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2010
November
Aloha
State BJJ
Championships: Final Conflict
(BJJ & Sub Grappling)
(Kaiser H.S. Gym)
10/15-17/10
ETERNAL SUBMISSIONS: 1st Annual BJJ GI/NO-GI tournament
(BJJ & Sub Grappling)
(Kauai Beach Resort, Kauai)
9/11/10
Kauai Knockout Championship
(MMA, Kickboxing)
(Kauai)
8/14/10
Hawaiian
Open Championships of BJJ
(BJJ & No Gi)
(Kaiser H.S. Gym)
USA Amateur Boxing
(Boxing)
(Lihue Convention Hall, Lihue, Kauai)
8/7/10
Just Scrap
(MMA)
(Hilo Civic Auditorium, Hilo)
7/24/10
The Quest for Champions 2010 Martial Arts Tournament
(Sport-Pankration, Submission Grappling & Continuous Sparring)
(St. Louis High School Gym)
7/17/10
Maui Jiu-Jitsu Open
(BJJ & No Gi)
(Maui War Memorial, Wailuku, Maui)
Mad Skillz
(Kickboxing, Triple Threat)
(99 Market Shopping Center, Mapunapuna)
7/9/10
Man Up & Stand Up
(Kickboxing)
(Filcom Center, Waipahu)
7/3/10
Amateur Boxing
(Boxing)
(Palolo District Park Gym)
6/26/10
Kauai Cage Match 9
(MMA)
(Kilohana, Gaylords Mansion, Kauai)
6/25-26/10
50th
State BJJ Championships
(BJJ)
(50th State Fair,
Aloha Stadium)
6/24/10
Quest for Champions
(Kumite/Grappling)
(St. Louis High School Gym)
6/19/10
Just Scrap
(MMA)
(Hilo Civic Center, Hilo)
6/18-19/10
Select
Combat
(Triple Threat)
(50th State Fair,
Aloha Stadium)
6/12/10
Destiny: Fury
(MMA)
(Blaisdell Center)
6/11-13/10
MMA Hawaii Expo
(Blaisdell Ballroom)
6/11-12/10
3rd
Annual Pacific Submission Championships
(BJJ & Submission Grappling)
(Blaisdell Exhibition Hall)
6/11/10
Legacy Combat MMA
(MMA)
(Blaisdell Exhibition Hall)
6/4/10
X-1:
Nations Collide
(MMA)
(Blaisdell Arena)
6/3-6/10
World
Jiu-Jitsu Championships
(BJJ)
(The Pyramid, University of California at Long Beach, Long Beach,
CA)
5/22/10
Destiny
(MMA)
(Waiphau Filcom Center)
5/15/10
Scrappla Fest 2
Relson Gracie KTI Jiu-Jitsu Tournament
(BJJ & Sub Grappling)
(Island School, Kauai)
X-1 World Events
(MMA)
(Waipahu HS Gym)
Mad Skills
(Kickboxing)
(Waipahu Filcom Center)
Boxing Event
(Boxing)
(Evolution Training Center, Waipio Industrial Court #110)
5/1/10
Galaxy
MMA: Worlds Collide
(MMA)
(Blaisdell Arena)
4/23/10
2010 Hawaii State/Regional Junior Olympic Boxing Championships
(Boxing)
(Palolo District Park Gym)
4/17/10
Hawaiian
Championships of BJJ
(BJJ & Sub Grappling)
(Kaiser
H.S. Gym)
Strikeforce:
Shields vs Henderson
(CBS)
4/16/10
808 Battleground
(Waipahu Filcom Center)
4/8-11/10
Pan
Jiu-Jitsu Championships
(BJJ)
(University California Irvine, Irvine, CA)
4/3/10
Man Up & Stand Up
(Kickboxing)
(Waipahu Filcom Center)
Amateur Boxing Smoker
(Boxing)
(Palolo District Park Gym)
3/27/10
DESTINY: No Ka Oi 2: Oahu vs Maui
(MMA)
(Maui War Memorial Gym, Wailuku, Maui)
3/20/10
X-1: Champions 2
(MMA)
(Blaisdell Arena)
3/20/10
Hawaiian Championships of BJJ
(BJJ & Sub Grappling)
(Kaiser H.S. Gym)
3/14/10
Hawaiian Kimono Combat
(BJJ)
(PCHS Gym)
3/10/10
Sera's Kajukenbo Tournament
(Kumite, Katas, Grappling)
(Maui War Memorial Gym, Wailuku, Maui)
3/6/10
Destiny Fast N Furious
(MMA)
(Level 4 RHSC)
2/19/10
808 Battleground
(MMA)
(Filcom, Waipahu)
2/6/10
UpNUp 6: Unstoppable
(MMA)
(Maui War Memorial Gym, Wailuku, Maui)
2/5/10
Man Up & Stand Up
(Kickboxing)
(Waipahu Filcom)
1/30/10
Destiny
(Level 4,
Royal HI Shopping Ctr)
(MMA)
Quest for Champions
(Pankration/Sub Grappling)
(Kalani HS)
1/23/10
Kauai Knockout Championship Total Domination
(MMA & Kickboxing)
(Kauai War Memorial Convention Center, Lihue, Kauai)
1/17/10
X1: Showdown In Waipahu
(Boxing, Kickboxing, MMA)
(Waipahu H.S. Gym)
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July
2010 News Part 3
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O2 Martial Arts features Relson Gracie Jiu-Jitsu taught by Relson
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UFC
on Versus 2: 'Jones vs. Matyushenko' Primer
by Jake
Rossen
Vladimir
Matyushenko (right) file photo: Dave Mandel | Sherdog.com
At
23 years old and with an undefeated UFC record, you can understand
if Jon Jones occasionally lapses into the kind of hubris we’ve
come to expect from athletes who enjoy success at an age most
of us are enjoying Top Ramen.
Commenting
on Saturday’s fight with Vladimir Matyushenko when it was
first signed months ago, Jones described the bout as “a
solid step sideways.” This hints at boredom in the UFC’s
preference to bring him up slowly. (Compare him to other prodigies
like Brock Lesnar or B.J. Penn, both of whom received title bouts
in under four fights: Jones is 10-0, not including a DQ loss
in a bout he had under control.) It also assumes Matyushenko
brings nothing to the table Jones hasn’t already seen with
other wrestling-foundation fighters in Jake O’Brien or Matt
Hamill.
This
is dangerous thinking. O’Brien, while gutsy, is B-level
opposition; Hamill seems to have forgotten he’s a grappler.
Matyushenko is the first opponent for Jones that has the ability
to drag him into a long, dirty fight in the clinch, forcing Jones
to bleed lactic acid in a struggle against the fence. He’s
strong -- the kind of strong you get from being a 40-something
grappler -- and he’s seen just about everything. He’s
been stopped once in the last 13 years. He’s proven more
than Hamill, O’Brien, or Brandon Vera.
Jones
is the betting favorite, as younger, fresher fighters usually
are. And despite passing comments to the contrary, I’m sure
Jones and his camp are fully aware of what Matyushenko can do.
But instead of feeling restless, Jones should appreciate the
fact that he’s learning his craft at a pace most fighters
would be envious of. It’s better to grow frustrated at moving
too slowly than to go too fast and risk breaking your neck.
What:
UFC on Versus 2: Jones vs. Matyushenko, a 10-bout card from the
San Diego Sports Arena in San Diego
When:
Sunday, August 1 at 9 p.m. ET on Versus
Why
You Should Care: Because Jones might only be good for a handful
of more fights on free television before the UFC expects you
to start paying for the honor; because heavy-hitting takedown
artist Mark Munoz might manage to squeeze an exciting fight out
of Yushin Okami; and because Tyson Griffin might pound another
nail in the coffin of Japanese-bred MMA by tossing around Takanori
Gomi.
Fight
of the Night: Paul Kelly vs. Jacob Volkmann; Kelly fights at
a speed that doesn’t allow for much strategy, but it’s
exciting.
Questions:
UFC on Versus 2
Is
Jon Jones being brought along too slowly?
Jones,
only 23 but a presence in the Octagon for two years, has displayed
every conceivable skillset that would warrant a bullet train
to the top of the 205 lb. division -- yet the UFC is taking their
time in allowing the Endicott, N.Y., native room to develop.
Some find this an attractive alternative to the bum-rush matchmaking
the UFC frequently pushes; others find it frustrating to watch.
In either case, Jones is playing his role perfectly: he destroyed
both Brandon Vera and Matt Hamill in record time. Putting away
Vladimir Matyushenko, rarely finished, is a nice compromise.
Is
Vladimir Matyushenko suffering from arrested development?
Matyushenko,
a credible 5-2 inside the Octagon, last headlined a UFC in September
2001 against Tito Ortiz. He lost via decision, a method he frequently
used to win fights in that period; nine years later, his last
three bouts have been decided by judges. While Matyushenko is
toiling in a heavily talented promotion, his lack of finishing
ability at this level speaks to complacency with training or
progression. He’s a grueling fighter, but if he can’t
threaten with submissions or knockout finality, his opponent
has less to worry about. That’s never a good thing.
Does
the California athletic commission embarrass Nevada’s?
After
John McCarthy left officiating to tackle broadcast work in 2007,
he took the opportunity to speak openly about reservations he
had with both the UFC and athletic commissions -- Nevada’s
included. Since returning to the ring, McCarthy has been a conspicuous
absence from events held in that state, particularly the UFC.
Now
McCarthy is slated to oversee UFC bouts in San Diego, an indication
that the California athletic commission doesn’t consider
personal differences to be relevant in assigning duties to ring
officials. In an era of questionable oversight, someone with
McCarthy’s experience and knowledge should be a given.
Is
Mark Munoz one of the few remaining threats for Anderson Silva?
Munoz,
8-1, is a takedown machine -- and while he possesses none of
the experience of Silva’s previous opponents, it’s
fairly obvious that beating Silva will require forcing his back
to the mat. If Munoz can beat Yushin Okami, it would make his
first victory over a top-10 middleweight, and possibly put him
in the queue for a shot at an upset.
The
wrinkle: Munoz trains and considers himself good friends with
Silva. If his goal is a belt -- and why wouldn't it be? -- he
should hope Silva rethinks his reluctance to move up in weight.
Red
Ink: Jones vs. Matyushenko
It’s
no coincidence that Jon Jones is preparing for his third consecutive
fight on free television: the tube has created a venue for fighters
to break free of both regional limitations and pay per view exclusivity.
Mike Tyson fought practically once a month in the 1980s, the
majority of the time on cable or network stations. There were
no hurdles for fans to follow the making of a monster.
Jones
is hardly Tyson -- and for that, he should be thankful -- but
it’s clear the UFC is borrowing heavily from boxing’s
playbook in packaging a talent that looks to pay dividends in
the future. Jones is exciting, unblemished, and personable. He’s
the latest model in mixed martial arts. And Vladimir Matyushenko
is here to help perpetuate all of it.
Matyushenko
can win, of course. But it’s clear the promotion has expectations
of his aging-wrestler style stumbling into Jones’ dynamic
attack. You do not experience 13 years in the ring and 28 fights
without trading some of your constitution. Matyushenko is not
exactly a pre-cut breaking board for Jones to smash, but there
are definitely stress fractures in the woodwork.
Might
Look Like: Georges St. Pierre vs. Matt Hughes II and III, with
the slower wrestler having no answer for the reflexes and imagination
of youth.
Wild
Card: Jones has never had to deal with the kind of smothering
control Matyushenko can exert: let him get his hands on you and
it’s like getting a sleeve caught in a bank vault.
Who
Wins: If Jones has kept improving at the same rapid pace, he’ll
finish Matyushenko with a cut or a TKO; if he’s cold, he’ll
have to settle for outstriking him in a decision. Either way,
Jones continues to impress.
Source: Sherdog
|
Vladimir
Matyushenko Says He's Jon Jones' Toughest Opponent Yet
By Ben
Fowlkes
When Vladimir Matyushenko looks across the Octagon at Jon Jones
on Sunday night, he'll see an opponent who's younger, bigger
and faster. He'll see a fighter who's been all but officially
anointed as the next big thing in the UFC light heavyweight division.
He'll see a fighter who is essentially undefeated in a little
over two years of competition, and one who is a 6-1 favorite
with online oddsmakers.
None
of this, of course, is news to Matyushenko. He knew what he was
getting into when he accepted the fight, though the decision
to do so wasn't automatic.
"I
won't say I hesitated, but I thought about it for a few days
and had a team meeting with my coaches and teammates," Matyushenko
told MMA Fighting. "When it comes to a fight, if [UFC matchmaker]
Joe Silva gives you something, that's the offer. I don't think
it's right to try and pick fights, say, 'I want to fight this
guy or just new guys.' No, to be in this sport you have to be
willing to fight the best. That's what I'm here to do."
At
39 – 16 years older than Jones – Matyushenko is among
the elder statesmen of MMA. He had his first fight in 1997, back
when the sport was still populated by many fighters with more
enthusiasm than skill. He went on to fight for the UFC light
heavyweight title in 2001, losing a decision to Tito Ortiz, and
several years later became the IFL 205-pound champ after going
undefeated in the organization.
Now
the Belarussian who defected to the U.S. while visiting for a
national wrestling meet in 1993 finds himself much closer to
the end of his fighting career than the beginning. Nine or ten
years ago, Matyushenko admits, he thought he'd be done by now.
Instead
he finds himself in the main event against a young prospect who
seems to be just getting started.
"He's
young, and he's dangerous," Matyushenko said of Jones. "He
made himself a name pretty quick. But I think I'm his toughest
opponent so far. I definitely have to use everything in my arsenal
for this fight, and experience is one of the things I've got."
[Jon Jones] made himself a name pretty quick. But I think I'm
his toughest opponent so far.
-- Vladimir Matyushenko
If you believe the oddsmakers, experience may be the only thing
Matyushenko's got over Jones. Despite his accomplished wrestling
career, there aren't many people who are expecting him to dominate
Jones on the mat. Not after Jones dismantled other former collegiate
wrestlers like Matt Hamill and Jake O'Brien.
But
the way Matyushenko sees it, 'experienced' isn't just a kinder
synonym for 'old.' It's a real asset, and one he plans to put
to good use in this fight.
"The
biggest thing is that when you are experienced, you can get kicked
in the leg or hit in the face and you don't go back to your wrestling
and forget about your game plan. You just keep doing what you
came to do. That's an ability that comes with experience,"
he said. "My experience helps me not just in the fight,
but preparing for the fight, choosing the right trainers and
the right approach. When I was younger, I would just go bang
all the time. Now I'm much more careful, trying to prevent injuries."
The
upside for Mayushenko, who is 2-0 since returning to the UFC
in 2009, is that the fight with Jones is a chance to prove that
he's ready for one last title run. He may not have time to work
his way back up to the top of the crowded light heavyweight division
if he loses, and he knows it.
But
if he wins, if he becomes the grizzled underdog who topples the
rising star, suddenly all the younger fans who weren't around
for his glory days of a decade ago will stand up and take notice.
So will the UFC.
"I
think both of us can gain a lot from the fight. I have to prove
that I'm still capable of fighting at this level, and he has
to prove that he's young but ready to fight for a championship.
We're both coming at it from two different directions,"
said Matyushenko. "But I'm definitely trying [to be champ].
If you're going to do something, you might as well do it all
the way."
Source: MMA Fighting
|
Demian:
“I’m cheering for Sonnen”
By Eduardo Ferreira
One
week before UFC 117, which happens on August 7 in Oakland, in
California, all the lights are turned to the card which has five
Brazilians. Between one training session and another, Demian
Maia talked to TATAME and analyzed the confrontation between
the champion Anderson Silva, who beat him on UFC 112 in Abu Dhabi,
and Chael Sonnen, who has been submitted by Demian with a triangle.
Demian guaranteed that Sonnen has chances and revealed he cheers
for the American. “He has chances of winning, the fight
will be easier for Anderson, but he can beat him. If I had to
chose, I’d cheer for Sonnen, making an exception because
I always want the Brazilians to win, but this time I have to
be at Sonnen’s side, because I don’t admire the other
one”, explained the black belt.
On
the same night, Junior Cigano will get into action against Roy
Nelson. Demian has been training along with Cigano and guarantees
the Brazilian’s ground game could make it hard for anyone
on grappling competitions. “Cigano will be UFC’s next
champion. On this fight he can knock him out or submit him, wherever
the fight takes place he has chances of winning. Cigano would
be a hard one if he competed Jiu-Jitsu or Submission. I brought
him to Xande (Ribeiro) to train him with the kimono and the guys
were surprised with his ground game. He’s very talented.
He priories his boxing, but he trains a lot of Jiu-Jitsu too.
And if you train Jiu-Jitsu in Brazil, you are already good”,
concluded.
Source: Tatame
|
UFC
120 WILL AIR ON SPIKE TV IN THE U.S.
Spike TV on Thursday confirmed that it will air UFC 120, which
emanates from the O2 Arena in London, on a tape-delayed basis
at 9:00 p.m. ET/PT in the United States.
UFC
120 features the promotion’s top three British stars, including
Michael Bisping, Dan Hardy, and John Hathaway.
Bisping
(19-3) is riding high after a win over Dan Miller in May. He
squares off with Yoshihiro Akiyama (13-2), who is trying to bounce
back from a recent loss to Chris Leben at UFC 116. Bisping vs.
Akiyama will serve as the evening’s main event.
Hardy
(23-7) is rebounding from a failed attempt to wrest the UFC welterweight
championship from Georges St-Pierre in March. He is still one
of the most popular fighters in Britain and will carry the support
of his country with him into the co-main event against Carlos
Condit.
Condit
(25-5) is a former WEC welterweight champion, holding that belt
until his weight category was merged into the UFC. He stumbled
in his Octagon debut, falling to now-middleweight contender Martin
Kampmann, but is currently on a two-fight winning streak.
Hathaway
(14-0) flew under the radar into the UFC’s lightweight ranks,
emerging into the spotlight with his UFC 114 victory over Diego
Sanchez. Pyle (19-7-1), his opponent, has been on a bumpy path
in the Octagon, going 2-2 since his debut at UFC 98.
The
Spike telecast will open with a welterweight battle between “The
Ultimate Fighter 9” winner James Wilks (8-3) and Canadian
Claude Patrick (12-1). Wilks, who defeated DaMarques Johnson
last June in “The Ultimate Fighter 9” finale, most
recently defeated Peter Sobotta at UFC 115 in June. His opponent,
Patrick, fighting out of Toronto, was victorious in his recent
Octagon debut, defeating Ricardo Funch via submission at UFC
115 in June.


Also
on the fight card, a heavyweight showdown between Paris, France,
native Cheick Kongo (25-6-1) and undefeated Travis Browne (10-0).
Kongo is returning to the arena where he enjoyed his finest moment
in the Octagon, a decision victory over Mirko “Cro Cop”
Filipovic at UFC 75. Kongo recently scored an impressive win
over Paul Buentello in March. A native of Hawaii, the imposing
six-foot-seven-inch Travis Browne won his UFC debut in June over
James McSweeney with a first round TKO.
Other
bouts that might air depending upon available time are Cyrille
Diabate (17-6-3) vs. Alexander Gustafson (9-1) and Stanislav
Nedkov (11-0) vs. Steve Cantwell (7-3).
Source: MMA Weekly
|
Greg
Jackson talks about coaching Jon Jones and his expectations of
Jake Shields in the UFC
By Zach
Arnold
Greg
Jackson, coaching master to the stars, had a terrific interview
on Sherdog radio this past Monday for about a half hour. Greg
is one of my favorite people to listen to in MMA-related radio
interviews. He’s very media savvy and also honest (as much
as he can be).
I
didn’t transcribe the entire 30-minute interview, but I
did transcribe about 15 minutes of it and here are some of the
interview highlights. (Including his thoughts on Shane Carwin’s
loss to Brock Lesnar.)
Tell
me about the first time you saw Jon Jones in your gym, you training
him at 23 years old. This guy’s a phenomenal athlete. What
is it like to coach Jon Jones?
“Well,
you know, it’s a lot of fun and it’s a real challenge
because you want him to have strong basics but you can’t
give him the basics in the normal way because you don’t
want him to lose his creativity and his flair and his explosiveness
and all of these things that make him great. So the real challenge
for me is to keep him excited while allowing him to progress,
you know, on the ground and his wrestling, kickboxing, and stuff.
So, it’s a lot of fun to be in that challenge, to be able
to keep a guy creative and flowing with kind of the other side
of that making sure that his basics are really strong as well,
so if we get in trouble we can get out. And so that makes it
a really, really fun and like I said, exciting process for me.”
Coming
up with a game plan with Jon Jones, when you sit down and watch
him fight… It doesn’t look like he has a game plan
where he sits down like other fighters and says, ‘OK, this
is going I’m going to do.’ He seems to really just
go with the flow. How structured is the game plan with Jon Jones?
How structured is a game plan with him?
“It’s
structured in a non-traditional sense. In other words, if you
are looking at a game plan in a very traditional do-this, do-this,
do-that, it’s not that way. What I do instead with Jon is
I give him four or five, we look at our opponent’s tendencies
and their safety zones and we give him four or five options off
of each one of those and how he puts those together is what you
know is going to define that fight for us. So, instead of saying,
OK you know stay away from this and do this and that, I say here’s
several things that you can do off of this and play with him,
here’s several things that he tries here and play with him,
which is very… it’s a unique game plan for that kind
of fighter. Cub Swanson’s another kind of guy we do like
that as well. But you have to keep that element of creativity
flowing and where other fighters have very linear, I guess you
could say, like OK when he tries this you need to make sure to
enact this defense or stay away from this safety zone or whatever
it may be. It’s structured but it’s more of an open
structure if that makes any sense.”
Vladimir
Matyushenko is a veteran, he’s been in this for a long time.
You pretty much know what you’re going to get from Vladimir.
How would you rate Jon Jones’ wrestling versus Vladimir’s
wrestling?
“I
think he easily is as good, if not better than Vladimir only
because of his unique wrestling style. He has a style that if
you haven’t dealt with it it’s very, very difficult
to deal with. So, Matyushenko’s of course much more decorated
wrestler and has probably more experience but I think what negates
that is Jon Jones is unorthodox wrestling. He has moves where
you think it’s all over and you got him and all of a sudden
you find yourself on your back and not really knowing how you
got there. So, it’s one of those things that it’s hard
to just gauge wrestling to wrestling because Jon Jones is kind
of unorthodox and Matyushenko is so solidly experienced that
I think I feel very comfortable in the wrestling department.
I fully expect [Jon Jones] to get taken down at some point in
the fight and we’ll be ready for that if it happens. If
it doesn’t happens, that’s great. We’re definitely
prepare for the contingency if he does get taken.”
Is
that pretty much the #1 concern? That’s what Vladimir does,
he puts people on their backs and beats them up. Is Jon Jones
fine off his back?
“Well
yeah, I mean, he’s getting really good on his back. I’m
not overly concerned with any one part of the fight. I want to
watch the pace because Vladimir’s just trying to get in
there and I think and stuff us, get inside, smother, break it.
That’s my concern with him just to trying to smother and
staying on top and he’s going to try to stifle Jon’s
creativity I’m sure, so we’ve been working a lot of
good inside stuff and you know wrestling and all that stuff so
we should be well-prepared for his game plan. I hope, you know.
All you can do is hope and hopefully all the things that we’ve
been working on will come to fruition. But yeah I fully expect
him to come in, swinging at Jon’s head and try to take Jon
down and holding Jon on the ground.”
Jon
Jones has an 84 1/2? reach. That’s remarkable. He’s
obviously probably going to have the reach advantage in every
fight that he’s ever in. Does that tie into the game plan
a lot or do you just kind of say, well you know, that’s
the way it is and he’s going to be able to outreach everybody?
“With
Jon, because, of course you want to utilize all of your advantages
so we enjoy utilizing the reach but people are eventually going
to get past that reach so we’ve been really working on what
happens when that happens, when people are getting able to get
inside on him and stuff so if it stays a distance, we feel comfortable.
If it comes in, we should feel comfortable and you know Vladimir’s
a really, he’s only lost a couple of times, he’s a
super super tough guy and so we’re taking him really, really
seriously. I mean this should be the toughest fight to date when
they always are when they are in front of us. Utilizing that
reach is important but also utilizing what happens when we don’t
have that reach, that’ll mean that their arms are longer
with actually being negated because of their control of the distance
and able to get around it, underneath it, whathaveyou. So we
should hopefully be ready for that as well.”
You
bring up the fact that Vladimir is very tough. He is very tough
and a veteran of the sport. He’s been in pretty much every
situation. He’s just not one of those flashy type of guys
that I don’t think is necessarily a fan favorite like Jon
Jones. The odds are huge. Vladimir’s a huge underdog. Why
do you think it is? Because we know that Vladimir’s a very
good athlete, a very good wrestler, a very good Mixed Martial
Artist. Why do you think he’s probably not very popular
in the eyes of MMA fans?
“Well,
a lot of these fans are newer fans and they might not know, they
might not have been around you know what I mean when he doing
(his thing). I’ve noticed that a lot and I think that there’s
a lot of hype with Jon right now, a lot of people are praising
him as a big deal and all of this stuff and that’s how it
always happen, you know what I mean? It’s always this big
enormous hype and like with Fedor and any of those guys, when
they lose once and a lot of people you know, ‘Oh I knew
he wasn’t that good anyways,’ so a lot of that I think
is just hype and none of that can matter to us, you know what
I mean? We just have to get in there and control our performance
and do our job and have a good time doing it and I think Matyushenko
is a great, great threat and I’m not sure why people don’t
appreciate that but he’s certainly is and he should be taken
very seriously.”
There’s
a lot of hype of Jon Jones. How do you keep him grounded? Is
there any problems there? Obviously people react differently.
After a while of hype, some people start to believe in it. Do
you have to work on keeping Jon Jones grounded at all?
“The
great thing about Jon is he just the sweetest, nicest guy and
no, I haven’t, I mean he’s been totally humble, completely
coachable. He’s just a wonderful human being, so we’ve
had no problems with that at all, surprisingly because you know
there’s so much hype and so many people are whispering in
his ear about how great he is. He’s surprisingly humble,
hungry, and especially I mean he just turned 23 last week. For
being that young, it’s phenomenal. His attitude impresses
me way more than his athleticism or his ability to pick up moves,
too. I mean he’s just a great guy.”
I
think that’s a sign of the times. I mean, you have a lot
of fighters in the gym, more fighters than I can name. Do you
see them getting younger and younger? I mean we see kids now,
it’s becoming like soccer and baseball. You have 6, 7, 8
year olds in jiu-jitsu class and wrestling class. Where do you
think that’s going to make the sport be in 10 years? Is
everyone going to be a Jon Jones getting into this sport?
“I
don’t know if everyone will. Jon Jones is definitely something
special to me, but I think it’s definitely getting younger
and younger. I’ve noticed that as well. A lot of the new
fighters coming up. Because it used to be college wrestlers or
people with kickboxing careers and MMA was new so they’d
make the transition over. Yeah, now it’s certainly is younger.
I’ve got a ton of 18 year old kids in here now just, you
know, hungry to fight and they’re already with a lot of
rolling experience. So, the times they are a changing, that’s
for sure.”
How
long does it take you and your other coaches to come up with
a game plan for a fighter like a Vladimir Matyushenko?
“It
depends a lot, I mean it’s kind of a case-by-case basis.
It depends a lot on the fighter, the opponent, and the circumstances.
So, because we get together as coaches and we really bounce a
lot of ideas around and you have the fighters as well, the fighters
also contribute enormously. Sometimes it very obvious what we
need to do and what we don’t need to do. Sometimes if they’re
a lot more skilled, we need to you know you got to break it down
a little bit more. I watch film every morning, so that’s
basically how I spend my mornings. So, it can be sometimes you
can see it right away and sometimes it takes a little bit longer.
It’s really a case-by-case basis. There’s no formula,
I guess there’s no real formula other than a lot of hard
work.”
Shane
Carwin, we all saw him go out in that fight (against Brock Lesnar),
dominate the fight. What were the thoughts during that fight
or after that fight? He said he had some medical problems. He
knew what he did and that’s what made him get tired. What
are your thoughts on that and how are you guys going to fix that
so next time that doesn’t happen?”
“Well,
a lot of the time it’s just an experience thing and what
I mean by that is we all thought it was done in the first round.
Once I realized it wasn’t going to be done, we were all
screaming to breathe. But that’s just an understanding how
to pace yourself when you’re trying to finish somebody and
what he did is he GAVE IT EVERYTHING HE HAD and when you do that,
when you’re a little overly excited the way he was, you
can hit the wall and hitting the wall is a real serious and a
real big deal and that’s, we try to train for that. So Shane
hit that wall and it was really, really hard to come back from
it because Shane hasn’t really hit that wall before…
and so it was just a learning experience, you know what I mean?
And that’s the thing is, that’s what make you a veteran
fighter is being able to go through those things and learn and
Shane’s just demolished everybody so he’s never really
had to be in that situation before. Now he has and he’ll
be better for it, but I think a lot of that is just an experience
thing and Shane Carwin’s incredibly smart. He’s one
of my favorite people in the whole wide world and he’s going
to come back stronger than ever.”
Did
you think that fight could have been possibly been stopped there?
“Anything’s
possible but I never live in that world, I never live in the
‘oh you know what I mean it should have been stopped’
because it wasn’t. We should be able to adapt to that and
so for myself I want to try when I’m working with Shane
next we’ll try to address that but I don’t think that
it’s going to need much addressing. I really think, because
I’ve seen it before in so many fights and the hundreds and
hundreds and hundreds of fights that I’ve done, where you
just give it everything you’ve got and then you kind of
hit the wall and that wall and unless you’ve been there,
you have NO IDEA what it’s like. That wall is one of the
scariest things in the human experience and so learning to master
that wall and getting around it is a big part of what Shane’s
going to need to do now and I’m sure he will because I like
said, he’s incredibly smart and a great guy.”
What’s
your impression of Jake Shields and how do you feel about Jake
Shields and do you think that he will be a force in the UFC like
he was a force in Strikeforce?
“I
think Jake Shields is amazing and what a fighter. He’s got
a great jaw, he’s super-tough, and he has amazing jiu-jitsu
so I absolutely think he’s going to be a very serious threat
to everybody in the 170 pound division. We’ve got GSP and
we’ve got Carlos Condit in there right now, so it’s
going to be a big deal. We’re taking him, I’m taking
him very, very seriously. I really like the way he works. He’s
a lot of fun to watch for a guy like me because he’s so
technical and his timing is so good and he’s an amazing
fighter and yeah I can’t wait for the challenge to putting
one of the guys against him just because he’s so good that
it will be great to see how we do.”
Source: Fight Opinion
|
Top
10 Undefeated European Prospects
by Tim
Leidecker
On
June 25, 2009, Sherdog featured a story on the Top Ten Euro Prospects.
Many fighters spotlighted there have since moved on to fight
inside more prominent promotions. Alan Omer and Gunnar Nelson
made names for themselves in the upstart British Association
of Mixed Martial Arts. Magomed Shikshavekov and Karl Amoussou
were signed by Strikeforce. Paul Sass and Alexander Gustafsson
have joined the ranks of the UFC.
Now
comes the next wave -- 10 European mixed martial artists who
have yet to taste defeat as professionals. They, too, seem destined
for greener pastures.
10.
Ajlin Ahmic (5-0) -- Age: 25 / Country: Croatia
With
an ongoing drought in talent in the heavyweight division, the
demands on a fighter in MMA’s highest weight class are fewer.
Still, Croatian judo champion Ahmic remains appealing due to
his agility and versatility inside the ring. Although still in
the early stages of his career, the Ultimate Fight Club Gladiator
rep raised more than a few eyebrows when he stopped 30-plus-fight
veteran Sasa Lazic in less than a minute during his latest outing.
9.
Jimi Manuwa (8-0) -- Age: 30 / Country: England
Manuwa,
an American-born, United Kingdom-raised light heavyweight, has
come out of nowhere to rise to the top of the domestic rankings
within the last two years. The “Poster Boy,” from London,
has finished all eight of his fights inside two rounds, seven
by knockout and one by guillotine choke. Although he has yet
to face his first real test inside the ring, he has made remarkable
progress in a short amount of time. Upcoming fights against Przemyslaw
Mysiala and Valentino Petrescu will decide whether or not the
Ultimate Challenge MMA promotion can hang onto its light heavyweight
champion.
8.
David Aranda (5-0) -- Age: 33 / Country: Spain
A
late bloomer, MMA Barcelona’s Aranda did not have his first
professional fight until the age of 32. Alternating between Almogavers,
Spain’s only substantial promotion, and the Finland-based
Cage, Aranda has rocketed up the European bantamweight rankings.
A model student of Nova Uniao export Yan Cabral, his coming out
party came in a first-round submission of highly regarded Finnish
prospect Mathias Klockars. The victory, which came in Klockars’
homeland, earned Aranda the Cage bantamweight championship.
7.
Lukasz Sajewski (8-0) -- Age: 19 / Country: Poland
A
year ago, hype surrounded then 17-year-old Polish grappling prodigy
Marcin Held. The Bastion Tychy fighter extended his undefeated
streak to eight before falling prey to Sajewski. He stole Held’s
thunder by shutting down his dangerous submission game and controlling
the fight from top position en route to a unanimous decision.
Sajewski, the 2008 Angels of Fire lightweight tournament champion,
also holds a second-round submission over the well-rounded Lukasz
Bugara.
6.
Rumen Dimitrov (8-0-2) -- Age: 28 / Country: Bulgaria
The
2009 European and World Combat Sambo champion at 180 pounds,
Dimitrov serves as the head of the Combat Sambo Club in Sofia,
Bulgaria. The team also features his twin brother, Rosen, bantamweight
Kostadin Tabakov and Sengoku veteran Blagoi Ivanov. Dimitrov
has competed exclusively in his home country, and nine of his
10 professional fights have taken place in his hometown. As his
background may suggest, Dimitrov has incredible upper-body throws
and a tight top game with dangerous submissions. He does not
mind the good old-fashioned punch to the face, either.
Papy
Abedi5. Papy Abedi (7-0) -- Age: 31 / Country: Sweden
Abedi,
a judo black belt, could be described as the Swedish version
of Kevin Randleman. Similar to the former UFC heavyweight champion,
“Makambo” has his strengths on the ground but has proven
more than willing to let his hands fly, as well. Known to gas
quickly at the beginning of his career, Abedi has put stamina
issues behind him and reeled off three consecutive technical
knockouts in the last 18 months. A training partner of UFC light
heavyweight Alexander Gustafsson, Abedi, according to many Scandinavian
insiders, may get his shot soon.
4.
Valentino Petrescu (8-0) -- Age: 29 / Country: Romania
Look
up “loyalty” in the dictionary, and one might find
Petrescu’s image depicted next to it. The Romanian-born
UK resident has spent his entire eight-fight career inside the
cage of his home promotion -- Ultimate Warrior Challenge. However,
the UWC has not sugar-coated the light heavyweight’s path.
Petrescu has already faced two formidable opponents: Lithuanian
kickboxer Arunas Andriuskevicus and Polish submission specialist
Przemyslaw Mysiala. “Battista” has gone the distance
only once.
3.
Pascal Krauss (9-0) -- Age: 23 / Country: Germany
A
German junior boxing champion and national Brazilian jiu-jitsu
champion, Krauss has emerged as the top-ranked welterweight in
Germany. He also wrestles for RKG Freiburg in the Oberliga Sudbaden.
Most recently, “Panzer” succeeded Dan Hardy as the
welterweight titleholder in the tradition-rich Cage Warriors
Fighting Championships promotion, as he put together a dominant
performance over fellow unbeaten prospect John Quinn.
2.
Joseph Duffy (7-0) -- Age: 22 / Country: Ireland
Born
in Ireland, Duffy moved to Wales as a toddler. His success can
be directly linked to the training and teaching of Heath Gait
at Falcon Martial Arts. Originally a tae kwon do stylist turned
kickboxer, Duffy picked up jiu-jitsu and no-gi grappling under
Gait. Making his professional debut at the age of 18, the lightweight
can call upon a successful amateur career, with more than 30
bouts. Rumors persist that Duffy will be part of the cast for
the 12th season of “The Ultimate Fighter.”
1.
Alexander Sarnavskiy (10-0) -- Age: 21 / Country: Russia
Russia
has more than 140 million inhabitants and easily 15-20 million
martial artists, yet only Fedor Emelianenko managed to reach
the pinnacle of MMA. RusFighters Sport Club hopes to rewrite
history. The St. Petersburg outfit has already produced 2010
Bellator Fighting Championships middleweight tournament winner
Alexander Shlemenko, and Sarnavskiy looks like its next diamond
in the rough. Like Shlemenko, the “Tiger” prefers to
keep the fight standing but has shown himself to be well-versed
on the ground. The 21-year-old holds significant wins over Maratbek
Kalabekov and Karen Grigoryan.
Source: Sherdog
|
Couture-Toney
fight will settle nothing
By Steve
Cofield
Fight
fans will eat it up on both sides of the fence. MMA fans will
root for Randy Couture while boxing fans will tune in to see
if James Toney can represent he sweet science when they meet
at UFC 118.
The
fight pulls from the origins of MMA. Can a brawler beat down
a jiu-jitsu fighter? Is karate better than kick boxing? And can
a boxer beat a wrestler? It has all the making for a monster
pay-per-view in late August. Or does it? Deadspin says the fight
proves little and you shouldn't care:
1.
James Toney is 41 years old. Forty-one! Muhammad Ali was getting
beaten by Trevor Berbick at 39. Mike Tyson, who never met a payday
he didn't like, hasn't fought since he was 39. And Evander Holyfield,
at 41 years old, was beaten by, yes, James Toney. What does Toney
have left in the tank? Whatever he's got, it's no longer an indicator
of his talent.
Toney
has plenty left, especially if he got down to cruiserweight where
he belongs. He's still a top-10 heavyweight, with a granite chin
and defensive abilities as good as anyone in the sport.
Check
out some of the other reasons over at Deadspin, where the writer
asks why does the argument even exist?
5.
It's settling a debate that shouldn't exist. MMA vs. Boxing?
Who cares, other than the pay-per-view companies. Boxers box.
MMAers, um, martial art. They're two very different sports, each
with their own fanbases, their own histories, their own advantages
and shortcomings, and there's more than enough room in the world
for the both of them.
There
is room for both sports and they are very different. Again this
goes to the core of fighting. My style is better than yours.
Stupid or not, fans and the media eat it up. On a side note,
it is interesting that this is one of the only fights we've seen
Deadspin write somewhat serious analysis for when it comes to
MMA. So someone got hooked a bit.
Source: Yahoo Sports
|
Vinícius
Draculino
By Eduardo Ferreira
Being almost five years away from the rings, Vinícius
Draculino is now back. At the age of 39, the leader of Gracie
Barra BH, who graduated champions like Rômulo Barral, Rafael
Sapo, Joaquim Mamute, Cristiano Titi, among many others, was
chosen to fight on Strikefore on August 21. “There’s
been a while since I last fought… I went to watch a show
in Houston, they asked me if I was interested, and I thought:
“it’s like if there was going to be the biggest party
of the year and I was invited but choose not to go”, told
Draculino. On a quick trip to Brazil, the black belt, who currently
lives on the United States, gave an exclusive interview to TATAME’s
website, on which he talked about his comeback to the rings,
analyzed his opponent, Rocky Long, and commented the expectations
for the debut of his pupil, Rafael Sapo, on UFC. Check the interview
here below.
For
everybody’s surprise, you were announced by Strikeforce.
How did this opportunity come?
I
went to watch a show in Houston, they asked me if I was interested,
and I thought: “it’s like if there was going to be
the biggest party of the year and I was invited but choose not
to go”. I want to join this big party and let’s see
what will come. I’m training, I believe I can get there
in a good shape in order to do a good presentation.
When
did you last fight?
It’s
been a long time, five years.
And
all of that due to injuries?
My
knee. I was ready to fight in many occasions, but unfortunately
I got hurt in two of them, but now I’m feeling a lot better,
thanks God, doing what I can, but let’s go. I’m training,
I’ve lost some weight, but I still have some extra pounds,
and I’m feeling heavy.
On
which division do you intend to fight?
On
the until 65kg.
You
were away of the competitions for so long that some thought you
have retired…
I
haven’t fought for a while, but I’m not retired. I
competed without kimono in 2008, there were two events: one of
them was the Mundial without kimono, but I was structuring my
gym, so I wasn’t much focused. Now I’m training hard,
I was working on my conditioning without even knowing anything,
just because I was feeling like doing it and when I had the opportunity,
since I was feeling fine, I thought: “Why not?” Let’s
bang a while over there.
After
that you intend to do other fights?
Man,
I’ve learned I should never say ‘never’. I don’t
know, we’ll see. I’m feeling fine. In fact, I’m
feeling great. My conditioning is better than these kids’,
but it’s that same old thing... I’m not doing it for
the money, I’m not doing it for the fame, that’s not
it. I’m doing it because I feel like doing it. It’s
complicated, it’s like an addiction, get it? I feel like
doing it again, i started to feel it on my nerves again and my
wife said: “Do your last one, just to say goodbye”.
I say I din’t know, so let’s see (laughs).
How
old are you now?
I’ll
be 39 next Saturday. It’s not 39, it’s more like 3.9
(laughs).
Do
you know your opponent? What do you know of his game?
I
know him. He’s one of the most MMA famous athletes, he fought
like 40 times. The guy is really experienced, but he hold more
loses than wins, he comes from boxing and his Hispanic- American.
Because he comes from boxing, it’ll be hard to knock him
out. His fights usually goes to the judges round card decision,
he’s hard to be taken down, but his ground game doesn’t
seem to be very good.
What
strategy will you use?
The
tactic is that he’ll thing I’ll grab him, but I’ll
punch him right on his face (laughs). When he thinks we’ll
bang, I’ll bring him to my area, if God helps me.
Your
pupil, Rafael Sapo, signed a contract with UFC. What is your
expectation for his debut?
I
told you, man. Sapo is very dedicated, he’s currently living
in NY, and I go there when he has a fight to adjust few details.
He’s well accessorized over there with Renzo Gracie, (Ricardo)
Cachorrão, so he’s always ready. He’s very dedicated
and focused. UFC is a complicated event because you can never
know the level of your opponent. But I believe he has plenty
conditions to make a good fight, he’s on his best phase
ever. On his last fight, he made a great show and almost killed
Travis (Lutter), he dominated and got a knockout on the first
round. I have other pupils who are about to fight too… There’ll
be Brazil Fight now in Belo Horizonte and six of my pupils will
fight on it: there’s (Cristiano) Titi, Coelho, (Marcelo)
Uirapuru, Thiago… We’ve set a great team, there’re
some great foreigners there too, there’s a lightweight who
has been unbeaten for four fights and maybe we’ll put him
on WEC, so everything’s going just fine, thanks God. It’s
their fault I’m in a good shape.
You
have some MMA athletes and others who are focused on Jiu-Jitsu.
How do you deal with these different trainings?
Man,
my team has always been well structured, thanks God. I was never
the guy who puts obstacles on people’s work. My main worry
is about making a very structured team. I leave it in the hands
of Marcelo, who is the General Coordinator, but there’s
also Sérgio, Coelho, Caloquinha, Mauro… The guys
make the trains perfect for the students. I come here about three
times a year, so that’s great. It’s their merit too
because they’re very dedicated, so it’s cool.
Now
will you go to the United Stated or will you stay in Belo Horizonte
training?
I
came here a week ago and I’m feeling fine. The boys were
impressed with my conditioning, and I’m feeling great. I’ll
go to the United Stated because I have some exams to do for the
Athletic Commission. On Texas, if you’re old, they tell
you to do so many exams that it takes you like three days just
getting examined (laughs). If God helps me, I’ll do it good.
There this thing now, right? I have to pass this test, but I
believe I can.
Source: Tatame
|
Mayhem
Miller Talks About His 'Month in Jail With Murderers'
By Michael
David Smith
Newer fans of mixed martial arts know Jason "Mayhem"
Miller as the goofy guy who hosts Bully Beatdown, not as a bully
himself. Even when Miller instigated a brawl at the end of Strikeforce's
last CBS show, it came across more like a prank gone bad than
an attempt to pick a fight. And in the clip above, Miller decries
Nick Diaz for making MMA fighters look like "thugs."
But
it wasn't that long ago that Miller had a reputation as one of
the thugs in MMA. He was placed on probation for beating someone
up in a bar and later charged (and acquitted) with first-degree
burglary. Miller doesn't talk about that part of his past very
often, but he opens up about it to Michael Schiavello in an interview
that will air on HDNet Friday night.
"I
knocked a dude out in a bar," Miller says about the assault
charge that reportedly stemmed from a man shoving a female companion
of Miller's. "He deserved it."
But
whether the guy deserved it or not, Miller paid a price for his
actions when he found out later that he was being charged with
assault, and that his training as a mixed martial artist made
the crime rise to the level of assault with a deadly weapon.
"I
was like, 'No way,'" Miller said of the assault with a deadly
weapon charge. "I thought that was a myth."
It
wasn't a myth, and Miller ended up behind bars.
"I
spent like a month in jail with murderers," Miller said.
"My cellmate was a dude who shot his friend in the leg and
shoved him in the trunk, only to open the trunk and beat him
with the car antenna. I punched a dude in a bar -- one time."
Miller
says he learned a valuable lesson from the incident: "If
you have martial arts training don't punch someone in the face."
Probably
good advice for those who don't have martial arts training, too.
The
Voice vs. Mayhem Miller premieres on HDNet Friday at 10 PM ET.
Source: MMA Fighting
|
Discussion
about the future of K-1 and Japanese MMA
By Zach
Arnold
KENNY
RICE: “In recent days, PUJI Capital of China has put in
$230 million dollars in the expansion of FEG, it’s the parent
of DREAM and K-1. Mike Kogan, the director of FEG USA, spoke
to Inside MMA about what this deal means.”
MIKE
KOGAN: “You know, the reaction is obviously a lot of excitement
because we have a lot of plans and a lot of goals that we’re
now able to realize and put into work. In case of K-1, you know
we’re looking at expanding it to create almost like a soccer
league where the K-1 World GP events are held once every four
years instead every year and thus raise the value of the belt
and then hold more regional tournaments and the European tournaments
and the US tournaments and then crown you know individual champions
there. And then with DREAM, not so long ago Japan was a dominant
force in the MMA, it was actually the #1 country for MMA and
now that the focus has shifted on the US with the UFC and you
know DREAM is starting to try to get some of that back to Japan
and get the fire going sort of speak in Japan so there’s
a lot of plans with that. And PUJI kind of bought into that whole
theory and you know has allocated a substantial amount of capital
which will go to you know realize these goals.”
KENNY
RICE: “And this from Andrew Simon, who is the CEO of HDNet
Fights: ‘As the exclusive North American broadcaster for
DREAM, K-1 and K-1 MAX, we are excited that great events will
only get better for HDNet fight fans. HDNet is committed to bringing
the best combat sports from around the world and this is a big
step as FEG plans to do great events around the globe. It looks
like the funds will be used to expand and potentially a long-term
goal of building towards a “World Cup” type tournament
of K-1. All great reasons for US fight fans to make sure they
get HDNet!’ That’s from our boss, Andrew Simon.
“And
as of we actually want you to watch HDNet but I think one of
the things that Andrew points out in there and Mike Kogan also
went on in that interview to tell Inside MMA that you know there’s
a few stipulations in there. All the money doesn’t come
in at once. It comes in as the process goes along to expand things.
I think it’s quite interesting about the K-1 possibilities
of global expansion. That’s still an area in MMA I think
that fans enjoy watching and you know, Bas, you’ve been
there, you know, you got great strikers and people like that
action.”
BAS
RUTTEN: “Yeah, no, they do, but it’s… *sigh* …
I don’t know. First of all, they’re going to bring
in a cage right? From what I hear with DREAM also? For the fighters?”
KENNY
RICE: “Yeah. I think.”
BAS
RUTTEN: “In the past, in Tokyo or in Japan, it’s been
known that they don’t like the cage, for some reason they
don’t like the cage and they need, I always say, they need
a new Sakuraba. They need a guy who really sparks an interest.
They don’t have a guy like that right now so I don’t
know if that money’s going to do any good. They need a guy
who can beat the big guys who come from overseas and like I said,
four family members of the famous MMA family and you beat that
guy, four Gracie members you know, a guy like Sakuraba if they
can find a guy like that who starts beating like Alistair Overeem
or something, then I say OK, now it’s going to be interesting.
Because let’s face it, in America if you don’t have
any American champions. Look at the K-1. It’s not big in
America, there’s no American champion. Who are you going
to root for? And that’s what I think, that’s the big
problem now in Japan. They don’t have a Japanese superstar
who can beat the big dogs.”
Source: Fight Opinion
|
JASON
FRANK TURNS PRO, WANTS IN STRIKEFORCE
by Damon
Martin
Jason David Frank has some pretty big plans in store for the
rest of 2010, and it starts in August when the former Mighty
Morphin Power Rangers star turns pro in mixed martial arts.
The
36-year-old resident of Texas will move into the professional
ranks next month with a fight in Houston against Jose Vasquez.
Frank
admits that it was a decision he talked over with his coach and
his manager, but in the end it just felt like the time was right.
"I
didn't think a lot of stuff was going to happen so fast, but
I got some fights under my belt, got the movie and all that stuff,
and I don't know, just training a lot with my training partners
and my coach Rocky Long, and stuff like that. I just think I
decided to turn pro," Frank told MMAWeekly Radio recently.
The
amateur fights provided him some needed time in the cage to see
how he would adapt, and with a perfect 4-0 record, he believes
it was the right time to start making it count for something.
"To
really make it legit, and start making it count," Frank
explained about why he was turning pro. "We were going to
do one more amateur, but what's the difference? Four amateur
fights, five, all the same thing. Now I'm turning pro, get paid
to do it, and it's not just about the money, but it's about doing
it the right way."
The
right way includes fighting for promoters that want him on their
show, and people he believes in, while also taking a step up
in competition from the amateur ranks.
Frank
has also made it no secret that there is a promotion he hopes
to one day call home.
"I'd
love to get a Strikeforce deal. I want a Strikeforce deal. I
keep talking about it all the time," said Frank. "I
know my manager's talked to them briefly. It's just I want to
build my record and do it the right way, and let me people know
I can go more than one round."
While
fighting for Strikeforce is what Frank ultimately wants, he's
more than willing to earn his way there. The former television
star admits that whether it takes six months or a year’s
worth of fights, he's more than happy to earn a spot on the Strikeforce
roster and doesn't need to be handed anything.
"I've
been studying (martial arts) since I was four years old. Yeah,
I did the Power Rangers show. That might make Dana (White) snicker,
or someone else snicker from another organization, 'oh it's just
another guy trying it out.' This is my life," Frank stated.
"I live and breathe martial arts my whole entire life ever
since I was four years old."
With
four amateur fights all coming in the last seven months and his
pro debut in August, Frank admits that if he was offered a Strikeforce
deal right away, he'd like to take some time to train and ready
himself for the next step in competition. He's even open to a
fight against former NFL pro Herschel Walker, but promises that
he's all about doing it the right way.
Jason
Frank will make his professional debut on Aug. 4 at Puro Combate
in Houston.
Source: MMA Weekly
|
Another
Couture in MMA
by Carlos
Eduardo Ozório
The
son of one of the biggest stars in MMA, Ryan carries the weight
of the Couture name on his shoulders. The fighter’s father,
Randy Couture, is one of the greatest heroes of the sport in
the United States, a member of the UFC hall of fame.
With a five-win, one-loss amateur record, Ryan will be making
his professional debut at Strikeforce on August 13, in Phoenix,
Arizona, against Lucas Stark.
At
27 years of age, Ryan was a high school and college wrestler.
All five of his MMA wins came by way of submission. The fighter
now trains at his father’s gym in Las Vegas.
Besides
Ryan, there’s another fighter carrying the Couture name
in MMA: Randy’s ex-wife, Kim Couture.
Source: Gracie Magazine
|
James
Toney: I'll Hit Randy Couture So Hard His Grandparents Will Feel
It
By Michael David Smith
As James Toney talks up his UFC 118 fight with Randy Couture,
he makes so many outlandish, over-the-top comments that you're
never sure how much of it he actually believes and can back up
in the Octagon, how much is a delusional overestimation of his
own boxing skill and underestimation of Couture's MMA skill,
and how much is pure hype that he doesn't believe for a minute.
But
whatever the case, it's always entertaining.
In
a live chat with MMAFighting.com, Toney belittled the punching
prowess of MMA fighters in general and Couture's striking in
particular, and he said that while he admires Couture for having
the, um, guts to fight him, he doesn't think anyone in MMA can
touch him standing up.
"He's
got the balls to fight me but there's no MMA fighter who has
the balls to trade punches with me," Toney said of Couture.
"If they do it's suicide."
Toney
fielded several questions from readers who pointed out that Couture's
wrestling background should make it easy for him to dominate
Toney in the clinch and on the ground, but Toney was having none
of it.
"If
Randy tries to grab me I'll hit him so hard his grandparents
will feel it," Toney said. "I keep reminding everybody,
the fight starts standing up. To shoot you have to get close
and when you do, you're going to get hurt."
And
hurting Couture is exactly what Toney says he wants to do.
"I'm
in the business of hurting people," Toney said, "and
that's what I'm planning on doing.
Source: MMA Fighting
|
Munoz,
Silva work on mutual needs
By Dave
Meltzer, Yahoo! Sports
Mark
Munoz and Anderson Silva forged an interesting relationship over
the past few months.
Munoz,
the first Filipino-American to win an NCAA Division I wrestling
championship, and Silva, the record-setting UFC middleweight
champion have been training together several times per week with
dual roles.
The
obvious is Munoz has become Silva’s wrestling coach, working
with Silva to make it even more difficult to take him down, which
is the closest thing to Silva’s Achilles heel. Silva has
tried to improve Munoz’s stand-up game, which Munoz himself
readily admits is his weakness.
More
From Dave MeltzerFitch fit for Alves rematch Jul 23, 2010 Notes:
Fading stars a sad sight Jul 19, 2010 AdChoices
“It’s no secret what my game plan is,” said Munoz,
who faces veteran Yushin Okami in a featured fight at Sunday’s
UFC event on Versus from the San Diego Sports Arena. “Take
him down and ground and pound.”
Ground
and pound is Munoz’s forte, as his punching power when he’s
got an opponent on his back ranks with the best in the sport.
Okami (24-5), who is favored by more than a 2-to-1 margin, is
a top ten middleweight whose game is based on takedown and ground
control, and a propensity for fights that aren’t spectator
friendly.
Okami’s
weakness would be against a top wrestler, as was shown in his
October loss to Chael Sonnen. But Munoz, who as a middleweight
in his last few fights is competing at his lightest weight since
his sophomore year of high school wrestling, is expecting Okami
to divert from his usual game plan and attempt to keep the fight
standing.
When
Munoz and Silva have sparred twice weekly of late at Munoz’s
new gym in Lake Forest, Calif., Silva works with Munoz, pretending
to be Okami.
And
in return, Munoz (8-1) pretends to be Sonnen, also a high-level
wrestler, Silva’s opponent for the middleweight title six
days later in Oakland.
There’s
also a bit of a revenge factor involved, as Okami, the toughest
test so far in Munoz’s three-year career, was also the last
fighter to beat Silva. That took place on January 20, 2006, at
a Rumble on the Rock card in Honolulu, shortly before Silva and
Okami had signed with UFC.
Silva
threw an illegal kick to Okami’s head when both were on
the ground in the first round. Okami didn’t recover from
it, resulting in Silva’s disqualification. Silva, who had
claimed the rules weren’t properly explained to him, has
bristled when Okami’s name is brought up as a potential
opponent in recent years, noting he’s felt Okami could have
continued, but took the easy way out, and got what Silva called
a “cheap, cowardly way of winning.”
Okami
has come close to getting a shot a title shot at Silva. He won
six fights in a row in 2006-07, before losing a decision to Rich
Franklin at UFC 72 in a match to determine the next contender.
Okami did more overall damage in the fight, but his lack of aggression
in the first two rounds cost him the decision. Okami followed
with wins over Jason MacDonald and the late Evan Tanner, and
was scheduled to face Silva in late 2008, but suffered a broken
hand and had to pull out of the match.
Okami
didn’t help his cause when he was outwrestled by Sonnen
and lost, putting him further back in the line. Wrestling will
be Munoz’s game plan as well. Munoz, as a 189-pound junior,
was Vallejo High’s first California state champion. As a
senior, he won both the state and national high school championship,
and placed fifth in the junior world championships held in Moscow.
Munoz
wrestled for the legendary John Smith at Oklahoma State, finishing
his career with 112 wins, sixth on the vaunted wrestling school’s
all-time list. He ended his collegiate career by winning the
2001 NCAA tournament at 197 pounds.
After
graduating college, he got a job near his home, coaching at UC-Davis.
A star wrestler at the school who had just finished his eligibility
and was staying on as an assistant coach was Urijah Faber.
“He
was just getting into the sport, dabbling in Muay Thai and Jiu
Jitsu,” Munoz recalled. “He tried to talk me into competing
but I was still trying to make the Olympic team.”
After
Munoz failed to make the Olympic team in 2004, he retired from
wrestling, noting all the time training in Colorado Springs was
too much time away from his family, which now has four children.
In
2007, Faber pushed Munoz to give MMA a try, and this time he
agreed to train part-time and take a fight. After winning his
first three fights, he got a contract officer from the WEC.
In
his early fights, he would just take opponents down and unload
bombs on the ground against them, trying to emulate his favorite
fighters like Fedor Emelianenko, Kazushi Sakuraba, Tito Ortiz
and Mark Coleman.
After
the WEC dropped the light heavyweight division, only 19 months
after his first fight and less than a year after truly devoting
himself to the sport, Munoz debuted in UFC.
It
was in his debut that he suffered his only career loss, one of
the most brutal knockouts of 2009, from a head kick by Matt Hamill.
He now says was the best thing that ever happened to him because
of the lesson it taught him.
“I
haven’t been caught with a head kick since,” he noted.
The
loss forced a change in every aspect of the game, including study
and learning diet, and dropping to middleweight.
“Those
guys (at light heavyweight), some were 6-foot-4 or 6-foot-5,
230 to 240 pounds. Some had 80-inch reaches.”
Since
then, he’s won three in a row, most recently scoring a come-from-behind
win against Kendall Grove in Abu Dhabi on April 10 that earned
him fight-of-the-night honors.
Source: Yahoo Sports
|
ANDERSON
SILVA PLANS TO RETIRE AT MIDDLEWEIGHT
by Damon
Martin
The future of Anderson Silva in the UFC starts with a match-up
next weekend with Chael Sonnen with his middleweight title on
the line. Following that fight, if he's victorious, the Brazilian
has been asked about fights against the champion at 205 pounds
and the champion at 170 pounds.
In
Silva's mind, regardless of what happens next, he's happy at
middleweight and intends to retire there.
"I
haven't gotten bored," Silva stated on a UFC 117 media conference
call. "I like my sport, I like my weight division that I
fight in, and I'm prepared to stay in my weight division."
In
the past, Silva's manager, Ed Soares, has stated that his client
is ultimately about the biggest fights out there, regardless
of weight class. Silva went up to 205 pounds a couple of times
in the last two years and scored crushing knockouts over James
Irvin and former UFC light heavyweight champion Forrest Griffin.
A
potential mega-fight with current UFC welterweight champion Georges
St-Pierre has also been discussed at great length, but Silva
doesn’t want to talk about fighting the Canadian until he
gets through the Oregonian.
"What
I'm really thinking about is the fight, my fight next week. I'm
not really thinking much further than that," Silva responded
when asked about St-Pierre.
Whether
the current middleweight champion goes up or down in weight,
he still believes there are challenges ahead for him, and those
challenges will ultimately lead to his career ending in the division
that has made him famous.
"He
said that he wants to retire fighting in his weight category,"
Soares told reporters after Silva responded in Portuguese.
That
obviously doesn't shut the door on possible fights in other weight
classes, but it looks like no matter what happens down the road,
Anderson Silva will always return home to the middleweight division.
Source: MMA Weekly
|
WEC
50: 8/18 Las Vegas (Pearl at the Palms)
By Zach
Arnold
Dark
matches
¦Lightweights:
Danny Castillo vs. Dustin Poirier
¦Featherweights: Fredson Paixao vs. Bryan Caraway
¦Lightweights: Ricardo Lamas vs. Dave Jansen
¦Featherweights: Javier Vazquez vs. Mackens Semerzier
¦Lightweights: Anthony Njokuani vs. Maciej Jewtuszko
Main card
¦Lightweights:
Bart Palaszewski vs. Zach Micklewright
¦Bantamweights: Scott Jorgensen vs. Brad Pickett
¦Featherweights: Cub Swanson vs. Chad Mendes
¦Lightweights: Shane Roller vs. Anthony Pettis
¦WEC Bantamweight Title match: Dominick Cruz vs. Joseph
Benavidez
Source: Fight Opinion
|
Sonnen’s
way
by Carlos
Eduardo Ozório
The same skill he has in wrestling, Chael Sonnen has with words,
scathing words. Known for his ability to get into his opponents’
heads, Sonnen doesn’t even spare the most highly-regarded
fighter of present day, Anderson Silva. The two face off August
7 at UFC 117. The UFC picked out some sound bites that sum up
the fighter’s personality handily.
“The
only thing I do differently from all the rest is speak the truth.
Fighters lie, lie and lie. I don’t know if they’re
lying to themselves or if they’re just trying to make for
a good interview.”
“There
are only a few fighters out there, me included, who will really
fight anybody. So not only will I bring honor back to the division,
but I’ll bring back honesty as well.”
“I’ll
fight whoever. A lot of guys say that, but behind the scenes
they invent an aching arm, injured knee, or a shoulder injury.
They make up excuses not to get in the octagon, but I have injuries
too. I never feel good when it’s time to fight. I never
get in the ring feeling well. But when the music starts to play,
I walk in there anyways, regardless of the opponent. I never
think about who I’m going to face.”
“There
are guys here and there who get upset, but I’m not going
to name names. I don’t like pointing fingers, just pointing
out some things they do, to make them take a look at themselves.
I’ve bumped into guys before who’d say, ‘Hey man,
I read that interview of yours where you talked about me and
you were right about that. I never even noticed I did that.’
So I don’t know if that causes me problems, because, at
the end of the day, this is the fight world and we’re not
friends. If someone has a problem with something I say, then
let’s fight.”
You
can already tell the fight against Anderson will bring some extra
added emotion into the octagon. And, as Sonnen’s main weapon
is his wrestling, pick up on some of his tricks of the trade
in the video below.
*
These quotations were translated back to English from ones compiled
by Thomas Gerbasi and posted in Portuguese on the UFC Portuguese-language
website.
Source: Gracie Magazine
|
First
Look: Fitch/AKA Film ‘Such Great Heights’
The following summary of this film was provided by the producer:
"Such Great Heights," is an intimate look inside the
world of mixed martial arts fighting. The film follows top UFC
Welterweight Contender Jon Fitch, both inside and outside of
the cage, as he prepares to do battle with Champion Georges St.
Pierre. Intensity and emotion move toward critical mass as fight
night approaches and a tight knit team rallies around Jon.
While
Fitch prepares for this climactic moment in his life, the story
weaves through the daily triumphs and challenges of the other
fighters at the American Kickboxing Academy (AKA). The film explores
the grueling lifestyles of these fighters as they deal with everything
from their personal demons to finding a place to sleep at night.
The
film features UFC stars Jon Fitch, Cain Velasquez, Josh Koscheck
and Mike Swick and their coaches as well as fighters Josh Thomson,
Bobby Southworth, Pat Minihan, Matt Major, Nathan Moore, Nate
James and Luke Rockhold. It is directed by Jonah Tulis. It is
produced by Tulis, Philip Frank and Jesse Osher. "Such Great
Heights" is presented in high definition and Dolby Digital
surround sound.
Source: Sherdog
|
Anderson’s
former coach is training Hendo
By Eduardo
Ferreira
Former
Muay Thai coach of Anderson Silva, the French Daniel Woirin will
move to the United States. Woirin was invited by Team Quest to
be the new coach of the team. “I was indicated by a friend
of mine, Cyrelle Diabate, and I went there for a test. I trained
Dan Henderson for two months, and also Sokoudjou and Jesse Taylor.
I went to Australia to follow them on Impact FC. They liked my
work and I’ll move to California in two weeks with my family”,
told Daniel, who confesses he did not want to leave Rio de Janeiro.
“I’m a little bit anxious because I’m moving out
from Rio, and I love it here, the lifestyle… But I know
I’ll have more job opportunities there”, concluded
Woirin, who will get to America with the mission of shaping Dan
Henderson’s bang, who will face Renato Babalú on
Strikeforce.
Source: Tatame
|
Antonio
McKee Talks Race, Retirement and Much More
By Ben Fowlkes
Recently the Maximum Fighting Championship organization sent
out a press release with a quote from lightweight champ and MMA
vet Antonio McKee, who vowed to retire if his upcoming fight
with Luciano Azevedo on Sept. 10 goes to a decision. This raised
some eyebrows around the MMA world, because if there's one thing
McKee (24-3-2) is known for aside from his dominating wrestling-based
style, it's winning decisions.
McKee
likes to point out that he hasn't lost since his 2003 defeat
via decision against Karo Parisyan, but during the unbeaten streak
that consisted of thirteen wins and one draw, all but two of
those fights went to the judges' scorecards.
With
that kind of track record, is the 40-year-old McKee really willing
to wager his career on his ability to finish the very tough Azevedo,
or is this all a publicity stunt? To find out, I sat down for
a conversation with the always outspoken lightweight.
How
serious are you about this promise to retire if you go to a decision
against Azevedo?
This
is what I said. I said, if this fight goes to a decision and
it's a boring decision, I retire. If this fight is not the fight
of the night, I retire. Basically, if I don't go out there and
put on a show, just destroy and annihilate this guy, then I'm
done. If it's one of those matches where I take him down, ground
and pound, holding him there, I retire. I'm done. Because it's
obvious that I'm the best at what I do since I haven't been beaten
in eight years and no one's come close to stopping me. So I'm
not what the fans want to see because of my abilities to do what
I do.
I
don't have to stand up and get hit in the face. No one can stop
me from taking them down and no one can hit me when we're standing.
What the fans want to see are the knockouts, the blood, the gory
stuff. They want to see that, and I'm not about that. At my age,
40 years old in the lightweight division, it's phenomenal that
I'm even able to do it at all, let alone go undefeated for the
last seven, eight years. I'd rather just walk away knowing I
was the best at what I did and no one could stop that.
Why
now? You've had this same fighting style for a long time and
you caught a lot of flack for it. Why change now?
I
was waiting for the sport to evolve. I think it's amazing that
I go out there every freaking fight, you know what's going to
happen, and no one can stop it. It would be one thing if I was
just going out there holding guys, but if you look at the tape
you'll see that they're holding me because I'm trying to knock
their lights out. I don't know how people say I'm just laying
on people when all my opponents end up bleeding and needing stitches.
You
see guys after the fight, needing stitches all over their face.
Derrick Noble, he needed stitches across his eye. I walk out
of the fights untouched. It's f---ing amazing! How the hell does
this guy do this? Somebody kick his a--. Somebody stop his takedowns.
Somebody submit him! But I'm the best at what I do. I already
know that. You see all these guys doing the same thing now, and
I'm better than all those guys who think they can do that. Sean
Sherk, what does he do? He throws that sloppy overhand right
with a blast double-leg. Matt Hughes, what does he do? Georges
St. Pierre, he doesn't even get hit anymore. And afterwards,
he says, 'I'm not a brawler; I'm a mixed martial artist.' And
then you have people talking about how great he is.
I
do exactly what you saw him do, but better! I think a lot of
it is racist. And I'm not saying racist against all black people
necessarily, but racist towards me. You have these white guys
who do the same exact thing, why doesn't anyone say this stuff
about them?
You
do hear that same criticism of some white fighters, though. Look
at Jon Fitch.
But
he's still fighting in the UFC, still making big dollars. And,
the big difference is, he's not undefeated for eight years. I'm
saying find someone to kick my a--, shut me up, and I'll retire.
How
much of the decision to make this proclamation about retiring
is based on the UFC not being interested in giving you a shot,
even with your winning streak?
Actually,
the UFC is interested. You know what I know, it's not just about
how good you are. There's a lot of other factors involved. I
probably shouldn't say this because it might come back to bite
me, but you remember when they brought back the 155 [pound] division.
The guy that had stood with them the longest there was Yves Edwards.
He lost one fight, got triangled, then had a stoppage due to
a cut against Joe Stevenson and they cut him. What? You got white
guys who have been knocked out three or four times and keep coming
back. Chuck [Liddell] has been knocked out so many times they
need to make a stone with his name on it. Now, if anyone should
have gotten a shot at the title, it should have been Yves Edwards.
But it wasn't.
And
you're saying that was based on race?
Why
are they handpicking the minorities? Is it because you've got
all these white guys, Harley-Davidson, Jack Daniels type people
out there buying all the expensive tickets? Because I can understand
that, but at least come out and say it. Don't tell me you got
the best in there, because that's bulls---.
But
what about guys like Jon Jones or Phil Davis?
Those
guys ain't making no money. Look at the pay. They ain't making
no money.
Do
you think that the reason many fans don't like to watch you fight
is because of race?
No,
not at all. I feel that way, but I don't think that way. The
reason I feel that way is because I don't do anything different
than Sean Sherk, Matt Hughes, St. Pierre. I do nothing different
from them, except I do it better than them. Why did they let
Yves Edwards go? He was a stand-up banger. Why didn't he get
a rematch against Joe Stevenson? He got cut, but he was ahead
on the scorecards. I understand. It's a business. It's not about
who's the best.
But
fighting style has to have something to do with it as well, right?
I've
been working my hands a lot for the past three years. People
in my gym say, 'McKee, you've got great hands, why don't you
use them in a fight?' I say, 'Why should I if you can't stop
me from taking you down? Why should I stand with a guy and risk
getting knocked out if I don't have to?' And they say, 'Yeah,
that's a good point.' What, you go out there and get your face
all busted, teeth knocked out and nose broken for three grand?
For five and five? Get out of here.
It
seems like you have a lot of anger towards MMA.
Not
towards MMA. I have a lot of anger toward the people who don't
understand the sport. It's not my fault if people can't stop
me from taking them down. It is my fault if I can't finish them,
and I never try and finish them. I just want to punch the s--t
out of people. Look at the stats and see how many times I hit
them and how many times they hit me. Look how many times I hold
them and how many times they hold me. Those stats are all tripled
in my favor.
Now
I'm bored. I've beaten all the guys who were supposed to beat
me. I've never been dominated by anyone I train with. I've tossed
around Tito [Ortiz] and "Rampage" [Jackson], Randy
Couture, Mirko "Cro Cop" [Filipovic], Dan Henderson,
and they'll all tell you that McKee's bad-ass. But that doesn't
get me paid. Look at Dan Henderson. I knew him in college. He
was a good-looking guy, star wrestler, got all the chicks, now
he can barely talk. For what price? His jaw's been broke, his
nose is all busted, he's slow as hell now. I'm sorry, I'm not
in the sport for that.
But
since it's the fans who are paying the money that pays the fighter
salaries, don't they get to decided what styles are rewarded
and what styles aren't? It's their money driving the sport, isn't
it?
You
know what, it's not the fans I'm having the issue with on the
internet or on the talk shows. It's the fighters who could never
be as good as me at what I do. For example, Bas Rutten. I told
Bas Rutten straight out, I've got a grand right now for you on
HDNet that I'll kick your a--. Stop my takedown. Let me see it.
I
told Guy Mezger the same thing. You're saying all this stuff
about me, what about your boy that had the worst fight of the
night and you don't say one thing bad about it? But you ridicule
me the whole fight instead of building me? If you see a guy who's
40 years old, ripped up, in great shape beating up on all these
25-year-old guys, whether you like me or not, shouldn't you be
building up that guy who's the lightweight champion? You're there
to do a job, which is to commentate and educate people on the
fight, not talk s--t on the champion.
Do
you feel like you could walk away right now with no regrets?
Honestly,
I'm not in it anymore for my own personal gain, which was for
me the ego of being the best fighter in the world. This is different.
This is a new sport. This is a new animal, and it's so new most
people don't know to tame it. They want just the raw nature of
fighting, and I'm a little more methodical than that.
So
now, let me go put on a show, talk s--t, throw head kicks, flying
knees, pick people up and slam them. Now, I'm going to go out
there and have fun. I already know I can win. Before it was a
business to me. It was a job. If I wanted to be an entertainer,
I would have gone into entertainment. I appreciate the fans,
because without them we would have a sport. But I looked at it
as my job.
A
lot of people think I'm angry. I'm not angry. I'm passionate
as hell. When I'm talking about something, you can feel that
I'm passionate about it. If I was mad, it would be a whole different
look. But I'm so passionate about this sport because it helps
guys like me who are f---ed-up in the head. It keeps guys like
me away from guys like Dana White.
Source: MMA Fighting
|
SONNEN
SAYS FRANKLIN & SILVA DUCKED HIM
by Damon
Martin
There's no doubt that Chael Sonnen has his sights on the UFC
middleweight title and his Aug. 7 fight with Anderson Silva.
That doesn't mean that there aren't other targets in mind for
the Oregonian if he walks out of Oakland with the title belt.
Make
no mistake, the goal for Sonnen heading into UFC 117 is for the
championship gold, not getting a win over Anderson Silva. Beating
Silva is what he has to do to get the title, but that's not the
feather in his cap.
"The
opponent just doesn't matter," Sonnen said about Silva.
"That's what bullies do; that's what Anderson does. Guys
go out and they pick their fights, and they take easy fights.
Fighting math teachers from Ohio, and one-legged guys from Canada,
this is going to be a tremendous difference when he gets in there
with an All-American from Portland, Ore."
Sonnen
takes direct aim at past opponents of Silva, including Patrick
Cote and most notably former UFC middleweight champion Rich Franklin.
The Cincinnati native was long embroiled in a controversy about
a potential fight with Sonnen's close friend and training partner,
Matt Lindland, before he was cut from the UFC.
According
to Sonnen, he also called for a fight with Franklin, but the
former the current 205-pound contender wanted none of it.
"I
challenged Rich for 18 months, and he never responded,"
said Sonnen. "I challenged Anderson Silva for four years
and he ducked me every bit of the way. I challenged both of those
guys and in the process I fought 12 guys in the Top 10, beat
10 of them, beat every champion in every organization there's
ever been accept one, and that's cause neither of those guys
would give me my shot.
"I
beat the Elite XC champion, I've beat (the) Strikeforce champion,
I beat Bodog's champion, I beat (the) IFL's champion, I beat
the WEC champion twice. I beat every champion in every company
that's ever been, and there's not another middleweight living
today that can make that claim, except for the UFC champion and
the math teacher wouldn't fight me, and neither would the "Spider."
But he's here now, and he's not here on his own free will. He's
here because Uncle Dana made him do it."
The
brash contender says there's already someone in mind for whom
he'd like to fight next if he gets past Silva, but it's likely
the UFC has already crowned a top contender for the winner of
the fight.
"I
believe Vitor's in line next, though that's probably not who
I would want to fight. I've got a guy in mind and I'll challenge
him on the night of the 7th, but I think Vitor's who Uncle Dana
has lined up as the next contender," Sonnen commented.
One
thing is for sure, Sonnen has no plans of offering a fight to
Rich Franklin.
"In
fact, when I am the champ, I don't plan on giving Rich a title
shot," he stated.
There
appears to be no love lost between Sonnen and Franklin, but for
now he'll concentrate on trying to get past Anderson Silva, which
is no easy task.
Source: MMA Weekly
|
One
of the best interviews of all-time with BJJ instructor extraordinaire
Lloyd Irvin
By Zach
Arnold
For
the hardcore fans who know the name Lloyd Irvin, one of two reactions
generally occurs — he’s either the best at what he
does (Brandon Vera, Luke Thomas) or he’s a complete phony
(popular message boards, some media writers). The truth, as with
everything in life, is somewhere in the middle. In Lloyd’s
case, the facts stronger are on his side of being as legitimate
as he is.
Lloyd
Irvin radio interview with Caleb of The Fightworks Podcast
Which
is why when I listened to his lengthy interview with my old radio
mate Caleb a couple of weeks ago I was excited. When I finally
listened to the interview, I was so entertained by it that I
knew that I would give it my highest recommendation for all of
you to download and go listen to it. There’s a lot of aspects
to the interview that I would love to highlight (I’ll highlight
some), but I thought his story about the first time he met Mario
Yamasaki and his initial adventure in learning jiu-jitsu was
quite the deal. One thing Lloyd does not lack is self-confidence.
If
you don’t know who Lloyd is, you may have heard his name
in media reports about him being a victim of a home invasion
robbery and how he thwarted off the would-be attackers. A lot
of people in the media gave him a hard time because they didn’t
believe his story. If you click on that link in the first sentence
of this paragraph, you’ll read that in fact his story checked
out and that one of the men who tried to rob him is allegedly
a serial killer.
During
his interview with Caleb, he talked about his fast progression
in learning BJJ and that if he had the learning tools at his
disposal as opposed to what he had back when he was starting
out, he would have been a bigger force than he currently is.
“Yeah,
I went through the belts pretty quickly, but I think I could
have done it even quicker if I had an instructor over the top
on me correcting my mistakes because like I said from after six
months of training, I never had an instructor over the top of
me with me every day ever so I basically went through this path
by myself. I’ve never had a student, throughout my journey,
I never had a student or a training partner that could beat me.
So I’m always like the hammer, I’m always the guy like
I said like these guys now they have the ability where they’re
in the room and everyone’s tough and everyone’s getting
tapped and no matter who… everyone’s getting tapped
in the room and these guys have it so good that I’m kind
of jealous because they have an environment that I wish I could
have been in.”
I
would strongly recommend that you click on the Fightworks link
and download the interview to listen to it. If you can’t,
however, I’ve transcribed about 15 minutes of it. Topics
included in discussion are: the proper way to promote a student
and give them the right belt, whether jiu-jitsu as a sport can
grow in popularity, his philosophy on what his students display
and work on for submissions during tournaments, and why he markets
himself and his products the way he does and dismisses his critics.
Some
instructors give promotions/belts out way too fast to students
who aren’t deserving. What do you make of some instructors
doing this ‘too fast’?
“Too
fast depends on the person and the situation and the scenario.
It all depends on the coach, too, because like you know there’s
too fast where there are some people out here that are promoting
people who like they haven’t proven anything in competition
results, they haven’t proven anything in skill level results
and some people are promoting their friends when maybe their
friends when their friends may not shouldn’t be promoted
and that starts putting a bad light on certain promotions. Like
me, like I’m hard on promotions, super-hard, but if a person
deserves it I believe that they shouldn’t be held back and
I don’t hold them back.”
Could
BJJ become an Olympic sport? What kind of popularity growth could
we see with BJJ?
“I
think as far as making it bigger to everybody, it’s going
to be hard because conceptually to a general viewer jiu-jitsu
is considered boring. You know, even like Judo, when they try
to make sport Judo and they try to make the ground not as long
so they can stand you up quicker because viewers like knockouts.
Like, in MMA they want to see knockouts, they want to see getting
people get punished. They want to see, in Judo they want to see
people getting thrown. But in jiu-jitsu it’s a ground art
and unless you’re going to start standing people up, the
general viewer isn’t going to be interested in people just
rolling on the ground. If you look at the UFC which has a major,
major industry and you know people are getting on board, if they’re
on the ground for 30 seconds or one minute not doing anything,
not punching each other, they’re booing. So, like as far
as jiu-jitsu being able to going past becoming mainstream, I
don’t see that ever happening.
“Think
about this — everything’s about stats, so what’s
the closest partner that we have to us, which is judo. Judo has
been in the Olympics for how long? Judo has exposure, they have
the barrier of entry into the sport of Judo financially for people
going to clubs, you can go to clubs for free, go to clubs for
$30, $50 a month. It’s on TV. You have high-level people,
you know, world championships, it’s in almost every country,
and they can’t do it. So, and one of the biggest things
they always talk about in Judo is trying to decrease the amount
of ground time so they can get the fight back up to their feet
so viewers want to see throws. … Yeah, I just don’t
believe it’s going to hit mainstream live viewership. But
the people who do love it, LOVE IT. Are obsessed with it, you
know?”
There’s
been some criticism of the moves your top students display during
tournaments as far as repeatedly relying on a few moves that
they know best as opposed to displaying a wide variety in their
arsenal.
“Doing
the omaplata triangle as blue, purple, brown, black. Fabricio
Werdum, I’ve been watching him, blue, purple, brown, black.
Everyone has to do the same thing. So you have to get good AT
SOMETHING. So you can get at something LATER or you can get good
at something now. So, like, for example, all my students, like
I have a chart that has a list of the most highest percentage
submissions, transitions, set-ups in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu history
looking at all the world championships, looking at all the Pan-Ams,
looking at all the high-level Black Belt tournaments. What transitions,
submissions, and sequences work the majority of the time. So
we work only those things. So if you look at our guys, like yeah,
oh look at Tracey (Goodell), she does triangles. Look at Ryan
Hall, he does triangles. Look at some of my new guys, they do
kimuras. YEAH. We do kimuras, we do Bravo, we do triangles, I
mean this is what we do. We take the backs. But these are high-percentage
things whether it’s white belt, blue belt, or black belt.
Now my guys that you see in the tournaments they’re being
successful with them right now, they’re being successful
with them at the tournaments because that’s their A-game.
When they go to tournaments like the Worlds or the Brazilian
nationals, they’re not going to play there. Win, lose, or
draw, as long as they go out there and do their best and not
give up, I’m happy with them. But they’re not going
out there to play their B-game. When we go to Grappler’s
Quest or NAGA, not saying NAGA or Grappler’s Quest is like
demoted, downgraded or anything, but these are tournaments that
we have to go out and try stuff that it’s in our practice
game plan, we have to go out there and try things. For example,
I have a guy named DJ Jackson, he just got Silver in the Worlds.
He lost to his teammate Frank Camacho. His game is take people
down, pass guard, kimura-them. But the last four or five tournaments
like we went to Ohio, we did a couple of Grappler’s Quest,
NAGAs, he even went to the New York Open and he pulled guard.
You would never see DJ ever on his back pulling guard willingly
at a major tournament. But at these other minor, what we consider
minor tournaments, work-through tournaments, yeah he pulled guard.
So could he have pulled guard and lost because his guard is not
as good yet? Yes, but that’s a part of experience, we’re
not worried about that yet. We have a bigger goal. The end goal
is the major tournaments. At some point you have to go out and
test your weaker areas. But at the majors, people are saying
my guys are just doing this, just doing that, YEAH, that’s
their A-game. If people stop it then you’ll see their second
and third and fourth move but until that happens, you’re
not going to see it. So, you know, it’s a lack of knowledge.
“If
you want to be successful, you got to model success.”
Is
there a secret to your success?
“This
is probably the first time that I put it out publicly, but like
I said people are talking about stuff that they have absolutely
no idea about. Like I said, the people I surround myself with,
the masterminds which I work with like the stuff we’re doing,
the coaching level, the education level, the studying level,
the research level is you know very few people even understand
that this stuff is around, that people are doing this…
“I
believe there is a secret and like I always say when we were
kids and someone came to you and said, hey, can you keep a secret?
And you said, oh yeah, but like what they were getting ready
to tell you? What they were getting ready to tell you is something
you don’t know. So if I know something that you don’t
know, conceptually to you it’s a secret. I’m not saying
that there’s no one else in the world that knows it, but
it is a secret. So, we have secrets, you know what I’m saying?
[I'm not saying] it’s a secret technique no else knows or
is doing, but there’s a secret to our process. I had a sit-down
talk with Rafael Mendes about this. He said, yeah, I don’t
know there’s secrets blah blah, I said man, how many do
you think are doing your process? We went all through his process
and everything they were doing and I said how many people are
doing it? He said no one out there. I said do you think that
is a major factor to your path to your success? He said yeah.
I said if no one else is doing it, then it’s a secret, no
one else is doing it. He said, oooooh, I see. Yeah. I believe
we have secrets. We have a secret process. We have secret things
that we do and people put into this process. It doesn’t
even have anything to do with jiu-jitsu. It has stuff to do about
learning at a rapid pace. It has something to do learning at
a higher-education. It has to do with much greater things that
don’t even have to do with jiu-jitsu. Like if you look at
sports science and you know the development, you know, like different
countries have Government-funding for research and development
in trying to create the ultimate athlete, you know it’s
just different things. I’m taking these things outside of
my industry that are working at the highest level in athletics
and sports and bring them back to this small jiu-jitsu industry
because jiu-jitsu is really like a baby, like you have people,
instructors that have no education in sports, physics, physiology
or anything like that and they’re still doing running the
warm-ups like you know like for example a jiu-jitsu warm-up,
you run around, you run around, you run around, you start doing
flips and do all these different things. Well that’s fine
if you’re 23 years old but if a physical therapist came
in and saw that warm-up they would think what on earth is this
because you have to warm the body up and stretch the body first
and then before you do the flips and so forth. But you won’t
know it if you’re 25, 30 years old, but when you have a
38-year old student like I can’t do that stuff any more.
And like I said, I used to do the same thing because I followed
what I was taught but as later on as I got more education and
things, I make changes you know.”
There
are some people who have big problems with the way you market
your products.
“Yeah.
This is fact. My style of marketing is the most effective market
on earth. The problem is there have been criminals in past history
that have used this style of marketing, so there’s a thing
that we always say that good marketing can sell a non-existent
product where as bad marketing can’t sell free gold. Now
if you think about that, let’s use the grappling blue print.
There’s people throughout the entire world that have heard
about the grappling blue print, OK? Talking about it on forums
and so forth, but at the same time not one single person on earth
has seen the grappling blue print, you know outside of you know
people close to me. So, for you know conceptually the grappling
blue print could not exist, but it does but it could not exist
but at the same time this type of marketing has the entire world
talking about it and knowing about it, all right? So now that’s
when you come to the term SNAKE OIL SALESMAN. See, there are
people that were using this highly-effective style of marketing
to sell what they call snake oil. It was oil or liniments or
stuff that was supposed to cure different diseases and problems
that it did not, you know what I’m saying? It was probably
fake, it was water mixed with oil or whatever it was, and they
were selling it using this type of marketing. So that’s
how the term snake oils salesmen, they were circus people going
from town to town selling this stuff to cure all, shingles and
all different types of stuff. Now you also have people who are
spending $100 million dollars, $200 million dollars to market
products and services online or on television and they’re
using what… if you’re going to spend $100 million dollars
on marketing a product, would you want to use the most effective
style of marketing or the least effective? And I’m sure
I know what you’re answer is. If you’re $100 million
dollars was in jeopardy, so at the same time these people that
are using this style of marketing are putting this style of you
know this style of marketing behind their marketing dollars on
infomercials. So you have some people doing infomercials that
selling stuff that doesn’t really work, just going after
people that you know they want to lose weight and you know go
buy that product or pills or lotions that won’t work so
it gets a bad connotation with that, like other people have sold
things with this style of marketing that you know were looked
at as fakes and frauds so forth. But this is my point here…
My position is this: IF you are using this style of marketing
to sell something that does not work, that’s fake, then
you are a criminal. BUT, if you are using this style of marketing
to market something that does work, that if people use it as
you prescribe that they will get the results that you state,
then you’re not (a criminal). So like people said, oh you
know he’s making claims that aren’t true, if you think
about, if you look at what I ever claim per se like my like my
BLACK BELT IN THREE AND A HALF YEARS, it says discover how to
get your black belt in three and a half years just like Lloyd
did. What that whole thing was about was about the grappling
blue print and what I’m showing you is WHAT I DID. See,
all my products, all my drilling tapes, everything that I put
out is stuff that WE DO. Like it’s not fake. Like if you
would come to my school and drill with us, you would see the
drilling things that are on my DVDs. … So I believe in what
I’m doing. I believe in the products. I believe in the system
that we’re doing. I believe at the same time that there
are people throughout the world that don’t access to instructors.
See, the people that have access to instructors, the instructors
will believe whatever they believe and brainwash their students
to believe whatever they want to believe. I could care less about
them but who I do care about is people like me who are somewhere,
love jiu-jitsu, want to learn jiu-jitsu, and at the same time
don’t have an instructor, don’t have pure guidance.
I have people on my list that have instructors that aren’t
getting good guidance. So like what happens under Lloyd Irvin,
like understand this — there was no video tapes, there was
no DVDs out per se there is now when I came up. If I had access
to the stuff like YouTube and the videos, the DVDs and products
when I was coming up, I think I could have even done things light
years faster. I’m out here figuring things out on my own,
piecing stuff from videos and so forth. So, yeah, I’m a
shameless promoter. My job is to promote what I do and anything
I do I’m trying to be the best. It’s like what P Diddy
always talk about. Every day you go to sleep, you’re either
winning or you’re losing and I don’t like to lose and
so if I’m going to market my product and services, I’m
going to find out what is the most effective marketing techniques
in the world.”
Source: Fight Opinion
|
Cacareco
disappointed with the lack of bouts
The
six last fights of Alexandre Cacareco did not last longer than
80 seconds. All of them ended because of a submission. The expressive
professional record, which has 18 wins and 6 loss, is not enough
for the tough MMA fighter to have a good international contract.
“Man, I’m doing this for a long time. I got excited,
than I loss the enthusiasm and now I don’t have many dreams.
Honestly, if I knew it, or if I had another thing to do, I’d
never enter a ring again”, affirmed an upset Cacareco, in
a interview to Blog do Sensei (Sensei’s blog).
Despite
having won 10 of his 11 last fights, all of them on the first
round, Chute Boxe’s athlete has not fought this year. The
debut on Shine, which would happen in Miami, was cancelled on
the day of the event, which broke. “When I enter the ring,
I do my best so that people can see the result of my work, but
the opportunities are not coming. Today I know that talent is
not enough, you have to have luck too”, regrets the fighter,
who keeps living in Rio de Janeiro, despite representing the
southern team, Chute Boxe. “It’s very cold there (laughs).
The guys from Chute Boxe are running after me, but when I got
there, the market was already broken. The problem is when you
wait for something for so long and it doesn’t come to you
and then it turn into a disappointment”, unburdens.
Source: Tatame
|
Galaxy
MMA Bad Blood
Friday, August 6, 2010
Blaisdell Arena
Lightweight Grand Prix Championship Semi-Final Matches
Harris
Sarmiento (808 Top Team) VS. Jose Salgado (Roy Nelson's Gym;
The Country Club)
Kris
Kyle (808 Top Team) VS. Steve Gable (Gracie Barra)
Lightweight
Grand Prix Alternate Matches
Clay
Lewis Jr. (4WRD Fitness) VS. Jenzen Espanto (Combat 50)
Kyle
Kaahanui (Bulls Pen) VS. Chris Yee (Team Quest)
Grudge
Match
170
Pound Bout: Dirty Curty (Team Submit)VS. Brennan Kamaka (808
Top Team)
Main
Card
185
Pound Bout: Sale Sproat (Freelance) VS. Rocky Ramirez (Greg Jackson's
MMA)
135
Pound Bout: Tyson Nam (Team Quest) VS. Ian McCall (Team Oyama
MMA)
265
Pound Bout: Fabiano Scherner (Team Quest) VS. Mike Martell (Canada
Top Team)
170
Pound Bout: Walter Hao (808 Top Team) VS. Evan Lowther (M-1,
Gracie Kailua)
145
Pound Bout: Justin Wong (HMC) VS. Brandon Pieper (808 Top Team)
Amateur
Matches
125
Women's Pankration Bout: Rachael Ostovich VS. Falen Fowler (Team
Submit)
145
Pound Bout: Colin Mackenzie (God's Army) VS. George Perry (Freelance)
155
Pound Bout: Aaron Terry (HMC) VS. Fatu Tuitasi (808 Top Team)
205
Pound Bout: Keala Cristobal (Freelance) VS. Cade Phillips (Freelance)
170
Pound Bout: Dwain Pasion (Team CAT) VS. Micah Ige (Team Extreme)
230
Pound Bout: Jake Heffernan (Freelance) VS. Dustin Caulustro (Team
Stand Alone)
205
Pound Bout: Alex Steverson (Team Extreme) VS. Benji Rodrigues
(Hakuilua)
125
Pound Bout: Alika Kumukoa (Team Extreme) VS. Jacob Kauwe (Hakuilua)
|
X-1
Events vs Destiny MMA
Waipahu High School Gym
Saturday, August 7, 2010
For the 1st tiime here in the 808 State...Hawaii's top 2 MMA
Promotions will come together for a huge FIGHTER SHOWDOWN...
Be
there Saturday, Aug. 7th to see X1 World Events & DESTINY
MMA transform Waipahu HS GYM into a Blaisdell type production
on the Westside of Oahu...You definitely don't want to miss this.
Buy your tickets early.
Gen
Presale: $35
Floor Seating: $50
VIP Front Row: $100
Tickets
available @ Westside Fight Gear, ALL TCA Wireless locations islandwide,
No Fear Outlets, & Razor Concepts
Full
Fight card will be announced shortly...Here are some early matchups:
-185lbs
(state title)
Michael Winklespect vs Ronald "Machine Gun" Jhun (808
Top Team)
-145lbs
(state title)
David "Tan Superman" Padilla (Jesus Is Lord) vs Ricky
"Real Deal" Wallace (HMC)
-140lbs
Ian Delacuesta (808 Top Team) vs Eddie P. (I & I, Maui)
-125lbs
(female match)
Angie Pereira (HMC) vs Vicky Vickers
-170lbs
Ikaika Reinhardt vs Bruski Lewis (Bulls Pen)
-170lbs
L.John Borgess (808 Top Team) vs Johnavan Vistante Jr. (Team
SYD)
-155lbs
Duke Sarigosa (808 Top Team) vs Reno Remigio (HMC)
-145lbs
Chad Pavao (Hakuilua) vs Kurrent Cockett (I & I, Maui)
-155lbs
(amateur title)
Alioune Diop vs Nate "Da Great" Quiniola
-145lbs
(amateur title)
Tobi Misech (BJ Penn MMA) vs Elijah Manners (808 Alliance)
-135lbs
Louis Smolka (808 Top Team) vs Jared Iha (No Remorse)
-Heavyweight
(amateur title)
Paea Paongo vs TBA
-205lbs
Kaimi Wise vs Kimo Tatupu (808 Top Team)
-165lbs
(xma title match)
Chris Kutzen vs Michael Brightmon (Gorilla House)
-155lbs
Ryan Delacruz (808 Top Team) vs Nick Pait (freelance)
-145lbs
Bone Pali (Hustle n Throw,Maui) vs Jason Racamara (808 Alliance)
-155lbs
Ricky Marillo vs Tylor Pavao
-125lbs
Manny Charisma vs Alika Kumukoa (UCS)
-135lbs
Dylan (MMAD) vs Gerald Casteneto (Hustle n Throw, Maui)
-145lbs
Wes Nakano vs Pedro Garcia
|
|
X-1
World Events
Saturday, September 11, 2010
Blaisdell Arena
FOR
IMMEDIATE RELEASE: July 13, 2010
X-1
TO PRESENT BIGGEST TITLE FIGHT IN
HAWAIIAN
MMA HISTORY ON SEPTEMBER 11TH
Second
round of light heavyweight title tourney to commence
Honolulu,
HI (USA): Top Hawaiian fight promotion X-1 World Events prides
itself on bringing the best fighters to the Islands, and putting
on the best fights. On September 11th, they will prove this once
again as X-1 World Middleweight Champion Falaniko Vitale will
put his belt on the line against devastating KO artist Kala “Kolohe”
Hose in the main event of a yet-to-be-named event at the Neal
S. Blaisdell Arena. In addition to this incredible title fight
featuring two of the best Hawaiian fighters on the planet, the
much-anticipated second round of the X-1 World Light Heavyweight
title tournament will take place, as the pairings have been set.
And two other exciting world title fights have been signed as
well. All in all, this is one of the top fight cards to take
place in Hawaii in quite some time.
Falaniko
Vitale (27-9, fifteen submissions) is one of the most respected
Hawaiian combatants fighting today. An experienced athlete who
recently celebrated ten years as a professional fighter, Vitale
proudly represents the 808 Fight Factory, one of the toughest
fight gyms on the Islands, and has fought for some of the most
well-known promotions in the world. Fans of King of the Cage,
Rage in the Cage, SuperBrawl, Icon Sport, the IFL, StrikeForce,
and the UFC have all seen his skill set exhibited. In his most
recent bout, he defended his coveted X-1 strap against former
UFC competitor Kalib Starnes, finishing his controversial opponent
via submission in the process. Niko, as he is known, has taken
on top names in the sport, including “Ruthless” Robbie
Lawler, former StrikeForce Middleweight title challenger Jason
“Mayhem” Miller, MMA pioneer Jeremy Horn, StrikeForce/UFC
veteran Trevor Prangley, and UFC fighter Frank Trigg. He has
beaten notable fighters such as UFC vet Aaron Riley, former UFC
Middleweight Champion Dave Menne, UFC middleweight contender
Yushin Okami, and the aforementioned Lindland.
Kala
“Kolohe” Hose (7-3, seven KO/TKOs) is known for his
devastating knockout power, and has garnered a reputation as
one of the toughest Island fighters today. He claimed the ICON
Middleweight title in August of 2008 with an exciting TKO victory
over current UFC fighter Phil Baroni that was lauded by Island
fight fans for its great action. Also a veteran of Superbrawl
and EliteXC, Hose will look to add the X-1 Middleweight belt
to his list of accomplishments. During his career, he’s
faced UFC veterans such as Baroni, “Mayhem” Miller,
and Reese Andy. He will face what is probably the toughest opponent
of his career in Vitale.
In
addition, the second round of the heralded X-1 World Light Heavyweight
tourney will commence at this event, as former EliteXC headliner
and Hawaii native Poai Suganuma (10-3) will match up with “The
Dancing Russian” Vitaly Shemetov (7-7), who brutalized respected
veteran Shungo Oyama in the first round of the tournament en
route to a KO victory. Suganuma, for his part, defeated Greg
Schmitt via unanimous decision on his way to advancing. The other
semifinal matchup will feature Gracie-trained submission specialist
Roy Boughton (4-0, four submissions), who tapped out Adam Akau
with a first round guillotine choke to garner a place in the
second round of the tournament, as he faces extremely tough South
Korean SpiritMC veteran Sang Soo Lee (14-9). Lee knocked out
Daniel Madrid with a beautiful right hand in order to move on
in the tourney. Also featured will be a 145 lb. World Championship
bout between Dave Moreno and Ricky Wallace, as well as a 135
lb. World Championship fight between Bryson Hanson and Russell
Doane.
“I
am very excited about this incredible card. Having two great
Island fighters like Niko and Kolohe fight for the belt, along
with the second round of the tournament, and throwing in two
other title matches…what a card!” exclaimed Mike Miller,
Owner/Promoter of X-1 World Events. “It’s going to
be an amazing night of fights.”
Here
is the fight card as it stands now:
Main
Event: 185 lb. World Championship:
Falaniko
Vitale vs. Kala “Kolohe” Hose
Light
Heavyweight Championship tournament (second round):
Poai Suganuma (HI) vs. Vitaly Shemetov (Russia)
Sang Soo Lee (S. Korea) vs. Roy Boughton (California)
145
lb. World Championship:
Dave
Moreno vs. Ricky Wallace
135
lb. World Championship:
Bryson
Hanson vs. Russell Doane
About
X-1 World Events
Founded
in 2004 by Mike Miller, X-1 World Events is a world-class mixed
martial arts (MMA) promotional company based in Honolulu, HI.
Locally-owned and operated, X-1 delivers exciting live arena-based
entertainment events to fight fans all over the islands. The
events feature some of the MMA world’s most talented fighters,
including UFC, Pride, and Abu-Dhabi veterans such as former UFC
champions Dan “The Beast” Severn and Ricco Rodriguez,
UFC veterans Jeff Monson, Kimo Leopoldo, Chad “The Grinder”
Reiner, “Sugar” Shane Nelson, Brandon Wolff, Wes “The
Project” Sims, Ronald “The Machine Gun” Juhn,
Wesley “Cabbage” Correira, and Falaniko Vitale, as
well as Pride veterans Chris Brennan and Ron “H2O-Man”
Waterman. X-1 World Events can be found online at http://www.x1events.com/
|
SILVA
WILL BE WAITING IF GSP CAN MAKE THE WEIGHT
It could be the biggest fight in UFC history.
It
could break all the records.
And
according to UFC president Dana White, everyone keeps asking
for it, so he might just have to give it to them.
The
longstanding fight fans have been asking for is to see widely
regarded pound-for-pound king Anderson Silva match up with the
fighter closely nipping at his heels for the top spot in UFC
welterweight champion Georges St-Pierre. The fight has been brought
up to White for years, and both camps have expressed interest.
Silva's
manager, Ed Soares, says the Brazilian champion is all about
big fights, and that means bringing in whoever is going to present
the biggest challenge.
The
biggest question surrounding the potential mega match-up right
now is what weight class the two fighters would face off at?
Silva rules the 185-pound division, while St-Pierre is a multi-time
welterweight champion.
"First
of all, I think to protect both champions, I think it's smarter
to do it at a catchweight possibly, but who knows? Anderson...
I don't think he could. Maybe he could, I'm not sure, make it
down to 170. I think it's much easier and more likely that Georges
goes up to 185," Soares told MMAWeekly Radio recently.
Silva
has fluctuated in weight a lot over the years. The one-time 167-pound
champion in Shooto, Silva fought at 175 pounds when for Rumble
on the Rock, at his natural weight class at 185 pounds, and has
also made a couple of appearances at 205 pounds, knocking out
both James Irvin and former UFC light heavyweight champion Forrest
Griffin.
Soares
doesn't rule out Silva's freakish ability to put on and take
off weight, and believes that the potential dynamite of promoting
a two weight class champion could be just the formula that gets
the superstars in the Octagon together.
"Could
Anderson do it? He probably could," Soares commented about
Silva. "It would be interesting. It would be a great promotion.
If either one could make each other's weight class, it would
be a great promotion to be the first guy holding two belts at
the same time."
When
it comes to Silva's career, it's all about the big fight, and
Soares isn't in the business of turning down opportunities for
his fighters.
"Tell
GSP to make weight, we'll be waiting," Soares said simply.
Both
fighters are occupied presumably for the rest of 2010 with Silva
facing Chael Sonnen in August, and St-Pierre defending his belt
against Josh Koscheck most likely in December. If both are victorious,
the clash of two of the best ever in MMA could be the biggest
fight in UFC history.
Source: MMA Weekly |
SHIELDS'
END ROAD LEADS TO GSP AND TITLE SHOT
The end game for Jake Shields wasn't just a UFC contract.
A
top ranked fighter in the welterweight division before moving
up to middleweight, where he promptly took out three top fighters
in that division to claim Strikeforce gold, Shields finally realized
his dream on Monday when he inked the deal that officially made
him a UFC fighter.
Through
all the negotiations and weight class talk, there has only been
one thought that has tattooed itself on Shields' brain. He wants
a UFC title, and he wants to go through Georges St-Pierre to
get it.
For
several years now, Shields has talked about fighting the UFC's
top dog in the welterweight division, and now it appears he could
be one fight away from making that dream a reality. He faces
Martin Kampmann in a pivotal contender's contest in October at
UFC 121.
"GSP
is a fight I've wanted for like three years now," Shields
explained when appearing on MMAWeekly Radio.
St-Pierre
is set to defend his title this December against Josh Koscheck,
and while Shields admits to being friendly and even training
with Koscheck in the past, he's always had his sights set on
GSP.
Knowing
that he'd have to go through a top fighter to get to St-Pierre,
Shields immediately had an eye on Kampmann following the win
he racked up in June at UFC 115.
"I
thought about him right after he beat Paulo Thiago," said
Shields.
There's
been nothing set in stone by the UFC or commented on by UFC president
Dana White about the fight between Shields and Kampmann being
a number one contender's fight, but Shields believes that the
winner will be in the cat bird's seat for a shot at the title.
"I
don't want to jump to any conclusions, but I can definitely see
it being that," he said about the winner getting a title
shot. "Considering neither one of us has fought either of
those guys, I'm sure it's a fight a lot of people would like
to see."
Finally
realizing his UFC dream, Shields probably understands better
than anyone out there that with that dream now comes the reality
of backing up his past performances, and translating that into
success in the Octagon.
Many
past competitors have come into the UFC with all the hype in
the world, only to find it crashing down around them for one
reason or another. Shields believes he's faced similar pressure
before, and knows how to handle it.
"It's
definitely a lot of pressure out there,” commented Shields.
“I had a lot of pressure in the Henderson fight as well,
having that being the last one on my contract, knowing Strikeforce
wanted me to lose. That gave me a ton of pressure. I came through
that, and I’ll try to do the same (in the UFC)."
Source: MMA Weekly |
Rampage/Machida
Proves Who’s Boss
All
the back and forth regarding boxing’s ills and MMA’s
emergence as the dominating combat sport can really be boiled
down to one thing: boxers have autonomy. Mixed martial artists
do not. And while that independence may be the best thing for
the fighters, it’s crushing to their industry.
Take
Quinton Jackson, who has thrown repeated tantrums over the possibility
of a fight with Lyoto Machida. Machida is “boring,”
Jackson said, and he didn’t want to follow up a lackluster
performance against Rashad Evans with another deliberately-paced
bout. (Jackson may also perceive Machida as a poor match for
his style, but you won’t catch him saying it.)
What
happens? According to MMAJunkie and other outlets, Jackson will
fight Machida in November. So much for freedom of choice.
If
Jackson were a boxer, he’d happily arrange for a heavy bag
with lungs in order to absolve himself of the Evans bout. After
a few “warm-up” fights, he’d get serious again.
Actually, had Jackson been steering his own career, he probably
wouldn’t have taken the Evans fight at all: a year-plus
layoff would mean avoiding any real threats until he got his
fight legs back under him.
The
UFC’s business model -- where brand is king and fighters
go through the turnstile -- has done an incredible thing: it’s
taken the ego out of fighting. There is no opportunity to emulate
Floyd Mayweather, who enjoys manipulating his business and his
fans like marionettes. If you’re offered a fight, you take
it. If you don’t like it, you can sit and spin until you
wise up. It’s how athletes wind up with 16-7 records. There’s
no padding and every fight is against a killer. This is the league
approach: the AFC champions don’t sit down to “renegotiate”
a deal to meet the NFC in the Super Bowl. They just do it.
Can
you imagine a situation in which Brock Lesnar spends nearly two
years hammering out a deal to fight Cain Velasquez? Or if Velasquez
fought Lesnar only if he agreed to Olympic-style drug testing?
In the context of MMA and the climate the UFC has provided, it
would be absurd. The sport has created an environment where everyone
fights anyone, regardless of how protective they feel over their
record or reputation. The inmates do not run the asylum.
Ironically,
this was boxing’s MO sixty years ago: the good fights happened
when audiences were ready for them. Today, careers aren’t
made so much as manipulated. There’s no organization with
any level of authority over fighters, which is why Mayweather
and Manny Pacquiao can get bogged down in levels of bureaucracy
that smothers interest. Will fans buy their next respective fights?
Probably. Will any of them prefer them over a Mayweather/Pacquiao
showdown? Hardly.
This
degree of control is not necessarily good for athletes, particularly
when they feel pressure to fight hurt or take bouts outside their
pay grade. (It’s safe to say Velasquez won’t make nearly
as much for the Lesnar bout as Lesnar himself, a far cry from
the constant arguing over even purse splits in boxing.) Fighters
have become cattle, their careers steered by forces with a primary
interest in making money first and coddling second. The UFC may
not be a managerial entity, but it’s effectively their role
in booking fights: Jon Jones is being brought up slowly; “Rampage”
Jackson is thrown to the wolves. The actual managers are left
to negotiate sponsorship deals and fax contracts. Say “no”
to the UFC enough times and watch what happens.
It
would be nice to champion fighters’ rights and moan that
promotions have too much power --but the alternative is boxing’s
chaotic mess of a business. These fighters fight. Boxers talk.
And fans aren’t listening.
Source: Sherdog |
Guida
Has Connection with Master Trainer Jackson
When
Greg Jackson tells Clay Guida to "Be the dude," not
only is the MMA guru referencing one of the lightweight's favorite
movies -- the cult classic "The Big Lebowski" -- he's
also exhorting Guida to put all of his tools to use in the cage.
The
Illinois native will have three camps with Jackson's team in
Albuquerque, N.M., under his belt when he squares off with Rafael
dos Anjos at UFC 117 at the Oracle Arena in Oakland, Calif. Jackson's
unique approach to the fight game is rubbing off on the ultra
popular Guida, who earned his first submission win since 2006
over Shannon Gugerty at the initial UFC on Versus card in March.
"Greg
sees things differently than other coaches. That's what makes
him so special, that's what makes him stand out in the MMA world,"
Guida said. "He knows when I'm feeling it, when I'm going
out there and not thinking, I'm just fighting. I'm just moving,
bobbing and untouchable... He's like, 'Just be the Dude.'
"That's
when I'm in the groove. I'm just boom, boom -- everything's clicking.
We're hitting on all cylinders. He sees it a little bit differently,
and I know what he's saying."
In
the past, Guida's style has easily translated into memorable
fights. Several of those -- most notably losses to Diego Sanchez
and Tyson Griffin -- ended with Guida on the wrong end of the
decision. Jackson says that it often takes a couple of fights
before he is able to completely identify adjustments he would
like to make in a new fighter's style. He believes Guida has
grown since he first arrived in New Mexico.
"Clay is making a lot of improvements. He had a great performance
his last fight when he finished a guy from the mount with an
arm-triangle, which you don't see Clay Guida doing a lot of in
the UFC,” said Jackson. “This fight is against a really
tough jiu-jitsu guy, but he is really looking a lot better. He
used to come into camp and have a much harder time than he is
now. He's really starting to turn the corner. Win or lose this
fight, he's on the right path."
It's
his trainer's ability to make minor tweaks to his game, along
with his use of pop culture references as motivation, that keeps
Guida coming back.
"I
feel much more confident in my skills," Guida said. "I
had a great skill set before. I'm using my tools even more now.
I'm using my speed, I'm using my takedowns, I'm using my head
movement. Greg's not trying to reinvent the wheel with me. He's
just taking a caveman and giving him a few different tools."
Dos
Anjos is a Brazilian jiu-jitsu black belt who had a rather inauspicious
beginning to his UFC career. The Brazilian suffered a knockout
loss to Jeremy Stephens in his debut and followed that up with
a unanimous decision loss to Griffin. With his UFC career potentially
hanging in the balance, Dos Anjos has responded accordingly,
fashioning a three-fight win streak and impressing his next opponent
in the process.
"I
love fighting guys like Rafael because he's a hungry, hungry
cat. He started out 0-2 in the UFC. A lot of guys might hang
it up. A lot of guys might get cut. He's won back-to-back-to-back
fights," Guida said. "To me that's a great competitor
and a great person. They see that as a challenge and they come
back."
Guida
expects to use Dos Anjos as a stepping-stone to bigger things
in the 155-pound division. Consecutive losses to Sanchez and
Kenny Florian in 2009 may have knocked Guida off the short list
of top contenders at lightweight, but in his mind, it's only
a temporary setback.
"I
always see myself at the top. To me that's what great competitors
(do), they see themselves as the best. Frankie's holding my belt
right now," he said of UFC lightweight champion Frankie
Edgar. In the eternal quest to just "Be the dude,"
Guida seems to be on the right path. The combination of his trademark
frenetic pace and rhythm with Jackson's adjustments are a blueprint
for success. Guida's unwavering belief in himself doesn't hurt,
either.
"I
know I'm the unsung hero at 155. People love seeing a good scrap,
a good war, but they can continue to see a more mature Clay Guida
and just a better fighter each time I'm in the cage," he
said.
Source: Sherdog
|
GERALD
HARRIS STEPS IN FOR RIVERA AT UFC 118
The man with the slam will get back in action sooner rather than
later.
Gerald
Harris, whose slam was heard round the world at UFC 116, will
step in on short notice to fill the spot vacated by Jorge Rivera
earlier today when the Boston area fighter was forced out of
his bout against Alessio Sakara with a broken arm.
Harris'
placement in the fight was confirmed to MMAWeekly.com by sources
close to the negotiations on Friday.
Stepping
in on just over one month's notice, Harris was actually proceeding
over a homecoming in Ohio today, but will return home to Oklahoma
shortly to get ready for his August 28 fight with Sakara.
Since
returning to the UFC following a stint on the "Ultimate
Fighter", Harris has gone 3-0 with three consecutive stoppages,
including a couple "Knockout of the Night" bonuses
along the way.
The
former Cleveland State wrestler is on a 10-fight win streak overall
including fights outside the UFC.
The
bout between Rivera and Sakara was set to be on the Spike TV
prelim show for UFC 118, but at this time it has not been determined
if the new fight will stay in the same slot or not. MMAWeekly.com
will have more information about the Spike TV prelim show as
it becomes available.
Source: MMA Weekly |
ALVES'
BRAIN ANOMALY WAS WITH HIM SINCE BIRTH
Pre-fight medicals have become a standard in mixed martial arts
sanctioning, and many times this very testing has saved lives.
One
particular case that came to national prominence earlier this
year was when Thiago Alves underwent a pre-fight CAT scan for
his UFC 111 fight in March. He was removed from the card due
to a brain anomaly that showed up, concerning doctors enough
to stop him from fighting.
Alves
went back to the same doctors and had surgery to repair the brain
anomaly. He's now ready to return to action at UFC 117 on Aug.
7 to complete some unfinished business with Jon Fitch.
Reviewing
his medical records following the surgery, Alves revealed to
MMAWeekly Radio that the brain anomaly was something he was born
with, and was missed on a previous CAT scan.
"I
just found out, we finally got the MRI from 2005 back, and it
was something I was born with. It was something I had my whole
life," said Alves. "When I did my first MRI in 2005
the CAT scan wasn't as accurate so they didn’t catch it.
So apparently I've been fighting with this thing my whole life."
The
CAT scan that doctors in New York performed caught the problem,
and while Alves was none too happy that he had to be forced off
the fight card, he was happier in the long run because the surgery
fixed the existing issue and possibly saved his life and his
career.
"Finally,
this last time they found out about it," Alves commented.
"So maybe my brain's even better than before."
Alves
has stated many times that he's extremely grateful to the doctors
that found the issue and eventually fixed it. It's those very
doctors that saved his career, and possibly his life, by stopping
a problem that could have become extremely serious if never treated.
"I'm
really thankful for everything, and I pray to God every day and
it is what it is," Alves said about the doctors. "I
was kind of really, really frustrated when it first happened,
because it was the second time I was supposed to fight (Fitch),
and I wanted to avenge this loss so bad. I hate being a loser.
I hate having this feeling with me, carrying this feeling with
me for over a year."
The
surgery was followed by extensive tests and scans before Alves
could be cleared to fight again, and now that he's back at 100
percent, he says the whole experience made him a better fighter,
a better training partner, and a better person.
"It
was still pretty tough, but it made me grow. It made me more
mature, and I changed a lot of things in my life, and in my lifestyle
inside the gym and my attitude," said Alves. "I'm just
really happy and living the life every day."
Source: MMA Weekly |
HEATH
HERRING: FIGHTING ISN'T PRIORITY NO. 1
Just a few years ago, "The Texas Crazy Horse," Heath
Herring was considered one of the top heavyweights in the sport
of MMA. Facing some of the best the weight class had to offer,
he was known as a tough competitor who could hang with the best
of the best whenever he stepped in the cage.
It's
now been almost two years since Herring stepped foot in the Octagon.
The Las Vegas based fighter took Brock Lesnar to the only decision
of his professional career, and then walked away from the sport
to pursue other interests.
While
he still trains and works out, Herring professes that he'll always
love fighting, but the business took its toll out on him. When
other opportunities arose, he wanted to explore those options.
"To
be honest with you, I'm trying to stay in shape the best I can,
(but) nothing's on the horizon," Herring told MMAWeekly
Radio. "I'm not ruling anything out, but that's not really
what's on the horizon just yet. I've got a couple little side
projects I'm working on, that if they take off you wouldn’t
be able to commit full time to training."
What
Herring has been concentrating on is a budding acting career.
He's taken roles in several movies, and even has some television
projects in the works that could see airtime in the near future.
"It's
been going good actually," he said about the acting business.
"There's always stuff going on. I've been staying pretty
busy, have quite a few little things coming out. It's like anything
else, when you're trying to make the switch over and hit it hard,
it's never as easy as you think it's going to be. A lot of hard
work and hanging out with the right people, and that's usually
the best way to go with things."
At
32 years of age, Herring is physically more than capable of plotting
a comeback in MMA if he wants to, but he's got enough going on
outside of the fight world that it's no longer priority number
one.
"I’m
not ruling it out. I'm definitely staying in shape cause things
can pop up, and things that look like a good opportunity, something
that I'm definitely interested in doing, then we'll jump on that,"
Herring commented about a return to MMA.
"But
no, that's not the first order of the day when I wake up right
now."
Herring
explained that currently his lawyers are dealing with his UFC
contract, and he wasn't able to comment specifically due to ongoing
litigation. He explains that it goes beyond just the pay scale
and other issues that have come up in the past, but Herring has
also committed to never look back on his life with regret.
"You
wake up and you're 32 years old and it's like 'what am I working
towards?' Not setting anything aside full time or anything, don't
have any health insurance, so you start kind of looking at the
big picture of life and start trying to figure out what's the
best way I can maximize the working time I have left?" said
Herring.
"I
don't want to wake up one day and be like 'oh man, I could have
done this or I could have tried to do that.' I think maybe I
saw the glass ceiling so to speak in MMA. Obviously you can go
and fight for the title, but I just felt like with some of the
opportunities I had that were given to me right now, and where
I was currently in my contract and the organization I was with,
I was just like I'm going to achieve a lot more success within
this type of arena right now, so I might as well try to do something
else, that I'm actually enjoying more."
Regardless
of the fight game, Herring is committed to staying busy. He was
set to star in an upcoming movie that was going to be directed
by Corey Haim, but the actor passed away before the film could
begin principle photography.
Still
undeterred, Herring has several projects upcoming in both the
film and television world, and that's enough to keep him happy.
Right now, the fight world is not where the "Texas Crazy
Horse" wants to rest his boots, and Hollywood has given
him a new career path worth exploring.
Source: MMA Weekly |
ONE
LAST STEP UP FOR SHANE DEL ROSARIO
For Shane Del Rosario, Friday night’s Strikeforce Challengers
Series event represents the last step he must take before getting
his opportunity to shine on the promotion’s largest stage.
It’s
a step that’s been carefully calculated by Del Rosario and
his trainers, a career strategy that’s paid off so far with
an undefeated record, and the distinction of one of MMA’s
premier up and coming heavyweights.
As
Del Rosario recently told MMAWeekly.com, “It was our goal
to take our time, no rush to get to the big show or call out
the top competitors right away. We took our time, chose smart
opponents, and just worked on my game through training to become
more well-rounded.
“I
learn a lot every fight since the beginning, and this is another
fight that I can use to better myself and help get me to the
bigger shows. Things have panned out pretty well, and I’m
looking at maybe a few more fights before I get a belt or become
a contender for one.”
Should
Del Rosario continue his streak of finishing all his opponents
Friday night, it’d be hard to deny that his contender’s
status couldn’t be far off. Standing in his way, however,
is one of Strikeforce’s toughest heavyweights, Lolohea Mahe.
“He’s
really explosive and pretty fast for a big guy, but he showed
in his last fight that he kind of slowed down at the end of the
first (round) and was gassed in the second. So I’m expecting
him to come into this fight with a lot better cardio and stamina,”
said Del Rosario.
“He
looks like he’s a little bit of a counter-puncher. He sits
back, lets you come in, and tries to land that big right hand.
I’ve got to make sure I don’t come in lazy or out of
control.”
Having
been waiting on the sidelines since November, Del Rosario is
eager to make the most of the remaining year.
“I
definitely want to get in at least one more fight or two, so
hopefully I’m injury free,” he stated. “I want
to keep winning and show people that I’m going to be a top
guy in the heavyweight division.”
Having
worked his way up one calculated step at a time, Del Rosario
has placed himself in the best possible position. He’s got
the respect and support of fans, pundits, and his promotion,
and he’s got the talent to make good on his promise.
It’s
this combination of things that could have him in the national
spotlight much sooner than later.
“I
want to thank my coach Colin Oyama and Team Oyama, and my sponsors:
Metal Mulisha, Rockstar Energy, Full Tilt Poker, Power Balance,
Versaclimber, ACIC Physical Therapy, OC Fight Doc, Athletic Republic,
and Iridium Sports Agency,” he concluded.
“Both
of us like to bang and both of us have won most of our fights
by knockout, so I know it’s going to be an exciting fight
and somebody’s probably going to get knocked out.”
DEL ROSARIO
STAYS UNDEFEATED, MAY GET ARLOVSKI
The main event of Friday night’s Strikeforce Challengers
9 in Everett, Wash., featured undefeated heavyweight prospect
Shane Del Rosario, who added Hawaiian fighter Lolohea Mahe to his hit list.
Del
Rosario pushed the pace from the beginning, displaying his Muay
Thai skills via bruising leg kicks and driving knees. Mahe made
a fight of it though, landing a stunning kick to Del Rosario’s
body, but he couldn’t keep up with Del Rosario’s attacks.
Clinching
late in the opening round, Del Rosario drove a knee to Mahe’s
head as the Hawaiian leaned over. He then drove knees to Mahe’s
body, causing him to crumple to one knee, the referee stepping
in to call a halt to the bout.
“I’m
ready to move on, step up the competition,” said Del Rosario,
who improved his record to 10-0 with the win.
He
may now be in line for a fight with former UFC heavyweight champion
Andrei Arlovski and sounds ready for the challenge.
“He’s
a great fighter. I’ve always been a fan of him,” commented
Del Rosario. “That would be the ultimate test for me. I’m
down for it.”
Making
his third start for Strikeforce, Bobby Voelker pulled out a razor-thin
split decision over Cory Devela in a welterweight feature bout.
The fight was a mixed bag of clinching and ground and pound with
Devela seeming to be in control most of the fight, but the judges
saw it differently, two of them scoring it in Voelker’s
favor.
The
win puts Voelker back on the winning track after losing to Roger
Bowling at Strikeforce Challengers 8. For Devela, the loss was
his third straight and will leave him searching for a way to
right the ship.
Once
banished from the sport for his in-ring anger management issues,
Mike Kyle has reformed and become one of the more promising fighters
in Strikeforce’s light heavyweight division. He scored his
sixth straight victory in a tough fight with Ron “Abongo”
Humphrey on Friday night.
Kyle
started off strong with his boxing, but was nearly submitted
on several occasions in the opening round. He bounced back towards
the end of the round one with two flying knees before finishing
the fight in round two. He took Humphrey down early in the second,
quickly transitioning to full mount, and then taking Humphrey’s
back and submitting him with a rear naked choke.
The
victory could set Kyle up for a shot at the winner of the Aug.
21 title fight between 205-pound champion Muhammad “King
Mo” Lawal and challenger Rafael "Feijao" Cavalcante.
“God’s
been really good to me. This is just a steppingstone. God has
a lot planned for me. I’m ready for things to open up,”
said Kyle after the fight, stopping just shy of saying he should
get the shot at the title.
“When
God blesses me with the opportunity, I’ll be ready for it.”
Washington
based fighter Caros Fodor dominated Thomas Diagne in the opening
bout on Showtime, dropping the Cung Le trained fighter twice
in the first minute with short left hooks. He had Diagne in several
submission attempts, but controlled most of the fight from the
clinch, unable to finish him off. Fodor did, however, walk away
with a unanimous decision.
Source: MMA Weekly
|
Creating
a Champ Part 2
by Eric DelFierro
On
my last blog, I shared a little moment in time on one of my fighters’
biggest days. The most important part of that moment is how his
brain turned on after my comment.
I
have been able to do that with Dominick since he fought Charlie
Valencia. I was not able to do that with him prior to that. Having
an athlete that is programmable, has to do with an athlete trusting
and believing in what his coaches have designed for him.
I’m
going to talk about three different fighters that I coach. They
are all at different levels of their careers right now, but they
are all programmable.
Let
me start with Phil “Mr. Wonderful” Davis. Phil is fairly
new to the game of MMA. He is an athlete in every sense of the
word. This kid has to be challenged in order for his brain to
stay focused. Phil has huge accomplishments in wrestling. His
last year in college, he was 2008 NCAA National Champion. Phil
came to train with me over a year ago and I knew he was going
to be a handful, mostly because he had such a huge list of accomplishments
already. To my surprise he was very open minded. Just in case
he wasn’t, I needed to see how he would react if I took
his strongest asset (wrestling) and made it to where he couldn’t
use it effectively. So our first training session was “Wrestling
Day”. After our warm up drills I had him go three rounds
of open mat wrestling with Brandon Vera. As expected, Phil was
a beast and had Brandon working his ass off to stop takedowns
and mount offense with Phil getting the better of it. After the
three rounds we took one round off for a water break. Continuing
for the second part of this training session we went in the octagon
cage for three more rounds of wrestling. Brandon stuffed 98%
of his takedowns and took Phil down a couple of times. Phil was
not able to control Brandon at all, not like open mat wrestling.
What
I was hoping to accomplish with that training session was to
see what would happen when you take a world class wrestler, have
him use his best weapon, and have it be shut down completely
with the assistance of the cage. What happened was Phil’s
mind was again stimulated and he found the challenge that he
was looking for.
Fast
forward a couple of months and Phil gets his first UFC fight
against a very tough and seasoned Brian Stann. For that fight
we had a very basic, yet very effective game plan if executed
properly. The mental preparation I did for Phil was simple. I
already knew the kid knew how to compete. He has been in front
of huge audiences before and has felt the huge pressures of competition,
but fighting in the UFC brings its own challenges. Phil was now
fighting in front of millions and had only been training a year.
The last few days before the fight we went over the size of the
cage; how flexible the fence is, how slippery the mat is when
you go to shoot for a takedown, and where your corner men will
be seated so you can focus on our voice. I wanted Phil to have
no surprises, I wanted him to feel like he had been there before.
The game plan was to keep it standing until Phil found his range
and set up takedowns with strikes. Simple right? Well he made
it look amazing. Why? Every combination that was thrown with
a sequence takedown, was drilled over and over again. He had
memorized every combination to takedown or every counter to strike
or takedown. He listened to his corner and he was reacting to
our every word. You can hear me call the combination and he executes.
After the first round his confidence grew more with every minute
that went by. His combinations and his takedowns looked sharper
every round. Brian Stann is as tough as they come, so he wasn’t
able to finish him but at the same time it was great that he
got those full 15 minutes in and felt that experience.
As
soon as his second fight was booked by UFC, we sat down, looked
at his opponent and I said, “You have to finish this fight
in the first round. If it goes out of the first round, we are
failing as a team.” So what did Phil do? Finished the fight
with a few seconds left in the first round. Talk about a programmable
athlete. I was able to demand that he finish the second fight
only because the first fight had built his confidence in himself
and his team.
Having
a programmable athlete makes coaching easy!. This is one example
of developing the mental connection between fighter and coach.
Like I said at the beginning I was able to establish that connection
with Dominick in camp before he fought Valencia, and after that
fight he believed 100%. We will go over that story next. Last
will be Danny Martinez, who has been in my camp a little over
a month now. He is fairly new to us so his progress is a lot
more complicated, in a good way. I will share some insight as
to where I am with his development. He is a seasoned vet that
is finding a whole new way of looking at this sport.
Source: Sherdog
|
The
Doggy Bag
Everyone
answers to somebody, so we, the staff at Sherdog.com, have decided
to defer to our readers.
“The
Doggy Bag” gives you the opportunity to speak about what’s
on your mind from time to time.
Our
reporters, columnists, radio hosts, and editors will chime in
with our answers and thoughts, so keep the emails coming.
This
week, readers weigh in on who will prevail in the Dave Herman-Bellator
lawsuit, where future star Jon Jones fits in the UFC’s light
heavyweight title picture and the Jon Fitch-Thiago Alves rematch
at UFC 117.
Loretta,
I read your article about heavyweight Dave Herman suing Bellator
Fighting Championships for breach of contract. From what you’ve
read into the case, who do you think would prevail in a court
of law?
-- Mike
Loretta
Hunt, news editor: Thanks for the email, Mike. I’ve covered
almost every major lawsuit in the sport since 2002 and there’s
one thing I’ve learned from that -- that I can never tell
which side the judge will rule in favor of.
In
this particular case, I see merits and faults in both sides’
arguments.
In
its response to Herman’s breach of contract allegation,
Bellator is saying it satisfied its contractual obligations by
assigning Herman’s second fight before November 2009 to
Shark Fights, a Texas-based promotion. However, Bellator said
it was unaware that Herman had received less money from Shark
Fights for this fight than what his Bellator contract stipulated.
In addition, Shark Fights’ matchmaker Brent Medley said
he never spoke to anyone from Bellator at any point in his contracting
Herman to face UFC legend Don Frye that September.
For
all of Bellator’s claims, it doesn’t sound like they
had much of a hand in producing this bout at all, which strengthens
Herman’s argument that this wasn’t being considered
one of his two contracted bouts with the promotion. There is
an addendum in Herman’s contract that allows him to take
bouts outside the Chicago-based promotion with Bellator’s
written approval. It would seem to me this second bout -- that
Herman and his management allegedly received written text approval
to participate in -- would fall under the latter.
In
Bellator’s favor and something that was discussed in greater
detail by attorney Justin Klein, was the fact that Herman filed
a letter with the promotion claiming they have breached his contract
on Nov. 2, 2009, but had a bout lined up in Sengoku he fought
in five days later. In addition, Herman filed a second letter
approximately 45 days after the first, terminating his contract
with Bellator, which leads me to believe his camp understood
there was a 45-day cure period in the contract in which the promotion
could have tried to resolve the issue. Running off to fight for
another promotion instead of allowing Bellator the opportunity
to right its wrong might not sit well with the judge.
Overall,
I think its safe to say that the relationship between the promoter
and fighter was, at the very least, strained. Luckily, relationships
can be re-built in MMA.
My
guess (and maybe my personal hope) is that this case never goes
to trial in January 2011, where I’ve watched proceedings
like this one get postponed months and months before the parties
fold into a settlement of some kind or a ruling is finally handed
down. I thought Herman’s career showed a spark of potential
back in 2008 when he was an 16-0 heavyweight. I think Bellator
could use a prospect like Herman in its tournament, kicking off
on Aug. 12 in Hollywood, Fla. Who knows if a last-minute reconciliation,
an injury or other dropout will finally find Herman in the situation
he signed up for 21 months ago? I’ll certainly be keeping
an eye on any developments as they happen.
Source: Sherdog
|
THE
QUEST FOR CHAMPIONS JULY, 24, 2010
RESULTS:
SPORT
PANKRATION DIVISION
Boys/Girls 4-5yrs old
1)Jameson Shiraki - Kempo Unlimited(Kaimuki)
2)Kameron Arizumi - Kempo Unlimited(Kaimuki)
Boys/Girls
8-9yrs old
1)Jonah Yano - Kempo Unlimited(Kaimuki)
2)Quinn Nakasato - Kempo Unlimited
3)Chad Foster - Kempo Unlimited
Boys/Girls
12-13yrs old
1)Christian Lee - United MMA
2)Spencer Nakasato - Kempo Unlimited
3)Pomaikai Yamaguchi - Kempo Unlimited
Girls
14-15yrs old
1)Angela Lee - United MMA
2)Jenna Koseki - Kempo Unlimited
Boys
14-15yrs old
1)Cody Robello Passi - Advanced Kempo
2)Joseph Lopes Carter - Up-N-Up
3)Dustin Schlemmer - TapNutinKrew
Boys
16-17yrs old
1)Brandon Kurosawa - Kempo Unlimited
2)Nick Demello - Advanced Kempo
3)Micah Niimoto - Kempo Unlimited
Mens
Lt. Wt.-142lbs
1)David Taniyama - Kempo Unlimited
2)Michael Eguires Jr. - TapNutinKrew
3)Tommy Furtado - Kempo Unlimited
Mens
Lt. Mid Wt. -162lbs
1)John Mendosa - Combat 50
2)Rodney Kahau - South Oahu MMA
3)Allan Fang - Kempo Unlimited
Mens
Mid Wt. -182lbs
1)Zac Shepard - Mad Tiger Academy
2)Kekoa Steen - Kempo Unlimited
3)Kimo Galen - Gracie Barra University
SUBMISSION
GRAPPLING DIVISION
Boys/Girls
6-7yrs old
1)Kalakea Yamaguchi - Kempo Unlimited/Gracie Uptown
2)Kalei Kekumano - United MMA
Boys/Girls
8-9yrs old
1)Chad Foster - Kempo Unlimited
2)Osiris Kelly - Kempo Unlimited(Kaimuki)
3)Nathan Jacob - United MMA
Boys/Girls
12-13yrs old -100lbs
1)Kekoa Kekumanu - United MMA
2)Johnson Sharsy - United MMA
3)Nolan Goo - Kempo Unlimited
Boys/Girls
12-13yrs old +100lbs
1)Brandon Kurosawa - Kempo Unlimited
2)Christian Lee - United MMA
3)John Sharsy - United MMA
Girls
14-15yrs old
1)Hillary Luna - Valentino Kajukenbo/BJ Penn
2)Angela Lee - United MMA
3)Pomaikai Yamaguchi - Kempo Unlimited
Boys
14-15yrs old
1)Chanson
Auwae - Papakolea Bjj
2)Nathan Goo - Kempo Unlimited
Mens
+18yrs -145l
1)Kamalu Beamer - Kempo Unlimited
2)Bryson Higa - Freelance
3)Benros Emata - Relson Gracie Team
Mens
+18yrs -160lbs
1)Robby Ostovich - Jesus is Lord
2)Blane Oshiro - Kempo Unlimited
Mens
+18yrs -175lbs
1)Kahai Kepa - Combat 50
2)Mark
Fox - Papakolea BJJ
3)Eric Chuck - Combat 50
Mens
+18yrs -190lbs
1)Zac Shepard - Team Mad Tiger
2)Joey Shimabuku - Manoa Dismef
3)Lawrence Collins - Jesus is Lord
Mens
+18yrs -220lbs
1)Robert Ostovich SR, - Jesus is Lord
2)Dennis Abensen - Gracie Barra University
3)Joseph Kelly - Gracie Uptown
CONTINUOUS
SPARRING DIVISION
Boys/Girls
8-9yrs. Old
1)Ezra Landerth - Advanced Kempo
2)Jonah Lopes Carter - Up-N-Up
3)Juan Aburto - Advanced Kempo
Boys/Girls
8-9yrs old
1)Quinton Montes - Advanced Kempo
2)Logan Tactacan - Kempo Unlimited
3)Chad Foster - Kempo Unlimited
Boys/Girls
10-11yrs
1)Jonah Yano - Kempo Unlimited(Kaimuki)
2)Keith Kaleo - Advanced Kempo
Boys/Girls
10-11yrs
1)Solomon Kaleo - Advanced Kempo
2)Austin Aglanao - Combat 50
Boys/Girls
12-13yrs old
1)Brandon Kurosawa - Kempo Unlimited
2)Israel Kaleo - Advanced Kempo
Boys/Girls
14-15yrs
1)Joseph Lopes Carter - Up-N-Up
2)Ethan Kerfoot - Combat 50
Adult
-132lbs
1)Jay Ye - Kempo Unlimited(Kaimuki)
2)Kea Beamer - Kempo Unlimited
3)Eric Felter - Freelance TKD
Source: Tommy Lam
|
Fitch
fit for Alves rematch
SAN
JOSE, Calif. – Jon Fitch, the perennial No. 2 fighter in
the UFC’s welterweight division, is heading down the home
stretch for a rematch with Thiago Alves at UFC 117 on Aug. 7.
But
you can’t blame him if he keeps his fingers crossed the
next two weeks, hoping the fight comes off as planned.
Fitch,
for the first time in his career, is in the position of being
the hometown star of a major event, held at the Oracle Arena
in Oakland, Calif., about 40 miles from his base in San Jose.
He’s in the semi-main event match on the show, underneath
Anderson Silva’s middleweight title defense against Chael
Sonnen.
But
it’s been an eight-month journey getting ready for this
battle of the consensus No. 2 and No. 3 fighters in the world
at 170 pounds behind champion Georges St. Pierre, as the fight
has been postponed three times.
“We
were first supposed to fight in December in Memphis,” said
Fitch over lunch after a recent training session at the American
Kickboxing Academy gym. “Then he suffered a knee injury.
Then we were supposed to fight in March.”
Out
of the several cancellations, the March delay left Fitch most
irritated. Alves waited until almost the last minute to submit
medicals in New Jersey, which is known for its strict athletic
commission. After completing a hard camp, Fitch remembers being
in New Jersey three days before the fight and being woken up
and told he needed to talk with UFC president Dana White immediately.
An
abnormality was found in Alves’ CT scan, finding a congenital
brain issue, so he would need surgery and fighting was out of
the question. Fitch ended up fighting and defeating Ben Saunders,
who took the match on short notice.
“For
all the young fighters, there is a lesson to be learned,”
he said. “Get your medicals done on time.”
The
Alves fight was then scheduled for June 12 in Vancouver, but
Alves, after surgery, wasn’t cleared in time.
Fitch
and Alves have fought before, on June 28, 2006, long before either
became a star in the sport. Fitch stopped a then 22-year-old
Alves via ground and pound in the second round.
“He’s
a lot better fight now,” said Fitch, whose 12-1 record in
UFC competition is the second best won-loss record for any veteran
fighter in company history, behind only Silva at 11-0. “He’s
bigger, he’s stronger and he’s got much better wrestling.
He’s got wicked knees and leg kicks.
“I
can’t let him establish his leg kicks and control the pace.
But I know a lot more about him. The first time we fought, the
only tape I had on him was one match with Spencer Fisher and
I only had a six-week training camp.”
Alves’
wrestling has improved so much since their first fight that Fitch’s
AKA teammate, Josh Koscheck, a former NCAA Division I champion,
never took Alves down once in losing a three-round decision in
2008. This gave Alves a title shot at St. Pierre.
Against
both Fitch and Alves, St. Pierre took both men down multiple
times, winning every round en route to taking a decision.
The
winner of the Alves-Fitch rematch would have to clearly be the
top contender for the title. But circumstances could throw a
monkey wrench into the plans if Fitch wins.
St.
Pierre’s next defense will be Dec. 11 against Koscheck.
If Koscheck wins, the game changes.
“If
Koscheck wins, due to St. Pierre’s record, I think [St.
Pierre] will get an immediate rematch,” said Fitch. “That
pushes things all the way to next summer. If Koscheck beats him
the second time, then I’m moving up to 185.
We’re
a team and our philosophy is that it’s better for the team
to have two championships than one. We’re not going to split
the gym up and fight.”
Fitch,
32, expects his wrestling to be at peak levels for the fight.
There has been a heavy emphasis on that sport at AKA over the
past few weeks, and will continue until the end of this year.
Fitch is facing a striker who is hard to take down in Alves.
The upcoming Koscheck vs. St. Pierre and Cain Velasquez vs. Brock
Lesnar fights make the gym’s big three fights for the remainder
of the year all ones where wrestling is expected to be the most
important component.
“The
gym is filled with great wrestlers. Every Tuesday, we do a hard
wrestling practice just like in college. Daniel Cormier [2004
and 2008 U.S. Olympian] runs the practice.”
Fitch
noted Cormier has also upped everyone’s mental game.
“He
came into the gym and said that nobody can take him down,”
he said. “He came in with that attitude even though we had
guys like [2008 NCAA champion] Phil Davis and Cain.”
The
current wrestling practice roster also includes Fitch, who was
the team captain at Purdue; three former NCAA champions in Koscheck,
Davis and Mark Ellis; Trevor Prangley (former South African champion),
Bobby Lashley (three-time NAIA champion and second in the world
military games); and Velasquez (heavyweight All-American).
Unlike
most former college wrestlers who have gone to MMA and concede
their pure wrestling wasn’t as good as when they concentrated
on the sport, Fitch, whose success in MMA far outdistanced his
success as a college wrestler, feels it’s the opposite.
“If
I wrestled against myself in college, I’d smash that guy.”
Fitch’s
potential competition got deeper this past week with the addition
of Jake Shields, who brings a own 14-fight winning streak to
the UFC welterweight division. Shields, who is also based in
the Bay Area, has trained with Fitch on a number of occasions.
“It’s
awesome getting him,” said Fitch. “I think the welterweight
division is the toughest of any division in the UFC. With the
exception of Nick Diaz, we have every top welterweight in the
world. There’s no other division where you can say that.
In heavyweights, there are top guys not in UFC, same with light
heavyweights and middleweights. Lightweights are really tough
[in UFC], but there are still top guys in Japan and Strikeforce.
“Unless
you’ve trained with Jake Shields, you have no idea just
how good he is,” said Fitch. “He has a systematic way
of doing things. He only does a certain number of things, but
he does those things at a different level than anyone in the
world.”
Source: Yahoo Sports
|
Rodrigo
Minotauro
Former
heavyweight champion of Pride and UFC, Rodrigo Minotauro will
have the chance to revenge his bitter loss on his career. On
the main event of UFC 119, the Brazilian faces Frank Mir, his
tormentor in 2008, and he is ready for the duel. On an exclusive
interview to TATAME, Minotauro talked about the rematch, compared
his Jiu-Jitsu to the American’s, commented the duel his
brother Rogério Minotouro will do against Ryan Bader,
who was Minotauro’s pupil on The Untimate Fighter 8.
You
will finally have this chance to revenge your loss to Frank Mir,
something you always wanted. How is your motivation for this
bout?
I’m
motivated, training hard, I’m in a good conditioning…
It’s an important fight in my career. It’s a bout I
wanted for so long and I thank them (UFC) for giving me this
chance to rematch him. I’m ready for this war.
Have
you started your preparation for this fight?
I’m
training hard, doing my preparation with André Galvão
and the guys from the TC, I’ll go to Bahia to train my boxing
and my Muay Thay too, and on the beginning of the other month
I’ll go to Los Angeles, to train with Anderson Sivla and
the guys there.
You
have had some time to make some thought about the strategy to
use against Frank Mir…
Of
course we have our strategy, but let’s see what happens
(laughs)...
Many
fans, mainly after Fabrício Wedum’s win over Fedor
Emelianenko and the win of Brock Lesnar over Shane Carwin, believed
you should use more your Jiu-Jitsu, which has been your strong
point during you whole career. What do you think about that?
That’s
the game I like, in fact, but I’m not using it because I’m
not finding the right opportunity, but when it goes to the ground
I immediately feel more comfortable than standing… It’s
a matter of opportunity, you can bring the guy to the ground.
Werdum set the right strategy, a very good one, his triangle
fit, and Shane Carwin show he is not much mature when it comes
to the ground. When you’re standing, it’s like a stampede,
his hands come from everywhere.
Frank
Mir also has a good ground game. How do you compare your Jiu-Jitsu
to his?
I
think Frank Mir is a good submitter, a fight on the ground between
us would be a beautiful thing to watch, but I believe I have
a more sharp ground game. I move more than him and I believe
on my conditioning. He has a tight game, but I believe my game
is tighter, that’s why I believe my submission game is a
little better.
Your
brother will fight on the same night against Ryan Bader. What
do you hope for this bout?
A
great fight, man… Coincidently it’ll be against a guy
who trained with me for three or four months during UFC’s
reality show, he’s an explosive guy, good, he improved his
standing game, but I’m excited about Rogério, he’s
very focused, training hard… He knows it’s his chance
to get closer to the belt. It’s a good fight, I enjoy fighting
against him, it’s a bigger adrenalin… There’ll
be two great fight on the same night and that’s what makes
me so focused. One helps the other. This week we’ll train
together, our bang game… It’s very exciting for me,
we’ll remind of our Pride time, when we fought together
a lot.
Will
Ryan Bader be dangerous on this bout?
He
has a strong right-handed punch, he’s explosive, has a good
rhythm, but Rogério has a better conditioning. Ryan is
a good wrestler… His ground and pound is not that efficient,
so on that area he’s not that dangerous to Rogério,
but he has that wrestler spin, but Rogério is better than
him on the bang and is a good counter attacker. He does good
takedowns, but on the ground Rogério is best.
How
does it feel in your nerves, when you don’t know if you
watch your brother’s bout or you do that last minute warm
up for your fight?
I’ll
fight twice on the same night. I like it, his fight gives me
a lot of adrenalin, I get there very focused, it turns my adrenalin
on… We’re a team, having me and my brother fighting
on the same day already makes me feel on the mood for fight,
so it’s interesting.
Source: Tatame
|
International
Master and Senior absolutes
The
only one Saulo Ribeiro didn't submit the whole tournament was
Gabriel Willcox.
The
festive mood on the first day of black belt disputes at the International
Masters and Seniors carried through to Sunday, when the veterans
disputed the absolute at the traditional Jiu-Jitsu venue that
is the Tijuca Tennis Club. The laid-back atmosphere didn’t
spill onto the mat, though. In the competition area things were
very serious.
That
was the case with Saulo Ribeiro. After submitting four opponents
in his weight group, Saulo went straight through to the second
stage of the master absolute to face Gabriel Willcox. The match
against the featherweight was the only one he had that didn’t
end in a submission (guard pass and mount). Now against Eduardo
Milioli (Rilion Gracie), the black belt passed guard and mounted,
to finish up with an armbar. At the other end of the bracket
came Rodrigo Munduruca, Ribeiro’s teammate, who tapped out
three opponents and took the gold. With Gracie Humaitá
dominating the division, the party was good to go. “Where’s
my cold one?” asked Saulo in front of the winners’
podium.
Another
who wasn’t there to fool around was Nova União’s
André Marola. After shutting out the ultraheavyweight
division with teammate Rafael Carino, Marola took gold in the
senior 1 absolute division after beating Rodrigo Otávio
(Brazilian Fight) in the decider.
In
the senior 2 class, Gracie Humaitá scored another double.
Wellington Megaton defeated the much heavier Osíris Maia
(Brazilian Fight) by an advantage point in the final. Now Admilson
Brites Juquinha beat three opponents and he was the one to snatch
the gold medal.
The
relentless Helvécio Penna (De La Riva) once again was
the best of the senior 3 division. Stephen Kamphuis (Fabrício)
took the senior 4 and Edelmans Pereira (João Roque) won
the senior 5.
In
the team tally, Gracie Humaitá won again, followed by
Gracie Barra and Nova União.
Source: Gracie Magazine
|
Matt
Hamill vs. Tito Ortiz added to UFC 121 in October
At
UFC 121, teacher will meet student.
A
light heavyweight matchup featuring former UFC light heavyweight
champion Tito Ortiz (15-7-1 MMA, 14-7-1 UFC) and the man he coached
on "The Ultimate Fighter 3," Matt Hamill (9-2 MMA,
9-2 UFC), has been added to the pay-per-view event.
MMAjunkie.com
(www.mmajunkie.com) confirmed with sources close to the event
that bout agreements were recently distributed for the contest.
MMAFighting.com first reported the matchup.
Featuring
a heavyweight title clash between champion Brock Lesnar and challenger
Cain Velasquez, UFC 121 is scheduled for Oct. 23 at the Honda
Center in Anaheim, Calif.
Ortiz
coached opposite Ken Shamrock in the third season of "The
Ultimate Fighter," and Hamill was one of four light heavyweights
on "The Huntington Beach Bad Boy's" team. Hamill defeated
Mike Nickels in the opening round of the tourney but was then
forced out of the competition due to injury.
Hamill
enters the fight on an official four-fight win streak, though
his December 2009 disqualification victory over Jon Jones is
widely considered a defeat.
A
former collegiate wrestling champion, Hamill has shown an impressive
striking game in recent outings with a stunning head-kick knockout
of Mark Munoz at UFC 96 and a "Fight of the Night"
slugfest victory over Keith Jardine at June's The Ultimate Fighter
11 Finale.
Meanwhile,
Ortiz enters the contest in desperate need of a win.
Despite
a valiant effort against Forrest Griffin at UFC 106 this past
November, Ortiz is 0-3-1 in his past four bouts. Of course, all
four bouts have been against former UFC champions.
Ortiz
hasn't tasted victory since October 2006 in a 69-second win over
rival Shamrock at The Ultimate Fighter 3 Finale.
The
positioning of the Hamill-Ortiz matchup on the UFC 121 card has
yet to be announced, though the contest appears a likely a main-card
affair.
Source: Yahoo Sports
|
The
Mid-Fight Conversation Between Pat Barry and 'Cro Cop' You Didn't
Hear
Pat
Barry could tell right away that he had a problem. He'd just
floored his idol, Mirko "Cro Cop" Filipovic, for the
second time in the first round of their UFC 115 bout with a beautiful
right hand that landed flush on the Croatian's skull, and he
knew immediately that he'd broken his hand in the process.
"The
world couldn't see it because the camera wasn't close enough
to my face, but as soon as I broke my hand – that was the
second punch I landed that knocked him down – as soon as
it happened, my lip was starting to tremble, and for two reasons.
One, it hurt terribly. And two, I honestly thought that was going
to be the end of my career. I never would have guessed that it
was only one broken bone. I felt like all the bones in my hand
were, like, entirely disintegrated."
The
injured hand was a problem, Barry knew, but it wasn't the end
of the world. He'd come into the fight with a game plan that
hinged on two main weapons: his right hand and his right foot.
At least he still had one. At least he could still kick his way
to a victory even if his hand was shattered.
You
know how this story goes. It's like that scene in a comedy movie
where a beleaguered character remarks to himself that hey, at
least it's not raining. Cue the thunder and lightning, the sudden
angry downpour. Or, in Barry's case, the fractured foot.
"After
the hand broke I panicked for a little bit, then I pulled myself
together, thinking, it's just a hand, you've got other weapons,"
Barry said. "Then I threw a kick and broke my foot, and
then I panicked. Complete, oh-sh*t-I-don't-know-what-to-do panic.
I don't know how I got through the next two rounds. Honestly,
it was like I could hear the clock slow down. Those rounds went
from five minutes to about a half-hour each."
Part
of how he got through, he said, was by putting his sense of humor
to work for him. After the first, when he came back to his corner
and told his coach that his two main weapons were now non-operational,
the only advice he got was to get on his bicycle and try to score
some points and survive for the next two rounds.
"I
said, 'Excuse me? Did you not hear what I said? I got nothing.'
So we started laughing about it, and that's what sort of enabled
me to get back up for round two."
Barry
managed to get off the stool for the second frame, but he was
a fraction of the fighter he'd been in the first. He tried to
talk himself into throwing the right hand. He kept seeing the
openings for it, and it was tough to resist. He told himself
to stop being a baby. How horribly could it hurt, anyway?
So
he threw it. Bad idea.
"I
almost screamed," Barry said. "I'm not manly enough
to say that didn't hurt. It hurt a lot. I mean, a lot."
It
didn't take "Cro Cop" long to notice the change that
had come over his opponent. One minute he'd been knocked flat
on his backside by a right hand from Barry, then it was as if
Barry had decided to completely abandon the weapon that had been
working so well, and Filipovic didn't know why. Rather than guess
at the reason, he went straight to the source.
"We
were on the ground in the second and he was on top of me punching
me and he asked me what was wrong," said Barry. "He
said, 'What's wrong with you? Why'd you stop fighting?' I told
him, 'I broke my hand,' and he was like, 'Bullsh*t.' I said,
'No sir. My hand is broken. That hand is gone.'"
The
way Barry saw it, there wasn't any point in lying to his opponent
about it. Even if Filipovic knew that the right hand was no longer
a factor, he'd still have to worry about the left. And besides,
what were the chances that he'd really take Barry's word for
it? He might as well tell the guy the truth, he reasoned.
Barry
made it to the third round that night before finally being overwhelmed
by a late surge from "Cro Cop." A sharp punch combo
in the final minute dropped him, and a few seconds later Filipovic
slapped on a rear naked choke that Barry, with his broken claw
of a right hand, was unable to defend.
After
the fight Barry took all sorts of criticism for letting his hero
off the hook. People said he was too pleased with his own performance
too early. They said he should have been trying to finish "Cro
Cop" instead of high-fiving him. Some even said he didn't
really want to beat his idol.
"Of
course you always hear different questions and assumptions. Some
people are like, 'I hope you got paid a lot to throw the fight,'
which is just absurd. Then there's others saying, 'You were scared
of beating your idol,' or the one that bugs me the most, 'You
were showing him too much respect.' What does that mean? Does
it mean, I got in the ring and respected his abilities in the
fight? I don't know. How can you have too much respect for 'Cro
Cop'? He's 'Cro Cop'!"
Now
Barry's right hand is out of the cast six weeks early, thanks
to what he sees as his Wolverine-like mutant healing ability.
He still doesn't use the hand, though. Not even to brush his
teeth or start his car.
To
help the healing process along, he sings to his injured hand.
"Rosanna" by the band Toto works best, he said, although
"Africa" will do in a pinch.
It's
hard for him not to feel frustrated by being so close to putting
away his idol only to get injured and see the chance of a lifetime
slip away, but he's trying to stay positive. It helps to remember
the moment he would later be criticized for, when both he and
"Cro Cop" paused to high-five one another and smile
in appreciation of each other. That's something you don't forget,
he said, even if you didn't come out on the winning end that
particular night.
"How
cool is it that 'Cro Cop' gave me a high-five twice in the first
round? To me, that was an acknowledgement of my presence, an
acknowledgement from him that, hey, you did show up to fight
and you deserve to be in this cage. That's what I took from it.
That means a lot."
Source: MMA Fighting
|
Bellator
Offers Disgruntled Heavyweight Dave Herman Bout vs. Ricco Rodriguez
Heavyweight
prospect Dave Herman is currently embroiled in a breach of contract
lawsuit against Bellator, but the promotion has made another
attempt at reconciliation, offering him a Sept. 9 date against
former UFC champion Ricco Rodriguez, MMA Fighting has learned.
Herman
(16-2), signed with the upstart promotion nearly two years ago,
yet has fought only once under their banner, earning a first-round
TKO over Josh Barnes in May 2009.
Earlier
this week, Sherdog.com reported that Herman has initiated litigation
against Bellator, and the promotion responded with a countersuit
of its own.
The
25-year-old is considered a rising star in the heavyweight ranks.
Nicknamed "Pee Wee," the 6-foot-5, 240-pounder went
3-0 during a run in the now-defunct EliteXC promotion, earning
wins over quality veterans Ron Waterman and Kerry Schall.
It
remains unclear whether Herman will consider the offer, though
a source with knowledge of the situation said Rodriguez has accepted
the fight, which would take place in New Orleans.
However,
it seems obvious that both sides would have to settle their legal
differences before continuing the strained relationship. Herman
told Sherdog that he'd be willing to hear any match offers and
even fight under the Bellator banner again, but that the organization
would at least have to pay his attorney's fees, which he estimates
in the $30,000-$50,000 range.
Rodriguez,
meanwhile, is in the middle of what appears to be a career resurgence.
A onetime UFC heavyweight champ, Rodriguez went through a long
period of personal turmoil due to substance abuse that was documented
during his time on the VH-1 show Celebrity Rehab. Since the start
of 2009, Rodriguez is 8-1, and is currently riding a seven-fight
win streak. The 32-year-old is 43-11 during his 11-year career.
Source: MMA Weekly
|
Taking
Responsibility for Amateur MMA
BleacherReport.com’s
David Mayeda,
Ph.D.,
writes in a column dated July 23 that industry leaders UFC and
Strikeforce “need to consider investing their profits in
smaller organizations to help improve an infrastructure that
bolsters safety precautions…this would be an investment
in the fighters, who at the lower levels receive less reward
for more risk.”
Right
hammer, wrong nail. Mayeda is correct in that the amateur circuit
represents -- and by a wide margin -- the greatest danger to
athletes. Matches can be disproportionate, physicals can be limited,
and oversight can be negligent. Several states that sanction
professional combat sports have no jurisdiction over amateurs.
When you’re dealing with a sport as dynamic and threatening
as mixed martial arts, this kind of structure is begging for
misadventure.
Mayeda
is also on point in noting that efforts by the UFC to better
regulate these obscure events would hardly be philanthropic:
athletes have to come from somewhere, and the more they’re
protected at the lower levels, the more fit and prepared they’ll
be to produce revenue for a larger organization in the future.
Even World Wrestling Entertainment, hardly the refuge for those
who value their health, has a hand in a developmental league:
talent that does not meet their minimum requirement for deltoid
size can sharpen their tools and tongues in semi-obscurity until
they’re ready.
The
UFC’s absence from this discussion is reasonable: they have
to worry about the UFC. Not the organization per se, but the
acronym -- the brand.
Let’s
suppose Zuffa took it upon themselves to develop a national feeder
regulatory body: we’ll call it the PFC (Penultimate Fighting
Championship -- I’ll be here all week, gang). It would mimic
USA Boxing, which seeks to protect and sanction that sport at
the amateur level and can provide oversight regardless of state
athletic commission involvement. While promoters would ostensibly
have to abide by the rules set in place, it would be impossible
to survey every bout. Mismatches would happen, officials would
drop the ball, and -- if for no other reason than the law of
averages -- a serious injury or tragedy could occur. The moment
that happens, the media would draw a straight line from Palookaville
to Las Vegas. It would become a UFC-branded incident. Broken
spines are not a Budweiser-friendly circumstance.
Realistically,
it won’t happen. The UFC is too protective of their banner.
So what’s pragmatic? You could establish a regulatory body
outside of the UFC’s trademark, something already in motion
with California’s CAMO (California Amateur Mixed Martial
Arts Organization, which really should read CAMMAO) league that
seeks to regulate amateur-level events. They’ve received
the blessing of the California State Athletic Commission, but
there are traces of the money-grab at work: amateurs pay a “license
fee” of $115 and have to pony up for their own blood work.
Want to wear your own gloves or rash guard? Nothing doing: CAMO
supplies the required gear. Even cornermen have to pay to be
licensed. CAMO might have noble intentions, but their execution
leaves a lot to be desired.
Avenue
two is piggybacking on an existing organization like USA Boxing,
which -- depending on whom in the office you speak with -- has
either an ambivalent or closeted admiration for mixed martial
arts. They’ve already cast their net out, which would seem
to make national amateur regulation less of a headache, but the
hurdle remains: some in boxing resent MMA, and trying to merge
the two on any level is like putting two wolverines in a sack.
Option
three remains the most promising: continued pressure from media
and persons of influence (like the UFC’s Marc Ratner) for
state commissions to extend the same standards to amateur shows.
Ohio, New Jersey, and Pennsylvania all have an eye on feeder
leagues and hold them to the same standards as professional events.
Some, like Ohio, remove weapons (like knees to the head) that
can make a young career more traumatic.
However
it’s done, it is absolutely crucial that this industry protects
its young athletes. Fighters who compete in unseen, untelevised
bouts are no less deserving of care than the faces on billboards.
The longer it takes to install that security, the better the
chance an event wrap-up turns into the anatomy of a disaster.
Source: Sherdog
|
Mario
Miranda 'clones' Sonnen for Anderson
After
he got his first win on UFC, a knockout applied on UFC 115, the
Brazilian Mario Miranda received a special invitation. Leaving
Washington, where he currently lives on the United States, the
middleweight travelled to Los Angeles, where he joined Anderson
Silva’s camp for his bout with Chael Sonnen.
“I
can have a similar style to Chael Sonnen. I could do a little
southpaw and shoot for takedowns. That's the kind of help we
were trying to get Anderson for this fight coming up”, Mario
told to MMAJunkie’s website. Besides training with the champion
of his division, Mario had the opportunity to train along with
Lyoto Machida, former light heavyweight champion of UFC. “It
was amazing. It doesn't get better than that. Anderson and Lyoto,
those guys are really amazing”.
Despite
mimicking Chael Sonnen’s style inside the octagon, the Brazilian
revealed he could not repeat the performance of the polemic American
on his statements. “I wish I could talk trash like that”,
joked, predicting an impressive outcome for this bout. “(Anderson)
doesn't show that he's upset or anything like that, but I can
only wait to see him in the octagon. He's going to make him pay”,
concluded.
Source: Tatame
|
REPORT:
TITO ORTIZ VS. MATT HAMILL AT UFC 121
The "Huntington Beach Bad Boy" will not face an old
foe in his return to the Octagon; he'll actually face an old
friend.
Tito
Ortiz is set to return to the Octagon on Oct. 23 at UFC 121 in
Anaheim, Calif., where he will face the fighter he picked first
during the third season of “The Ultimate Fighter" in
Matt Hamill.
UFC
president Dana White confirmed the fight in a message to MMAFighting.com.
Tito
Ortiz (15-7-1) has been through quite a bit over the last several
months, none of which included time in the Octagon. The former
light heavyweight champion coached during the 11th season of
“The Ultimate Fighter" and was scheduled to meet fellow
coach Chuck Liddell at the end of the year.
In
talking with his doctors, Ortiz was advised to undergo neck surgery
that would knock him out of the scheduled fight with Liddell.
UFC president Dana White decided to free him up to have the surgery
immediately and replaced him with Rich Franklin as a coach on
the show.
Months
later Ortiz was swept up in a swirl of controversy after an arrest
at his home, where he was taken away on allegations of domestic
violence. No charges were ever filed, and Ortiz returned home
where he resides with his girlfriend Jenna Jameson and their
sons.
A
successful surgery has allowed Ortiz to finally return to training
full time, and now his focus can solely go back to fighting.
Opposing
Ortiz for his return fight will be old friend and pupil Matt
Hamill (9-2), who enters the fight at UFC 121 fresh off a war
with Keith Jardine in June where he picked up a majority decision
victory. The win was Hamill's fourth straight.
Hamill
also took time off following his fight with Jon Jones last December
to recover from a shoulder injury he suffered in the fight, bouncing
back strong with his performance in June.
The
fight with Ortiz and Hamill will be a featured bout on the UFC
121 card, headlined by UFC heavyweight champion Brock Lesnar
defending his belt against Cain Velasquez.
Source: MMA Weekly
|
SCHAUB
VS. GONZAGA ON TAP FOR UFC 121
One fighter is making his first rise toward title contention;
the other is trying to claw his way back.
“Ultimate
Fighter Season 10” finalist Brendan Schaub (6-1) will face
former heavyweight contender Gabriel Gonzaga (11-5) at the as
yet unannounced UFC 121 on Oct. 23 in Anaheim, Calif.
MMAWeekly.com
sources confirmed the bout, first reported by Sportsnet.ca, on
Thursday.
Schaub’s
only loss to date was to Roy Nelson in the finals of season 10
of “The Ultimate Fighter.” Aside from that loss, he
has finished all six of his opponents by TKO inside of the first
round.
He
is coming off of a victory over Chris Tuchscherer at UFC 116.
Tuchscherer is a training partner of current UFC heavyweight
champion Brock Lesnar. A win over Gonzaga would propel Schaub
among the elite of the division.
Gonzaga,
with a head kick finish of Mirko “Cro Cop” Filipovic
at UFC 70, was once considered a top contender in the division,
but has had a difficult time cresting the final ascent to a title
bout.
He
also holds a victory over Tuchscherer, but that was sandwiched
between losses to Schaub’s training partner, Shane Carwin,
and more recently to Junior dos Santos. Gonzaga needs a win over
Schaub or he could easily find himself on the chopping block.
Lesnar
defends his title in the UFC 121 main event against number one
contender Cain Velasquez.
Source: MMA Weekly
|
MIKE
KYLE SET FOR COMEBACK IN STRIKEFORCE
It used to be that Mike Kyle was used as a precautionary tale
of too much too fast.
After
exploding onto the national scene at UFC 47 with a vicious knockout
of Wes Simms, the hype quickly swirled around Kyle as the next
big thing in the promotion’s heavyweight division.
Perhaps
buying too much into the hype, Kyle’s attitude both inside
and outside of the cage became suspect. He eventually found himself
out of the UFC and serving a suspension, which cost him all of
2007.
After
a lightning quick loss to Wayne Cole upon his return, Kyle appeared
to be headed for oblivion unless he made some changes.
Wins
in seven of Kyle’s last eight fights have shown that he’s
made the effort to change. He looks to keep his current four-fight
winning streak going at Friday’s Strikeforce Challengers
Series event in Everett, Wash.
“I’m
actually really excited to get back into a Strikeforce event,”
Kyle told MMAWeekly.com. “I’ve got a pretty tough opponent
that should showcase my talents. I’m excited and I want
to put on a great show for the fans and Strikeforce.”
Kyle
credits teammates and coaches at the American Kickboxing Academy
for his turnaround.
“I’ve
just really focused a lot on working on my wrestling, and Cain
Vasquez has been a big help to me,” he said. “And with
the mental game, the strategies, Bob Cook is really good at what
he does.
“It’s
a combination of working hard and the guys at the gym. We really
do have a good team atmosphere and work well together.”
Work
on his admittedly weak areas of wrestling and jiu-jitsu have
complemented his already feared striking, which he says has improved
even more since the last time he fought for Strikeforce.
“I’ve
gotten really good sparring for this fight,” he stated.
“The occasional high kick, low kicks, hooks, and getting
in good work with keeping my distance and using my reach.
“I
think that’s going to be the difference in this fight: me
keeping my distance and controlling the distance.”
Kyle
feels that he lacked patience earlier in his career, but has
now learned to use it to his advantage, especially against aggressive
fighters like the one he’ll be facing Friday night, Lolohea
Mahe.
“I
really don’t believe he’s gone three hard rounds before,
so I want to just be patient, wait until the second or third
round to get the finish,” he stated. “That’s one
of the strategies: not be too excited and waste too much energy.
Just box, defend what he throws at me, wait and get the knockout.”
Kyle
knows this could be his last chance at a big show, and intends
to make the most of the opportunity presented him.
“That’s
exactly what I’m trying to do,” he said. “I’m
putting a lot of pressure on myself, but with the way my career
has been, turning 30, I’m here to make the statement that
I’m their guy here at 205.
“I’ve
been here the longest, and I’ve worked my butt off to get
back here. I want to show the world that I’m one of the
top 205’ers in the world.”
After
almost becoming a cautionary tale for other fighters, Kyle now
sees himself as a veteran fighter who can deliver on a consistent
basis and eventually become a title contender.
“I’d
like to thank Savage Fight Gear, Full Tilt Poker, and every one
of my teammates and family who have been pushing me and supporting
me and made me the person I am today,” he concluded.
Source: MMA Weekly
|
Galvão
vs. Woodley or Tarec on Strikeforce
Monday
morning, André Galvão published on his Twitter
he would return to Strikeforce on August 21, but his opponent
still is a mystery. On a chat with TATAME, the black belt revealed
that the event has not chosen his opponent yet, but it’ll
be one of these two: Tyron Woodley (7-0) or Tarec Saffiedine
(9-2). “They mentioned these two fighters, but they’re
choosing”, explains.
After
debuting on Strikeforce with a win, the athlete wants another
victory on the American event. “I’m very glad and excited
about this fight. It’s my second fight on the event and
I’ll be very important to me to have a huge win. Now it’s
the time for me to show my work”, tells, ready for his opponents,
who are unbeaten on Strikeforce. “Each time I’ll have
to face tougher opponents, but we have to be prepared to face
anyone”, concluded. Stay tuned on TATAME to know who will
be Galvão’s opponent.
Source: Tatame
|
Lyoto
vs. Rampage may happen in November
The
fight we have all been waiting for can indeed happen and we will
see Quinton Rampage dueling with Lyoto Machida. “It’s
almost everything set for me to sign the contract for this bout.
I’d say who my opponent is, but I can’t spell his name
(laughs)”, wrote the American on his Twitter. Several American
websites confirmed that the former champions are likely to confront
each other on November 20, despite the contract has not been
signed yet. The duel between Lyoto and Rampage may put the winner
of it closer to disputing the title, even though both of them
are coming from losses. Stay tuned on TATAME to know more news
about this bout.
Source: Tatame
|
ROXANNE
MODAFFERI: I'LL FINISH THE FIGHT FOR HER
When Roxanne Modafferi defeated Tara LaRosa at the Moosin MMA
show in May, it was the perfect scenario to bring her back to
Strikeforce and have her fight the current 135-pound women's
champion Sarah Kaufman. Now Modafferi is ready to come back to
the United States, come back to Strikeforce, and then go home
to Japan with a title around her waist.
Defeating
LaRosa, who was widely seen as one of the top pound-for-pound
fighters in the women's division, put Modafferi in the top slot
to get a title shot against Kaufman in her first defense. She
was also excited to get the call back from Strikeforce after
jumping up a weight class for her first fight there, now she
gets to come back at a more natural weight and fight for the
belt.
"I
am so thrilled to be invited back to face Sarah Kaufman, especially
since it's in the weight division that I belong in," Modafferi
told MMAWeekly.com "Well, actually I think 132 pounds would
suit me physically, but such a weight class doesn't exist, unfortunately.
So the 135-pound division is the place for me."
There
is a lot of mutual respect between Modafferi and Kaufman, and
ultimately it just comes down to the fight for the two. Modafferi
is looking at Kaufman as the toughest opponent she's ever faced,
and that is the perfect motivation to go out, train hard, and
be the best Roxanne Modafferi she's ever been.
"Sarah
‘the KO Queen’ Kaufman. I've heard a bunch of goofy
ones, but this is how I think of her. I always think of my opponents
as the ultimate fighter. Meaning, they will do everything right,"
Modafferi said. "So I focus on improving myself in aspects
that I feel need strengthening the most. I imagine she is a super-striking
grappling legend, and I have to put every ounce of strength,
cunning, and skill I have into beating her.
“People
underestimate my striking. I'll show them! I'm going to KO the
KO Queen! Not to be all ‘Dragon Ball Z,’ but I'm developing
new super-attacks for this fight. Watch and see!"
With
the title on the line, many questioned why Strikeforce didn't
headline the Challenger's Series card with the fight between
Modafferi and Kaufman. The Japan based fighter understands the
logic, but wouldn't complain if she and Kaufman grab the main
event spot.
"I
hoped we could be the main event for this card, but I understand
that it didn't work out so well the last time," said Modafferi
"Women still do tend to be less of a draw for men still,
so I understand if Strikeforce wants to make it a co-main event.
They're the business people. But I wouldn't be unhappy if they
also changed it at the last minute."
Speculation
around why the fight isn't the main event has been pointed somewhat
at Kaufman, who in her title fight against Takayo Hashi, outpointed
and definitely beat her opponent, but didn't seem to go for the
kill at any moment in the fight.
Kaufman
has come under considerable fire lately for decision wins in
general, but Modafferi is confident that her opponent won't have
that problem when they face each other in July.
"I'd
like to reassure Sarah that she doesn't have to feel any pressure
this time. I'll finish the fight for her."
Source: MMA Weekly
|
STRIKEFORCE
TOURNEY OFFICIAL, BUT COENEN GETS NEXT SHOT
Strikeforce on Thursday officially announced its one-night four-woman
welterweight tournament for Aug. 13 at the Dodge Theatre in Phoenix.
Miesha
Tate, Carina Damm, Hitomi Akano, and Maiju Kujala, as expected,
are the four women who will battle it out to become the No. 2
contender in the division.
Strikeforce
CEO Scott Coker has stated that the No. 1 contender is already
lined up for the winner of Friday night’s fight between
champion Sarah Kaufmann and challenger Roxanne Modafferi. Marloes
Coenen holds that position.
Although
she lost to Strikeforce women’s middleweight (145 pounds)
champion Cristiane “Cyborg” Santos in her most recent
fight, Coenen is dropping back down to her more natural weight
of 135 pounds, where she has split bouts with Modafferi.
"Marloes
has made the move down to welterweight and she will get the next
title fight," Coker said. "She has proven that she
belongs in the cage with our champion. So, after the tournament,
we'll have another legitimate contender to challenge for the
title.”
The
draw to determine the semi-final matchups for the two-round tournament
in Phoenix will take place at the weigh-in on Aug. 12. A complete
list of tournament rules will be provided in the coming days.
The
Showtime telecast (live at 11p.m. ET/PT, delayed on the west
coast) will begin with the two semi-final bouts. The winners
of each bout will compete in the tournament final later that
night, just before the main event match-up of Joe Riggs vs. Louis
Taylor. Each of the three tournament fights is scheduled for
three, three-minute rounds.
"We
are going to fast-track these four talented prospects in a quest
to determine the best in this deep women's division," Coker
said. "Having all four women square off on one night with
the chance to separate themselves from the pack is what Strikeforce
Challengers is all about."
Source: MMA Weekly
|
SANCHEZ
VS. THIAGO FACE OFF AT UFC 121
UFC 121 continues to add big fights to the October 23 card, and
the latest will see "Ultimate Fighter" season 1 winner
Diego Sanchez back in action facing Paulo Thiago in a welterweight
contest for the Anaheim, CA card.
The
bout was confirmed to MMAWeekly.com by sources close to the fight,
and first reported by Thiago to Brazilian website Tatame.com
on Wednesday.
According
to Thiago, he has signed his bout agreement for the match-up
which will likely end up on either the night's main card or possibly
a Spike TV preliminary match-up.
With
a possible title shot on the line, Thiago (13-2) faced Martin
Kampmann at UFC 115 in June. The Brazilian came up short, as
Kampmann executed the perfect strategy and got the nod by unanimous
decision.
Hoping
to get back to that top spot, Thiago returns with a renewed sense
of urgency as no fighter wants to go into the UFC with back-to-back
losses.
"It’ll
be a tough fight, we both want to keep our jobs," Thiago
told Tatame.com.
As
for Diego Sanchez (21-4) he's been faced with more decisions
lately than LeBron James.
The
one-time Greg Jackson disciple climbed up to the top of the lightweight
ranks before losing in his title bid against B.J. Penn last December.
Sanchez then made the quick announcement that he was returning
to the welterweight division, where he had been an established
top ten fighter for some time before dropping to 155lbs.
The
move didn’t go his way as Sanchez lost a one-sided decision
to up and coming British star John Hathaway. Now the New Mexico
native tries to battle back from 2 losses in a row, and has a
very tough test ahead of him at UFC 121.
Thiago
and Sanchez add onto what it is already turning out to be one
of the biggest UFC cards of the year with Brock Lesnar battling
Cain Velasquez for the UFC heavyweight title, while Jake Shields
makes his Octagon debut against Martin Kampmann as well.
Source: MMA Weekly
|
Paulo
Thiago ready for Diego Sanchez
Officer
from a special squad of the Police and UFC fighter, Paulo Thiago
was moving forwards to achieve the top of his division, but a
loss to Martin Kampmann backed his plans. Now, the welterweight
fighter sees the belt a little bit farther than before. On UFC
121, scheduled for October 23, the Brazilian faces Diego Sanchez,
and he wants to get back to the wins.
“He’s
a tough fighter, and he’s on the same situation as me, coming
from a loss… It’ll be a tough fight, we both want to
keep our jobs”, said, revealing he’ll send today his
contract signed to UFC, and commented the bout: “Diego is
a real warrior, he doesn’t give up and he’s also really
tough on the ground. Besides his aggressiveness, he’s also
very technical on the ground, he trained for a long time with
Saulo and Xande Ribeiro, and he’s left-handed. To train
with left-handed is always a hard thing, we’ve studied his
game and set a strategy”, concluded, telling he plans to
train in Rio de Janeiro along with the guys from X-Gym, in Bahia,
with Luis Carlos Dórea and on the United States with Anderson
Silva.
Source: Tatame
|
The
Rock wants to keep a good sequence
Pedro
Rizzo complained about the lack of fights for many years. But
when he speeded up, the striker showed he still is in a good
shape. Entering the ring for the third time on a 10 months period,
Rizzo won all three fights and is regaining his old confidence
every step he takes. On a quick chat with TATAME, which you check
here below, UFC’s former fighter talked about the win over
the legendary Ken Shamrock, his evolution on the last year and
the expectation for a better fight in October.
What
did you think of this last fight against Ken Shamrock? It came
out like you hoped for?
I
didn’t win like I wanted to, I thought I could have won
on the first round because that was a personal demand, nobody
else told me that, I believed I had the capacity of winning on
the first round. I won, but I didn’t fight the way I wanted
too. I believe I’m a little slow, heavy, I need to lose
some pounds to become faster and quick, but I can say I evolved
since my last fight. I fought better this time and I believe
I’ll be perfect by October. I’m get my rhythm back,
I’m be well trained and, if God helps me, in October I’ll
fight like I want to. In order to fight in a high level, I have
to improve some things.
Do
you think the referee did wrong when he decided not to interrupt
the fight on your last low kick and let it go?
I
thought that, when he felt, Big John (McCarty) would stop it
right away, but he didn’t so I went to try to submit him.
I don’t think Big John was wrong, I believe that nowadays
people are complaining a lot when they interrupt it too soon.
I knew that Shamrock didn’t want to fight no longer. But
John didn’t make a mistake, that’s my opinion. He just
waited to see if the guy wanted to give it up.
You
were complaining about the few number of fights, on a time you
did just one fight per year, but it has changed and you fought
three times this last year. How do you this comeback of yours
in a good rhythm?
I’m
thrilled. That’s what moves me. In September I fought with
(Jeff) Monson and I did three fights on this last year, so I’m
very happy. I’ll fight in October and I’m hunting fights,
because that’s what I like the most, that’s my job.
I’m very glad to be back at work, and I’m getting my
rhythm back and also my confidence and timing… Everything’s
coming back. From Monson to Gary (Goodridge) and then to Shamrock,
in each one on these fights I could see some evolution, I was
always improving something. That’s giving me rhythm and
I’m trying to get back to a higher level. I can’t hope
nothing less than a great fight in October, because it’s
my obligation to be great due to the rhythm I’ve got, so
I’m very glad. I used to fight a lot on UFC and then I stayed
for a while without fighting, so I’m starting to get strength
and rhythm I had on UFC back, when I used to fight all the time,
every three months. Im very happy, I’m thrilled. It was
what I needed.
Is
there something set to October?
Man,
there nothing 100% sure, but we’re working on it. Even if
I haven’t signed with any opponent or event, I’m sure
I’ll fight in October, it’s 90% sure. It’s best
not to say anything since I don’t know when it will be.
When everything’s set, I’ll let you know.
Source: Tatame
|
Rio
Open: Rodolfo beats Nogueira… at weight
The
finals of the Rio Open are being defined at this moment in the
Tijuca Tennis Club, on a sunny winter day in Rio de Janeiro.
And it’s turning out to be a day on the beach for the well-known
old black belts. Augusto “Tanquinho” Mendes (Soul Fighters)
for example, will do battle for the lightweight gold medal against
revelation Thiago Coelho (Alliance), while Mário Reis
(Gracie Barra) will look to add another gold medal to his vast
collection against the fortress that is Theodoro Canal.
One
of the great bouts of the day was the heavyweight semifinal foreshadowing
what is in store in the absolute final between Rodolfo Vieira
(GFTeam) and Leonardo Nogueira. At weight, it was Rodolfo’s
day. The talented candidate for stardom frustrated Léo’s
various attempts to get the sweep, imposed his guard pass and
pressed a knee to his opponent’s belly. Sparks are bound
to fly in the absolute final, and Rodolfo will go in rested –
his teammate Ricardo Evangelista won the other bracket and the
two closed out the heavyweight division.
Get
more of the facts from the Rio Open first hand right here on
GRACIEMAG.com.
FINALS
Galo:
Igor Rodrigues vs Rufino Gomes (closed out bracket for CheckMat)
Light
featherweight: Samir Chantre (Carlson Gracie) vs Gabriel Moraes
(Monteiro)
Featherweight:
Mário Reis (Gracie Barra) vs Theodoro Canal (GFTeam)
Lightweight:
Augusto Tanquinho (Soul Fighters) vs Thiago Coelho (Alliance)
Middleweight:
Luis Gustavo “Guga” (CheckMat) vs Bruno Alves (Gracie
Barra-PE)
Medium
heavyweight: Felipe Cranivata vs Kléber Buiú (closed
out bracket for Gracie Barra)
Heavyweight:
Ricardo Evangelista vs Rodolfo Vieira (closed out bracket for
GFTeam)
Super
heavyweight: Igor Silva (GFTeam) vs Bruno Bastos (Nova União)
Ultraheavyweight:
Gabriel Ingênito (GFTeam) vs Agnaldo Rodrigues (Gracie
Barra)
Scream
and shout, Rodolfo
Rodolfo
Vieira (GFTeam) was the big name at the Rio Open this Sunday
at the Tijuca Tennis Club, a classic venue in the suburbs of
Rio de Janeiro. The Julio Cesar black belt won the absolute final
against Léo Nogueira by an uneven score of 12 to 4.
FINALS
Roosterweight:
Rufino Gomes submitted Igor Rodrigues via armbar (the CheckMat
athletes opted to fight)
Light
featherweight: Gabriel Moraes (Monteiro) defeated Samir Chantre
(Carlson Gracie) on advantage points
Featherweight:
Mário Reis (Gracie Barra) submitted Theodoro Canal (GFTeam)
via armbar
Lightweight:
Augusto Tanquinho (Soul Fighters) defeated Thiago Coelho (Alliance)
by 3 to 2 (pass against sweep)
Middleweight:
Luis Gustavo “Guga” (CheckMat) defeated Bruno Alves
(Gracie Barra-PE) by judges’ decision
Medium
heavyweight: Felipe Cranivata defeated Kléber Buiú
(the two closed out for Gracie Barra)
Heavyweight:
Rodolfo Vieira defeated Ricardo Evangelista (the two GFTeam closed
out, too)
Super
heavyweight: Igor Silva (GFTeam) defeated Bruno Bastos (Nova
União) by 10 to 2
Ultraheavyweight:
Agnaldo Rodrigues (Gracie Barra) submitted Gabriel Ingênito
(GFTeam) via kimura
Source: Gracie Magazine
|
Carla
Cavalcante dominates female division
The
big winner in the female division of the Rio Open was Carla Cavalcante.
The student of Professor Maguila at Gracie Barra defeated six
opponents to take both here weight group and the absolute. Furthermore,
Carla got the tapout in all of them, having a perfect championship.
Further
standouts were Beatriz Mesquita at lightweight and Ana Michelle
Tavares Dantas at featherweight, both representing Gracie Humaitá.
Source: Gracie Magazine
|
KAUFMAN
READY FOR MODAFFERI & MARQUEE EVENTS
Undefeated Strikeforce women’s welterweight champion Sarah
Kaufman is prepared to defend her belt for the first time when
she faces Roxanne Modafferi on Friday at the Comcast Arena in
Everett, Wash.
Kaufmann
obtained the title on Feb. 26 by defeating Takayo Hashi by unanimous
decision.
“I’m
excited to actually get to defend the title because I don’t
like sitting on the sidelines. Having had the last five months
not knowing when I’m fighting has been hard,” she told
MMAWeeklyRadio.com.
Her
goal on July 23 is not only to defeat Modafferi, but to also
graduate from the Strikeforce Challengers cards to a marquee
Strikeforce event.
“My
goal is to obviously get off the Challengers cards, so it looks
like Roxanne is going to be the one to make that happen for me,”
commented the 135-pound titleholder.
“I’d
like to get off the Challengers cards because I think I might
do a little bit better off of those cards. The Friday night is
harder to get the extra sponsorships than the main cards. Hopefully
when I get on the bigger shows I’ll get paid even more.”
Kaufman
isn’t one to do a lot of trash talking leading up to a fight.
“I
don’t smack talk. I just do what I do and kind of state
my opinions,” she stated.
Kaufman
likes to let her in-cage actions speak for themselves, but for
this match-up, fueled by Modafferi predicting a finish, the Canadian
has let a few verbal jabs fly.
“I
definitely think it’s a great fight for me,” Kaufmann
said. “I kind of heard that Roxanne is saying that she’s
going to finish me in this fight and she hopes to get a knockout.
That to me is intriguing.
“I
hope she’s willing to stand in front of me and actually
try and go for the knockout because that’s going to make
an exciting fight and that’s definitely going to be where
I’m going to win the fight.”
Asked
if the comments made by Modafferi has motivated her to train
harder or changed her approach to the fight, Kaufman said her
focus on the task at hand is never compromised by anything.
“I
don’t think it affects me at all as far as how hard I train.
I train as hard as I can no matter what. To me, she’s either
really game or she’s talking like she’s game and she’s
not,” said the titleholder. “It’s one of the two,
so either way I’m going to come in with the same preparedness
as I would whether she’s game or not.
“I
personally don’t think she’s going to try to knock
me out, but we’ll see.”
Source: MMA Weekly
|
PATRICK
COTE TAKES ON TOM LAWLOR AT UFC 121
Patrick Cote and Tom Lawlor have agreed to meet at UFC 121 in
Anaheim in a middleweight match-up on the card set to take place
on October 23.
The
bout was confirmed to MMAWeekly.com by sources close to the fight
who indicated bout agreements for the match-up have been issued.
Coming
off of a year plus layoff after two knee surgeries, Patrick Cote
(13-6) wanted to face the best of the best upon his return, to
help vault him back to the top of the middleweight division.
His
first fight back he fell short, losing by rear naked choke to
Alan Belcher in May, but now Cote is more motivated than ever
and wants to return to the form that earned him a UFC middleweight
title shot.
Standing
in his way will be former "Ultimate Fighter" competitor,
"The Filthy Mauler" Tom Lawlor who is looking to bounce
back from back-to-back losses in his last two fights.
A
split decision in a war with Aaron Simpson gave Lawlor a loss
back in January, and then he faced a very tough late replacement
in Joe Doerksen at UFC 113, and lost by submission in the 2nd
round.
With
his back against the wall, Lawlor will surely come out swinging
in this fight looking for the win.
There
was no word if the fight between Cote and Lawlor will make the
televised portion of the night's show capped off by heavyweight
champion Brock Lesnar defending his belt against Cain Velasquez.
Source: MMA Weekly
|
PHIL
DAVIS REPLACES NEDKOV AT UFC 117
NCAA champion wrestler turned mixed martial artist Phil Davis
will step back in the Octagon sooner than expected as he has
accepted to step in on short notice to face Rodney Wallace at
UFC 117 in Oakland, just over two weeks away.
The
change in the fight was confirmed to MMAWeekly.com by sources
close to the situation on Thursday.
Wallace's
original opponent Stanislav Nedkov was forced off the card with
an injury, but it's unknown at this time what injury he suffered,
or how severe the injury was.
Phil
Davis enters the fight currently undefeated in his MMA career
with a record of 6-0, and has started training part time alongside
the team at American Kickboxing Academy.
The
former wrestler from Penn State University has been impressive
in his short time in the Octagon, winning his two bouts so far,
last defeating Alexander Gustafsson by submission in Abu Dhabi
in April.
The
bout between Davis and Wallace will occupy part of the untelevised
portion of the pay-per-view broadcast.
Source: MMA Weekly
|
Alan
Belcher brushing up Jiu-Jitsu for Maia fight in Brazil
Alan
Belcher is getting ready to face Demian Maia at Ultimate Fight
Night 22 on September 22. The Jiu-Jitsu black belt knows it will
be no walk in the park against Demian on the ground. Thus, he’s
repeating the winning formula from his last fight, when he submitted
Patrick Cote with a rear-naked choke. Belcher works on his Jiu-Jitsu
with Daniel Moraes and this time he’s doing so in Brazil.
Belcher
is training at Gracie Ilha academy and the Jardim Guanabara Yacht
Club, on the Ilha do Governador island neighborhood in Rio de
Janeiro. Our collaborator Diego Marcello caught it all up close.
One of the first questions out of the stalwart UFC fighter’s
mouth was whether he’d be able to watch the Rio Open tourney
that starts this Thursday in the Tijuca Tennis Club.
Another
fighter who should show up in Brazil in the coming days is Kamal
Shalorus of the WEC. Daniel Moraes will hold a super seminar
on July 29 at the Jardim Guanabara Yacht Club, and the fighters
will be there.
Source: Gracie Magazine
|
Vitor
Belfort back to trainings in Las Vegas
Last
Friday, Vitor Belfort talked to TATAME and commented about the
comeback to the gauntlet frills, something he did not do for
a while due to a shoulder surgery. “I’m thrilled. I’m
back to the trainings and I’m really glad. The guys are
really helping me around here, I’m training along with Shawn
Thompkins and Ray Sefo... It’s been great”, said. On
the video below, UFC’s former champion shows he did not
lose his main skill: speed.
Source: Tatame |
Volkmann
fighting to keep his job
The
mortgage is overdue. He’s holding down three jobs to make
ends meet. He’s struggling to make his own small business
succeed while security at his other job is very tenuous, at best.
Jacob Volkmann knows that each day he reports to work could be
his last.
He’s
no different than millions of working class Americans who, during
the recession, have to struggle to survive on a day-to-day basis.
Volkmann,
though, is a bit different than most in that he’s managed
to retain his job in spite of overwhelming evidence that he might
lose it. Volkmann is a lightweight in the Ultimate Fighting Championship,
but lost his first two bouts to Paulo Thiago and Martin Kampmann
at welterweight.
That’s
a recipe for a pat on the back, a one-way ticket home and counsel
to find a new line of work.
To
many mixed martial arts fighters who dream of competing in the
UFC, UFC matchmaker Joe Silva is like the NFL’s version
of the “The Turk,” the guy who visits aspiring NFLers
in training camp with the dreaded admonition, “Coach wants
to see you. Bring your playbook.”
So
many fighters want to compete in the UFC and there are so few
slots, that a single loss is often all it takes for a fighter
to get the pink slip.
Silva,
though, didn’t give Volkmann the hook after losing fights
to Thiago and Kampmann at UFC 106 and UFC 108, respectively.
Neither Volkmann nor manager Monte Cox are quite sure why, but
both are eternally grateful for the reprieve.
Volkmann,
29, repaid Silva’s faith in him by defeating Ronys Torres
at Ultimate Fight Night in Charlotte, N.C., in March after a
drop to lightweight. But unless you’re Brock Lesnar, Georges
St. Pierre or someone of that ilk, there is no such thing as
job security in the UFC. And so Volkmann knows full well that
he’ll need to perform on Aug. 1 when he meets Paul Kelly
in a three-round UFC lightweight bout in San Diego on Versus
2.
“This
is the last fight on my contract,” Volkmann said. “I
know what that means.”
The
fight was originally slated to be held at UFC 116 on July 3,
but had to be canceled when Kelly had visa issues and couldn’t
get into the U.S. on time. Volkmann is a low-key sort who by
his own admission is “pretty good at keeping my emotions
under control,” but he snapped when he learned of the postponement.
Volkmann
wrote on his Twitter page: “I will not be fighting July
3rd in Vegas because the stupid brit (sic) did not get his visa
in time. I will kill him Aug (1).” It was an unusual burst
of emotion for a guy who doesn’t easily get riled up, but
it wound up providing him with even more incentive than he already
had for the bout.
He’s
behind on his mortgage, he has a child and another on the way
in November, his chiropractic business is struggling to get off
the ground and his UFC career is hanging by a thread.
“It
sucks because of everything that happened around it,” Volkmann
said. “My sister had already booked her tickets [to get
to Las Vegas for UFC 116] and she was planning on going. I had
a couple of other friends who were going. I bought [airfare]
tickets for one of my corner guys who was supposed to go, but
who can’t go now [to the show in San Diego].
“I
lost a bunch of sponsorships because of it. I was irritated because
I lost of bunch of money (as a result of the postponement). I
probably lost $3,000 to $5,000 in sponsorships going from being
on UFC 116 to being on this card. When I haven’t paid my
house mortgage in 10 months, it’s pretty hard to take.”
Volkmann
spoke by telephone from his office at Volkmann Chiropractic in
White Bear Lake, Minn. He’s a chiropractor and treats many
of the fighters he trains with. His doors are open to the public,
but the business hasn’t quite taken off just yet. He’s
still trying to figure a way to market his clinic properly
He’s
a one-man show, running the office, doing the books and treating
the patients. But the three-time All-American wrestler at the
University of Minnesota still has to teach MMA at his academy
in order to make ends meet.
He’ll
make $10,000 to show and another $10,000 if he wins for fighting
Kelly, money that would go a long way toward helping him out
of his financial woes.
Cox
concedes that a great performance will make a huge difference
for Volkmann. Fighters like Lesnar and St. Pierre don’t
have much problem attracting sponsors, but those at Volkmann’s
level aren’t as fortunate. Unless a fighter is on the main
card at one of the major UFC pay-per-view shows, the sponsorship
dollars are few and far between.
And,
Cox said, fighters tend to begin making significant money when
they sign their second contract in the UFC. All of that combines
to put the onus on Volkmann to come up with the fight of his
life against Kelly, a hard-hitting standup fighter.
“There
aren’t a lot of guys who use their first two in the UFC
and who are around for a third one,” Cox said. “The
competition for those spots is incredible. I think in Volkmann’s
case, it’s really the way he fights. He’s an All-American
wrestler who is going out of his way to strike and to make exciting
fights.
“He
just wasn’t big enough to compete at 170 and he fought some
really tough guys really hard. I think maybe Joe Silva saw something
and felt like he could be something special at [155]. I’m
not sure. All I know for sure is, the kid got another opportunity
[against Torres] and he took advantage of it. And he has to keep
taking advantage of it. I know that and he knows that.”
Volkmann
has a lot going on in his life that keeps him from worrying too
much about external pressures. He wakes up at midnight and again
at 3 a.m. to feed his baby. Then, he’s up at 6:30 a.m. to
run. He teaches at Minnesota Martial Arts Academy in White Bear
Lake from 9:30 a.m. to 11 a.m. and then trains after that. When
he’s done training, he heads to the chiropractic clinic.
It’s
a lot to ask of a man, but Volkmann isn’t about to complain.
“There’s
a lot going on, but getting a chance to fight in the UFC makes
it all worth it,” he said. “If this works out and I
get to be successful, it will make our lives so much different.
I’m just going out and giving it my best shot to try to
make this thing work.
And
if he keeps battling hard, he might manage to stave off a visit
from the UFC’s version of “The Turk” long enough
to catch up on the mortgage, have his business take off and gain
some measure of financial freedom.
Source: Yahoo Sports
|
ATTONITO
VS. NATAL ADDED TO UFC FIGHT NIGHT
Middleweights Rich Attonito and Rafael "Sapo" Natal
have been added to the upcoming UFC Fight Night show in Austin,
TX on September 15 as part of the untelevised undercard.
The
UFC made the fight official on Tuesday.
Natal
(12-2) was just announced as a new UFC signee earlier this month,
and comes to the UFC out of the famed Renzo Gracie Fight Academy
in New York. A black belt in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu under the legendary
instructor, Natal has been impressive in his time doing MMA,
and recently TKO'd former UFC middleweight title contender, Travis
Lutter.
Facing
off against Natal in his debut will be American Top Team fighter
Rich Attonito (8-3) who came to prominence after spending time
as a cast member on the 11th season of the "Ultimate Fighter"
reality show.
Winning
his way into the house, and then winning his first round match-up,
Attonito looked to be one of the favorites on the show, but a
broken hand sidelined him and knocked him out of the competition.
Attonito returned at the finale show, finishing former housemate
Jamie Yager by TKO in the 2nd round of their fight in June.
This
will be the first appearance since the finale for Attonito, and
the UFC debut for Natal.
Source: MMA Weekly
|
MIKE
PYLE STEPS IN TO FACE HATHAWAY AT UFC 120
An injury to Dong Hyun Kim has forced the Korean Judoka off the
upcoming UFC 120 card in England. Stepping in to replace Kim
will be Xtreme Couture fighter Mike Pyle who now faces rising
welterweight star John Hathaway at London's O2 Arena on October
16.
The
bout was confirmed to MMAWeekly.com by sources close to the match-up,
and was initially reported by MMAFighting.com on Tuesday.
Mike
Pyle (19-7-1) gets to UFC 120 by way of his undying work ethic,
and willingness to face anyone that steps in the cage to oppose
him. Known as one of the hardest workers in his camp at Xtreme
Couture, Pyle has been a huge asset to many of the fighters that
have trained there, and now he's getting the recognition on his
own by fighting the Octagon.
Pyle
last fought at UFC 115 in Vancouver where he submitted Jesse
Lennox late in the third round of their fight with a triangle
choke. He will have no easy test when he steps in to the cage
once again in October.
John
Hathaway (14-0) opened everyone's eyes when he dominated former
"Ultimate Fighter" winner Diego Sanchez back in May
at UFC 114. Using his striking to offset Sanchez at every move,
Hathaway looked like the more seasoned and confident fighter
throughout their three round affair.
There's
been no word if the bout between Hathaway and Pyle will make
the televised broadcast for UFC 120, which will be shown via
tape delay on Spike TV on Saturday, October 16.
Source: MMA Weekly
|
LESNAR
TRAINING PARTNER KONRAD TO BELLATOR
Cole Konrad, the two-time NCAA wrestling champion who is undefeated
since making the transition into MMA earlier this year, is the
latest confirmed participant in Bellator Fighting Championships’
upcoming Season 3 heavyweight tournament.
The
26-year-old Konrad, a protégé and training partner
of reigning UFC heavyweight champion Brock Lesnar, will enter
the tournament looking to improve on the unblemished 4-0 record
he has compiled since making his pro debut in January. His two
most recent wins came during special “Feature Fights”
at Bellator 17 and Bellator 22 in May and June.
Standing
at six feet, five inches tall and tipping the scales at 265 pounds,
Konrad is the seventh confirmed participant in the tournament
along with Damian Grabowski, Neil Grove, Eddie Sanchez, Rogent
Lloret, Mike Hayes, and Scott Barrett.
The
tournament begins Aug. 12 on FOX Sports Net.
“Cole
Konrad’s pedigree as a wrestler is obviously second-to-none
and he is quickly developing other aspects of his MMA arsenal
as well,” said Bellator founder and CEO Bjorn Rebney. “Between
Warren at 45 and Askren at 70, world class wrestlers have had
a very good run with Bellator, and Cole could certainly follow
in those footsteps.”
Konrad,
who grew up in Neenah, Wis., won the NCAA wrestling championships
at 285 pounds while competing at the University of Minnesota
in 2006 and 2007 and won a gold medal at the 2005 Pan-American
Games. He has been training with Lesnar, a fellow U. of M. alumnus,
for the past year and a half.
“This
tournament is going to provide me with the greatest test that
I've faced so far in my fighting career,” Konrad said. “But
this is exactly the kind of test I'm looking for. I want to get
as many fights under my belt as I can and I want to keep fighting
tougher guys. This tournament is going to allow me to do that.
“I'm
taking it one fight at a time, but I'm planning on winning this
tournament. If I wasn't planning on winning, I wouldn't bother
showing up.”
Source: MMA Weekly
|
UFC
119 GETS LIVE PRELIM TREATMENT ON SPIKE TV
Spike TV on Tuesday announced that it will air at least two “UFC
119: Mir vs. Nogueira 2” preliminary bouts on Sept. 25 from
the Conseco Fieldhouse in Indianapolis.
The
two bouts that are scheduled for the telecast are “The Ultimate
Fighter 10” alum Matt Mitrione facing Joey Beltran and “The
Ultimate Fighter 7” competitor C.B. Dollaway taking on Joe
Doerksen.
Other
bouts on the card might air on Spike TV, which will be determined
by the length of the fights.
To
date, Spike TV has aired preliminary bouts from nine UFC events,
averaging 1.43 million viewers per show.
Source: MMA Weekly
|
SEVERAL
EVENTS TO DETERMINE WEC 155 CONTENDER
Very rarely does the WEC ever announce a scheduled fight as a
true No. 1 contender's match. A rare occurrence of this was when
former champion Jamie Varner took on Kamal Shalorus with a shot
at Ben Henderson's lightweight title on the line.
What
happened?
Varner
and Shalorus fought to a draw.
Thus
ended the experiment of the WEC naming a fight with the winner
guaranteed a title shot. That's why the upcoming bout between
Anthony Pettis and Shane Roller could have title implications
on the line, but nothing is guaranteed yet.
"I
can't say that, and the only reason I can't say that is that
I haven't had that specific discussion with Sean Shelby,"
WEC General Manager Reed Harris told MMAWeekly Radio.
"I
would tell you if we had, had that discussion. Obviously we theorize
about fights all the time, but what we plan in our theories never
quite works out because guys actually get in the cage and fight.
I think that's a mistake a lot of promoters make, and that we
don't make, is we wait till the fight happens.
"If
you map it out before the fight happens, it always ends up never
working out the way you want it to."
As
far as the two lightweights that squared off in June, according
to Harris, Shalorus will likely be out nursing injuries for a
while. When he does return, although he’s the type of fighter
that will take on anybody, he won’t likely face Varner in
his first fight back.
"I
think they'll do other fights and circle around to do that fight,"
Harris commented about Varner and Shalorus. "Kamal's funny.
He's just like, 'I want to fight.' He doesn't care who he fights.
I could throw him in there with Chuck Liddell and he wouldn’t
care."
Harris
says that since Varner's injuries ended up not being as severe
as originally thought, matchmaker Sean Shelby is already in the
planning stages of bringing the Arizona fighter back to the cage,
although nothing is concrete yet.
One
thing that is for sure is Henderson coming back this year to
defend his title. It could be against Varner, Shalorus, Pettis,
Roller, or maybe a new contender that emerges. The WEC GM says
there will be plenty of opportunity as the company is currently
in the planning stages of several more events in 2010.
"You'll
see Ben back, and what we're trying to do is we're going to have
to put together obviously some great cards. We've got September.
I think I have something maybe in October. We definitely have
something in November. We definitely have something in December,"
said Harris.
"December's
our AMP Energy Hometown Takedown contest and all the different
cities are voting, and I'll just throw this out here from the
WEC, we'd really like to see somewhere that probably has an average
temperature of about 80 degrees."
For
now, Harris will get ready for the upcoming WEC 50 show in Las
Vegas before the rumored event in Colorado for WEC 51 in September.
Source: MMA Weekly
|
Is
Cain able to take Lesnar’s title?
SAN
JOSE, Calif. – When Brock Lesnar was on his back getting
pounded on by Shane Carwin in the early part of their heavyweight
title match July 3, some people in the mixed martial arts business
saw it as the visual proof the powerhouse heavyweight champion
had a major weakness that had been exposed.
For
example, Lesnar’s most famous rival, former champion Frank
Mir, went to the gym the next day to dissect the tape. He and
his partners talked about how they now knew Mir could knock Lesnar
out if a third meeting between the two could be arranged.
But
Lesnar’s next opponent, Cain Velasquez (8-0), who gets his
title shot on Oct. 23 at the Honda Center in Anaheim, Calif.,
was cageside for the Carwin fight and didn’t interpret what
he saw the same way.
“I
think it showed what kind of a champion Brock really is,”
the soft-spoken Velasquez said after a recent workout at the
American Kickboxing Academy gym. “I feel he’s proved
a lot. The way he came back, what it shows is that the next time,
the referee isn’t going to be quick to stop the fight.”
Unlike
Lesnar’s previous opponents, Velasquez isn’t predicting
either a quick or an easy fight Oct. 23, saying he’s both
preparing and expecting the fight to go the full five rounds.
The
former Arizona State wrestling standout has nothing negative
to say about the champion. You aren’t going to hear mocking
remarks about how “this isn’t fake,” referring
to Lesnar’s pro wrestling background, or critiques of the
less refined aspects of Lesnar’s MMA game. There will be
no questioning of Lesnar’s character, no sound bites about
how if he taps Lesnar on his chin that Lesnar will go out, or
claims that Lesnar doesn’t have the character to be a true
champion.
His
thoughts on the fight are simple. He’s going to the gym
and working hard every time, ramping up the workouts in the last
two months and working on a game plan. He expects the key to
his game will revolve around constant movement.
“I
can’t just stand there in front of him with no movement
and let him explode for a double [-leg takedown],” he said.
A
long back-and-forth war is the most likely scenario. While Velasquez
put Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira’s lights out in his last fight,
he doesn’t have Carwin’s punching power. Velasquez
is also unlikely to fade the way Carwin did, nor leave himself
open for a submission. Neither man will be easy to finish early,
and late. Because Lesnar sweats profusely, getting a submission
will only be more difficult.
Velasquez
expects to work constantly with high level wrestlers between
now and fight time. Daniel Cormier, who was on the 2004 and 2008
Olympic teams, trains at the gym and through his connections
with the Olympic team they expect to bring in the top level of
wrestlers in the country. Mark Ellis, the 2009 NCAA heavyweight
champion, has been in camp.
“The
wrestling is going to be a big part of it,” he said. “He’s
primarily a wrestler and I come from a wrestling background.
But the fight will come down to everything. I expect there will
be boxing, jiu-jitsu, kickboxing and wrestling.”
Neither
man has ever fought past the three-round mark. Velasquez went
15 minutes against Cheick Kongo, dominating 90 percent of the
fight on the ground. Lesnar had similar results in his only match
that went the distance in a non-title fight, an even more one-sided
win over Heath Herring.
“You
have to do the time (five rounds) in the gym,” he said of
his twice-weekly sparring sessions. “I’m going to be
doing five rounds every time I spar.”
The
similarities between the two fighters are striking. Lesnar and
Velasquez both grew up and developed strength and mental toughness
working on farms from a young age. Both wrestled from childhood.
Velasquez was the better high school wrestler of the two, winning
two state titles in Arizona. Both won a junior college national
title, and placed twice in the NCAAs, but Lesnar’s record
in college was better than Velasquez’s and Lesnar won a
national title. Both had similar mentalities about wrestling,
and somewhat burned out on the sport at the end of college, neither
opting to try for the Olympic team.
Velasquez’s
ASU head coach, Thom Ortiz, noted that Velasquez during his senior
year had already talked of wanting to get into MMA, and that
mentally he saw a wrestling match as a fight and was frustrated
that so many tactics he wanted to employ weren’t allowed
in the sport, making him a natural for MMA. Lesnar, before MMA
became popular, used to talk about his wrestling matches as the
closest thing to a legalized fight.
While
both have similarities in background, and both started training
for MMA in 2006 – Velasquez a few months before Lesnar –
they are altogether different as both fighters and personalities.
Velasquez,
as a small heavyweight, took to the sport quicker from a technical
standpoint. He had the wrestling and conditioning from day one.
He
won a blue belt world championship in jiu-jitsu barely a year
after his first lesson. His striking showed holes against Cheick
Kongo, where he was rocked hard three times, but he recovered
immediately and used his wrestling to immediately get out of
trouble each time. But in his knockout win over the legendary
Nogueira on Feb. 21, in Sydney, Australia, Velasquez showed a
disciplined and controlled offense of punches and kicks standing,
and far stronger defense.
Lesnar
relies more on his physical gifts, power, explosiveness and ridiculous
speed for someone so large. Velasquez, who weighed 242 against
Nogueira, expects to be about 245 pounds come fight time, which
would mean he’ll give up around 25 pounds in the cage. Unlike
Lesnar’s previous opponents, Mir and Carwin, he’s not
looking at adding bulk to try to compete with Lesnar’s power.
“If
I get too big, I’ll be sacrificing speed,” he said.
Lesnar,
who turned 33 on Monday, recently agreed to the Oct. 23 fight
date in what will be, along with the St. Pierre vs. Koscheck
bout, one the two biggest fights left on the 2010 schedule.
While
a lot of sports insiders have tabbed Velasquez, who has never
lost a round in competition, as the best of the new generation
of heavyweights, Lesnar opened as a slight 9-to-8 favorite on
the Las Vegas books. With Velasquez’s respectful nature,
the build to the fight is likely to be very different from the
normal bombastic sound bites that Lesnar and most of his opponents
have given en route to Lesnar’s career average of about
1 million buys per pay-per-view appearance.
Velasquez,
who turns 28 on July 28, may have gotten the moniker of “The
Monster” in the gym years back when his trainer, Javier
Mendez, and fellow AKA fighters started talking about him as
a future heavyweight champion, but he’s a quiet monster
who doesn’t talk big. So others are left to tell the stories
of Velasquez dominating big names in the gym, talking about his
skill set and his endless cardio.
Training
partner Herschel Walker shakes his head and says Velasquez has
the best cardio of any athlete he has ever been around, but Velasquez
plays it down. He said he gets tired just like everyone else,
well, maybe not as fast, but learned at a young age doing menial
labor to mentally fight his way through it.
“In
college, I felt the guys were as strong as I was for the first
half of the first round,” Velasquez said. “But by the
second round, there was a difference, and by the third round
I felt a lot stronger.”
Lesnar,
five years older, had a similar reputation for conditioning as
a college wrestler at the University of Minnesota. People looking
at his hulking upper body and figuring those big muscles need
oxygen and his tongue would be hanging out after a few minutes
of MMA competition have been left disappointed thus far.
“I’m
going to have to follow the game plan to perfection,” said
Velasquez.
Source: Yahoo Sports
|
CREDIT
BOXING FOR PUSHING JAMES TONEY TO MMA
James “Lights Out” Toney won his first major boxing
title in 1991. He’s held boxing belts at middleweight, super
middleweight, light heavyweight, cruiserweight, and heavyweight.
He is the current titleholder in both the IBA and NABO.
He
makes his mixed martial arts debut against UFC legend Randy “The
Natural” Couture at UFC 118 in Boston, driven to MMA by
the state of boxing.
One
of the many criticisms about the current boxing landscape is
the lack of major match-ups happening. We’re witnessing
this now with Manny Pacquiao and Floyd Mayweather Jr. negotiations.
“Everybody,
all the big guys in boxing are scared to fight me. I can’t
get a fight with the Bitch-ko sisters (Vitali and Waldimir Klitschko).
I can’t get a fight with David Haye. I can’t get a
fight with the top two contenders,” Toney told MMAWeekly
Radio.
“Look,
I have a legitimate heavyweight title and nobody wants to fight
me. What’s the problem here? So I see that MMA is doing
their thing. Everybody is fighting each other. It’s just
like the glory days of boxing like in the 70’s, 80’s
and 90’s. Everybody is fighting each other. That’s
how MMA is. Everybody is fighting each other. I said, let me
get in on some of this,” added the 41-year-old mixed martial
arts rookie.
Toney
sees mixed martial arts as the way combat sports should be, the
top fighters competing against the top competition.
“You
got my man Dana White, you got Scott Coker in Strikeforce, and
they’re putting the fights together,” said Toney. “I’m
in the UFC. They put the fight together, the fight with me and
Randy Couture. I couldn’t come in the UFC and fight a bum,
or a tune-up fight. I had to fight the best. I am the best.”
Stylistically
the match-up is a throwback to the early days of mixed martial
arts with singular fighting backgrounds pitting their skill sets
against each other.
Of
course Couture is more than just a wrestler, but in this fight
his wrestling ability will be his strongest asset against a boxer
who has made a career out of knocking people out with 10-ounce
gloves. On Aug. 28, he’ll be equipped with four-ounce gloves.
UFC
118 will be Toney’s MMA debut and multi-division and multi-time
UFC titleholder Couture will be competing in his 29th professional
MMA bout.
Source: MMA Weekly
|
DANA
WHITE: PROPER REGULATION SAVES LIVES
The death of Michael Kirkham on June 26, the second mixed martial
arts death in a sanctioned event in U.S. history, has been a
wake up call to the dangers of insufficient regulation, the ramifications
of combatants not being forthcoming on licensing applications
and the landscape of the sport where new states are approving
and local promoters promoting when maybe neither fully understand
the tragic consequences of cutting corners.
But
UFC president Dana White insists mixed martial arts is not only
safe, but the safest sport in the world when correctly regulated.
“This
is the safest sport in the world when done properly,” White
said when asked about the unfortunate passing of Kirkham.
Michael
Kirkham died following his professional mixed martial arts debut
on June 26 at the Dash Entertainment and King MMA co-promoted
“Confrontation at the Convocation Center” event at
the USC Aiken Convocation Center in Aiken, South Carolina. An
autopsy determined that he died from subarachnoid hemorrhage
of the brain.
White
acknowledged the potential recipe for disaster when smaller promoters
jump into hosting mixed martial arts events without the financial
security to ensure proper preliminary medical testing on the
athletes.
“As
we go out there and get this thing sanctioned in all these different
states, here’s the problem,” White began to explain.
“I need these smaller promotions to exist but here’s
the deal. If you can’t afford to do the proper medicals
before the fight you don’t belong in this business.”
A
fatality is a promotion’s worst nightmare, and the regulation
of testing standards and promotion policing rests solely on the
state commissions.
To
fight in South Carolina, it isn’t required for a fighter
to pass a full physical exam.
Asked
about the South Carolina regulatory body’s responsibility,
White said, “Yeah. Those are the medicals required in all
the states. It should have been done. It should have been done.”
“The
bottom line is I don’t care what state it is, what commission,
if that company doesn’t have enough money to do the proper
medical tests on the fighters before and after the fight, go
open a (expletive) doughnut shop,” added the UFC president.
“Go do something else. Open a laundry mat. This isn’t
the business you should be in.”
White
believes Kirkham entered his final bout with a pre-existing condition
or injury that wasn’t detected.
“That
fight lasted 22 seconds. It’s not like this was some three-round
war where this kid took a lot of head damage,” commented
White. "I’m no doctor, but I believe there was a pre-existing
injury that they didn’t find in pre-fight medicals. And
if you don’t have the money to do the proper medicals go
get in another business. This isn’t the business for you.”
White
may be right. Kirkham fought just 63 days before that fateful
night on June 26, losing by technical knockout on April 24 in
an amateur bout and was placed on the standard 30 day medical
suspension with no contact, meaning no sparring with blows to
the head.
On
his pre-fight paperwork the 30-year old left blank the question
that asked if he had ever been suspended in any state.
The
UFC hosts more mixed martial arts fights than any other organization
in the world and has not suffered a single death, and White attributes
that statistic to appropriate pre and post-fight medical testing
and proper regulation and maintains the precautionary measures
save lives.
“The
UFC has saved people’s lives,” stated White. “Guys
have come on the show, for The Ultimate Fighter, with brain injuries
and all these sorts of problems, and they’re detected. You
get a CAT scan. You get an MRI. You get an EKG, a full battery
of tests before you go in and compete. When that’s done
you find the stuff that’s wrong.”
Thiago
Alves, (who was not cleared for his scheduled UFC 111 rematch
with Jon Fitch due to a brain abnormality) he’s fought in
the UFC for a long time. Some freak, weird thing happens in his
brain. If he was fighting in that South Carolina show they would
have never found it.”
“No
one has ever died in the UFC.”
Whether
Michael Kirkham's fate would have been different had the pre-fight
medicals been more stringent, we'll never know. But the implications
that it may have been should raise some eyebrows within the sport,
or we can only hope.
Source: MMA Weekly
|
ARE
UFC VS WEC LIGHTWEIGHT SUPERFIGHTS COMING?
When the UFC bought the WEC some years ago, it was defined shortly
thereafter that the WEC would become the home to the lighter
weight classes. While the featherweights and bantamweights have
taken center stage in the WEC, the promotion’s other divisions
(light heavyweights, middleweights, and welterweights) have since
been folded into the UFC.
The
only remaining shared weight class between the two organizations
is the lightweight division.
WEC
lightweight champion Ben Henderson has faced many of the top
contenders in his promotion, and after his second win over Donald
"Cowboy" Cerrone, many theorized that it wouldn't be
long until the promotion moved its champion, and the other top
fighters at 155 pounds over to the UFC.
Not
so fast.
The
move has been talked about in the past by UFC president Dana
White, but according to WEC General Manager Reed Harris, right
now it's not realistic. The UFC already has a great number of
155-pounders on its roster with little room for more.
"Joe
Silva's got a ton of guys at 55 that he's got to get fights for
too. I don't think he'd be that excited about taking on all our
guys," said Harris.
One
possibility that could come up in the future is crossover super
fights.
Harris
said that everyone in the company has been excited about that
possibility, and somewhere down the road fans could see a potential
match-up between Ben Henderson and a top fighter in the UFC's
155-pound division.
"Dana
has mentioned maybe he'd like to do superfights; maybe we could
see (Ben) Henderson against one of their guys or something like
that. We're certainly open to all that," Harris stated.
For
now the WEC will continue to run their lightweight division as
is, and Ben Henderson will return to defend his title in 2010.
The promotion is currently seeking out a new top contender, and
will determine the top dog by the time the champion comes back
later this year.
Source: MMA Weekly
|
ANTHONY
JOHNSON LOOKING FOR OCT/NOV RETURN
Anthony Johnson has some weighty issues ahead of him when he
returns to action later this year. Not figuratively, but literally,
deciding what weight class he'll fight at when his extended layoff
ends after knee surgery put him out for the last several months.
Known
as one of the biggest welterweights in the sport, Johnson cuts
massive amounts of weight to make 170 pounds, and has missed
weight in previous fights because of the huge cut.
Finishing
a stint in rehab, Johnson ballooned up to around 230 pounds in
his off time, and now he's battling back and making some decisions
about what weight class he wants to fight at next.
"Anthony
Johnson at one point weighed the same as Ricco Rodriguez, which
is kind of scary. He weighed the same as Ricco Rodriguez, except
he had abs," Johnson's agent, Ken Pavia, joked with MMAWeekly
Radio. "He had a knee injury. He had surgery, took some
time off to let it heal, it was giving him some problems, but
now he's in rehab and doing rehab for his knee.
"We
had a UFC offer in September that we weren't able to pursue.
We're entertaining the possibility of taking a fight at 185,
which is something we might have done anyway even if he didn't
have the knee injury because that cut is just so tough for him."
Johnson
is in a similar boat as former top UFC welterweight contender
Thiago Alves, who walks around near 200 pounds just weeks before
a fight, and cuts a lot of weight to get down to the 170-pound
limit. For his part, Johnson generally walks around at 205 pounds
prior to a fight, but with the time off went well above even
that lofty mark.
"We
were offered a fight at 185, a fight that we liked and before
he accepted it, he said even if I do take a fight at 185, September
might be pushing it. I want to get some time in the gym first,"
said Pavia.
"We're
looking at late October, early November for him, and we're not
sure if the first fight back is going to be at 70 and we're going
to kill ourselves, or at 85 and just kind of kill ourselves."
UFC
121 in Anaheim would fit the bill for later in October. November
is a little less sure, but the promotion is expected to go return
to Germany and that month has been mentioned for that show.
MMAWeekly.com
will have more information on Anthony Johnson's return when it
becomes available.
Source: MMA Weekly
|
King
Mo, Tim Kennedy ready for Brazilians
On
August 21, Brazil will have the chance to dispute two belts on
Strikeforce, with Ronaldo Jacaré and Rafael Feijão,
who will fight against Tim Kennedy and King Mo Lawal, respectively.
Despite the trust on the Brazilian athletes, the non-Brazilians
are not interested at all on watching a green-and-yellow party.
During
a press conference for the event, which happened last night on
the United States, King Mo Lawal, champion on the until 93kg
of the organization, commented his duel with Rafael. “Feijao
likes to bang so this is going to be an exciting fight. I’m
going to show you all some new things I’ve been working
on”, reveals the American.
After
telling us his story on an exclusive X-Ray, published on TATAME
Magazine on June of this year, King Mo hopes to defend his belt
successfully against Feijão. “On coming into his
first fight as champion. The approach doesn’t change. Going
into every fight, I feel like both a champion and a challenger
because I challenge myself in training, but I’m always champion
in my mind”, guarantees.
Guaranteeing
he watches Feijão’s fights several times a day, “from
10 to 15 times a day”, the champion does not want this war
to last 25 minutes. I’m going to look to finish (Feijão)
as fast as I can. I don’t ever want to fight a war. I always
want to dominate and fight as one-sided a fight as possible”,
warns Lawal, putting his title at risk for the first time.
Kennedy
is ready for Jacare
On
a lighter division, the left of Jake Shield left in the air the
expectation of a GP to define the new champion among the middleweights,
but the Athletic Commission did not allowed it and Strikeforce
was obligated to match a fight for the title. It was then that
Rafael Feijão and Tim Kennedy found out that their fight
would worth a lot more.
“As
your career progresses, every next fight is the most important
one. After I beat Jacare and have the title, they’re going
to say ‘Is this the most important fight of your career?’
I take every single fight with extreme seriousness and I take
Jacare very seriously. I have great respect for him as an athlete
and as a fighter. He’s very talented”, compliments.
Takedown
expert, according to what Jacaré told TATAME, Tim guarantees
to give his best to try to do a good representation of his country
on the octagon and guarantee the American domain of Strikeforce.
“It’s a tough fight. I don’t know if he’s
my toughest opponent, but it’s nice to be able to train
full time, so this is going to be a tough fight for him”,
concludes.
Source: Tatame
|
Mario
Reis’s formula: “I’m an adventure hunter”
After
having nine matches to become champion in São Paulo this
Friday, Mario Reis didn’t return home to Porto Alegre. The
Southern Brazilian will charge into the Rio Open tournament to
kick off this July 22.
“The
CBJJ is the model for all other competitions, it’s impeccably
organized. I’m heading for the Rio Open,” he tells
GRACIEMAG.com.
Mario
has been occupying the top spots on the podium as a black belt
for a good while now. The fighter comments on what stimulates
him to keep competing after having won so many titles.
“I’m
an adventure hunter. I’m always pursuing an objective so
my knowledge will evolve more and more to have long-lived and
vanguard Jiu-Jitsu. That’s what is cool, to evolve and be
a good role model as a champion.”
Mario
is already old enough to compete in the masters division, but
he would rather compete as an adult, despite the International
Masters and Seniors taking place at the same time as the Rio
Open.
“I’m
30 years old and I’m not thinking about competing as a master
yet. I’ve led my life in such a way so as to preserve myself,
I always kept from eating certain things that aren’t healthy
and kept up a physical conditioning routine. I also avoided a
lot of training injuries, which is fundamental,” he explains,
promising to give his opponents hard times for a long time to
come.
“I’m
going to keep fighting in the adult division until the results
prove I’m unable to anymore. My aim is to compete against
the best and become a better and better Mario Reis. I guarantee
everyone who believes in my Jiu-Jitsu that I’ll always give
it my best. That’s my philosophy, to always seek to be my
best,” he says in finishing.
Source: Gracie Magazine
|
BENJI
RADACH SHOOTING FOR NOVEMBER RETURN
If you are aware of the unfortunate situations that surrounded
the injuries that have befallen Benji Radach, you might think
he's the unluckiest fighter in the world.
He'd
never be the one to tell you that though, as he's recovered each
and every time, bouncing back as strong as ever. When he underwent
serious neck surgery, Radach battled back and blasted through
many of the best fighters the IFL could throw at him in 2007.
Following
a tough loss to Scott Smith in 2009, Radach suffered a broken
hand and knee injury, and just when he was ready to get back
to fighting, his pectoral muscle tore away from the bone. He
was once again under the doctor's scalpel.
Several
months away and now Radach is back in the gym and looking to
get back to Strikeforce. His manager, Ken Pavia, says fans are
not far away from welcoming "Razor" back to the cage.
"Training,
back in the gym, at 100 percent," Pavia told MMAWeekly Radio.
“But after a year off, you can't just do a couple of weeks
and get back in the cage, and he's trying to do it smart.
"I
don't think there's anybody that's ever met Benji that doesn't
like that guy. He just exudes charisma, and he's a very entertaining
fighter, got a great style. His training partners always speak
very highly of him because he gives 110 percent in the gym, just
to the point of not hurting you. He really pushes people."
Admitting
that Radach's biggest problem sometimes is pushing himself too
much, Pavia says they have to rein him in from time to time to
make sure he doesn't go too far trying to get back to action.
The
plan for Radach is simple: get healthy, get ready, and then the
middleweight division can be put on notice.
"He'll
be back this year. We're looking at probably November for a realistic
return. He's under contract with Strikeforce, and we're just
trying to find him an opponent and a date," Pavia commented.
Always
in the mix at 185 pounds, Radach could step in with any number
of tough opponents in the division. With the middleweight division
being Strikeforce’s deepest, there will be a lot of options.
Source: MMA Weekly
|
MISSING
CUT, JAKE O'BRIEN HAS TO MAKE A DECISION
Former
UFC heavyweight Jake O’Brien fought Gegard Mousasi at Dream
15 in what was supposed to be a light-heavy weight bout. However,
due to the last minute notice of the fight, O’Brien was
unable to drop the last few pounds needed to make the 205 mark.
“205
has always been a difficult cut for Jake,” his manager,
Ken Pavia, told MMAWeekly.com. “He’s only made it for
one fight in the UFC and he made a catch-weight in Finland. It’s
a very difficult cut and takes a significant amount of preparation
and he didn’t have preparation time, it was a short notice
fight and he miscalculated.”
Though
Mousasi still accepted the fight, O’Brien was penalized
and there was a settlement negotiated with Dream to make up for
the missed weight.
According
to Pavia, there had been other fight offers on the table that
were at heavyweight. For this reason, O’Brien was not a
low as he would have been going over to Japan to finish his cut
there.
“He
was keeping his weight fairly low, but there were ongoing discussions
about him fighting Bobby Lashley in Strikeforce,” explained
Pavia. “It was offered, and then not offered, and Lashley
had to approve it. We really believed that fight was going to
happen. So, in anticipation, the fight being a significant pay
day and great opportunity, he didn’t watch his weight.”
To
O’Brien and his agent’s credit, they did forewarn Dream
that, due to his anticipating a heavyweight fight, the cut to
light heavyweight may be an issue.
“We
were concerned when we took the fight. We calculated (the short
notice) and kind of warned them,” said Pavia. “We told
them it would be a tough cut and it might come close… then
we didn’t quite make it.”
There
are very few fighters who can balance between two weight classes
and do so successfully. Having fought only once before at 205,
the prospect of a heavyweight fight, and the inexperience of
making the cut had O’Brien teetering well above what would
have been an easy cut to 205.
“He’s
a huge 205’er and a young kid; he’s only 25,”
said Pavia. “He just needs to determine whether he’s
going to fight at heavyweight of light heavyweight.”
Source: MMA Weekly
|
X-1
Events vs Destiny MMA
Waipahu High School Gym
Saturday, August 7, 2010
For the 1st tiime here in the 808 State...Hawaii's top 2 MMA
Promotions will come together for a huge FIGHTER SHOWDOWN...
Be
there Saturday, Aug. 7th to see X1 World Events & DESTINY
MMA transform Waipahu HS GYM into a Blaisdell type production
on the Westside of Oahu...You definitely don't want to miss this.
Buy your tickets early.
Gen
Presale: $35
Floor Seating: $50
VIP Front Row: $100
Tickets
available @ Westside Fight Gear, ALL TCA Wireless locations islandwide,
No Fear Outlets, & Razor Concepts
Full
Fight card will be announced shortly...Here are some early matchups:
-185lbs
(state title)
Michael Winklespect vs Ronald "Machine Gun" Jhun (808
Top Team)
-145lbs
(state title)
David "Tan Superman" Padilla (Jesus Is Lord) vs Ricky
"Real Deal" Wallace (HMC)
-140lbs
Ian Delacuesta (808 Top Team) vs Eddie P. (I & I, Maui)
-125lbs
(female match)
Angie Pereira (HMC) vs Vicky Vickers
-170lbs
Ikaika Reinhardt vs Bruski Lewis (Bulls Pen)
-170lbs
L.John Borgess (808 Top Team) vs Johnavan Vistante Jr. (Team
SYD)
-155lbs
Duke Sarigosa (808 Top Team) vs Reno Remigio (HMC)
-145lbs
Chad Pavao (Hakuilua) vs Kurrent Cockett (I & I, Maui)
-155lbs
(amateur title)
Alioune Diop vs Nate "Da Great" Quiniola
-145lbs
(amateur title)
Tobi Misech (BJ Penn MMA) vs Elijah Manners (808 Alliance)
-135lbs
Louis Smolka (808 Top Team) vs Jared Iha (No Remorse)
-Heavyweight
(amateur title)
Paea Paongo vs TBA
-205lbs
Kaimi Wise vs Kimo Tatupu (808 Top Team)
-165lbs
(xma title match)
Chris Kutzen vs Michael Brightmon (Gorilla House)
-155lbs
Ryan Delacruz (808 Top Team) vs Nick Pait (freelance)
-145lbs
Bone Pali (Hustle n Throw,Maui) vs Jason Racamara (808 Alliance)
-155lbs
Ricky Marillo vs Tylor Pavao
-125lbs
Manny Charisma vs Alika Kumukoa (UCS)
-135lbs
Dylan (MMAD) vs Gerald Casteneto (Hustle n Throw, Maui)
-145lbs
Wes Nakano vs Pedro Garcia
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UFC
champ St-Pierre would consider retirement after Silva win, top-fighter
ranking
Georges
St. Pierre's goal is to become the world's greatest MMA fighter.
If he gets there, he will retire.
Eric Williams photo
UFC
welterweight champion Georges St-Pierre is ready to retire when
he's considered the sport's pound-for-pound best.
Don't
worry, though. On a special "Primetime" edition of
MMAjunkie Radio (www.mmajunkie.com/radio) this past Friday, St-Pierre
said he's not quite there yet.
But
the traditional reason for sticking around - fame and money -
isn't his primary concern. Doing it his way is.
"People
are going to be shocked," St-Pierre said of his tentative
retirement plan.
St-Pierre
(20-2 MMA, 15-2 UFC) currently is in Las Vegas wrapping up a
coaching stint on "The Ultimate Fighter 12" opposite
top contender Josh Koscheck (15-4 MMA, 13-4 UFC). The two are
expected to meet sometime at the end of the year in a traditional
season-ending fight between "TUF" coaches.
Beyond
that, he's done some additional planning. In fact, St-Pierre
said his potential retirement plan recently came about while
he was setting goals for his remaining career.
"Growing
up in my career, I always fix my goals very high," he said.
"And every time I achieve one of my [goals], I fix another
goal to reach. It's important as a martial artist [never to be]
satisfied because otherwise there is no point to keep doing what
you're doing."
As
to what goals remain, there are a few. St-Pierre has achieved
what he initially set out to do: become a professional fighter,
become a UFC fighter, and finally, become a UFC champion.
Being
considered the best overall fighter in the world? That's the
one goal he thinks currently is unmet.
That
doesn't mean he's complacent, of course. In his second run as
welterweight champion, St-Pierre has taken on four consecutive
contenders and soundly beaten them all. At the end of the year,
he will attempt to tie former champion Matt Hughes' record of
five consecutive title defenses when he meets Koscheck.
Still,
some fans believe St-Pierre already has cleaned out his division.
He's already beaten all the division's top contenders - Koscheck,
Jon Fitch, Thiago Alves and Dan Hardy - and some point to a middleweight
showdown against current champion Anderson Silva as a final hurdle
to the pound-for-pound crown. Silva is still widely considered
to be the holder of that unofficial title. St-Pierre knows he
could snatch it away by beating him.
But
St-Pierre said a move up in weight would likely come near the
end of his career, and it won't come anytime soon.
"If
I go up in weight, it's going to be hard to go down," he
said. "If I put on lean muscle like I already did recently
… it's going to be hard to come back down. So it's not like
I go up and I go down. I have to be very careful with what I
do."
Still,
if St-Pierre takes "a couple" of welterweight fights
in the next year or two, and if Silva is still the pound-for-pound
king at that point, the French-Canadian then would consider moving
up to fight him. And if he defeats Silva, that's a win worthy
of retirement, he said.
"If
one day I fight at 185 pounds for a superfight to know who is
the best pound-for-pound in the world, (and) if I reach my goal,
then my goal will be reached," St-Pierre said. "There
will be no point for me to still compete because I'm not going
to have a goal left."
St-Pierre
also said he wants to secure his and his family's future before
he takes the risk of moving up, though money and fame aren't
the driving forces in his career.
"Of
course, the money's there," he said. "The difference
between me and a lot of fighters … (is that) a lot of fighters
fight for the fame. They fight for the money.
"Yeah,
the money is there. It's pleasant. The money is there. It's good
that I have this security. I have a lot of money now. It's good.
But there is a lot of things I can do outside of mixed martial
arts … because of the name that I reached with MMA, that
the UFC helped me to have.
"The
fame is the same thing. I didn't have it in the beginning, and
now I have it. But if one day I reach my goal of becoming the
best pound-for-pound (fighter) of all-time, it will be time for
me to retire. But I don't know right now, at 29 years old, if
I want to retire. So it's better I have to stick around."
Source: Yahoo Sports
|
KAMPMANN
DISAPPOINTED HE DIDN'T GET HARDY
It's been a while since Martin Kampmann has known what disappointment
tasted like, but it happened when he got the word that he wouldn't
get the fight against Dan Hardy in England as he originally had
hoped.
The
Danish fighter, coming off a huge win over Paulo Thiago in June,
immediately called for a fight with Hardy at UFC 120 in October,
but the UFC went with Carlos Condit instead.
"We
were really hoping to get that Hardy fight in England,"
Kampmann's agent Ken Pavia told MMAWeekly Radio on Tuesday. "We
really wanted that fight and I don't know if it was partially
Hardy, partially the England UFC, but they opted to go Condit.
"We
lobbied hard. We felt like Hardy has been a No. 1 contender,
went the distance with GSP, if we could compete favorably and
even submit him, it would look great on Martin's resume, but
they opted to go a different route."
With
Kampmann getting married and about to take a trip home to Denmark
with his new bride, it's just a waiting game right now for when
he'll step foot back in the Octagon.
One
fight that gets brought up quite often for Kampmann is a welcome
to the UFC bout against Jake Shields. The former Strikeforce
middleweight champion is on a fast track to end up in the UFC,
and a bout between the two could determine a top contender in
the welterweight division.
Kampmann
is all for the fight, but no one is sure yet what weight class
Shields will compete at when he comes to the UFC.
"I'm
not so sure he's going to come back to 70," Pavia said about
Shields. "It's a fight that we actually talked about in-house.
Martin and I have talked about it, and Martin said he'd welcome
that fight."
Back
in the mix for a welterweight title shot, Kampmann is just about
getting tough fights that will get him closer to his goal. From
what his manager said, fans may see him back as soon as UFC 121
in Anaheim if everything works out.
"I'm
hoping for a late October return for him," said Pavia. "We're
talking about some stuff, but nothing's come up yet. That's kind
of what we're shooting for."
Source: MMA Weekly |
CHRIS
LYTLE GETS HIS UFC 116 BONUS
Chris “Lights Out” Lytle was confident that his UFC
116 straight armbar/triangle choke submission win over Matt Brown
would take home the $75,000 Submission of the Night award. The
honors instead went to Brock Lesnar for his arm triangle choke
victory over Shane Carwin in the main event. Lesnar retained
his UFC heavyweight title with the first submission of his career
other than a tapout due to strikes in his first fight.
Lytle
is used to receiving bonus checks. He has cashed seven of them
in his last 10 fights. The 35-year-old has won Submission of
the Night twice before, Fight of the Night honors on four occasions,
and has been awarded Knockout of the Night once.
Following
the event on July 3, UFC president Dana White said, “We’re
writing some (expletive) checks tonight. We’re writing checks,
more than what you heard here tonight. Guys are going to get
well taken care of.”
White
wasn’t just saying it to say it. While Lytle didn’t
get the Submission of the Night award he wanted, he did receive
a bonus check from the Las Vegas-based promotion.
Ken
Pavia, Lytle’s manager, informed MMAWeekly.com that his
fighter did receive a little extra compensation for his UFC 116
performance.
“The
bonus of the night was $75,000. It wasn’t near that, but
it was still significant. It was more than a mere token, so we‘re
very happy about that.” Pavia told MMAWeekly Radio. “They
took care of him. They gave him a nice chunk.
“They’ve
been good to Chris, and Chris has made a lot of money. I would
venture to say one of the top ten in the UFC by virtue of his
bonuses,” added Pavia. “He was not unhappy.”
Lytle
will be back in the Octagon on Sept. 25 in his hometown of Indianapolis
at UFC 119, looking for another bonus award in a rematch with
former UFC welterweight titleholder Matt Serra. The two fought
to a split decision at “The Ultimate Fighter 4 Finale”
with Serra getting the judges’ nod in a fight many felt
Lytle won.
Source: MMA Weekly |
FATE
UNDETERMINED, DALEY TO MAKE AN IMPACT
Paul Daley marches to his own beat; always has, always will.
A ronin of sorts in the welterweight picture worldwide, he is
ready to go back into battle this weekend at the second Impact
Fighting Championships event in Sydney, Australia.
“I
am really enjoying it here. They (Impact FC) are really great
people, and have created a relaxed atmosphere,” explains
the heavy-handed Brit, adding that it’s a nice change of
pace from his previous surroundings.
“For
a new show, it’s well organized and there isn’t the
pressure of people breathing down your neck.”
And
how have the Australian fans taken to the exiled ex-UFC fighter?
“They
have been great. I feel like I am getting a lot of love out here,”
he offered.
The
northern hemisphere is gearing up for an athletic commission
hearing upon his return to determine his punishment for the post-bell
punch toward Josh Koscheck at UFC 113.
“I
do regret my actions a little, but it is not something I dwell
on. I’m just looking forward to continuing on my path, to
fulfill my destiny and childhood dreams. My manager pretty much
handles everything on that side. My main focus is to focus on
fighting and training, that’s my job.”
For
Daley, the situation has had positive and negative effects, but
one thing is clear, being free of the limitations imposed by
the UFC appears to be suiting him well. For those that know him,
his UFC tenure seemed at odds with his desire to fight as frequently
as possible.
He
has always been keen on traveling, meeting new people, and fighting
on different shows. His record to date highlights this and the
prospect of being able to get back on the horse regularly really
appeals to him.
“Life
before the UFC wasn’t bad and life after the UFC is still
good. I have been at this a long time and my name was already
established before the UFC,” he explained, adding that his
tenure helped more in terms of accessibility.
“It
was great that more people could easily get to watch my fights,
but now I just intend to keep fighting, keeping winning, and
improving as a martial artist and person.”
His
last fight for the promotion didn’t quite play out as planned.
Both fighters engaged in a verbal spat leading up to and after
the contest. Both promised a stand-up war, but only one of the
fighters actually followed through on that promise. Koscheck
played to his strengths and continually grounded the Brit.
Daley
appears to have drawn a lot of positives from the actual 15 minutes
of fighting time in the Octagon, however.
“I
learnt that I had made improvements in my game despite being
out-wrestled. I should have had more confidence when going forward,
but I was too cautious about the takedown. I guess I had to be,
but I will continue to get better.”
Looking
to his future, Daley plans on being his typical wrecking machine-self
this weekend and hopes that a win over Chute Boxe protégé
Daniel Acacio will put him back on the right track. Both are
solid strikers and there should be some good fireworks in the
bout.
“I
got a few new tricks that I learnt in Thailand that I want to
try out, some of which are quite flashy, but we'll see if I get
the chance. I plan on going out there and being myself, trying
to finish the fight from the start.”
And
after that?
“I
have an offer for a fight in September in Japan, as well as a
contract that is currently being worked through on a few points
for an established American promotion (rumored to be Strikeforce),
but I have to see what happens with the athletic commission.
My main criteria for signing is the level of opposition, broadcasting
exposure, people who run the company, and how they treat the
fighters.”
Daley
and his management have stated that they accept responsibility
for his actions following the Koscheck fight and are willing
to honor the athletic commission’s verdict upon his return.
It is over two months since the infraction and it has already
cost him a lucrative UFC contract. Penance and penalty withstanding,
he just wants to get back on track and into the office.
Source: MMA Weekly |
Robert
Drysdale Victorious in MMA Debut
Robert
Drysdale's long-awaited MMA debut finally took place Saturday
night at Armageddon Fighting Championship 3 in Victoria, British
Columbia, and the Brazilian jiu-jitsu wizard gave everyone exactly
what they came to see: a first-round submission win.
Drysdale,
who entered the bout with a 1-0 amateur record, submitted Bas
Huveneers via arm triangle at 1:12 in round 1.
The
2007 Abu Dhabi Combat Club Submission Wrestling World Championship's
open division winner told MMA Fighting last week that he has
a four-fight deal with AFC. He expects to fight for the Canadian-based
organization one more time this year before finishing his contract
in the first half of 2011. He then hopes to sign a deal with
either Strikeforce or the UFC.
Below
are the full results from AFC 3: Evolution, including former
UFC fighter Kalib Starnes middleweight title win, courtesy of
TopMMANews.com.
Kalib
Starnes Defeated Nick Hinchliffe by Submission (Armbar) at 3:49
of Round 1 - AFC Middleweight title fight
Robert Drysdale defeated Bastien Huveneers by Submission (Side
Choke) at 1:12 of Round 1
Nick Driedger defeated Baz Cunningham by Submission (Rear Naked
Choke) at 2:18 of Round 1
Mike Hackert defeated Dan MacIver by Unanimous Decision
Diego Wilson defeated Dan Lin by Technical Submission (referee
stoppage armbar) at 0:46 of Round 1
Justin Shaw defeated Rob McCormack by TKO (Strikes) at 0:19 of
Round 1
Misha Cirkunov defeated Shawn Pauliuk by TKO (Strikes) at 0:57
of Round 1
Derek Medler defeated Myles Dearden by TKO (Strikes) at 2:56
of Round 1
Darcy James defeated Conner Wood by KO at 1:36 of Round 1
Dajan Kajic defeated Adam Gabel by Submission (Rear Naked Choke)
at 3:37 of Round 1
Keri Scarr defeated Sarah McLeod by TKO (Referee Stoppage) after
Round 1
Conner Riddell vs Dan Ring ended in a draw
Theo Brisley defeated Iury Aquiano by Submission (Guillotine
Choke) at 1:14 of Round 2
Source: MMA Fighting
|
Vitor
Belfort Finally Healthy, Awaiting UFC 117 Winner
If
not for his decision to have shoulder surgery last spring, Vitor
Belfort would have already had his crack at UFC middleweight
champ Anderson Silva. Instead he chose to take care of a lingering
injury, and now finds himself awaiting the winner of Silva's
title fight against Chael Sonnen at UFC 117, though he doesn't
sound like he regrets the decision one bit.
As
the Las Vegas Sun reports, the surgery on Belfort's labrum has
allowed him to get off painkillers for "the first time in
more than 18 months." If you do the math on that, it means
Belfort was fighting through injuries against both Matt Lindland
and Rich Franklin. Good thing he ended both those fights early
with first-round knockouts.
According
to the 33 year-old Belfort, the decision to finally break down
and have the surgery came not so much as a result of the pain,
but rather a concern over career longevity.
"I
had been taking [cortisone] shots the last couple camps to keep
fighting," Belfort said. "Everyone was saying, 'You
need surgery,' but I wasn't at peace with that. ...I went to
the best doctor in Brazil, and he showed me the number of fighters
who keep fighting and make their careers short. You can't fight
numbers."
Now
Belfort is back in the gym with trainer Shawn Tompkins in Las
Vegas, and the Brazilian won't say who he thinks will have the
belt once the dust clears in Oakland after UFC 117.
Tompkins,
however, seems to have sided with the matchmakers that have pegged
Silva a 4-1 favorite, predicting that Sonnen, who "talks
better than he fights," will get knocked out once he finally
steps in the cage with Silva.
While
a fight with Silva might be the more glamorous option for Belfort,
who would no doubt like to knock off a pound-for-pound great
and live up to his once promising potential, in an interview
with Tatame recently it sounded as if Belfort is also no great
fan of Sonnen's recent open letter to fans, wherein he took shots
at Silva and the Nogueira brothers:
"There's
nothing to say, right? I'm a person of few words. I don't like
this kind of promotion, mainly because Minotauro and Minotouro
are wonderful persons, great athletes, also don't speak to much,
they're respectful, have never disrespected anybody... I got
a little upset about it. You reap what you sow, so that's it.
I have nothing else to say, I'm not that kind of guy."
Source: MMA Fighting
|
The
Quest for Champions 2010 Martial Arts Tournament
Saturday, July 24th, 2010
St. Louis High School Gym
Featuring: Sport-Pankration, Submission Grappling and Continuous
Sparring
For more info please contact Kempo Unlimted HI (kunltd@hotmail.com)
Source: Tommy Lam
|
Galaxy
MMA Bad Blood
Friday, August 6, 2010
Blaisdell Arena
Lightweight Grand Prix Championship Semi-Final Matches
Harris
Sarmiento (808 Top Team) VS. Jose Salgado (Roy Nelson's Gym;
The Country Club)
Kris
Kyle (808 Top Team) VS. Steve Gable (Gracie Barra)
Lightweight
Grand Prix Alternate Matches
Clay
Lewis Jr. (4WRD Fitness) VS. Jenzen Espanto (Combat 50)
Kyle
Kaahanui (Bulls Pen) VS. Chris Yee (Team Quest)
Grudge
Match
170
Pound Bout: Dirty Curty (Team Submit)VS. Brennan Kamaka (808
Top Team)
Main
Card
185
Pound Bout: Sale Sproat (Freelance) VS. Rocky Ramirez (Greg Jackson's
MMA)
135
Pound Bout: Tyson Nam (Team Quest) VS. Ian McCall (Team Oyama
MMA)
265
Pound Bout: Fabiano Scherner (Team Quest) VS. Mike Martell (Canada
Top Team)
170
Pound Bout: Walter Hao (808 Top Team) VS. Evan Lowther (M-1,
Gracie Kailua)
145
Pound Bout: Justin Wong (HMC) VS. Brandon Pieper (808 Top Team)
Amateur
Matches
125
Women's Pankration Bout: Rachael Ostovich VS. Falen Fowler (Team
Submit)
145
Pound Bout: Colin Mackenzie (God's Army) VS. George Perry (Freelance)
155
Pound Bout: Aaron Terry (HMC) VS. Fatu Tuitasi (808 Top Team)
205
Pound Bout: Keala Cristobal (Freelance) VS. Cade Phillips (Freelance)
170
Pound Bout: Dwain Pasion (Team CAT) VS. Micah Ige (Team Extreme)
230
Pound Bout: Jake Heffernan (Freelance) VS. Dustin Caulustro (Team
Stand Alone)
205
Pound Bout: Alex Steverson (Team Extreme) VS. Benji Rodrigues
(Hakuilua)
125
Pound Bout: Alika Kumukoa (Team Extreme) VS. Jacob Kauwe (Hakuilua)
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X-1
World Events
Saturday, September 11, 2010
Blaisdell Arena
FOR
IMMEDIATE RELEASE: July 13, 2010
X-1
TO PRESENT BIGGEST TITLE FIGHT IN
HAWAIIAN
MMA HISTORY ON SEPTEMBER 11TH
Second
round of light heavyweight title tourney to commence
Honolulu,
HI (USA): Top Hawaiian fight promotion X-1 World Events prides
itself on bringing the best fighters to the Islands, and putting
on the best fights. On September 11th, they will prove this once
again as X-1 World Middleweight Champion Falaniko Vitale will
put his belt on the line against devastating KO artist Kala “Kolohe”
Hose in the main event of a yet-to-be-named event at the Neal
S. Blaisdell Arena. In addition to this incredible title fight
featuring two of the best Hawaiian fighters on the planet, the
much-anticipated second round of the X-1 World Light Heavyweight
title tournament will take place, as the pairings have been set.
And two other exciting world title fights have been signed as
well. All in all, this is one of the top fight cards to take
place in Hawaii in quite some time.
Falaniko
Vitale (27-9, fifteen submissions) is one of the most respected
Hawaiian combatants fighting today. An experienced athlete who
recently celebrated ten years as a professional fighter, Vitale
proudly represents the 808 Fight Factory, one of the toughest
fight gyms on the Islands, and has fought for some of the most
well-known promotions in the world. Fans of King of the Cage,
Rage in the Cage, SuperBrawl, Icon Sport, the IFL, StrikeForce,
and the UFC have all seen his skill set exhibited. In his most
recent bout, he defended his coveted X-1 strap against former
UFC competitor Kalib Starnes, finishing his controversial opponent
via submission in the process. Niko, as he is known, has taken
on top names in the sport, including “Ruthless” Robbie
Lawler, former StrikeForce Middleweight title challenger Jason
“Mayhem” Miller, MMA pioneer Jeremy Horn, StrikeForce/UFC
veteran Trevor Prangley, and UFC fighter Frank Trigg. He has
beaten notable fighters such as UFC vet Aaron Riley, former UFC
Middleweight Champion Dave Menne, UFC middleweight contender
Yushin Okami, and the aforementioned Lindland.
Kala
“Kolohe” Hose (7-3, seven KO/TKOs) is known for his
devastating knockout power, and has garnered a reputation as
one of the toughest Island fighters today. He claimed the ICON
Middleweight title in August of 2008 with an exciting TKO victory
over current UFC fighter Phil Baroni that was lauded by Island
fight fans for its great action. Also a veteran of Superbrawl
and EliteXC, Hose will look to add the X-1 Middleweight belt
to his list of accomplishments. During his career, he’s
faced UFC veterans such as Baroni, “Mayhem” Miller,
and Reese Andy. He will face what is probably the toughest opponent
of his career in Vitale.
In
addition, the second round of the heralded X-1 World Light Heavyweight
tourney will commence at this event, as former EliteXC headliner
and Hawaii native Poai Suganuma (10-3) will match up with “The
Dancing Russian” Vitaly Shemetov (7-7), who brutalized respected
veteran Shungo Oyama in the first round of the tournament en
route to a KO victory. Suganuma, for his part, defeated Greg
Schmitt via unanimous decision on his way to advancing. The other
semifinal matchup will feature Gracie-trained submission specialist
Roy Boughton (4-0, four submissions), who tapped out Adam Akau
with a first round guillotine choke to garner a place in the
second round of the tournament, as he faces extremely tough South
Korean SpiritMC veteran Sang Soo Lee (14-9). Lee knocked out
Daniel Madrid with a beautiful right hand in order to move on
in the tourney. Also featured will be a 145 lb. World Championship
bout between Dave Moreno and Ricky Wallace, as well as a 135
lb. World Championship fight between Bryson Hanson and Russell
Doane.
“I
am very excited about this incredible card. Having two great
Island fighters like Niko and Kolohe fight for the belt, along
with the second round of the tournament, and throwing in two
other title matches…what a card!” exclaimed Mike Miller,
Owner/Promoter of X-1 World Events. “It’s going to
be an amazing night of fights.”
Here
is the fight card as it stands now:
Main
Event: 185 lb. World Championship:
Falaniko
Vitale vs. Kala “Kolohe” Hose
Light
Heavyweight Championship tournament (second round):
Poai Suganuma (HI) vs. Vitaly Shemetov (Russia)
Sang Soo Lee (S. Korea) vs. Roy Boughton (California)
145
lb. World Championship:
Dave
Moreno vs. Ricky Wallace
135
lb. World Championship:
Bryson
Hanson vs. Russell Doane
About
X-1 World Events
Founded
in 2004 by Mike Miller, X-1 World Events is a world-class mixed
martial arts (MMA) promotional company based in Honolulu, HI.
Locally-owned and operated, X-1 delivers exciting live arena-based
entertainment events to fight fans all over the islands. The
events feature some of the MMA world’s most talented fighters,
including UFC, Pride, and Abu-Dhabi veterans such as former UFC
champions Dan “The Beast” Severn and Ricco Rodriguez,
UFC veterans Jeff Monson, Kimo Leopoldo, Chad “The Grinder”
Reiner, “Sugar” Shane Nelson, Brandon Wolff, Wes “The
Project” Sims, Ronald “The Machine Gun” Juhn,
Wesley “Cabbage” Correira, and Falaniko Vitale, as
well as Pride veterans Chris Brennan and Ron “H2O-Man”
Waterman. X-1 World Events can be found online at http://www.x1events.com/
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