousimar Toquinho
will take on Tomasz Drwal. A Murilo Bustamante Jiu-Jitsu black
belt and Brazilian Top Team representative, Toquinho comments
on what he expects from his opponent:
“He
is quite complete, good at striking and wrestling. I don’t
know if he can fight well on the ground, but he’s tough,”
he told GRACIEMAG.com.
“I
expect to win, of course! I’m training hard and I’ll
be fine come fight day,” he added with confidence.
In
2009, after beating Jeremy Horn in January, the fighter had to
deal with a series of injuries. His return to the octagon only
came in December, when his win came in his trademark fasion,
submitting Lucio Linhares via heelhook, one of the favorite holds.
Toquinho is now overjoyed by the fact that he will be seeing
action again in such a short space of time.
“I’m
good at that move! But what is most important to me is that I
can keep on training and not end up out of fighting shape. ”
Although
his fight is in March, the fighter has his eyes on another challenge,
on 11 April: his weight division’s title dispute between
Anderson Silva and Vitor Belfort.
“It’s
hard to predict anything in this fight, because both of them
like striking. I believe they will fight on their feet. There’s
no way to have an opinion; anything can happen,” he said
in conclusion.
Source: Gracie Magazine
|
BROUGHTON
ROLLS THROUGH U.K.'S BEST FOR TOURNEY WIN
Heavyweights collided in Hove, England in a unique “winner
takes all” tournament, £10,000 (roughly $16,000) incentive
and a nice shiny ZT Fight Night strap to boot. This brought out
the big guns in U.K. MMA and a few dark horses, but ultimately
it was M-1 challenge veteran Rob Broughton who was the star of
the show, picking up the overall victory over the course of seven
grueling rounds of MMA action.
Participants
included James Thompson, Rob Broughton, Martin Thompson, Tengiz
Tedoradze, Oli Thompson, Neil Wain, Steve Day and Miguel Bernard.
FIrst
into the tournament were Rob Broughton and Neil Wain. Following
a brief period of feeling each other out, Wain opened his account
with a big left hook that put the Wolfslair fighter down. Attempting
to capitalize on the blow, Wain landed in side control but was
unable to affect much damage. Looking to continue much like he
opened, Wain landed his left hook twice more before the round
rang out - his hands moving much faster than his gait would imply.
Broughton is full of composure though and managed to land some
excellent strikes of his own that led to a big hematoma under
his opponent’s right eye.
Round
two didn't last long as Broughton capitalized on the low head
position of his opponent during the clinch to latch on a standing
guillotine. Using his height advantage to full effect, he forced
the tap at the 1:16 mark and advanced through to the second bracket
of the tournament.
Tengiz
Tedoradze suffered a brutal beatdown at the hands of James Thompson
as a way of welcoming him back into the active world of MMA competition.
Thompson looked absolutely fantastic with his wrestling having
come on leaps and bounds since uprooting and joining the London
Shootfighters camp. Thinking his luck was in, Tedoradze latched
on an early guillotine after the bell, but as soon as Thompson
was out it was a case of eating hard punches to the bell.
The
second round followed in much the same vein with Thompson completely
dominating his opponent having secured a big takedown on the
unforgiving canvas. By the 2:55 mark referee Grant Roberts had
seen enough. Thompson advanced to the next bracket of the back
of a very impressive performance.
Joe
Vedepo made short work of Miguel Bernad with a fast shoot and
high takedown before setting up an ultra slick armbar in the
ensuing scramble. 33 seconds and good night - seriously slick,
seriously quick.
Oli
Thompson proved he had power in his hands as well as his biceps
by recording a brutal first round knockout over overmatched opponent
Steve Day. The former U.K. strongman scored an easy takedown
with a twist pull after working his arms round to his opponent's
back, a brief foray into ground and pound and he decided to go
back to the feet. They circle and then the big right hand comes
in, landing flush and rocking his opponent before following up
with a repeat shot to separate Day from consciousness.
James
Thompson's meteoric efforts in the first round of his encounter
with Rob Broughton paid little dividends as he succumbed to a
big knockout from the Wolfslair fighter at 2:28 of the second
round. Throughout the first it appeared that Thompson had found
a way to topple the big man with a heavy-handed approach to ground
and pound. Come the second, however, Thompson looked to try his
luck a little more with the stand-up, and landed some good shots,
but darkness came crashing in with a big right hand that followed
a stiff jab.
Very
scrappy fight all around between Joe Vedepo and Oli Thompson
that had everything from illegal knees to the groin by Thompson,
an illegal knee that resulted in a point deduction for Vedepo,
and referee confusion on account of not hearing the ringer between
rounds. Regardless of all this, it has to be noted that Vedepo,
who is a natural middleweight and took the fight at a day's notice,
ruled the first round with his slick grappling before opening
up a barrage of strikes against a flagging Thompson in the second.
Controversial fight, and one that Thompson will surely be looking
to avenge.
Oli
Thompson got a second bite of the apple against a motivated Rob
Broughton on account of Joe Vedepo pulling out of the encounter
with a broken hand.
The
U.K.'s Strongest Head then?
With
a total of seven grueling rounds under his belt, Broughton battled
against a very brave Oli Thompson who stepped back into the ring
for a third time, looking quite bruised and stiff from previous
rounds – all heart and desire.
Round
one was a hard fought battle as Thompson came out swinging, however,
Broughton remained composed and tied his opponent up regularly.
He used smart clinch tactics to wear down his adversary’s
cardio, sharp knees, and good use of the over-underhook position
punctuated his workload and racked up points on the scorecards.
The
second and third rounds played out in a similar fashion, but
with "The Bear" looking for a big knockout to cap his
night. It never came on account of Thompson's granite chin and
unwillingness to quit when many fighters would have thrown the
towel in earlier, particularly when fending off a tight standing
guillotine.
A
vintage night of MMA action from Sol Gilbert and the ZT fight
team crew.
-Rob
Broughton def. Oli Thompson via Unanimous Decision, R3
-Joe Vedepo def. Oli Thompson via TKO at 1:24, R2
-Rob Broughton def. James Thompson via KO at 2:28, R2
-Oli Thompson def. Steve Day via KO at 1:07, R1
-Joe Vedepo def. Miguel Bernad via Submission (Armbar) at 0:33,
R1
-James Thompson def. Tengiz Tedoradze via TKO (Strikes) at 2:54,
R2
-Rob Broughton def. Neil Wain via Submission (Guillotine Choke)
at 1:16, R2
Source: MMA Weekly
|
Quote
of the Day
“The
superior man is modest in his speech, but exceeds in his actions.”
Confucius (551 BC - 479 BC)
|
Quest
for Champions Results
Novice
150
Ryne Okimoto (Kteam)
160
Chris Domingo (Up-N-Up/Break yo Neck)
170
Royal Mitchell (Ind)
190
Zac Shepard (No school given)
220
Steven Donahue (Jesus Is Lord)
INTERMEDIATE
(Combined Open Weight)
Scott Wright 180# (Kteam)
ADVANCE
(Open Weight)
Abe Rodrigues (Baret Submission Grappling)
Kids
Lightweight
Skylar Yoshimoto (Kempo Unlimited)
Middleweight
Makana Tapia (Kteam)
Heavyweight
DJ Chinen (Kteam)
|
STRIKEFORCE:MIAMI
RESULTS AND PLAY-BY-PLAY
Strikeforce: Miami lands in Sunrise, Fla., Saturday night with
two title fights on tap: Nick Diaz vs. Marius Zaromskis for the
vacant welterweight strap and Cris “Cyborg” Santos
defending her 145-pound women’s title against Marloes Coenen.
Much
of the hype however surrounds former WWE star Bobby Lashley in
his promotional debut, and NFL veteran Herschel Walker in his
mixed martial arts debut.
The
Strikeforce: Miami main card airs live on Showtime at 10 p.m.
ET. Jay Hieron vs. Joe Riggs streams live EASportsMMA.com at
9 p.m. ET. The preliminary bouts begin at approximately 7:30
p.m. ET.
Refresh
this page frequently for the latest results and play-by-play...
PLAY-BY-PLAY:
-Nick
Diaz vs. Marius Zaromskis
R1
- After an intense staredown,the fight begins. Not touching gloves.
Diaz motions him on. They stand and punch. It's Diaz landing
shot after shot. Furious pace to open the fight. They clinch
and Diaz works knees to Zaromskis' right leg. Over and over,
Diaz lands knees to the leg of Zaromskis. They separate. Diaz
using his reach. Zaromskis with a left that stuns Diaz followed
by a right that puts Diaz down. Back to their feet. The crowd
chants, "Diaz, Diaz, Diaz..." They clinch briefly before
getting back to punching. Diaz with a left and a right. Zaromskis
looks tired. Diaz all over him. He lands body shots agasint the
cage. Zaromskis goes down following a right hand from Diaz. It's
over.
Nick
Diaz def. Marius Zaromskis by TKO at 4:38, R1
-Cris
"Cyborg" Santos vs. Marloes Coenen
R1
- Coenen lands a front kick to start the title bout. Santos fires
back and the two clinch where they exchange knees to the body.
Coenen with a kick to the body but Santos lands a right hand.
Santos takes Coenen down with a trip. Santos stands and lands
a big right hand to the downed Coenen. Coenen staying active
off her back, but Santos stands above her again and lands a big
punch. Coenen with an up kick and Santos lets her up. Right hand
by Coenen. They get into a firey exchange with Santos landing
the bigger shots. Solid left hand by Coenen before the two clinch.
Coenen pressing the Brazilian against the fence. Both women throwing
with bad intentions. A spinning back kick to the body by Santos
as the bell rings. MMAWeekly.com scores the round 10-9 for Santos.
R2
- Coenen comes out swinging but Santos lands a couple of punches
knocking her off balance. Coenen goes down but as Santos rushes
in, Coenen lands an up kick. Santos goes down in her guard. Santos
works her over to the cage and stands above Coenen looking to
land punches, but then lets Coenen up. Right hand by Coenen.
They're standing toe-to-toe. Santos with a left. Coenen shoots
in for a double-leg but Santos defends. Santos takes her down
and Marloes works for an arm but Santos powers out. Coenen on
her back and Santos standing over her before diving in with a
right hand. The round ends with Santos having Coenen stacked
up against the cage. MMAWeekly.com scores the round 10-9 for
Santos. Fight of the night so far.
R3
- Santos lands a counter right off of a leg kick. Coenen goes
for a takedown and they clinch along the cage. Santos flurries
on Coenen who covers up. Santos comes forward and Coenen tries
to duck under her punches for the takedown, but Santos ends up
on top in her half guard. Coenen gets back to full guard. Santos
lands a series of right hands. Coenen trips Santos and gets back
to her feet. Coenen in trouble with Santos on top of her dropping
punches. The referee stops the fight. Cris "Cyborg"
Santos retains her belt.
Cris
"Cyborg" Santos def. Marloes Coenen by TKO strikes
at 3:40, R3
-Herschel
Walker vs. Greg Nagy
R1
- Walker with a jab that misses to start the fight. He lands
an outside leg kick followed by another. They exchange and Nagy
works for a takedown but Walker sprawls and spins taking Nagy's
back. Walker in Nagy's haif guard landing right hands and the
crowd chants "Herschel, Herschel, Hershel..." Nagy
goes for a knee bar but Walker defends. Walker moves to side
control and lands a couple of elbows followed by lands hands
and that's how the round ends. MMAWeekly.com scores the opening
round 10-9 for Walker.
R2
- Walker goes back to working the kicks with one to the leg and
one to the body. Nagy clinches but Walker picks him up and powers
him to the canvas landing in side control. Nagy gives up his
back before long and Walker has him mounted. Nagy bucks the 47-year-old
off and gets back to his feet, but Walker takes the advice of
the crowd and lands a knee. Walker wrestles Nagy to the ground
again where he takes his back and flattens him out. Walker landes
punches and hammer fists with Nagy unable to shake the former
Olympian. Nagy rolls and Walker has him mounted again. Round
ends with Walker landing more punches. MMAWeekly.com scores the
round 10-9 for Walker.
R3
- Nagy comes out aggressive throwing two big right hands but
Walker gets his hands on him and powers him down and mounts him.
Nagy again gives up his back and Walker goes to landing punches
and forearm strikes. The referee stops the fight. It wasn't pretty
but Walker dominates in his MMA debut.
Herschel
Walker def. Greg Nagy by TKO at 2:17, R3
-Robbie
Lawler vs. Melvin Manhoef
R1
- Manhoef lands the first strike, a kick to the body. Both guys
being very careful and for good reason. Lawler unleashes a high
kick but Manhoef blocks it. Inside leg kick from Manhoef followed
buy a couple of punches. Manhoef flurries landign a kick to the
body and is destroying Lawler's legs with kicks. Lawler not doing
much but covering up. Lawler with a huge overhand right that
puts Manhoef out cold. The crown erupts.
Lawler
limping around the cage after the fight. The leg kicks definitely
took their toll.
Robbie
Lawler def. Melvin Manhoef by KO at 3:33, R1
-Bobby
Lashley vs. Wes Sims
R1
- Sims taunting Lashley to start the fight, then pumps a jab.
Lashely with a right hand and then takes smes down with a double-leg.
Lashley lands shot punches and tries to pass Sims' guard, but
Sims doesn't allow it. Big punches by Lashley. Sims gives up
his back and Lashley lands hammer fists. The referee stops the
fight.
Bobby
Lashley def. Wes Sims by TKO (strikes) at 2:06, R1
-Jay
Hieron vs. Joe Riggs
R1
- Hieron lands a nice right hand and goes for a take down, but
Riggs fends it off. They’re showing each other a lot of
respect being careful. Hieron with an outside leg kick. Not a
lot going on and the crowd grows restless. Riggs overextends
on a punch and Hieron ducks under and takes him down. MMAWeekly.com
scores the round for Hieron, 10-9.
R2
- Hieron standing on the outside and Riggs in the center of the
canvas. Hieron closes the distance and throws a combination but
Riggs blocks the punches. Hieron shoots in and gets the fight
to the ground. Hieron works inside Rigg's full guard, landing
short punches to the body and head. Riggs tries to land some
elbows from the bottom. Hieron postures up and lands a few punches,
Riggs returns with a nice elbow from the bottom. Riggs gets back
to his feet with ten seconds left but takes a knee to the body
in the process. MMAWeekly.com scores the round 10-9 for Hieron.
R3
- Riggs down two rounds and needs to make something happen. Riggs
stuns him with a right hook. Hieron goes for the takedown and
gets it. Riggs appears to be cut above his left eye. Riggs working
to get out of the grips of Hieron who is hanging on. The referee
stands them up with 2:20 remaining. Riggs missed with a big right
hand. Hieron lands a clean punch that drops Riggs. He follows
Riggs to the canvas Riggs recovered quickly and establishes his
guard. Riggs works for a kimura, but lets it go. The referee
stands them up with ten seconds left. Riggs a bloody mess. MMAWeekly.com
scores the final round 10-9 for Hieron.
Jay
Hieron def. Joe Riggs by unanimous decision (29-28, 30-27, 30-27)
-John
Clarke vs. Joe Ray
R1
- Ray misses with a high kick and comes in with a flurry to start
the fight. Clarke clinches him against the cage. Ray lands two
knees to Clarke's head inside the clinch. Clarke spins him and
presses him against the cage. The referess separates them. Ray
lands a punch and knee and powers Clarke to the ground where
he mounts and finishes with strikes.
Joe
Ray def. John Clarke by TKO (strikes) at 3:14, R1
-Craig
Oxley vs. David Gomez
R1
- Gomez throws a high kick and immediately shoots in for a double-leg
and gets it. Oxley secures his head and rolls him over taking
top postion, but it was short lived as Gomez gets his position
back and advances to side control. Oxley gets back to full guard
and doesn't allow Gomez to posture up. Gomez works quick punches
to the body. Oxley working off his back, looks for an arm, but
Gomez has none of it. Gomez unable to do much from the top but
wins the round and lands a punch after the bell. MMAWeekly.com
scores the round 10-9 for Gomez.
R2
- Oxley immediately takes it to the ground where they play the
leg lock and heel hook game. Gomez lands a kick to Oxley's head.
The referess said something to him but the action continues.
Gomez obtains top position inside Oxley's guard. Gomez peppering
the body and head with just enough to not get stood up. Oxley
works to get up but Gomez isolates a leg and uses it to get back
in Oxley's guard. The referee stands them up with 15 seconds
remaining in the round. Oxley lands a right hand and tries for
a spinning back kick as the round ends. Oxley falls and looks
to have injured himself with the spinning kick. MMAWeekly.com
scores the round 10-9 for Gomez.
R3
- Gomez rushes in and gets the fight to the ground immediately.
Working inside Oxley's guard he lands punches. Oxley having more
difficulty controling Gomez' posture this round, but Gomez' strikes
don't have a lot on them. Oxley works a high guard looking for
an arm or triangle, but Gomez uses the opportunity to advance
to side control. He works punches and elbows to the body from
there. Oxley able to get back to full guard with ten seconds
remaining. MMAWeekly.com scores the round 10-9 for Gomez.
David
Gomez def. Craig Oxley by unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27)
-Pablo
Alfonso vs. Marcos Da Matta
R1
- Alfonzo throws a combination and Da Matta answers with a leg
kick. Da Matta shoots in for a takedown and Alfonzo applies a
guillotine. Da Matta escapes only to be caught in an arm bar.
Da Matta quickly taps out.
Pablo
Alfonso def. Marcos Da Matta by submission (arm bar) at 1:47,
R1
-Hayder
Hasan vs. Ryan Keenan
R1
- A feeling out process to start the round with each fighter
before Hasan misses with a right hand. Hassan closes the distance
and they exchange but neither landed anything clean. Hasan rushes
in with a flurry but is caught with a counter right hand by Keenan.
Keenan circles on the outside as Hasan moves forward trying to
find his spot. He does, dropping Keenan with a right hand. Keenan
establishes his guard but Hasan stands up and has the referee
stand Keenan up. Keenan misses with a big right but lands a leg
kick. He appears to have recovered. MMAWeekly.com scores the
round 10-9 for Hasan.
R2
- Keenan not circling as much to start the round and takes the
center of the cage. He begins to circle and not stand in front
of Hasan as he did in round one. Hasan looks to be taking a bit
of a breath and as I say that he knocks Keenan out with a devastating
right hand.
Hayder
Hassan def. Ryan Keenan by knockout at 2:42, R2
-Sabah
Homasi vs. John Kelly
R1
- After a touch of gloves, Homasi persues Kelly, landing a couple
of leg kicks. Kelly clinches off of a missed combination and
the fighters work for position along the fence before separating.
Homasi secures a takedown but Kelly quickly gets back to his
feet. The two stand and exchange bombs, each landing. Homasi
gets another takedown, but Kelly gets up and powers Homasi to
the canvas. Kelly advances to the mount position and reigns down
punches. Homasi briefly gives up his back. Still in mount, Kelly
lands hammerfists follwed by more punches. Homasi again gives
up his back and Kelly looks for a rear naked choke, but Homaasi
defends. As the round ends Homasi able to get back to his feet,
but took damage in the round. MMAWeekly.com scores the round
10-9 for Kelly.
R2
- The round starts with a slow pace. Kelly works for a takedown
but it's Homasi who gets it. Kelly able to work his way to Homasi's
back where he applies a rear naked choke. Homasi tries to defend
but eventually is forced to tap.
John
Kelly def. Sabah Homasi by submission (rear naked choke) at 2:48,
R2.
QUICK
RESULTS:
Main
Card (On Showtime):
-Nick Diaz def. Marius Zaromskis by TKO at 4:38, R1
-Cris "Cyborg" Santos def. Marloes Coenen by TKO strikes
at 3:40, R3
-Herschel Walker def. Greg Nagy by TKO at 2:17, R3
-Robbie Lawler def. Melvin Manhoef by KO at 3:33, R1
-Bobby Lashley def. Wes Sims by TKO (strikes) at 2:06, R1
-Jay Hieron def. Joe Riggs by unanimous decision (29-28, 30-27,
30-27)
Preliminary
Card (Non-Televised):
-Michael Byrnes def. David Zitnik by majority decision (30-27,
30-27, 29-29)
-Joe Ray def. John Clarke by TKO (strikes) at 3:14, R1
-David Gomez def. Craig Oxley by unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27,
30-27)
-Pablo Alfonso def. Marcos DaMatta by submission (arm bar) at
1:47, R1
-Hayder Hassan def. Ryan Keenan by knockout at 2:42, R2
-John Kelly def. Sabah Homasi by submission (rear naked choke)
at 2:48, R2
Source: MMA Weekly
|
Ageless
Walker does sport, self proud
SUNRISE,
Fla. – He didn’t look remotely ready to face an elite
mixed martial arts fighter. He didn’t even seem nearly ready,
to be honest, to face an MMA neophyte like Bobby Lashley.
But
for all the flaws in his game, real and imagined, that were on
display Saturday at the BankAtlantic Center, Herschel Walker
did himself proud.
There
aren’t too many 47-year-olds this side of Randy Couture
who could do what the 1982 Heisman Trophy winner did Saturday
in stopping Greg Nagy at 2:17 of the third round in his MMA debut.
Walker’s
conditioning was superb and he was barely breathing hard when
he got off Nagy after referee Troy Waugh had seen enough and
stopped the bout. Contrast that with the performance of about
half the cast of Season 10 of “The Ultimate Fighter,”
heavyweights who seemed to gas literally 30 or 45 seconds into
the fight.
Walker
was stiff and wooden in his standup and was clearly uncertain
what to do when the fight went to the ground. He had at least
a half-dozen opportunities for submissions that he was unable
to convert.
Those
who want to criticize him will point to those failings as reasons
why he should not have been featured on the televised portion
of the card.
That,
though, is short-sighted thinking and misses the point of what
Walker was able to accomplish Saturday. Walker has long been
a martial artist – he has a sixth-degree black belt in taekwondo
– and decided to try to fight in MMA as a way to challenge
himself.
He
treated the sport, his opponent, the media and the fans with
the utmost respect. He prepared at the American Kickboxing Academy
in San Jose, Calif., one of the elite camps in the country, and
worked as hard or harder than any of the camp’s many MMA
stars he worked alongside.
The
promotion for the fight card – which featured three quality
matches – was nearly all about Walker. He was on “The
Howard Stern Show” and SportsCenter and in newspapers across
the country.
Nearly
all of those outlets would have ignored the card had Walker not
been a part of it.
Walker
brought much attention to the skills of Strikeforce welterweight
champion Nick Diaz, who stopped Marius Zaromskis in the first
round for the belt in Saturday’s main event. He provided
a platform for Cris “Cyborg” Santos and Marloes Coenen,
who waged a terrific three-round battle that Santos won for the
women’s lightweight belt.
And
he brought eyeballs to Robbie Lawler’s stunning first-round
knockout of Melvin Manhoef.
More
people watched the Showtime broadcast because of Walker. You
can go to the bank on that.
And
while Walker didn’t cover himself in glory if you insist
on comparing him to accomplished MMA fighters like Fedor Emelianenko
or even the Ultimate Fighting Championship’s 46-year-old
Couture, his effort needs to be put in context.
Walker
didn’t train in MMA for the first time until November. If
you expected him to look polished and complete, you are either
naive or a fool.
“He
was well-schooled, which you could tell,” promoter Scott
Coker said. “He got out of the transitions well. He did
some good standup, some good leg kicks. He wrestled well. He
controlled the guy well. And he didn’t gas. His conditioning
was unbelievable.”
His
trainer, Javier Mendez, was comparing Walker’s conditioning
to the UFC’s Cain Velasquez, who might be the most well-conditioned
big man in the sport. Velasquez could probably fight five 10-minute
rounds if he needed to, and Mendez put Walker in the same league.
“He
said, ‘This guy can go as much as Cain in the gym,’
” Coker said. “He said, ‘His gas tank is as big
as Cain’s.’ This was his journey to test himself and
he did it.”
Walker
picked apart his game, noting more of the mistakes he made than
the good things he did. But he was clearly proud. He didn’t
have the disastrous ending like other former athletes who tried
MMA, guys like ex-NFL receiver Johnnie Morton or ex-baseball
player Jose Canseco.
He
didn’t beat a world-class guy. He’s not causing Fedor
any sleepless nights. But he’s 1-0 and if he never fights
again, he’ll always have that one in the win column.
And
despite all the interviews, the short preparation time and the
high expectations, Walker was relaxed. He never got tense and
he wasn’t at all a basket of nerves.
“You’re
going to be shocked by this, but not at all,” Walker said
when asked if the pressure bothered him. “There was no pressure
and the reason why was I really thought the people at AKA prepared
me for it. The fighters at the gym, everyone there, they prepared
me for this. What I had to do was just go in the ring and do
it.
“I’ve
loved (MMA) for about four years. This isn’t something I
just decided I wanted to do. It’s something I’ve thought
about for over four years. I want to thank Scott Coker and Strikeforce
and Showtime for putting it on so my family back home could see
it, but this is something I’ve loved for a long time.”
Coker
said he didn’t sign off on putting Walker onto the card
until he watched him train one day. He wanted to make sure it
would not be an embarrassment.
Walker
wrestled with a former collegiate wrestler and more than held
his own, stuffing most of the takedown attempts, Coker said.
He grappled with a heavyweight who has a jiu-jitsu background
and got submitted several times.
As
his teammates and coaches shouted instructions, Walker finally
had enough. He put his hands on his opponent’s chest and
stomach and essentially bench-pressed him.
“I
do remember that,” Walker said of the practice session that
ultimately convinced Coker he was ready. “The guy was about
265 pounds and he was doing some things. What is funny is, we
were rolling and working on different things and I was learning
and trying to take it easy. But some guys, because they’re
in there with Herschel Walker, they want to show what they can
do.
“At
that time I decided, ‘If you want to do that, we can do
this.’ I decided to show what I could do. I bench-pressed
him off me and showed him, ‘If you want to do this, we can
do it.’ ”
Walker
made a similar point on Saturday. Nagy went for a knee bar while
they were on the ground and he deftly avoided it. Walker wasn’t
thrilled with what he said were a few details, but Mendez couldn’t
have been happier.
If
Walker fights again – and that’s a big if – Mendez
said he’d recommend a three-month camp. And he said if he
fought for three years, he could reach a world-class level.
But
for a first-timer after just nine weeks, the veteran coach was
beside himself with Walker’s performance.
“He
showed people he has an overall MMA game,” Mendez said.
“A minus is that he didn’t have enough time to adequately
prepare him. Nine weeks is not a lot of time to expect someone
who has never fought to look like a champion. Honestly, I didn’t
expect this much.
“MMA
is not a sport to be taken lightly by anyone, not even a great
athlete. And this guy did it the right way. He came to a serious
gym. He could have gone to Hollywood, anywhere he wanted, but
he came to San Jose, California. … He showed a lot of respect
for the game and he showed what a terrific athlete he is. I’ll
tell you what, I’d vote for him for president if he decided
to run. That’s what I think of him.”
Source: Yahoo Sports
|
Lashley
pummels Sims in Strikeforce debut
Wes
Sims is ever the showman, but that's about all he offers at this
point. Strikeforce wanted to showcase undefeated Bobby Lashley
in his first fight with the promotion, and Sims helped deliver
the desired outcome. The 6-foot-8 veteran clowned a bit at the
beginning of the fight and made himself an easy target for the
pro wrestler-turned-MMA fighter.
Lashley
got top control just 38 seconds into the fight and mauled Sims
on the ground. Sims took 30-40 shots to his head and body. He
then turned and gave his back. Lashley landed a few more shots,
forcing referee Troy Waugh to step in at 2:06 of the first round.
Lashley,
who turned pro in December 2008, improved to 5-0, and only one
of his fights have gotten out of the first round.
UPDATE:
Lashley and Sims almost brawled at the postfight press conference.
Sims approached Lashley and pushed him before the scrap was broken
up by fellow Strikeforce fighter Mo Lawal.
Sims
claimed that the fight was stopped early and he was fighting
two-on-one. Sims said he complained to the referee that Lashley
was cheating when he kept jabbing his throat with his thumb.
He called Lashley a turd who was handed the fight because that's
the result Strikeforce wanted for its newest signee.
A
veteran of WWE and now with TNA, Lashley has been a target for
some of his MMA opponents who have mocked his involvement in
the fake stuff. But he has yet to lose a legit fight. Sims started
the fight by holding his left hand high in the air. A classic
move, a la "Big" John Studd, used in wrestling to lure
an opponent into a test of strength. Lashley stayed calm and
when the grossly out-of-shape 258-pound Sims got lazy and too
close, he pushed forward for an easy takedown.
Source: Cagewriter
|
CYBORG
DEFENDS TITLE WITH DOMINANCE OVER COENEN
Living up to the hype of her championship victory, Cris Cyborg
didn't show any signs of weakness in her first title defense
as she dominated and powered through top contender, Marloes Coenen,
picking up a 3rd round TKO win.
Cris
Cyborg came out with her signature aggressive style, striking
at Coenen with looping left and right hands. Regardless of her
opponent's grappling background, Cyborg actually initiated the
first takedown, putting Coenen on her back looking for a punching
attack from her guard.
Coenen
defended well and avoided too much damage, but also did very
little to get out from under, or submit the physically intimidating
Cyborg.
Cyborg
again showed her power in the 2nd round, tagging Coenen with
a quick flurry and combination that left her sitting on the canvas.
As the Brazilian charged in, Coenen countered with a nice stiff
upkick to the body of Cyborg, which stopped the attack. The attack
was only subdued for a moment as Cyborg stayed on Coenen like
a pitbull, blasting her with punch after punch.
The
strength difference in the fight seemed like the biggest factor
as Cyborg simply muscled Coenen around in every clinch, and even
on the ground keeping the Dutch fighter pinned to the canvas.
As
the fight wore on, Coenen could not keep away from the punching
power of Cris Cyborg, as every exchange on the ground ended up
with Coenen covering up, and trying to avoid damage. With the
third round winding down, Cyborg smelled blood in the water and
just opened up with a series of punches standing over Coenen,
and the referee saw enough to stop the fight.
Following
a career-making win over Gina Carano, the 145lb women's champion
didn't disappoint in her next fight as Cris Cyborg dominated
a game opponent in Marloes Coenen.
"I'm
very happy, I prepared myself very much, I trained a lot,"
a very happy Cris Cyborg said following her first title defense.
Cyborg
praised Marloes Coenen, calling her the toughest opponent she's
ever faced.
"She's
got a lot of game in her, she's has a lot of techniques, and
she's got a great heart," Cyborg commented. "I've admired
her from the weigh-in and MMA has a lot to get from her."
Now
the quest begins to find another top opponent to face Cris Cyborg.
The name that appears to be at the top of the list is veteran
fighter Erin Toughill, but it will take a special opponent to
take the title away from the Chute Boxe wrecking machine.
Source: MMA Weekly
|
DIAZ
WINS WELTERWEIGHT BELT, KO'S ZAROMSKIS IN 1ST RD
It took several years and three different weight classes, but
the hard work that Nick Diaz put in finally paid off as the brash
Cesar Gracie student knocked out Dream champion, Marius Zaromskis,
to claim the vacant Strikeforce welterweight title.
It
looked like the slugfest that most expected out of Robbie Lawler
and Melvin Manhoef, but it was Diaz and Zaromskis who came out
throwing heavy duty shots as soon as the bell rang.
Like
clockwork, Diaz used his unreal ability to throw punch after
punch after punch, while landing with amazing accuracy, as Zaromskis
did his best to get out of the way. A few exchanges saw Zaromskis
land some good punches as well, but Diaz kept moving forward.
The
strategy almost backfired as Diaz left his hands down just long
enough to let Zaromskis sneak in a good shot that rattled the
California based fighter. The current Dream champion rushed in
looking for more damage, but Diaz recovered well and was back
on his feet firing away once again.
After
tagging Zaromskis with a combination of punches, Diaz saw his
opponent back peddling and that was all it took for him to look
for the finish. As the Lithuanian backed up, Diaz powered forward
with uppercuts and bodyshots, before one final short right clipped
Zaromskis and sent him tumbling to the mat.
The
fight was immediately stopped and Nick Diaz now takes home the
Strikeforce welterweight title.
"I'm
just ready to go home and eat," Diaz said when asked how
special the win was for him.
To
his credit, Marius Zaromskis definitely came out to battle, and
hurt Diaz with a few strikes, but in the end the former UFC and
Elite XC fighter left with the title.
"I
knew he was probably going to run and jump at me, so I prepared
for that, I prepared for everything," Diaz stated when talking
about Zaromskis' strategy.
Now
the 170lb champion, Diaz likely awaits a future match-up against
top contender, Jay Hieron who came out victorious over Joe Riggs
earlier in the night. With the welterweight title headed back
to Cesar Gracie's fight camp, the team owns three of Strikeforce's
major championships as Gilbert Melendez holds the lightweight
belt and Jake Shields reigns as the middleweight champion as
well.
Source: MMA Weekly
|
Finally,
Minotouro signs to fight Forrest
Now
it’s official: “I signed today. It’ll go down
on May 29,” said Rogerio Minotouro to GRACIEMAG.com, this
Wednesday night.
The
aforementioned statement refers to the fight with Forrest Griffin,
his next challenge in the UFC, a matchup GRACIEMAG.com has commented
on in recent months.
Griffin,
a former light heavyweight champion, is coming off a win over
Tito Ortiz at UFC 106. In his first appearance in the UFC, in
November, Minotouro had a solid 1st-round knockout win over Luis
Banha. The bout, which would put the winner at the top of the
weight group, was wished for by the fighter.
“That’s
right, I asked for this fight. I wanted to fight him,” says
Minotouro.
“Forrest
is a standup fighter, is aggressive, and I like that. He also
has absurd stamina and excellent Jiu-Jitsu,” he says in
praise.
To
Minotouro’s delight, the fight is now set in stone. Nevertheless,
he has many reasons to celebrate. Last Monday, January 25, Valentina
was born, marking the Brazilian’s debut as a father.
“It’s
awesome. Being a father is a great feeling, but also a great
responsibility. She’s beautiful, took after her mother!”
he said chuckling.
Source: Gracie Magazine
|
Dream
confirms Bibiano vs Hansen
The
possibility of the match being made was mentioned on GRACIEMAG.com
this week, but now it’s official. The organizers of Dream
confirmed the showdown between Jiu-Jitsu black belt Bibiano Fernandes
and Joachim Hansen for the organization’s featherweight
title. The fight will take place at the 13th installment of the
event, to take place in March, at the Yokohama Arena.
Hansen,
considered one of the top lightweights in worldwide MMA, will
drop weight divisions for the challenge. The fighter, who is
coming off a loss to Shinya Aoki at Dream 11, holds wins over
beasts like Shinya Aoki and Gesias Cavalcante.
Now
Bibiano is coming off a five-fight winning streak. In 2009, the
fighter won the organization’s featherweight grand prix.
Another fighter to feature on the card is Ryo Chonan.
Source: Gracie Magazine
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MANUP
AND STAND UP
WAIPAHU FILCOM CENTER
FRIDAY FEB 5
DOORS OPEN AT 6:00
TONY
PERREIRA 170 JACOB SMITH
NUI
WHEELER 140 JONAH VISTANTE
MIKE
UEMOTO 145 ROBERT ANDUHA
FRED
RAMAYLA 150 SHAWN BURROUGHS
ALVIN
BERTO 130 JULIO MORENO
KALAI
MCSHANE 120 JAYCOBI VISTANTE
RICHARD
BERNARD 152 RED DAVIS
MARK
YARCIA 135 ISAAN HATTORI
SOTA
NAKANO 170 JOSEPH ENAENA
KAIPO
ADEZIADO 97 RONSON VEA
ANTHONY
MURAKAMI 145 JAMES LEOLE
JOEY
SEDENO 115 JED HARWOOD
BRYSEN
LUM 150 IKAIKA GOODRIDGE
ISAAC
HOPPS 145 JASON ROCEMAR
SAI
HOLBRON 175 PHILLIP AKUI
CHEVEZ
ANTOQUE 200 MIKE VINANO
SPIKE
KAHALEWAI 70 KAENA DESANTOS
RICKY
SAJORDO 115 COMBAT 50
JENNA
ODA 150 GABBY DENNIS
ROBERT
BONAS 155 HAROLD CHUN
FERDINAND
RAMIREZ 159 BRONSON CALPITO
ROYAL
KAUA 155 AJ BROWN
LINDSEY
170 GEORGE FELIX
SCOTT
ENDO 185 MARK TIGER
COLT
DANTE 100 CHRISTIEN RAQUEDON
KANALOA
COOKE 125 JAN QUIMOYOG
SHAWN
DESANTOS 125 JORDAN TIGER
JEFFREY
PERKINS 200 DENNIS KAM
IKAIKA
KUPUKAA 230 94 BLOCK
All
matches and participants are subject to change.
Source: Event Promoter
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