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2010
November
Aloha
State BJJ
Championships: Final Conflict
(BJJ & Sub Grappling)
(Kaiser H.S. Gym)
August
Hawaiian
Open Championships of BJJ
(BJJ & Sub Grappling)
(Kaiser H.S. Gym)
7/24/10
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(Kaimana, Gaylords Mansion, Kauai)
6/4/10
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6/3-6/10
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5/15/10
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3/20/10
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Quest for Champions
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1/23/10
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1/17/10
X1: Showdown In Waipahu
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|
|
March
2010 News Part 3
|
Casca Grossa Jiu-Jitsu
is now the O2 Martial Arts Academy with 7 days a week training!
We are also offering Kali-Escrima (stick fighting) on Monday
nights with Ian Beltran and Kickboxing Tuesday, Wednesday and
Thursday with Kaleo Kwan, PJ Dean, & Chris Slavens!
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available!
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here for info!
Take classes from
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Quote
of the Day
"Get
happiness out of your work or you may never know what happiness
is."
Elbert
Hubbard, 1856-1915
|
UFC
3/31 Charlotte, North Carolina
By Zach Arnold
Channel
559 Spike (Oceanic Cable)
Hawaii Air Time 5:00 - 7:00PM
The Ultimate Fighter Premier
Hawaii Air Time 7:00 - 8:00PM
TV: Spike TV (8 PM EST/PST)
THIS WEDNESDAY! The show will be the lead-in for the new season
of The Ultimate Fighter
Dark
matches
¦Welterweights:
Jason High vs. Charlie Brenneman
¦Middleweights: Mario Miranda vs. Gerald Harris
¦Middleweights: Yushin Okami vs. Lucio Linhares
¦Lightweights: Kaoru Uno vs. Gleison Tibau
¦Lightweights: Rob Emerson vs. Nik Lentz
¦Welterweights: Jacob Volkmann vs. Ronys Torres
¦Lightweights: Andre Winner vs. Rafaello Oliveira
Main card
¦Lightweights:
Ross Pearson vs. Dennis Siver
¦Middleweights: Nate Quarry vs. Jorge Rivera
¦Heavyweights: Roy Nelson vs. Stefan Struve
¦Lightweights: Kenny Florian vs. Takanori Gomi
Source:
Fight Opinion
|
UFC
111 BONUSES: CARWIN, PELLEGRINO, HAMMAN, & WALLACE
The Ultimate Fighting Championship returned to the East Coast
on Saturday for UFC 111, featuring two title fights before a
raucous crowd at The Prudential Center in Newark, N.J.
Shane
Carwin not only walked away with the interim UFC heavyweight
title and a shot at current champion Brock Lesnar’s title
in July, he also earned the Knockout of the Night bonus of $65,000.
He
devastated former champion Frank Mir with uppercuts, dropping
him to the mat, before following him down with several more blows
that ended the fight in devastating fashion.
Lightweight
contender Kurt Pellegrino racked up his fourth straight victory
by submitting Fabricio Camoes at UFC 111. He escaped a near submission
in the early moments of the fight, but turned the tide and cinched
on a fight ending rear naked choke on the Royler Gracie trained
Camoes in round two. The submission scored him a $65,000 bonus
check of his own for Submission of the Night.
The
Fight of the Night went to two upstarts in the promotion, Jared
Hamman and Rodney Wallace, who battled it out on the preliminary
portion of the fight card. The two put on an exciting back and
forth battle with Hamman using his striking to edge out a unanimous
decision. However, Hamman and Wallace each go home with an extra
$65,000 for their efforts.
Source:
MMA Weekly
|
St.
Pierre’s standards are above and beyond
NEWARK,
N.J. – Nobody left particularly happy after Georges St.
Pierre’s retained his Ultimate Fighting Championship welterweight
title with a domination of Dan Hardy in the main event of Saturday
night’s UFC 111.
St.
Pierre wasn’t happy, even after winning five straight rounds
to extend his UFC record to 25 straight-round victories dating
back nearly three years.
He
came in with a plan to take the fight down to the ground, and
win via submission. The first part of his game plan was flawless.
The second wasn’t.
St.
Pierre had a few close opportunities to finish, most notably
an armbar in the first round and a Kimura in the fourth round.
But
a combination of what St. Pierre said was a minor technical flaw
in the application of the moves, and the guts of Hardy in refusing
to tap when things appeared bleak, saw the British star survive
to the final horn, losing on scores of 50-43, 50-44 and 50-45.
“I
was disappointed in my performance,” said St. Pierre (20-2).
“I tried to finish him with an armbar and a Kimura. I forgot
the technical application. I used an incorrect angle and the
wrong leverage.”
Right
after the fight, St. Pierre (ever the perfectionist) went straight
to his Jiu Jitsu coach and asked what was wrong. He was told
the mistakes he made, and said he would never make them again.
He noted that in training, people would tap out to those moves
right away to avoid injury, but in a fight, the mentality is
different, and people will fight to the end to escape.
Hardy
(23-7, 1 no-contest), for his part, couldn’t have been happy
to be in a fight in which he was heavily booed by the pro-St.
Pierre crowd. Still, Hardy, a native of Nottingham, England,
won praise for his survival ability and and was still fighting
his heart out in round five. But he got almost no offense in
for 25 minutes.
Hardy
expected to be taken down, but he was able to get to his feet
and then tried implementing a stand-up game, where he believed
he had the edge.
It
didn’t happen. St. Pierre took him down at will, ten times
in ten attempts over five rounds. The few times Hardy got back
up, or got a momentary positional advantage in the case St. Pierre
missed on a submission attempt, St. Pierre would immediately
get out of trouble and take him right back down.
The
crowd of about 17,000 fans, which paid a gate of $4 million at
the Prudential Center, reacted more to seeing the popular St.
Pierre fight and less so because the fight was all that exciting.
Arguably
UFC’s most popular fighter, St. Pierre was heavily cheered
throughout the first three rounds, but in the fourth, when St.
Pierre opened the round with another takedown, the crowd groaned.
When he opened the fifth round with another takedown, the move
was greeted with a smattering of boos, likely the first for St.
Pierre since he became one of the sport’s megastars.
UFC
president Dana White conceded that the reaction of people watching
on pay-per-view wasn’t positive.
“My
twitter account was burning up and people weren’t happy,”
said White. “They were saying we wanted to see a fight,
not an amateur wrestling match.”
White
said he didn’t agree, noting that this was mixed martial
arts and the object is to exploit weaknesses, and Hardy’s
takedown defense was a weakness. He said St. Pierre’s game
plan wasn’t to stand and trade, something St. Pierre, who
always looks at fights like a mathematical equation, later confirmed.
“I
take the fight where I have the highest percentage chance of
winning,” said St. Pierre. “Even though I think I could
beat Dan Hardy in a stand-up, that is his strength. He’s
weaker on the ground so my game plan was to take it there.”
But
he admitted frustration at his inability to finish with a submission
on the ground.
“When
you go in looking for a submission, you often don’t get
it. I’m stronger than I was and went to physically force
a submission and I didn’t use the correct technique.”
The
night was supposed to be a showcase for the welterweight division
because St. Pierre was defending, and the consensus No. 2 and
No. 3 fighters, Jon Fitch and Thiago Alves, were scheduled to
battle for what would have likely been the next title shot. Fitch
and Alves both had previous shots at St. Pierre, going the distance
but losing five straight rounds as part of his streak.
Alves,
though, had a medical issue come up in an MRI of his brain on
Wednesday, and was not cleared to fight.
Fitch
(25-3, 1 no contest) won a 30-27 decision over replacement fighter
Ben Saunders (8-2-2). Similar to St. Pierre, Fitch won a match
in which he mostly took Saunders down, although he had to fight
harder than St. Pierre to get his takedowns.
Fitch
smothered Saunders on the ground in what was also not a crowd-pleasing
performance.
Unlike
St. Pierre, who has so much star power the audience stayed interested
in a one-sided match, Fitch did not get the same benefit from
the crowd, which lost interest as the fight went on.
Fears
regarding Alves’ future as a fighter were alleviated after
he saw a specialist on Friday in New York. He will be undergoing
a minor surgical procedure on Wednesday, will be able to train
two weeks later and is expected to be able to fight soon.
White
notes Fitch vs. Alves could still take place, depending on the
schedule. Fitch, at the post-fight press conference, immediately
threw his name into the hat for a rematch.
“I’m
12-1 in the UFC, with one loss to GSP,” he said. “I’ve
won four straight. I wish they would have been finishers. But
I’m a much better fighter than when I fought Georges the
first time [nearly two years ago].”
White
responded, half jokingly, that if he wanted a title shot, he
should fight Josh Koscheck, his teammate and training partner
at the San Jose, Calif., based American Kickboxing Academy. Fitch
said that wouldn’t happen.
“If
we were to fight, it would be in the gym with the doors closed,”
said Fitch.
“That’ll
make a lot of money,” said White sarcastically in response.
Selling
a St. Pierre-Fitch rematch would be difficult because after their
first match, it wouldn’t be easy to sell the idea that Fitch
could win.
“Every
time it’s a different fight,” said St. Pierre, who
disagreed with that assessment. “He’s improved. I’m
a different fighter.”
But
Fitch wouldn’t be alone. St. Pierre’s takedowns and
ground control is so good that nobody who isn’t an excellent
wrestler can stop him. Neither Fitch nor Matt Hughes could, and
both are very good wrestlers.
Koscheck
won a round from St. Pierre and was the last opponent to have
a competitive match with him, a 2007 fight that St. Pierre won
via unanimous decision. Stylistically, he would stand the best
chance to at least make it a back-and-forth fight. And from a
business standpoint, because of Koscheck’s personality,
it would probably be the most successful match in the division
as well.
Koscheck
faces Paul Daley, a great striker, on May 8 in Montreal, in a
match that could go either way. Daley, unfortunately, has similar
strengths and weaknesses as Hardy. Daley may be a better stand-up
fighter than either St. Pierre or Hardy, but a St. Pierre vs.
Daley match figures to go almost identical to Saturday’s
fight.
Source:
MMA Weekly
|
UFC
111: PELLEGRINO EXCITES HOMETOWN CROWD
It took Kurt Pellegrino nearly two full rounds and the survival
of an early scare, but “Batman” didn’t disappoint
his home state crowd at UFC 111 in Newark, N.J.
Fabricio
Camoes, a Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu black belt under Royler Gracie,
took a standing Pellegrino’s back early in round one and
secured a rear naked choke. Pellegrino looked to be as near to
finished as one could get before he dove forward, driving Camoes
head into the mat, jarring him loose.
He
turned the tide and ground and pounded his way to the end of
the round.
In
round two, it was all in the New Jersey fighter’s favor.
He immediately took Camoes to the mat and started with a relentless
assault of ground and pound. Camoes, towards the end of the round,
attempted to scramble out from under Pellegrino, but got caught
from behind.
Batman
swooped onto the Brazilian’s back and immediately cinched
in a rear naked choke that left Camoes no choice but to tap out.
The
victory upped Pellegrino’s streak to four straight. He hasn’t
lost since early 2008 to “Ultimate Fighter Season 5”
winner Nate Diaz.
Pellegrino
now will likely be stepping into some contender match-ups, trying
to work his way to a title shot against UFC lightweight champion
B.J. Penn.
Source:
MMA Weekly
|
UFC
111: CARWIN CAPTURES BELT, SHOT AT LESNAR
The answer has finally come, and the answer is Shane Carwin.
The
question? Who is next up for returning UFC heavyweight champion
Brock Lesnar?
Carwin
on Saturday at UFC 111 night kept his unblemished record intact,
although it took him longer to defeat Frank Mir than any other
fight of his career. That still only amounts to 3:48.
Carwin
used his wrestling skills, clinching Mir against the fence to
negate the former UFC champion’s newfound striking prowess.
As he pressed, Carwin peppered Mir with short punches to the
head and body, while driving knees to the Mir’s legs, until
he finally found the position he was waiting for.
As
Mir turned his head, Carwin unleashed a series of short uppercuts
that crumpled Mir to the canvas. Carwin immediately followed
him down with a barrage of punches.
Mir
went face down to the mat, obviously out cold, but took several
more punches to the head before referee Dan Mirgliotta finally
pulled Carwin off.
Lesnar
was brought into the Octagon to get on the mic with Carwin after
the fight. He congratulated Carwin, but fell short of giving
him full credit for the win.
“It
was a good fight. But he’s still wearing a belt that’s
a make believe belt. I’m gonna give him a fight that was
supposed to happen last November,” said the UFC champion.
Carwin
is now the interim heavyweight champion, but instead of trash
talking with Lesnar, he agreed with him.
“I
can’t agree more, that’s why I’m coming after
it.”
Source:
MMA Weekly
|
LESNAR
VS. CARWIN LIKELY FOR UFC 116 ON JULY 3
The heavyweight division was a little bit blurry before Saturday
night, but with Shane Carwin's destruction of Frank Mir he placed
himself in the direct path of Brock Lesnar for a title fight
this summer, most likely at UFC 116 on July 3.
UFC
president Dana White announced the news on Saturday night following
UFC 111 in Newark, N.J.
When
asked if he had a tentative date for the Lesnar vs. Carwin showdown,
White answered, "We're talking early July."
Of
course, the question about the timing of the fight was also dependant
on the health of the winner of the Carwin vs. Mir fight, and
the Colorado fighter sounded like he was ready to go again right
then and there.
"Hell
yeah, I feel great," Carwin said after the win.
Now
that the match-up has been made, Carwin believes that it was
always in the cards for him to meet Lesnar, and now it's only
a few months away from happening.
"It's
been a long time coming," he said. "It's like destiny.
Brock and I were both national champions around the same time
in wrestling, and we never got to meet in wrestling. Here we
are 10 years later and we finally get to meet."
Carwin
will head home with his interim title, and surely head back into
camp at the Grudge Training Center in Colorado to prepare for
the long road ahead and a title shot against UFC heavyweight
champion Brock Lesnar.
Source:
MMA Weekly
|
CAIN
VELASQUEZ WAITING IN THE WINGS FOR A SHOT
Brock Lesnar will look to return to action in July against new
interim heavyweight champion Shane Carwin. Waiting in the shadows
for the winner of that fight will be Cain Velasquez, who will
likely sit and wait for his title shot until after the unification
bout this summer.
UFC
president Dana White commented on the status of the next two
contenders in the heavyweight division on Saturday night after
UFC 111 ended in Newark, N.J.
To
hear White tell it, Velasquez has already done enough to fight
for the title and now it's just a matter of waiting for one champion
to stand tall. Then he'll get his shot.
"Cain's
waiting in the wings now," White said. "Cain is probably
going to wait for the next shot."
Velasquez
is coming off a February knockout of former heavyweight champion
Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira, and the former All-American wrestler
is still undefeated in his professional fight career.
The
other top contender in the division is Brazilian wrecking machine
Junior Dos Santos, who just last weekend stopped countryman Gabriel
Gonzaga in Denver. Dos Santos is still undefeated in the UFC,
but will have to fight at least one more time before he enters
title contention.
"Dos
Santos will not," White said when talking about if the Brazilian
will wait for a title shot like Velasquez. "Dos Santos will
fight again."
The
other person in this heavyweight picture that has to be mentioned
is former champion Frank Mir, who lost by knockout to Shane Carwin
on Saturday night. White admitted that he hadn't talked to Mir
since the fight ended, and wasn't sure what was next for him.
"I
don't know the answer to that question," White said about
Mir. "We'll see."
At
least one contender got the answer he was looking for and now
Cain Velasquez just has to play the waiting game for his shot
to come, most likely later this year.
Source:
MMA Weekly
|
$4
MILLION GATE, 17,000 FANS AT UFC 111
Unofficially, UFC 111 clocked in at 17,000 in attendance for
a gate of $4 million. And although the Ultimate Fighting Championship
can’t hold a sanctioned live event in the state of New York
yet, it did manage to draw 2,200 people to Radio City Music Hall
in New York City to view a live broadcast of UFC 111, according
to company president Dana White.
The
official figures recorded with the state of New Jersey will be
the final word, but shouldn’t stray substantially from those
announced at the post-fight press conference.
UFC
111 stacks up quite favorably to the promotion’s last event
held at the Prudential Center in Newark, roughly doubling the
gate and adding several thousand in attendance.
UFC
78, featuring Rashad Evans vs. Michael Bisping in the main event,
drew an attendance of 14,071 for gate receipts of $2.1 million.
Georges
St-Pierre continued his welterweight dominance with a lop-sided
decision over Dan Hardy at UFC 111. Shane Carwin, with his destruction
of Frank Mir, earned an all expenses paid ticket to face Brock
Lesnar for the UFC heavyweight title in July.
Source:
MMA Weekly
|
UFC
111: PALHARES HANDED DISCIPLINARY ACTION
Seven fighters were suspended following UFC 111: St-Pierre vs.
Hardy on Saturday night.
Six
fighters were suspended for standard medical concerns. Rousimar
Palhares received a disciplinary suspension of 90 days for not
releasing his heel hook submission in a timely fashion in his
victory over Tomasz Drwal.
-Frank
Mir was suspended for 30 days following his knockout loss.
-Mark
Bocek was suspended for 30 days due to a scalp laceration.
-Rory
Markham was suspended for 30 days due to a facial laceration.
He was also fined $1,000 for being overweight at the weigh-ins.
The fine was added to Diaz’s purse.
-Tomasz
Drwal was suspended indefinitely pending an x-ray of his left
knee and ankle.
-Rousimar
Palhares was suspended for 90 days for not releasing the heel
hook submission he used to defeat Drwal.
-Jared
Hamman was suspended for 60 days for a laceration on his right
foot, but was also suspended indefinitely pending an x-ray of
his right foot.
-Matt
Riddle was suspended 30 days, but was also suspended indefinitely
pending CT head scan results.
Source:
MMA Weekly
|
Quote
of the Day
"Do
not anticipate trouble, or worry about what may never happen.
Keep in the sunlight."
Benjamin
Franklin, 1706-1790
|
UFC
3/31 Charlotte, North Carolina
Tomorrow
By Zach Arnold
Channel
559 Spike (Oceanic Cable)
Hawaii Air Time 5:00 - 7:00PM
The Ultimate Fighter Premier
Hawaii Air Time 7:00 - 8:00PM
TV: Spike TV (8 PM EST/PST)
THIS WEDNESDAY! The show will be the lead-in for the new season
of The Ultimate Fighter
Dark
matches
¦Welterweights:
Jason High vs. Charlie Brenneman
¦Middleweights: Mario Miranda vs. Gerald Harris
¦Middleweights: Yushin Okami vs. Lucio Linhares
¦Lightweights: Kaoru Uno vs. Gleison Tibau
¦Lightweights: Rob Emerson vs. Nik Lentz
¦Welterweights: Jacob Volkmann vs. Ronys Torres
¦Lightweights: Andre Winner vs. Rafaello Oliveira
Main card
¦Lightweights:
Ross Pearson vs. Dennis Siver
¦Middleweights: Nate Quarry vs. Jorge Rivera
¦Heavyweights: Roy Nelson vs. Stefan Struve
¦Lightweights: Kenny Florian vs. Takanori Gomi
Source:
Fight Opinion
|
UFC
111: RESULTS, LIVE PLAY-BY-PLAY, AND PHOTOS
The Ultimate Fighting Championship returns to the East Coast
tonight with a championship double-header. UFC welterweight champion
Georges St-Pierre looks to defend his belt against hard-hitting
Brit Dan Hardy, while Frank Mir and Shane Carwin vie for the
interim heavyweight crown and a shot at current champion Brock
Lesnar in July.
UFC
111 airs live on pay-per-view at 10 p.m. ET. MMAWeekly.com will
be providing full coverage of tonight’s event, starting
with the preliminary bouts, which are expected to start at approximately
7:30 p.m. ET. At least two preliminary bouts will air on Spike
TV at 9 p.m. ET.
Refresh
this page frequently for the latest results and play-by-play...
UFC
111:
GEORGES
ST-PIERRE VS. DAN HARDY
R1
– St-Pierre immediately shoots and puts Hardy on his back.
St-Pierre passes Hardy’s half guard, and takes the Brit’s
back as Hardy tries to stand. St-Pierre is on his back, while
also wrapped around Hardy’s back, looking for the rear naked
choke. Hardy turns out and gets back to his feet, but St-Pierre
puts him immediately back to the canvas, landing in Hardy’s
half guard, ground and pounding. St-Pierre moves to full mount.
Hardy turns to escape, but St-Pierre again takes his back, hooks
in. St-Pierre slips off the side and lands the armbar, but Hardy
stays patient and escapes and gets back to his feet to finish
the round.
MMAWeekly.com
scores the round 10-9 for St-Pierre
R2
– They dance around for the first minute of the round before
St-Pierre again scores the takedown and starts working form side
control right away. Hardy scrambles and St-Pierre again takes
his back. Hardy gets out and reverses into St-Pierre’s guard.
St-Pierre gets out and back to his feet. St-Pierre lands a leg
kick, followed by a stinging one-two punch combination. Hardy
smiles. St-Pierre shoots and scoops Hardy up and slams him to
the mat and starts working from inside full guard. He ground
and pounds Hardy to the bell.
MMAWeekly.com
scores the round 10-9 for St-Pierre
R3
– St-Pierre again puts Hardy on his back to start off the
round, grounding and pounding him from guard. St-Pierre’s
ground and pound looks to be more effective in this round, landing
some hard forearms. St-Pierre passes to side control, searching
for a Kimura or some other armlock. Hardy gets back to his feet,
but again, St-Pierre puts him right back down. Hardy has no answer
for St-Pierre’s controlling tactics at this point, visibly
showing the wear of St-Pierre on him for the better part of three
rounds. Hardy tries to escape, St-Pierre puts him back down.
MMAWeekly.com
scores the round 10-9 for St-Pierre
R4
– See above... just kidding. St-Pierre takes hardy down,
immediately moving to full mount. Hardy tries to escape and St-Pierre
takes his back. Hardy tries to scramble out, but St-Pierre just
tosses him down and again starts to work ground and pound from
inside the guard. St-Pierre moves to side control. St-Pierre
secures Hardy’s arm and cranks it around behind the Brit’s
back. Hardy remains patient and his arm slips out of St-Pierre’s
grip, so the champ goes back to ground and pound from side control.
St-Pierre swings up for a kneebar attempt, but the round ends.
MMAWeekly.com
scores the round 10-9 for St-Pierre
R5
– St-Pierre lands a few strikes, but then goes right back
to the takedown and ground and pound attack. Hardy scrambles,
and guess what, St-Pierre takes his back, but this time slips
off to the side and fires a few knees to Hardy’s ribs. Working
from half guard, St-Pierre again goes for Kimura, but Hardy defends
and St-Pierre continues the punching. Hardy escapes to his feet,
but St-Pierre scoops and slams him down, ground and pounding.
St-Pierre falls back into an ankle lock, but the bell sounds
before he’s able to apply any pressure.
MMAWeekly.com
scores the round 10-9 and the fight 50-45 for St-Pierre
Georges
St-Pierre def. Dan Hardy by Unanimous Decision (50-43, 50-44,
50-45), R5
SHANE
CARWIN VS. FRANK MIR
R1
– Mir moves first, but Carwin goes for a takedown and presses
the action against the cage. Carwin continues to press forward
as Mir fends him off. The referee separates them and they are
back standing. They trade heavy shots as Carwin clinches Mir
and moves him back against the cage again. Carwin blasts Mir
with a series of heavy left hands and he drops to the canvas.
Carwin continues to blast away and Mir falls unconscious as referee
Dan Margliotta finally steps in to stop the punishment.
Shane
Carwin def. Frank Mir by KO (strikes) at 3:48, R1
KURT
PELLEGRINO VS. FABRICIO CAMOES
R1
– Camoes shoots in early and tries to get Pellegrino to
the ground, after a scramble, Camoes ends up taking Pellegrino's
back standing up. Camoes works for the choke from the back as
Pellegrino defends. Pellegrino dives forward slamming Camoes'
head into the mat, and after reversing almost locks on a choke
of his own. Another scramble and Camoes moves from a triangle
to an omo plata, but Pellegrino slips out and gets on top. Pellegrino
moves to side control, and Camoes goes for a D'arce choke from
the bottom. Again, Pellegrino slips out and lands in Camoes'
full guard. Pellegrino starts to work from the top and controls
the action until the round ends.
MMAWeekly scores R1 10-9 for Fabricio Camoes
R2
– Pellegrino puts Camoes on his back early and then works
to take his back, but Camoes backs out. Camoes moves forward
and gets taken down again. Pellegrino keeps working and eventually
gets mounted on Camoes. Camoes is able to get out of the bad
spot, but Pellegrino maintains control on the ground. As they
work back up to the fee, Pellegrino throws some knees and gets
Camoes back on the mat. Pellegrino keeps working and takes his
back, sinks in a rear naked choke and Camoes is forced to tap
out.
Kurt
Pellegrino def. Fabricio Camoes by submission (rear naked choke)
at 4:20, R2
BEN
SAUNDERS VS. JON FITCH
R1
– Both fighters come out swinging heavy early as Saunders
gets the clinch against the cage and Fitch reverses. Fitch gets
a nice body lock and tosses Saunders to the ground. Saunders
has butterfly guard, but he's pressed against the cage with Fitch
peppering away from above. Fitch continues to work away from
the top with Saunders defending on the bottom, but not too much
action. As Fitch stands up, Saunders pops him with a good upkick,
but not enough to force him off. The round ends with Fitch still
on top of Saunders.
MMAWeekly scores R1 10-9 for Jon Fitch
R2
– Fitch drives forwards and initiates the clinch again looking
for another takedown. Fitch lifts Saunders up and plants him
on the canvas. Fitch works away with short punches and elbows
with Saunders only defending. Fitch keeps moving to maintain
position, but not much damage being landed from the top. The
crowd starts to stir, and the referee stands them up. Saunders
tries to land a shot standing, but soon finds himself back clinched
against the cage.
MMAWeekly scores R2 10-9 for Jon Fitch
R3
– After a brief exchange on the feet, Fitch goes back to
the clinch but it stalls out this time and they are separated.
Fitch again bullies forward and pushes Saunders against the cage,
looking for the takedown. They separate again and Saunders lands
a nice kick to the body, but another exchange and Fitch has Saunders
back down again. Fitch postures up to show some aggression but
Saunders defends well. Fitch continues to work away as the round
and fight end.
MMAWeekly scores R3 10-9 for Jon Fitch
Jon
Fitch def. Ben Saunders by unanimous decision (30-27 on all cards)
JIM
MILLER VS. MARK BOCEK
R1
– Bocek works for a takedown and eventually lands it, putting
Miller down, but he's quick to get back up again. After some
clinching, they separate and start with stand-up again. Bocek
shoots in and Miller just misses with a knee, and the Canadian
drives through and gets a nice slam. Bocek works to pass Miller's
guard as Miller goes for a kimura from the bottom. Miller locks
it on and Bocek rolls and looks like he's about to tap, but fights
out and Miller ends up on top. Miller postures up and jumps down
with an elbow strike as the round closes.
MMAWeekly scores R1 10-9 for Jim Miller
R2
– Bocek gets Miller down early and moves to half guard.
Bocek stands up and tries to land a shot as he jumps back down
on Miller but misses. Miller goes for a leg lock from the bottom,
but Bocek rolls out and ends up on top again. Bocek moves to
full mount and then transitions to take Miller's back. Bocek
working for the choke as he traps Miller's arm with his leg.
Bocek continues to work for the submission, but Miller just keeps
fighting.
MMAWeekly scores R2 10-9 for Mark Bocek
R3
– Miller pops Bocek with a stiff uppercut to open the round
as the fighters start to stand and trade. Bocek eventually shoots
in but Miller sprawls and spins away. Miller paws away with a
few shots, but Bocek moves in and pushes the action against the
cage. Miller reverses positions and goes for a single leg, until
Bocek switches and does the same. Bocek eventually works his
way for a takedown and Miller quickly moves trying to grab at
a single leg of his own. With seconds remaining, Miller jumps
and takes Bocek's back but time runs out.
MMAWeekly scores R3 10-9 for Mark Bocek
Jim
Miller def. Mark Bocek by unanimous decision (29-28 on all cards)
NATE
DIAZ VS. RORY MARKHAM
R1
- Markham unloads a high kick that just misses as he and Diaz
start to exchange. Diaz shoots in but Markham shrugs him off.
Diaz starts to open up on Markham with a barrage of punches as
Markham drops to the mat. Diaz goes down and takes his back,
looking for the choke. Diaz locks on a body triangle, and starts
to unload shot after shot and Markham can only turtle up and
defend. The referee steps in to stop the fight.
Nate Diaz def. Rory Markham by TKO (strikes) at 2:47, R1
MATT
BROWN VS. RICARDO ALMEDIA
R1
– Almeida shoots in immediately looking for the takedown,
as Brown defends well. Almeida gets a trip and puts Brown on
his back against the cage. Brown gets up to one leg, and Almeida
kicks out the other putting the fight back on the mat. Again,
Brown wills his way back to his feet with Almeida still working
the clinch. The referee separates the two, and it appears Almedia
caught a thumb to the eye as they exchanged. Back on the feet,
Brown rushes forward and again gets clinched by Almeida. Fairly
uneventful first round.
MMAWeekly scores R1 10-9 for Ricardo Almeida
R2
– Brown throws a knee, but Almeida takes him down instead.
Brown inches back to the cage, and wall walks up again, but Almeida
eventually drags him to the ground. The referee separates them
and Almeida tags Brown with a good shot as they hit the ground.
Brown is cut and Almeida tries to work to take his back. Almeida
locks on a body triangle, and sinks in a rear naked choke forcing
Brown to tap out.
Ricardo Almeida def. Matt Brown by submission (rear naked choke)
-TOMASZ
DRWAL VS. ROUSIMAR PALHARES
R1
– Drwal misses a punch and slips to the ground, Palhares
rushes in on the ground and locks on a heel hook and Drwal taps
out seconds later. Drwal remains on the canvas in obvious pain.
Rousimar
Palhares def. Tomasz Drwal by submission (heel hook) at :45 seconds,
R1
-JARED
HAMMAN VS. RODNEY WALLACE
R1
– Wallace grabs a leg early and lands a takedown on Hamman.
As the fighters rise to their fight, Wallace blasts Hamman with
a good punch, and then takes him down again. Hamman is able to
stand up again, and they separate and Wallace bulls forward throwing
haymakers at Hamman. Eventually Wallace shoots and gets another
takedown as Hamman tries to battle back from the bottom. Hamman
gets up again, and this time lands a whizzer, but Wallace stands
up this time. Hamman blasts Wallace with a head kick and drops
him, and then goes for an armbar, but Wallace recovers and lands
in Hamman's guard. Hamman slips out only to be slammed back to
the ground by Wallace. Back up again and Hamman drops Wallace
with another punch, but again he's able to land a takedown. The
round ends with Hamman landing a takedown. Crazy first round.
MMAWeekly scores R1 10-9 for Jared Hamman
R2
– Wallace lands a nice takedown to start the round, and
Hamman works from his back for a submission, but both fighters
look winded after an insane pace in the first round. Hamman reverses
positions and clubs Wallace with a big shot on the ground, but
he still survives. Hamman is starting to unload some big elbow
and forearm strikes on Wallace from the top. The round ends with
Hamman still working from inside of Wallace's guard.
MMAWeekly scores R2 10-9 for Jared Hamman
R3
– Wallace goes for a takedown to start the round, but gets
reversed and finds himself on his back again. They get back to
their feet and just start throwing punches, with Wallace getting
the upper hand and then getting a nice takedown, only to be reversed
again and have Hamman on top. A lull in action and the referee
stands them up. Wallace tags Hamman with a couple of good punches
but slips and falls to his back and Hamman alertly jumps down
into his guard. Wallace reverses this time, gets on top and goes
for a kimura, but Hamman rolls and ends up on top in side control.
The round ends with Hamman on top throwing punches from the crucifix
position.
MMAWeekly scores R3 10-9 for Rodney Wallace
-Jared
Hamman def. Rodney Wallace by unanimous decision (29-28 on all
cards)
GREG
SOTO VS. MATT RIDDLE
R1
– Slow pace to start things out, Soto being the more aggressive
fighter shooting for a takedown, but Riddle shrugs him off. Soto
shoots in again, but Riddle grabs an underhook and is again able
to stop the takedown. In the clinch, Riddle starts to fire off
some good knees to the legs and body of Soto. Riddle gets a Muay
Thai clinch and catches Soto with a good knee, and then the two
start winging punches at each other. Riddle scoops up Soto and
takes him down with under :30 seconds to go in the round.
MMAWeekly scores R1 10-9 for Matt Riddle
R2
– Riddle lands a takedown early in round two as Soto tries
to employ a rubber guard defense for a minute, but lets go of
it. Riddle is starting to land some short elbows inside of Soto's
guard. Riddle works to pass Soto's guard, but he maintains position,
but still locked underneath of his opponent. Soto works his way
back to his feet, with Riddle still holding onto his back before
grabbing an ankle and taking him back down again. They stand
up again and Soto tags Riddle with a quick shot, but he fires
right back and it drops Soto to his knees as the round ends.
MMAWeekly scores R2 10-9 for Matt Riddle
R3
– Riddle shoots early for a takedown, backs out and they
starting firing at each other, but eventually Riddle drags him
down again. Soto again tries to stall things with his rubber
guard, and throws a completely illegal kick while Riddle is still
fully on the ground. Riddle is down and definitely rattled. The
doctor comes in and Riddle cannot continue after the illegal
strike.
Matt
Riddle def. Greg Soto by disqualification due to illegal strike
at 1:30, R3
UFC
111 QUICK RESULTS:
Main
Bouts (On Pay-Per-View):
-Georges St-Pierre def. Dan Hardy by Unanimous Decision (50-43,
50-44, 50-45), R5
-Shane Carwin def. Frank Mir by KO (strikes) at 3:48, R1
-Kurt Pellegrino def. Fabricio Camoes by submission (rear naked
choke) at 4:20, R2
-Jon Fitch def. Ben Saunders by unanimous decision (30-27 on
all cards)
-Jim Miller def. Mark Bocek by unanimous decision (29-28 on all
cards)
Preliminary
Bouts (On Spike TV):
-Nate Diaz def. Rory Markham by TKO (strikes) at 2:47, R1
-Ricardo Almeida def. Matt Brown by submission (rear naked choke)
Preliminary
Bouts (Non-Televsied):
-Rousimar Palhares def. Tomasz Drwal by submission (heel hook)
at :45 seconds, R1
-Jared Hamman def. Rodney Wallace by unanimous decision (29-28
on all cards)
-Matt Riddle def. Greg Soto by disqualification due to illegal
strike at 1:30, R3
Source:
MMA Weekly
|
Part-time
fighter Carwin making it look easy
NEWARK,
N.J. – If Shane Carwin keeps this up, he’s going to
give mixed martial arts a bad name.
This
is the sport that takes a lifetime to master. It requires hours
upon hours of daily training. It humbles even the greatest of
athletes and the strongest of men.
You
don’t do MMA as a side job and win championships against
the best in the world.
At
least, that was the conventional wisdom before Carwin came along
and blew that school of thought to bits.
Carwin
still holds down a full-time job as an engineer and is a married
father of a newborn daughter. That’s plenty to make the
average man weary at the end of a lengthy day. When other men
are calling it a day, however, is when Carwin is just beginning.
On
Saturday in the co-main event of UFC 111 at the Prudential Center,
he showed he’s pretty good at his side job, too.
He
needed just three minutes, 48 seconds of the first round to obliterate
Frank Mir, as he had his 11 previous opponents, to claim the
interim UFC heavyweight title and earn the right to face champion
Brock Lesnar at UFC 116 on July 3.
Carwin
had never gone beyond 2:11 in any of his previous professional
bouts, and he entered Saturday’s fight with Mir hounded
by skeptics.
He
was quizzed about his conditioning and whether he’d be able
to go deep into a fight with Mir. None of his 11 victims, save
for Gabriel Gonzaga, could compare to the who’s who of MMA
stars that Mir had beaten, so many suggested Carwin was in over
his head.
Mir’s
jiu-jitsu is deadly and his boxing very technical, and there
are many who believed he was too complete and too gifted for
Carwin.
A
few left uppercuts and a couple of hard punches on the ground,
though, left Mir in a heap and pushed Carwin to the tippy top
of a suddenly loaded heavyweight division.
He
overpowered Mir just like he’d overpowered so many others.
He may not have been technical, but he sure was effective.
“The
plan was to push Frank up against the fence and dirty box him,”
Carwin said. “I’m kind of mean and aggressive there.
We worked on that all camp, just getting him to the fence and
beating him up and trying to take him into the later rounds.”
Mir
took Carwin longer than he’d ever been before, but he did
little offensively. And none of that surprised the man who had
beaten Mir for the title at UFC 100. Lesnar was seated at ringside
and smirked when he watched Mir pull himself off the canvas.
He
was confident he’d be facing Carwin, and the way the fight
played out confirmed his suspicions.
“I
kind of figured Shane was going to win, though I know anything
can happen in this sport,” Lesnar said. “I was kind
of laying back and I didn’t want to count any chickens before
they hatched. Shane’s a tough guy and I just know that Frank’s
time is done. This is the new evolution of the heavyweight division.
Brock Lesnar, Shane Carwin, Cain Velasquez, Junior dos Santos,
we’re the guys in this division.”
Neither
Lesnar nor Carwin is too thrilled that Carwin won an interim
championship. The bout was made for the interim title while Lesnar
was sidelined by diverticulitis, an illness that forced him to
pull out of a bout with Carwin slated for UFC 106 last November.
After
the bout was signed, it was deemed that it would be for the interim
belt. UFC president Dana White didn’t feel it was right
to withdraw recognition after the fight had been made and Lesnar
had announced his return.
Though
Carwin lugged the belt to the post-fight news conference, he
knows he needs another win before he can truly call himself the
champion.
“Brock’s
the champion,” Carwin said, graciously.
Lesnar
praised Carwin’s performance and said he was happy Mir didn’t
win so he didn’t have to fight the same man a third time.
Lesnar is 4-1 and if he would have met Mir again, it would have
been his third fight with Mir in six career fights.
Carwin
put an end to that by blowing Mir out. While that earned Lesnar’s
partial respect, he wasn’t going too far.
“This
belt thing, well, hopefully he enjoys the moment,” Lesnar
said, grinning, as Carwin posed a few feet away in the cage for
photographers. “He should enjoy the win over Frank, but
he has to realize that I’m the heavyweight champion. Everybody
knows that. Good for him winning that fake belt.
“I
had to pull out against him last fall and I didn’t feel
good about that. But I couldn’t fight a guy like that if
I wasn’t in the best shape of my life. I had to do what
I had to do.”
Carwin
did what he had to do as well, setting up what figures to be
one of the UFC’s biggest pay-per-views ever.
Lesnar
said he’s healthy and able to fight in July, and Carwin
came out of the event without a scratch.
Fans
love heavyweights, particularly heavyweights who can punch. UFC
president Dana White knows he’s sitting on a gold mine with
a Lesnar-Carwin bout upcoming, particularly as he puts together
a highlight reel of their knockouts.
He
said Carwin should have ended any doubts about his qualifications
to fight for the belt by decimating a fighter as talented and
respected as Mir.
“Shane
finished Frank Mir very quickly tonight,” White said. “There
isn’t a person in this room or at home watching on television
who wasn’t blown away by Frank’s last performance.
If you thought Frank Mir was going to win the fight, you said,
‘Yeah, he’ll probably beat Cheick Kongo,’ but
you didn’t think he was going to drop him in the standup.
Nobody did. Nobody expected that to happen. He dropped him and
went over and submitted him and Frank Mir looked unstoppable.
“He
was in great shape tonight, but Shane Carwin went out there and
stopped him, easily. He finished Frank Mir in the first round
tonight, like all those other fights, and you’re out of
your mind if you don’t think that Shane has a chance against
Brock Lesnar.”
He
clearly has a chance against Lesnar, which should thrill the
thousands of MMA fans who have made Lesnar the man they love
to hate.
Speaking
of hate, though, some of his peers may begin to hate on Carwin
if he wins the outright title while holding down a day job, raising
a young family and training in his spare time.
He’s
making them all look bad by beating guys like Mir and Gonzaga
as essentially a part-time fighter.
If
he does the same to Lesnar, UFC lightweight champion B.J. Penn
may have to share his nickname, “The Prodigy,” with
Carwin.
“I
do this because I love to do it, not because I have to do it,”
Carwin said. “That makes a huge difference.”
Source:
Yahoo Sports
|
Minotouro:
“There’s no using the spider guard. How do I get my
feet on the biceps?”
Rogerio
Minotouro has a meeting with Forrest Griffin at UFC 114, which
takes place May 29 in Las Vegas. Coming off an impressive knockout
win over Luis Banha, Minotouro is well placed in the organization
and a win against Griffin could put him at the head of the line
for a light heavyweight title challenge. Check out the conversation
GRACIEMAG.com had with the fighter:
How
are your preparations for this challenge going?
Been
training hard. We’re starting to get into the MMA-specific
part. Before I was doing Jiu-Jitsu and boxing separately and
now I’m doing everything together. In weight training I’m
working on explosiveness now, which has more to do with the actual
fight.
What
is most dangerous about Forrest?
Everything.
He’s well-rounded, good on the ground, good on his feet.
He has a good combination of punches and kicks, is truly a complete
fighter. I have to be well prepared and not mess up. To beat
him I’ll have to be 100%.
Anderson
Silva recently faced him. Has the Spider been helping you?
For
sure. We’re training a lot and he’s helping me. Anderson
is the guy who can help me best, having already fought Forrest
and studied his game. He’s helping me a lot.
Will
you carry on training in Brazil or will you go to the U.S.?
I’ll
be here training and will only go to the United States 15 days
before the fight for the final-adjustment phase. I’ll do
my main training here at our training center.
Your
daughter, Valentina, was born recently. Does that help or throw
you a bit off focus in training?
It’s
fine. Everything is separate; there’s work and personal
life. I’m training as I always have and am perhaps even
more motivated, since I have more responsibility.
Today
you use a lot of boxing, but your roots are in fighting on the
ground. What in Jiu-Jitsu can you not use in MMA?
The
spider-guard. How do I get my foot on the biceps? My opponent
would blow me out of the water!
Check
out the card as it stands:
UFC
114
Las Vegas, United States
May 29, 2010
Rashad
Evans vs Quinton “Rampage” Jackson
Forrest
Griffin vs Antonio Rogerio Nogueira
Todd
Duffee vs Mike Russow
John
Hathaway vs Diego Sanchez
Dong
Hyun Kim vs Amir Sadollah
Chris
Leben vs Aaron Simpson
Melvin
Guillard vs Thiago Tavares
Efrain
Escudero vs Dan Lauzon
Luis
Cane vs Cyrille Diabate
Jesse
Forbes vs Ryan Jensen
Source:
Gracie Magazine
|
KJ
Noons
Former
EliteXC champion, KJ Noons took a break in MMA after the end
of the event to fight boxing. One year and a half later, KJ faced
Andre “Dida” Amade in his return at Dream, an needed
15 minutes do win by unanimous decision. Back to the United States,
the fighter commented his victory to TATAME.com and a potential
debut in Strikeforce, eyeing a title shot.
How
was this fight against “Dida”?
I’m
very happy. I’m training very hard and I’m glad to
be back to MMA. It was a good fight for me to come back, he’s
a very good striker and I got ready for that and show that I’m
a better striker. I’m back to MMA and I’m ready to
put on good fights.
You
didn’t fight for a long time. Did you felt this time off,
since you couldn’t finish the fight?
I’ve
been out of MMA for a year and a half, but I’ve been boxing…
I couldn’t finish the fight because, number one he ran the
whole time, he never wanted to engage and really fight, because
my conditioning was better than his and I was breaking him down
mentally. And number two my foot was broke. I broke my foot two
weeks before the fight.
I
read about that. How did you broke your foot?
I
think I broke it in sparring. I didn’t get an x-ray because
I wanted to fight. I just trained hard, I felt It was broke but
I just had an x-ray after the fight. I had the fight, win, show
a good fight and then get an x-ray. It was broke, but I don’t
care, I just wanted to fight. I’m a warrior.
What’s
next for you now? When will you be back?
I
know that Strikeforce wants me to fight back in the US. I wanna
win the fights there on 155 or even a rematch with Nick Diaz
for the 170 title... Anything is up to the air, on talks, but
anything is a possibility.
Analyzing
the opponents at Strikeforce, who do you think you have to beat
to have a chance for the Strikeforce title?
I
wanna fight, but I don’t think I have to beat anyone because
I’m still the champ (laughs). I’d be champ versus champ.
If they want me to get some more fights before I don’t care,
I just wanna fight the best whoever Strikeforce wants me to fight.
Why
you decided to take this time off even being the EliteXC champ?
Because
EliteXC has gone under and I didn’t wanted to go to the
UFC because I wanted to box, so I just stayed boxing and it was
a good time to come back to Strikeforce because they’re
getting good TV deals and putting on good shows. It was a good
time for me to come back.
How
many boxing fights you did in this year and a half?
Five
pro boxing fights, and my record is 12-2.
You
won all the five last fights?
4
and one, but in one of them I got robbed.
Being
robbed is becoming more common now, not only in MMA…
Yeah,
and that’s why I like MMA. Most of the time you finish them,
you don’t need the judges.
You
were for one year and a half away from MMA, but looked in great
shape against Dida. How was your work with Rafael Alejarra?
I
think it’s the most important part of my game. I had boxing,
kickboxing and MMA… It’s my 37 pro fights, I had one
hundred amateur fights, and this is the best I’ve ever felt
in a fight as far as conditioning. I just feel better as an athlete.
Conditioning is the number one for me.
Alejarra
is working with guys like Rogerio Nogueira, Junior dos Santos,
Demian Maia... Did you ever had the chance to train with them?
Yes,
I trained with them a couple times, but I come to Alejarra’s
gym he has all those main people not training together, he works
with one person at a time. I see them and I trained with them,
but when I come here is just me and him, one and one.
What
do you know about Brazil? Did you ever had the chance to come
here?
No,
I’ve never been there. I always wanted to go there and train,
Alejarra says he’s going so I’m going with him too.
When I think about Brazil I think about nice beaches and beautiful
women (laughs)… Well, there are a lot of good fighters at
San Diego that are from Brazil, the culture, food, women…
I’d love to go there.
Source:
Tatame
|
UFC
111 OPENS WITH PRELIM TWISTS AND TURNS
UFC 111 got off to a fast, if not wild, start with three non-televised
preliminary bouts before the Spike TV lead-in to pay-per-view.
Rousimar
Palhares made quick work of Tomasz Drwal at The Prudential Center
in Newark, N.J. A missed punch and a slip put Drwal on the mat,
and Palhares jumped on him like a pitbull, locking on a heel
hook.
Wrenching
his opponent’s knee with the vicious submission, Palhares
showed his ground skills as Drwal tapped out in obvious pain.
Following the fight, Drwal had to be helped to the back with
a serious limp, while Palhares picks up yet another win in the
Octagon.
Jared
Hamman and Rodney Wallace set the bar early on for the rest of
the UFC 111 card. The two light heavyweights battered each other
for the entirety of their 15-minute fight on Saturday night.
Wallace looked strong early landing several takedowns, but a
head kick in the first round may have been the game changer Hamman
was looking for.
Each
round saw both fighters gain an upper hand at different points,
but Hamman's cardio seemed to be a big asset as he was able to
reverse Wallace's takedowns in both the second and third rounds
to keep top position. Hamman picked up a unanimous decision,
but this fight will definitely make a Spike TV broadcast in the
near future.
The
opening bout of the night ended after an illegal kick from New
Jersey native Greg Soto rattled Matt Riddle so bad that he actually
had to have his corner explain to him what happened after rising
from the canvas.
Riddle
looked strong in the first two rounds against Soto as he took
his opponent down at will and opened up a strong ground attack.
In the third round, with time winding down, as Riddle backed
away to escape Soto's rubber guard, Soto fired off a vicious
kick, blasting the former Ultimate Fighter competitor directly
in the face. He stayed on the canvas for a few moments, and after
doctors examined him, Riddle could not continue and got the win
by disqualification, instead of a unanimous decision, which it
appeared he was on his way for.
Source:
MMA Weekly
|
UFC
111: DIAZ AND ALMEIDA FIND SUCCESS AT 170
The UFC 111 live preliminary bout telecast on Spike TV featured
two fighters making their welterweight debuts, one coming up,
one going down, but both were successful at The Prudential Center
in New Jersey.
Nate
Diaz looked nothing short of phenomenal facing Rory Markham,
who was only able to get down to 177 pounds for Friday’s
weigh-in. It made no difference to Diaz. He peppered Markham
with punches before dropping him to the canvas with a driving
knee to the face.
On
the mat, Diaz’s jiu-jitsu skills kicked in. He out positioned
Markham, taking his back and unleashing a brutal assault of punches
to the side of the head until the referee stepped in to call
a halt to the bout.
“I
was only like 175 today, but the weight was easy to make,”
said Diaz of the weight cut, before heading off on a thank you
list that rivaled any Academy Award winner.
“My
last two fights went to a decision, this one is not.”
Those
were the prophetic words of Ricardo Almeida, who also made his
170-pound debut on Saturday night at UFC 111.
He
used a grueling strategy, taking Matt Brown down repeatedly through
the first round and early in the second. Midway through round
two, he was able to catch a kick from Brown and drive him to
the mat with an elbow strike.
From
there, Almeida worked his positioning, taking Brown’s back
and locking on a body triangle. It was only a matter of moments
before he secured a rear naked choke for the submission.
“The
cut was hell,” Almeida said after the fight, before declaring,
“but this is my house, this is my home.”
Source:
MMA Weekly
|
UFC
111: JIM MILLER WINS WAR OF ATTRITION
Jim Miller and Mark Bocek are two of the more promising prospects
in the UFC lightweight division, and it showed on Saturday night
at UFC 111 in New Jersey, as the two virtually cancelled each
other out.
Bocek
was successful throughout the fight in scoring takedowns, while
Miller looked to be a bit sharper on the feet.
Where
Miller eked it out was with what happened on the ground. Although
it was Bocek that was able to put the fight on the mat, Miller
didn’t let the Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu black belt work his game.
Instead,
it was Miller that was more often than not the more active fighter
on the ground, even though he was fighting off of his back for
most of the time. He even nearly submitted Bocek with a Kimura
in the opening round while fighting from his back.
Bocek
returned the favor in round two, working from Miller’s back
for the last couple minutes of the round with Miller’s right
arm trapped in a body triangle. Bocek worked hard for the choke,
but Miller was somehow able to defend with only one arm, leading
commentator Joe Rogan to declare, “Jim Miller is an animal.”
In
the end, it was a razor close fight, without much to separate
the two, but the referees all saw it in favor of the Jersey boy,
Jim Miller.
Source:
MMA Weekly
|
UFC
111: BEN SAUNDERS GETS FITCHED
All the credit in the world goes to Ben Saunders for stepping
in to face one of the top welterweight fighters in the world,
Jon Fitch, at the last minute, but the victory at UFC 111 went
to the American Kickboxing Academy product.
Fans
at The Prudential Center in Newark, New Jersey, may not have
been all that appreciative of Fitch’s style, but there was
no denying that he owned the fight from beginning to end.
Fitch
did what he does best. He stood with Saunders, a lanky striker,
just long enough to pepper him with a few shots and then shoot
the takedown and put Saunders on his back. On the mat, it was
just a brutal meat grinder for Saunders.
Fitch
worked the head and the body, unloading with a perpetual attack
of punches and elbows that left Saunders battered and bruised.
He
may want to reconsider fighting AKA athletes, as Fitch and his
teammate, Mike Swick, are the only fighters to defeat Saunders.
The
victory was Fitch’s fourth straight.
Source:
MMA Weekly
|
Quote
of the Day
"A
single day is enough to make us a little larger."
Paul
Klee, 1879-1940
|
JOHNSON,
TATE SCORE BIG WINS AT STRIKEFORCE
Just being in the cage at Friday night’s Strikeforce Challengers
7 was a huge accomplishment for Lavar Johnson.
Gang
members gunned Johnson down at a family gathering over the Independence
Day holiday last summer. He suffered three gunshot wounds that
nearly ended his life. Johnson emerged from the hospital a month
later and 50 pounds lighter. His cousin, Anthony Johnson, wasn’t
so lucky. He died at the scene.
No
mixed martial arts fight will ever compare to what Johnson went
through that night, but the same resilience that lead him to
survive such a tragedy also led him to victory at the Save Mart
Center in front of his hometown crowd in Fresno, Calif.
His
opponent,
Lolohea Mahe,
took the fight to Johnson early, repeatedly unloading a powerful
overhand right that found its mark more than once and scoring
multiple takedowns. As the two hit midstream in the second round,
both were floundering for air, but this is where Johnson’s
resilience paid off.
As
Mahe’s tank neared empty, Johnson wavered, but dug deep,
unleashing a series of punishing right hands that drove him to
the mat. The referee was a little slow to call a halt to the
bout, but Johnson kept up his assault until he did.
“It
feels great just to be a part of this,” Johnson stated after
the fight. “I was kind of nervous. Just being able to overcome
the gunshots and all this and with a tough opponent, this feels
good, this feels real good.”
Ron
“Abongo” Humphrey began his mixed martial arts career
on a six-fight winning streak, but was derailed by hard-hitting
heavyweight Brett Rogers last April. He returned to the right
side of the tracks in his light heavyweight debut with a quick
submission of Hammer House fighter George Bush III on Friday
night.
Just
when Bush seemed to get things moving, landing an uppercut and
several stinging leg kicks, he gave up the stand-up attack and
shot for the takedown. Humphrey caught him in a guillotine choke,
cinched it up, and earned the submission less than two minutes
into the round.
“It
feels great. I feel like I can move better; I feel a lot more
mobile,” said Humphrey of the move down to 205 pounds. He
doesn’t have a target on anyone in the new class yet, but
said he’s ready to fight whoever they throw at him.
Decorated
Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu expert Andre Galvao took Luke Stewart down
throughout their bout, but was reversed on nearly every attempt,
left to defend Stewart’s ground and pound. While the two
negated each other’s grappling, Stewart seemed to edge ahead
in the bout with his ground and pound tactics and varied kicking
attack in the stand-up. The judges, however, saw it differently,
handing a split decision to Galvao, likely giving more weight
to his takedowns and counterpunching.
Meisha
Tate on Friday night continued her quest for a rematch with current
Strikeforce women’s welterweight champion Sarah Kaufman.
She lived up to her nickname, Takedown Tate, by putting a headhunting
Zoila Frausto on her back several times in their fight, softening
her up with a ground and pound attack.
Tate
nearly finished Frausto with a Von Flue shoulder choke in round
two. She couldn’t finish the choke, but moved to full mount
and then transitioned to an armbar. Frausto tried to escape,
but the “Warrior Princess” tapped out near the end
of round two.
Despite
some trash talk leading up to the fight, Tate had nothing but
respect for the previously unbeaten Frausto afterwards. “I
don’t take anything away from her; that was a war.”
Obviously,
the goal is a shot at Kaufman’s belt, but Tate said, “(I’ll
fight) whoever Strikeforce puts in front of me, anybody, I don’t
care.”
Kicking
off the Showtime telecast was an impressive display from Justin
Wilcox. Shamar Bailey showed a few sparks in the bout, but it
was Wilcox, who used his strong wrestling skills and varied striking
attack, courtesy of American Kickboxing Academy, to pummel Bailey
into a near finish in the second round before settling for a
unanimous decision.
-Lavar
Johnson def. Lolohea
Mahe by
TKO (Strikes) at 3:29, R2
-Ron “Abongo” Humphrey def. George Bush III by Submission
(Guillotine Choke) at 1:44, R1
-Andre Galvao def. Luke Stewart by Split Decision (27-30, 30-27,
29-28), R3
-Meisha Tate def. Zoila Frausto by Submission (Armbar) at 4:09,
R2
-Justin Wilcox def. Shamar Bailey by Unanimous Decision (30-26,
30-27, 30-27), R3
Source: MMA Weekly
|
UFC
111: ST. PIERRE DOMINATES A HEARTY HARDY
Georges St-Pierre entered the Octagon at UFC 111 on Saturday
night the overwhelming favorite, and he exited in the same fashion.
He
left know doubt in anyone’s mind that he is the most dominant
welterweight fighter, and one of the pound for pound best fighters,
on the planet.
St-Pierre
wasn't able to finish Hardy, but he thoroughly dominated the
fight from bell to bell. Every single round, Hardy came out trying
to find an opening for his striking arsenal, and every single
round, St-Pierre picked the Brit up and dumped him on his back.
He
wasn’t able to do much visible damage to Hardy with his
ground and pound attacks, but perhaps more perplexing for St-Pierre
had to have been that Hardy didn’t tap out to several submission
attempts.
St-Pierre
landed an armbar early in the fight that nearly caused Hardy’s
elbow to bend the wrong direction, and cranked on a Kimura in
the fourth round that surely stretched the Brit’s ligaments
to their breaking point. But Hardy didn’t tap.
“The
one thing that I do have above everything else... is there’s
no quit in me. I don’t give up. I don’t give up,”
Hardy declared after the fight. “I don’t know the meaning
of tap.”
St-Pierre
soldiered on after both near submissions with his takedowns and
ground and pound earning a lopsided unanimous decision on all
three scorecards, but he wasn't pleased.
“I’m
not very happy of myself. I made a lot of stupid technical mistakes,”
said the champion.
Always
gracious, even in a dominant victory, St-Pierre gave credit where
it was due.
“He
is a lot better than I thought he was,” he declared before
striding across the ring to thank Hardy for the fight and encourage
the young contender, saying that Hardy did better against him
than he did against Matt Hughes in his first title shot.
“I
just want to apologize to my fans,” said St-Pierre. “I
want to come back better next time. I wanted to finish this fight
in a beautiful fashion.”
Source: MMA Weekly
|
SERRA
CONSULTED RENZO BEFORE TRAINING HARDY
The dramatic closing scene of the first episode of UFC Primetime
was one of the more powerful moments during the reality show
on Spike when top welterweight contender Dan Hardy walked into
Matt Serra's school and the two shook hands.
Serra
was of course the last fighter to defeat Georges St-Pierre, and
the build-up was perfect to show him now training the next guy
who hopes to take away the Canadian's welterweight title.
The
angle of Serra training with Hardy, and Serra’s mentor,
Renzo Gracie, training with St-Pierre played out a little bit
differently in reality than it did on the behind the scenes portrayal
that made it to TV.
Serra
admits that when the UFC first made the call to ask him to work
with Hardy, he was hesitant.
"I
got the call the day before that took place, and it was Dana
asking me to do a solid. I didn’t know Hardy, I just knew
him from the interviews and what not," said Serra on Friday.
"I was a little on the fence with it because first of all
I'm a very loyal person. I knew GSP was in the city with my instructor
Renzo Gracie, that's the first thing that went through my head."
Serra
made the call to his instructor and made sure that there would
be no conflict if he were to work with Hardy prior to the title
fight.
"I
gave Renzo a call. I go, ‘Dana wanted me to do him a solid.’
Let me check with the troops, let me check with John Danaher,
who's also a black belt out of Manhattan under Renzo. I checked
with Renzo, they were fine with it, which is cool," said
Serra.
Still
somewhat reserved about inviting the British fighter into his
camp, Serra says meeting Hardy was all it took for him to be
convinced, and he became a fan instantly.
"I
was still a little weird with it cause I didn't know Dan, so
I was playing it by ear. He came by, I met him, cool guy and
again we pretty much hit it off," Serra said.
Knowing
the pressures that come along with being an underdog, and especially
being an underdog facing Georges St-Pierre, Serra believes in
Hardy coming into UFC 111, and the fight ahead should be something
to watch.
"I'm
rooting for the guy. He was a humble guy in training. He was
a good dude," said the Native New Yorker. "At least
when he was with me he worked his ass off."
Source: MMA Weekly
|
MIR
SEES FATAL FLAW IN BIG NOG'S STYLE
When Frank Mir defeated Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira many people
thought it was a once in a lifetime performance. Others said
that Mir got lucky, while even more people said Nogueira's staph
infection prior to the fight added to his problems in the Octagon.
Mir,
who has only lost one time in his last five fights, says it had
nothing to do with any of those reasons. He believes he found
the fatal flaw in Nogueira's game, and that it will continue
to be a problem for as long as he keeps on fighting and doesn't
correct the issue.
"Nogueira
is still a tough, tough guy. Everybody kept telling me after
the Randy Couture fight he showed he had an infection when he
fought you, and I'm like guys I don’t know, correct me if
I'm wrong, but I see the same problem," said Mir recently.
"I see a guy that's got a lot of heart, a lot of guts, but
takes a lot of abuse."
That
abuse has seemingly taken its toll on Nogueira, who prior to
being TKO'd by Mir, had never been finished before in his career.
The Brazilian just lost his most recent bout against Cain Velasquez
at UFC 110 after being blasted with a big punch from the former
All-American wrestler.
When
Nogueira defeated Randy Couture in 2009, the cries of "he's
back!" saturated the MMA world, but Mir disagrees with that
assessment, and says "Minotauro" still has a technique
issue to deal with, and it showed in his last fight.
"Even
in the fight with Randy when everyone says see, yeah he's back,
he's back! I'm like, really?" said Mir. "Randy Couture's
45 years old and he hit him a lot. We look at the punch stats;
I think Randy hit him more times than I hit him. The only difference
is Randy weighs 220 pounds. Randy can cut to light heavyweight.
"Then
we got to see the difference with Cain Velasquez. Cain, I haven't
seen anything in the Octagon that shows a weakness yet. His cardio
is unbelievable. He obviously can hit hard. He is resilient.
If he does take a shot, we see him in the Cheick Kongo fight,
he's hurt, (but) he's able to drive forward and improvise."
The
fatal flaw Mir alludes to is Nogueira's best weapon in years
past, taking his opponent's best punch and still moving forward
to finish the fight.
"Nogueira
just has kind of a style flaw right now that everybody's seen,
he doesn't move his head. And in the heavyweight division if
you don't move your head out of the way, I mean you've seen Cain
Velasquez was slipping punches left and right, and moving his
head. That's kind of how you have to fight nowadays," said
Mir. "With these four-ounce gloves, I'm a firm believer
if you just want to sit there and 'I'll take one, you take one,'
you better hope the guy you're fighting doesn't hit very hard."
There
has been no timetable set for Nogueira's return to action, but
the Brazilian will be training his brother Rogerio for an upcoming
fight, and also works with UFC middleweight champion Anderson
Silva who fights in Abu Dhabi next month.
Source: MMA Weekly
|
ALVES
TO UNDERGO SURGERY, HOPES FOR MAY RETURN
The bad news is Thiago Alves wasn't able to fight Jon Fitch at
UFC 111, but the much better news is that the Brazilian will
be able to return to action as soon as May, after having a minor
surgery that will keep him away for only a few weeks.
Alves
spoke to the media on Friday evening in New York City to update
everyone on what was a fairly vague, yet scary situation after
he was not approved to fight following a CAT scan that revealed
an issue with the fighter's brain that could not be solved by
fight time.
Fitch
remained on the UFC 111 card and will now face Ben Saunders instead,
while Saunders' original opponent Jake Ellenberger was pulled
from the show and will fight at a later date.
Alves
was removed from the New Jersey card on Thursday when pre-fight
medicals could not be approved for the American Top Team fighter,
and the anomaly that caused the issues sent a scare through the
MMA community.
Safety
always being first prevented Alves from fighting, and luckily
the problem was fairly minor in nature and surgery will him to
return to action very soon.
While
no definitive timeline has been determined, Alves has stated
publicly that he hopes to return in May.
Source: MMA Weekly
|
FITCH:
IT SHOULD BE KOSCHECK VS. GSP AT UFC 111
The road to the welterweight championship can be described as
a rocky path to say the least. Being possibly the deepest division
in the UFC, getting a shot at champion Georges St-Pierre is no
easy task.
Currently
ranked as the No. 2 welterweight in the world by MMAWeekly.com's
World MMA Rankings, Jon Fitch, while he respects Dan Hardy, doesn't
believe the Brit has done enough in the division to fight for
the title at UFC 111.
With
both Fitch and teammate Josh Koscheck vying for a shot at the
belt, Hardy came in and won four fights in a row – most
recently defeating their fellow American Kickboxing Academy teammate,
Mike Swick – to earn the shot. Fitch believes that the shot
should have gone to Koscheck first, and then to him if he can
keep winning.
"It's
kind of going to be up to them to decide," Fitch answered
when asked who should get the next shot between he and Koscheck.
"That's kind of one of the reasons we were both upset about
Dan Hardy. No knock against Hardy, I think he's a great guy.
He's a great fighter. He's got a bright future ahead of him.
I just think he's untested and hasn't put in as much work as
some other guys in the weight class.
"It's
kind of disrespectful to a lot of the other fighters in the weight
class that got passed by. I think Koscheck should be fighting
for the title right now. I think him and GSP should have been
fighting at UFC 111."
Hardy
has been bombarded by fighters that believe he didn’t earn
his shot at the title, but he brushes them off and notes that
most of the people complaining have already fought and lost to
GSP in the past. Fitch says he's honestly not sure what criteria
he has to fill out for another crack at the belt, but it's frustrating
nonetheless.
"It's
nothing against Dan Hardy, he's a great fighter, a great guy,
and I think some day he was going to get a title shot anyways.
The fact of the matter is he's only four fights deep in the UFC.
I had to win eight fights to get a title shot," said Fitch.
"There's
a lot of other guys who had to put in a lot more work to get
there. For a lot of the guys watching and sitting around, it's
discouraging. What exactly do you have to do to get a title shot?"
While
Fitch feels strongly about the way things have been laid out,
he's still willing to work his way back and he'll try to take
the final step of that journey when he faces Ben Saunders at
UFC 111.
Source: MMA Weekly
|
Wand:
‘Demian more dangerous than Belfort’
UFC
112’s main event will have Anderson Silva facing off Demian
Maia for the middleweight title, and Wanderlei Silva, a former
Pride champion, knows both very well. Used to work with Anderson
at Chute Boxe team in the past, Wanderlei now trains with Demian
in his gym in Las Vegas.
“I
think it’s an interesting fight”, Wanderlei commented
to TATAME.com. “A lot of people think Demian has no chance,
but I think he does. He’s a very talented guy, disciplined…
Demian well trained has a lot of chances to win. The same chance
Anderson has to knockout, Demian has to submit”. UFC champion
for a long time, this is the second time that Anderson puts his
title in line against a fellow Brazilian, and Wanderlei thinks
Demian brings more challenges to Anderson than his first opponent,
Vitor Belfort.
“I
think Demian is more dangerous than Belfort because Belfort fights
more standing, and Anderson is unbeatable standing. I already
trained with Anderson and his boxing can be compared to professional
boxers. Whoever tries to strike with him is screwed. He’s
very long, tall and has a good reach”, says, pointing the
way to Demian. “His chances is to go there and take him
down, he’d have a chance there. If he keeps it standing,
it’d become complicated”.
Source: Tatame
|
Bibiano:
“I feel I did my duty”
Bibiano
Fernandes put his belt up for grabs against Joachim Hansen, an
opponent of the highest caliber, at Dream 13. The battle wasn’t
easy, but by split decision, the Jiu-Jitsu black belt could again
cuddle his beloved trophy.
“I
feel I did my duty. I managed to hang on to the belt. I’m
feeling just great, thank God,” he said shortly after the
triumph.
Early
in his career, Bibiano suffered two losses in three fights. Now
on a roll, he’s come up with a string of positive results.
Besides beating an opponent of the highest caliber, he is riding
a seven-fight winning streak.
“I
was up against an excellent fighter, very experienced and tough
as nails. I learned something today, he taught me many things.
I come from a Jiu-Jitsu background and my MMA is evolving. I
was a champion in Jiu-Jitsu and now I’ve managed to be one
in MMA,” he said, and then remarked on his strategy for
dealing with Hansen.
“I
knew what he would do, that he’d try and get up every time
I took him down. But that didn’t faze me one bit. I went
there to win, went after the win and got it, thank God.”
I’ll
fight whoever Dream wants me to” Bibiano
With
the Dream featherweight title in his hands, Bibiano now awaits
new orders from the Japanese organization.
“I’ll
accept anyone Dream puts in my way. I don’t pick my opponents.
I really want to thank my team in Vancouver, Evolution Fight
Team, and all my coaches and all those who helped me,” he
said in finishing.
Source: Gracie Magazine
|
Quote
of the Day
"Love
truth, and pardon error."
Voltaire, 1694-1778
|
Destiny
Maui Results!
Maui War Memorial
Saturday March 27, 2010
Pali over Castaneto by unanimous decision after 3 rounds.
Jireh
Umi by unanimous decision over Choy Foo after 3 rounds.
Baula
by TKO ref stop due to punches on the ground over Laupola in
R2.
Holloway
by TKO ref stop due to punches standing in R3 over Rosa.
Paongo
by TKO tap out due to punches at 14 sec in R1 over Gonzales.
Curran
by RNC at 2:22 in R2 over Kulukulualani
This lady is extremely well rounded.
Kekino
by RNC in R1 at 58 sec over Santiano
Quiniola
by DQ (illegal up kick) over Abdallah R2
Moreno
by split dec over Gumboc after 3R's
Nakamura
over Ke by unanimous dec after 3R's. Fight of the night!
Vistante
over Planesi by unanimous dec after 3R's
Maiava
over Eaton by unanimous dec after 3R's.
Maiava is an impressive talent at 205 lbs.
Sproat
by TKO ref stop due to punches from the mount at 1:52 in R1 over
Lopez
Wallace
by RNC at 3:55 in R4 over Eddie P.
|
UFC
111 Results:
St-Pierre vs. Hardy, Mir vs. Carwin, More
By Bryan
Tucker
Pay-Per-View
Bouts
Georges St-Pierre def. Dan Hardy by unanimous decision
Shane Carwin def. Frank Mir via first-round TKO
Kurt Pellegrino def. Fabricio Camoes by submission (rear-naked
choke)
Jon Fitch def. Ben Saunders by unanimous decision
Jim Miller def. Mark Bocek by unanimous decision
Preliminary
Bouts
Nate Diaz def. Rory Markham via TKO (punches) - Round 1, 2:47
Ricardo Almeida def. Matt Brown via submission (rear-naked choke)
- Round 1, 3:30
Rousimar Palhares def. Tomasz Drwal via submission (heel hook)
- Round 1, 0:45
Jared Hamman def. Rodney Wallace via unanimous decision (29-28,
29-28, 29-28)
Matt Riddle def. Greg Soto via DQ (illegal upkick) -- Round 3,
1:30
Source: MMA Fighting
|
Officials
Clinics
Hello MMA,
Martial Arts, and Boxing Community,
If any club or interested parties want to compete in amateur
boxing or become a judge, referee, or coach.
Email me at bkawano@aol.com
A tentative
Officials or Coaches Clinic on March 28th.
First show on Oahu is April 3rd, at Palolo District Park.
All Coaches, Officials, have to be registered and certified.
Boxers must register locally.
For more contact and registration info go to www.amateurboxingofhawaii.com
Thank You,
Bruce Kawano
Amateur Boxing of Hawaii Interm Manager.
Ringside Board of Advisors.
NMU Task Force Appointed Member.
|
Self
Defense Club Policy Forum
“Hawai’i
Self Defense Laws: The Legal Perspective.”
What
You Can and Cannot Do
University
Of Hawai’i At Manoa
2515 Dole Street, Honolulu, HI 96822
William S. Richardson School of Law
Classroom
1
Thursday, April 1st, 2010
From 6 Pm to 8 Pm
Come
join us for a discussion regarding self defense as it relates
to the law. There will be a forum of six panelist to answer your
questions regarding the topic at hand.
Speakers
include:
Virginia E. Hench, Professor Of Law, Director Of the Hawai’i
Innocence Project
Christopher Park, Metropolitan Police Sergeant With the Honolulu
Police Department
Franklin Don Pacarro, r., Senior Deputy Prosecuting Attorney
For the City And County Of Honolulu
Jerry
A. Villanueva, Trial Attorney For the Office Of the Public Defender
Edward K. Harada, Trial Attorney For the Office Of the Public
Defender
Victoria S. Marks, Retired Hawai’i State Judge, First Circuit
|
Vera
Undergoes Surgery Thursday, No Sparring for 4-6 Months
by Loretta
Hunt
Brandon
Vera will undergo facial surgery on Thursday evening to correct
a dislocated cheekbone incurred in his first-round defeat to
Jon Jones at UFC on Versus 1 last Sunday, said his manager Matt
Stansell.
In
the light heavyweight bout, Jones took Vera down two times, then
landed a left elbow directly to Vera’s face. The 32-year-old
fighter spun to his knees for cover, as referee Herb Dean stepped
in to halt the bout.
“It
broke his cheekbone in three places and it’s sort of floating
right now,” said Stansell on Thursday. “(The bone)
is kind of laying on the muscle of the right eye, which is preventing
Brandon from looking to his right, and it’s pushing his
eyeball forward.”
Stansell
said two plates will be inserted during the surgery to secure
the bone back in place. Vera, who hails from his own Alliance
Training Center in Chula Vista, Calif., hopes to return to grappling
training in six to eight weeks. Stansell estimated it could take
anywhere between four to six months before Vera will be medically
cleared to spar again, though that timetable is determinant on
the fighter’s recovery.
Stansell
said Vera, a noted muay Thai stylist in the 205-pound ranks,
is in positive spirits and anxious to return to competition as
soon as he is cleared to.
“Brandon
told the doctor to do whatever he needed to get him back in the
cage as fast as he could,” said Stansell. “I’ve
never seen him so motivated to get back to training and fighting
before.”
Vera,
who’s fought for the promotion since 2005, has been defeated
in his last two Octagon appearances. After a strong four-fight
start, he is now 7-5 for the promotion. Vera has at least three
fights remaining on his current UFC contract, said a source.
Source: Sherdog
|
CARWIN
IS MIR'S TESTING GROUND FOR LESNAR
by Damon Martin
The style that Brock Lesnar employs is a code that's not easy
to crack.
A
few have tried, unsuccessfully, to break through his iron grip
and massive meat hooks, but the last person who tried is back
at the drawing board and believes his next opponent is a great
person to test his theories on.
As
Frank Mir goes through the final days of preparation for his
co-main event showdown with Shane Carwin at UFC 111, the former
champion knows that his current opponent's size and strategy
could help him develop the perfect poison to drop Lesnar if a
third fight happens between the two.
Carwin
is still undefeated as a professional, and carries with him strong
wrestling skills and serious power that can put your lights out.
Mir believes that if he can't figure out what he did wrong against
Lesnar, he may experience de javu in his next fight.
"I
think I've shown in the Brock fight a weakness in that area,
where if I get taken down against the cage, not that anybody's
great there, but (Carwin) has his great wrestling and he's also
a big guy, very strong, and very technical with (Greg) Jackson
as a coach," Mir said in an interview with MMAWeekly Radio.
"I
think if things aren't going well for him, not that if he's losing,
but if he's just not getting the knockout, why not push me against
the cage and fight me from there?"
The
stylistic match-up intrigues Mir, who breaks down fights like
a chess player looking for the next move, and he has a great
mindset when dissecting Carwin's style and the danger that comes
along with it.
"It
helps that Shane Carwin is stylistically someone I want to work
on," said Mir. "I think I've done well against strikers,
and I've done well against people who are submission fighters,
but the wrestling aspect of it is something I still feel in my
game that I want to improve upon. So Shane Carwin and obviously
Brock after that pose the same kind of stylistic fighter."
Of
course the question always gets posed to Mir whenever Lesnar's
name comes up. Is he looking past Carwin to a fight with the
UFC heavyweight champion?
"It's
easy to keep focused," said Mir. "If I was fighting
somebody that was a completely different style of fighter, if
I was getting ready to fight (Junior) Dos Santos, who is primarily
a boxer and a jiu-jitsu stylist, then maybe I would have to change
things around a little bit.
"In
an essence, I'm fighting the same kind of guy. I'm going to lose
the same kind of way if I get stuck against the cage and pounded
out. Both guys can do that to me, both guys are relatively heavy
handed, and Shane Carwin has shown that time and time again."
Even
if Lesnar's name does come to illicit a reaction from Mir, he
says he has the right people around him to make sure that his
view never gets too distracted.
"I
think I've done a pretty good job of staying focused on him,"
said the former UFC heavyweight champion. "But obviously
I have a coaching staff and a wife that kind of get the prodder
out, making sure that if I bring up other stuff I get the little
jolt."
Source: MMA Weekly
|
Firas
Zahabi: 185 Move, Olympics Not on GSP's Agenda Right Now
By Ariel
Helwani
NEW YORK -- MMA Fighting spoke to Georges St-Pierre's head trainer,
Firas Zahabi, at Thursday's UFC 111 media workout about a whole
host of subjects: GSP's mental state heading into the fight,
whether training with Matt Serra will actually help Dan Hardy,
his own newfound fame and the possibility of seeing GSP move
up to middleweight or make an Olympic run in the near future.
Source: MMA Fighting
|
UFC
116: Wand gets another judoka
by Marcelo
Dunlop
Wanderlei Silva really will be facing Yoshihiro Akiyama in his
next fight, at UFC 116, says Fighters Only website.
The
matchup is set for July 3, the day Silva turns 34 years old.
Nicknamed
“Sexyama” for his appearances on the catwalks of Japan,
the eminent judoka has only lost once in 16 MMA fights, with
two No Contests. In 2005, in his second fight, he was knocked
out by France’s Jerome LeBanner.
Since
then he has submitted Melvin Manhoef, knocked out Denis Kang
and built a solid record. Solid but perfectly suited to the likings
of Wanderlei, a knockout-crazy slugger dying to notch some wins
and salivating about the prospect of facing a fighter like Akiyama,
who made his name in the Japanese ring once Wand’s playground.
Wand
has faced judo stars Shungo Oyama, Hidehiko Yoshida (twice) and
Kazuhiro Nakamura, but has never lost to a judoka, or to a Japanese
fighter. A perfect matchup for the careers of both fighters.
Or at least the winner.
Source: Gracie Magazine
|
SHINE
FIGHTS UPDATE
Estima vs. Hawn Added to May 15th “Worlds Collide”
By FCF Staff
Shine
Fights Promotions has announced today that accomplished jiu-jitsu
practitioner Braulio Estima, will make his MMA debut against
renowned judo competitor and undefeated MMA fighter Rick Hawn,
at the promotion’s upcoming May 15th event. “Worlds
Collide: Mayorga vs. Thomas” will take place on that date
at the Crown Coliseum in Fayetteville, North Carolina, and will
feature former boxing champion Ricardo Mayorga’s MMA debut
against UFC veteran Din Thomas.
Estima
is a decorated jiu-jitsu competitor whose extensive accomplishments
include winning the under-88 kg and Absolute division championships
at the 2009 ADCC. In a press release from the promotion, Estima
had this to say about his upcoming opponent.
“I've
seen a couple of fights and he's a tough kid. He's very strong,
very explosive. I'm not expecting an easy fight at all. He's
a top judo player in the world, so he's an athlete himself. Whoever
makes fewer mistakes will win. He already has experience in MMA,
6-0. He has a pretty good advantage in the cage, but I'm going
to try work myself in a situation where this won't affect me.”
Hawn
is a 4 time U.S. National champion in Judo, former Olympic competitor
and world team member, and has gone 6-0 since transitioning into
MMA last year. Most recently Hawn worked his way to a Unanimous
Decision victory over Tom Gallicchio at a World Championship
Fighting event in February.
“I'm
looking forward to the fight with Estima. Even though he is new
to MMA, he has extensive ground skills that will require me to
elevate my game. I am more than ready for the challenge. It's
not much of a surprise that I want to keep the fight standing
with him if possible. This is MMA though, and anything can happen.
Either way, I'm going to be well prepared and take advantage
of my experience and strengths.”
Source: Full Contact Fighter
|
UPDATE:
Badr Hari Claims No Involvement in Nightclub Assault
by Fraser
Coffeen
An update on yesterday's story regarding Badr Hari's alleged
involvement in an assault on an Amsterdam bouncer: Hari's lawyer
has issued a statement denying the former K-1 champion had any
involvement in the attack.
According
to his lawyer Benedicte Ficq, Hari "denies having anything
to do with this" and says that if the police do have any
evidence, they should summon him. Ficq also said that Hari is
willing to cooperate, however voiced frustration with the police
for publicly accusing Hari before bringing him in for questioning.
Eyewitness
accounts allegedly identified Hari as one of the assailants,
however the police have received a number of tips since going
public with the story and have decided to conduct more interviews
with witnesses before deciding if they will bring Hari in.
The
attack has also been confirmed as taking place at Club Bling
in Amsterdam. Some sites are reporting that the attack took place
in February, however according to Dutch newspaper Het Parool,
it was indeed this past weekend.
It's
too early to say Hari is in the clear yet, but for the police
to be backing off for now means that at least he's no longer
avoiding the police, which is obviously a good thing.
Special
thanks to MMAZone for help with this story.
Source: Head Kick Legend
|
DREAM.13
Review and Thoughts
Written by MMA Memories Contributor Ernest Helwig
DREAM
kicked off the year with a fairly good showing at DREAM.13. While
not necessarily the biggest drawing card with regards to name
power, the show did have many competitive bouts on paper that
in the end did manage to deliver. From the beginning the show
was a bit plagued without having a main event that would really
take it over the top. Fernandes vs. Hansen seemed perfect to
fill a co-main event slot but ended up headlining. Strangely,
FEG was barely able to secure 7 fights, which really isn’t
anything new since PRIDE had tons of cards featuring only 7 fights.
Bibiano
Fernandes, Katsunori Kikuno, and Cole Escovedo definitely came
out the beneficiaries after the show. Bibiano Fernandes, in my
opinion, legitimizes himself and the DREAM Featherweight belt
with a huge win over Joachim “Hellboy” Hansen. Hansen
is easily one of the most accomplished Lightweights in MMA history.
He is a Former SHOOTO Welterweight Champion, PRIDE Lightweight
GP Semifinalist, and Former DREAM Lightweight GP Champion but
fell short against Fernandes. Fernandes was definitely on his
A game scoring takedowns seemingly at will while not being completely
outclassed on the feet. It took Hansen 10 minutes to warm up
and find his rhythm as he did manage to push the pace in the
2nd but ultimately lost a Split Decision.
I
have to disagree with the judging in this case. I though Bibiano
clearly won the fight by his ability to score big takedowns whenever
he wanted. The only problem is that Hellboy would do that quick
butt scoot forward to get back on his feet almost everytime he
got taken down. I didn’t think it was close enough to score
it a split decision. Even Hellboy looked surprised when the announcer
said one judges gave it to him. This could set up a rematch against
Takaya. Takaya is definitely undeserving especially after being
knocked out by Michihiro Omigawa at Dynamite!!. DREAM is in a
tough spot trying to find a legit contender but I think they
have a harder task of finding anyone who can actually beat him.
Fernandes easily thrusts himself into the top 10 picture with
this recent win.
Katsunori
Kikuno and Cole Escovedo scored mild upset knockout wins over
Kuniyoshi Hironaka and Yoshiro Maeda, respectively. Kikuno has
turned into a KO machine with his patented Crescent Liver Kick.
The finish was incredibly similar to his fight with Jung Bu-Kyung
in DEEP Lightweight GP. In this case Hironaka actually lasted
less time only going 1+ minute in the 1st after being stopped.
I would love to see a rematch against him and Eddie Alvarez or
a fight with KJ Noons. During the PV, translator Hans Thompson
said that during the Japanese Language PV that this could solidify
a 3rd Japanese Lightweight under Kawajiri and Aoki and I don’t
think is really a stretch. Mizuto Hirota, and Kikuno seemed poised
to take the 3 spot since Satoru Kitaoka’s fall from grace
last year.
Cole
Escovedo looked more like a soccer player against as he displayed
the perfect technique of following through as he head kicked
his way to a very solid win over Yoshiro Maeda in the 1st round.
Maeda‘s head violently hit the canvas and he immediately
stiffened up. Escovedo looked like a shark out for blood. After
he delivered the kick to Maeda, he pounced on him but it was
clear that Maeda was already unconscious. This is the 2nd time
I can remember this happening to him. Same thing occurred in
his PRIDE debut against Charles “Krazy Horse” Bennett.
Escovedo looked poised and focused and picked up a big win for
his efforts. I’d like to see Escovedo fight someone like
Tokoro or Takaya to really measure himself and see if he’s
contender or pretender.
One
person who I’m terribly disappointed with is Andre “Dida”
Amade. I remember when Amade debuted in HERO’S against Takaya
and broke his nose with a vicious uppercut and thought that this
guy would just tear through everyone. At the time he was with
Chute Boxe, and fit that style perfectly. He entered the 3rd
HERO’S Lightweight GP and just blazed through Oumakhanov
and Uno. He actually broke Uno’s jaw with a hellacious knee.
He eventually lost the Final to Gesias “JZ” Calvancante
and that was it. Sadly, as soon as he rose to some notoriety
he just fell. His last win was against Uno in 2007 and he’s
currently riding a 4 fight losing streak. He definitely needs
to go back to the drawing board and try to get that intensity
and fire back like what he had in HERO’S. He looked unwilling
to engage Noons and looked surprisingly gun shy as opposed to
his earlier HERO’S fights were he had a careless style.
Noons just took the middle of the ring pressed the action and
gave Amade a nice boxing lesson on route to taking a Unanimous
decision win.
Other
fights on the show included Jimmy Ambriz vs. MINOWAMAN. Minowa
displayed a lot of heart pulling a Toe Hold at of nowhere after
being clobbered for the opening 10 minutes. Chonan looked great
and more importantly motivated as he took a Unanimous decision
against Andrews Nakahara. Finally, Josh Barnett’s much anticipated
return was just sad to watch. He accidentally floored Might Mo
with a low blow that stopped the bout for 10+ minutes. The bout
restarted and Josh shot a simple double and got an armbar submission
win.
Full
Results:
Openweight:
MINOWAMAN def. Jimmy Ambriz via Toehold (Round 2)
Lightweight:
Katsunori Kikuno def. Kuniyoshi Hironaka via KO (Round 1)
Featherweight:
Cole Escovedo def. Yoshiro Maeda via KO (Round 1)
Welterweight:
Ryo Chonan def. Andrews Nakahara via Unanimous Decision
Lightweight:
KJ Noons def. Andre Amade via Unanimous Decision
Heavyweight:
Josh Barnett def. Mighty Mo via Straight Armbar
Featherweight
Championship: Bibiano Fernandes def. Joachim Hansen via Split
Decision
After
watching both SRC 12 and DREAM.13, I’m going to say that
SRC had the better 2010 debut. A huge problem with DREAM.13 was
the intermission. Prior to it, the show was flowing really well
and had a good pacing with competitive fights and finishes but
after the Intermission the pace dropped rapidly. Keiichi Sasahara
at the post fight press conference actually admitted that the
strange pacing plagued the 2nd half of the show. The main event,
thankfully, was unaffected. The next big shows are ASTRA and
DREAM.14 in Korea.
Source: MMA Memories
|
Werdum
faces Fedor:
“It would be best to fight from the top”
by Carlos
Eduardo Ozório
Ever
since his last StrikeForce win, when he beat Antonio “Pezao”
Silva in November of 2009, Fabricio Werdum has been awaiting
confirmation from the organization that he will in fact face
Fedor Emelianenko, the greatest heavyweight in MMA history. The
fighter has finally received his much-awaited response. In an
article on MMAWeekly.com, StrikeForce president Scott Coker confirmed
the matchup for the end of June.
Werdum was already talking about the fight in issue # 83 of NOCAUTE
magazine. At the time he commented on his strategy for dealing
with the Russian.
“I’ll
be fine on bottom or on top. But, of course, my strategy would
be to get the takedown and control him from the top looking to
finish. I’m working a lot on my wrestling with King Mo.
I can handle myself on bottom, but he hits hard and a solid punch
could end the fight. So it would be best to be on top,”
said the black belt, without hiding his respect for his upcoming
opponent.
“He’s
the best in the world and I respect him a lot. He’s the
man, good on the ground, good on top and a warrior. It’s
never too rough for him. But I think my time has come. A lot
of people have already faced him and I have that right, too.
Although many don’t believe it, I think I can beat him.
It will be a war, but I can do it.”
Hard
task, but not impossible. The only one to manage the feat in
the Russian’s 32-fight career was Tsuyoshi Kosaka, with
a technical knockout due to doctor’s intervention in 2000.
However, Kosaka paid dearly for it in 2005, losing the rematch
in the very same way.
Source: Gracie Magazine
|
Quote
of the Day
"It
has been my experience that folks who have no vices have very
few virtues."
Abraham Lincoln, 1809-1865
|
Destiny
Maui Today!
Maui War Memorial
Saturday March 27, 2010
Doors open at 4 pm, Fights Start at 5 pm
Maui fans pack the
house so don't wait to buy tickets or you may be be left outside!
Main Event:
- 145lbs (Hawaii State Title)
Ricky "Real Deal" Wallace (Oahu) vs Eddie P. (3 Tribes
1 Vibe, Maui)
-160lbs
Tim "Majik" Moon (Oahu) vs Pat Clark (Team Koali, Maui)
-185lbs
(Amateur Title)
Danny Lopez (Bulls Pen,Oahu) vs Sale Sproat (Freelance, Maui/Molokai)
-205lbs
Matt Eaton (Bulls Pen,Oahu) vs Ilima Maiava (I & I, Central
Boxing, 808 FF Maui)
-170lbs
(Amateur Title)
Johnavan Vistante (Team SYD,Oahu) vs Rocky Planesi (Island Warriors,
Maui)
-170lbs
Kona Ke (Gods Army, Oahu) vs Rambo Nakamura (Maui)
-125lbs
Julio Moreno (Bulls Pen,Oahu) vs Len Gumboc (3 Tribes 1 Vibe,
Maui)
-155lbs
(Amateur Title)
Nate "Da Great" Quiniola (Oahu) vs George Abdallah
(I & I, Maui)
-175lbs
Ben "Da King" Santiago (Gods Army,Oahu) vs Jordan Kekino
(Kekino
Kickboxing development, Maui)
-120lbs
(FEMALE MATCH)
Kailin Curran (Animal House Gym, Oahu) vs Kaano Kulukulualani
(Hustle n Throw, Maui)
-Heavyweights
(206-260lbs)
Zacharia Gonzales (freelance) vs Paea Paongo (JKD)
-155LBS
Max Holloway (Gods Army, Oahu) vs Cory Rosa (KKD/WAILUKU BOXING,
Maui)
-190lbs
Robert Eaton (Bulls Pen, Oahu) vs Walter Setzko (Maui)
-160lbs
Shaison Laupola (Gods Army,Oahu) vs Walter Baula (Wailuku Boxing/KKD,
Maui)
-145lbs
Kolten Choy Foo (Bulls Pen, Oahu) vs Mark Ballocanag (Maui/Molokai)
-145lbs
Gerald Castaneto (Maui BJJ) vs Bone Pali (Hustle n Throw)
Source:
Jay Bolos
|
UFC
3/27 Newark, New Jersey (PPV)
Today!
By Zach
Arnold
Hawaii
Air Times:
Oceanic Channel 701
Countdown 3:00-4:00PM
Hawaii Air Time: 4:00-7:00PM
Dark matches
¦Welterweights:
Matt Riddle vs. Greg Soto
¦Middleweights: Rousimar Palhares vs. Tomasz Drwal
¦Light Heavyweights: Rodney Wallace vs. Jared Hamman
¦Lightweights: Kurt Pellegrino vs. Fabricio Camoes
¦Middleweights: Ricardo Almeida vs. Matt Brown
¦Lightweights: Nate Diaz vs. Rory Markham
Main card
¦Lightweights:
Jim Miller vs. Mark Bocek
¦Welterweights: Jon Fitch vs. Ben Saunders
¦Welterweights: Ben Saunders vs. Jake Ellenberger
¦#1 Contender’s match (Heavyweights): Frank Mir vs.
Shane Carwin
¦UFC Welterweight Title match: Georges St. Pierre vs.
Dan Hardy
Source: Fight Opinion
|
Pros
Pick: Mir vs. Carwin
by Mike
Sloan
Billed
as an interim heavyweight title fight, the showdown between Frank
Mir and Shane Carwin will serve as the co-main event at UFC 111
“St. Pierre vs. Hardy” on Saturday at the Prudential
Center in Newark, N.J. The winner figures to land a shot at reigning
but recovering UFC heavyweight champion Brock Lesnar sometime
this summer.
Sherdog.com
recently gathered predictions from a number of professional fighters
and trainers to gauge how they think the UFC 111 co-headliner
will play out.
Elvis
Sinosic: Both guys are very dangerous and have the ability to
end the fight in the blink of an eye. Carwin has heavy hands;
Mir’s submission ability is instantaneous. Mir also has
power standing. I think Carwin has more power, though. Saying
that, I think Mir has the better technique, as Carwin, though
he has a great chin, tends to get tagged early. I think Mir will
most likely tag Carwin early and look for a submission. My pick
is Mir, though Carwin has the ability to end the fight at any
point with a single shot.
Stephane
Vigneault: I see Frank Mir finishing the fight with a leg lock
in the second round; Mir via submission. The new Frank Mir is
bigger, stronger and faster than before. Should be a good fight.
Gabe
Ruediger: I’m going with Carwin by better personality.
Ray
Elbe: Shane Carwin is 11-0 and has never had a fight go out of
the first round. I think in this fight Carwin gets an opportunity
to showcase his cardio conditioning. Carwin by an extra tank
of oxygen sometime late in the second after giving his best Ian
Freeman ground-and-pound impersonation.
Mike
Ciesnolevicz: I really think Shane Carwin is a class act. Seems
like a great guy, and it’s hard to root against him, but
Frank Mir is really turning into a killer with his stand-up,
power, motivation and dangerous submissions. I also think the
fact that Carwin hasn’t gone over one round could be a factor.
I think Carwin is going to be dangerous with his power early,
but I see Frank Mir being smart and getting Carwin on the mat,
where he hasn’t been tested. Once it’s there, I see
Mir getting the submission. Hopefully Carwin taps so he doesn’t
get injured.
Carwin
is an underdog with the pros.Robin Black: Frank Mir has become
a scary beast physically. And he will do anything to get his
third fight with Lesnar. I think Mir’s gonna stop the Carwin
train in impressive fashion. Be afraid, Lesnar.
Dean
Lister: Mir by submission.
Adam
Singer: I have to go with Mir in this one. When the mentally
strong Mir shows up, he can beat anyone. Is this one of those
times? Mir by second-round submission.
Keith
Berry: Both these fighters are powerhouses and love to bring
the fight to their opponent. I think Mir’s experience will
show. I’m a betting man, so I’m taking Mir. I’ll
say TKO in the second.
Marcus
Davis: My pick is Mir by submission in two. This pick is not
biased in any way due to the coincidence that Mir also trains
with Mark DellaGrotte.
Tom
Gavrilos: Mir has to really watch out for the heavy hands and
get this thing to the ground. I think he will. Mir by submission.
Brian
Warren: I have been wrong in my last two out of three picks,
but I’ll do my best. These two guys are warriors and both
have a great chance of winning this one. I am going to be safe
on this fight and say Carwin by KO or Mir by submission. That’s
just my gut feeling.
Charlie
Brenneman: I’m pretty confident in picking Mir to win this
fight. Aside from being on an absolute mission to regain his
peace of mind with Lesnar, he’s too well-rounded for Carwin.
Not only is Mir efficient in all aspects of striking, but he
also has the edge on the ground. Carwin has a puncher’s
chance with his awesome punching power, but I think Mir takes
this via TKO in the second round.
Jason
Lambert: Mir by submission.
Nick
Thompson: Derrick Noble and I discussed this in the bath. Derrick
thinks Mir. Derrick knows his fighting.
Patrick
Cote: I want Carwin to win, but I think, as [much] as I don’t
like Mir, he will be too much for Shane. Mir [via] submission
in the second round.
Pros
who picked Mir: 13
Pros who picked Carwin: 2
Pros who could not decide: 1
Source: Sherdog
|
UFC
111 Preview: The Main Card
by Tomas
Rios
It’s
a fine time of year, as spring promises an end to weekly blizzards
and the UFC is in the midst of a full-on binge that means almost
endless MMA for all. The latest offering is UFC 111 “St.
Pierre vs. Hardy,” which airs Saturday on pay-per-view from
the Prudential Center in Newark, N.J.
After
a lifetime spent as the second-class citizens of MMA, the Northeast
is finally getting a major league UFC show and it’s headlined
by pound-for-pound poster boy Georges St. Pierre defending his
welterweight strap against British trashtalker/face-smasher Dan
Hardy.
Rounding
out the main card is an interim heavyweight title bout starring
Frank Mir’s bionic body and Shane Carwin’s sun-blocking
body as well as a trio of quality bouts set to bring the violence.
So
get your reading glasses, brew up a fresh pot of coffee and grab
your illest cardigan for another round of manly prognostication
and analysis.
Georges
St. Pierre vs. Dan Hardy
The
Breakdown: After snuffing out the title aspirations of everyone
from Thiago Alves to Jon Fitch, incumbent monarch Georges St.
Pierre is starting to make the wildly competitive welterweight
landscape look more like a post-apocalyptic dystopia. Perhaps
then no one is as qualified to take him on as Dan Hardy, a pinpoint
kill-shot artist who looks like he just stepped off the set of
“Mad Max.”
Escaping
the fate of past challengers is a relatively straightforward
proposition for Hardy: He must find a way to stuff the light
speed takedowns of St. Pierre. While Hardy certainly exceeded
expectations by shutting down Mike Swick’s wrestling in
their bout at UFC 105, St. Pierre exists in a different dimension
wrestling-wise than the rest of the division.
Considering
the guard game has never been a pillar of Hardy’s style,
he’s going to have to rely on maximizing whatever time he
gets on the feet. Expecting the Canadian quicksilver to simply
oblige his desire for a kickboxing match is dicey at best, and
Hardy just doesn’t have the caliber of takedown defense
to thwart a mat battle.
On
the mat St. Pierre has shown solid, accurate ground-and-pound
as well as vastly underrated grappling acumen. Meanwhile Hardy
struggled with the takedowns and grappling of Marcus Davis, a
converted boxer, at UFC 99. Struggling with Davis, a solid gatekeeper,
is about as good an omen of success for Hardy as a murder of
crows falling dead from the sky every time he starts training.
Even
assuming success on the feet for Hardy severely underestimates
St. Pierre’s ability, as he has more than held his own standing
with the likes of leg kick connoisseur Thiago Alves and the oil
slick boxing of B.J. Penn. Much like St. Pierre’s past challengers,
Hardy should feel proud that he earned a title shot and be ready
to understand why “Rush” is one of the greatest fighters
this generation has ever seen.
The
Bottom Line: Hardy is going to be an entertaining presence in
the welterweight division for a long time. A potential bout with
his equally truculent rival Josh Koscheck down the road would
make for one of the most epic displays of pre-fight vitriol in
modern times. With that said, St. Pierre is like refined King
Cobra venom to one-dimensional strikers like Hardy.
It
would be far from unbelievable if Hardy starched St. Pierre,
though. Opponents suicidal enough to throw down with Hardy are
putting their short-term health at risk. However, St. Pierre
is becoming a more and more cerebral athlete, which is a terrifying
trend for both Hardy and anyone else banking on goading St. Pierre
into a low-rent brawl. A dominating performance for St. Pierre
reaches its inevitable conclusion with an overdue tapout from
Hardy in the third round.
Frank
Mir vs. Shane Carwin
The
Breakdown: Thanks to Brock Lesnar’s swiss cheese intestinal
tract, top heavyweight contenders Shane Carwin and Frank Mir
will contest for the interim heavyweight title with the winner
going on to challenge Lesnar for supremacy in the resurgent heavyweight
division. For two fighters on the cusp of supremacy, the questions
are overwhelming. Mir’s track record of injuries and inconsistency
haunt him to this day while Carwin has never fought past the
three-minute mark of a professional bout.
On
paper it’s an impressive statistic, but it ignores the fact
that Carwin has precious little live cage time and came awfully
close to getting steamrolled by Gabriel Gonzaga at UFC 96. Green
fighters heading into title bouts don’t have the greatest
history. However, Carwin’s combination of bulldozing wrestling
and awe-inspiring punching power both on the feet and mat make
him a major style problem for Mir.
Throughout
his career Mir has struggled against heavy hitters, particularly
ones capable of smothering his submissions with skull-scrambling
ground-and-pound. Carwin hits like an express train. If Mir gets
spooked by his power, he’ll start making the same kinds
of mistakes that tripped him up in all of his professional losses.
The
trade-off here is that Carwin’s submission defense is completely
unproven, and his boxing consists almost entirely of throwing
really hard and hoping for the best. Mir has made significant
strides in his striking over the years. While stout ground-and-pound
remains his Achilles heel, he can still tap Carwin with the quickness
if the ginormous Colorado native can’t handle a hyperactive
guard.
The
Bottom Line: This is one of the most evenly matched heavyweight
bouts in some time on paper, but odds are it won’t last
terribly long. Carwin’s unproven submission defense and
Mir’s obvious distaste for punishment are combustible flaws
that will cost one of them dearly come fight time. Bank on Mir’s
superior technique on the feet to give Carwin fits before an
ill-advised takedown lands Carwin in a fight-ending submission.
Source: Sherdog
|
GroundWarz
|
Scrappla
Fest 2
Kauai's
Scrappla Fest 2
Gi & No Gi Tournament
May 15, 2010
Tentative
times:
Kids Rules 930am.
Kids Gi Start 10am.
Kids No Gi Start 11am.
Adult
Rules 12:30pm.
Adults Gi Start 1pm.
Adults No Gi Start 3:45pm.
We
will be running 4-6 matches at the same time to keep the tournament
running smoothly. More info to come about weights and weigh ins.
Thank
you,
Pono
Pananganan
Kauai Technical Institute
ktirelson_gracie@hotmail.com
|
UFC
Confirms Saunders vs. Fitch for Saturday
By FCF
Staff
Just
hours after the promotion announced that Thiago Alves has not
been medically cleared to fight Jon Fitch at UFC 111 this Saturday,
in Newark, New Jersey, the official UFC site has confirmed that
Ben Saunders will now face Fitch. Saunders had been scheduled
to fight Jake Ellenberger on the under card; no further information
pertaining to Ellenberger was given.
Saunders
(8-1-2) will head into the bout having knocked out the veteran
Marcus Davis at UFC 106 in November, after being stopped by Fitch’s
teammate, Mike Swick, at UFC 99 last June. Since competing on
the sixth season of “The Ultimate Fighter”, Saunders
has compiled a 4-1 record in the Octagon.
Since
losing by Unanimous Decision to current welterweight champion
Georges St. Pierre, at UFC 87 in August, 2008, Fitch (21-3) has
won 3 straight, defeating Akihiro Gono, Paulo Thiago and most
recently Mike Pierce. All of the three wins came by UD.
UFC
111 will be headlined by a welterweight title fight between the
champion St. Pierre and challenger Dan Hardy. Heavyweight contenders
Frank Mir and Shane Carwin will also meet to determine the division’s
interim champion.
Source: Full Contact Fighter
|
Alves
Off UFC 111 Card
Official Report Cites Medical Licensing Issues
By FCF Staff
The
Ultimate Fighting Championship has confirmed via the promotion’s
official website, that Thiago Alves will not fight Jon Fitch
as scheduled at this Saturday’s UFC 111 event in Newark,
New Jersey, “due to medical licensing issues.” No replacement
will be brought in to face Fitch, and the lightweight bout between
Kurt Pellegrino and Fabricio Camoes has been moved to the pay-per-view
portion of the card.
According
to a report from Yahoo Sport’s Kevin Iole, Alves confirmed
to the outlet that recent tests revealed an irregularity on the
fighter’s brain, and although, according to the fighter,
doctors believe it is nothing serious, the New Jersey State Athletic
Control Board is erring on the side of caution. Alves was quoted
saying that “I know I’m fine. I’m just sad I can’t
fight.”
Alves
has long petitioned for a rematch with Fitch, who stopped the
American Top Team fighter in June, 2006. Alves has gone 7-1 since
the loss, defeating notable competitors like Matt Hughes, Josh
Koscheck and Karo Parisyan. The only man to defeat Alves during
that stretch is current welterweight champion Georges St. Pierre.
Source: Full Contact Fighter
|
Courting
Jake Shields
By Jake Rossen
Reasons
for the UFC to acquire Jake Shields run off the page. He’s
one of the few remaining 170-pound athletes Georges St. Pierre
has not burned, he is a highly skilled athlete with impeccable
credentials, and his absence would be felt -- to some degree
-- by Strikeforce, his current employer.
Shields’
Strikeforce contract expires with the Dan Henderson fight April
17. (How a company manages to put itself in a position where
a fighter could leave a champion is beyond me: the UFC acknowledged
and solved this problem years and years ago.) Dana White told
press over the weekend he looks forward to mucking with Strikeforce,
driving up Shields’ quote, and generally playing the situation
to his benefit.
The
downside for the UFC is that Shields is no Cung Le, Frank Shamrock,
or Fedor Emelianenko: “mainstream fans,” whatever those
are, watched him snore through a five-round decision over Jason
Miller in November, which couldn’t have done a whole lot
for his stock. If the goal is to create an environment for St.
Pierre to become the most dominant welterweight of all time,
he’s a necessary addition. If the goal is to mess with Strikeforce,
his is not a celebrity that’s easily missed. It would actually
free up Shields’ teammate, Nick Diaz, to pursue a title
bout at 185 pounds.
The
only guaranteed winner is Shields, who may finally see years
of effort rewarded with a lucrative contract from one side or
the other. This is the ultimate reason for endorsing an open
market: seeing guys who risk their necks get paid what they deserve.
Source: Sherdog
|
The
launch of M-1 Global Japan
By Zach
Arnold
A
press conference was held today in Tokyo. The theme of the event
was “aiming at the globalization of MMA.” The press
conference was to announce a small show on 4/16 at Shinjuku FACE
in Tokyo called “M-1 Selection ASIA EDITION 2010 Japan.”
Heading up M-1 Global Japan is former AtoZ Japanese pro-wrestling
women’s wrestling ring announcer Mr. Tsuruga (he’s
in the middle of the photo linked above). There will be M-1 events
throughout Asia (including South Korea).
At
the DREAM show yesterday at Yokohama Arena, the Strikeforce side
denied the rumors of Hidehiko Yoshida vs. Fedor for J-ROCK’s
4/25 Nippon Budokan event in Tokyo. The goal of Fedor vs. Werdum
still seems likely. Scott Coker addressed the Japanese media
at the DREAM event (photo linked).
As
for how the DREAM event played out in media coverage in Japan…
sparse coverage, but Barnett was the only “big name”
that generated headlines in what ended up being largely a quiet
show. The claimed attendance was 13,712 (no idea how was much
paid versus papered).
Source: Fight Opinion
|
BELLATOR
ANNOUNCES WORLD DISTRIBUTION DEAL
Press Release courtesy of Bellator Fighting Championships
The
international production and distribution company Engine Entertainment
has completed an agreement with Bellator Fighting Championships
to handle the exclusive worldwide distribution (excluding US
and Canada) for this first-of-its-kind mixed martial arts (MMA)
promotion.
With
its unique tournament format, Bellator allows fighters to control
their own destiny by eliminating the subjectivity of matchmaking
and replicating the objectivity of virtually every other professional
sport. Guided by this concept, Bellator produces a unique, exciting,
competitive and entertaining brand of MMA programming that is
based on the most successful real-sports, objective competition
format.
Bellator
has taken the U.S. by storm since it debuted in April 2009 on
ESPN Deportes. Due to the success of its first season, Bellator
returns for its second and third seasons with one of the largest
domestic television distribution alliances in fighting sports
history, including 24 live events on Fox Sports Net (reaching
92 Million homes), with weekly highlight shows on both NBC (112
million homes) and Telemundo (62 Million homes) – bringing
Bellator to virtually every home in the U.S.
In
addition, Bellator will be broadcast across Canada through an
alliance with The Score sports network.
Engine
Entertainment is exclusively distributing the twenty-four 2010
season live events, plus all additional premium pay-per-view
events that Bellator produces, worldwide (outside of the US and
Canada) as well as the twelve previously aired 2009 Bellator
Season 1 shows.
"With
fighters from across the globe, Bellator has produced some of
the most electrifying moments in MMA history," said Chris
Philp, Chief Executive, Engine Entertainment. "Bellator
will thrill audiences in every country and we are excited to
be distributing this successful nationally televised sports franchise
worldwide."
Said
Bellator founder and CEO Bjorn Rebney, "Bellator is very
pleased to be working with Engine Entertainment, a dynamic and
accomplished player in the highly competitive international programming
sales industry. With some of the best fighters from every corner
of the globe and a unique format that allows fighters to truly
control their own destiny, we are confident that our real-sport
format will enjoy success internationally that equals or exceeds
the success we have had to date here in the U.S."
Source: MMA Weekly
|
Sergio
Moraes celebrates win and issues challenge
by Carlos
Eduardo Ozório
After suffering his first setback in MMA against Brett Cooper,
Sergio Moraes made a comeback and using Jiu-Jitsu, the style
in which he is world champion, he made quick work of Etoube Manuelo
at Jungle Fight. All set for the Jiu-Jitsu Pan-American, the
black belt comments on his comeback:
“For
me it was great. I really needed this win. I stopped to analyze
my last fight, when I lost, and was in too much of a hurry to
finish. I had my money on getting a quick finish and I prepared
for the, since I took one fight right after another. A lot of
folks said I underestimated my opponent, but I never do. That’s
never what goes on in my head. I just plain got tired and was
just trying to survive. I ended up suffering my first loss. ”
“This time I corrected my mistakes and I was well prepared,
in great shape. If the fight had gone 10 rounds, I’d have
fought fine in all of them. But, thank God, it was over in the
first. So it was a very important victory, which I entered focused,
without losing positions. I did Jiu-Jitsu and the finish came
quickly,” he added.
Few
fighters can compete at the highest level in two styles. In Sergio’s
case, the results are coming in both Jiu-Jitsu and MMA.
“My
training is always based on the gi. I hardly train without the
gi, of course. My focus is always Jiu-Jitsu. I’m going to
do the Pan forcinha and we’ll see how it goes. I can reconcile
the two (MMA and Jiu-Jitsu). Any fighter in MMA has to train
ground fighting, so there’s a way to do both.”
In
addition to the Pan, the Alliance rep also intends to go to the
World Pro in Abu Dhabi. But his main focus is the IBJJF World
Championship.
“I
want a sponsor so I can go to the World Pro, if it isn’t
too much. Incidentally, if someone wants to lend us a hand, the
message is out there! I’m trained and ready to fight. Whatever
comes up I’ll do, of course always focusing on the Worlds
every year. ”
Serginho
is also awaiting a call up from Bellator, where he should be
in action soon. In the mean time, he carries on training at Alliance,
in Sao Paulo, alongside the “General” Fabio Gurgel.
With a natural inclination to take on challenges, the fighter
just issued a challenge to the GRACIEMAG.com reporter:
“Let’s
see if we can meet to play Playstation. Let’s see if you’re
good at eleven (soccer)! In fact, I’m winning eleven professional,
more than I am a fighter!” he chides, without knowing he
was speaking to the champion of the game!
Watch
out, Serginho!
Source: Gracie Magazine
|
‘Spider’
Silva Renews Heavyweight Hopes
By Jake
Rossen
Anderson
Silva’s greatest opponent remains apathy: the longtime middleweight
champion told media this week that he plans on seeking out challenges
one or two divisions above his lanky 185-pound frame in the future.
“Heavyweight
is definitely something I have in mind,” he said. “It’s
in my plans. I’ve been adapting my training and ever-changing
to take on that challenge.”
The
difference between Silva, who is pro-active in testing his abilities,
and someone like Tito Ortiz -- who refused to fight even a weary
Ken Shamrock an ounce above 205 pounds -- is remarkable, and
we should be appreciative Silva is not so protective of his legacy
that he’s content to pick off stray contenders in his natural
class. But the UFC already punctured Silva’s desire to fight
Frank Mir several months ago; Lyoto Machida’s desire to
face Brock Lesnar at some point is also likely to be shuffled
off.
It’s
smart business, but it’s also too bad. Because of their
talent monopoly, the UFC has a legitimate chance of creating
a linear pound-for-pound great of the era. Georges St. Pierre
could fight Silva; Silva could compete at 205 pounds, or above;
Fedor Emelianenko, if signed, is not so massive that a fight
with Silva would be unreasonable. There are concerns you’re
sacrificing reputable champions in each division, but both St.
Pierre and Silva have nearly exhausted their potential. No one
in this sport has a perfect record for long, so why not take
a loss in the service of something special?
Source: Sherdog
|
Brock
Lesnar Not on Shane Carwin's Mind Heading Into UFC 111
By Ariel
Helwani
Ariel Helwani is a Video Reporter and Writer for FanHouse
NEW YORK -- Brock Lesnar will be sitting cageside when Shane
Carwin and Frank Mir fight for the interim heavyweight title
at UFC 111, but Carwin says the heavyweight champion's presence
will not distract or motivate him during the fight. MMA Fighting
spoke to the undefeated Carwin at Thursday's media workout about
his year-long layoff, dealing with Mir's size and strength and
his improved ground game.
Source: MMA Fighting
|
Frank
Mir Insists He Isn't Looking Past Shane Carwin
By Ariel
Helwani
Ariel Helwani is a Video Reporter and Writer for FanHouse
NEW YORK -- Some have questioned whether Frank Mir has been looking
past his UFC 111 fight against Shane Carwin due to his intense
desire to avenge last year's loss to Brock Lesnar. But when MMA
Fighting spoke to the heavyweight champion at Thursday's media
workout, he quickly dispelled that speculation.
Source: MMA Fighting
|
Next
bevy of Jiu-Jitsu aces trying out for World Pro
by Carlos
Eduardo Ozório
The second South American tryout for the Abu Dhabi World Pro
goes down this weekend (27th and 28th of March), in the Rio de
Janeiro’s Clube de Regatas do Flamengo gymnasium. A number
of the gentle art’s greatest competitors are guaranteed
to be there. Name checks open on Thursday, on the event’s
official website (http://www.abudhabipro.org), and any problems
or questions can be resolved at the gym on Thursday, between
4pm and 8pm, or by email: checagem@fijja.org.
The
brackets and timetable will also be made available on Thursday.
It is worth noting that the public will only be admitted with
the purchase of a ticket from Bibi Sucos in Leblon or Jardim
Botânico. One-day tickets cost $ 15, and two-day tickets
cost $ 20. They go on sale Thursday.
It’s
guaranteed to be a true spectacle, with some big draws who signed
up at the last minute, like Antonio Braga Neto and Rafael Mendes.
Check out some of the Jiu-Jitsu wizards to be in action:
Antonio
Braga Neto (Gordo JJ)
Rafael
Mendes (Acts)
Adriano
Silva (Barbosa)
Rodolfo Vieira (GFTeam)
Cesar Tozi (Tozi JJ)
Fernanda Mazzeli (Striker)
Kim Land (Checkmate)
Denilson Pimenta (GFTeam)
Leon Amancio (Checkmate)
José Carlos (GFTeam)
Gustavo Campos (Acts)
Vitor Henrique (GFTeam)
Mario Reis (Gracie Barra)
Silvana Silva (Manimal)
Gilbert Durinho (Acts)
Rafael Formiga (Soul Fighters)
Ricardo Evangelista (GFTeam)
Delson Pé Lead (Gordo JJ)
Ana Maria India (Checkmate)
Diego Gamonal (BTT)
Marcos Alexandre (Asle)
Richard Flood (GFTeam)
Gabriel Willcox (Willcox)
Diana Menezes (Good-Sai)
Felipe Varela (Gracie Humaitá)
Thiago Alves (Barbosa)
Elisangela Silva (Checkmate)
Vinicius Marinho (GFTeam)
Frederick Zaganelli (Gracie Barra)
Source: Gracie Magazine
|
UFC
pushes forward with Versus deal and politics in Ontario for MMA
legislation
By Zach
Arnold
The
1.1 cable rating for UFC on Versus is kind of ugly. While I didn’t
predict the ratings number, I did sense that UFC would have trouble
carrying the Versus brand as a platform. The next UFC show on
Versus will air on 8/1 in Oakland, California.
Dana
White did some politicking in Toronto on Tuesday, answering fan
questions and drumming up support for UFC. (Not a hard thing
to do in Ontario.) The Globe & Mail also did an article on
White’s visit to Toronto. More articles on the situation
with getting MMA legislation in Toronto: The Hamilton Spectator
| The Canadian Press | Global BC | CTV
An
interesting discussion in today’s New York Times about the
closed circuit event at Radio City Music Hall in New York for
Saturday’s UFC PPV event and how Madison Square Garden is
interested in bringing in MMA events.
Source: Fight Opinion
|
Quote
of the Day
"Whatever
you are by nature, keep to it; never desert your line of talent.
Be what nature intended you for and you will succeed."
Sydney Smith, 1771-1845
|
Martial
arts director charged with sexual assault of student
By Curtis
Lum
Advertiser Staff Writer
The
founder of a Hawai'i martial arts school was charged Wednesday
night in connection with the alleged sexual assault of one of
his teenage students.
Michael Shimabukuro, 31, of Moanalua was arrested at 4 p.m. Wednesday
at the main police station on South Beretania Street. He was
charged with one count of first-degree sexual assault and two
counts of third-degree sexual assault.
Shimabukuro
was released on $250,000 bail at about 7 p.m., police said. He
could not be reached for comment Wednesday night.
Police
said a 17-year-old boy reported being sexually assaulted from
May 2008 to July 2008.
The
youth told police the assaults occurred at the Japanese Cultural
Center in Moiliili, where he took karate classes.
The
boy said his assailant was his karate instructor. An investigation
led police to Shimabukuro, who turned himself in yesterday at
the police station.
Shimabukuro
founded the Hawaii Karate Association in 2002. He is a fourth-degree
black belt and a certified karate instructor, according to the
HKA Web site.
He
was a USA National Karate-do Federation national champion in
1995 and 1996 and a Junior Olympic champion in 1996, according
to the Web site.
Source: Honolulu Advertiser
|
Gi
whiz
Ed Hanashiro has several decades of judo experience under his
belt
By Chance Gusukuma
Ed Hanashiro has worked in banking for more than 30 years. But
his judo resume dates back even further to when he first took
up the sport as a youngster growing up in McCully.
"My mom didn't know what to do with me," chuckled Hanashiro.
"I was a handful."
But he quickly took to judo. "I did well, and I liked it,"
Hanashiro said. "Like any sport, if you do well, you feel
good about yourself."
Hanashiro, 55, credits his sensei, Albert Aoki, for using judo
to broaden his horizons.
"He really believed judo is like a way of life, a vehicle
to take you to other places," said Hanashiro.
In his younger years, judo took Hanashiro to competitions on
the mainland and in Japan, and to Australia, where Aoki, 76,
owns a ranch.
"We stayed with Australian families," Hanashiro said.
"It was very eye-opening, a different lifestyle."
Hanashiro competed in both judo and wrestling at McKinley High
School and earned his black belt during his senior year. He continued
as a judoka at the University of Hawaii. Today, he holds the
rank of sixth-degree red and white belt.
By day, Hanashiro is a compliance officer at Central Pacific
Bank with more than three decades of experience under his belt.
But every Monday, Wednesday and Friday night, he teaches the
next generation of Makiki Seidokan Judo Club students.
"I like to come out to work out and have the physical exercise,"
Hanashiro said. "It's a good release of energy."
Hanashiro competed in the masters division of the USA Judo senior
national championships "four or five years ago," but
doesn't enter as many tournaments these days.
He spends more of his time helping out, serving as treasurer
for both the 50th State Judo Association and the United States
Judo Federation, the sport's national governing body. Hanashiro
also coordinates officials for local high school competitions,
including the annual prep state championships in May.
But it's the time spent on and off the mat with his students
and assistant instructors that Hanashiro enjoys most.
After practice wraps up, Hanashiro and the other sensei usually
announce club members' recent accomplishments and talk about
upcoming competitions. But they also sprinkle in stories about
their jobs and other topics. Last month, Hanashiro took some
of the club members on a field trip out to Helemano, where the
city slickers got to see horses and cattle up close.
"To me, judo is more than a sport," he said.
For Hanashiro, judo is a family affair. His daughter, Joni, earned
her black belt at Seidokan. And after years as a judo mom, his
sister, Claire Uechi, started training on a dare by her kids.
Now she's an assistant instructor.
After a recent practice, 12-year-old Jun-woo Yoon tugged on Hanashiro's
gi.
"Sensei, you wanna practice?
Hanashiro smiled.
"He told me he wants to be a champion," he explained.
"So I told him, if you show me commitment, I'll stay after
and practice with you. And he has."
Source: Star Bulletin
|
Vitale
gets win, injures knee
By Billy
Hull
Hawaii’s Niko Vitale ran his professional record to 27-9
with a submission victory over Kalib Starnes (10-5-1) in the
main event of X-1: Champions II on Saturday night at the Blaisdell
Arena.
However,
the news wasn’t all good for Vitale, who moments after the
fight ended, fell to the canvas clutching at his right knee.
He was unable to put any weight on it about an hour after the
conclusion of the fight. Vitale announced his next fight is scheduled
to be against Murilo “Ninja” Rua in Shine Fights II
on May 15, but his status for the bout is clearly up in the air.
Vitale
used what judge Mike Onzuka described to me as an Ezekiel choke
to tap out Starnes, who had never been submitted in his career,
in the first round.
Other
winners include Harris Sarmiento, who won a split decision over
Richie Whitson for the vacant 155-pound world title. Sarmiento
was showered with boo’s from the crowd after the fight because
it seemed Whitson had done enough to reclaim the belt he vacated.
Onzuka judged the fight and gave rounds 1,2 and 5 to Sarmiento.
I personally had Whitson winning as the busier fighter with better
takedowns, but Onzuka pointed out Sarmiento landed the cleaner
power shots.
Dave
Moreno finished Kurrent Cockett by rear-naked choke in the second
round to win the 145-pound title and Bryson Hansen beat Riley
Dutro by split decision to win the 135-pound world title.
X-1
announced it will return to the Blaisdell Arena on June 4. A
170-pound world title fight between champion Brandon Wolf and
Dylan Clay and an eight-man light heavyweight tournament is scheduled
for the show.
Source: Star Bulletin
|
UFC
3/27 Newark, New Jersey (PPV)
Tomorrow
By Zach
Arnold
Hawaii
Air Times:
Oceanic Channel 701
Countdown 3:00-4:00PM
Hawaii Air Time: 4:00-7:00PM
Dark matches
¦Welterweights:
Matt Riddle vs. Greg Soto
¦Middleweights: Rousimar Palhares vs. Tomasz Drwal
¦Light Heavyweights: Rodney Wallace vs. Jared Hamman
¦Lightweights: Kurt Pellegrino vs. Fabricio Camoes
¦Middleweights: Ricardo Almeida vs. Matt Brown
¦Lightweights: Nate Diaz vs. Rory Markham
Main card
¦Lightweights:
Jim Miller vs. Mark Bocek
¦Welterweights: Jon Fitch vs. Ben Saunders
¦Welterweights: Ben Saunders vs. Jake Ellenberger
¦#1 Contender’s match (Heavyweights): Frank Mir vs.
Shane Carwin
¦UFC Welterweight Title match: Georges St. Pierre vs.
Dan Hardy
Source: Fight Opinion
|
Destiny
Maui Tomorrow
Maui War Memorial
Saturday March 27, 2010
Doors open at 4 pm, Fights Start at 5 pm
Maui fans pack the
house so don't wait to buy tickets or you may be be left outside!
Main Event:
- 145lbs (Hawaii State Title)
Ricky "Real Deal" Wallace (Oahu) vs Eddie P. (3 Tribes
1 Vibe, Maui)
-160lbs
Tim "Majik" Moon (Oahu) vs Pat Clark (Team Koali, Maui)
-185lbs
(Amateur Title)
Danny Lopez (Bulls Pen,Oahu) vs Sale Sproat (Freelance, Maui/Molokai)
-205lbs
Matt Eaton (Bulls Pen,Oahu) vs Ilima Maiava (I & I, Central
Boxing, 808 FF Maui)
-170lbs
(Amateur Title)
Johnavan Vistante (Team SYD,Oahu) vs Rocky Planesi (Island Warriors,
Maui)
-170lbs
Kona Ke (Gods Army, Oahu) vs Rambo Nakamura (Maui)
-125lbs
Julio Moreno (Bulls Pen,Oahu) vs Len Gumboc (3 Tribes 1 Vibe,
Maui)
-155lbs
(Amateur Title)
Nate "Da Great" Quiniola (Oahu) vs George Abdallah
(I & I, Maui)
-175lbs
Ben "Da King" Santiago (Gods Army,Oahu) vs Jordan Kekino
(Kekino
Kickboxing development, Maui)
-120lbs
(FEMALE MATCH)
Kailin Curran (Animal House Gym, Oahu) vs Kaano Kulukulualani
(Hustle n Throw, Maui)
-Heavyweights
(206-260lbs)
Zacharia Gonzales (freelance) vs Paea Paongo (JKD)
-155LBS
Max Holloway (Gods Army, Oahu) vs Cory Rosa (KKD/WAILUKU BOXING,
Maui)
-190lbs
Robert Eaton (Bulls Pen, Oahu) vs Walter Setzko (Maui)
-160lbs
Shaison Laupola (Gods Army,Oahu) vs Walter Baula (Wailuku Boxing/KKD,
Maui)
-145lbs
Kolten Choy Foo (Bulls Pen, Oahu) vs Mark Ballocanag (Maui/Molokai)
-145lbs
Gerald Castaneto (Maui BJJ) vs Bone Pali (Hustle n Throw)
Source:
Jay Bolos
|
Eddie
Yagin on Tachi Palace Fights
TACHI PALACE FIGHTS
3 Title Fights Scheduled for May 5th TPF
By FCF Staff
Tachi
Palace Fights will hold its fourth event on May 5th, and as the
name of the promotion reflects, the card will be held at the
Tachi Palace Hotel and Casino in Lemoore, California. In the
card’s main event, Luis Gonzales (2-1) will take on Ulysses
Gomez (5-1) for the TPF flyweight championship, while in the
co-feature attraction; featherweight champion Isaac De Jesus
(9-1) will face Casey Olson (11-3).
The
vacant TPF welterweight title will also be up for grabs; the
undefeated David Mitchell (9-0) will fight the veteran Tim McKenzie
(12-6).
Here
is the line-up for TPF 4:
Tachi
Palace Fights World Flyweight Championship
Ulysses Gomez (5-1) vs. Luis Gonzales (2-1)
Tachi
Palace Fights World Featherweight Championship
Isaac De Jesus (9-1) vs. Casey Olson (11-3)
Tachi
Palace Fights World Welterweight Championship
David Mitchell (9-0) vs. Tim McKenzie (12-6)
Eddie
Yagin (13-4-1) vs. Enoch Wilson (13-6-1)
David Espinosa (7-2-1) vs. Darrell Montague (5-1)
Phil Collins (8-5) vs. Morris Aldaco (6-0)
Angela Samaro (2-1) vs. TBA
Russ Miura (5-1) vs. Jesse Bowen (7-3)
Andrew Martinez (6-2-1) vs. Nikk Covert (3-4)
Rumulo Melo (3-0) vs. Chase Hackett (3-0)
Poppies Martinez (17-6) vs. Darren Crisp (7-5)
Source: Full Contact Fighter
|
Penn's
Days at 155 May Be Numbered
by Brian
Knapp
B.J. Penn concedes his time at 155 pounds might be drawing to
a close.
Penn
will defend his lightweight crown in the co-main event at UFC
112 “Invincible” on April 10 at the Ferrari World Concert
Arena in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates. Should all go according
to plan for the Hawaiian, his flirtation with the welterweight
division could resume.
“If
everything goes well, I’d definitely consider moving up
to 170,” Penn said during a Tuesday teleconference. “Not
that it’s 100 percent guaranteed, but I’m thinking
about it. If I do move, I’m going to move slow. I’m
not going to rush anything. I’d think about it as testing
the waters, maybe do something like Anderson [Silva] is doing
[at light heavyweight].”
Despite
his plans, Penn still believes viable contenders exist at 155
pounds, pointing to Gray Maynard and two men he has already soundly
defeated -- Kenny Florian and Takanori Gomi. Florian and Gomi
will square off in the UFC Fight Night 21 headliner on March
31 at the Bojangles Coliseum in Charlotte, N.C.
“There
are a lot of good guys out there,” Penn said. “All
have a good shot at fighting for the title one day. I don’t
want to make believe they don’t exist. At the end of the
day, it will be [UFC President] Dana White who gives me the phone
call and tells me what’s on the agenda for the next fight.”
Edgar
trained with former middleweight King of Pancrase Ricardo Almeida,
striking guru Phil Nurse and reigning Bellator Fighting Championships
lightweight titleholder Eddie Alvarez in advance of his first
UFC title bout. The 28-year-old Toms River, N.J., native has
rattled off three straight victories since his unanimous decision
loss to the world-ranked Maynard two years ago.
“I
know Frankie’s got quick hands and good wrestling,”
Penn said. “I think he might try and kick me a lot. I don’t
want to underestimate his kicks. Frankie’s a great scrambler,
a great wrestler. You never know what’s going to happen.
I don’t have a specific gameplan to impress anybody.”
A
decorated amateur wrestler who was a national qualifier at Clarion
University, Edgar owns victories against Xtreme Couture thoroughbred
Tyson Griffin, AMA Fight Club standout Jim Miller and former
UFC lightweight champion Sean Sherk. His unanimous decision victory
over Sherk, which showcased his considerable boxing chops and
improved stand-up attack, launched Edgar into title contention.
“Frankie
Edgar’s not a guy to look past,” Penn said. “This
isn’t a guy to play around with. Anyone who looks past him
is going to end up with a loss on his record.”
Source: Sherdog
|
SPIKE
TV AND UFC LAUNCH ULTIMATEFIGHTER.COM
The Ultimate Fighting Championship and Spike TV, a division of
MTVN Entertainment Group, a unit of Viacom, have joined forces
in a new digital partnership and announced on Thursday the launch
of UltimateFighter.com.
The
ad-supported website will feature every episode, every fight
and every fighter from all 10 seasons of “The Ultimate Fighter,”
which premiered on Spike in January 2005. The launch of UltimateFighter.com
marks the first time that complete UFC fights are available on
the Web for free in an ad-supported model and it is the first
vertical website launched for a Spike TV series. Both UFC.com
and Spike.com will redirect all traffic related to “The
Ultimate Fighter” to the new site.
“UltimateFighter.com
gives fight fans a place to go to for anything and everything
about ‘The Ultimate Fighter,’ the show that opened
up our sport to the mainstream and became the proving ground
for some of the biggest names in the UFC,” said Dana White,
UFC president.
“The
TUF website is a brilliant addition to our portfolio of deep,
engaging vertical properties within the MTVN Entertainment Group,”
said Erik Flannigan, executive vice president, digital media,
MTVN Entertainment Group. “The UFC and Spike are powerful
and collaborative partners on air and we are thrilled to be doing
the same across digital platforms. For millions of fans, UltimateFighter.com
unlocks what they have long been searching for on the web: the
fights that launched the careers of their favorite fighters.”
“The
Ultimate Fighter” alumni include Rashad Evans, Forrest Griffin,
Matt Serra, Diego Sanchez, Michael Bisping, Nate Diaz, Kenny
Florian, Roy Nelson, and Kimbo Slice.
Ultimatefighter.com
unlocks a video-rich experience that UFC fans have been waiting
for, with over 1,000 clips, full episodes and other video assets
from all 10 seasons of “The Ultimate Fighter.” Every
knockout, submission, and fight finish from the series can be
viewed through the site’s annotated video player, which
houses all 231 complete fights that aired on TUF. That number
includes the full fight cards of all 10 season finales.
For
the new season, the site will offer an unprecedented amount of
original programming from “The Ultimate Fighter 11: Team
Liddell vs. Team Ortiz,” with in-depth editorial coverage,
video exclusives, even fights that didn’t make it to air
in their entirety. The site is also the new home of “The
Aftermath,” the web-only show that breaks down and discusses
every episode of the series with the fighters themselves. “The
Aftermath” is hosted by “Ultimate Fighter” season
1 finalist Stephan Bonnar, and Dana White will again be the first
guest on the premiere episode, which is sponsored by The Marines.
The
site also features direct integration with social networks, connecting
fans to the real-time discussion going on about the series and
the UFC via Twitter, as well as content sharing and community
building around “The Ultimate Fighter” on Facebook.
Source: MMA Weekly
|
Dan
Hardy Relaxed & Ready for GSP and Opportunity of a Lifetime
By Mike
Chiappetta
Mike Chiappetta is an MMA Writer for FanHouse
NEW YORK -- He may be as much as an 8-to-1 underdog, but Dan
Hardy certainly has the look and sound of a champion.
Hardy,
who hails from Nottingham in the UK but lives part-time in Los
Angeles, is known as a cool customer, but just two days from
a potentially life-changing night, the UFC welterweight title
challenger was positively beaming as he held court during a UFC
111 open workout at Peak Performance Training Center.
Telling
the media that he's noticing a shift in fan attitude towards
his potential for an upset, Hardy said he's ready to give the
MMA world its biggest jolt since his new buddy and training partner
Matt Serra stunned Georges St. Pierre in April 2007.
"When
it comes to GSP, you can't dislike the guy," he said. "He
never says anything offensive and never acts like a d*** like
I do, so I get people disliking me and I understand it. To be
honest, I think it's not so much they want me to win, but they
want a change."
Indeed,
St. Pierre's reign atop the UFC's 170-pound division has been
a long one; spanning 25 of the last 33 months. Even before then
finally capturing the title, he was considered by many to be
the world's best welterweight.
But
Hardy says during that long stretch, he's seen changes in St.
Pierre's game that have taken away some of his previously explosive
offense in favor of more cautious game plans.
"Without
a doubt, when he came into the UFC originally, he was a lot more
dynamic than he is now," he said. "He took a lot more
risks. He was more exciting to watch. I always used to watch
his fights. I'm a huge MMA fan aside from competing, so I've
been watching it for years. As soon as a fighter comes onto the
scene that is dominant, explosive and dynamic like Georges is,
I'm a fan."
As
a result, Hardy says he's fully expecting to be taken down, and
at one point even said the fight will "depend on what Georges
wants to do."
"If
he decides to stand and trade with me, I'll be quite surprised,"
he said. "But obviously I'd like it at the same time. If
it goes to the ground, I'm cool with that as well. I haven't
used my ground game in the last few fights because I don't think
like a grappler, I don't think, 'I'm going to take this guy down
and submit him.' But if I end up there, I'll use my ground game
if I need to. I think Georges is the kind of guy who can force
that out of me if he chooses to."
Though
Hardy can not yet rival St. Pierre in star power, he has fully
embraced his role as the promotion's mouthpiece, noting that
trying to incite the champion into a war of words is futile.
"It
would just be a waste of energy and I'll end up looking like
a d*** in front of all these cameras talking trash while GSP
goes back to the script," he said.
Hardy
spent the last several weeks in New York getting acclimated to
his settings, shuttling between Long Island, Manhattan and New
Jersey. He spent Tuesday night at a New York Knicks basketball
game, he's seen his face on billboards and in commercials, and
has been frequently stopped by fans who've recognized him and
just wanted to shake his hand or wish him luck. Not surprisingly,
he's loved every second of it.
On
Thursday afternoon, he walked into the gym and was quickly engulfed
by reporters and video teams holding notepads, recorders and
cameras.
"Is
there anything you want me to do?" he asked as he began
his brief warm-up. Noting he was extremely hungry in the last
36 hours before weigh-ins, he told reporters he spent last night
"dreaming about foot-long Subway sandwiches."
Hardy
added that because this is his first scheduled five-round bout,
that he was expecting to enter the cage a little lighter than
in previous fights. Though he wouldn't specify his fighting weight,
he confirmed that he'd probably be on the lighter side of his
usual 187-195 pound range.
One
of the few times Hardy got serious was when he was asked about
how often he thinks about the man he is soon to fight.
Explaining
that he often scatters photographs of his opponents on his walls
and around his apartment as reminders of what he's working toward,
he mentioned how he didn't have to do that this time around because
St. Pierre's face has been everywhere he's turned.
"I've
had him sized up for a long time, and now I can turn my focus
entirely to him," he said. "I can't turn my focus past
GSP because there is nobody after GSP."
The
loose challenger then got in one more laugh.
"I
size everybody up. I'm sizing up all of you right now,"
he said. "It's a natural thing I do, and I can't help it."
Source: MMA Fighting
|
YVES
EDWARDS
Edwards Talks Latest Victory; Future Aspirations
By Kelsey
Mowatt
Yves
Edwards continues to demonstrate that the accomplished veteran
remains a considerable threat in the lightweight division, as
the 33 year-old-fighter recently earned his 37th career victory,
by stopping the resilient Derrick Noble at the February 26th,
Maximum Fighting Championship. The first round stoppage extended
Edwards winning streak to 3, after incurring back-to-back losses
against KJ Noons and Duane Ludwig in 2008.
“It
feels really good,” Edwards told FCF while discussing the
victory over his fellow UFC vet Noble. “It always feels
good to beat a world class guy. I think Derrick is a really tough
guy and he’s really dangerous. He has one punch power and
kicks really hard. He can also grind you. He can fight for 15
minutes or 25 if he has to, so, fighting a guy at that level
and coming out with a quick victory, it being decisive, it feels
real good man. I’m not ashamed of saying that at all.”
After
neither fighter appeared to land any telling strikes during the
bouts opening minutes, Edwards dropped Noble as the round neared
its end, and finished off the experienced lightweight with a
barrage of strikes.
“I
wasn’t really sure how hurt he was when he went down,”
said Edwards. “We were in his corner, and I heard his corner
telling him that there was only 20 seconds left; to defend himself
and get back into it. Of course in the heat of the moment things
happen a lot faster than they really do. So I thought I only
threw 2 or 3 punches and they stopped it , so I thought ‘man
that seemed kind of quick,’ but I went back and watched
it and the way he rolled, the way he was turning away from me,
he wasn’t really trying to defend himself. So I think he
was really hurt.”
Edwards
informed FCF that his bout with the MFC was a one fight deal,
and that although he is in talks with the growing promotion in
regards to a possible multi-fight agreement, his primary goal
right now is to remain as active as possible.
“I
don’t really want to sign anything exclusive, only because
it seems like the really big shows are the only ones promoting
enough shows to keep me busy” said Edwards when asked about
his immediate future. “I want to fight as often as possible.
I look at my life and I look at my age and I don’t know
how much longer I can do this. Not that I’m considering
retiring anytime soon, but realistically, there are guys that
are born in the 90’s now doing this. Realistically I don’t
know how much time I have left, barring injuries, maybe five
years. I want to get in as many fights as possible because I
love this.”
Edwards
also concedes that naturally pay figures into the equation, and
as a result, he would welcome any opportunity to fight again
for the sport’s bigger promotions like the UFC or Strikeforce.
“Those
kind of deals do interest me simply because I’ve been there
before,” Edwards noted. “I don’t think they would
offer me what they offer a guy that’s there for the first
time. You know guys that nobody knows who they are or what they’re
bringing to the table, at the same time, I know there have been
questions about me in the past, but I feel like I’ve been
answering those. I would love to. With television exposure comes
more sponsorships, so I’m definitely not opposed to that,
you just can’t wait around for those offers to come though.”
“I
just need to work my ass off and get back to the top again,”
Edwards added. “Whatever route it takes me; the only way
to do it is to win fights.”
Source: Full Contact Fighter
|
Women
– Independent World MMA Rankings
(March 19, 2010)
By Zach
Arnold
From the office of the Independent World MMA Rankings
March
19, 2010: We are proud to announce the launch of the Women’s
Independent World MMA Rankings. These rankings are independent
of any single MMA media outlet or sanctioning body, and are published
on multiple web sites, as well as www.IndependentWorldMMARankings.com.
Much
like the Men’s Independent World MMA Rankings, which were
launched last June, the Women’s Independent World MMA Rankings
are based purely on the votes of the members of the voting panel,
with nobody’s vote counting more than anybody else’s
vote, and no computerized voting.
The
rankings will be tabulated and published on a monthly basis,
with fighters receiving ten points for a first-place vote, nine
points for a second-place vote, and so on.
According
to the Unified Rules of Mixed Martial Arts, the official names
of the weight classes in women’s MMA are Middleweight for
the 145-pound division, Welterweight for the 135-pound division,
Lightweight for the 125-pound division, and Featherweight for
the 115-pound division.
The
members of our voting panel are instructed to vote primarily
based on fighters’ actual accomplishments in the cage/ring
(the quality of opposition that they’ve actually beaten),
not based on a broad, subjective perception of which fighters
would theoretically win hypothetical match-ups.
Inactivity:
Fighters who have not fought in the past 12 months are not eligible
to be ranked, and will regain their eligibility the next time
they fight.
Disciplinary
Suspensions: Fighters who are currently serving disciplinary
suspensions, or who have been denied a license for drug test
or disciplinary reasons, are not eligible to be ranked.
Changing
Weight Classes: When a fighter announces that she is leaving
one weight class in order to fight in another weight class, the
fighter is not eligible to be ranked in the new weight class
until she has her first fight in the new weight class.
Catch
Weight Fights: When fights are contested at weights that are
in between the limits of the various weight classes, they are
considered to be in the higher weight class. The weight limits
for each weight class are listed at the top of the rankings for
each weight class.
The
members of the voting panel for the Women’s Independent
World MMA Rankings are, in alphabetical order: Nicholas Bailey
(MMA Ratings); Jim Genia (Full Contact Fighter, MMA Memories,
and MMA Journalist Blog); Yael Grauer (MMA HQ); Jesse Holland
(MMA Mania); Robert Joyner (Freelance); Zac Robinson (Sports
by the Numbers MMA); Leland Roling (Bloody Elbow); Michael David
Smith (AOL Fanhouse); Joshua Stein (MMA Opinion); and Ivan Trembow
(Freelance).
Special
thanks to Eric Kamander, Joshua Stein, and Yael Grauer for their
invaluable help with this project, and special thanks to Garrett
Bailey for designing our logo.
March
2010 Women’s Independent World MMA Rankings
Ballots collected on March 16, 2010
Middleweight
Rankings (136 to 145 lbs.)
1. Cristiane “Cyborg” Santos (9-1)
2. Erin Toughill (10-2-1)
3. Marloes Coenen (17-4)
4. Gina Carano (7-1)
5. Yuko “Hiroko” Yamanaka (7-1-1)
6. Shana Olsen (3-0)
7. Cindy Dandois (2-0)
8. Malissa Sherwood (3-1)
9. Amanda Nunes (5-1)
10. Jamie Seaton (2-1)
Welterweight
Rankings (126 to 135 lbs.)
1. Sarah Kaufman (11-0)
2. Tara LaRosa (18-1)
3. Roxanne Modafferi (14-5)
4. Takayo Hashi (12-2)
5. Hitomi Akano (15-6)
6. Shayna Baszler (10-6)
7. Miesha Tate (8-2)
8. Adrienna “AJ” Jenkins (17-2)
9. Vanessa Porto (10-4)
10. Jennifer Tate (6-1)
Lightweight
Rankings (116 to 125 lbs.)
1. Rosi Sexton (10-1)
2. Aisling Daly (9-0)
3. Tara LaRosa (18-1)
4. Emi Fujino (8-3)
5. Sally Krumdiack (7-3)
6. Lynn Alvarez (5-1)
7. Rin Nakai (6-0)
8. Lena Ovchynnikova (6-0)
9. Monica Lovato (4-1)
10. Matsumi Kasai (4-0)
Featherweight
Rankings (106 to 115 lbs.)
1. Megumi Fujii (19-0)
2. Yuka Tsuji (22-2)
3. Lisa Ward (12-5)
4. Mei “V Hajime” Yamaguchi (6-2)
5. Jessica Pene (7-0)
6. Jessica Aguilar (7-3)
7. Kyoko Takabayashi (10-4)
8. Angela Magana (8-4)
9. Elena Reid (4-0)
10. Saori Ishioka (8-4)
Source: Fight Opinion
|
UFC
ON VERSUS 1 FIGHTER SALARIES AND BONUSES
MMAWeekly
has obtained the fighter salary information from the Colorado
Office of Boxing for UFC on Versus 1 featuring a light heavyweight
showdown between Brandon Vera and Jon Jones. The event took place
on Sunday, March 21, at the 1stBank Center in Broomfield, Colo.
The
following figures are based on the fighter salary information
that promoters are required by law to submit to the state athletic
commissions, including the winners' bonuses.
Although
mixed martial arts fighters do not have collective bargaining
or a union, the fighters' salaries are still public record, just
as with every other major sport in the United States. Any undisclosed
bonuses that a promoter also pays its fighters, but does not
disclose to the athletic commissions (specifically, pay-per-view
bonuses, fight of the night bonuses, etc.), are not included
in the figures below.
In
the listings below, "Main Event Fighters" are defined
as fighters who compete in the main event of a show. "Main
Card Fighters" are defined as fighters whose fights appear
on the main card, but not in the main event. "Preliminary
Card Fighters" are defined as fighters whose matches take
place before the main card goes on the air, regardless of whether
or not those matches end up airing on the TV or Internet broadcast.
MAIN
EVENT FIGHTERS
-Jon
Jones: $40,000 (includes $20,000 win bonus) def. Brandon Vera:
$60,000
-Junior
Dos Santos: $70,000 (includes $35,000 win bonus) def. Gabriel
Gonzaga: $67,000
MAIN
CARD FIGHTERS
-Cheick
Kongo: $110,000 ($55,000 win bonus) def. Paul Buentello: $40,000
-Alessio
Sakara: $42,000 ($21,000 win bonus) def. James Irvin: $20,000
PRELIMINARY
CARD FIGHTERS
-Clay
Guida: $50,000 ($25,000 win bonus) def. Shannon Gugerty: $9,000
-Vladimir
Matyushenko: $56,000 ($28,000 win bonus) def. Eliot Marshall:
$10,000
-Darren
Elkins: $12,000 ($6,000 win bonus) def. Duane Ludwig: $12,000
-John
Howard: $26,000 ($13,000 win bonus) def. Daniel Roberts: $6,000
-Brendan
Schaub: $20,000 ($10,000 win bonus) def. Chase Gormley: $10,000
-Mike
Pierce: $16,000 ($8,000 win bonus) def. Julio Paulino: $6,000
-Jason
Brilz: $18,000 ($9,000 win bonus) def. Eric Schafer: $13,000
UFC
ON VERSUS 1 DISCLOSED FIGHTER PAYROLL: $713,000
UFC
ON VERSUS 1 AWARDS & BONUSES
(Each fighter was awarded $50,000 per award, which is in addition
to his disclosed salary. Three Knockout of the Night bonuses
were awarded for the first time, with no Fight of the Night award.)
Knockouts
of the Night:
-Jon Jones
-Junior Dos Santos
-John Howard
Submission
of the Night:
-Clay Guida
Source: MMA Weekly
|
Tokyo
qualifiers determine Asian representatives in Abu Dhabi
by Marcelo
Dunlop
This
Sunday the Asian qualifiers for the World Pro Jiu-Jitsu Cup were
held in Tokyo, our collaborator Fernando Ferreira (Quality) reported,
direct from Japan. Check out the complete results.
65kg
(143lbs)
1.KATANIWA KATSUNORI (AXIS)
2.MAKOTO IKUTA (TRUST JIU-JITSU)
3.YOSHIDA YUYA (NOVA UNIAO JAPAN)
3.HAYASHI TAKAMUNE (PARAESTRA SHINAGAWA)
-74kg
(162lbs)
1.ROBERTO SOUZA (BONSAI JAPAN)
2.KARASAWA TATSUYA (AXIS GUNMA)
3.OKUDA TERUYUKI (X-TREME KAWASAKI)
3.SHIBAYASHI YOSHINAO (PARAESTRA HACHIOJI)
-83kg
(183lbs)
1.MARCOS SOUZA (BONSAI JAPAN)
2.NAKAKURA SANSHIROU (PARAESTRA KAWAGOE)
3.RODRIGO TANIGUTI (AXIS)
3.BRAGAIWASE FABIO (NOVA UNIAO JAPAN)
-92kg
(202lbs)
1.TOSHIO FERNANDO TSUSHIMA (AXIS)
2.STASIUIEWIZ HENRY (AXIS)
3.DOS SANTOS EDSON (CARLSO TOYOTA BJJ)
3.VARLAN MARIUS (AXIS)
+92KG
(over 202lbs)
1. KARIM BYRON (TEAM LEGNUM)
2.AMAKAWA ANDERSON (CARLOS TOYOTA)
3.TAYA SHINJI (TEAM LEGNUM)
3.MORITA GEORGE (BONSAI JAPAN)
FEMININO
-63kg (under 139lbs)
1.SHIODA SAYAKA (AACC)
2.SATO MIZUHO (WAJYUTSU KENSHUKAI)
3.TAKAGI SHIRLEI (OGAWA HEKINAN)
3.YOKOYAMA V,JOSEFINA (CARLSO TOYOTA BJJ)
+63kg
(over 139lbs)
1.KODERA KATSURA (PARAESTRA KAWAGOE)
2.TANINO KAORI (AXIS)
3.MATSUHSIMA RIE (AXIS)
3.SAIKI VANESSA (OGAWA HEKINAN)
-73kg
(161lbs) White / Blue
1.TAKATOSHI MATSUMOTO (PARAESTRA HACHIOJI)
2.ROGRIGO OIYE (AXIS)
3.ELTON HOSHIHARA (SHONAN BJJ)
3. KANEKO IPPEI (AXIS FUKUOKA)
+73kg
(over 161lbs) White / Blue
1.SEKINE HIDEKI( BONSAI JAPAN)
2.ARAI YUJI (MAX JIU-JITSU ACADEMY)
3.ARAI RYOUHEI (BONSAI JIU-JITSU JAPAN)
3.HAYAHI SHISNICHI (AXIS CHIBA)
Source:
Gracie Magazine
|
Silva
Says Challengers Still Remain in Middleweight Division
by Loretta Hunt
Though
challengers seem to be in scarce supply for UFC middleweight
champion Anderson Silva, he said he hasn’t given up hope
on the division.
The
34-year-old Brazilian striker meets Demian Maia at UFC 112 “Invincible”
on April 10 at the Ferrari World Concert Arena in Abu Dhabi,
United Arab Emirates. Maia, a jiu-jitsu black belt, is replacing
Vitor Belfort, who withdrew eight weeks out from the bout with
an injured shoulder.
“I’m
actually far from cleaning out my division,” said Silva
through an interpreter Tuesday during a UFC 112 conference call.
“I feel like there may be guys that are even better than
me coming into the UFC. Proof that there’s tough guys in
the division is Demian Maia right now... (the fight’s) going
to be a big challenge for me.”
Fans
might beg to differ with Silva, though. Regularly listed on pound-for-pound
lists for the sport, the seasoned muay Thai stylist has defended
his middleweight title five times since his first-round decimation
of Rich Franklin at UFC 64 in October 2006. A majority of those
bouts were deemed non-competitive. And though Silva said the
185-pound division will provide him with competition in the future,
he has already widened his net and moonlighted at light heavyweight
two times for the promotion. He doesn’t plan on stopping
there either.
“My
goal is still to put on as many great fights in the UFC, as many
victories as I can throughout the three divisions -- middleweight,
light heavyweight and possibly heavyweight,” said Silva.
“Heavyweight is definitely something I have in mind. It’s
in my plans. I’ve been adapting my training and ever-changing
to take on that challenge.”
Belfort,
a former light heavyweight champion himself, would have been
an easier sell for the promotion as a believable unsurper to
end Silva’s reign. Silva’s former Black House teammate
ravaged his last three opponents utilizing his noted punching
power and speed. In November, Belfort dismantled Franklin in
a 195-pound catch-weight bout at UFC 103 in Dallas.
Unlike
Belfort, Maia isn’t expected to challenge Silva on its feet.
Following his 21-second knockout loss to Nate Marquardt at UFC
102 last August, Maia showed some improvement striking against
wrestler Dan Miller at UFC 109 in February. However, Maia’s
true talents lie in his groundwork. As always, Silva said his
course of action will best suit his chances for victory, which
means a ground altercation probably isn’t in his best interests.
“A
fight’s a fight and I have to put my game plan in action,”
he said. “The fans in the state love to watch guys stand
up and exchange and they like it on the ground. (But) regardless
of what the fans really like, I’m going to have to go in
there and put on my game plan to win that fight.”
With
immediate contenders like Dan Henderson gone to rival promotion
Strikeforce and Belfort indisposed from recent shoulder surgery,
Silva’s motivation doesn’t seem to come from individual
opponents at this time.
“My
biggest motivation is to be the champion of the UFC, the biggest
event in the world,” he said. “I feel right at home
in the UFC; everyone who makes the UFC circus move makes me feel
right at home and very comfortable. I’m very happy with
where I’m at. I love being the champion, that it makes me
happy and motivates me to get the training and getting back into
the Octagon.”
Note:
This article was updated March 24 at 12:44 p.m. ET to correct
that Belfort and Silva trained together at Black House, not Chute
Boxe.
Source: Sherdog
|
Quote
of the Day
"If
you would thoroughly know anything, teach it to others."
Tryon
Edwards, 1809-1894
|
Destiny
Maui This
Saturday!
Maui War Memorial
Saturday March 27, 2010
Doors open at 4 pm, Fights Start at 5 pm
Maui fans pack the
house so don't wait to buy tickets or you may be be left outside!
Main Event:
- 145lbs (Hawaii State Title)
Ricky "Real Deal" Wallace (Oahu) vs Eddie P. (3 Tribes
1 Vibe, Maui)
-160lbs
Tim "Majik" Moon (Oahu) vs Pat Clark (Team Koali, Maui)
-185lbs
(Amateur Title)
Danny Lopez (Bulls Pen,Oahu) vs Sale Sproat (Freelance, Maui/Molokai)
-205lbs
Matt Eaton (Bulls Pen,Oahu) vs Ilima Maiava (I & I, Central
Boxing, 808 FF Maui)
-170lbs
(Amateur Title)
Johnavan Vistante (Team SYD,Oahu) vs Rocky Planesi (Island Warriors,
Maui)
-170lbs
Kona Ke (Gods Army, Oahu) vs Rambo Nakamura (Maui)
-125lbs
Julio Moreno (Bulls Pen,Oahu) vs Len Gumboc (3 Tribes 1 Vibe,
Maui)
-155lbs
(Amateur Title)
Nate "Da Great" Quiniola (Oahu) vs George Abdallah
(I & I, Maui)
-175lbs
Ben "Da King" Santiago (Gods Army,Oahu) vs Jordan Kekino
(Kekino
Kickboxing development, Maui)
-120lbs
(FEMALE MATCH)
Kailin Curran (Animal House Gym, Oahu) vs Kaano Kulukulualani
(Hustle n Throw, Maui)
-Heavyweights
(206-260lbs)
Zacharia Gonzales (freelance) vs Paea Paongo (JKD)
-155LBS
Max Holloway (Gods Army, Oahu) vs Cory Rosa (KKD/WAILUKU BOXING,
Maui)
-190lbs
Robert Eaton (Bulls Pen, Oahu) vs Walter Setzko (Maui)
-160lbs
Shaison Laupola (Gods Army,Oahu) vs Walter Baula (Wailuku Boxing/KKD,
Maui)
-145lbs
Kolten Choy Foo (Bulls Pen, Oahu) vs Mark Ballocanag (Maui/Molokai)
-145lbs
Gerald Castaneto (Maui BJJ) vs Bone Pali (Hustle n Throw)
Source:
Jay Bolos
|
UFC
in New York state of mind
NEW
YORK – It was about 20 blocks from where his heart was,
but UFC president Dana White could barely contain his enthusiasm
Wednesday about holding a news conference for UFC 111 at Radio
City Music Hall.
There
were a few dozen media and more than 700 fans gathered in the
venerable concert hall in the heart of Manhattan, the fans gushing
at the sight of White and main card fighters Georges St. Pierre,
Dan Hardy and Frank Mir.
One
fan asked White if he could hang out with him for some nightlife
during the week – White complied – and another said
he was so excited he was fearful he may soil his pants.
About
nine years earlier, not long after he and partners Frank and
Lorenzo Fertitta purchased the UFC for $2 million from Semaphore
Entertainment Group, White ventured to New York, where mixed
martial arts still is not legal.
He
held a news conference in 2001 that, he recalled, was attended
by about two media members. One asked then-light heavyweight
champion Tito Ortiz a question in Spanish. When Ortiz noted he
didn’t speak Spanish, the reporters both up and left, White
told the audience Wednesday.
White
was promoting a stacked show on Saturday in New Jersey at Newark’s
Prudential Center, but he didn’t hide his feelings. When
a reporter asked him if the first fight he’d promote in
New York after MMA is legalized would be at Madison Square Garden,
a fan shouted out, “Duh!”
White
beamed widely as the fans cheered the prospect of a fight in
the world’s most famous arena.
Later,
in a news conference with a small group of reporters, White said
a UFC show in Madison Square Garden is finally beginning to feel
realistic.
“It
does feel real and we’re doing a lot of fun stuff in the
city this week to try to create some awareness and show everybody
how strong the UFC is,” White said. “And it’s
not just for what it could do for New York City, but what it
could do for New York State. We’ll take Fight Nights up
to Buffalo, Syracuse and some of these cities that, right now,
financially, a lot of people are hurting.”
White
pointed to a UFC-commissioned study that estimated a card in
New York would generate $11 million in economic activity for
the city.
A
vote in the New York legislature is expected later this year
and White, as always, is optimistic of victory.
He
has a few hurdles to overcome, such as comments by Mir about
wanting to break heavyweight champion Brock Lesnar’s neck.
He went too far in trying to hype a fight, but the otherwise
harmless fight hype created a mini-firestorm.
White
and Lorenzo Fertitta forced Mir to make a public apology, but
at a time when the sport still isn’t sanctioned in New York
and Ontario, the attention didn’t help the cause.
Nor
did a referee’s mistake on Sunday in Broomfield, Colo.,
when John Howard knocked Daniel Roberts down and, essentially,
out with a huge punch.
The
rules of MMA allowed fighters to punch a downed opponent and
Howard pounded Roberts with several powerful shots before the
referee got in to stop it.
Even
though Roberts wasn’t seriously injured – and there
has never been a death or a serious life-altering injury in a
UFC show – it was fodder for the sport’s vocal critics
who pointed to it as one of the reasons for the sport’s
illegitimacy.
“It’s
going to get less and less as time goes on, but you can’t
really sugarcoat this thing,” White said. “It’s
fighting. These guys are fighting and it is what it is. I hate
when people who aren’t educated on it call it brutal and
savage and say these guys are barbarians. We all know that’s
not true.
“You
obviously haven’t educated yourself on the sport when you
talk that way. At the end of the day, you’re either a fan
of fighting or you’re not. Some people like it and some
people don’t.”
Mir
was properly chastened after getting called into the office by
White and forced to make a public apology.
It’s
mind-boggling, though, how one athlete’s words can have
such a major impact on the sport’s future.
Mir
clearly didn’t mean he wanted to actually kill Lesnar, though
his comments were ridiculous and in poor taste. But players in
football, baseball and basketball say stupid things all the time
and it doesn’t call the legitimacy of their sport into question.
It
does in MMA, though, because there is a fear of the unknown.
There are many who haven’t had a lot of exposure to mixed
martial arts, and the thought of hitting a man who has been knocked
down is repugnant to them.
Mir
said, “I thought we were past that,” when discussing
the Howard-Roberts incident, but MMA officials still face a challenge
in educating the uninformed masses.
It
was hard not to leave Radio City Music Hall, though, without
feeling good about the chances of one day walking a few blocks
down the street and heading into Madison Square Garden to watch
a UFC card.
The
UFC has spent millions of dollars lobbying in New York to get
the sport legalized. When it finally occurs, it will be time
to advance to the next step.
MSG
officials helped the UFC organize the event at Radio City Music
Hall and made very clear their support for its legalization.
When
that happens, it will be a major day and set even a stoic figure
such as St. Pierre to dreaming.
“You
know, fighting here in this city would be a dream for any fighter,
not just me,” he said. “I’m pretty sure it’s
going to happen and I just hope to be a part of that experience.”
He’s
not alone. There are millions of others who share his dream.
Finally,
however, it’s easy to dream and now there’s a chance
it may come true.
And
soon.
Source:
Yahoo Sports
|
Coker
says Fedor-Werdum is on
The
speculation about the return of Fedor Emelianenko has been running
rampant ever since the Russian heavyweight was not one of the
fighters scheduled to compete on the upcoming Strikeforce on
CBS show on April 17.
The
former Pride champion has been rumored to face former UFC fighter
Fabricio Werdum for months, while new rumors have popped up saying
he will next compete in Japan against Hidehiko Yoshida in his
retirement match.
Strikeforce
president Scott Coker addressed the rumors and put to bed much
of the speculation around where Fedor would be fighting next
when he spoke to reporters following Dream 13 on Monday in Japan.
“M-1
Global and Strikeforce entered into a three fight contract exclusive
for Fedor to fight in a co-promotion between Strikeforce and
M-1 Global, and as you know we did the first fight on Nov 7 in
Chicago,” said Coker.
“Fedor
is now scheduled to fight in June towards the end of the month
in America against Fabricio Werdum.”
With
the fight with Werdum now confirmed, the only thing left remaining
is if Fedor could actually be able to fight Yoshida in Japan,
and as of right now it doesn’t sound like that is likely
to happen.
“I’ve
heard the rumors as well, and as I know more I will let the media
know in American, and let the media know here, but I believe
that’s just a rumor,” Coker said when speaking about
the fight with Fedor and Yoshida.
Now
that some of the questions have been answered, the only thing
looming overhead is when Fedor could possibly compete for the
Strikeforce heavyweight title, which is currently held by Alistair
Overeem.
Overeem
will fight Brett Rogers on May 15 in St. Louis, but there has
been no final word from Strikeforce if the heavyweight belt will
be on the line or not.
Source:
MMA Weekly
|
Hardy
embraces GSP’s challenge
Every
day when Dan Hardy goes to the gym, he sees proof that the odds,
in most places hovering around 8-1 against him capturing the
Ultimate Fighting Championship welterweight title, are not as
great as they seem.
Hardy
faces Georges St. Pierre, arguably the most complete MMA fighter
on the planet, on Saturday night at the Prudential Center in
Newark, N.J. It’s the headline event of UFC 111, which is
expected to be the biggest MMA event in several months.
Most
give Hardy about the same chance of winning the title as they
did his recent coach, Matt Serra, when Serra earned a title shot
as a stipulation for winning a tournament on The Ultimate Fighter
season four reality show.
But
Serra is living proof of the axiom a punchers’ chance, or
that on any given day in this sport, anything can happen. In
the last five years, St. Pierre has physically dominated everyone
he’s been in the cage with, a run unprecedented in the promotion’s
history.
In
his 12 wins in his last 13 fights, he won 31 of 33 rounds, including
his current string of 19 straight, a UFC record.
But
in the middle of some of the most talented fighters in the world,
from Jon Fitch to Thiago Alves to Matt Hughes (twice) to Penn
to Josh Koscheck, not even putting him in any danger, there was
one loss.
On
April 7, 2007, Serra, an 8-1 underdog, caught St. Pierre with
a hard right behind the ear, and stayed on him, keeping St. Pierre
from regaining his bearings before finishing him with punches
on the ground in the first round.
“You
can’t put muscles here (pointing to his face),” Hardy
said during the “Primetime” series on Spike TV that
is hyping the event. “And that’s all I’m aiming
for…He can jump higher than me. He can lift trucks. It makes
no difference to me. When I connect on his chin, he can lift
all he wants… he’s still going down.”
But
it’s easy to look at film of that one night and come up
with the strategy of cracking St. Pierre with the perfect punch.
It’s a lot harder to do it from your back, which is where
every one of St. Pierre’s opponents since the Serra loss
have spent the majority of the match.
Hardy
has punching power, he’s 23-6 with one no contest, with
11 of those wins via knockout. But Alves was supposed to be almost
impossible to take down and a better striker than St. Pierre,
and once the match started, neither ended up being the case.
B.J. Penn and Serra in the rematch talked a similar tone, to
the point St. Pierre has talked of his opponents being like comedians
who have run out of material.
Hardy
himself thought Alves would do a lot better.
“I
think the problem is Alves was so afraid of being taken down
that he didn’t show his best stuff standing,” he said.
“With me, I know that I’m going to be taken down at
some point. And I’m not afraid of being on my back.”
“I
have a lot of guys in England working on my takedown defense,”
he said. “I have a guy in Los Angeles who was a Division
I wrestler, a guy on the British Olympic team. It’s not
because I’m fighting Georges, but it’s an area of my
game I want to work on.
At
the Serra Jiu Jitsu Academy on Long Island, one of the main aspects
of Hardy’s training the past few weeks has been fighting
from his back with training partners who are 200 pounds and more,
bigger than St. Pierre, and working on ways to get back to his
feet, figuring he’s got 25 minutes to connect with a punch.
Obviously
that’s easier said than done. Serra himself had little luck
getting back to his feet after being taken down in their rematch
in Montreal. That aspect may be the key factor in the fight,
whether he can get off his back on a regular basis. There is
no guarantee Hardy wins if it becomes a striking battle, but
his game plan is no secret, to try to make it as much of one
as possible.
“Matt’s
been in there twice with Georges, won one and lost one,”
said Hardy. “Some of the mistakes he made in his second
fight, he can relate to me so I don’t make those mistakes.
My situation is the exact situation he was in in his first fight.”
“Not
a lot of guys give Dan a chance,” said Serra. “I know
what that feels like. I know what it’s like to prove people
wrong. There are a lot of people you are going to give a big
F.U. to when you win this fight.”
Hardy
said he’s not mad about the odds makers and many fans giving
him little respect, noting that it’s a conclusion you can
come to when looking at the fight on paper.
“If
I was looking at if from a fan perspective or a bettors’
perspective, that’s what it would look like,” he said.
“When people doubt me, it gets me more excited for the fight.
I think people are ready for a change in the division. I think
people are more excited about what can happen in the division
if I win the belt. I know a lot of people are doubting me, but
that will change after the fight on the 27th.”
While
St. Pierre has tried to paint a picture that it’s a martial
artist, himself, against a brawler, and that once the fight starts,
the difference in skill level will be obvious, Hardy, 27, is
hardly a stranger to traditional martial arts.
Hardy
started in taekwondo at the age of six. When he was 19, he ventured
to northern China to train with Shaolin monks. For two months,
his life consisted of all-day training at a level he said was
the toughest thing he’s ever done in his life. It would
be six days a week, and the seventh day he had no energy to do
anything but rest. When he returned, he decided to become a fighter,
and a traveler, noting after that experience he gained confidence
to go places to learn, including frequent trips to the U.S.,
gaining a wide variety of training that has shaped him into the
fighter he’s become.
A
lot of people expected Hardy to play the villain role to hype
the fight. Billed as “The Outlaw,” stemming from growing
up in Nottingham, the home of Robin Hood, Hardy made his first
impression almost as much with his mouth as his fists, particularly
in building up a June 13, 2009, win over Marcus Davis, where
he called Davis, who lives in Maine but is of Irish ancestry
and had become a fixture on UFC shows in the U.K., a “fake
Irishman.” Hardy never let up, and the talking may have
gotten to Davis, who to this day still seems upset when Hardy’s
name is mentioned.
But
aside from remarks questioning St. Pierre’s chin, the same
thing every opponent does since you can’t question is athletic
ability, conditioning or wrestling game, Hardy has in recent
weeks come across almost as a likeable Rocky Balboa.
He’s
somewhat unknown as compared to most UFC main eventers. He’s
being given little chance, but he’s trained hard his entire
life for a title shot against a champion who will go down as
an all-time great.
Hardy
is coming off four straight UFC wins in the 19 months since he
debuted at UFC 89 in Birmingham, U.K., with a close decision
win over Akihiro Gono. He was quickly pushed by the UFC’s
U.K. promotional office as a local star, both due to his color,
his red Mohawk haircut and gift of gab, along with his knockout
power. A quick knockout of Rory Markham was the match that established
him as more than just hype. He got the title shot with an upset
of Mike Swick on Nov. 14., in Manchester, U.K.
Hardy,
whose fight Saturday will be his first in the U.S. in four years,
outstruck Swick for three rounds, hurting him in the first. He
was able to keep Swick from taking him down, and handily took
the decision. But St. Pierre’s takedowns and ground control
are at a different level.
The
Prudential Center sold out for UFC 111 well in advance, and it
will be the first UFC event that airs not only on pay-per-view,
but also in 300 movie theaters across North America. It will
almost assuredly be the biggest UFC pay-per-view event since
December, when stars B.J. Penn and Frank Mir co-headlined UFC
107 and perhaps since August, with the loaded Penn-Ken Florian
and Anderson Silva-Forrest Griffin double bill.
Source:
Yahoo Sports
|
Jones’
road to top a steady ride
BROOMFIELD,
Colo. – Jon Jones is going to have a lot of fighters heading
to the bookstores and getting bleary-eyed searching YouTube for
the secrets of fighting like mixed martial arts’ version
of a young LeBron James.
Jones
did what three former UFC heavyweight champions, one of whom
is a Hall of Famer, could not do in a fight against Brandon Vera.
Jones
(10-1) decimated Vera (11-5) in a nationally televised bout on
Sunday at the 1st Bank Center, stopping him at 3:19 of the first
round in a performance that was as brutal as it was jaw dropping.
He
tossed Vera around like he was a (not-so) heavy bag. He blistered
him with crushing elbows and pummeled him with powerful punches.
It was so one-sided that it seemed that Jones was the wily veteran
and Vera was the inexperienced 22-year-old prospect and not vice
versa.
Jones
was relentlessly hyped prior to the first Ultimate Fighting Championship
card on Versus, compared to all manner of sports prodigies. He
clearly felt the pressure and acted a bit out of character when
he was amped and in Vera’s face at Saturday’s weigh-in.
He
got the excess energy out at the weigh-in, though, and his performance
on Sunday was magnificent, even if he couldn’t wait for
it to be over.
“This
was kind of like studying for your biggest exam and all your
friends are going to know your score,” Jones said, beaming.
“I’m just glad it’s over.”
If
Jones is glad, how about Vera? He hadn’t won a truly big
fight since beating Frank Mir in a heavyweight bout near the
end of 2006, but he worked his way back near the top of the 205-pound
class with several strong performances.
He
was coming off a hotly disputed loss to Randy Couture and had
the kind of Muay Thai game that could cause Jones problems.
Seconds
into the fight, though, Jones put Vera on his back with a judo
throw. A few minutes later, he slammed him to the mat.
It
was very much a statement that Couture, arguably the greatest
champion in UFC history, could not make in November.
He
left UFC president Dana White shaking his head. With a very few
exceptions – lightweight champion B.J. Penn is one who immediately
comes to mind – no fighter has been hyped as early as Jones
or has easily lived up to the billing. “The hype is warranted,”
White said. “The kid is incredibly talented. When you see
him fight, he looks phenomenal and he’s getting better every
time.”
He’s
6 feet 4 inches and has a very big frame, along with the longest
reach in UFC history at 84 inches. When he’s 27, he’s
probably going to be a heavyweight.
“Oh
yeah, no doubt about that,” White said.
For
the time being, though, he’s ripping through the UFC in
unprecedented fashion. He looks in some ways like a young Anderson
Silva, with a similar build and a similar explosiveness.
Silva
has gone on to become the best fighter in the world, and it’s
hard to predict that kind of success for a 22-year-old with less
than two years experience in the UFC.
He
sure has the look of a young Silva, however.
“He’s
agile, he’s quick; he’s got everything to possibly
become another Anderson Silva,” said Ed Soares, Silva’s
manager.
The
UFC is going to handle Jones carefully, despite his success,
similar to the Washington Nationals sending top-pick Stephen
Strasburg to Double-A despite his 100-MPH fastball.
The
competition level will increase, but White said Jones needs about
a year before he gets championship-caliber competition.
Jones,
though, has no complaints. He simply wants to use each fight
as a learning tool. He’s renowned for studying YouTube videos
and on Sunday, he said he reads judo books to learn how to incorporate
judo into his game.
The
most important lesson he may need to learn is to remain calm
and stay within himself. Jones was overly hyped by Vera’s
pre-fight trash talk, even though coaches Greg Jackson and Phil
Nurse had warned him about it and told him to disregard it.
“In
the future, I’ll deal with trash talkers better and focus
on what the task is,” Jones said. You have to imagine there
aren’t going to be a lot of guys volunteering to fight him.
He’s got an unorthodox style that is constantly evolving.
He’s a terrific wrestler and he’s a powerful striker.
He
showed on Sunday after ripping Vera with an elbow that he also
knows how to finish. In his only loss, he was seconds away from
finishing Matt Hamill in December when he was disqualified for
throwing an illegal elbow.
If
he could be criticized for that performance, it would be for
failing to get Hamill out when he had him in a bad way.
On
Sunday, he didn’t let Vera off the hook. Vera, who landed
zero punches, was essentially out after the first elbow he ate
from Jones in the guard. Jones followed with another elbow that
grazed Vera’s face, landed three hard punches until Vera
rolled away.
Jones
kept up the assault, but referee Herb Dean quickly jumped in
to save Vera. If the fight went much longer, Vera would have
been seriously injured.
There
are going to be a lot of nights like that and a lot of fighters
being scraped off the canvas if Jones keeps progressing like
that.
“Dude,”
White said, beaming, “this kid is awesome. That was one
amazing performance.”
Source:
Yahoo Sports
|
GSP
SAYS DAN HARDY EARNED SHOT AT THE BELT
Just when it appeared that Georges St-Pierre had cleared out
the welterweight division, and a move to a different weight class
could be eminent, along came Dan Hardy; who, with his swagger
and knockout punch, vaulted to the top of the contenders list
last year. He now gets his opportunity to challenge St-Pierre
for the title at UFC 111.
Some
have made an argument against Hardy getting the shot at the title,
but St-Pierre himself stands by the choice, and points out that
he's done exactly what a contender has to do. In the words of
Oakland Raiders owner Al Davis… just win, baby.
"I'm
happy. I've fought a lot of the other guys already in my division
who were in line for a title shot, so I think he deserves it,"
St-Pierre said about Hardy. "He has beat everybody. He's
undefeated in the UFC. So I think it's perfect."
Listening
to people say that a fighter didn't deserve a shot at the title
is a familiar ring to St-Pierre. Just when it appeared that the
Canadian was set to go on an epic run as champion, he ran into
huge underdog Matt Serra, and less than a round later he was
headed home to Montreal without his title belt.
St-Pierre
says it was a lesson learned, and underestimating an opponent
is something he'll never do again.
"I
see it a little bit it's the same scenario... when I fought Matt
Serra the first time everybody told me 'oh, he shouldn't be there,
you shouldn't fight him, he didn't deserve it' and I got beat,"
said St-Pierre. "For me it's a little bit like redemption.
It's a chance to redeem myself by being in the same situation
that I was the first time, but this time succeed."
Hardy
has one big thing on his side in this fight, and that's simply
no one expects him to win, so he has nothing to lose and that
makes anybody dangerous. Given that factor, plus the deadly power
in Hardy's hands, and the formula is simple. The Brit has to
leave everything in the Octagon.
For
the champion's part, he has studied Hardy's game and knows what
danger he brings into the fight, and GSP is ready to test him
and see if he's ready to roll with the best.
"I
know what he's good at. I'm aware of his strengths, but I'm not
afraid of him," said St-Pierre. "I'm going to fight
my fight, I'm going to control the pace, and this fight is going
to be mine, starting at the beginning until the end."
Confidence
and swagger are two terms usually used to describe Hardy, but
when you're Georges St-Pierre, currently riding a six-fight win
streak, and gunning for a fourth consecutive title defense, you've
earned the right to be confident, too.
"There
is no way I'm going to lose this fight. I'm going to be there
110 percent. I can't wait. I'm ready to step inside the Octagon.
I'm ready for a war," said St-Pierre.
The
Canadian champion will close out his camp in Montreal before
heading back to New Jersey for his UFC 111 main event fight against
Dan Hardy.
Source:
MMA Weekly
|
UFC
STILL NOT SURE WHAT TO DO WITH JAMES TONEY
It’s been three weeks since the Ultimate Fighting Championship
signed former heavyweight boxing world champion James Toney to
a mixed martial arts contract. He’s been through the rumor
mill of fighting everyone from Kevin “Kimbo Slice”
Ferguson to former UFC champion Randy Couture.
But
as of right now, he’s got nothing on the docket.
“People
keep asking me what’s next for him, who’s he gonna
fight. I have no idea,” UFC president Dana White said Wednesday
afternoon at Radio City Music Hall in New York City. “We
did this deal and now I gotta figure out what I’m gonna
do with him and how I’m gonna do this thing.”
White
has come under fire for signing Toney, many people calling it
a “freak show,” but a lot of the fighters under White’s
employ don’t see it that way.
“I
think that’s great,“ heavyweight contender Shane Carwin
told MMAWeekly Radio recently. “I think it’s some excitement.
If people are talking about (Toney) then that’s good. I
guess we’ll see how he does. It will be interesting who
they match him up against.”
But
even White isn’t quite sure where he’s at with the
whole situation, or why he even pulled the Trigger on the deal.
“He’s
a guy whom I respect as a fighter and a boxer and there’s
been this whole boxing vs. mixed martial arts thing forever,”
said White. “To be honest, I don’t know why I did it,
I did it.”
Either
it was a bold move by White to secure a boxer who has fought
at the highest levels and can be the first prominent proponent
of the sweet science to make the transition, or he got sold a
bill of goods.
White
recounted a conversation he had with Toney, probably one of many
that finally influenced him to do the deal.
“We
were sitting in my office one day and he said, ‘I’m
a proud guy. I’m proud of what I accomplished. I came from
nothing. Everything I’ve accomplished, I’m very proud
of and I’d never do anything to embarrass myself and my
family. I know a lot more than you think I know.’”
Source:
MMA Weekly
|
K.J.
NOONS HAD BROKEN FOOT DURING DIDA WIN
K.J. Noons, being a professional boxer as well as a mixed martial
artist, is known for his boxing abilities. But in mixed martial
arts, he’s also known for having a strong kicking arsenal
as well.
His
kicking game didn’t show up for his latest victory, a unanimous
decision victory over Andre “Dida” Amade at Dream 13
on Monday. There’s a pretty good reason for that, he went
into the fight with a broken foot.
“I
had an x-ray (Wednesday morning),” Noons told MMAWeekly.com.
“Broken foot. I broke it two weeks (before the fight), just
in case you were wondering why there were no kicks or takedowns.”
Looking
back on the fight with the knowledge of Noons’ injury, it’s
no surprise that the fight started off rather slow. Noons couldn’t
find a way to finish the fight, but did manage to use his head
movement and boxing skills to outpoint Dida for the decision.
Noons
next bout is expected to take place under the Strikeforce banner.
There has been talk that he could possibly match up with Dream
fighter Tatsuya Kawajiri, but with the injury, it’s not
clear when that next fight might be.
The
soonest would be sometime this summer. Noons said he is out of
commission for another three weeks before he’s able to begin
training again.
Source:
MMA Weekly
|
UFC
111 SOLD OUT, $4 MILLION GATE
The Ultimate Fighting Championship returns to New Jersey on Saturday
night for UFC 111 at the Prudential Center in Newark. Being just
across the state line from New York, the promotion is taking
full advantage of the proximity to drum up support among New
York fans.
UFC
president Dana White, at the UFC 111 prefight press conference
at Radio City Music Hall in New York City, confirmed that all
tickets are gone for Saturday night’s event.
“This
show is sold out. It sold out immediately. We’re gonna have
over 17,000 at the arena,” said White.
Not
only is the event a sellout, it is expected to draw a rather
hefty live gate.
White
said, “This thing is doing a gate of $4 million.”
That
would rival the gate revenue generated by events such as UFC
94 featuring Georges St-Pierre vs. B.J. Penn II and UFC 71 featuring
Quinton Jackson vs. Chuck Liddell II, which each generated roughly
$4.3 million.
Source:
MMA Weekly
|
FEDOR
CONFIRMED FOR JUNE RETURN AGAINST WERDUM
The speculation about the return of Fedor Emelianenko has been
running rampant ever since the Russian heavyweight was not one
of the fighters scheduled to compete on the upcoming Strikeforce
on CBS show on April 17.
The
former Pride champion has been rumored to face former UFC fighter
Fabricio Werdum for months, while new rumors have popped up saying
he will next compete in Japan against Hidehiko Yoshida in his
retirement match.
Strikeforce
president Scott Coker addressed the rumors and put to bed much
of the speculation around where Fedor would be fighting next
when he spoke to reporters following Dream 13 on Monday in Japan.
"M-1
Global and Strikeforce entered into a three fight contract exclusive
for Fedor to fight in a co-promotion between Strikeforce and
M-1 Global, and as you know we did the first fight on Nov 7 in
Chicago," said Coker.
"Fedor
is now scheduled to fight in June towards the end of the month
in America against Fabricio Werdum."
With
the fight with Werdum now confirmed, the only thing left remaining
is if Fedor could actually be able to fight Yoshida in Japan,
and as of right now it doesn't sound like that is likely to happen.
"I've
heard the rumors as well, and as I know more I will let the media
know in American, and let the media know here, but I believe
that's just a rumor," Coker said when speaking about the
fight with Fedor and Yoshida.
Now
that some of the questions have been answered, the only thing
looming overhead is when Fedor could possibly compete for the
Strikeforce heavyweight title, which is currently held by Alistair
Overeem.
Overeem
will fight Brett Rogers on May 15 in St. Louis, but there has
been no final word from Strikeforce if the heavyweight belt will
be on the line or not.
Source:
MMA Weekly
|
Quote
of the Day
"A
preoccupation with the future not only prevents us from seeing
the present as it is but often prompts us to rearrange the past."
Eric
Hoffer, 1902-1983
|
Team
Papakolea Jiu-Jitsu World Championship Fundraiser
Email questions
by clicking here.
|
Dream.13
Live Blog: Josh Barnett vs. Mighty Mo Round-by-Round Updates
This
is the Dream.13 live blog for Josh Barnett vs. Mighty Mo, a heavyweight
bout on this morning's Dream.13 card.
Barnett
is back in Japan, taking on kickboxer Mighty Mo. Barnett has
been active this year, but not in MMA. Barnett has participated
in double digit grappling matches, dominating his lesser known
opponents in local tournaments in California.
The
live blog is below.
Round
1: They size each other up. Barnett with a kick to the leg and
then body. Mo drops Barnett with a left hook. Barnett quickly
gets back up. Barnett doesn't look bothered, so maybe he slipped.
Barnett clinches. They separate. Mo throws an uppercut. Barnett
with front kicks. Barnett eyeing a takedown but Mo avoids. Barnett
lands a leg kick cleanly. Barnett, who is wearing wrestling shoes,
hits a front kick, low. Barnett grimaces at his opponent's reaction.
Barnett shakes his head, while Mo is facedown in a lot of pain.
The
doctors are checking on him. The white towels come in reminiscent
of Alistair Overeem's thrashing of Mirko Cro Cop's lower region.
MIghty
Mo looks done. He says: "I can't continue. I can't fight
anymore like this."
I'm
counting 12 heads in the ring right now deciding on what to do
next. Really, 12. Wait, make that 13. Matt Hume just walked in.
More discussions in Mo's corner. Hume walks over to Barnett's
corner to talk to the former UFC champ.
Barnett
now joins the battle royale of referees in Mo's corner. The speakers
just announced they'll give Mo three more minutes to rest.
This
is one of the longest low blow breaks in recent history. Barnett
just can't avoid controversy. Mo is ready to go.
The
referee issues Barnett a yellow card.
Fight
is back on with 7:10 remaining in the round. Barnett shoots and
Mo avoids. Barnett with a low kick and misses with a high. Barnett
with a combo of punches to the body. Mo leaps forward with a
left. They tie up and Barnett hits a knee to the body. Barnett
goes for the takedown and finishes in side control. Barnett grabs
a straight armlock and Mo taps within seconds.
Barnett
wins by submission
Barnett
gives Mo a free groin shot after the fight.
Barnett
apologizes to the fans and commends Mo for taking the fight on
short notice.
Source:
MMA Fighting
|
Full
Dream.13 results are below
Bibiano Fernandes vs. Joachim Hansen (live blog)
Josh Barnett vs. Siala "Mighty Mo' Siligia (live blog)
KJ Noons def. Andre "Dida" by unanimous decision (live
blog)
Ryo Chonan def. Andrews Nakahara by unanimous decision
Cole Escovedo def. Yoshiro Maeda by first-round KO
Katsunori Kikuno def. Kuniyoshi Hironaka by first-round KO
Ikuhisa Minowa def. Jimmy Ambriz by second-round submission
Source:
MMA Fighting
|
UFC
fights for German broadcast rights
The
German equivalent of the Federal Communications Commission on
Friday issued a preliminary order that would bar Ultimate Fighting
Championship programming from the Munich-based network German
Sports Television (DSF).
Zuffa,
the UFC’s parent company, plans to appeal the order of the
Bavarian Regulatory Authority for Commercial Broadcasting (BLM)
and, if unsuccessful there, file a lawsuit in a German court,
said Lawrence Epstein, Zuffa’s executive vice president
and general counsel.
Epstein
said the BLM’s action is not unprecedented. He said World
Wrestling Entertainment was banned from DSF by the BLM, but the
WWE went to court and successfully sued to be returned to the
air.
DSF
has been restricted to broadcasting UFC programming between the
hours of 11 p.m. and 6 a.m. since the BLM approved its request
to air in March 2009.
In
a statement announcing the preliminary ban that was translated
from German to English, BLM head Dr. Wolfgang Flieger said, “The
Committee deems these television formats unacceptable by the
sheer massiveness of the portrayed violence. In these shows you
can witness acts of breaking taboos, such as hitting a downed
opponent. These acts contradict the general principle of a public-service
broadcasting … “
Unlike
in boxing, mixed martial arts rules allow strikes to an opponent
who has been knocked down.
Epstein
said the UFC has attorneys and political consultants who are
working regularly on the issue in Germany. He said the preliminary
order was not unexpected and that he expects to win approval
eventually to return UFC programming to DSF.
Zuffa
successfully staged UFC 99 in Cologne, Germany on June 13, attracting
12,854 fans who paid a live gate of $1.3 million in U.S. dollars
to Lanxess Arena, after there was much controversy about the
show in the German media. One newspaper incorrectly reported
that UFC rules permitted fights to the death.
“I
can’t sugarcoat this and say it’s a positive development,
but as I said, given that they also pulled the WWE off the air
there, it’s not unprecedented,” Epstein said. “Part
of it is political and, as they say, all politics are local.
There is a local element to what is going on, but I have to be
honest and concede this is not a positive for us.”
Epstein
said Zuffa will have the opportunity to appeal the ruling directly
to the BLM within the next two weeks. If unsuccessful there,
the order goes into effect and DSF will have to remove UFC programming.
At
that point, Epstein said Zuffa would seek a stay of the order
in a German court and would sue to preserve its rights.
DSF
plans to show on Monday a delayed broadcast of the UFC’s
card that will be held Sunday in Denver.
In
a statement, DSF managing director Zeljko Karajica said, “We
have taken note of the BLM’s decision. However, we are not
yet able to comment on it because we need first to internally
evaluate how this affects our contract with the Ultimate Fighting
Championship.
We
have definitely stayed on top of this development and have made
it clear that we are willing to work with regulators and the
UFC to figure out our next steps.”
Epstein
said the UFC has been working with its co-promoter in Germany,
Marek Lieberberg, to bring another live show to the country.
Source:
Yahoo Sports
|
Cobrinha
to compete at Pan and guarantees: “It’s my last year
as a competitor"
Anyone
following @CobrinhaCharles on twitter probably had an inkling,
but GRACIEMAG.com went after the four-time world champion for
confirmation. The answer was yes, Cobrinha is yet another black
belt confirmed for the Jiu-Jitsu Pan-American 2010.
Nearly
50 black belts are signed up for the adult division, and featherweight
Cobrinha is promising. Besides the already confirmed Christopher
Story, Guilherme Lyra, Marcelo Brandão, Gustavo Carpio
and Sasa Yukinori, beasts like the Mendes brothers, Mario Reis,
Wellington Megaton and Brazilian National Champion in 2008 Marcelino
Freitas, who is training with Vitor Shaolin in New York, should
come in strong.
Rubens
knows he has his work cut out for him, and is training to hang
on to his title and win his fifth Pan-American championship at
black belt. “Yes, I’m training for the Pan to get there
and throw some weight around,” he laughs. “Master Romero
Jacare heads my training at Alliance Atlanta. This will be my
last year competing, so I want to do the Pan and the Worlds and
then dedicate myself to the career of a teacher. What little
I know I want to share with my students.”
Cobrinha
admits that retiring won’t be an easy decision to make.
“I
know it won’t be easy for me at all to stay out of the tournaments,
since I’m a born competitor. Even when playing marbles I
dedicate myself to do my best; I’ve been like that my whole
life. I’m no better than anyone else, but I always pursue
perfection, something nearly impossible to achieve. Since these
days you have to be 100% professional in training, you end up
forsaking a lot of other things to focus exclusively on training.
Source:
Gracie Magazine
|
DUANE
LUDWIG'S ANKLE SEVERELY BROKEN
Duane
“Bang” Ludwig is a fighter that, in the words of UFC
president Dana White, “always brings it, he always comes
to fight.” He walked into the Octagon on the preliminary
portion of Sunday night’s UFC on Versus 1 fight card at
the 1stBank Center in Broomfield, Colo., ready to fight, but
unfortunately wasn’t able to walk back out.
Less
than a minute into the bout, his opponent, Darren Elkins, shot
the takedown. He landed it, but in the process, Ludwig’s
left leg folded back underneath him, twisting his ankle at a
grotesque angle, as he landed on his back.
Ludwig
immediately voiced the issue to Elkins, who quickly backed off.
The
replays almost appeared as if Ludwig broke his leg at a point
in the lower portion of his shin, but that turned out not to
be the case. It was initially relayed that he dislocated his
ankle.
His
camp later confirmed to MMAWeekly.com that Ludwig suffered a
severe break to his ankle. The full extent of the injury isn’t
clear at this time, but he will visit a specialist on Monday
to verify the severity of the injury and determine the appropriate
steps for recovery.
The
members of his camp are fairly certain that he will require surgery,
but will await Monday’s examination to determine the next
course of action.
“That
was a tough break,” said White. “I don’t know,
we’ll see what happens with him. He’s always a kid
that’s been on the radar, always hanging out there and ready
and willing to fight.”
Source:
MMA Weekly
|
DANA
WHITE: JON JONES SHOULD BE UNDEFEATED
Jon Jones is a fast rising star in the Ultimate Fighting Championship
light heavyweight division, but UFC president Dana White isn’t
happy that the 22-year-old phenom has a blemish on his record.
On
Dec. 5, Jones dominated Matt Hamill at The Ultimate Fighter 10
Finale, only to find himself on the wrong side of a disqualification
loss due to the use of illegal elbows. White, however, questions
the decision of referee Steve Mazzagatti to stop the fight, handing
Jones the DQ loss, the only blemish on his record.
“It
shouldn’t have happened. It shouldn’t have happened
that way. He shouldn’t have a loss, so it’s unfortunate,”
White told a group of media following the promotion’s first
event on the Versus network.
“It
was a downward (elbow). You take a point. You take a point or
whatever. (Hamill) couldn’t continue because his shoulder
was messed up. It had nothing to do with the elbow,” asserted
the UFC president.
“Why
the fight was stopped had nothing to do with the elbow. If he
had been gashed open and the fight couldn’t continue, or
broke his nose and couldn’t continue - anything to do with
the face or anything to do with an illegal strike then I’d
get it, but it didn’t. He couldn’t continue because
of his shoulder. That should have never had been the call.”
Despite
the official loss on Jones’ resume, White has no intentions
of putting together a rematch between Jones and Hamill.
“I
don’t think anybody thinks, oh God, I wonder what would
happen in that second fight,” said White.
Source:
MMA Weekly
|
UFC
PRES WILL GET SHIELDS OR GET HIM PAID
Strikeforce champion Jake Shields can add one more fan to his
growing roster of supporters. UFC president Dana White talked
about the Cesar Gracie trained fighter, and how he'd like to
see him in the Octagon one day soon.
Following
the UFC on Versus card on Sunday night, White addressed the subject
of Shields and his pending title fight against Dan Henderson
April 17 on CBS.
White
contends that Shields is a 170-pound fighter, and Strikeforce
has an ulterior motive altogether, especially with the TV ads
that began running during the NCAA March Madness programming
last week.
"Jake
Shields is 170 pounds, he's their (185-pound) champion, and I
just found out today they're running commercials on there. The
commercials are like three seconds, and it basically says 'MMA
legend Dan Henderson' and he hits the heavy bag I guess, and
then looks back at the camera. That's the (expletive) commercial,"
said White.
"How
about Jake Shields our (expletive) champion? No, because Jake
Shields is on the last fight of their contract, so they're feeding
him to Dan Henderson right now because they want to get rid of
him because he's going to go away, or they're going to have to
pay him some big money to stay to stick around or whatever the
deal is."
White
believes that Shields beating Henderson would be a big upset
considering the weight and size difference between the two, but
if Shields does pull off the victory, he may soon see several
offers and the dollar signs light up for his services.
"If
Jake Shields could pull that off that would be incredible. Good
for him," said White. "He's going to get paid, because
what's going to happen is we would love to take him from there
and I'm sure they'd love to pay him to stick around."
Shields
has confirmed that the upcoming fight with Henderson is the last
bout on his current contract with Strikeforce, and he said in
the past he would be open to a move to the UFC in the right situation.
Regardless of a win or a loss against Henderson, White is more
than happy to help Shields out with either a job or a bigger
paycheck from his current employers.
"And
I will help drive that (expletive) number right up through the
roof, and let the Showtime boys pay him a lot of money, so that
Jake can stick it right up their (expletive)," White stated.
"I just choked out Dan Henderson and now you (expletive)
are going to pay me for trying to stick it up my (expletive),
I'm going to stick it up yours."
Time
will only tell what Jake Shields will decide to do in the future,
but for now he's focused on facing Dan Henderson for the Strikeforce
middleweight belt on April 17.
Source:
MMA Weekly
|
THE
ULTIMATE FIGHTER RUMOR MILL: WATCH AND SEE
The intrigue surrounding the newest season of “The Ultimate
Fighter” has hit a fever pitch ever since the rumors began
circulating about Chuck Liddell facing Rich Franklin instead
of Tito Ortiz in June.
Following
the news breaking on several MMA sites, White turned to Twitter
where he told fans the plan was for Rich Franklin to face Randy
Couture, and Liddell vs. Ortiz was still a grudge match in the
making.
White
was asked point blank on Sunday night following the UFC on Versus
show how he would handle the situation if Tito Ortiz was indeed
out of the fight with Liddell after all the talk over the last
few weeks.
"If
that's the case, and that's true, I guess you're just going to
have to watch and see what happens," said White.
The
UFC president didn't play into the idea that he was angry about
any rumors that may or may not have leaked out about the show,
and understands that things like that are always going to happen.
"This
stuff happens. I don't know what anybody thinks was leaked, or
what people think is right or what is wrong," said White.
"There are always going to be rumors out there about whether
it's a fight we're putting on, or ‘The Ultimate Fighter’
and what happened there. There's always going to be rumors.
"What's
fact and what's fiction, you're going to have to watch the show
and find out."
Always
one to answer any question he's asked, White admitted that he
can't always be as forthcoming, especially with television shows
that have yet to air.
"There's
sometimes I have to do what I have to do," White responded.
The
11th season of “The Ultimate Fighter” will debut on
Wednesday, March 31, and it still remains to be seen if anything
happens during the filming of the show or afterwards that would
force Tito Ortiz out of his fight against Chuck Liddell, or if
Rich Franklin does indeed plan to fight the San Luis Obispo,
Calif., fighter this summer.
Source:
MMA Weekly
|
Quote
of the Day
"If
a man insisted always on being serious, and never allowed himself
a bit of fun and relaxation, he would go mad or become unstable
without knowing it."
Herodotus,
484 BC-430 BC
|
Jones’
road to top a steady ride
BROOMFIELD,
Colo. – Jon Jones is going to have a lot of fighters heading
to the bookstores and getting bleary-eyed searching YouTube for
the secrets of fighting like mixed martial arts’ version
of a young LeBron James.
Jones
did what three former UFC heavyweight champions, one of whom
is a Hall of Famer, could not do in a fight against Brandon Vera.
Jones
(10-1) decimated Vera (11-5) in a nationally televised bout on
Sunday at the 1st Bank Center, stopping him at 3:19 of the first
round in a performance that was as brutal as it was jaw dropping.
He
tossed Vera around like he was a (not-so) heavy bag. He blistered
him with crushing elbows and pummeled him with powerful punches.
It was so one-sided that it seemed that Jones was the wily veteran
and Vera was the inexperienced 22-year-old prospect and not vice
versa.
Jones
was relentlessly hyped prior to the first Ultimate Fighting Championship
card on Versus, compared to all manner of sports prodigies. He
clearly felt the pressure and acted a bit out of character when
he was amped and in Vera’s face at Saturday’s weigh-in.
He
got the excess energy out at the weigh-in, though, and his performance
on Sunday was magnificent, even if he couldn’t wait for
it to be over.
“This
was kind of like studying for your biggest exam and all your
friends are going to know your score,” Jones said, beaming.
“I’m just glad it’s over.”
If
Jones is glad, how about Vera? He hadn’t won a truly big
fight since beating Frank Mir in a heavyweight bout near the
end of 2006, but he worked his way back near the top of the 205-pound
class with several strong performances.
He
was coming off a hotly disputed loss to Randy Couture and had
the kind of Muay Thai game that could cause Jones problems.
Seconds
into the fight, though, Jones put Vera on his back with a judo
throw. A few minutes later, he slammed him to the mat.
It
was very much a statement that Couture, arguably the greatest
champion in UFC history, could not make in November.
He
left UFC president Dana White shaking his head. With a very few
exceptions – lightweight champion B.J. Penn is one who immediately
comes to mind – no fighter has been hyped as early as Jones
or has easily lived up to the billing. “The hype is warranted,”
White said. “The kid is incredibly talented. When you see
him fight, he looks phenomenal and he’s getting better every
time.”
He’s
6 feet 4 inches and has a very big frame, along with the longest
reach in UFC history at 84 inches. When he’s 27, he’s
probably going to be a heavyweight.
“Oh
yeah, no doubt about that,” White said.
For
the time being, though, he’s ripping through the UFC in
unprecedented fashion. He looks in some ways like a young Anderson
Silva, with a similar build and a similar explosiveness.
Silva
has gone on to become the best fighter in the world, and it’s
hard to predict that kind of success for a 22-year-old with less
than two years experience in the UFC.
He
sure has the look of a young Silva, however.
“He’s
agile, he’s quick; he’s got everything to possibly
become another Anderson Silva,” said Ed Soares, Silva’s
manager.
The
UFC is going to handle Jones carefully, despite his success,
similar to the Washington Nationals sending top-pick Stephen
Strasburg to Double-A despite his 100-MPH fastball.
The
competition level will increase, but White said Jones needs about
a year before he gets championship-caliber competition.
Jones,
though, has no complaints. He simply wants to use each fight
as a learning tool. He’s renowned for studying YouTube videos
and on Sunday, he said he reads judo books to learn how to incorporate
judo into his game.
The
most important lesson he may need to learn is to remain calm
and stay within himself. Jones was overly hyped by Vera’s
pre-fight trash talk, even though coaches Greg Jackson and Phil
Nurse had warned him about it and told him to disregard it.
“In
the future, I’ll deal with trash talkers better and focus
on what the task is,” Jones said. You have to imagine there
aren’t going to be a lot of guys volunteering to fight him.
He’s got an unorthodox style that is constantly evolving.
He’s a terrific wrestler and he’s a powerful striker.
He
showed on Sunday after ripping Vera with an elbow that he also
knows how to finish. In his only loss, he was seconds away from
finishing Matt Hamill in December when he was disqualified for
throwing an illegal elbow.
If
he could be criticized for that performance, it would be for
failing to get Hamill out when he had him in a bad way.
On
Sunday, he didn’t let Vera off the hook. Vera, who landed
zero punches, was essentially out after the first elbow he ate
from Jones in the guard. Jones followed with another elbow that
grazed Vera’s face, landed three hard punches until Vera
rolled away.
Jones
kept up the assault, but referee Herb Dean quickly jumped in
to save Vera. If the fight went much longer, Vera would have
been seriously injured.
There
are going to be a lot of nights like that and a lot of fighters
being scraped off the canvas if Jones keeps progressing like
that.
“Dude,”
White said, beaming, “this kid is awesome. That was one
amazing performance.”
Source:
Yahoo Sports
|
K.J.
Noons Beats Andre Dida in MMA Return
Returning
to mixed martial arts for the first time since June of 2008,
former EliteXC lightweight champion K.J. Noons defeated Andre
Dida by unanimous decision Monday at Dream.13.
Noons
spent 2009 trying to be a professional boxer, and he fought like
a boxer in his return to MMA, basically just standing up and
throwing punches for the entire 15 minutes. He'd be a more effective
fighter if he'd vary his attacks, but it was enough to beat Dida
on Monday.
The
fight (which started with Dida accidentally kicking Noons in
the groin in the opening exchange) featured plenty of striking
from both guys, but it wasn't a great battle. It was more a matter
of Noons doing just enough to control the fight, and Dida doing
just enough to lose.
HDNet
announcer Michael Schiavello said on the air that Noons' next
fight could come against Tatsuya Kawajiri. A Noons-Kawajiri fight
would be a good one -- and it would be a fight that Noons won't
win without a better showing.
Source:
MMA Fighting
|
DOS
SANTOS IMPRESSES, KNOCKS OUT GONZAGA
Junior Dos Santos continued his rise to the top tier of the UFC
heavyweight division by knocking out former top contender Gabriel
Gonzaga in the first round of their UFC on Versus match.
Both
fighters were feeling each other out in the opening moments,
sizing the other up and gauging their distance. Gonzaga was able
to briefly get the fight to canvas but Dos Santos immediately
bounced back to his feet.
In
the standing position, neither seemed to have a clear edge. Gonzaga
was moving forward but Dos Santos’ speed and ability to
get in and out was noticeable.
Dos
Santos landed a counter left hand off a Gonzaga leg kick that
sent the 30-year old crashing on his backside. The 25-year old
swooped in and finished with strikes on the ground leaving Gonzaga
unconscious.
“I
threw my punch when he kicked me, and that’s it,” Dos
Santos commented following the fight. “If you guys like
to watch good knockouts, I’m here to give you good knockouts.”
With
the win, Dos Santos has solidified himself as a contender, and
wants fights with the best fighters in the world.
“I
want to fight with the best,” said Dos Santos. “I think
I’m ready. I’m ready for a title shot if the UFC wants.
I’m ready.”
Dos
Santos remains undefeated in the UFC and extends his winning
streak to five. The only blemish on his professional record came
in Nov. 2007.
Source:
MMA Weekly
|
THE
FUTURE IS NOW: JONES CRUSHES VERA IN RD 1
He was tagged as the future of the light heavyweight division
before the main event at UFC on Versus Sunday night even started.
After Jon Jones blasted through Brandon Vera with a first round
stoppage, the future just turned to the present, as he picked
up one of the biggest wins of his young career.
Bouncing
back from a tough disqualification in his last fight, Jones came
out quick in his fight against Vera, landing an early takedown
on the California fighter, putting him on his back and opening
up a ground attack.
Jones
made his takedowns look almost effortless against a very strong
wrestler in Vera, who could only try to battle his way back up
from the bottom. During one exchange on the ground, Vera threw
a vicious upkick with Jones' knees still on the mat, and referee
Herb Dean stopped the action and deducted a point for the illegal
strike.
Back
on the ground after Jones said he was okay to continue, the New
York native continued his mugging of Brandon Vera, and when he
connected with an elbow to his opponent's head it sounded like
the crack of Alex Rodriguez's bat slamming a homerun.
Immediately,
Vera turned in obvious pain after the elbow crushed down on him,
and Jones followed up with a few more strikes as Herb Dean swooped
in for the save. After the fight, Jones credited his intense
preparation for Brandon Vera that allowed him to have such a
strong performance.
"I
almost felt as if I knew him before I stepped in here with him,"
said Jones. "It was just hard work, a lot of dedication,
I knew he'd be a step up in competition, and I trained to the
point where I felt as if I won it before I got in here."
Hype
is just hype until potential is realized, but there doesn't seem
to be many questions left unanswered about what Jon Jones brings
to the light heavyweight division, and any top ten fighter in
front of him may want to watch this fight as an example.
"I
try not to pay attention to the hype, but I do recognize it's
that it's there," Jones said. "I guess the only thing
it does is try to live up to the potential I can live up to,
I think potential is the biggest thing to waste, it's the worst
thing to waste, and I'll make sure that doesn't happen."
Source:
MMA Weekly
|
THREE
KO OF THE NIGHT AWARDS AT UFC ON VERSUS
The UFC handed out $50,000 bonuses following its first event
on the Versus network Sunday night and for the first time three
Knockout of the Night bonuses were awarded.
Junior
Dos Santos, John Howard and Jon Jones all received Knockout of
the Night bonus checks for their finishes.
Clay
Guida banked the Submission of the Night award and money for
his second round arm triangle choke finish of Shannon Gugerty.
He noted after the fight, “I guess a caveman can submit
people too.”
No
Fight of the Night award was given.
Total
money paid in bonuses for UFC on Versus was $200,000. The event
took place at the 1stBank Center in Broomfield, Colo.
Source:
MMA Weekly
|
UFC
ON VERSUS 2 SET FOR AUG 1 IN OAKLAND
Just after the first UFC on Versus event debuted on Sunday night,
the promotion has already planned a second show for the cable
sports network on Aug. 1 in Oakland, Calif.
UFC
president Dana White confirmed UFC on Versus 2 at the post-fight
press conference for UFC on Versus 1: Vera vs. Jones at the 1stBank
Center in Broomfield, Colo.
Light
heavyweight phenom Jon Jones continued his dismantling of the
division with a first-round stoppage of Brendan Vera on Sunday
night. Heavyweight crusher Junior Dos Santos did the same with
his first-round knockout of Gabriel Gonzaga.
Though
both were impressive Sunday night, White didn’t unveil any
plans for the Aug. 1 fight card, which isn’t surprising
considering it’s still more than four months away.
Source:
MMA Weekly
|
Chiquerim
to defend Shooto belt and aims for Sengoku
Shooto
World lightweight champion Willamy Chiquerim had his work cut
out for him at Shooto Brazil 15, where he faced Finland’s
Mikael Lahdesmak, who showed he wasn’t there to mess around.
“I
never imagined I’d have such a tough opponent. Shooto always
gives me hard fights. But that’s the way it has to be and
these fights are worthwhile,” remarks Chiquerim.
Chiquerim
at Shooto Brazil 15
For
his next challenge, the beast from the Brazilian state of Ceara
defends his world title against Japan’s Yusuke Endo. However,
he soon he should also make an appearance in another major Japanese
promotion, Sengoku.
“On
May 30 I put my belt on the line and then I go on to Sengoku.
I’ve already received the gloves and all I have to do is
put the belt up for grabs to finalize things,” he tells
GRACIEMAG.com.
Nevertheless,
he remains focused on his upcoming Shooto bout.
“I’m
going to fight Yusuke Endo. I faced him in my first appearance
in Shooto Japan and I submitted him in the first round (via guillotine).
But I believe he’ll be different this time around, with
what it takes to beat me. That’s how it is, each fight is
a different story and I plan to be really well prepared to represent
my country,” says Chiquerim, before giving thanks:
“I’d
like to thank my family, my girlfriend and my team that has supported
me, both in Ceara and in Rio,” he says in finishing.
Source:
MMA Weekly
|
Who
can stop Dos Santos? 'Cigano' smokes Gonzaga
In
a division filled with behemoths who like to ground and pound,
Junior "Cigano" Dos Santos prefers to do his pounding
with both feet on the ground. Tonight was another warning, you'd
better not stand with the young Brazilian unless you want to
leave the Octagon on your back.
Gabriel
Gonzaga, a Brazilian jiu-jitsu black belt, had difficulty getting
Dos Santos down so he turned to his kicks. Unfortunately, he
began to use the same pattern of right leg kicks and Dos Santos
figured it out. After narrowly missing, on two prior counterpunching
attempts, Dos Santos perfectly timed a left hook in response
to another Gonzaga leg kick. Gonzaga went down in a heap. That's
where Dos Santos pounced on him, unleashed a half dozen vicious
punches and Gonzaga went limp. Dos Santos picks up his fifth
straight UFC win at 3:53 of the first.
"We
hoped to win by knockout. I'm looking for the knockout in all
my fights," Dos Santos told UFC.com. He said he trained
a lot on countering Gonzaga's kicks. "I just waited for
the right moment."
Gonzaga
(11-5, 7-4 UFC) paid for a lack of patience.
"I
tried a kick when I should've waited," Gonzaga told UFC.com.
Gonzaga
said his gameplan was to draw Dos Santos in and when he tried
combinations, put him on his back.
Dos
Santos, who has knocked out all five of his UFC opponents, four
coming in the first round, said he thinks he can knockout anyone
in the UFC's heavyweight division. Suddenly, Mirko "Cro
Cop" Filipovic's third round loss against Dos Santos isn't
looking so bad. With Dos Santos, 25, and Cain Velasquez, 27,
the UFC has some tremendous prospects to pair with experienced
big boys like Frank Mir, Shane Carwin and heavyweight champ Brock
Lesnar.
Dos
Santos (11-1, 5-0 UFC) also showed solid ground skills even if
only for a moment. Gonzaga secured a takedown 90 seconds into
the fight, but Dos Santos showed excellent speed and athleticism
in getting to his feet in a matter of seconds.
For
anyone wondering what Cigano means. Dos Santos was given the
nickname as a young guy in the gyms back home in Brazil. It is
Portuguese for gypsy.
Source:
Yahoo Sports
|
|
3/22/10
Happy Birthday to Us! |
Quote
of the Day
"Risk!
Risk anything! Care no more for the opinions of others, for those
voices. Do the hardest thing on earth for you. Act for yourself.
Face the truth."
Katherine
Mansfield, 1888-1923
|
GroundWarz
|
Officials
Clinics
Hello MMA,
Martial Arts, and Boxing Community,
If any club or interested parties want to compete in amateur
boxing or become a judge, referee, or coach.
Email me at bkawano@aol.com
A tentative
Officials or Coaches Clinic on Sunday, March 28th.
The USA-Boxing Coaches Certification Class and Clinic will be
on Sunday, March 28th at 1 p.m.- 6 p.m at the Hawaii Self Storage
in Kapolei. Clinic is free, but you must register with USA-Boxing.
If anyone needs more info. They can contact me.
First show on Oahu is April 3rd, at Palolo District Park.
All Coaches, Officials, have to be registered and certified.
Boxers must register locally.
For more contact and registration info go to www.amateurboxingofhawaii.com
Thank You,
Bruce Kawano
Amateur Boxing of Hawaii Interm Manager.
Ringside Board of Advisors.
NMU Task Force Appointed Member.
|
UFC
ON VERSUS LIVE RESULTS, PLAY-BY-PLAY & PICS
The Ultimate Fighting Championship returns to Colorado tonight
to make its debut on the Versus sports network. The main event
pits Brandon “The Truth” Vera against Jon “Bones”
Jones, and features a critical heavyweight bout between Brazilians
Junior Dos Santos and Gabriel Gonzaga.
UFC
on Versus 1: Vera vs. Jones airs live on the Versus network at
9 p.m. ET. MMAWeekly.com will be providing full coverage of tonight’s
event, starting with the preliminary bouts, which are expected
to start at approximately 6:00 p.m. ET.
Refresh
this page frequently for the latest results and play-by-play...
UFC
ON VERSUS PLAY-BY-PLAY:
JON
JONES VS. BRANDON VERA
R1
– Jones quickly clinches and hip tosses Vera to the mat,
landing in Vera’s guard. Vera kicks him off and stands up.
Jones takes Vera down with a double-leg, again landing in guard.
Vera does a good job tying Jones up. Jones is on one knee in
Vera’s guard and Vera launches an up-kick to his face, which
is an illegal move because Jones is considered down when on his
knees. Vera is deducted 1 point. They restart the fight with
Jones in Vera’s guard. Again, Vera does a good job tying
Jones up, but Jones keeps a hand over Vera’s face, making
it hard for him to breathe, and then unleashes several forearms
to the face, hurting Vera. Jones then unloads a flurry of punches
and the fight is stopped.
Jon
Jones def. Brandon Vera by TKO (Strikes) at, R1
JUNIOR
DOS SANTOS VS. GABRIEL GONZAGA
R1
– After a brief feeling out period, Gonzaga scores a takedown,
but Dos Santos is immediately back to his feet, not wanting anything
to do with Gonzaga’s ground game. Dos Santos starts working
his jab to the body. Gonzaga narrowly misses with the head kick.
Dos Santos fires back with a solid kick to the body. Gonzaga’s
throws some kicks to the body as well, but Dos Santos does a
good job stepping in and countering. Gonzaga steps in and Dos
Santos drops him with a left hook. He quickly follows Gonzaga
to the mat and finishes him off with strikes.
Junior
Dos Santos def. Gabriel Gonzaga by KO (Punches) at 3:53, R1
CHEICK
KONGO VS. PAUL BUENTELLO
R1
– Each fighter lands a couple heavy shots early before Kongo
shoots in and manages to get Buentello to the ground. Buentello
manages to get back to his feet, but Kongo immediately puts him
back down on his backside. Kongo doing a good job keeping his
weight on Buentello, wearing him down, but not too much offense
other than a couple of knees to the body and a few punches. Buentello
escapes to his feet, throws a punch, and then backs off in pain.
Referee Herb Dean calls time and the doctor appears to put a
dislocated pinky back in place. They restart the fight. They
flurry and then Kongo again takes Buentello down. This time,
however, Kongo is a little more aggressive, driving a hard knee
and punches to the body. Action stalls and they are restarted.
Buentello slips to the ground but Kongo can’t capitalize
before the round ends.
MMAWeekly.com
scores the round 10-9 for Kongo
R2
– Kongo starts off round two with several leg kicks. They
then exchange punches, Kongo appearing to get the better of them.
Buentello gets put back on the mat and Kongo unloads punches
on Buentello. Buentello is on his knees and Kongo unleashes some
brutal knees to the body, but then drives one straight to Buentello’s
face, an illegal blow, causing a break in the action. Dean takes
a point away from Kongo. Kongo fires off a few punches, but again
takes Buentello down. Buentello is again on his knees, Kongo
unleashes with knees to the body. Buentello gets up, but is again
immediately put back down. Buentello gets up, Kongo clinches
and starts kneeing to the body and head of a bent over Buentello,
but has to stop when Buentello puts a hand down. They start back
up and Kongo again puts Buentello down, but this time doesn’t
push much offense and they get stood up.
MMAWeekly.com
scores the round 10-9 for Kong, but it’s 9-9 after the 1
point deduction.
R3
– Kongo again takes Buentello to the mat and starts his
ground and pound. He’s driving elbows into the ribs, when
Buentello taps out.
Cheick
Kongo def. Paul Buentello by Submission (Strikes) at 1:16, R3
JAMES
IRVIN VS. ALESSIO SAKARA
R1
– Both fighters winging wide early, but nothing serious
connecting. Sakara puts together a good left-right-kick combination
and then catches Irvin with a straight right. Halfway through
the round and Sakara lands a couple good shots to the body and
follows with a hard left hook. He then lands another hard left
hook, but it Irvin appears to get poked in the eye and they stop
the fight to check the eye. After a few moments, referee Josh
Rosenthal waves off the fight.
Alessio
Sakara def. James Irvin by TKO (Injury Stoppage) at 3:01, R1
CLAY
GUIDA VS. SHANNON GUGERTY
R1
– They circle for a time before Guida fires in a few punches
and scores the takedown. He lands in a Gugerty guillotine. He
escapes the guillotine, but Gugerty locks on a triangle, but
Guida defends that as well. Guida throws a few punches from inside
Gugerty’s closed guard then passes to half guard. Gugerty
puts Guida back in full guard, negating his attacks. Guida again
moves to half guard, but this time traps one of Gugerty’s
arms and is able to drop some forearms to the face before the
round closes out.
MMAWeekly.com
scores the round 10-9 for Guida
R2
– Guida starts throwing punches, Gugerty shoots the takedown,
but Guida defends and scores a takedown of his own, landing in
Gugerty’s guard. Gugerty again goes for the guillotine,
but Guida stays patient and pops out, then starts peppering Gugerty
with punches. Guida drops some forearms and then unloads some
heavier punches. Guida starts mixing in shoulder punches with
hammerfists, then climbs on top securing an arm triangle choke
for the submission.
Clay
Guida def. Shannon Gugerty by Submission (Arm Triangle) at 3:40,
R2
ELIOT
MARSHALL VS. VLADIMIR MATYUSHENKO
R1
– Matyushenko takes center cage, but there’s little
action for the first couple minutes as they feel each other out.
Matyushenko lands a couple good leg kicks. He then lands a right-left
combination that rocks Marshall backwards a few steps. Marshall
recovers and they continue with Matyushenko holding center position.
Marshall leaps in with an uppercut that takes Matyushenko off
his game, but only momentarily. They finish out the round with
each fighter still trying to get into a groove and find his range.
MMAWeekly.com
scores the round 10-9 for Matyushenko
R2
– Matyushenko again takes the center of the Octagon, forcing
Marshall to come in on him. He clips Marshall with a couple good
punches, keeping him off balance. Marshall gets a little more
aggressive, but is having trouble finding any openings. Matyushenko
swings wide and then clinches, but doesn’t do any real damage.
Marshall lands a single left hook, but doesn’t follow it
up. He then lands an uppercut, but again can’t follow it
up. He rushes Matyushenko, who tosses him to the ground and delivers
a brief bit of ground and pound before standing up at Marshall’s
feet. Marshall pops back up to his feet and they are again at
center cage.
MMAWeekly.com
scores the round 10-9 for Matyushenko
R3
– Matyushenko lands a left hook to open, but doesn’t
follow up. They move around a bit, then Matyushenko throws a
three-punch combination, again putting Marshall on his back foot.
Strong leg kick from Matyushenko with 3:35 left in the round.
Neither fighter has really put it on the line yet and both are
struggling to find any consistent offense. Matyushenko is still
controlling where most of the fight takes place and landing a
few hard shots. He ducks under a Marshall punch and scores a
takedown with a minute and a half left, then they’re back
on their feet. He scores another double-leg with 45 seconds left,
but again lets Marshall up. Neither is able to land much before
the ending bell.
MMAWeekly.com
scores the round 10-9 and the fight 30-27 for Matyushenko
Vladimir
Matyushenko def. Eliot Marshall by Split Decision (30-27, 28-29,
30-27), R3
DUANE
LUDWIG VS. DARREN ELKINS
R1
– Ludwig lands a hard left that visibly stuns Elkins. Elkins
shoots the takedown. Ludwig makes him work for it, but he lands
it and the fight is quickly stopped. Ludwig’s left leg double-under
while he was slammed down, appearing to break in half in the
middle of his shin.
Darren
Elkins def. Duane Ludwig by TKO (Injury Stoppage) at 0:44, R1
JOHN
HOWARD VS. DANIEL ROBERTS
R1
– Howard lands a few good strikes, but quickly gets taken
down. As they stand up, Roberts locks on a Kimura, but Howard
rolls and gets out. Roberts starts dropping shots from standing
over Howard. Howard manages to get out and up, taking Roberts
down. Standing at Roberts’ feet, Howard dives down with
a left hand that lands flush on Roberts’ face for the knockout.
John
Howard def. Daniel Roberts by KO (Punch) at 2:01, R1
BRENDAN
SCHAUB VS. CHASE GORMLEY
R1
– Gormley comes right at Schaub but gets dropped with a
short right. They get back up and Schaub just unloads on Gormley,
rocking and stalking him across the cage, never slowing his punching
attack. Gormley falls to has backside and Schaub follows him
down and finishes him off with punches before a roaring hometown
crowd.
Brendan
Schaub def. Chase Gormley by TKO (Strikes) at 0:47, R1
MIKE
PIERCE VS. JULIO PAULINO
R1
– Pierce immediately scores the takedown and starts working
from half guard. Paulino does a good job tying Pierce up, not
taking much damage. Pierce finally postures up and lands a few
hard forearms to the face, but Paulino is maintaining a strong
half guard, using lots of movement to keep Pierce at bay. Referee
Tim Mills stands them up with just under a minute left in the
round. Pierce shoots the double-leg, scoops Paulino up and slams
him down just before the round ends.
MMAWeekly.com
scores the round 10-9 for Pierce
R2
– Paulino starts of the round much more aggressive with
his striking, trying to open Pierce up. Pierce shoots the takedown
again, but Paulino does a good job fighting it off, making Pierce
work hard. The fight is stopped momentarily as Paulino’s
foot slides under the cage and gets stuck. He starts right back
up after being freed from the cage. They exchange a few good
punches and this time Pierce lands a strong double-leg takedown,
slamming Paulino to his back. Pierce works ground and pound from
half guard, but is still having trouble sustaining much offense,
Paulino again being very active, tying him up. Mills again stand
the fighters up. Pierce again shoots, but can’t get the
takedown before the round ends in a brief flurry from both fighters.
MMAWeekly.com
scores the round 10-9 for Pierce
R3
– Paulino again comes out firing, landing a solid leg kick.
Pierce lands an overhand right and then scores big with another
double-leg slam, landing in side control. Pierce continues trying
to work his ground and pound, being a little more effective this
round than the first two. He starts dropping forearms that find
the mark. Paulino gets to his knees, but Pierce drives a solid
knee into his thigh before Paulino finally regains his feet.
Pierce immediately scoops Paulino and plants him back on the
mat. They get back to their feet and start winging punches, Paulino
landing a hard right that stuns Pierce a bit, but Pierce reacts
well and scores the takedown as the round ends.
MMAWeekly.com
scores the round 10-9 and the fight 30-27 for Pierce
Mike
Pierce def. Julio Paulino by Unanimous Decision (30-27, 30-27,
30-27), R3
JASON
BRILZ VS. ERIC SCHAFER
R1
– They clinch up early, Schafer’s back to the cage.
Brilz drives knees to the inside of Schafer’s thigh before
they separate. Brilz moves in with some hard shots to the body
and mixes up a few shots to the head before they clinch again.
Brilz gets the single leg takedown, but Schafer gets right back
to his feet. Both fighters land some hard shots, Brilz the overhand
right, repeatedly, as Schafer tries to establish a jab. Schafer
stuns Brilz with an uppercut. Brilz shoots the takedown, but
Schafer wins the positioning battle and ground and pounds Brilz.
They get up and Schafer lands a knee to the face. Brilz is rocked
at this point, trying to recover. Schafer hangs back, not going
for the finish.
MMAWeekly.com
scores the round 10-9 for Schafer.
R2
– Brilz staggers Schafer with a left hook right out of the
gate, but they quickly clinch. Brilz starts in with the knees
to Schafer’s thigh, the same leg as in round one. They exchange
solid uppercuts from the clinch. Stiff jab and a straight right
from Schafer. Brilz clinches, but gets tripped down onto his
back. Schafer starts ground and pound from half guard. Brilz
reverses but gets caught in an omo plata, which he quickly escapes
to north-south. Schafer tries to get up, but Brilz shoves him
to the mat. He finally does get up and eats a couple hard shots
from Brilz. Both men look really tired at this point with a minute
left in the round. Brilz scores a takedownand puts on a top-side
guillotine, but can’t secure it.
MMAWeekly.com
scores the round 10-9 for Brilz
R3
– Both fighters still appear gassed, but Brilz is pushing
the pace a bit, landing punches to the head. He swings wide and
clips Schafer several times with the right hand. Schafer is staggering
backwards around the cage, just waiting for one good shot to
end his night. Brilz is firing, but doesn’t have enough
gas to land the necessary bomb. He instead takes Schafer to his
back, but Schafer reverses to top position and starts ground
and pounding. Brilz gets up. Schafer drags him down, but Brilz
lands in top position, but is having trouble mounting much offense.
Brilz starts dropping short slip elbows with about 40 seconds
left in the fight. Brilz moves to side control, pot-shotting
Schafer, but he doesn’t have enough gas to finish.
MMAWeekly.com
scores the round 10-9 and the fight 29-28 for Brilz
Jason
Brilz def. Eric Schafer by Unanimous Decision (29-28, 29-28,
29-28), R3
UFC
ON VERSUS QUICK RESULTS:
Main
Bouts (On Versus):
-Jon Jones (9-1; #10 Light Heavyweight) vs. Brandon Vera (11-4)
-Junior Dos Santos def. Gabriel Gonzaga by KO (Punches) at 3:53,
R1
-Cheick Kongo def. Paul Buentello by Submission (Strikes) at
1:16, R3
-Alessio Sakara def. James Irvin by TKO (Injury Stoppage) at
3:01, R1
Preliminary
Bouts (Non-Televised):
-Clay Guida def. Shannon Gugerty by Submission (Arm Triangle)
at 3:40, R2
-Vladimir Matyushenko def. Eliot Marshall by Split Decision (30-27,
28-29, 30-27), R3
-Darren Elkins def. Duane Ludwig by TKO (Injury Stoppage) at
0:44, R1
-John Howard def. Daniel Roberts by KO (Punch) at 2:01, R1
-Brendan Schaub def. Chase Gormley by TKO (Strikes) at 0:47,
R1
-Mike Pierce def. Julio Paulino by Unanimous Decision (30-27,
30-27, 30-27), R3
-Jason Brilz def. Eric Schafer by Unanimous Decision (29-28,
29-28, 29-28), R3
Source: MMA Weekly
|
SAKARA
TAKES OUT IRVIN AT UFC ON VERSUS
Alessio Sakara defeated James Irvin at UFC on Versus, winning
by technical knockout spoiling Irvin’s debut as a middleweight.
Sakara
came out landing combinations and crisp right hands but it was
a left hook that ended the fight at 3:01 of the first round.
Upon
being hit, Irvin turned away and went to the canvas and referee
Josh Rosenthal stepped in and stopped the action. There was a
few minutes of confusion about whether Irvin was injured due
to an accidental poke or a punch.
After
reviewing the replay footage, it was clear a punch caused the
damage and Sakara was officially awarded the win.
For
Sakara, he’s now on a three-fight win streak after a shaky
start in the UFC.
For
Irvin, he last fought in July of 2008, losing to Anderson Silva
by knockout. He served a suspension for testing positive to pain
medication and was sidelined with injuries in 2009. It was his
return to the Octagon and 185-pound debut.
Source: MMA Weekly
|
KONGO
BLUDGEONS BUENTELLO'S THIGH FOR WIN
It was billed as a guaranteed knockout. What resulted was technically
a submission from strikes, but it was Cheick Kongo getting a
victory after bludgeoning Paul Buentello in the legs with elbow
strikes on the ground.
Coming
into the fight, it was well known that Paul Buentello has always
been a stand and bang striker, and Kongo's coaches paid close
attention to that when they came up with the strategy for the
Frenchman on Sunday night.
After
a brief exchange in virtually every round, Kongo shot in and
took Buentello to the ground, where he opened up a ground attack
while keeping the Texan stuffed under him fighting for air.
A
strange stoppage during the first round when the fighters separated
and Buentello appeared to be in severe pain. Apparently, Buentello's
pinky finger was dislocated, but a ringside physician popped
it back in place and the fight was allowed to continue. Unfortunately,
Buentello just never got a chance to explode and see if the hand
would land the knockout blow.
Kong
battered Buentello with knees to the body, and in a strange turn
after forcing his opponent to turtle up in the third round, he
began an attack on his upper thigh with elbow strikes. An exhausted
Buentello saw no exit and continued to absorb the punishment,
until he tapped out giving Kongo the win.
Picking
up his 8th win the UFC, Kongo tries to re-solidify his place
in the heavyweight division, while Buentello falls to 0-2 in
his return to the Octagon after spending a few years away from
the promotion.
Source: MMA Weekly
|
‘Babalu’
Sobral: “I wanna win this belt”
Confirmed
at Dream’s light heavyweight tournament, Renato “Babalu”
Sobral, who doesn’t fight since last August, showed an extra
excitement to be in the Japanese tournament. “We’re
in… We’re going with everything, total pressure. Tournament
in cool, give you an extra gas,” said the fighter to TATAME.com.
Besides
the extra motivation for being in a tournament, Sobral has another
reason to put his in the ring to get the title. “The opponents
doesn’t matter, what I want is to win this belt,” guarantees
the former Strikeforce light heavyweight champion, revealing
that a fight against Gegard Mousasi, who defeated him in the
American event and is also confirmed in the GP, would be great.
“Of
course, a fight against him would have an extra flavor, but if
it doesn’t happen I’m cool. I’m only worried with
my side, training to beat him, beat everybody up there,”
says, training hard in the United States. “I’m training
since January, so I took a break, everything controlled by the
physical coach. We’re going without too many excitement
to not get in overtraining, but I feel like I’m 18 again”.
Besides
training with great names of the MMA, like Wanderlei Silva and
Fabricio Werdum, the black belt received Gustavo Ximu in his
camp. “Without mentioning the guys from Gracie Barra, Márcio
Feitosa, Carlos Gracie training together with us… The Gracie
Barra army is all here… We have the striking army, the ground
army, the wrestling army (laughs)… We’re getting ready,
we’ll do whatever we need to win”.
Source: Tatame
|
Master
Luiz Alves dies at 53 in Rio
Luiz
Alves passed away this Friday evening in Rio de Janeiro, at 53
years of age. Leader of Boxe Thai academy, producer of numerous
standup-fighting aces and talisman to Rodrigo Minotauro, Alves
suffered a cerebral vascular accident (CVA) while driving on
the morning of January 26, and never recovered.
Luiz
Alves with the Pride trophy in 2003, after the epic bout between
Minotauro and Cro cop, in a never-before-shown photo by GRACIEMAG.com.
Master, you will be missed.
Born
in the Brazilian state of Ceará, Luiz Alves moved to Rio
de Janeiro at 12 years of age, when he began his training in
judo at the old Saga Academy, in the Catete borough of the city,
as reported on the Boxe Thai team website. Soon thereafter he
was taken to train at Gama Filho, where he stayed until 1984.
Taekwondo was one of the popular styles at the day, and Luiz
Alves began practice in the art with his late friend Flavio Molina.
With his quality in taekwondo becoming ever more apparent, he
abandoned judo to dedicate himself entirely to the art. With
discipline and natural knack for the style, he soon became state
champion, Brazilian national champion and classified among the
best in the sport at an event in Ecuador.
In
1979 pioneering master Nelio Naja called up some athletes in
Rio to teach the then little-known-to-Brazilians practice of
muay thai in other states. To stand out on the Rio team were
Luiz Alves, Flávio Molina, Wellington Narany, Gueri, Roberto,
Pelé, Cocada, among others. One year later Nelio Naja
held his first muay thai championship: Rio de Janeiro vs Curitiba,
where the team from Rio won by 4 to 2 with the help of Alves.
After that Luiz began teaching alongside Molina and Narani, when
they set up Naja Academy in the Largo do Machado neighborhood
of Rio. In 1984 Alves founded Boxe Thai Academy. Through several
international exchanges, he learned new techniques from the greatest
heavyweights in Holland, and also traveled to Thailand to learn
from the source by practicing at the greatest centers for the
sport in the Asian nation.
He
became president of the Brazilian Muay Thai Confederation, and
coached, among others, Artur Mariano, Amaury Bitetti, Zé
Mario, Vitor Belfort, Murilo Bustamante, Alex Gazé, Rodrigo
Minotauro, Rogério Minotouro and Ricardão Moraes.
Cordial and demanding of his students, Alves will be greatly
missed, but his teachings and students remain.
Source: Gracie Magazine
|
“No
one is going to keep me from beating up Lesnar”
GRACIEMAG.com
correspondent Nalty Jr. was in Las Vegas this week following
Frank Mir’s training with Jiu-Jitsu star Robert Drysdale.
Frank is polishing up his ground fighting skills for his next
fight at UFC 111against Shane Carwin, on March 27, in New Jersey.
Winning will put Mir closer to his dreamed-of rematch with his
rival Brock Lesnar.
“I’m
weighing 265 pounds and am much, much quicker, training really
hard and lifting really heavy. My boxing is getting better and
better and I’m training a lot of Jiu-Jitsu, nearly every
day with Robert Drysdale, with and without the gi,” says
Mir.
“Even
though I beat Lesnar once, my loss to him last time is hard to
swallow. This is what happens: I have to beat Shane Carwin so
I can fight Brock Lesnar and nothing, nobody can keep me from
beating up Brock Lesnar and taking my belt back. Anyone who follows
this sport knows what I’m talking about,” says Frank
in finishing.
Responsible
for Mir’s grappling training, Drysdale speaks a bit about
the UFC fighter.
“Frank
and I are training a lot of Jiu-Jitsu, practically every day.
Frank is awesome, and if you don’t watch out, he gets you.
He was even thinking of competing at the Jiu-Jitsu Worlds this
year! But the best part of training with Frank is that we’re
great friends. We get along well, hang out and play video games…
I feel a part of his family. We’re going to get that belt”
he concludes.
Source: Gracie Magazine
|
LET'S
GET IT ON MMA PROMOTION ON TAP IN CANADA
Let’s Get It On MMA on Thursday announced the launch of
Canada’s first mixed martial arts (MMA) tournament that
is seeking to crown the next MMA stars in the country at 155
and 170 pounds.
The
tournament begins April 23 in the west at the River Cree Resort
and Casino in Edmonton and will then travel east the following
month May 21 to Casino Lac- Leamy in the Ottawa Gatineau region.
Each
month LGIO MMA events will go back and forth to these two host
locations as the tournament unfolds over a nine month period
culminating with the finals on Dec. 10 at the River Cree Resort
and Casino, pitting the best in the west at 155 and 170 against
the top counter parts coming out of the east at the same weighs.
At
the helm of this promotion is Elaine McCarthy. If that name sounds
familiar to you, keep in mind she is married to “Big”
John McCarthy who is regarded as one of the top officials in
the sport of MMA. However, that’s where John’s involvement
ends.
“This
is entirely my promotion and John has absolutely nothing to do
with this. People are asking if he is going to be officiating
at my shows, and the answer is always the same… no. In fact
there have been days because of the hectic pace of the promotion
where we don’t even see each other.”
McCarthy
boasts an impressive resume on her own having been the former
event coordinator for the UFC when it started in 1993. She is
the current program coordinator of the international MMA officials
training course known as COMMAND and successfully runs one of
the biggest MMA gyms in southern California.
The
tournament format is only open to Canadian fighters; however,
additional matches will include fighters from other countries
on each monthly LGIO card. Additionally there will be various
MMA star power guests who will be in attendance for each event.
“We
really want to create a show that has something for all MMA fans
to enjoy and get their monies worth each time out and that is
what we are striving to deliver,” said McCarthy.
MMA
fans who cannot make it to the live events will not be left out
as LGIO MMA will also be offering a monthly two-hour television
show that will not only showcase the great fights on each card,
but also take viewers behind the scenes to get to know these
athletes competing in this first ever Canadian tournament and
also show what goes into putting events together.
McCarthy
has assembled an elite team of individuals to help her deliver
exciting shows each month.
“Mike
Garrow one of LGIO’s executive producers has really been
a lightning rod to creating not only this series format but how
we are taking this show to the television audience at home,”
said McCarthy.
No
stranger to the fight game in relation to television, Garrow
founded The Fight Network in Canada. Rob Dorfman who has produced
The Ultimate Fighter reality series for television is also playing
a pivotal role with the LGIO organization. Both Garrow and Dorfman
will ensure that fans will be treated to the highest quality
of entertainment across Canada throughout 2010 not only in terms
of fights, but also in showing the reality of the MMA fight game.
The
television series will be seen every month across Canada on CHCH,
CJNT, and CHEK.
“With
these deals in place we have ensured that the LGIO MMA series
will have ubiquitous coverage across Canada, so every household
in the nation can view our events as this exciting tournament
unfolds each month. CHCH, CJNT, and CHEK combined for all 10
million households in Canada,” says Garrow.
With
this framework in place for Let’s Get It On MMA, the future
looks bright for the talented fighters who will put it all on
the line each month.
Source: MMA Weekly
|
Quote
of the Day
"If
you reveal your secrets to the wind you should not
blame the wind for revealing them to the trees."
Kahlil Gibran, 1883-1931
|
UFC
Live: Vera vs. Jones
1st Bank Center,
Broomfield, Colorado
3/21/10
By Zach
Arnold
TV:
Versus Channel 210 (Oceanic Cable)
TV start time: 3 PM Hawaii Time
Dark
matches
¦Light
Heavyweights: Eric Schafer vs. Jason Brilz
¦Welterweights: Mike Pierce vs. Julio Paulino
¦Heavyweights: Brendan Schaub vs. Chase Gormley
¦Welterweights: John Howard vs. Daniel Roberts
¦Light Heavyweights: Eliot Marshall vs. Vladimir Matyushenko
¦Lightweights: Clay Guida vs. Shannon Gugerty
¦Middleweights: Alessio Sakara vs. James Irvin
Main card
¦Heavyweights:
Cheick Kongo vs. Paul Buentello
¦Heavyweights: Junior Dos Santos vs. Gabriel Gonzaga
¦Light Heavyweights: Brandon Vera vs. Jon “Bones”
Jones
Source: Fight Opinion
|
X-1
Events presents
CHAMPIONS
2 Results!
Blaisdell Arena, Honolulu, Hawaii
March 20, 2010
Hawaii's professional MMA scene was hit by a mack truck in the
form of a state law regulating professional mixed martial arts.
It enacted the licensing of everyone from the fighter, to the
doctor, to the cornerman and even the second. It also charged
a percentage of revenue generated from all forms on revenue from
the event. Since the law went into effect July of last year,
only one promoter took the plunge and he got hammered financially.
It could have been the economy, but the promoter testified in
front of the legislature that it was due to the law dealing with
MMA.
Mike Miller has always been a trend setter and one to take a
chance. X-1: Champions 2 would take a shot at reviving professional
MMA in Hawaii. Mike took no chances and put together a successful
event by hosting the most title fights, world and state titles,
in Hawaii's long history of MMA. Four X-1 Hawaii State Titles
and four X-1 World titles were on the line featuring Hawaii's
best fighters. As expected, when you stack a card to the hilt
like this, you are not going to be disappointed.
The preliminary fights started the night with some quick action
and impressive submissions, putting these talented young fighters
on everyone's radar. Then the return of top 170lbs prospect Koa
Ramos brought the crowd to their feet with an impressive punch
that sent Verbeetem down off his feet brought the fight to a
violent end. This kicked off the Hawaii state title bouts. Russell
Doane put on a grappling exhibition tapping Meeks out...twice,
at least it appeared that Meeks tapped out, but the Referee did
not see it and Meeks continued fighting until Doane finished
him with a triangle. Ramos' training partner Bryson Kamaka took
a page out of his book and one right hand later, Michael Brightmon
was out and Kamaka became the new 155lbs Hawaii State Champion.
Bott and Comeau brought together two hungry and extremely talented
young fighters and they went at each other. Bott locked in a
damaging Kimura shoulder lock that Comeau just gutted it out
and some how got out of it. However, that technique did its damage
and Comeau informed his corner during the second round that his
shoulder was shot and he was done. The night ended with Ultimate
Fighter alumni and current 155lb X-1 World Champ, Richie Whitson
came back to defend his title against Hawaii's most experienced
155lbs, in Harris Sarmiento. These two warriors went back and
forth for all 5 rounds, with Sarmiento edging out a split decision
to the dismay of Whtson and the Hawaii crowd, who bood the decision.
Both fighters fought their hearts out and left it in the judges'
hands who appeared to give a hometown decision, at least to the
crowd. The main event saw another Ultimate Fighter alumni take
on "The People's Champ" Falaniko Vitale. Coming off
a decision loss to Frank Trigg over a year ago, Vitale came in
with something to prove. He looked revitalized, as Starnes was
as cool as a cucumber. The two fighters quickly ended up in the
clinch with both fighters working for the advantage. After a
few scrambles, Vitale ended up on top and passed Starnes' guard
and locked in a tight choke for a surprise quick submission victory.
The win was very emotional for Vitale as he looked to make another
run at a major organization. Vitale will be taking on Ninja Rua
in Shine Fights and, after this performance, the Hawaii crowd
couldn't be happier to see Vitale in the cage again very soon.
Main Card
185
lbs.: World Title Match
Falaniko Vitale def. Kalib Starnes
Submission via choke in Round 1.
Vitale retains the 185lbs World title.
155 lbs.: Vacant World Title Match
Harris Sarmiento def. Richie Whitson
Split decision after 5 rounds.
Sarmiento captures the 155lbs World title.
145
lbs.: Vacant World Title Match
Dave Moreno def. Kurrent Cockett
Submission via rear naked choke in Round 3.
Moreno captures the 145lbs World title.
135
lbs.: Vacant World title Match
Bryson Hansen def. Riley Dutro
Split decision after 3 rounds.
Hansen captures the 135lbs World title.
Undercard
X-1
Hawaii State Championship
145 lbs.: Pro MMA: 3 Rounds - 3 Minutes
Sadhu Bott def. Matt Comeau
TKO via corner threw in the towel (Comeau injured his shoulder
in the 1st Round) in Round 2.
Bott retains the 145lbs state title.
X-1
Hawaii State Championship
155 lbs.: Pro MMA: 3 Rounds - 3 Minutes
Bryson Kamaka def. Michael Brightmon
KO in Round 1.
Kamaka captures the 155lbs state title.
X-1
Hawaii State Championship
135 lbs.: Pro MMA: 3 Rounds - 3 Minutes
Russel Doane def. Timothy Meeks
Submission via triangle choke in Round 2.
Doane captures the 135lbs state title.
170 lbs.: Pro: 3 Rounds - 3 Minutes
Koa Ramos def. Joe Verbeetem
TKO via Referee stoppage in Round 1.
205 lbs.: Exhibition: 3 Rounds - 3 Minutes
Satoshi Ishii def. Sasae Paogofie
Submission via kimura shoulder lock in Round 1.
185
lbs.: Pro: 3 Rounds - 3 Minutes
Michael Winkelspecht def. Brennan Kamaka
Submission via rear naked choke in Round 1.
155
lbs.: Pro MMA: 3 Rounds - 3 Minutes
Herman Santiago def. Chris Cann
Submission via triangle choke in Round 1.
170 lbs.: Pro: 3 Rounds - 3 Minutes
Jesse Thorton def. Jay Bolos
Unanimous decision after 3 rounds.
145
lbs.: Amateur: 3 Rounds - 3 Minutes
Womens Amateur Title Match
Raquel Paaluhi def. Lani Fauhiva
TKO via Referee stoppage due to strikes in Round 2.
Paaluhi captures the X-1 145lbs Women's Amateur Title
170
lbs.: Amateur: 3 Rounds - 3 Minutes
Falo Faaloloto def. John Cruz
Submission via arm bar in Round 1.
135
lbs.: Amateur: 3 Rounds - 3 Minutes
Van Shiroma def. Joe Gogo
Submission via rear naked choke in Round 1.
|
Galaxy
MMA: Worlds Collide
Blaisdell Arena, Honolulu, Hawaii
May 1, 2010
Doors open at 5:00PM
Show starts at 6:00PM
Scott
Junk vs. Fabiano Scherner
Tyson
Nam vs. Keola Silva
Preston
Louis vs. Koa Giddens
Zack
Pang vs. Chivas Antoque
Also
featuring the Galaxy MMA Lightweight Grand Prix Tournament featuring
fighters from the Bulls Pen, Combat 50, Team Quest, 808 Fight
Factory, Arena MMA, Gracie Barra & More.
Fight
card subject to change.
Source: Event Promoter
|
Man
up and Stand up
Waipahu Filcom Center
Saturday, April 3, 2010
Doors Open at 5:30
THE
MAIN EVENT WILL FEATURE THE SECOND OF THE VISTANTE WARRIORS AGAINST
AN INNOCENT LOOKING BUT DANGEROUS FIGHTER. JONAH VISTANTE DEFEATED
NUI WHEELER IN THE LAST MAN-UP EVENT WHICH EARNED HIM THE SUPER
LIGHTWEIGHT TITLE. JONAH WILL DEFEND HIS TITLE AGAINST THE FORMER
SUPER BANTAMWEIGHT CHAMPION ALVIN BERTO. ALVIN GAVE UP HIS TITLE
TO STEP UP IN WEIGHT. SO MAN-UP & STAND-UP GAVE HIM THE OPPURTUNITY
TO TEST HIS SKILLS AGAINST A CHAMPION IN A HIGHER WEIGHT CLASS
SINCE HE ALREADY DEFEATED THE 129 LB CHAMPION.
ALVIN
WILL MEET A STRONGER AND MORE AGGRESSIVE ANIMAL ON APRIL 3RD.
AND JONAH WILL MEET A WHOLE DIFFERENT KIND OF FIGHTER ALSO. ALVIN
IS VERY DANGEROUS WITH HIS LEG KICKS. SO WE'LL SEE IF THE ANIMAL
WILL BE ABLE TO BE AGGRESSIVE IF DANGER NEUTRALIZES HIS LEGS.
BE THERE.
AN
EXCITING BOUT THAT SHOULDN'T BE MISSED IS THE ERIC EDWARDS VS
CHEVEZ ANTOQUE MATCH. CHEVEZ HAS BEEN TAKING OUT EVERYONE THAT
IS PUT IN FRONT OF HIM. FROM SHUTTING THEM DOWN TO SHUTTING THEIR
EYE. AND ON APRIL 3RD, HIS CHIN, JAW, LEGS AND HEART WILL BE
TESTED TO THE FULLEST. HE HAS HANDS THAT ARE UNREAL FAST. IT
SHOULD BE OWNED BY A LIGHTWEIGHT. ERIC, WHO IS THE SUPER HEAVYWEIGHT
CHAMP IS HOPING TO SHOW CHEVEZ THAT POWER IS KING OF THE RING.
HIS MUAY THAI STYLE OF FIGHTING EARNED HIM THE BELT FROM MATT
EATON. BUT WILL IT BE ENOUGH TO COMPARE WITH CHEVEZ'S HAND SPEED.
WILL SPEED OVERCOME POWER. OR WILL ERIC DEFEND HIS TITLE LIKE
A TRUE CHAMPION.
WE'LL
SOON FIND OUT.
ANOTHER
EXCITING MATCH WILL FEATURE TWO PRETTY BOYS - ROYAL KAUA AGAINST
JUSTIN BURGESS. BUT THESE TWO PRETTY BOYS CAN BANG. BOTH FIGHTERS
ARE NEW FACES IN THIS SPORT BUT BOTH HAVE MADE BIG IMPRESSIONS
IN SUCH A SHORT TIME. THEIR SKILLS, THEIR HEARTS AND THEIR POWER
ARE GONNA MAKE THE AUDIENCE THINK THAT THEY WERE DOING THIS SPORT
FROM BIRTH. THESE TWO FIGHTERS ARE VERY TECHNICAL IN THEIR GAME.
SO PLEASE BELIEVE THAT THEY WONT BE PUTTING THEIR HEADS DOWN
AND WISHING FOR A MIRACLE. THESE GUYS CREATE MIRACLES. AND FELLAS,
DON'T GET UPSET IF YOUR LADIES START CHEERING FOR THESE TWO GUYS
EVEN THOUGH THEY DON'T KNOW THEM. BECAUSE THESE TWO PRETTY BOYS
HAVE THAT KIND OF EFFECT ON WOMEN. SO HATE ON.(NAH)
THIS
CARD IS STACKED, SO BE THERE EARLY FOR PARKING. WE WILL START
THIS EVENT A LITTLE EARLIER DUE TO THE AMOUNT OF FIGHTS. WHOEVER
COULDN'T GET ON THIS CARD WILL BE PUT ON THE NEXT MAD SKILLZ
EVENT ON MAY 15. GET YOUR TICKETS NOW BECAUSE THEY'RE GONNA GO
FAST. TICKETS AVAILABLE AT ALL PARTICIPATING SCHOOLS. THANK ALL
OF YOU FOR YOUR CONTINUED SUPPORT.
ROWNEY
MARTINEZ 170 DONOVAN ANDRES
ISAAC
HOPPS (O2MAA) 145 IKAIKA TAMPOS
JONAH
VISTANTE 140 ALVIN BERTO
JAMEN
TABUYA 125 ARMAN
FERDINAND
RAMIREZ 160 JUSTIN DULAY (O2MAA)
ERIC
EDWARDS 259 CHEVEZ ANTOQUE
WAYNE
PURVEY 200 KEONI GANDY
KALEO
NASH 165 MIKE MCNAAB
RICKY
SAJORDO 115 ELIAS VELASCO
PAUL
AUSTRIA 125 NICK CHING (O2MAA)
JUSTIN
GARCIA 120 JOEY SODENO
DANIEL
ANDRES 135 KAINOA COOK (O2MAA)
JOSEPH
CARTER 140 MELDRIC GOCAS
JACOB
RAMOS 190 CHRIS DE AQUINO (O2MAA)
JUSTIN
BURGESS 155 ROYAL KAUA (O2MAA)
JARED
FERREIRA 205 DAVE CORDEIRO (O2MAA)
MOKI
AIPOLANI 155 DUSTIN SHMIATSU
CHRIS
HOLMES 250-295 ANDYMAR RENON (O2MAA)
NICK
RIVERIA 225 TYSON DELACRUZ
RAMSEY
BEERS 160 TODD PARK
BARACK
HOLT 185 RICHARD VILLANUEVA
MARK
YARCIA 140 OLA LUM (O2MAA)
DARRYL
QUINTAS 115 DJ CASEIRA (O2MAA)
CLIFTON
RAYMON 60 KAENA DESANTOS
RAYMOND
RACQUEDAN 80 MAKOA DESANTOS
DENNIS
MONTERA 120 SHAWN DESANTOS
RONNIE
VILLAHAMOSA 160 DAVID BROWN
ANTHONY
MURAKAMI 145 JOHN MENDONSA
KELSON
LABOY 135 PATRICK ARICE
ANTHONY
RIVERA 155 MARK BROWN
All
matches & participants are subject to change.
Source: Event Promoter
|
GSP
& MOUSASI: FAST FRIENDS WITH FUTURE PLANS
by Damon
Martin
The sport of mixed martial arts prides itself on great champions.
From Royce Gracie to Anderson Silva, the athletes considered
to be the very best are always held to a higher standard than
any other fighters out there. Two of the very best met recently,
trained together, and now regard each other as friends and future
training partners.
Georges
St-Pierre made the trip to Miami to work with Strikeforce champion
Gegard Mousasi. They both found the work to be beneficial, and
learned something along the way.
"He's
very professional," Mousasi told MMAWeekly.com about his
work with St-Pierre. "Made me look differently at how I'm
training. I learned a lot and he's a nice guy. I've never heard
anyone say that he's not a nice guy. He's a very phenomenal athlete.
It was great for me to train with him."
Although
their training time was limited, St-Pierre echoed similar compliments
at Mousasi, who has made a meteoric rise up the ranks over the
last few years, first competing at middleweight and then moving
up to light heavyweight where he is yet to be defeated.
"He's
amazing, he's a great fighter, he's an even greater human being
than a fighter," said St-Pierre. "He's a great guy.
We plan to train together."
That
plan may include some travel for the pair of champions. St-Pierre's
camp stretches everywhere from Colorado to New York and back
to his home in Montreal. Mousasi handles his entire camp in Holland.
The pair is sure to rack up frequent flyer miles.
In
the long run, travel is nothing compared to winning and retaining
championships.
"Maybe
he will come to Holland to work on his stand-up, cause we have
good K-1 stand-up fighters in Holland, and maybe I'd join him
one time in his training camp when he has a fight so we can help
each other," Mousasi said.
While
the UFC champion is closing up camp this week to travel to New
Jersey for his fight against Dan Hardy, Mousasi is in the middle
of training for his title fight against Muhammed "King Mo"
Lawal in April.
Neither
has set a definite time when they will train together again,
but both agree that it's going to happen.
Source: MMA Weekly
|
Strikeforce
Gets April 17 Spotlight to Itself; UFC Counter Show A No-Go
By Mike
Chiappetta
Strikeforce has the spotlight to itself.
The
long-rumored UFC event expected to counter the promotion's April
17 CBS offering will not take place, MMA Fighting has confirmed.
Earlier
this month, the UFC explored the option, going so far as to inform
likely broadcast partner Spike TV that the show was a go, but
the company has apparently reversed course, and a Spike source
said the network has been told by the UFC that the show is no
longer happening.
At
the time, rumors of potential matchups pitting Mike Swick against
Matt Serra and Wanderlei Silva vs. Yoshihiro Akiyama were quickly
extinguished for various reasons, making finding a headlining
act a challenge.
Also
complicating factors was the decision to put together a card
on short notice; at the time, there was six weeks to assemble
the event. The UFC had been able to do it once in the past, when
it countered Affliction's first pay-per-view offering in July
2008 with a card headlined by Anderson Silva. But in this case,
logistics could have been a factor as Zuffa already had UFC 112
scheduled for Abu Dhabi on April 10 and the pivotal WEC 48 pay-per-view
on April 24, so adding another card would have strained the company's
resources.
Now,
it appears Strikeforce will air its anticipated show pitting
three title fights free of live competition, though the Spike
source said it's likely the UFC will at least air a prior pay-per-view
event on Spike. A decision on that programming has yet to be
made.
The
Strikeforce event, emanating from the Bridgestone Arena in Nashville,
features title bouts between Dan Henderson and Jake Shields (middleweight),
Gegard Mousasi and "King Mo" Muhammed Lawal (light-heavyweight)
and Shinya Aoki and Gilbert Melendez (lightweight).
Source: MMA Fighting
|
I’m
not buying the Dan Hardy koolaid UFC is selling me
By Zach
Arnold
I
didn’t last week after watching the first UFC hype show
on Spike TV to promote Georges St. Pierre vs. Dan Hardy for the
Welterweight belt on 3/27 in New Jersey, and I sure didn’t
after watching last night’s hype special.
Do
not get me wrong – I am very interested in the March 27th
show and will be watching. My enthusiasm for the event has not
dwindled one bit and I don’t think it has for anyone else,
either. That said, if there wasn’t a Frank Mir vs. Shane
Carwin semi-main event match, I’m not sure how into the
show I would really be.
Yes,
I know Dan Hardy (+500 or more) is only half the underdog that
Matt Serra (+1100) was going into their respective fights against
St. Pierre (-700 versus Hardy), but I’ve yet to see anything
on the hype specials or any argument online that can convince
me that Hardy even has a puncher’s chance. If the purpose
of the Spike hype specials is to convince you that Hardy has
a puncher’s chance in the fight, then I think UFC has failed
in accomplishing that.
So
why are the ratings so good for the GSP hype specials on Spike
TV? Because the man is the #2 ace in the company (behind Brock
Lesnar) and unlike some other accomplished MMA fighters, people
really love and respect the man. Sometimes fans take a legendary
fighter for granted, but not with St. Pierre. He’s super-popular
with both men and women and watching one of his fights is an
“event” — not in the sense of a “Mike Tyson
is going to destroy this guy” kind of feeling, but more
of a feeling that “this man is a superstar and we have to
watch him no matter what.”
I’m
more interested in Mir (-150) vs. Carwin (+110) because it will
have big implications for the heavyweight division, but it doesn’t
mean that I won’t enjoy watching St. Pierre just pummel
another man into oblivion. I’m just not sure if UFC has
been able to convince anyone that Hardy is a real threat, yet.
Exit
question: Thiago Alves is the favorite going into his fight against
Jon Fitch. If Fitch loses, does he get demoted permanently to
undercard status like Yushin Okami?
Source: Fight Opinion
|
UFC
Announces Evans vs. Jackson for May 29th
By FCF
Staff
The Ultimate Fighting Championship has officially announced today
that, as expected, former light-heavyweight champions Rashad
Evans and Quinton “Rampage” Jackson will fight May
29th, at UFC 114, in Las Vegas, Nevada. The city’s MGM Grand
Garden Arena will be the host venue.
Evans
and Jackson were originally scheduled to fight last December,
but the bout was postponed, after Jackson elected to take a role
in the movie remake of “The A-Team.” As a result, Evans
(14-1-1) opted to take a bout with fellow contender Thiago Silva,
and defeated the Brazilian fighter by Unanimous Decision at UFC
108 in January. The loss got Evans back on the winning track,
after the Greg Jackson trained fighter was defeated for the first
time last May, when he was knocked out by current light-heavyweight
champion Lyoto Machida.
Jackson
(30-7) hasn’t competed since March, 2009, when he worked
his way to a UD victory over Evan’s teammate Keith Jardine.
Prior to that, Jackson avenged two previous losses to Wanderlei
Silva, by knocking out the former Pride champion in December,
2008.
No
other bouts have been confirmed yet for UFC 114.
Source: Full Contact Fighter
|
Paulão
may face Lombard, but not for the belt
by Carlos
Eduardo Ozório
After all the confusion between Paulo Filho (in the photo, by
Junior Samurai) and Bitetti Combat, there is chance the fighter
may end up plying his trade for the Bellator organization. A
possible opponent for him in the near future is Cuban beast Hector
Lombard, current Bellator middleweight champion.
However,
nothing is set in stone yet and, if the fight is to take place
now, says website MMAJunkie, it won’t be for the title.
According to the site, citing the Bellator organization, the
lightweight champion Eddie Alvarez, for example, will face Josh
Neer on 17 May, and the fight won’t be worth the title.
The
Bellator champions of the 2009 season were decided via a GP with
three fights on different dates. The current champions will have
two bouts without putting their belts up for grabs, before defending
their titles.
Source: Gracie Magazine
|
Filho
confirms fight with Hector; not title fight
By Guilherme
Cruz
TATAME.com reported yesterday that Paulo Filho was supposed to
fight Hector Lombard for the Bellator title. We just spoke with
the black belt, who confirmed the fight, but not for the event’s
middleweight title.
“He’s
very strong, it’s on the tops, but we’ll see what will
happen. I never had that thing of wanting titles. Of course there’s
the marketing on that, but, if he beats me, he’ll deserve
that title,” he said, explaining why he didn’t showed
up in his last two fights. “They owe me R$ 60 thousand.
They said thay’d pay me R$ 20 thousand before the fight,
but they never did it. I have proofs, contracts. If he doesn’t
pay me, I’ll ask for that in the justice. At Dream, I had
personal problems, nothing related to any drugs or things people
sai din the internet, and had no time to take care of my visa”.
Source: Tatame
|
K.J.
NOONS: READY FOR THE RETURN OF THE KING
by Damon
Martin
2010 could be the return of the king.
"King
Karl" that is, as in former EliteXC lightweight champion
K.J. Noons, who will return to action this weekend to face Andre
Dida in a lightweight bout in Dream.
Noons,
who took a break from MMA to pursue his boxing career, is back
and ready to reclaim his spot in the lightweight division starting
with this weekend’s fight in Japan.
Signed
to a multi-fight deal with Strikeforce, Noons had a fight fall
through in January, and with nothing on the horizon just yet
from his home promotion, he will instead travel abroad for his
return fight.
"I'm
just pumped to go out there, fight in Japan, and make it happen,
get back in the swing of things," Noons told MMAWeekly Radio
recently.
The
Hawaiian born fighter has never stopped training; he just focused
on boxing. Now he's 100-percent committed to MMA. Training at
Team Quest Temecula, Throwdown, and still getting some boxing
in at Freddie Roach's Wild Card gym, Noons is out to prove that
he hasn't missed a step and maybe even picked up a thing or two
in his time away.
"
I want to just get back in there so people can watch me fight.
I've almost had 40 pro fights between boxing and kickboxing,
Muay Thai, and MMA, and all of them have been exciting,"
said Noons. "I just want to kind of work my way back into
the media, the public eye, so people will be excited to watch
me fight."
For
his first fight back after the long layoff, Noons will square
off against former Chute Boxe fighter Andre Dida. A strong stand-up
fighter, Dida has been on a bit of a losing streak lately, but
Noons doesn't see him as any kind of easy fight.
"Even
though some people will say it's probably a tune-up fight, it's
probably a more dangerous fight just the way the styles are matched
up," Noons said. "He's very dangerous. He's got very
heavy hands. I'm still going to have to be cautious."
If
things go as planned, Noons hopes to get the win in Japan and
then resume his fight career with Strikeforce for the remainder
of 2010 in the United States. And as for how he plans on finishing
this fight to make the fans remember what he brings to the table?
"I
always look for the KO highlight."
Source: MMA Weekly
|
The
Pacquiao Manny-Festo Continues
ARLINGTON, TEXAS. (March 15, 2010) – Fighter of the Decade,
seven-division world champion, three-time Fighter of the Year,
boxing's No. 1 pound for pound fighter and No. 1 box office attraction,
the best fighter of his era...call him what you want, but one
thing is certain, the sport of boxing crosses over all borders
when its only bonafide superhero fights, and his name is spelled:
M-A-N-N-Y P-A-C-Q-U-I-A-O !
Joshua Clottey (35-4, 21 KOs) from Accra, Ghana, the former IBF
welterweight champion, current No. 1 welterweight contender and
Pacquiao's mandatory challenger, learned that firsthand Saturday
night, enduring an assault of 1,231 punches thrown by the defending
WBO welterweight champion while only being able to counter with
399 of his own. Pacquiao literally outgunned his bigger opponent
by a blistering 3 to 1 ratio, averaging over 100 punches per
round in front of 50,994 fans, the largest U.S. crowd to see
a fight in 17 years. His unanimous decision victory over Clottey
extended Pacquiao's five-year winning streak to 12 bouts, including
knockout victories Oscar De La Hoya, Miguel Cotto, Ricky Hatton
and David Diaz, the last three for world titles, each in a different
weight division. Is it any wonder that Pacquiao has become the
face of boxing as well as his native Philippines?
"Nothing personal, just doing my job", said the modest
Pacquiao (51-3-2, 38 KOs), from Kiamba, in the Sarangani Province
of the Philippines, immediately after the fight. "I thank
Jerry Jones for giving me the opportunity to headline the first
boxing event in Cowboys Stadium. He was a magnificent host and
the people of Arlington, Dallas and Ft. Worth, Texas were wonderful.
I will never forget my time there and I hope they do me the honor
of inviting me back.
"But now it is time for a more serious fight for me and
that is my campaign for congress. The people of my province are
among the poorest. They have been underserved for too long. I
want to give a voice to those too weak to speak. They deserve
better schools and a higher standard of living. I know how my
people have suffered because I have too. That is how I grew up
and because I am one of the fortunate ones to have escaped poverty
I am compelled to be a public servant for them. If my being in
public office can attract new businesses to relocate to my province
and to shine a light on the neglect my people have endured, I
am only too happy to serve.
"One of the biggest advantages I have is that every fight
is an opportunity to give honor to the Philippines. The Filipino
people don't just give me their support, they also give me their
strength, their pride and their love. Running for congress is
a way for me to repay them."
**********************************************************
It’s a special edition of WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP BOXING®
when HBO Sports presents MANNY PACQUIAO VS. JOSHUA CLOTTEY, the
exclusive replay of their welterweight title showdown, THIS SATURDAY!
MARCH 20. The replay will begin at 11 p.m. ET /PT on HBO.
The HBO Sports team, which was ringside for the live event at
the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas, will call the action.
The replay will be available in HDTV.
Promoted by Top Rank, in association with the Tecate and MP Promotions,
THE EVENT: PACQUIAO vs. CLOTTEY took place at Jerry Jones' Cowboys
Stadium in Arlington, Texas. The $1.2 billion stadium is the
largest, most technologically advanced entertainment venue in
the world. It was produced and distributed Live on HBO Pay-Per-View®.
Source: The Fight Network
|
Can
the UFC succeed on Versus?
Can
UFC build up Versus like WWE helped launch Spike TV? It’s
a question we will get answered this upcoming weekend when UFC
runs their March 21st event in Broomfield, Colorado on Versus.
It will be UFC’s first show on the network and, given the
NBC/Comcast merger coming up, could be the biggest success story
for UFC on cable if they are able to pull big ratings.
History
says the Versus brand isn’t strong enough to help UFC out
and that the UFC brand may not be strong enough to help Versus
out. So far, nothing on Versus has pulled big ratings except
for Urijah Faber fights. WEC shows without Faber on Versus pull
lousy ratings. The NHL does not draw very good ratings anywhere,
even on Versus. Bull riding and hunting shows populate Versus
all the time. The network really doesn’t have a true identity.
Can UFC help bring an identity to the station?
The
promotion will try its best with their March 21st show. They
have an interesting main event featuring Brandon Vera, who desperately
needs a win, against Jon “Bones” Jones who is the exciting
young prodigy that wants to slam all of his opponents at various
angles. The semi-main heavyweight features an important heavyweight
match between Junior Dos Santos and Gabriel Gonzaga. If Dos Santos
wins, we are talking about him being solidified in the lower
part of the upper tier of UFC’s Heavyweight division. If
Gonzaga wins, he is suddenly back in the mix as a contender again.
It’s a fight in which both men can make a big name for themselves
on cable television. As we’ve seen with Cain Velasquez who
has been put mainly on PPV, not getting that exposure on cable
television can be a mistake in terms of creating fan recognition.
“This
fight is really important for me, so we’re going to be there
to win the fight,” exclaimed Gonzaga in a UFC media interview.
“I’m going to bring all my knowledge and my training
to win this fight. I was training a lot in every single way and
I always try to push forward to finish the fight. I don’t
want to go to the fight and be like three rounds, five minutes,
win by points in a split decision. He has really good boxing
skills. This is the concern right now and we train around that
definitely. He has good hands; explosion. But I’m not afraid
to keep the fight standing up with him because he doesn’t
have too many kicks and I believe that kicks make the difference
to the stand-up game. I believe it’s going to be a contact
fight. Junior proves he always bring the best and I’m going
to bring my best, too, and win the fight.”
Dos
Santos, who has had some violent knockout wins, wouldn’t
mind a ground battle but at the same time is preparing for a
stand-up only fight.
“I
started my camp for this fight in my hometown,” JDS noted
in an official UFC media interview. “I just came out to
California to train in San Diego under Nogueira’s camp,
they got a lot of great guys out there. Prior to UFC 108, I already
had been creating a game plan based on Gabriel Gonzaga. I’m
very excited to get back into the Octagon and put on a show.
I think that Gonzaga’s a great fighter, he’s a tough
fighter, he’s great on the ground, he’s a jiu-jitsu
champion, he’s also great on his feet but I do feel I have
the advantage on our feet. My strategy is to stand up and exchange
with him, it’s not going to be any different but I think
it’s going to be a great fight.
“I’m
very confident on my ground skills. I train with the Nogueira
Brothers, who I consider to be two of the best jiu-jitsu practitioners
in MMA. I’m very comfortable with my ground work and if
it does go to the ground I’m going to put on a great show
and put on a great fight. It might be this fight, it might be
another fight, but someday you guys will see my jiu-jitsu skills.
“I’m
going to go into this fight to do my job and I want to do my
job well. I’ve heard that Gonzaga wants to stand up and
exchange with me, so I don’t know, if he wants to do that,
if that’s his game plan, then maybe it will end in the first
round.”
Can
the main event match the same excitement and intensity as the
semi-main event? It’s all up to which Brandon Vera we get.
If
we get the Brandon Vera that has shown up in his last several
fights, we’re going to likely go the distance and see someone
win on points. If it’s the Brandon Vera that we first saw
coming into the UFC, then he will either finish off Jones in
the first round or Jones will take him out with elbows quickly.
“Don’t
worry, I’m still cocky. I’m still that guy,” Vera
recently said in a UFC interview in an attempt to reassure the
fans not to turn on him. “Some of you are going to love
me, some of you are going to hate me. Either way, it’s still
me and I’m not going to put on a front for anybody. That’s
me. That’s me.”
“What
Mr. Jones has done what the people that he’s been given,
yeah, he’s been blowing through people. So, yeah, he’s
the man, he’s for sure dangerous and he’s for real.
But he hasn’t fought anybody like me yet. My job is to go
in there and show why Jon Jones is not ready to be fighting Brandon
Vera yet. Jon Jones hasn’t been hit yet. It’s real
easy to be the hammer but it’s hard to be the nail. We’ll
find out what he’s made of when I hit him. I’m going
on worst case scenario, we’re just going to get in the best
shape and be ready to go through a dogfight for three rounds.
I fight on my feet. If you end up taking me down, then I just
submit you . That’s the train of thought that we’re
bringing to this camp man and I think that’s going to bring
my stand-up back to where it was before, to where I’m really
trying to knock people out, where I just don’t give a damn
if you take me down. If you take me down, that’s cool, I’m
cool with it. I’m going to get back to old school. I’m
done playing games.”
No
one questions Vera’s potential. Unfortunately, that is what
Vera has mostly lived off of — his image of being a guy
with a lot of potential, but the results aren’t there to
show for it. Whenever you see someone hawk the fact that they
have a lot of potential, it means you found someone who has talent
but has no results to show for it in reality. Vera always delivers
in the smack talk and in hyping up a fight, but rarely has he
delivered performances lately that you would call enthralling.
Which
is something you can’t say about Bones Jones. Despite getting
disqualified for using illegal elbows against Matt Hamill, he
absolutely destroyed the young man when they fought a few months
ago. The combinations of lethal slams and violent elbows makes
Jones a man to watch out for.
“The
reason why I think that I’m, you know, talked about a lot
is just my style, you know it’s really exciting. I know
that it’s a spectator sport, I give them what they want
to see and you know keep the crowd wild. My style is definitely
really wild and random at times but it’s a planned attack,
you know, these moves have been trained several times.
With
Brandon being a striker, I’m excited you know, we’re
both good strikers. Me and Brandon, you know, we’re both
known to have dynamic styles. The biggest differences between
me and Brandon, you know I’m not going to win my first UFC
fight and go out calling out Chuck Liddell, you know, I’m
very humble and I realize that there’s a lot that I need
to work on. I don’t feel inferior to anyone when it comes
to Mixed Martial Arts. If Brandon Vera wants a striking war,
that’s what I’m going to give him. You’re going
to see fireworks, you’re going to see two guys go out there
… and you know it’s going to be blood, sweat, and tears.”
Jones
vs. Vera is a great fight on Spike, on PPV, or on Versus. The
question is whether or not UFC will be able to make a ratings
dent on a cable channel that has struggled to find their niche
with sports fans in North America. If Dana White can pull it
off, then it will give UFC much-needed leverage in future contract
re-negotiations with Spike.
Source: MMA Memories
|
James
Toney Says “I want Brock Lesnar” on HDNET’s Insida
MMA
WHAT: Tonight on HDNet’s “Inside MMA,” one of
UFC’s newest fighters, former heavyweight boxing champion
James “Lights Out” Toney, who scored a major victory
in 2003 over Evander Holyfield, tells Kenny and Bas he wants
to fight Brock Lesnar. “I want Brock Lesnar,” says
Toney. “I’m the heavyweight champion of the world vs.
the UFC champion. That’d be a hell of a match…I’ll
fight anybody you got.”
Friday’s
panel also features another former heavyweight boxing champion
and 1988 Olympic Gold Medalist, “Merciless” Ray Mercer,
who has KO’d former UFC Heavyweight champion Tim Sylvia
in an MMA bout. “Inside MMA” also announces Mercer’s
next bout will be broadcast live on HDNet as part of the network’s
upcoming “King of the Cage” event from Detroit, Mich.
Also
joining tonight’s panel is KJ Noons who will talk about
his return to MMA after taking time off from the sport to box.
Noons will also be featured in the coming weeks on HDNet in the
DREAM 13 event, set for a live broadcast on March 22.
This
week, renowned boxing trainer Freddie Roach enters Kruck’s
Korner to talk about working with BJ Penn, Anderson Silva and
other MMA fighters. Freddie also tells Ron which boxer he believes
would make the best mixed martial artist. And, tune in to find
out which pro wrestling personality is set to mix it up on HDNet.
WHEN:
“Inside MMA” airs on HDNet TONIGHT and every Friday
at 9:00 p.m. ET.
About
HDNet
HDNet (www.hd.net) is the independent network with unique and
provocative content that appeals to men of all ages and is delivered
in true high definition.
HDNet
is the exclusive, high definition home for popular, original
programming, including television’s only HD news feature
programs “HDNet World Report,” and the Emmy Award winning
“Dan Rather Reports,” featuring legendary journalist
Dan Rather. Only HDNet goes beyond the headlines to deliver real
news that is redefining the way we look at our world. HDNet News
is provocative, sometimes controversial and always relevant –
telling the important stories of our time in-depth, with attitude
and with independence.
HDNet
presents championship sports coverage featuring five regular
season games from the Premiere Season of the United Football
League. HDNet also features the best of Mixed Martial Arts with
its Friday night series, “HDNet Fights” (www.hdnetfights.com).
“HDNet Fights” works with leading MMA promoters including
DREAM, Sengoku, XFC, M-1, K-1, K-1 Max, MFC, Adrenaline and more.
HDNet produces more live Mixed Martial Arts events than any other
network and HDNet’s “Inside MMA” is the hottest
Mixed Martial Arts program on television, giving MMA fans their
weekly fix for everything MMA.
HDNet
also delivers the world’s largest and most diverse concert
line-up through the HDNet Concert Series. The HDNet Concert Series
features leading artists and bands including Coldplay, Gwen Stefani,
John Mayer and more. HDNet also features revealing lifestyle
programming featuring “Art Mann Presents,” “New
York Confessions,” “Deadline” and “Get Out!”
HDNet is also the exclusive high definition home to critically
acclaimed and award winning documentaries as part of the InFocus
series. “NASA on HDNet” presents all live shuttle launches
through 2010.
Only
HDNet Movies (www.hdnetmovies.com) delivers exclusive Sneak Previews
of new movies before they hit theaters. The HDNet Movies Sneak
Preview series features top Hollywood stars in critically acclaimed
performances including Gwyneth Paltrow, Joaquin Phoenix, Demi
Moore, Michael Caine, Tom Hanks, Vera Farmiga, Parker Posey,
Brian Cox, Matthew Broderick, Brittany Snow, Eric Bana, John
Malkovich, Emily Blunt, Robin Williams, Charlize Theron and Kim
Basinger.
In
addition to being the exclusive home of Sneak Previews, HDNet
Movies viewers enjoy the best films from the classics of the
1950s-1970s, to favorite films from the 1980s and 1990s, to recently
released theatrical films.
HDNet
Movies offers subscribers a premium movie viewing experience
in true HD, and more original movies shot entirely in HD than
any other network.
Launched
in 2001 by Mark Cuban and General Manager Philip Garvin, the
HDNet networks are available on AT&T, Charter Communications,
Comcast, DIRECTV, DISH Network, Insight, Mediacom, Verizon FiOS
and more than 40 NCTC cable affiliated companies.
The
HDNet networks can be followed via Facebook at facebook.com/HDNet1,
facebook.com/HDNetFights and facebook.com/HDNetMovies and via
Twitter at twitter.com/hdnet, twitter.com/hdnetfights and twitter.com/hdnetmovies.
Source: MMA Online
|
Danaher
a Behind-the-Scenes Sage for St. Pierre, Others
by Greg Savage
Not too many people entrenched deeply in the world of mixed martial
arts are as interesting as John Danaher. He can squeeze into
one sitting topics like Hobbesian political theory, division
of labor in economics and paleontology.
The
New Zealand émigré holds a black belt in Brazilian
jiu-jitsu, as well as a Masters degree in Philosophy from an
Ivy League school. Not that the two are diametrically opposed,
but Danaher seems convinced they are much more congruent than
most would believe. One may wonder what philosophy and jiu-jitsu
have in common. The Renzo Gracie protégé makes
a compelling argument that has sold many a fighter and even more
jiu-jitsu players.
“[Fighting]
is a problem solving activity, and the people who do best at
it tend to be people with rational, inquiring minds,” Danaher
says. “And so, the relationship between philosophy and mathematics
has to do more with human beings using their rational faculties
to solve problems, rather than, in the case of jiu-jitsu, blind
strength, anger and aggression.”
It
seems simple enough. Therein lies Danaher’s brilliance.
In talking to a number of fighters and other trainers who have
crossed paths with the man, his ability to break down the grappling
game to its sheer fundamentals and explain them in a way that
“just makes sense” has become a recurring theme.
Danaher,
a self-diagnosed obsessive-compulsive, readily admits he gets
obsessed by things that intrigue him. However, he does not concur
with those that might believe his mission to master the unmasterable
consumes his life.
“I
still think that the greatest thing a man can study is philosophy
and mathematics, greater even than jiu-jitsu,” says Danaher
with a wry smile. “So it’s a big part of my life, but
not all of it.”
Gracie
begs to differ. Danaher remains his most prolific instructor
and regularly spends upwards of 12 to 14 hours per day at his
Manhattan academy teaching classes and private sessions. Gracie
hinted at Danaher’s unquenchable thirst.
“When
Johnny first came in here, he was like 250 [pounds]; he was a
real monster. He was lifting weights every day, you know, like
a bodybuilder,” Gracie says. “Now, he does jiu-jitsu
every day; we can’t get him out of here. I think he would
come in on Christmas if we would let him.”
Danaher
has garnered a modest bit of attention since he began working
with UFC welterweight champion Georges St. Pierre. Though he
has been well known within the upper echelon of the jiu-jitsu
world, he can thank St. Pierre, who never misses a chance to
heap acclaim on his good friend, for the increased notoriety
he has received.
“He’s
one of my best friends in the world,” St. Pierre says, “and
he is the smartest man I have ever met. John is the best. The
way he trains me, for my body type and my abilities, his style,
for me, is the best.”
John
Danaher recognized as one of the more intelligent people working
in the industry, Greg Jackson -- Danaher’s partner in training
St. Pierre -- marvels at his colleague.
“He
has, by far, the best analytical mind I have come across in the
sport of mixed martial arts,” Jackson says.
That
analytical mind had a lot to do with Danaher deciding to pick
up jiu-jitsu at the late age of 28. While working his way through
graduate school as a bouncer, a friend at Columbia University
who was half his size nearly choked him out after taking a few
classes with “these crazy Brazilians.” Danaher was
immediately fascinated. While working in the bars, he also was
surprised to see how many of the altercations ended up on the
ground, and the bouncers who had trained in some sort of grappling
art were much more adept at handling themselves in the close
quarters of the pub.
“I’d
seen wrestling in the Olympic Games, and I had a very low opinion
of it,” says Danaher, a self-described social misfit. “It
was kind of like a homoerotic sport where guys just grab each
other, whereas in a real fight, a guy would just punch the other
guy and knock him out and it would be over, right? Bruce Lee
would just sock him in the head.”
His
rational, inquiring mind was piqued, and he soon made his way
to the Gracie academy to begin his journey. Danaher muddled through
his lessons, mostly seeing it as the acquisition of another skill
for his bouncing job but not something he truly enjoyed. The
turning point came when UFC fighters Matt Serra and Ricardo Almeida
left the academy to start their own schools, leaving Gracie in
need of some new instructors. Danaher’s name surfaced, and,
according to Gracie, he has been there almost every day since.
“I
think it’s fair to say that, when you start teaching something,
you’re expected to master it, and, like I said, I tend to
be a rather obsessive personality type; and I became more and
more engrossed in the study of it, and here I am today,”
Danaher says. “I teach it every day.”
Like
most successful teachers, Danaher continues to study his subject.
He has become a proponent of making jiu-jitsu training more of
a niche and draws a favorable comparison between economic theory
and grappling instruction, all while understanding what just
will not work for his MMA students.
“So
much of this game comes down to small details, and the way to
accrue expertise in anything is always to specialize,” Danaher
says. “Look at economics, the theory of division of labor.
If you want to have a skilled workforce, you divide the task
of building a car up into an assembly line, and each of those
guys along the line has an area of expertise. As a result, their
expertise within that domain is substantially better than a guy
who just works on cars in general. So it would make sense to
specialize your training if you want to be really good at something.
In mixed martial arts, you’re asked to be an expert in a
substantial number of domains; that’s why it’s a difficult
sport.”
A
short anecdote about a recent trip Danaher spent with St. Pierre
sums up his obsessive nature.
“I
consider myself fairly well read on most subjects, and, to my
absolute shock, Georges turned out to have an almost encyclopedic
knowledge of paleontology,” Danaher says. “Now paleontology
is one of the great gaps in my knowledge. I really don’t
know that much about it to be perfectly honest. And as we roomed
together, he just impressed me more and more with his knowledge
of paleontology. I was horrified that I knew so little about
this, so, of course, I immediately started reading. I dove into
a book -- books, books, books -- and now I’m obsessed by
it, and now all we talk about is Allosaurus and Albertosaurus.”
It’s
not difficult to understand why Danaher has become so proficient
at his chosen art. There is nothing, it seems, he will not venture
after full bore should it tickle his fancy. If you ask guys like
St. Pierre, Gracie and Jackson, the MMA and jiu-jitsu worlds
should be thankful for his compulsive nature.
Source: Sherdog
|
Shogun
training with Feitosa to UFC 113
Maurício “Shogun” Rua is training hard to the
rematch against Lyoto Machida on UFC 113. Getting ready to the
combat, the Curitiba native fighter spoke with TATAME.com and
revealed he has a new training partner at Universidade da Luta
gym: Glaube Feitosa, a karate fighter from K-1 stages.
"Glaube
is a guy who comes from Karate and I am very honored to have
him in our academy. It is a privilege, I think he is the best
in Brazil. At heavyweight, he was the guy who most represented
Brazil abroad. Everyone here at the academy is a fan of his,”
Shogun said. "Glaube is living in Curitiba and is with us
for two months. We already was a fan of the guy before this…
The guy is an extraordinary person, super humble. He has a lot
to help the people there in the gym. It's an asset to the academy".
Source: Tatame
|
UFC
Makes Sense for Jake Shields
By Michael
David Smith
On Oct. 23, 2008, three days after the EliteXC mixed martial
arts promotion folded, UFC President Dana White was talking to
a group of reporters in Chicago, promoting UFC 90, which would
take place a couple days later. White was in good spirits, laughing
at the demise of EliteXC, but he turned very serious at one point
and said that the one EliteXC fighter he felt badly for is Jake
Shields.
Shields
was, until the fall of EliteXC, its welterweight champion. He's
now the Strikeforce middleweight champion, but he'll soon be
a free agent, and I think it would make a lot of sense, both
for Shields and for White, if Shields signed with the UFC.
Every
fighter says he wants to fight the best competition available
to him, but I think Shields genuinely means it -- genuinely wants
to test himself against the best -- as much as anyone in the
sport. Shields is driven by the challenge of pushing himself
in the cage, which is a big part of the reason that he's now
fighting at middleweight. Other than his friend and training
partner Nick Diaz, Strikeforce really doesn't have any welterweights
who could challenge Shields. And for that matter, after Dan Henderson
-- who will fight Shields in the main event of the April 17 CBS
show -- Strikeforce really doesn't have any middleweights who
are big challenges to Shields either.
In
the UFC, Shields could find all kinds of challenging opponents.
I'm sure he'd move back down to welterweight if he fought in
the Octagon, and he'd get a top-notch opponent like Jon Fitch,
Thiago Alves or Josh Koscheck right away. A win against one of
those guys would likely lead to a title shot against Georges
St. Pierre.
"I
am happy with Strikeforce," Shields told MMA Junkie. "They've
given me big fights like I asked for, so I'm happy with them.
But also, I do want big fights, and of course the UFC has a lot
of big fights as well."
The
UFC doesn't just have big fights, it has the biggest fights in
the sport. With White already on the record as an admirer of
Shields' talents, and with Shields hoping to test himself against
the best, it makes a lot of sense for the Henderson bout to be
Shields' last in Strikeforce, and for his next fight to be in
the UFC.
Source: MMA Fighting
|
UFC
FAN EXPO RETURNS MEMORIAL WEEKEND
The UFC Fan Expo debuted last summer as part of the UFC 100 weekend.
It returns May 28-29 during the UFC 114 weekend. The second UFC
Fan Expo will again be held at the Mandalay Bay Events Center.
The
two-day event, occurring during Memorial Day Weekend, will provide
fans with the opportunity to experience a number of special events,
fighter appearances, autograph signings, and training and development
sessions with elite fighters and industry leaders.
Over
200 leading companies are expected to exhibit, covering 200,000
gross square feet of space, and will feature apparel, electronic
gaming, food and beverages, fight gear, fitness equipment and
supplies, nutritional supplements, lifestyle products, and much
more.
Source: MMA Weekly
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Thiago
Alves on Fitch: “It’s time to payback”
By Guilherme
Cruz
Former UFC title contender, Thiago “Pitbull” Alves
wants to be back on the track for the UFC welterweight gold.
In exclusive interview to TATAME.com, the Brazilian knockout
artist talked about the upcoming fight against Jon Fitch, at
UFC 111, in an anticipated rematch.
“I’m thrilled and already prepared. I’ve been
waiting for this fight for four years and now I got the chance
for the revenge. I like revenges. It’s time to payback,”
Alves said, commenting their first fight, back in 2006.
“I was too young when we fought. I wasn’t new in the
sport but was in UFC. This American system of losing weight,
everything else... Nowadays, I’m a totally different fighter.
I learned a lot and I am more experienced and a much better fighter
when it comes to standing, wrestling, jiu-jitsu... It couldn’t
be a better time”, said.
After getting his revenge, the Brazilian wants another title
shot to avenge the loss to Georges St. Pierre, last year. “I’m
coming off a loss and I want to go back to the winners list.
Beating Fitch, I will fight for the belt again. I want to take
him on, and go after the belt, no matter who holds it,”
said, betting on GSP against Dan Hardy. “I think Saint Pierre
is going to win but you never know. If it’s Dan Hardy, I'll
take the belt from him and get the revenge with St. Pierre next”.
Stay
tuned to read, this week, the complete interview with the fighter.
Source: Tatame
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Hawaiian
Triple Crown of BJJ
First Event
is 4/17/10
Kaiser High School Gym
Registration fees:Register early and guarantee a cool competitor
t shirt
Kids: $ 50
Adults: $ 70
We will be accepting registrations the morning of the event with
a $20 late fee.
Weigh-in times:
Kids: 8:30 – 9:30 am
Adults: 9:30 – 11:30 am
Weight class divisions:
http://www.hawaiitriplecrown.com/weigh_in.html
Prizes for Hawaii Triple Crown Champions:
Kids: Championship belt – Gi / Championship belt –
No-Gi
Adults: $1000 + HTC Belt – No-Gi Open Advanced (Absolute)
Division
$500 + HTC Belt – Purple and Brown Belt Division
$250 + HTC Belt – Blue Belt Division
$250 + HTC Belt – No-Gi Intermediate Division
A Justap GI ($120 value) + HTC Belt – White belt Division
HTC fight Shorts + Rash Guard ($100 value) + HTC Belt –
No-Gi Novice Division
2009 Hawaii Triple Crown Champions defend their belts without
charge in the 2010 circuit.
For more information please visit: www.Hawaiitriplecrown.com
or check out MMAHawaii Magazine for our 2-page layout about the
upcoming HTC series .
- Hawaii Triple Crown
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Scrappla
Fest 2
Kauai's
Scrappla Fest 2
Gi & No Gi Tournament
May 15, 2010
Tentative
times:
Kids Rules 930am.
Kids Gi Start 10am.
Kids No Gi Start 11am.
Adult
Rules 12:30pm.
Adults Gi Start 1pm.
Adults No Gi Start 3:45pm.
We
will be running 4-6 matches at the same time to keep the tournament
running smoothly. More info to come about weights and weigh ins.
Thank
you,
Pono
Pananganan
Kauai Technical Institute
ktirelson_gracie@hotmail.com
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