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(All events on Oahu, unless noted)
2010
11/27/10
Aloha
State BJJ Championships: Final Conflict
(BJJ & Sub Grappling)
(Kaiser H.S. Gym)
11/6/10
X-1 Island Pride
(MMA)
(Blaisdell Arena)
Man Up & Stand Up Kickboxing Championship
(Kickboxing)
(Filcom Center, Waipahu)
10/30/10
6th Annual Clinton A.J. Shelton Memorial Match Event
(Boxing)
(Palolo District Park Gym, Honolulu)
10/29/10
808Battleground
(MMA)
(Dole Cannery Ballroom, Honolulu)
10/23/10
NAGA
Hawaii
(BJJ & Sub Grappling)
(Radford H.S. Gym)
10/15-17/10
ETERNAL SUBMISSIONS: GI/NO-GI tournament
(BJJ & Sub Grappling)
(Kauai Beach Resort, Kauai)
10/16/10
DESTINY: Undisputed
Beyer vs Manners II
(MMA)
(Waipahu Filcom Center, Waipahu)
Just Scrap
(MMA)
(Hilo Civic Auditorium, Hilo)
10/2/10
Mad Skills
(Kickboxing)
(Filcom Center, Waipahu
9/11/10
X-1: Heroes
(MMA, Kickboxing)
(Blaisdell Arena)
9/10/10
Man Up & Stand Up
(Kickboxing)
(Filcom Center, Waipahu)
9/4/10
DESTINY:New Era
(MMA, Kickboxing)
(Waipahu Filcom Center, Waipahu)
8/28/10
Big
Island Open
(BJJ)
(Hilo Armory, Hilo)
8/14/10
Hawaiian
Open Championships of BJJ
(BJJ & No Gi)
(Kaiser H.S. Gym)
USA Amateur Boxing
(Boxing)
(Lihue Convention Hall, Lihue, Kauai)
8/13/10
Battleground Challenge 2
(MMA)
(Dole Cannery Ballroom)
8/7/10
Just Scrap
(MMA)
(Hilo Civic Auditorium, Hilo)
8/6/10
Mad Skills
(Triple Threat/Kickboxing)
(Waipahu Filcom Center)
7/24/10
The Quest for Champions 2010 Martial Arts Tournament
(Sport-Pankration, Submission Grappling & Continuous Sparring)
(St. Louis High School Gym)
7/17/10
Maui Jiu-Jitsu Open
(BJJ & No Gi)
(Maui War Memorial, Wailuku, Maui)
Mad Skillz
(Kickboxing, Triple Threat)
(99 Market Shopping Center, Mapunapuna)
7/9/10
Man Up & Stand Up
(Kickboxing)
(Filcom Center, Waipahu)
7/3/10
Amateur Boxing
(Boxing)
(Palolo District Park Gym)
6/26/10
Kauai Cage Match 9
(MMA)
(Kilohana, Gaylords Mansion, Kauai)
6/25-26/10
50th
State BJJ Championships
(BJJ)
(50th State Fair,
Aloha Stadium)
6/24/10
Quest for Champions
(Kumite/Grappling)
(St. Louis High School Gym)
6/19/10
Just Scrap
(MMA)
(Hilo Civic Center, Hilo)
6/18-19/10
Select
Combat
(Triple Threat)
(50th State Fair,
Aloha Stadium)
6/12/10
Destiny: Fury
(MMA)
(Blaisdell Center)
6/11-13/10
MMA Hawaii Expo
(Blaisdell Ballroom)
6/11-12/10
3rd
Annual Pacific Submission Championships
(BJJ & Submission Grappling)
(Blaisdell Exhibition Hall)
6/11/10
Legacy Combat MMA
(MMA)
(Blaisdell Exhibition Hall)
6/4/10
X-1:
Nations Collide
(MMA)
(Blaisdell Arena)
6/3-6/10
World
Jiu-Jitsu Championships
(BJJ)
(The Pyramid, University of California at Long Beach, Long Beach,
CA)
5/22/10
Destiny
(MMA)
(Waiphau Filcom Center)
5/15/10
Scrappla Fest 2
Relson Gracie KTI Jiu-Jitsu Tournament
(BJJ & Sub Grappling)
(Island School, Kauai)
X-1 World Events
(MMA)
(Waipahu HS Gym)
Mad Skills
(Kickboxing)
(Waipahu Filcom Center)
Boxing Event
(Boxing)
(Evolution Training Center, Waipio Industrial Court #110)
5/1/10
Galaxy
MMA: Worlds Collide
(MMA)
(Blaisdell Arena)
4/28/10
Chris Smith BJJ Tournament
(BJJ)
(Hilo)
4/23/10
2010 Hawaii State/Regional Junior Olympic Boxing Championships
(Boxing)
(Palolo District Park Gym)
4/17/10
Hawaiian
Championships of BJJ
(BJJ & Sub Grappling)
(Kaiser
H.S. Gym)
Strikeforce:
Shields vs Henderson
(CBS)
4/16/10
808 Battleground
(Waipahu Filcom Center)
4/8-11/10
Pan
Jiu-Jitsu Championships
(BJJ)
(University California Irvine, Irvine, CA)
4/3/10
Man Up & Stand Up
(Kickboxing)
(Waipahu Filcom Center)
Amateur Boxing Smoker
(Boxing)
(Palolo District Park Gym)
3/27/10
DESTINY: No Ka Oi 2: Oahu vs Maui
(MMA)
(Maui War Memorial Gym, Wailuku, Maui)
3/20/10
X-1: Champions 2
(MMA)
(Blaisdell Arena)
3/20/10
Hawaiian Championships of BJJ
(BJJ & Sub Grappling)
(Kaiser H.S. Gym)
3/14/10
Hawaiian Kimono Combat
(BJJ)
(PCHS Gym)
3/10/10
Sera's Kajukenbo Tournament
(Kumite, Katas, Grappling)
(Maui War Memorial Gym, Wailuku, Maui)
3/6/10
Destiny Fast N Furious
(MMA)
(Level 4 RHSC)
2/19/10
808 Battleground
(MMA)
(Filcom, Waipahu)
2/6/10
UpNUp 6: Unstoppable
(MMA)
(Maui War Memorial Gym, Wailuku, Maui)
2/5/10
Man Up & Stand Up
(Kickboxing)
(Waipahu Filcom)
1/30/10
Destiny
(Level 4,
Royal HI Shopping Ctr)
(MMA)
Quest for Champions
(Pankration/Sub Grappling)
(Kalani HS)
1/23/10
Kauai Knockout Championship Total Domination
(MMA & Kickboxing)
(Kauai War Memorial Convention Center, Lihue, Kauai)
1/17/10
X1: Showdown In Waipahu
(Boxing, Kickboxing, MMA)
(Waipahu H.S. Gym)
|
|
November
2010 News Part 1
|
Casca Grossa Jiu-Jitsu
is now the O2 Martial Arts Academy with 7 days a week training!
We are also offering Kali-Escrima (stick fighting) on Monday
nights with Ian Beltran & Erwin Legaspi and Kickboxing Tuesday,
Wednesday and Thursday with Kaleo Kwan, PJ Dean, & Chris
Slavens!
Kids Classes are also
available!
Click
here for info!
Take classes from
the Onzuka brothers in a family-like environment! |
Onzuka.com
Hawaii Underground Forum is Online!
Chris, Mark,
and I wanted to start an official Onzuka.com forum for a while
now. We were searching for the best forum to go with and hit
a gold mine! We have known Kirik, who heads the largest and most
popular forum on the net, The Underground for years.
He
offered us our own forum within the matrix know as MMA.tv. The
three of us will be the moderators with of course FCTV808 being
the lead since he is on there all day anyway!
We
encourage everyone from Hawaii and our many readers around world
to contribute to the Hawaii Underground.
If you
do not have a login, it's simple and fast to get one.
Click here to set up an account.
Don't worry about using Pidgin English in the posting. After
all it is the Hawaii Underground and what is a Hawaii Underground
without some Aloha and some Pidgin?
To
go directly to the Onzuka.com Hawaii Underground Forum
click here!
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to Advertise on Onzuka.com?
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information!
Short term and long term advertising available.
More than
1 million hits and counting!
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O2
Martial Arts Academy
Your Complete Martial Arts School!
Click here for pricing and more
information!
O2 Martial Arts features Relson Gracie Jiu-Jitsu taught by Relson
Gracie Black Belts Chris and Mike Onzuka and Shane Agena as well
as a number of brown and purple belts.
We also offer Boxing and Kickboxing classes with a staff that
is unmatched. Boxing, Kickboxing, and MMA champions Kaleo Kwan
and PJ Dean as well as master boxing instructor Chris Slavens
provide incredibly detailed instruction of the sweet science.
To top it off, Ian Beltran & Erwin Legaspi heads our Kali-Escrima
classes (Filipino Knife & Stickfighting) who were directly
trained under the legendary Snookie Sanchez.
Just a beginner with no background? Perfect! We teach you from
the ground up!
Experienced martial artist that wants to fine tune your skill?
Our school is for you!
If you want to learn martial arts by masters of their trade in
a friendly and family environment, O2 Martial Arts Academy is
the place for you!
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Want to Contact
Us? Shoot us an email by Clicking Here!
Follow O2 Martial Arts news via Twitter at:
http://www.twitter.com/O2MAA
UFC
123: B.J. Penn’s MMA Journey Brings Him Back Around to Matt
Hughes
Former
UFC lightweight and welterweight champion B.J. Penn has always
worked hard to establish his legacy in a sport that doesn’t
allow perfection.
Mixed
martial arts most storied fighters – Randy Couture, Chuck
Liddell, Ken Shamrock, Tito Ortiz – have never come close
to a spotless record. It just doesn’t happen in mixed martial
arts, and more so, perfection is not what fans expect from their
fighters.
Penn’s
career rocketed to the top of the heap, managing a 10-2-1 record
after romping through the UFC’s ranks and then leaving the
welterweight belt behind to seek, quite literally, bigger challenges
throughout the world.
He
returned to tremendous fan fair at UFC 58 for a showdown with
current UFC welterweight champion Georges St-Pierre, losing that,
and his subsequent rematch with Matt Hughes, the man whose title
he took more than two years prior.
Since
Penn returned to the Octagon in 2006, he has managed a meager
five victories to five losses. He most recently suffered back-to-back
losses to current UFC lightweight champion Frankie Edgar, who
took the belt from Penn in the first of those two bouts.
Disappointing
results, to be sure, but B.J. Penn wouldn’t have it any
other way.
“I
wouldn’t do anything different; I would’ve done it
just like that,” Penn told interviewer Joe Rogan in the
most recent edition of UFC Ultimate Insider.
“I
could look back and say I wish how I was gonna train right now
for the Matt Hughes fight, I trained like this when I was 20
years old, but it wouldn’t have worked then.”
Penn
says he is still working to find his perfect mix both in and
out of the Octagon, seeing this as a journey in his evolution
as a fighter.
“We’re
just getting started,” he told Rogan.
Penn’s
career has spanned nearly a decade, and on Nov. 20, he comes
back around to face Matt Hughes at UFC 123, the man that he has
both defeated and been defeated by.
Penn
may still be exploring where he is headed, but he feels he knows
what is in store when he steps back in the Octagon with Hughes.
“Anything
Matt Hughes does doesn’t surprise me, actually. Remember
when he picked up (Frank) Trigg and ran him across the cage?
Anything he does is not surprising,” Penn side on Ultimate
Insider.
He
knows Hughes will throw some strikes with him. He knows Hughes
is going to shoot hard for the takedown. He knows Hughes is going
to try and brutalize him with his patented ground and pound.
What
Penn doesn’t know is if he will finally find his sweet spot
and maximize his potential against Hughes. That’s something
that only time will tell when given the chance to sit back after
the fight and be introspective.
But
that’s what Penn is searching for.
“You
gotta find what works for you and when I do, that’s when
I’ll be able to hit that peak.”
We’ll
see if he hits that peak, or at least nears it, when Penn faces
Hughes for the third time in their legendary careers at UFC 123
in Detroit.
Source: MMA Weekly
|
Velasquez
reluctantly accepts role in spotlight
Seconds
after the bell rang to begin their heavyweight championship match
in the main event of UFC 121 at the Honda Center in Anaheim,
Calif., Brock Lesnar roared out of his corner at Cain Velasquez.
It wasn’t much different from the way linebacker Ray Lewis
charges after quarterback Ben Roethlisberger upon the snap of
the football in a Ravens-Steelers game.
Having
a snarling, angry 280-pound man such as Lesnar bearing down on
you with intent to do major harm would reduce 99.99 percent of
the population to a quivering mess.
Velasquez,
though, is part of that 0.01 percent who actually enjoys that
part of mixed martial arts. It’s what he’s had to do
since stopping Lesnar in the first round and capturing the Ultimate
Fighting Championship heavyweight title on Oct. 23 that has been
kind of scary for Velasquez.
He’s
been on something of a victory tour the last few weeks, attempting
to capitalize on his high-profile triumph over the grizzly-sized
Lesnar. He was a guest on George Lopez’s “Lopez Tonight”
show and is in the midst of a UFC-mandated marketing tour that
has taken him to New York, Toronto, Miami, Arizona and Mexico.
Velasquez
became the first Mexican-American heavyweight champion in any
combat sport when he beat Lesnar, and the UFC and his management
team at Zinkin Entertainment want to take advantage of that.
Though the fight is believed to have sold slightly more than
1 million on pay-per-view, much of that is attributable to Lesnar,
who is far and away the biggest draw in the sport.
Beating
the man doesn’t make one the man, at least not in a ticket-selling
or pay-per-view sense. As a result, Velasquez had to hit the
road only days after his stunning win in an attempt to raise
his profile. And that, to him, was the difficult part.
Velasquez,
28, is a quiet man who would prefer to just train, fight and
spend time with his family. Doing interviews, making personal
appearances and playing the role of a star are foreign to Velasquez
and comprise the part of modern MMA that he could easily do without.
“This
is the hard part for me, the work part,” Velasquez said.
“I love to train and I love to fight. The media, all the
attention, I can do without it, to be honest with you. I’d
be happy without it. It comes with the territory, though. The
UFC is the biggest show in the world and if you want to do that,
you have to take everything that comes with it, the good and
the bad.
“I’m
doing the best I can. It’s not my thing and it’s not
what I’m good at, but the UFC knows what they’re doing
and they know how important this is, so I am doing my best.”
Lesnar
is a human sound bite and has a natural feel for hyping a fight.
Though Lesnar would prefer his privacy as well, his days as a
professional wrestler helped prepare him for the responsibilities
of generating interest in a bout. In a perfect world, perhaps,
the most talented fighters would be paid the most money, but
in a competitive entertainment market, it’s the guys who
sell the most tickets and the most pay-per-views who are rewarded
most handsomely.
Velasquez
isn’t as comfortable or as natural with his interviews as
Lesnar, but he’s willing to do his best. So, the tour hasn’t
been a total disaster for him, though he did have a big scare
when he arrived at Lopez’s studio for taping on Oct. 25
and was handed a script.
“The
show was a lot of fun, but it was just doing an interview and
I’ve done hundreds of interviews, so that was no different
and no big deal to me,” Velasquez said.
What
was different, though, was that Lopez’s producers wanted
to do a skit at the opening in which Velasquez pretended to intimidate
Lopez and play a bad guy. A bit of acting would be involved.
And that’s when Velasquez began to sweat a little.
“I
got to the studio and when they gave me this script and said,
‘You’re going to have to do some acting,’ my legs
started shaking so badly,” said Velasquez, who is 9-0 overall
and 7-0 in the UFC. “I wasn’t expecting that. I’m
definitely no actor.”
His
legs were shaking badly when he had to do about a 30-second skit
with Lopez, but he said that he was “super calm, completely
relaxed,” in the cage against Lesnar.
That’s
because he had trained for the day he’d fight for the heavyweight
title ever since he left Arizona State as a two-time All-American
wrestler and decided to turn pro as a mixed martial arts fighter.
Velasquez debuted in Strikeforce in 2006 and stopped Jesse Fujarczyk
in just one minute, 58 seconds.
That
was no surprise to his coach, Javier Mendez, who knew the second
he saw Velasquez working out at his gym – the American Kickboxing
Academy in San Jose, Calif. – that Velasquez was destined
for greatness.
“I
put all the time in because I wanted to be a champion,”
Velasquez said.
He
was tested by Sports Science prior to the fight with Lesnar,
where it was discovered that he had the cardiovascular endurance
of a marathon runner. He punched harder than any boxer they’d
ever tested and the force he applied on a takedown was similar
to the kind that Indianapolis Colts defensive end Dwight Freeney
applies coming off the edge to blast a quarterback.
Knowing
that, perhaps it shouldn’t have come as a surprise that
he was able to handle Lesnar so easily despite giving up three
inches in height and perhaps as much as 35 pounds in the cage
that night.
But
as MMA grows and becomes more mainstream, fighters are going
to have to do these kinds of tours more often.
Velasquez
accepts the role, but it doesn’t mean he relishes it.
“I’m
a pretty simple guy and if I’m not training, I’d rather
just be home spending quiet time with the family,” Velasquez
said. “I don’t need all the hype and the attention.
That’s not what motivates me.”
But
given that the tour is now becoming part of the heavyweight champion’s
job description, Velasquez admits it clearly beats the alternative.
It wouldn’t have been a good thing for him had it been Lesnar
on this tour.
“I
guess the way to look at it is that if I’m doing all this,
it means I’ve been successful,” he said. “And
really, that’s why I do everything I do, to win. When you
win important fights, these are the kinds of things that come
along with it.”
Source: Yahoo Sports
|
Mayhem
Miller vs. Nick Diaz Possible in 2011
It
seems to be a fight that just about everybody wants to see, and
with the right factors in place it’s a fight that Strikeforce
is interested in promoting.
According
to Strikeforce CEO Scott Coker, the higher-ups at the promotion
have discussed pitting welterweight champion Nick Diaz in a possible
catchweight fight against Jason “Mayhem” Miller at
some point in 2011.
“It’s
something that we’re definitely looking at,” Coker
responded when asked on MMAWeekly Radio about a potential Diaz
vs. Mayhem showdown.
There
is no love lost between the two fighters after a couple of altercations
over the last year. First came the post-fight brawl in Nashville,
Tenn., when Miller stormed the cage asking then Strikeforce middleweight
champion Jake Shields for a rematch. A melee ensued shortly thereafter
and Diaz was in the mix as the violence erupted with Miller on
the bottom of a dog pile.
Fast
forward to October following Diaz’s title defense win over
K.J. Noons, the two fighters exchanged words in a hallway before
a water bottle was allegedly launched and yet another scuffle
broke out.
Miller
has been asking for the match-up for several months, going as
far as re-titling his personal blog DontBeScaredHomie.com, a
phrase Diaz has used on more than one occasion.
Coker
admits that the fight between Miller and Diaz seems like a natural
fit, but not without some extra handlers getting involved first.
“You
have to look at it from all different angles,” Coker said
about Mayhem vs. Diaz. “Would it be a fun fight to promote?
Sure. I think we should wait until the beginning of the year,
and let’s have another conversation on that because with
Miller and Diaz I just couldn’t imagine the extra security
that I’d probably need to get to make that fight happen.”
Coker
did point to the fact that Diaz’s next fight would likely
not be in the welterweight division, as Strikeforce sorts out
who exactly would be the next challenger for his 170-pound belt.
“Nick,
he could also fight some catchweight fights. I think there’s
some fights ahead of him that we would love to promote,”
Coker stated. “He just came off a pretty brutal fight with
K.J., so let him rest till the beginning of the year, and we
can start having conversations about his next opponent, maybe
the turning of 2011.”
If
the Diaz fight doesn’t happen, Miller would also seemingly
have a score to settle with current Strikeforce middleweight
champion Ronaldo “Jacare” Souza, after their last fight
ended with Miller being disqualified for an illegal kick. Coker
also points out that a third fight between Miller and Tim Kennedy
could be a match-up Strikeforce is interested in putting together.
Whoever
is next for the charismatic host of MTV’s “Bully Beatdown,”
Coker believes he’s on the fast track to some big things
in 2011.
“For
Mayhem, we’ve got some great fights for him ahead,”
said Coker. “We’re going to promote all those fights.
I saw him fight in Japan against (Kazushi) Sakuraba, I was pretty
impressed. I think he’s getting better and better with every
fight.”
Look
for Miller and Diaz both to return in 2011, but as of right now
it may not be against one another.
Source: MMA Weekly
|
Released
from Strikeforce, André Galvão tries luck in TUF
Two-time
Jiu-Jitsu world champion André Galvão was released
from his Strikeforce contract, the fighter’s MMA career
may take a flying leap, according to information announced on
MMAJunkie.com.
The
black belt is among the candidates to enter the mix in the 13th
season of the The Ultimate Fighter reality show. The winners
of each season earn a UFC contract.
Source: Gracie Magazine
|
Demian
reveals trump against Kendall Grove
At
1.83 meters (6?) tall, Demian Maia is getting ready to deal with
the reach of the 1.99-meter (6’5”) Kendall Grove. The
fight is set to take place December 4 at the grand finale of
the twelfth season of the “The Ultimate Fighter” reality
show, and to get around his opponent’s spindly arms and
legs, Demian sought out taller training partners, among them
Brazilian national No-Gi Jiu-Jitsu champion Antonio Peinado,
of team Alliance.
Check
out the GRACIEMAG.com interview with Demian:
Do
you think Grove’s height will make things rough on you?
It
may hinder or may help. Truth is that it’s something different.
Só I’m training with taller people and taking the
opportunity to adapt to it. But I don’t feel it’ll
be harder or easier, just different.
And
who are these tall sparring partners you brought in to help you?
Ednaldo
Lula, who fights in the WFE promotion, is helping me. He is over
two meters tall. But I also called on Batista, Antonio Peinado,
who just won the Brazilian No-Gi Nationals. He’s going to
help me. He’s not quite as tall as Kendall, but he’s
really tall and long-limbed. I also have some tall students who
are helping me out.
Are
you still training in the USA?
I
was in the United States, where I trained wrestling for a couple
of weeks, but I’m aready back in Brazil. Now I’m heading
to Bahia.
If
I’m not mistaken, in Bahia you do a lot of boxing training.
Do you end up neglecting your main weapon, Jiu-Jitsu, a bit?
Truth
is that in Bahia here are a lot of good guys to train Jiu-Jitsu
with. As the guys there are not on this Rio/São Paulo
axis, they’re not so well known. But there are really good
grapplers over there. And Antonio Peinado’s going with me
specifically to help me out with that. He’s first-rate.
What
do you have to watch out for in you next fight? What are Kendall’s
strengths?
I’m
going to take a better look at him. There are specific things
that I want to work on, but I’d rather not comment. The
main this just that I have to watch out for his stature, to adapt
to that. He’s got good Jiu-Jitsu and muay thai and I’m
going to avoid surprises.
Source: Gracie Magazine
|
From
Alan Belcher to Urijah Faber students, Rio is popular training
destination
Having
suffered a detached retina, UFC fighter Alan Belcher was obliged
to momentarily withdraw from competition. The fighter underwent
surgery to correct the injury, however, he will have to wait
some time yet before he will be released to fight.
Before
that, when he was preparing to face Demian Maia, Belcher was
in Rio de Janeiro training at Gracie Ilha academy, where he worked
on his Jiu-Jitsu with Daniel Moraes and company (in video below).
The session didn’t escape the lens of our collaborator Diego
Marcello.
Rio
de Janeiro is a popular destination for a number of fighters,
who do a sort of techniques exchange. Recently, Strikeforce fighter
Jason Miller was also in the city (see here), as well the young
talent from Urijah Faber’s team Alpha Male, who train at
Xgym and Gracie Ilha, not to mention former UFC fighter Justin
Bucholz and JT, an All-American wrestler.
Source: Gracie Magazine
|
WEC
52: Mackens Semerzier Feels Every Loss is a Lesson Learned
Mackens
Semerzier is on the verge of entering his eighth mixed martial
arts bout, and WEC 52 will be his platform to do so. This fight
will represent Semerzier’s second attempt at getting back
in the winning ways when he tangles with MMA veteran Cub Swanson.
Two
losses in a row might shake the psyche of most fighters, but
Semerzier seems to hold his own pretty well.
After
winning his first five professional fights, the featherweight
mixed martial artist had a tremendous amount of momentum behind
him – especially since his fifth win was his WEC debut over
talented grappler Wagnney Fabiano.
Semerzier
discussed the level of expectation after getting the win in his
first WEC bout.
“I
mean, I know the win was a good win, but I knew there was a lot
of areas in my game that I had to improve on,” Semerzier
recalled on MMAWeekly Radio. “I was doing a lot of interviews,
doing a lot of press, listening to a lot of people, so I knew
what was expected of me.”
Unfortunately,
after getting a highly touted submission victory over Fabiano,
Semerzier lost consecutive fights to Deividas Taurosevic(ius
and Javier Vazquez. The bright side to those losses, however,
is a gain in knowledge for Semerzier.
“With
every loss, it’s a lesson learned,” exclaimed Mackens
Admittedly,
Semerzier is still learning the tools it takes to make a successful
mixed martial arts fighter. One thing that he says he has to
make himself more aware of is the scoring system in the sport.
Through seven fights, his awareness has grown a great deal and
it continues to build.
While
remaining conscience of the tempo of the fight, Semerzier is
learning when to fight for the finish and when to grind out the
win.
“(To)
be aware of the rules,” Semerzier said when explaining what
he’s learned. “Be aware of…what the judges are
looking at, but at the same time my aggressiveness – not
lose the drive to finish the fight before that last bell sounds.”
Finishing
fights is all good and welcomed, but Semerzier knows that knowing
the clock is important and, “you can’t (just) rely…on
the finish.”
Pressure
is something that not only fighters, but all people face in everyday
life. Especially in this economy, job security remains on the
minds of anyone and everyone. The difference in the fight game
is you can almost entirely control your own destiny. A win means
you live to fight another day.
When
talking about the pressures of having back-to-back losses, Mackens
explained that, “it’s easy” to balance them.
“It’s
kind of like being surrounded. Once you’re surrounded, it’s
doesn’t matter which direction you’re fighting.”
Semerzier explained. “Once you’re on the bottom…the
only way you can go is up, so you can take as many chances as
you want because you can’t fall very far. And that’s
how I look at it. I press myself.
“I
don’t put that extra pressure on myself where, if I lose
this fight, I’m gonna be homeless on the street.”
As
far as his opponent, Cub Swanson, is concerned, Semerzier can
see this being a very entertaining bout. The aggression displayed
by both fighters in previous bouts can speak for that notion.
If either Swanson or Semerzier over-commit in their scheduled
WEC 52 fight, it could be a quick night for one of them.
Likelihood
for there being a submission or knockout in this one is high.
“He’s
an aggressive fighter,” said Semerzier. “I like considering
myself…an aggressive fighter,”
And
how so?
“I
like to come forward, I like to press the action. Sometimes,
I’m a little over-aggressive and…I’ve kind of
paid for it, and same thing with him. Sometimes, he’s a
little over-aggressive and he pays for it too. You get two guys
that tend to be a little overly aggressive, I think it’s
going to make a good fight.”
Source: MMA Weekly
|
Herschel
Walker Faces Scott Carson in MMA Return for Strikeforce
Herschel
Walker – Olympian, Heisman Trophy winner, NFL superstar,
and now mixed martial artist – is set to face his second
challenge in the Strikeforce cage at Henderson vs. Babalu II.
Walker
will face WEC veteran Scott Carson when Strikeforce returns to
St. Louis on Dec. 4, according to Mike Afromowitz, Strikeforce’s
director of communications. ESPN.com first reported the bout
on Friday.
Walker
has spent his life meeting different challenges. He excelled
in football, earning the Heisman Trophy in college and playing
in both the USFL and NFL as a professional. He also competed
as a bobsledder at the 1992 Winter Olympics.
A
lifelong martial artist, with a fifth-degree black belt in Tae
Kwon Do, Walker took up the mixed martial arts challenge at the
age of 47, defeating Greg Nagy by TKO in January 2010. Now 48
years old, he returns to the cage for his sophomore effort.
Carson
(4-1), 40 years old, fought on the first World Extreme Cagefighting
show in 2001. He hadn’t fought since, until he lost to Lorenz
Larkin at an event in June in Los Angeles. The fight with Walker
will easily be the most high profile bout of his career.
Walker
vs. Carson is expected on the televised undercard of Strikeforce:
Henderson vs. Babalu II on Dec. 4 on Showtime.
Source: MMA Weekly
|
UFC
122: With UFC German TV Deal in Limbo, Internet To The Rescue
UFC
German FlagThe UFC has made tremendous strides over the past
decade moving into mainstream America, but that doesn’t
mean that its fight for acceptance is over. As the company continues
its push to go global, there is still resistance in several locals.
Asia
has been a particularly difficult market to break into, but even
some of the areas in which they have made headway are still pushing
against the MMA juggernaut as it bulldozes through barriers.
The
Ultimate Fighting Championship took the Octagon to Germany for
the first time with UFC 99 in Cologne in June 2009. At the time,
there was already a television deal in place to air the promotion
on Bavarian based network DSF.
Such
moves typically start the dominoes falling in new territories
for the promotion, but it hasn’t been such an easy road
in Germany.
Fans
had to show I.D. at UFC 99 to prove they were at least 18 years
of age in order to gain access to the event, and then the UFC’s
German TV deal was yanked.
“The
network that we were on is DSF. DSF broadcasts from within Bavaria,
which is one of the states in Germany, where Munich is located.
So the TV licensing authority in Bavaria is the one that withdrew
the approvals for the UFC to air on television,” explained
UFC Managing Director of International Development Marshall Zelaznik.
“We
have actually filed a lawsuit against the licensing authority
there, the BLM. So we’re in the middle of litigation with
the BLM, basically asserting our right that we thought it was
improper to remove the UFC from television.”
The
UFC and executives at its parent company, Zuffa LLC, are all
too familiar with this sort of confrontation. UFC president Dana
White has long asserted that mixed martial arts will one day
be the biggest sport in the world, and he’s not backing
down without a fight.
As
Zelaznik explains, the promotion has taken steps ensure its product’s
availability to German fans despite the resistance from the BLM.
“We
were able to secure one of the leading sports websites (in Germany),”
he said. “The group is called SPOX.com, they’re I think
the number two or three most trafficked German language sports
website, so they have become our sort of official German language
partner for (UFC 122).”
The
UFC has offered its live content on its own UFC German language
site ever since the BLM pulled its license, but now has SPOX,
which will also air UFC 122 for free, to help grow its presence
in Germany.
Returning
to television there, however, is going to take some time.
“There
are networks that broadcast from within other states in Germany
that have shown interest in the UFC, but aren’t prepared
to commit to the UFC until this lawsuit is resolved. So we have
options once the litigation is gone,” Zelaznik explained.
“Depending
on what happens at which level and who appeals what, the soonest
(we could resolve the litigation) would be around six months,
but it could be another nine to 12 months.”
Until
then, fans in Germany that want to watch UFC 122: Marquardt vs.
Okami and other UFC content will have to rely on SPOX and the
UFC German language site.
Source: MMA Weekly |
King
of the Cage: Mainstream Results
KING
OF THE CAGE: MAIN STREAM
Jackpot Junction Casino – Morton, MN
175
– Brock Larson def. Gabe Walbridge via submission (strikes)
– 1:13 Rd 1
155 – Mike Zimmer def. Kevin Barberena by Unanimous Decision
– Rd 3
170 – Adam McDonough def. Brian “The Marathon Man”
Van Beusekom via TKO – 2:30 Rd 2
170 – Justin Kratzke def. Jason Zimmer by submission (strikes)
– 2:17 Rd 1
185 – Bryan Barberena def. Garrett Olson via TKO –
4:24 Rd 2
205 – Josh “The Monstrosity” Janousek def. Mike
Suttles by submission (strikes) – 1:00 Rd 1
145 – Kody Barberena def. Mouka Dara by Unanimous Decision
– Rd 3
155 – Brandon Girtz def. Bobby “The Bully” Ferrier
via submission (keylock) – 2:02 Rd 2
145 – Tony “AK” Kellen def. Zach Kellso by submission
(armbar) – 2:08 Rd 2
155 – Nate “The Missile” Schut def. Andy Selvig
by submission (strikes) – 1:28 Rd 1
Source: MMA Weekly
|
“Aldo
wanted to fight (Florian), but I said no”
In
mid-October, TATAME published exclusively a proposal made by
UFC to José Aldo to change for a heavier weight division
and confronting Kenny Florian. The featherweight champion of
WEC told that they turned down the proposal. On a chat with TATAME,
André Pederneiras, leader of the team in Rio de Janeiro,
talked with us and revealed that it was his decision to turn
down the offer, made days before the fusion between UFC and WEC,
with turned out to guarantee Ultimate’s belt to Aldo.
A
little bit before the fusion of the two events was announced,
there were a possibility of a fight between José Aldo
and Kenny Florian, with Junior changing his weight class…
Did you know that there would be a fusion? Was that the reason
they offered you this fight?
I
didn’t know about the confusion, I didn’t have a clue…
I was caught by surprise. Junior’s managers had a chat with
the guys from Ultimate, and they suggested that they fought,
that the third guy on the ranking, pound by pound, would fight
the fourth in the world (Frankie Edgar, current lightweight champion
of UFC). As the two events belong to the same owner, they thought
it was possible and made the proposal.
What
was UFC’s answer?
A
counter-offer was made with a fight between Aldo and Kenny Florian.
They offered us this and I was the first to decline it. Aldo
fighting Ultimate’s champion, the fourth in the world, is
one thing. It’s the champion of the event fighting a champion
of the same organization, but on the weight division above. It’s
the same thing that Ultimate confronts champions of two different
divisions of the event. But the counter-proposal was not interesting…
Why
did you turn it down?
When
they said it’d be Kenny Florian, it’s not that he’s
not a tough guy, I think he’s an excellent athlete, but
he’s coming from a bad result and, unfortunately for him,
he was never Ultimate’s champion, and now he’s not
even on the top 10 pound by pound, so I couldn’t see why
this fight should happen. Who turned the proposal down was me,
and nobody else. Aldo wanted to fight, but who turned it down
was me because I understand this fight wouldn’t bring any
benefit to him, independently that Kenny Florian is a great fighter
or not.
If
they have offered Sean Sherk, on a similar situation, maybe I’d
have accepted, it was more likely. He was a guy coming from a
win and he once was the champion of the event, so we declined
the offer because of that. It wasn’t because we were afraid
of the other guy, it was because I thought I wasn’t worth
it. Junior is a very young guy and he’ll get heavier naturally,
we don’t need to force anything. On the following week,
it turned out he was UFC’s champion on the division below,
so it was even better.
Aldo
has been dominating the division, and now he’ll defend UFC’s
belt on the 1st day of January, against Josh Grispi. Winning
this fight, do you believe there’re no more challenges for
him on this weight class and it’s a natural course for him
to change to the lightweight division?
Man,
I think that an opponent is always an opponent, it’ll always
be hard, independently if it’s Grispi or not. There are
many good fighters on their division. It’s a different division
than the heavyweight, for an example, where you can fight at
the age of 46 because the rhythm of the fight is much slower
than on the light or featherweight divisions. The number of athletes
on this division much higher, so the challenge for a guy on the
featherweight division, to maintain his belt, is much greater
than a heavier guy because on the heavyweight it’s not likely
that many guys with good technique, good physical and explosive
like Cain Velasquez to show up. You’ll find three or four,
and there’ll be like fifty guys who won’t be half as
good as him, while on the lighter divisions you see that happening
always. (Urijah) Faber himself, has always been a tough guy,
has always won, then started coming up many tough guys and he
lost. Miguel Torres has always been a tough guy too and he lost
twice in a row.
Source: Tatame
|
Rafael
Cavalcante
Strikeforce
light heavyweight champion, Rafael “Feijão”
Cavalcante accepted TATAME’s invitation and answered the
questions made by the subscribers of the best Brazilian magazine.
On the exclusive chat, the fighter talked about the beginning
of his martial arts career, his journey until the conquest of
the title, the main names he had to confront on his way up, and
a possible fight with the current champion of UFC, Maurício
Shogun, pointing out the best fighters on their weight division.
“I don’t see myself as the best in my division, I’m
far from it. I have to improve in many aspects so that I can
say it. For now we’ve been watching Shogun, who’s an
excellent fighter, a really tough guy. Minotouro, despite this
defeat, I see him as a complete fighter. I like Quinton Jackson
a lot too. There’re many, there are too many names on this
weight division”, said Feijão, explaining the origin
of his nickname, the importance of Jiu-Jitsu on MMA and making
it clear that still doesn’t think about fighting on UFC.
“They’re treating me kindly and I think there’re
still many good fights for me here. I’m fine where I am,
and we don’t change a winning team”, guarantees.
Why
is your nickname Feijão? (Alisson Luis Souza Edson)
To
tell you the truth, this is my brother’s nickname, and since
he was the oldest, people started calling me little Feijão
and so it is. On the gym, you know: if you don’t like a
name, that’s exactly what they’re going to call you
by.
One
of the main difficulties of the fighters is the lack of motivation
to start and keep practicing martial arts. Where did you find
that motivation to start and maintain yourself on the fighting
business? (David Tiecher Santa Bárbara)
I’ve
started training in central Sao Paulo, in the city of Bauru,
when I was 10 years old, already on Jiu-Jitsu, and I’ve
spent my college training, I’ve never stopped training all
my life and I think that was essential for me to achieve it all
in my career. I did veterinary medical school, it’s a five
years full-time college and, even on that period, I always had
a time to spend on the Jiu-Jitsu trainings, every single day,
and then I started including other martial arts. This is the
difficult part of being a fighter: the trainings. The fight is
the cool part. The training will request you much things: a good
mental state, so that you have a good psychological preparation…
Everything is based on the training you do. On the medications
and on your training.
Do
you intend to make history on Strikeforce or do you want UFC
fame? (Luis Maluf, Alisson Luis Souza Edson, Glayson de Moura
Gandra e Riana Gabriella Rolim e Silva)
I
intend to stay where I am, they’re treating me kindly and
I think there’re still many good fights for me here, I can
quote Dan Handerson, Babalu... They all have changed to a heavier
division and I’m fine where I am, and we don’t change
a winning team.
Did
you change your game plan during the bout with King Mo? Why didn’t
you go for it right on the first round? (Juliano Ajalla)
Exactly
because of that, it wasn’t my original strategy. Me and
my coaches decided because we’ve watched his fights and
saw that his rhythm would decrease a lot after the second round,
so we decided to make him feel tired on the first round, don’t
give myself too much, and on the third round I’d start to
fight harder. That’s what I’ve done and, thanks God,
it worked out pretty well. What we’ve set as our game plan
worked.
What
was the best and the worst moment on your fight against Lawal?
(Anderson Teixeira Bianchin)
I
think there wasn’t a worst moment, everything was according
to the plan, I managed to study him a lot and I think that my
highest peak was that I did a good job on the takedown defenses
and my Muay Thai, which was very aggressive and functional. I
think that my best moment was on the exact moment I knew I could
attack him, I was happy. These were my best moments: both on
the takedown defenses and the fact I could dominate the fight
on the right moment. That was what made it work.
How
is your Jiu-Jitsu? Do you think that Jiu-Jitsu is an essential
weapon for a MMA fighter? (Juliano Ajalla)
It’s
essential, I can assure you. My Jiu-Jitsu is excellent. Thanks
God, I have great training partners. Minotauro, for his fight
in San Diego, stayed here with me, André Galvão,
Jacaré… So it’s enough good people along with
me. My Jiu-Jitsu is excellent, that’s so that I was decided
to go for the ground game with him. I just didn’t do it
because he was on my guard, he wanted to sew up so that he could
hit me. I would do the ground game the way I wanted or I wouldn’t
do it at all.
How
was the feeling of conquering Strikeforce’s belt? What does
this title means to you? (Sandro Lacerda)
For
me, it’s a great thing, it’s another goal conquered,
among many others that will come, but the important is this journey
that we’ve been through, everything we learn from our fights,
on the 16 years I’m here in Rio de Janeiro, all this time,
all the friends I’ve made, all the wins, the loses, what
I’ve learned from my defeats, what I’ve learned with
my triumphs… That’s what is most important to me, all
this road. The important is the learning, I always say it. To
me, the belt is important, but it came from another win, another
fight I did, won and learned from it.
Conquering
a belt is always a difficult thing, but to keep it for long is
even harder… How is your mind now that you’re the “man
to be beat”? (Sandro Lacerda)
So,
I’ll always keep doing my part: staying in a good shape
and ready for anything. I always train, I watch the fights of
my weight class, I’m a very strategic guy, I watch a lot
my opponent, I study his weak point, you can be sure of it. I’m
doing my part and you can be sure that each time I’m up
there, I’ll bring you my best performance and I’ll
give a great show for Brazilians to watch.
What
is it you must do in order to maintain your belt? Who is the
toughest opponent on your weight class? (Riana Gabriella Rolim
e Silva)
I
believe that I have to do what I already were doing: keep my
focus, train it all, train hard, stay disciplined and always
have God aside me. I think that’s the premise of a champion.
There’re many tough opponents… There’s Dan Handerson,
Babalu, Mousasi, many tough guys.
How
were your trainings for the fight and what is the difference
of training on the same team as Anderson, Minotauro, Jacaré
and many other great names, like yourself? (Sandro Lacerda)
I
think it makes a whole difference. If you have trainings along
with guys of this level, you get on the fight and you won’t
feel pressured in any way. You train with many athletes who are
great on the ground game, on the stand-up game, so it’s
hard to be surprised because you are ready for the worst. I always
have this thought in mind: I prepare myself for the worst possibility.
I can’t train only my strong point, I can’t be good
only on my strong points. The tough part is being good on your
weak point. That’s what I train, I expose myself the most
on the trainings, I train the positions so I won’t go through
it during the fight. The good thing about training in a great
team is that it makes the difference. You train along with champion,
so you have to become one or you can’t handle it.
You
belong to a great team of fighters, and we know that, sometimes,
you fight for real. There was any situation on which you left
the training injured or being knocked out? (Omar Santos Oliveira)
Well,
right when I got to Rio de Janeiro, on my third or fourth training
with Rogério Minotouro, he broke my nose. I had some injuries
like cuts on my eyebrow, but I’ve never had any big injury,
I’ve broken my nose, eyebrow and these things.
What
is your advice for a fighter who wants to conquest a title? (Sandro
Lacerda)
I
think that the first thing is discipline, focus, knowing what
you want and go for it, really go for it. There’ll be many
obstacles and many things stopping you from getting to where
you want to be. It’s the same for any kind of job you chose
or anything in your life. Discipline and, if you want to become
the best, train with the bests and make it worth you vacancy.
Train, eat, and dedicate yourself. That’s what I do: dedication,
discipline and focus.
Who
is your MMA idol? (Glayson de Moura Gandra e Sandro Lacerda)
I
have several... Rodrigo is my idol, Anderson... I have many idols
and the chance to train with them. That’s excellent to me.
There’re some guys, like Minotouro… Most of them train
with me, so it’s even better. Randy Couture is an idol and
an example of a good fighter. I see the fighter as a full person,
not only inside the ring, but I see the person, how does they
act outside the rings, their attitude as a fighter, I see them
all, so I like these people.
I
believe that every athlete sights the challenge. What is your
challenge currently and what motivates you on MMA? (Sandro Lacerda)
I
push myself a lot. My demand is the greatest, so besides wanting
to maintain myself as the belt holder, I want to improve my technique.
I always try to get better each time I go to a fight, physically
and the techniques too… I’m training to improve and,
thanks God, and getting it and, by getting it, the wins are coming
my way, and they’re the result of my work. With my physical,
technical and psychological improvement, the win comes.
Do
you consider yourself the best of you weight division? (Leonardo
Costa Sousa)
No,
I don’t see myself as the best in my division, I’m
far from it. I have to improve in many aspects so that I can
say it. That’s what I’m saying: I have to improve each
day. There are many good fighters on this weight division, and
I don’t think there’s one who’s the best. For
now we’ve been watching Shogun, who’s an excellent
fighter, a really tough guy. Minotouro, despite this defeat,
I see him as a complete fighter. Unfortunately he didn’t
win this last fight, but I’d like to see him facing other
guys. Unfortunately the mashups weren’t good for him. He
could have fought better guys, like the ones who were picked
but then the fights were canceled. I like Quinton Jackson a lot
too. There’re many, there are too many names on this weight
division. It’s the toughest division.
Would
you accept a unification of the belt against Shogun? What game
plan would you use to beat him? (Glayson de Moura Gandra e Riana
Gabriella Rolim e Silva)
My
game plan would be to trade some punches, despite he’s a
good exchanger too. I’d follow my game and I’d be a
great fight. He’s a very aggressive and so do I, so it’d
be a war: who punches more, cries less. For sure it’d be
a beautiful fight to watch.
Does
the fact you are the favorite might interfere in your performance?
(Sandro Lacerda)
No.
It has never affected me. On the title fight I didn’t feel
this pressure. It’s like I’ve told you: the important
thing for me is my next bout. When I fight again, I’ll see
it as my next fight, not a fight on which I’ll be defending
the belt. I’ll think about my next opponent. Whatever happens
after that is just a consequence.
What
is your opinion about UFC’s owner putting Brazilians to
confront each other? Don’t you think it should be Americans
versus the world? (Bruno Henrique Machado Freitas)
Yes,
for sure. I think it’s a strategy to decrease the number
of Brazilians on the top. I’m sure it’s something like
it, and I think they should put the Brazilians to face other
guys... There are many fights they could match… When they
come to an end, like Shogun and Lyoto, it’s ok… Both
are going to dispute the title, but before that there’s
no need.
Source: Tatame
|
“Who
knows? Maybe I’ll be able to cope at middleweight, with
Sergio and Marcelo"
Enjoying
a twenty-day stay in Italy, put up at a cozy home and training
with some local beasts, Fernando Tererê is already dreaming
of his return to top-flight competition.
“I’ve
been heavily criticized, so the news I’m sending in is really
important for me recovering a good image,” vents Tererê.
“Now I intend to dedicate myself more and be more focused
on training and the goings-on in sport Jiu-Jitsu, since after
so long away, things have changed a lot. That’s where I’m
training quietly, doing my physical conditioning work to –
who knows? – be able to cope at middleweight, along with
Sergio (Moraes) and Marcelo (Garcia).
Fernando
has been training with brothers Fabio and Luca Anacoreta and
their physical conditioning coach Micro. Moreover, he is celebrating
having come up with a new sponsor, a European brand of gis.
“We
going over details and positions, since the kids are already
good and have been standing out around here, thanks to “ET”,
their black belt teacher,” he says in praise.
Tererê
is getting ready to hold three seminars in the country, two in
Rome and one in Florence.
Source: Gracie Magazine
|
Strikeforce
Middleweight Tournament Dead in the Water
The
middleweight tournament that never was.
That
may be the best way to describe Strikeforce’s efforts to
put together a 185-pound divisional tournament over the last
year to either determine a No. 1 contender or a champion, but
neither ended up happening. At this point, the premise has been
laid to rest.
Following
former champion Jake Shields’ defection to the UFC, Strikeforce
had talked for several months about a tournament to declare a
new champion, but instead opted to go with an immediate title
bout between now champion Ronaldo “Jacare” Souza and
Tim Kennedy.
Rumors
persisted after the fight that Strikeforce would still try to
move forward with a tournament to declare a new top contender
for a shot at Jacare’s belt, but Strikeforce top dog Scott
Coker says it just wasn’t meant to be.
“We
were hoping it would happen, but it didn’t happen, and we’re
happy with Jacare being our world champion,” Coker told
MMAWeekly Radio recently. “I think he’s a great representative
and a great fighter.”
Coker
cited problems with putting together a one-night tournament with
virtually any athletic commission, along with a myriad of other
problems, so the promotion decided against it at this time.
Strikeforce
did manage to put on a tournament in the women’s division
back in August under modified rules. Prior to that, the last
time Strikeforce put on a tournament was in November 2007 when
they held a one-night four-man middleweight tournament where
Jorge Santiago walked away as the big winner that night.
Coker
did say that Strikeforce has plenty of challengers that could
rise up to take a shot at Jacare in 2011 including Strikeforce:
Henderson vs. Babalu II middleweight fighters Matt Lindland and
Robbie Lawler. Names like Jason “Mayhem” Miller have
also been thrown around as possible contenders, and a future
rematch with Tim Kennedy could also play out.
Strikeforce
plans on several fights between now and February 2011 to determine
who will get the next middleweight title shot.
Source: MMA Weekly |
Fedor
and Strikeforce Negotiations Ongoing
The
process to get a new deal done between Fedor Emelianenko and
Strikeforce continues as the Russian fighter closes in on the
final fight on his current contract with the promotion. The negotiations
are still a work in progress, but Strikeforce officials are hopeful
the former Pride champion will be back in the cage for them in
2011.
Fedor
hasn’t fought since a June loss to Fabricio Werdum. A defeat
most MMA pundits consider the Russian’s first real defeat
in his historic career.
Since
that time, Fedor’s management group, M-1 Global, has been
in talks with Strikeforce, but nearly five months later a deal
is still not done.
“As
everybody knows we have a negotiation ongoing with M-1 right
now, and I wish I had a simple answer, but it’s an ongoing
negotiation,” Strikeforce CEO Scott Coker told MMAWeekly
Radio about the deal with Fedor.
Coker
sounded confident about the dealings with M-1 Global, but the
pen still has not hit the paper to sign off on a new deal.
“I
feel good about it, I feel good about the negotiations,”
he said. “Whether you’re dealing with Dream, or you’re
dealing with M-1, or any foreign company there’s always
a translation issue, and there’s always a cultural issue,
and there’s just a lot of barriers that will come.
“We’re
trying to navigate through the waters and get a fair deal for
everybody.”
Following
the loss to Werdum, speculation ran wild whether Fedor would
return in a rematch against the Brazilian or possibly end up
in a title fight against Strikeforce heavyweight champion Alistair
Overeem.
With
Werdum on the shelf until at least the second month of 2011,
Overeem fighting in K-1 in December, and the recent signing of
Josh Barnett, anything is possible. Coker believes they will
get a deal done, and Fedor will be back stateside next year.
“Fedor
will be fighting, I want to say sometime in the first quarter
of 2011. I believe that’s when he’ll be fighting in
the cage,” Coker stated.
Coker
did shoot down rumors about a Heavyweight Grand Prix that hit
the Internet last week, saying that it was pure speculation.
Whatever the future holds for Fedor, there are plenty of match-ups
for him in Strikeforce when and if negotiations are settled and
he comes back to MMA in the United States.
Source: MMA Weekly |
WEC
52: Javier Vazquez Tired Of Being The Dog
Javier
VazquezWEC featherweight Javier “Showtime” Vazquez,
no matter what he does, seems to end up being labeled the underdog
in fights.
“That’s
what the media seems to think,” Vazquez told MMAWeekly.com
during preparations for his Nov. 11 showdown with Chad Mendes
at WEC 52. “I think it’s laughable. But people just
forget what I’ve done or maybe they just don’t remember
what I’ve done.”
Vazquez
returned to MMA in 2007 after four years away from the sport
following an impressive first run that saw him capture King of
the Cage gold. He now finds himself the veteran test for an up-and-coming
talent.
“There’s
no pressure (on me), I’m not the ‘unbeatable prospect’,”
said Vazquez. “All the pressure is on Chad Mendes, not on
me. I’m going to go out there and do my thing; he’s
the one who’s supposed to be the next big thing.”
Vazquez’s
confidence is evident as, according to him, he had a very focused
training camp in preparation for Mendes.
“My
last two fights I worked with Erik Paulson and tried to improve
my stand-up, trying to get a different look at the game, and
improve my overall skills, but this fight I went back to my wrestling
and submission game,” commented Vazquez.
“I
couldn’t have had a better camp to figure out how to beat
a wrestler.”
In
the past, Mendes has been noted for taking fighters down and
controlling them to earn wins. According to Vazquez, Mendes
won’t be able to use the same game plan on him.
“This
entire camp I’ve worked with Antonio McKee, and nobody can
do a better job of slowing a fight down and controlling from
the top like Antonio does,” he stated.
“(Chad)
is not going to bring anything different or better than what
Antonio brought. Antonio was having a real hard time holding
me down, so I don’t think (Chad) will be able to do it,
to be honest.
Vazquez
continued, “The more he tries the hold me down, the more
he’ll get beat up; and the more he tries to scramble, the
more likely he’s going to get caught.”
While
some may label some of Mendes’ previous performances as
dull, Vazquez isn’t going to let that happen in this fight
with so much at stake heading into the UFC-WEC merger.
“We’re
going to have an exciting fight, whether he wants it or not,”
exclaimed Vazquez. “The more he fights back, the more exciting
it’s going to be. If he doesn’t fight back, I’ll
just beat his ass.
“Obviously
the better performance I have the better the hype machine can
do its work when I get to the UFC. So I think it’s not only
important to win, but win impressively.”
After
a rough start to his WEC career, Vazquez looks to close it out
with three consecutive wins. He wants to earn his spot in the
UFC and make a run towards not only a title he’s longed
for, but also the respect he feels he deserves.
“Let
me thank Nutrition 4 Less, Tekin, and all my sponsors at JavierVazquez.tv,”
he closed out. “We’re going to be putting up video
stuff up on the site throughout the week of the experience leading
up to the fight.
“Thanks
a lot to all my fans, thanks for your support. I’m looking
to finish out a good 2010 with another win.”
Source: MMA Weekly |
Lyoto
Machida
TATAME
was in Belém and talked to Lyoto Machida about his next
fight on UFC. On November 20, the former champion will face Quinton
“Rampage” Jackson and talked about his trainings for
the bout. “I’m ready in every single aspect, on the
stand-up game, on the takedowns and on the ground game. We trust
our strong point, which is the Karate, but if we need I’ll
try to take him down and work on the floor… Quinton Jackson
will always want to exchange”, analyzed Lyoto. On the exclusive
chat, which you can read below, the Karate fighter commented
on the trainings on the United States, where he sparred with
Cain Velasquez, the new UFC heavyweight champion, talked about
the wish of winning the UFC belt again and a possible third fight
with Maurício Shogun, besides commenting the bout between
Anderson Silva and Vitor Belfort.
How
was this training on Saturday?
It
was calmer, because we set a pyramid on the days of the week
and the peak is on Friday, so on Saturdays and Sundays we take
it slower, exactly so I can recover myself for the following
week, when I’ll work really hard and there’ll be a
shock, it's practically the last week of hard trainings before
the fight, so we are doing a lighter work during the weekends,
with less pressure and requiring less of me, we worked a little
bit my boxing and my explosion… It was basically it.
You’ve
spent a little time on the United States recently and you have
trained with Cain Velasquez… How was it like?
It’s
not the first time I've trained on AKA, it’s the second
time I went to train there. I’ve spent three weeks training
there and I think it’s really important that you train along
with guys who are fighting on the same level as you, I don’t
underestimate the guys who are fighting on a national event,
but it’s good that you understand better how the Americans
are fighting, their game plans… We can’t underestimate
the Americans and others, like the Russians, who has great results
and sharp techniques, so it’s good to have these exchanges
and Velasquez was a nice guy to me from the start, he’s
shown me his game and since I left there I knew he had great
chances of becoming the champion.
You
are now here and you brought Glover and Pedro with you. How are
the trainings going?
Yeah,
the plan was for me to spend three weeks on AKA training and
then bring Pedro and Glover Teixeira with me to end my trainings
in Brazil with heavyweights so that I can work on my endurance,
my strength… We have good sparrings here, but most of them
are busy with events like Jungle, Platinum, and other events…
Glover will fight now on the 12th, but it’s a good thing
we’re fighting on the same weight class and so we push each
other a lot, we are rivals on the trainings, a healthy rivalry.
What
do you think about Glover? He’s a great fighter, but he’s
having some troubles with his visa, so he’s not able to
fight on bigger events, and you have never trained together…
How it’s been for you?
As
a person, he’s really humble, a good guy, he’s up to
anything, he does anything… Because he trains a lot, he’s
one of the great guys on our division because he has the weight
and he’s fast, he has good takedowns and boxing… For
me, especially for this fight, it was perfect because of his
boxing and Wrestling, everything I needed. I’m sure that
if he was on Ultimate he’d be fighting among the top 10
or top 5 of the division, and I cheer so that he can have this
opportunity on his career.
What
is your game plan this fight against Rampage Jackson?
Well,
I always think for a MMA fight, despite the specialties of each
fighter, you have to be prepared for anything, because we can
never know what the guy is up to. A guy who doesn’t know
how to kick may be kicking on the following fight, you can’t
tell for sure. The need leads the frog to a jump. We have many
examples of people who are good on areas that aren’t theirs
specialties: Georges St. Pierre has improved a lot his Wrestling,
people that didn’t kick are now kicking and so it goes…
I don’t underestimate any fighter. I think that, just as
I’m prepared for anything during the fight, so are they:
the stand-up game, the takedowns and the ground game. Of course
we have our game plan set, our strong point is Karate and the
exchanges, but if we need to use the other skills, we will do
the takedowns and the ground game that I train here with Valter
Broca, who’s a Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu black belt, graduated
by De La Riva, who always help me on this area.
Do
you think that Quinton Jackson might try to avoid the trade of
punches with you and will go for the takedowns?
I
think that Quinton Jackson always comes for the striking, independently
of his opponent, he always tries to impose his game, so it’ll
be up to me because he’ll try to use his boxing and I have
to try to block his game and impose mine.
What
do you think about what he has been saying? He has been talking
about you and saying you run away from the fights and stuff like
that… Does that bothers you at all or do you think it’s
just about promoting the fight?
No,
I think that each one has their own way of thinking; I think
Quinton is a great fighter, I respect him, he always does his
game and I try to do mine and keep improving so I can please
the audience and the fans all around the world because it’s
a part of MMA. We have to win and please the public and the fans
that cheer for you, you can’t do things on your own.
In
case you win, do you think you’ll have the title shot or
do you think Ultimate will put you against another guy before
having a title fight?
I
think one step at a time. People talk about Shogun and I don’t
keep thinking about Shogun, he’s long gone now. Now I have
to think about my next challenge because sometimes we keep thinking
about the future, but we can’t even make the next step,
so I think I have to be prepared and I can’t underestimate
anyone. Now I’ll have to face Quinton Jackson and there
are many factors to consider before I have a title shot. I think
it’s best for me to focus on this fight and I’ll welcome
whatever comes to me in the future.
Now
Shogun is the holder of the belt. Would you like to fight him
exclusively because of the title or you’d like to have one
more fight against him, since each of you have won once?
No,
I think that I’d like to confront Shogun, I don’t have
anything against him, I think he’s really respectful and
I have given many interviews saying he’s an example for
the sport. I’ve won one and he won another… II think
we have to fight one more time and it’s part of the natural
course, at the end of each one’s career and we’ll see
that we’ve all learned from it, it was a good thing for
all of us, and we’ll be please and friendly. We saw that
Jiu-Jitsu and Wrestling were enemies and now they’re not
anymore, so…
Jon
Jones and Ryan Bader are getting better each day and now they’ll
confront each other, but Dana White said that the winner will
not have the title shot yet. Do you think you might fight one
of them?
Of
course, I believe that this new generation is a really conditioned
generation, has begun to build the pillars for being a great
fighter and there’re great athletes that are popular and
now me, Rashad, Rampage and Shogun will have to face those guys.
You
have trained with Cain and you are friends of Cigano… What
do you think that their bout will be like?
I
think that Cigano is the only guys on the division currently
that have enough weapons to beat Velasquez because Cigano has
a good hand, is fast, he’s strong and you can tell that
by training with him, you can feel he’s huge, as strong
as Velasquez. Looking at them and their background, I think that
if the fight has one of two rounds, until three, Cigano has great
chances of winning this fight. But as the fight goes on, on the
fourth rounds we, that are strikers, begin to get slower, you
can watch my fights and his two… The explosion is smaller
on the fourth and fifth round, it’s normal, so it’s
more favorable to wrestlers, the guys who like to take us down…
I’m not saying he can’t get a knockout on the fourth
or fifth round, but you got it. But, on the beginning, both have
great chances, good hands and like I’ve said on the beginning,
I think that Cigano is the only guy who has enough weapons to
beat him. It’ll be a hard fight, hard to predict, a good
fight.
Another
fight that is been calling the fans attention is the bout between
Anderson and Vitor. I don’t know if you ever trained with
Vitor, but you always train with Anderson, and they’re both
excellent athletes… What do you think? People say thay Vitor
will be the toughest opponent to Anderson…
They’re
two experienced athletes, one is the champion and the other is
the challenger. I think that if the fight happens standing, despite
Vitor is fast, Anderson has many resources, so it’ll be
a fight that I think Anderson kicks best, but Vitor may punches
better. It’s hard to have an opinion on a title fight. Maybe
Anderson has more chances to win on the stand-up game, but Vitor
is not stupid either, he’s a guy who’ll try to impose
his game. I’ve trained with him and I know he has good hands
and a sharp ground game too, and it depends a lot on the day.
Whoever is best on the day of the fight, whoever is more prepared,
will win.
Thank
you a lot. Would you like to leave a message for TATAME’s
fans?
I’d
like to thank the opportunity of speaking and showing my trainings.
I think that winning and losing will always be a part of the
fighter’s life. The important is your attitude you have.
What we have today will end soon and there’ll be new fighters
and the cycle will renew at each generation, so we can’t
get stuck to things, we have to move on and people come and recognize
a lot my work. Please cheer for me on November 20, I’ll
be there representing Brazil again and raising our flag up high.
Source: Tatame
|
Two
fighters, one cage, one million
Following
two action-packed rounds of ADFC’s Mixed Martial Arts championship,
event-organizing company ISEE has officially announced March
11, 2011 as the date for Round three. The third round of the
championship will be headlined by the Open Wright GP final between
the two finalists, Marcos Oliveira and Shamil Abdurahimov. The
two contenders fought their way to the final round and will now
face off in March to see who will be the first fighter ever to
wear the ADFC title belt and walk away with one million dirhams,
the United Arab Emirates’ currency.
Of
the eight champions who initially fought at the inaugural ADFC
event, two remain, and the whole country sits in anticipation
of the outcome.
ADFC
continues to provide a platform for up-and-coming fighters to
exhibit their skills, as well as to give them a chance to rise
up the ranks of the championship and garner international exposure.
The
organization has compiled a talented list of fighters, both from
the Middle East region and from around the world who continue
to prove themselves in each event.
What’s
more, of these fighters are the two first-ever Emirati mixed
martial artists, both of whom have come in as victors in their
last fights.
Hassan
Al Rumaithi, the first Emirati mixed martial artist competed
in both round one and round two, easily defeating both opponents.
Ali Ahli, from Dubai, following in the footsteps of his Abu Dhabi
counterpart, becoming the second Emirati mixed martial artist
winning one as well, for he too defeated his Brazilian opponent
at round two last month.
The
final round, round three on March 11, will be the grounds for
the final fight, between Marcos Oliveira and Shamil “Rostov-on-Don”
Abdurahimov. Marcos is an Abu Dhabi-based Brazilian who teaches
Jiu-Jitsu in a school program. Shamil is a spiritual Russian,
known for training in the cold mountains of his homeland.
These
two giant forces will meet next year, and only one will walk
away donning the ADFC Title Belt and pocketing the one million-dirham
prize. In the meantime, I SEE is organizing amateur fight nights
at local outdoor clubs that will take place every few weeks and
which will feature local and regional amateur mixed martial artists.
The purpose of these fights is to screen fighters for upcoming
ADFC events and to build the roster of fighters who are talented
and need a platform to display this talent.
Source: Gracie Magazine
|
No-Gi
Worlds: On fire, Cyborg takes absolute
And
so the 2010 No-Gi Worlds is history, and a confident Roberto
Cyborg Abreu was again the standout at an IBJJF tournament, taking
the absolute and ultra heavy adult divisions and finishing the
season in a great fashion.
With
the No-Gi Worlds double victory tonight in Long Beach, California,
the Avengers team representative got his best career title so
far, but his winning streak has been impressive, as he also conquered
the Miami Open, the Honolulu Open and a number of Grapplers Quest
challenges in the second half of 2010.
The
other blackbelt open weight champions were Gracie Rio de Janeiro
representatives João Farias (master) and Jackson McVicker
(senior 1), and Paragon representative Ricardo Franjinha (senior
2).
Team
results (yet to be officially acclaimed by IBJJF):
Adult:
1- Checkmat – 53 pts
2- The Avengers – 49 pts
3- Ribeiro JJ – 38 pts
Master
and Senior:
1- Gracie Barra – 122 pts
2- Gracie Rio de Janeiro – 115 pts
3- Paragon – 58 pts
Female:
1- Gracie Rio de Janeiro – 43 pts
2- Checkmat – 21 pts
3- Lloyd Irvin – 18 pts
Juvenile:
1- American Top Team- 18pts
2- Claudio França – 15pts
3- Aloisio Silva – 13pts
Source: Gracie Magazine
|
No-Gi
Worlds update: The usual suspects win
Lucas
Lepri submitting Lucas Leite in 2008. This year, Alliance ace
choked Augusto Tanquinho.
The
adult blackbelt weight divisions are over and the winners are
– guess what? – the same ones as usual.
Pablo
Popovitch (The Avengers) keeps his three-year winning streak
intact by beating Daniel Moraes (Relson Gracie) in the medium
heavy final by 6 points.
American
Rafael Lovato (Ribeiro JJ) beat Gracie Barra comrades Flavio
Cachorrinho and Roberto Tussa to take the heavy, whilst Joao
Assis closed out the super heavy bracket with Marcus Bochecha
for Check Mat.
Roberto
Cyborg (The Avengers) proved he’s in fine form, winning
the ultra heavy and Gilbert Durinho (Atos) guillotined Tiago
Gomes (Barbosa) to conquer the middleweight division.
For
the second year in a row, Lucas Lepri (Alliance) took the lightweight
division by storm, this time submitting Augusto “Tanquinho”
(Soul Fighters) with a rear-naked choke.
Lovato’s
student Justin Rader (Ribeiro JJ) was the surprise winner of
the featherweight division, while Caio Terra (Gracie Fighter)
again dazzled at light feather, and Brandon Mullins (Gracie Barra)
took gold at rooster.
We
are still waiting on the absolute blackbelt divisional results;
partial official results here.
Source: Gracie Magazine
|
Aloha
State Championship
Kaiser High School, Honolulu, Hawaii
November 27, 2010
This
is the third leg of the Hawaii BJJ Triple crown.
The
event will offer prizes in cash for some divisions.
For
more info, go to hawaiitriplecrown.com.
Source: Romolo Barros
|
Scott
Coker has no immediate interest in Bellator, focused on booking
Melendez/Aoki II
By Zach
Arnold
With
all the hullabaloo about Bjorn Rebney and Bellator’s PR
staff publishing texts they allegedly sent Scott Coker asking
for a meeting to book a Bellator vs. Strikeforce themed-fight
show, I decided to go back to last Friday’s interview that
Mr. Coker did with Sherdog radio. On the show, the Strikeforce
CEO says he had not received any messages from Mr. Rebney.
INTERVIEWER:
“Yeah, maybe he’s texting the Fake Scott Coker. Maybe
he’s got it mixed up.”
SCOTT
COKER: “Maybe that’s what it is. I think that’s
probably what it is! You guys should say, hey, you got to stop
getting a hold of the Fake Scott Coker.”
INTERVIEWER:
“Scott, you know, you said something a moment ago, saying
well, if he’s serious about this, he needs to call me or
he needs to come down here (San Jose) and sit with me. It seems
like, you know, Bellator has more to gain than Strikeforce for
making this co-promotional fight happen. Is that sort of your
sense, too, you’re not going to go out of way to make this
happen, Bjorn has to come to you?”
SCOTT
COKER: “Let’s be honest. I understand why he wants
to do it so badly. I mean, you know, who is there left for Eddie
Alvarez to fight in Bellator that has any relevance?”
INTERVIEWER:
“No one really.”
SCOTT
COKER: “OK, so that’s why he wants to make this fight
happen. So, you know, we’re busy, guys. I mean we got some
great fights we’re going to put together next year. We got
a great fight with (Dan) Henderson and (Renato) Babalu on December
4th. I mean, we’re doing 18 fights next year, so I have
a very busy schedule and I have to, you know, try to, uh, you
know, make the Melendez-Aoki fight, number 2 fight happen in
Japan on New Year’s Eve, so, you know, we have a busy schedule
so if it’s that important to him, you know, he’s going
to have to make the effort. Just crying about it in the media,
to me that’s not an effort. That’s just trying to get
publicity for Bellator.”
INTERVIEWER:
“Yeah, you almost think, you know, this is a natural MMA
way of going about things, you go and cry on message boards to
get fights and stuff like that and for some reason MMA was like
the only sport that it actually worked in, you know.”
SCOTT
COKER: “Yeah, here’s the thing, you know, I think that
everybody knows that we’re straight-up people, straight-up
businesspeople and, you know, we run a real company and we’re
very busy. So, you know, if he wants to put it together, then
let’s have that conversation. But I’m not going to
do it through the media, I think that’s a mistake, you know,
and for him to say Hector Lombard saying he wants to fight Jacare,
and this and that, I mean, c’mon. That’s such…
you know, who’s left for Hector Lombard to fight in their
Middleweight division? I mean, I think that, you know… I
understand they’re running thin, so, I get it. But, you
know, go pick up the phone, give me a call, come out to San Jose,
do what you have to do, but, you know, I’m not going to
have, let’s have a conversation. He wants to have just,
you know, on a media site.”
INTERVIEWER:
“Yeah, Bjorn’s been saying a lot of things like he’s
confident in all of his champions against your champions and
why not do one big Bellator vs. Strikeforce card. Just hypothetically,
no business involved at all, how do you see your champions against
the Bellator champions?”
SCOTT
COKER: “Oh, c’mon, I feel like our guys can fight anybody
in the world. And you know what guys? We did. I mean, here’s
the thing is that you know when it was time for Aoki, who at
that time you know I think Gilbert handled Aoki very, very, uh,
uh, very easily, I think it was not even a tough fight for him,
but before the fight happened, you know, people there was a lot
of questions about what would happen and I think that when they
eventually fight, whether it’s on the 31st or some time
next year when they fight again in Japan and we can put that
fight together, I think people are going to have that question,
in the ring is it going to be different because Gilbert can’t
prop him up against the cage and use the cage as an apparatus,
you know, and when Aoki fought Kawajiri last time, he just looked
amazing and I just said, wow, this guy is, he looks back to form,
he looks very comfortable in the ring and very comfortable fighting
in Japan much more so than he did when he fought in Nashville.”
Honestly,
I have no idea why he is so focused about that re-match or what
there is to gain from it. It’s not as if there is huge demand
amongst Japanese MMA fans to see that match at this point. There’s
way more domestic interest in Bellator vs. Strikeforce fights
and probably more money to be made from it as well.
As
far as Strikeforce’s response to Bellator’s PR challenges,
it comes across as somewhat passive. So, if Scott Coker sees
himself as MMA’s Bob Arum and Dana White as MMA’s Don
King, what does that make Rebney? MMA’s version of, well,
Bjorn Rebney?
Source: Fight Opinion
|
Grappling
with Fate
by Brian Knapp
Only 13,000 documented cases of Behcet’s disease exist in
the United States, and one of them belongs to Neil Melanson,
the head grappling coach at Xtreme Couture Mixed Martial Arts
in Las Vegas.
The
rare autoimmune disorder has already left the 33-year-old Sturbridge,
Mass., native blind in one eye and deaf in one ear. He rises
each day knowing it has the potential to be his last with the
ability to see and hear. Chronic pain -- Behcet’s can result
in lesions and various ulcerations -- remains a constant companion
for Melanson, who, despite being born with the disease, spent
seven years in the Navy and also served as a post-9/11 federal
air marshal.
“It
causes inflammation, and that inflammation can lead to all these
different symptoms,” he says. “It’s a very painful
disease. There are a lot of people that it just destroys their
life.”
No
known cure exists for the disorder, and the effectiveness of
treatment can vary from person to person. In Behcet’s patients,
an overactive immune system fails to recognize various parts
of the body and attacks them as a result. Physical exhaustion
and stress can trigger flare-ups, some subtle and some severe.
“For
me, it’s blindness,” Melanson says. “It also affected
my hearing. I don’t hear very well at all. I can’t
watch TV without reading the captions.”
Melanson
went completely blind in both eyes for two months back in 2005.
Because Behcet’s was so uncommon, he had difficulty finding
doctors to diagnose and treat him. Desperation moved in. Eight
weeks felt like eight years.
“It’s
such a rare condition,” he says. “Until I went blind,
they had no idea what the hell was going on with me. That’s
when I got diagnosed. It took forever to find the right doctor.
I was going blind, and I had four specialists tell me, ‘There’s
nothing we can do.’”
At
the age of 28, he had resigned himself to the fact that he would
never see again. Few realities bite so deeply.
“I
remember calling my brother and telling him, ‘Hey, I’m
going blind,’” Melanson says. “He said, ‘OK,
I’m going to build you a room in my basement. Come stay
with me, and I’ll take care of you. We’ll figure out
what’s going to happen.’ At that point, I was planning
my life as a blind person.”
Someone
else was watching over Melanson, too.
“A
friend of mine just wouldn’t quit trying to find a doctor,
and he ended up finding this one that knew right away,”
he says. “That saved my ass.”
Had
Melanson’s condition gone untreated much longer, permanent
blindness would have set in, and life as he knew it would have
come to a standstill.
“Once
it’s triggered, the damage can be irreversible,” he
says. “Right now, I can drive. I can lead a normal life.
But if my disease were to trigger, there’s a chance my right
eye wouldn’t recover, and there’d be a massive lifestyle
change. I wouldn’t be able to do a lot of things for myself.”
Doctors
placed Melanson on Remicade, an experimental treatment for those
afflicted by Behcet’s. The drug, administered intravenously
every six weeks, worked wonders for him.
“Up
to the point when I got Remicade, no medication was working for
me,” he says. “It saved my life. All my symptoms went
away. My right eye came back, and I could live a decently normal
life.”
Still,
the threat of blindness hangs over him. Only his closest confidantes
-- professional fighter and wife Erin Toughill chief among them
-- understand how strongly that fear runs within him. It never
leaves.
“It’s
a big concern, and it’s a big worry,” Melanson says.
“It haunts me every day, unfortunately. My wife knows how
much it affects me, but with other people, I don’t really
let them know. I try not to talk about it too much. The chances
of me going blind are very significant. It’s very scary.”
As
one might suspect, the disease has thrown a wrench into his professional
life, as well.
Having
trained extensively under UFC veteran Karo Parisyan and famed
judo guru Gokor Chivitchyan at the Hayastan Studio in California,
Melanson arrived at Xtreme Couture in 2008. He has to strike
a constant balance between fulfilling his duties to one of the
world’s most prominent MMA gyms and keeping himself healthy
and out of harm’s way.
“I
still have a lot of pain problems,” Melanson says. “I
have to make sure I don’t get exhausted, and I’m subject
to infection, so I’ve got to make sure I don’t get
staph. I could never have a fighting lifestyle.”
A
former power lifter, he can no longer hit the weights, as the
risks associated with overexertion far outweigh the benefits.
Melanson even avoids jogging.
“I
can’t train too much,” he says. “I can grapple
a couple times a week, and I can teach, but I have to eat well
and sleep well and take very good care of myself. If I overtax
my body, I can get really, really sick. I have a very complicated
health lifestyle. I’m physically very sensitive to a lot
of things.”
Despite
his limitations, Melanson has earned the admiration and respect
of UFC hall of famer Randy Couture -- the man who pegged him
to replace 2007 Abu Dhabi Combat Club Submission Wrestling World
Championships winner Robert Drysdale at Xtreme Couture. The two
struck up an immediate kinship.
“I
have to make sure I don’t get exhausted, and I’m subject
to infection, so I’ve gotto make sure I don’t get staph.
I could never have a fighting lifestyle.”
-- Melanson on Behcet’s disease.
“I
love training Randy,” Melanson says. “I have a lot
of fun training him and working out with him. There are some
fighters there that I really like working out with. I was a good
grappler before I got here, but when you’re constantly going
against other good grapplers and other good fighters, your game
changes and adapts. I really feel like I’ve gotten so much
better technically.”
The
move to Xtreme Couture forced Melanson to expand his horizons
in teaching and coaching the martial arts.
“I’ve
learned how to coach different personalities, so it’s a
great learning experience,” he says. “We get people
from all over the world to come here. I hate Vegas, but I love
the gym. Every year I feel like I’m getting so much better,
as a coach, as a grappler. You can’t get that many places.”
Hurdles
in a gym of that size are many.
“It’s
not easy, though, learning the program at a gym like this because
there are a lot of tough guys who always want to challenge you,”
Melanson says. “You deal with a lot of egos and a lot of
attitude, but if you have a personality like me, you love challenges.
I wouldn’t want to go anywhere else.”
This
story originally appeared in Ultimate MMA magazine.
Source: Sherdog
|
After
UFC 121 Victory, Brendan Schaub Ready For Mir or Cro Cop, Not
Nelson
by Ken
Pishna
Brendan
Schaub rocks Gabe Gonzaga at UFC 121.
Only one man has ever defeated Brendan Schaub in his professional
mixed martial arts career. In eight attempts, one man has been
able to knock him off his pedestal. That one man is Roy Nelson.
So
Schaub is chomping at the bit to jump into the fight his training
partner, Shane Carwin, had to drop out of and face “The
Ultimate Fighter Season 10” winner, right?
Wrong.
When
Schaub played professional football for the Arena Football League’s
Utah Blaze, if his team got beat, he didn’t sit around waiting
for the opportunity to face that team again, he moved on trying
to get to the championship game.
He
takes the same approach in mixed martial arts. It’s not
about exacting revenge on a fighter that was able to best him
on one night; it’s about getting to the gold.
After
defeating Gabriel Gonzaga by decision at UFC 121 – it was
the first time in his career that a fight has gone outside of
the first round – Schaub is more focused than ever on the
UFC heavyweight championship.
But
he knows that’s not the next fight for him. He still has
a few more steps to take to be ready for the shot that he covets.
“If
the UFC calls, I’m up for whatever they ask me to do…
but I did say I think that next step up from Gonzaga would be
a guy like Frank Mir or (Mirko “Cro Cop” Filipovic).
For me, that’s kind of headed in the direction of getting
closer to the title. I don’t know that fighting a guy like
Roy does that. But whatever the UFC wants, I’m the guy,”
he said on MMAWeekly Radio.
“As
far as the redemption stuff, it doesn’t do it for me. I
am a different fighter now. I truly believe in my heart 100 percent
the outcome would be different between Roy and I. I would prefer
a bigger name like Frank Mir or Cro Cop.”
And
when Schaub mentions the names he does, it’s not because
he thinks they are a cakewalk to the title. Just the opposite,
he believes Frank Mir especially would present issues he’s
never had to face before.
“I
don’t know if you could say (Mir is) even a great match-up
for me. I just want to fight the toughest guys and the biggest
names and that’s what it’s about being in the UFC.
Beating a guy like Gonzaga, what’s the next step? Gonzaga
is as tough as they come. I don’t think he’s an easy
fight for any one.
“I’m
such a fan of Frank Mir and he poses such huge threats to me.
I’m trying to get better and the only way to get better
is knowing that I have to fight a guy like Frank Mir. That’s
the reason (I said I wanted to fight him).
“Frank
Mir is an absolute nightmare… stud jiu-jitsu guy and southpaw.”
Schaub
doesn’t yet know if Mir or Cro Cop or whomever is going
to be his next opponent, or when he’ll be called back into
action. In a perfect world, after four bouts in 10 months, he
says February or March of next year would be perfect timing for
him to recoup.
But
regardless of the when or the who, a gym rat at heart, Schaub
will be ready when the UFC comes calling.
Source: MMA Weekly
|
Rafael
Cavalcante
By Guilherme Cruz
Strikeforce light heavyweight champion, Rafael “Feijão”
Cavalcante accepted TATAME’s invitation and answered the
questions made by the subscribers of the best Brazilian magazine.
On the exclusive chat, the fighter talked about the beginning
of his martial arts career, his journey until the conquest of
the title, the main names he had to confront on his way up, and
a possible fight with the current champion of UFC, Maurício
Shogun, pointing out the best fighters on their weight division.
“I don’t see myself as the best in my division, I’m
far from it. I have to improve in many aspects so that I can
say it. For now we’ve been watching Shogun, who’s an
excellent fighter, a really tough guy. Minotouro, despite this
defeat, I see him as a complete fighter. I like Quinton Jackson
a lot too. There’re many, there are too many names on this
weight division”, said Feijão, explaining the origin
of his nickname, the importance of Jiu-Jitsu on MMA and making
it clear that still doesn’t think about fighting on UFC.
“They’re treating me kindly and I think there’re
still many good fights for me here. I’m fine where I am,
and we don’t change a winning team”, guarantees.
Why is your nickname Feijão? (Alisson Luis Souza Edson)
To tell you the truth, this is my brother’s nickname, and
since he was the oldest, people started calling me little Feijão
and so it is. On the gym, you know: if you don’t like a
name, that’s exactly what they’re going to call you
by.
One of the main difficulties of the fighters is the lack of motivation
to start and keep practicing martial arts. Where did you find
that motivation to start and maintain yourself on the fighting
business? (David Tiecher Santa Bárbara)
I’ve started training in central Sao Paulo, in the city
of Bauru, when I was 10 years old, already on Jiu-Jitsu, and
I’ve spent my college training, I’ve never stopped
training all my life and I think that was essential for me to
achieve it all in my career. I did veterinary medical school,
it’s a five years full-time college and, even on that period,
I always had a time to spend on the Jiu-Jitsu trainings, every
single day, and then I started including other martial arts.
This is the difficult part of being a fighter: the trainings.
The fight is the cool part. The training will request you much
things: a good mental state, so that you have a good psychological
preparation… Everything is based on the training you do.
On the medications and on your training.
Do you intend to make history on Strikeforce or do you want UFC
fame? (Luis Maluf, Alisson Luis Souza Edson, Glayson de Moura
Gandra e Riana Gabriella Rolim e Silva)
I intend to stay where I am, they’re treating me kindly
and I think there’re still many good fights for me here,
I can quote Dan Handerson, Babalu... They all have changed to
a heavier division and I’m fine where I am, and we don’t
change a winning team.
Did you change your game plan during the bout with King Mo? Why
didn’t you go for it right on the first round? (Juliano
Ajalla)
Exactly because of that, it wasn’t my original strategy.
Me and my coaches decided because we’ve watched his fights
and saw that his rhythm would decrease a lot after the second
round, so we decided to make him feel tired on the first round,
don’t give myself too much, and on the third round I’d
start to fight harder. That’s what I’ve done and, thanks
God, it worked out pretty well. What we’ve set as our game
plan worked.
What was the best and the worst moment on your fight against
Lawal? (Anderson Teixeira Bianchin)
I think there wasn’t a worst moment, everything was according
to the plan, I managed to study him a lot and I think that my
highest peak was that I did a good job on the takedown defenses
and my Muay Thai, which was very aggressive and functional. I
think that my best moment was on the exact moment I knew I could
attack him, I was happy. These were my best moments: both on
the takedown defenses and the fact I could dominate the fight
on the right moment. That was what made it work.
How is your Jiu-Jitsu? Do you think that Jiu-Jitsu is an essential
weapon for a MMA fighter? (Juliano Ajalla)
It’s essential, I can assure you. My Jiu-Jitsu is excellent.
Thanks God, I have great training partners. Minotauro, for his
fight in San Diego, stayed here with me, André Galvão,
Jacaré… So it’s enough good people along with
me. My Jiu-Jitsu is excellent, that’s so that I was decided
to go for the ground game with him. I just didn’t do it
because he was on my guard, he wanted to sew up so that he could
hit me. I would do the ground game the way I wanted or I wouldn’t
do it at all.
How was the feeling of conquering Strikeforce’s belt? What
does this title means to you? (Sandro Lacerda)
For me, it’s a great thing, it’s another goal conquered,
among many others that will come, but the important is this journey
that we’ve been through, everything we learn from our fights,
on the 16 years I’m here in Rio de Janeiro, all this time,
all the friends I’ve made, all the wins, the loses, what
I’ve learned from my defeats, what I’ve learned with
my triumphs… That’s what is most important to me, all
this road. The important is the learning, I always say it. To
me, the belt is important, but it came from another win, another
fight I did, won and learned from it.
Conquering a belt is always a difficult thing, but to keep it
for long is even harder… How is your mind now that you’re
the “man to be beat”? (Sandro Lacerda)
So, I’ll always keep doing my part: staying in a good shape
and ready for anything. I always train, I watch the fights of
my weight class, I’m a very strategic guy, I watch a lot
my opponent, I study his weak point, you can be sure of it. I’m
doing my part and you can be sure that each time I’m up
there, I’ll bring you my best performance and I’ll
give a great show for Brazilians to watch.
What is it you must do in order to maintain your belt? Who is
the toughest opponent on your weight class? (Riana Gabriella
Rolim e Silva)
I believe that I have to do what I already were doing: keep my
focus, train it all, train hard, stay disciplined and always
have God aside me. I think that’s the premise of a champion.
There’re many tough opponents… There’s Dan Handerson,
Babalu, Mousasi, many tough guys.
How were your trainings for the fight and what is the difference
of training on the same team as Anderson, Minotauro, Jacaré
and many other great names, like yourself? (Sandro Lacerda)
I think it makes a whole difference. If you have trainings along
with guys of this level, you get on the fight and you won’t
feel pressured in any way. You train with many athletes who are
great on the ground game, on the stand-up game, so it’s
hard to be surprised because you are ready for the worst. I always
have this thought in mind: I prepare myself for the worst possibility.
I can’t train only my strong point, I can’t be good
only on my strong points. The tough part is being good on your
weak point. That’s what I train, I expose myself the most
on the trainings, I train the positions so I won’t go through
it during the fight. The good thing about training in a great
team is that it makes the difference. You train along with champion,
so you have to become one or you can’t handle it.
You belong to a great team of fighters, and we know that, sometimes,
you fight for real. There was any situation on which you left
the training injured or being knocked out? (Omar Santos Oliveira)
Well, right when I got to Rio de Janeiro, on my third or fourth
training with Rogério Minotouro, he broke my nose. I had
some injuries like cuts on my eyebrow, but I’ve never had
any big injury, I’ve broken my nose, eyebrow and these things.
What is your advice for a fighter who wants to conquest a title?
(Sandro Lacerda)
I think that the first thing is discipline, focus, knowing what
you want and go for it, really go for it. There’ll be many
obstacles and many things stopping you from getting to where
you want to be. It’s the same for any kind of job you chose
or anything in your life. Discipline and, if you want to become
the best, train with the bests and make it worth you vacancy.
Train, eat, and dedicate yourself. That’s what I do: dedication,
discipline and focus.
Who is your MMA idol? (Glayson de Moura Gandra e Sandro Lacerda)
I have several... Rodrigo is my idol, Anderson... I have many
idols and the chance to train with them. That’s excellent
to me. There’re some guys, like Minotouro… Most of
them train with me, so it’s even better. Randy Couture is
an idol and an example of a good fighter. I see the fighter as
a full person, not only inside the ring, but I see the person,
how does they act outside the rings, their attitude as a fighter,
I see them all, so I like these people.
I believe that every athlete sights the challenge. What is your
challenge currently and what motivates you on MMA? (Sandro Lacerda)
I push myself a lot. My demand is the greatest, so besides wanting
to maintain myself as the belt holder, I want to improve my technique.
I always try to get better each time I go to a fight, physically
and the techniques too… I’m training to improve and,
thanks God, and getting it and, by getting it, the wins are coming
my way, and they’re the result of my work. With my physical,
technical and psychological improvement, the win comes.
Do you consider yourself the best of you weight division? (Leonardo
Costa Sousa)
No, I don’t see myself as the best in my division, I’m
far from it. I have to improve in many aspects so that I can
say it. That’s what I’m saying: I have to improve each
day. There are many good fighters on this weight division, and
I don’t think there’s one who’s the best. For
now we’ve been watching Shogun, who’s an excellent
fighter, a really tough guy. Minotouro, despite this defeat,
I see him as a complete fighter. Unfortunately he didn’t
win this last fight, but I’d like to see him facing other
guys. Unfortunately the mashups weren’t good for him. He
could have fought better guys, like the ones who were picked
but then the fights were canceled. I like Quinton Jackson a lot
too. There’re many, there are too many names on this weight
division. It’s the toughest division.
Would you accept a unification of the belt against Shogun? What
game plan would you use to beat him? (Glayson de Moura Gandra
e Riana Gabriella Rolim e Silva)
My game plan would be to trade some punches, despite he’s
a good exchanger too. I’d follow my game and I’d be
a great fight. He’s a very aggressive and so do I, so it’d
be a war: who punches more, cries less. For sure it’d be
a beautiful fight to watch.
Does the fact you are the favorite might interfere in your performance?
(Sandro Lacerda)
No. It has never affected me. On the title fight I didn’t
feel this pressure. It’s like I’ve told you: the important
thing for me is my next bout. When I fight again, I’ll see
it as my next fight, not a fight on which I’ll be defending
the belt. I’ll think about my next opponent. Whatever happens
after that is just a consequence.
What is your opinion about UFC’s owner putting Brazilians
to confront each other? Don’t you think it should be Americans
versus the world? (Bruno Henrique Machado Freitas)
Yes,
for sure. I think it’s a strategy to decrease the number
of Brazilians on the top. I’m sure it’s something like
it, and I think they should put the Brazilians to face other
guys... There are many fights they could match… When they
come to an end, like Shogun and Lyoto, it’s ok… Both
are going to dispute the title, but before that there’s
no need.
Source: Tatame
|
Lesnar
vs. Lesnar
By Jake Rossen
The
talk about Frank Mir taking on Brock Lesnar for a third time
and the divide it’s created among “learned” and
casual fans reminds me a lot of the Ken Shamrock/Tito Ortiz series
of 2006. In both cases, fans with a good working knowledge of
the sport fell asleep at the prospect; less devoted spectators
got excited. In the end, Shamrock/Ortiz II and III delivered
terrific business for the UFC. Lesnar/Mir III would undoubtedly
do the same. Money usually trumps imagination.
This is not intended to compare a geriatric Shamrock to Mir,
who is still very capable. But with either fight, there’s
not really much suspense in an outcome. Lesnar is the worst possible
opponent for Mir, a wrecking ball of a wrestler who has the ability
to easily plant Mir on his back and pound away. Unless Lesnar’s
confidence is at an all-time low following the Cain Velasquez
fight, it’s likely not going to be any different. And it’s
unlikely to teach us (or Lesnar) anything new about his abilities.
To
his credit, Lesnar seems to recognize this. According to Bryan
Alvarez of Figure Four Weekly, his camp is requesting Roy Nelson
as his next opponent. It’s a perfect solution: Nelson is
capable on the feet without being as savage as Velasquez or Shane
Carwin, which will allow Lesnar to get some stand-up ring time
in. And on the ground, he’s a highly capable jiu-jitsu threat
with more durability than Mir.
Where
Nelson falls short is selling as many tickets as Mir. That should
be OK. Rather than perceive the Mir fight as a missed opportunity,
the UFC should realize that Lesnar growing as a fighter means
more fights -- and more money -- in the long term.
Source: Sherdog
|
Urijah
Faber Would Love A Shot At Coaching The Ultimate Fighter
by Damon
Martin
The merger between the UFC and the WEC is expected to bring the
featherweights and bantamweights to a whole new level of popularity
and exposure, and one of the best ways to realize that will be
when the first class of 145-pound or 135-pound fighters make
their way to “The Ultimate Fighter” reality show.
The
long running Spike TV series has been a launching pad for numerous
UFC fighters, while also propelling the coaches into the spotlight.
Many have found new success while a few others have become infamous
villains for their role on the show, but no matter how you cut
it “The Ultimate Fighter” shines a very bright light
on all those involved.
One
person who would jump at the chance to be the first WEC crossover
fighter to take a shot at coaching on the show is former featherweight
champion Urjiah Faber. Leading his own Team Alpha Male in Sacramento,
Calif., Faber already has a reputation for building some of the
best featherweights and bantamweights in the world.
“I’d
love to do that,” Faber said about coaching on the show.
“I think I really enjoy (it) on some level. I’m not
the guy that’s coaching my guys individually every day,
but I give a lot of talks on mentality and things like that.
I’ve got a ton of knowledge, I think it would be awesome
to be an ‘Ultimate Fighter’ coach.”
Faber
also just happens to be the WEC’s most popular and well-known
fighter and would likely fit in right away with “The Ultimate
Fighter” format.
The
“California Kid” has brought up many fighters into
the WEC already, such as Joseph Benavidez and current featherweight
contender Chad Mendes. Faber has also taken on many projects
for fighters he hopes will make their way into the UFC, including
2010 NCAA championship runner-up wrestler Lance Palmer from Ohio
State University.
Dana
White has stated they would “absolutely” do an “Ultimate
Fighter” show with the new weight classes, and while season
13 casting is already underway for welterweight and middleweight
cast members, it wouldn’t be a stretch to think the 14th
installment could introduce featherweights and/or bantamweights.
Faber’s
inclusion could bring a similar level of popularity to the show
just as many UFC fighters have done in the past. Coaching opposite
someone like current WEC champion Dominick Cruz with a title
fight at the end of the season could be a perfect scenario for
the show.
First
though, Faber has to get past Japanese heavy hitter Takeya Mizugaki
at WEC 52 on Nov. 11 if he hopes to maintain the headline status
he would need to go into a coaches role on “The Ultimate
Fighter.”
Source: MMA Weekly
|
Mike
Swick Sore, but Optimistic After Experimental Treatment
By Ben
Fowlkes
Two days after undergoing an experimental treatment for his ongoing
esophageal issues, UFC welterweight Mike Swick told MMA Fighting
on Thursday that he's "optimistic" about his fighting
future for the first time in a long time.
"I
can tell already from waking up this morning that it's already
improving," Swick said. "Pretty much, the way it was
before I woke up miserable every day."
Swick
said it will still be a few more days before he knows for sure
whether the botox injection in his esophagus had the desired
effect of paralyzing his esophageal muscles in order to stop
the spasms. While the treatment, which involved probing into
his throat while he was sedated but semi-conscious, was "not
super-pleasant," he said, things are already looking up.
"It's
hard to tell yet how effective it was. It's getting better, and
I can already tell it's better than it was before, but I have
to wait for the swelling to go down so I can see how much back
to normal my throat really is."
The
tricky part is, Swick has already agreed to face David Mitchell
at the UFC's 'Fight for the Troops 2' event, tentatively planned
for Jan. 22, so it isn't as if he has a lot of time for failed
treatments before he has to get back into training. When asked
if he considered waiting until he knew the results of his treatment
before signing on for his next bout, Swick laughed before saying,
"Yeah, that was a thought."
"But
no, I've fought like this for the last four years, so I know
I'm able to," he continued. "It just comes down to,
how healthy am I going to be able to get? Am I going to be 100%?
Hopefully. But even if not, I can already tell I'm going to be
better."
If
the procedure proves completely ineffective, he said, and if
he can't get any relief leading up to the bout, his ability to
push through it anyway might help him decide on the future of
his career in MMA.
"Worst
case, if it doesn't get any better and the medicine isn't helping
at all, that fight [against Mitchell] might be determining whether
I can even fight anymore. But I don't see that being an issue.
After my last fight, that's what I was scared of. I actually
had the thought that I wouldn't fight again. Being able to get
this chance again, it's kind of like a rebirth."
For
now, Swick said, he's resting at home, playing online poker in
between naps, and hoping for the best in the coming days.
Source: MMA Fighting
|
Unfortunate
is Ed Soares’ favorite word
By Zach
Arnold
He
feels Chael Sonnen’s pain, he really does. From last Friday’s
Sherdog radio show:
INTERVIEWER:
“You know, what do you think about this whole situation
that’s going on? Kind of crazy, huh?”
ED
SOARES: “You mean is there something new that came up?”
INTERVIEWER:
“No, there’s nothing new. He hasn’t said anything.
Obviously, his hearing’s coming up.”
ED
SOARES: “Let me say, I’ll be honest with you. I sincerely
feel bad for Chael. I do. People are like, oh, yeah, sure you
do. I really do. Chael’s not a bad guy, man. He did a great
job marketing the fight. I think he may have crossed some lines
sometimes but, hey, it is what it is. Sometimes people let their,
you know, emotions get the best of everyone. They get the best
of every single person out there. Sometimes you get caught up
in a moment and you might do things that you regret but I really
feel bad for Chael because, again, he’s a good dude. Even
though we fight against each other, I feel like we’re all
on the same team, we’re all here presenting MMA, we’re
all here trying to make this sport bigger and get better and
it’s just a shame to see a guy put on such a great performance
against the greatest fighter on the planet right now and then
this comes out and it’s just unfortunate. It’s unfortunate
not only for him, mostly for him, but it’s unfortunate for
everybody. It’s unfortunate for the UFC. It’s unfortunate
for us. The [rematch] would have been a big fight, it would have
bene a big PPV, a lot of people are lsoing money from it especially
Chael. Plus, he’s losing his credibility which, his best
performance of his life, is now tarnished. It’s such a shame.”
INTERVIEWER:
“Now, do you think with all this happening, do you think
it was actually better for Anderson Silva or does it even matter?
I mean, because, a lot of people are saying now, well, Chael,
the reason why he fought so well was, you know, because he was
on steroids, blah blah blah.”
ED
SOARES: “Well, I mean, there are a lot of variables. He
was on steroids, he fights that well against Anderson because
Anderson was hurt, I mean, all these different things, I mean
only God knows, you know. Regardless of what it was, it was what
it was, man, you know. He put on a good performance and now it’s
tarnished. That’s the fact, you know.”
Nate
Marquardt recently was quoted in The Las Vegas Sun newspaper
as saying that he doesn’t care if his opponents use steroids
or not. Given all of the discussion about steroid usage in MMA,
it was ironic that UFC busted a fight for the second time on
a UK card for Stanozolol. (The other was Chris Leben, who’s
DUI arrest apparently has not gotten his upcoming fight booking
canceled.)
Source: Fight Opinion
|
Shogun
Rua's Trainer Survives Recent Gunshot to Head, Will Fight Nov.
8
By Mike
Chiappetta
Andre "Dida" Amade has a tattoo on his arm that reads
"Divine Protection," and the Dream veteran and K-1
fighter must have felt that someone from above was looking over
him after he recently survived a gunshot to the head.
Dida,
who has a 6-5-1 record in MMA and has faced notables including
Eddie Alvarez, Gesias "JZ" Calvancante and KJ Noons,
was one of two men shot in Toronto on Oct. 20, just in front
of a gym, Toronto MMA . The bullet grazed his head and required
10 stitches to close, according to Brazilian site Portal do Vale
Tudo.
Dida
returned to training three days later, and plans to go through
with his K-1 Max matchup against Hinata on Nov. 8.
"For
everyone who supports me, rest assured because I am well trained
and will give my best to represent Brazil and people that support
me," he told Portal do Vale Tudo. "The fact that occurred
did not remove me from my goal, only made me stronger. I thank
God for being alive and for allowing me to continue my path."
In
addition to being a fighter himself, Dida is an important piece
of UFC light-heavyweight champion Mauricio "Shogun"
Rua's training camp as his muay thai trainer.
Rua,
meanwhile, continues to recover from knee surgery that has him
out until at least spring 2011.
Source: MMA Fighting
|
Shamrock
to Headline KOTC’s African Debut
by Mike Whitman
King
of the Cage will add another continent to its list of places
visited when the organization makes its African debut on Nov.
25.
KOTC
“Platinum,” which goes down at the Durban International
Convention Centre in Durban, South Africa, will be headlined
by a heavyweight tilt between UFC Hall of Fame member Ken Shamrock
and Mike “The Rhino” Bourke.
Once
truly deserving of his “World's Most Dangerous Man”
moniker, Shamrock has done it all in the world of mixed martial
arts. A former King of Pancrase, Shamrock entered the realm of
no holds barred in 1993, when he stepped into the first Ultimate
Fighting Championship tournament, losing to Royce Gracie in his
second fight of the evening. Shamrock's UFC career was far from
over, however, as he would go on to defeat such notable competitors
as Dan Severn, Kimo Leopoldo and Brian Johnston. The Lion's Den
founder also made a run in Pride Fighting Championships, providing
fans with one of the most memorable fights in the sport's history
in a gutsy losing effort against Don Frye in 2002.
Shamrock
has fallen on hard times since 2005, however, as he has lost
six of his last eight bouts. The two victories in that span were
a first-round armbar submission over belated super heavyweight
Ross Clifton last year and a unanimous decision over journeyman
heavyweight Johnathan Ivey last month.
Bourke
is a KOTC veteran who began his career in 1999. Though “The
Rhino” experienced mixed results earlier in his career,
like Shamrock, he's been on a skid as of late. Bourke has lost
eight of his last nine fights, not including a no-contest in
May of 2005. He's shared the ring with several famous fighters,
including David “Tank” Abbott and Alexander Otsuka.
Source: Sherdog
|
Reilly
Re-Elected In New York; UFC Supported Politicians Reid And Cuomo
Win
by Damon
Martin
If
mixed martial arts is going to get sanctioned in New York, the
sport will still have to go through the opposition of New York
State Assemblyman Bob Reilly, who won his re-election campaign
on Tuesday night.
Reilly,
the incumbent on the ticket, defeated Republican opponent Jennifer
Whalen by a margin of 577 votes, with 100% of the precincts reporting
in.
Reilly
has been staunch opposition for mixed martial arts gaining sanctioning
in the state, going as far as distributing literature to other
members in the assembly, and openly campaigning against the sport
being legalized in the state.
“I
think that (MMA) basically is a glorification of violence, but
it certainly promotes violence,” Reilly told MMAWeekly.com
in a 2009 interview. “In itself, I think it’s a very
brutal sport that creates, obviously, physical harm to the participants,
and I don’t think there’s any other sport who’s
purpose is to harm your opponent. But we know that in mixed martial
arts, that, in fact, is one of the purposes.”
A
member of the New York State Assembly’s Tourism, Arts and
Sports Development Committee, Reilly has long stood against the
sport, and it’s doubtful he’ll be changing his mind
when the next session takes up following the Tuesday elections.
While
Reilly’s victory may be a slight setback for MMA in the
state of New York, the election of new Governor Andrew Cuomo
may bring better results in the long run for the sport’s
sanctioning in the state. While Cuomo hasn’t stated his
opinion on the sport of MMA one way or another, Zuffa officials
felt strongly enough about the Democratic candidate to contribute
upwards of $75,000 to his campaign.
Zuffa
however did not contribute anything to his opponent and eventual
runner-up, Republican Carl Paladino.
In
other election news, Senator Harry Reid, who UFC president Dana
White openly campaigned for, was re-elected defeating Republican
Sharron Angle in Nevada. Several MMA fighters including former
UFC champions Frank Mir and Randy Couture spoke out in support
of Reid leading up to the election.
It
will be Reid’s fifth term in Nevada’s Senate seat,
where he serves as the senior United States Senator.
Source: MMA Weekly
|
The
MMA Mindset: Teacher’s Edition
by Cameron Conaway
High
school hallways throughout America are filled with young men
sporting Tapout apparel and Chuck Liddell-inspired Mohawks.
A
Monday morning conversation between students during homeroom
may start with: “Did you watch the UFC on Saturday?”
This is just the surface. It goes much deeper. The student with
a tuba strapped across his back will surprise you when he says,
“I think Diego Sanchez should stay at 155.” And then
there’s the shy young woman who sits in the back of the
class and rarely raises her hand; she has a picture of UFC welterweight
champion Georges St. Pierre taped to the front of her homework
folder.
There’s
a good chance that when male students say the word “triangle”
they’re referring to the choke and not their geometry homework.
High schools in Arizona are this way. So are those in Pennsylvania.
One can assume it’s the same everywhere in between. Even
high school students on remote Native American reservations speak
of mixed martial arts. The sport is like some wild root that
a farmer used to spend time chopping until he realized he couldn’t
stop it, until he realized it might actually be useful to let
it go and let it grow.
Prison
personnel will tell you that what happens inside the prison mimics
what happens on the outside of the prison. Lady Gaga is a hit
on the outside; she’ll be a hit on the inside. As a certain
illegal drug gains popularity on the outside, its use will increase
on the inside. Despite what some students say, schools do not
offer the constant isolation of imprisonment. If walls and bars
can’t stop something in the masses from spreading, certainly
schools can’t either. Teachers know this, and they use this.
They’ve adapted over the years and have integrated technology
into the classroom, from touch-screen answer pads and remote-controlled
clickers to magic boards that erase themselves and student-led
blog assignments.
Some
teachers spend time listening to pop music or watching reality
television just so they can relate to their students. Teachers
aren’t great simply because they’re masters of their
subject matter. They’re great because they can relate. Being
a successful teacher means being able to relate to the world
of students. William Shakespeare scholars may know everything
about the bard, but if they can’t communicate their knowledge
in an interesting, relevant and fun way, their knowledge will
remain trapped inside of them and will be worthless to their
students.
MMA
is booming, so teachers are increasingly using MMA as a vehicle
to spark the interest that sparks the discussion that sparks
the learning. From MMA can come discussions about gender and
race identity, the ethics of sport, the value of fitness, alternative
lifestyles, pursuing dreams and motives, media and marketing,
the list could go on and on:
•
When Quinton “Rampage” Jackson said, “black-on-black
crime,” what did he mean by this? Where did the idea of
black-on-black crime come from?
•
When GSP said, “I am a martial artist. He is not. He probably
doesn’t understand the meaning of this. After the fight,
I guarantee he will,” what did he mean? Aren’t all
fighters martial artists?
•
Why isn’t women’s MMA as popular as men’s MMA?
What would you say to the critics who believe women should not
be allowed to fight?
•
Is MMA marketed towards a particular audience? Why or why not?
What type of commercials air in between the fights?
•
Should congenital amputee Kyle Maynard be allowed to fight?
•
Why might becoming an MMA champion be a person’s ultimate
dream?
•
Should the sport be illegal? Why or why not?
•
Why are you wearing a Tapout T-shirt? Can the clothes we choose
to wear be considered a political act?
Some
people are salaried teachers, but everybody -- to an extent --
is a teacher. Those who still ask questions even though they
have their own answers are teachers. Those who listen to a new
perspective -- those who listen period -- are teachers.
MMA
allows us endless opportunities for interesting discussion. Tomorrow
at work, open up a can of discussion on your co-workers. See
what happens.
Cameron
Conaway, NSCA-CPT, CMMACC, was the 2007-2009 Poet-in-Residence
at the University of Arizona’s MFA Creative Writing Program.
He is the author of “Caged: Memoir of a Cage-Fighting Poet,”
(forthcoming Fall 2011 from Tuttle Publishing) which has received
endorsements from UFC Hall of Famer Ken Shamrock, BJJ legend
Saulo Ribeiro and writers Glen Cordoza and Dinty W. Moore. He’s
2-1 as a mixed martial artist. Visit www.CameronConaway.com for
more information.
Source: Sherdog
|
FOR
IMMEDIATE RELEASE: October 19, 2010
KALA “KOLOHE”
HOSE TO DEFEND HIS HOME
AGAINST
INVASION AS X-1 PRESENTS
“ISLAND PRIDE”
November 6, 2010
Blaisdell Arena
Light
heavyweight title tourney final to commence
Honolulu,
HI (USA): World class fight promotion X-1 World Events is proud
to bring its next exciting fight card to Hawaii as they present
“ISLAND PRIDE,” live on Saturday, November 6th, at
the Neal S. Blaisdell Arena in Honolulu. This incredible night
of action will feature local fight legend Kala “Kolohe”
Hose in the main event, as he battles extremely tough and experienced
Mexican fighter Edwin “Tigre” Aguilar. In the co-main
event, the X-1 Light Heavyweight Championship tournament will
come to a finish, as Island favorite Po’ai Suganuma and
Korea native San Soo Lee will lock horns with the belt on the
line. Also on the card will be Strikeforce fighter Lolohea Mahe,
as he makes his return to X-1. Local fight fans won’t want
to miss this night of bone-crunching KO’s, slick submissions,
and electrifying finishes!
This
event will also be shown live on Pay Per View on all inner islands.
The undercard will begin at 5:30 PM, and the main card is scheduled
to start at 7 PM. Ticket prices for “ISLAND PRIDE”
include $35 for riser seats, $50 for floor seats, $70 for second
row seats, and $100 for front row seats. Please see http://www.x1events.com/
for more ticket information.
Kala
“Kolohe” Hose (7-4, seven KO/TKOs) is a fighter known
for his devastating knockout power, and has garnered a reputation
as one of the toughest Island fighters active today. In August
of 2008, he claimed the ICON Middleweight title with an exciting
TKO victory over current UFC fighter Phil Baroni that was lauded
by MMA fans for its great action. A veteran of Superbrawl and
EliteXC, Hose will look to rebound from a disappointing fourth-round
submission loss to X-1 Middleweight Champion Falaniko Vitale
during the most recent X-1 event, “HEROES.” During
his career, he’s faced UFC veterans such as Baroni, Vitale,
“Mayhem” Miller, and Reese Andy. Now, he will take
on the ultra-tough Edwin “Tigre” Aguilar. This knockout
specialist has claimed 16 of his 21 career victories via TKO/KO,
and with “Kolohe” standing on the other side of the
cage, someone is bound to get knocked out in this one!
In
addition, X-1 fans will finally find out who the X-1 Light Heavyweight
Champion will be, as the tournament will come to a close at “ISLAND
PRIDE.” Former EliteXC headliner and Hawaii native Poai
Suganuma (11-3) will tackle the challenge brought by extremely
tough South Korean SpiritMC veteran Sang Soo Lee (15-9) with
championship glory at stake. Suganuma defeated Greg Schmitt via
unanimous decision in the first round of the tournament to advance
to the semi-finals. There, he knocked out Vitaly Shemetov in
just over a minute to gain a spot in the final round. Now he
faces Lee for the belt. The Korean knocked out Daniel Madrid
with a beautiful right hand in the opening round of the tourney,
which allowed him to move on to the second round. In his second
tourney fight, Lee took a unanimous decision victory over California’s
Roy Boughton, which thrust him into the title finals. Now, Suganuma
and Lee will tangle to show who the real champion is.
“ISLAND
PRIDE” is also proud to present a returning local favorite
in Lolohea Mahe. Mahe is coming off a two-fight stint in Strikeforce,
and is looking to rebound in the promotion that helped launch
him. A two-time X-1 veteran, Mahe is determined to prove he belongs
on the big stages of MMA. In addition, “ISLAND PRIDE”
will present two state championship fights, with the 155 lb.,
and 145 lb. state title belts all on the line.
“What
an incredible night of fights this should be!” exclaimed
Mike Miller, Owner/Promoter of X-1 World Events. “We’re
proud to bring back Kolohe, who has a tough task on his hands
with ‘Tigre’ Aguilar. Then we finally get to see who
the next X-1 Light Heavyweight Champion will be, and we’re
also glad to see Lolohea Mahe back in X-1. Local fight fans are
in for an awesome night!”
Here
is the fight card as it stands now:
185
lb. Main Event:
Kala
“Kolohe” Hose (7-4) vs. Edwin “Tigre” Aguilar
(21-15-0-1)
X-1
Light Heavyweight Championship tournament (final round):
Poai Suganuma (HI) (11-3) vs. Sang Soo Lee (S. Korea) (15-9)
Heavyweight:
Lolohea
Mahe (4-2-1) vs. Jake Faagai (1-1)
X-1
155 lb. State Title:
Bryson
“The Kid” Kamaka (11-17) vs. Max “Lil’ Evil”
Holloway (0-0)
X-1
145 lb. State Title:
Sadhu
Bott (4-0) vs. Dustin Kimura (3-0)
135
lbs.:
Matt
Comeau (6-3) vs. Van Oscar Penovoraff (3-1)
185
lbs.:
Collin
Mansanas (2-0) vs. Delbert Grace (3-1)
180
lbs.:
Evan
Lowther vs. Michael Brightmon (10-4)
About
X-1 World Events
Founded
in 2004 by Mike Miller, X-1 World Events is a world-class mixed
martial arts (MMA) promotional company based in Honolulu, HI.
Locally-owned and operated, X-1 delivers exciting live arena-based
entertainment events to fight fans all over the islands. The
events feature some of the MMA world’s most talented fighters,
including UFC, Pride, and Abu-Dhabi veterans such as former UFC
champions Dan “The Beast” Severn and Ricco Rodriguez,
UFC veterans Jeff Monson, Kimo Leopoldo, Chad “The Grinder”
Reiner, “Sugar” Shane Nelson, Brandon Wolff, Wes “The
Project” Sims, Ronald “The Machine Gun” Juhn,
Wesley “Cabbage” Correira, and Falaniko Vitale, as
well as Pride veterans Chris Brennan and Ron “H2O-Man”
Waterman. X-1 World Events can be found online at http://www.x1events.com/
Source: X1 World Events
|
MAN-UP
& STAND-UP
WAIPAHU FILCOM CENTER
SATURDAY NOV 6
DOORS OPEN AT 6:00
Awwwwhhhhh
yeah, this updated card has way more fire power than the previous
card that was just posted last week. Man-up & Stand-up has
added Eric “The Executioner” Edwards against North
Shore’s finest Jarren Kauwalu in a title for title match.
Eric the super heavyweight champion will face off against the
king of the giants champion Jarren. Both fighters are over 210
lbs, both fighters can bang, and both fighters wanna leave the
ring with two belts around their waist on Nov 6. Will Jarren
be able to put an end to Eric’s winning streak with his
stick and move style. Or will the Executioner Edwards turn Jarren
into one of his statistics. The North Shore boy turned his last
opponent into a punching back in the third round by tiring him
out in the first and second. Will Jarren be able to out condition
Eric or will the Man-up & Stand-up fans find out the reason
why Eric Edwards is called THE EXECUTIONER. What does executioner
mean anyway? The fans wanna know, Man-up & Stand-up wanna
know. Does Jarren wanna know? Well hopefully on Nov. 6, this
question will be answered.
Also
added, Man-up & Stand-up will have a team vs team match with
Laupahoehoe MT going up against Tiger MT. Das right Muay Thai
at its best. The last time these two met in a team competition.
Laupahoehoe walked away with the bragging rights. 2 years ago
when these two met, Tiger’s fighters were new to competition
but now they feel that Nov 6 will have a different story. Laupahoehoe
will bring their fists, their knees and their razor sharp shins
to the ring to prove that it’s the same story but with a
different cover. This will be traditional muay thai rules without
the elbows. Bruises will form, blood will flow, bodies will fall
(BWF). That’s just how its done here on Man-up & Stand-up.
Man-up
is sorry we couldn’t get all of the fighters on this event
but not to worry their will be another one in the making very
soon. Thank you to all of the supporters of this event. Nov 6
at the Filcom will be one not to miss. It has everything you
can possibly ask for in an end of the year/ stand-up action/
championship show. Be sure to check out the new clips of some
of the fighters on next weeks write up.
GRUDGE MATCHES
KAMAKANI WAIALAE
65
KAENA DESANTOS
MATT STONE
220
DUSTIN CALLASTRO
NICK RIVERA
185
MIKE ELI
RONNIE VILLAHMOSA
155
RODNEY BARONA
NICK CHING
(O2 Martial Arts Academy)
125
PAUL AUSTRIA
KAINOA
COOKE (O2 Martial Arts Academy)
135
TYSON MEDRANO
BRYSEN
LUM (O2 Martial Arts Academy)
145
MARK YARCIA
CHEVEZ ANTOQUE
SEMI PRO LIGHT WT
CHARLES HAZELWOOD
185
ISAAC HOPPS (O2 Martial Arts Academy)
ROOKIE OF THE YR
RICKY PLUNKETT
145
JUSTIN
DULAY (O2 Martial Arts Academy)
SUPER WELTER WT
ROBERT BANIS
155
ELIAS VELASCO
FLYWEIGHT
MATT AUSTIN
120
TITLE DEFENSE
JAMIN TAYABA
125
JAYCOBI VISTANTE
JUMAR ESCOSIO
160
JOSEPH GARCIA
ERIC EDWARDS
TITLE FOR TITLE
JAREN KAUWALU
UNDER CARD
JOE KAULULAAU
165
ETHAN KERFOOT
NEVADA HARRISON
125
JORDAN
GUILLERMO (O2 Martial Arts Academy)
JAYAR VISCONDE
120
MICAH SHIGETA
(O2 Martial Arts Academy)
CHRIS KAHELE
185
CARLOS PEREZ
DENNIS MONTIRA
125
KALAI MCSHANE
TEAM VS TEAM
JUSTIN PERREIRA
155
ROB TIGER
JAXON KAGAWA
170
BRANDON TIGER
ROB RASP
230
ABDUL TIGER
LANCE FUNG CHEN
180
LANCE TIGER
All
matches & participants are subject to change.
Source: Derrick Bright
|
UFC
Confirms Jose Aldo vs. Josh Grispi for UFC 125
The newest addition to the Ultimate Fighting Championship roster
of world champions, featherweight titleholder Jose Aldo, will
make his Octagon debut on Jan. 1 when he defends his 145-pound
crown against 22-year-old phenom Josh Grispi in the co-main event
at UFC 125: Resolution at the MGM Grand Garden Arena. Two titles
will be on the line during this New Year’s Day card as Frankie
Edgar, coming off back-to-back wins over UFC great B.J. Penn,
defends his title in a rematch against undefeated No. 1 contender
Gray Maynard in the main event.
“Jose
Aldo is one of the best fighters in the world, pound for pound,
and you’ll see why on Jan. 1,” said UFC president Dana
White. “Aldo can do it all, and his historic arrival in
the UFC as its first featherweight champion is going to set an
exciting new standard. But Josh Grispi is a finisher, and he’s
got every intention of taking the featherweight title back to
Boston.”
This
bout marks the first time a featherweight championship match
is being held in the UFC Octagon, adding a historic touch to
a stacked event which features the UFC lightweight title fight
between champion Edgar and the undefeated Maynard, as well as
featured matchups that include Clay Guida vs. Takanori Gomi,
Chris Leben vs. Brian Stann, Nate Diaz vs. Dong Hyun Kim, and
Brandon Vera vs. Thiago Silva.
A
high-ranking resident of the pound-for-pound list, Rio de Janeiro,
Brazil’s Jose Aldo (18-1) has taken the world by storm since
his debut in the World Extreme Cagefighting organization in 2008.
Winner of eight in a row in the organization, including wins
over Urijah Faber, Mike Brown, Manvel Gamburyan, Jonathan Brookins,
and Cub Swanson, Aldo’s dynamic style and finishing power
has drawn comparisons to some of the greatest fighters to ever
lace up the gloves, including countryman and UFC middleweight
champion Anderson Silva. Now the 24-year-old Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu
black belt brings his otherworldly talent to the Octagon for
what is expected to be his toughest test to date.
The
22-year-old Boston native Josh Grispi (14-1) may be nicknamed
“The Fluke,” but his performances over the last two
years have been anything but lucky. A gifted battler who can
handle himself wherever the fight goes, Grispi’s last five
wins have seen him finish The Ultimate Fighter 12’s Spencer
Paige, Mark Hominick, Micah Miller, former UFC champ Jens Pulver,
and LC Davis all in the first round, with no bout lasting more
than 2:55. At UFC 125 on Jan. 1, he’ll make his UFC debut
with an opportunity to add a championship belt and another high-profile
victim to his resume.
Source: MMA Weekly
|
Carwin
Faces Lengthy Rehab Following Spinal Surgery
by Brian
Knapp
Once-beaten heavyweight contender Shane Carwin (Pictured) underwent
successful spinal surgery on Tuesday to repair damage to the
C5, C6 and C7 vertebrae in his neck.
The
injury forced Carwin to withdraw from his scheduled battle with
“The Ultimate Fighter” Season 10 winner and former
International Fight League heavyweight champion Roy Nelson at
UFC 125 “Resolution” on Jan. 1 at the MGM Grand Garden
Arena in Las Vegas. The hulking Coloradan will not be allowed
any physical contact for up to three months, MMAFighting.com
reported.
Known
as a foraminotomy, the procedure was designed to relieve pressure
on nerves in the spinal column and allow for easier movement.
A bundle of nerves leaves the spinal cord through an opening
-- the neural foramen -- in the spinal column. When the opening
narrows, it can put pressure on the nerves and result in a condition
known as foraminal spinal stenosis. It causes pain that radiates
down through the limbs, along with numbness, tingling and muscle
weakness.
The
surgery was performed by Dr. Chad Prusmack, a board-certified
neurosurgeon at the Rocky Mountain Spine Clinic in Lone Tree,
Colo.
“No
complications during surgery, it took just under four hours to
complete,” Carwin’s manager, Jason Genet, wrote via
Twitter. “The nerve damage was worse than the MRI showed,
but they cleaned it up.”
Based
out of the Grudge Training Center in Colorado, Carwin’s
last appearance in the Octagon resulted in a second-round submission
loss at the hands of former UFC heavyweight king Brock Lesnar
at UFC 116 in July. Before losing to Lesnar, Carwin had demolished
each of his first 12 opponents. In fact, none of them even survived
the first round. Since joining the UFC, Carwin has earned four
lightning-quick knockouts, two of which came over one-time title
contender Gabriel Gonzaga and former UFC champion Frank Mir.
Source: Sherdog
|
State
of the UFC Bantamweights
By Michael
David Smith
November is a month without any title fights, which makes it
a good time to take a long view of the future title picture in
each weight class. Today we look at the bantamweight division.
The
decision to fold World Extreme Cagefighting into the UFC will
have a big impact on the smallest fighters, and the talent-rich
135-pound division might soon be considered one of the deepest
in the UFC. Our look at the state of the UFC bantamweights is
below.
Next
title fight:
WEC bantamweight champion Dominick Cruz defends his title against
Scott Jorgensen at WEC 53 on December 16. That event will be
the last in the history of the WEC, so the Cruz-Jorgensen winner
will become the UFC's first bantamweight champion.
Key
fights to watch:
1. Urijah Faber vs. Takeya Mizugaki, WEC 52, November 11: If
Faber wins, he's likely to get the first shot at the bantamweight
title after the Cruz/Jorgensen winner migrates to the WEC. Faber
is the one and only WEC fighter who could headline a UFC pay-per-view,
and as the only man to defeat Cruz, he'd be a natural as Cruz's
first UFC challenger. If Mizugaki wins it will be tougher for
the UFC to determine a bantamweight No. 1 contender.
2.
Joseph Benavidez vs. Wagnney Fabiano, WEC 52, November 11: Benavidez
has already lost to Cruz twice, so he won't get another title
shot as long as Cruz has the belt. But if he beats Fabiano and
Jorgensen upsets Cruz, Benavidez would be in the title mix in
2011 if someone else takes the belt from Cruz -- and if that
someone else isn't Faber, Benavidez's friend and training partner.
3.
Miguel Torres vs. Antonio Banuelos, UFC 126, February 5: The
UFC debut for Torres will be a big showcase of the former bantamweight
champion. A win over Banuelos would put him in the mix for a
shot at getting back the bantamweight belt that he lost in 2009.
Others
in the title mix:
Former bantamweight champion Brian Bowles is having a hard time
staying healthy, but he's generally considered among the Top
5 bantamweights in the world, and could be a worthy No. 1 contender
for the UFC bantamweight belt in 2011.
In
fact, there are a number of worthy No. 1 bantamweight contenders:
It's one of the UFC's best weight classes. I'd love to see two
bantamweights get exposed to a much larger audience as coaches
on The Ultimate Fighter.
Potential
breakout fighter:
Demetrious Johnson: A talented athlete with a good wrestler who
has developed a diverse all-around game, Johnson is a lot of
fun to watch and should be in some interesting bantamweight fights
coming up, starting against Damacio Page at WEC 52. The only
thing holding the 24-year-old Johnson back is that he's tiny,
even by the standards of the bantamweight division. If the UFC
ever adds a 125-pound class, Johnson may be a future champion.
But don't be surprised if Johnson makes some noise at 135 pounds,
too.
Predicted
champion at end of 2011: Urijah Faber
Source: MMA Fighting
|
Find
out who’ll hit the mats at the Worlds and place your bets
by Carlos
Eduardo Ozório
The pyramid-shaped gymnasium in Long Beach, California, will
this Sunday host the greatest fighters in the world at the No-Gi
Jiu-Jitsu World Championship. GRACIEMAG.com reveals who will
see action at black belt and offers its predictions.
Roosterweight
At
roosterweight, just one single match will define the champion,
no favorites.
Renzo
Gracie – Joseph Capizzi
Gracie
Barra – Brandon Mullins
Light
featherweight
This time, dynamic duo Caio Terra – current champion –
and Samir Chantre promise to cause some discomfort. However,
they’d better be careful, as beasts like Rafael Freitas,
who took third last year, are in the mix.
Gracie
Barra – Rafael de Freitas
Gracie
Fighter – Caio Terra
Gracie
Fighter – Samir José Chantre Dahás
Paragon
Academy – Milton Carlos Bastos
Soul
Fighters – Leandro Lopes Escobar
Featherweight
At featherweight things start to heat up. BTT beast Renan Borge,
runner-up in Europe this year, will have ahead of him beasts
like Carlos “Esquisito” Holanda and Hawaiian veteran
Baret Yoshida, current champion.
Brazilian
Top Team – Renan Borges
Checkmat
BJJ – Carlos Holanda
Checkmat
BJJ – Rodrigo Ranieri de Faria
Gracie
Barra – Guilherme Tavares C. de Lira
Renzo
Gracie – Edwin Fyvie
Ribeiro
Jiu-Jitsu – Justin S. Rader
Undisputed
– Baret Yoshida
Lightweight
Lucas
Lepri is the current champion. But on his tailcoats are Jonathan
Torres, 2009's runner-up, and Philipe Della Monica, who took
third. Augusto Tanquinho and Milton Vieira add some more stock
to the broth.
Alliance
– Lucas Alves Lepri
Aloisio
Silva JJ – João Ernani Pinho
Brazilian
Top Team – Milton Souza Vieira
Checkmat
BJJ – Gabriel Rollo da Silva Pontes
Checkmat
BJJ – Sergio Rodrigues da Silva
Gracie
Barra – Philipe Della Monica
Gracie
Barra – Rodrigo Simoes Lamounier
Lloyd
Irvin M.A. Academy – Jonathan Torres
Renzo
Gracie – Karel Pravec Jr
Soul
Fighters – Augusto Lopes Mendes
Undisputed
– Albert Lee
Middleweight
As
always, one of the most evenly-matched division. We have current
champion Lucas Leite, but there’s also Gilbert Durinho,
Tiago Alves – Brazilian national no-gi champ –, Diego
Gamonal, Marcelo Mafra, Wallace Castro, Fabrício Morango,
and Victor Estima. The middleweight division promises heaps of
action.
Academy
of Combative Arts – Francisco Daniel Pires Tavares
Atos
JJ – Gilbert Alexander Pontes Burns
Barbosa
JJ – Tiago Gomes Dias Alves
Brazilian
Top Team – Diego Gamonal Nogueira
Check
Mat USA BJJ – Marcelo Mafra
Checkmat
BJJ – Lucas Joas Gomes Leite
Checkmat
BJJ – Thiago Aragão de Abreu
Frontline
– Nic Ruben Nikolaisen
GF
Team – Wallace Luiz de Castro
Gracie
Barra – Bruno Antunes
Gracie
Barra – Victor de Oliveira Estima
Gracie
Rio de Janeiro – Fabricio Camoes
Jean
Jacques Machado – David Dunn
Paraestra
– Takashi Kiyokawa
Vaghi
Martial Arts – Bryan Guidry
Medium
Heavyweight
Among the favorites is Murilo Santana, who was runner-up in 2009,
but at middleweight. However, Kleber Buiú is coming off
a win over Santana at the Brazilian No-Gi Nationals, and Pablo
Popovitch is also on a tear, winning weight and absolute at the
No-Gi Pan. Other stalwarts are Felipe “Gargamel” Mota
and Eduardo Milioli.
Akxe
BJJ – Felipe Mota Dias
Barbosa
JJ – Murilo Santana
Brazilian
Top Team – Marcello Salazar Bergo
Checkmat
BJJ – Igmar Santos
Checkmat
BJJ – Raphael Chaves
Gracie
Barra – Kleber de Oliveira Paulino
Gracie
Barra – Levi Duarte da Costa
Gracie
Barra America – Carl Ortega Jr
Ribeiro
Jiu-Jitsu – Ben Baxter
Rillion
Gracie – Eduardo Milioli
The
Avengers – Pablo Popovitch
Heavyweight
João
Assis has been winning just about everything he’s in. He’s
notched triumphs this season over the likes of Xande Ribeiro,
Saulo Ribeiro, and Jeff Monson. But 2009's super heavyweight
runner-up, Rafael Lovato, could rain on his parade. There’s
also no forgetting about black belts like Flávio Almeida,
Rafael Bettega, and João Moncaio.
Checkmat
BJJ – Joao Assis
Gracie
Barra – Flavio Alves de Almeida
Gracie
Barra – Roberto Camargo de Alencar
Gracie
Barra America – Carlos M. Gomez
Gracie
Barra America – Joao Filipe Oliveira
Legion
Jiu-Jitsu – Cameron A. Diffey
Ralph
Gracie – Diego da Silveira Herzog
Ribeiro
Jiu-Jitsu – Rafael Lovato Jr.
Spirit
– Rafael Bettega Costa
The
Avengers – Joao Moncaio
Superheavyweight
Marcus Bochecha has been winning absolutes in the USA left and
right and is on a roll leading into the Worlds. Another relentless
competitor in the division is Bruno Bastos.
Checkmat
BJJ – Marcus Vinícius Oliveira
Gracie
Barra – Alberto Silva Vilanova
Gracie
Barra – Gustavo dos Santos Pires
Nova
Uniao – Bruno Bastos Cruz
Ultraheavyweight
Josh
Barnett won the division in 2009, but he’s not in it this
time around. The money’s on Roberto “Cyborg” Abreu,
who is riding a series of solid wins.
Ribeiro
Jiu-Jitsu – Leandro Panzoldo Santos
The
Avengers – Roberto de Abreu Filho
Female
Light Featherweight
Sofia
Amarante, champion in 2009, andLetícia Ribeiro, a vice
campeã, devem repetir a final.
Alliance
– Marcela S. de Oliveira Macedo
Gracie
Rio de Janeiro – Leticia Ribeiro
The
Avengers – Sofia Amarante
Female
Featherweight
Michelle
Tavares would have been the champion by default, but she has
moved up to middleweight to provide a fight for Emily Kwok, who
was also left without competition.
Gracie
Rio de Janeiro – Ana Michelle Tavares Dantas
Female
Lightweight
Sparks are bound to fly in the division, with Michelle Nicolini,
Beatriz Mesquita, Fabiana Borges and Claudinha Gadelha.
Checkmat
BJJ – Michelle Zonato Nicolini
Gracie
Barra – Fabiana Alves Borges
Gracie
Rio de Janeiro – Beatriz de Oliveira Mesquita
Nova
Uniao – Ana Cláudia Dantas Gadelha
Female
Middleweight
No-Gi
Worlds winner Emily Kwok will face off against Brazil’s
no-gi national featherweight champion Ana Michelle Tavares.
Alliance
– Emily Kwok
Female
Medium Heavyweight
Penny
Thomas has no-gi experience in competitions like the ADCC. Fernanda
Mazzelli shold also put up a fight.
Checkmat
BJJ – Luiza Monteiro da Costa
Gracie
Rio de Janeiro – Penny Thomas
Renzo
Gracie – Carolyn Sthephenson
Striker
JJ/ Góes – Fernanda Mazzelli
Heavyweight
Katrina
is alone at weight.
Paragon
Academy – Katrina Ann Weilbacher
Female
Absolute
Já
têm algumas meninas confirmadas na categoria aberta. Aparecem
entre os destaques Michelle Nicolini, Beatriz Mesquita, Penny
Thomas, Fernanda Mazzelli e Claudia Gadelha. Mas, como em todos
os pesos, tudo pode acontecer.
There
are already some girls confirmed for the open class. Among those
who most stand out are Michelle Nicolini, Beatriz Mesquita, Penny
Thomas, Fernanda Mazzelli, and Claudia Gadelha. But just like
in any weight group, anything can happen.
Alliance
– Emily Kwok
Alliance
– Marcela S. de Oliveira Macedo
Checkmat
BJJ – Luiza Monteiro da Costa
Checkmat
BJJ – Michelle Zonato Nicolini
Gracie
Barra – Fabiana Alves Borges
Gracie
Rio de Janeiro – Beatriz de Oliveira Mesquita
Gracie
Rio de Janeiro – Penny Thomas
Nova
Uniao – Ana Cláudia Dantas Gadelha
Paragon
Academy – Katrina Ann Weilbacher
Renzo
Gracie – Carolyn Sthephenson
Striker
JJ/ Góes – Fernanda Mazzelli
The
Avengers – Sofia Amarante
Source: Gracie Magazine
|
Lenne
Hardt's 'Crazy Pride Lady' Ring Announcing Was Born Out of Boredom
By Ray
Hui
Lenne Hardt, Japanese MMA ring announcing icon, says her one-of-a-kind
fighter introductions were actually developed out of boredom.
Nicknamed
"Crazy Pride Lady" or "Screaming Crazy Lady,"
Hardt has built a cult following with her incomparable introductions.
The Alaska-born Hardt, fluent in both English and Japanese, was
hired by Pride in 2000 as the English ring announcer. The Pride
GP events in 2000 were a defining time for the promotion, but
with MMA in its relative infancy at the time, she entered the
job with little to no knowledge of the sport.
"To
tell you the truth, I got bored because I didn't know what was
going on," Hardt said Thursday on MMAFighting.com's The
MMA Hour. "There's a lot of time in between [matches]. You
don't really know what was happening so you're just there twiddling
your thumbs. And I thought, I want to participate in this. I
want to understand it."
During
certain slow spots in the fights, she noticed the crowd's energy
decline, so she began to think of how she could liven up the
crowd -- as well as engage herself. Her solution was to present
the names in a theatrical and energetic fashion.
"That's
when I started working on the calls themselves, these people's
names, to build up the excitement, and hype and tension."
After
the event, Pride invited her back and Hardt's previous career
as an actress and narrator took a back seat to her announcing.
"I
was under the impression it was a one-off," Hardt said.
"They liked it and they asked me back and one day became
12 years."
Hardt
continued to work for Pride until the company was sold to the
UFC in 2007. With the company gone, Hardt said she was "devastated"
with the prospect of her ring announcing career coming to an
end. Luckily, Dream, an unofficial reboot of Pride, was launched
the following year and Hardt reunited with her former Pride execs
and production team.
Hardt,
whose work has become a perfect complement to the theatrics found
in Japanese MMA events, compares her emotion to the "high"
of attending a concert and waving one's arms with a legion of
fans.
"Once
I walk out into the arena and the crowd's there, and the lights,
the special effects, the athletes," Hardt said. "There's
a kind of transformation that takes place and you go into a zone.
That's all I'm thinking about. I'm thinking about what's about
to happen."
Source: MMA Fighting
|
Grispi:
Aldo Can Be Knocked Out, Choked Out
Josh
Grispi was playing a videogame at his cousin’s house when
he got the call. His WEC 52 bout against Erik Koch was being
cancelled because he was needed to fight Jose Aldo for the UFC
featherweight title instead.
“Sure,”
he responded. “That’s fine.”
If
Grispi’s initial reaction was somewhat subdued, it’s
because he already knew he was going to fight Aldo at some point.
The 22-year-old Massachusetts native has dominated in the WEC,
winning all four of his bouts in the first round. Meanwhile the
24-year-old Brazilian is 8-0 in the promotion, having gone the
distance just once.
Following
a recent announcement that the WEC will be merging with the UFC,
the matchup was made official Tuesday: Grispi will fight Aldo
on Jan. 1 at UFC 125 in the UFC’s first featherweight title
bout.
Grispi
was not expecting a title shot quite this soon, much less in
the UFC.
“I
thought maybe some time next year I might be in a main event
for the belt, but I didn’t think it was going to be for
the UFC and definitely not in January,” Grispi said during
an interview on the Sherdog Radio Network’s “Beatdown”
show. “It just happened very quick, but I think everything
happens for a reason. I’m actually pretty pumped about this
fight.”
Grispi
started watching Aldo when a potential matchup against him was
discussed during their climbs up the WEC ranks. The fight didn’t
come together, but Grispi kept his eye on the man who would go
on to take the title from Mike Thomas Brown last November. Aldo
has defended his belt twice now, and Grispi has noticed the changes
he’s made in becoming an increasingly seasoned champion.
“I
seen him before, when he first started, being a little more wild
with those flying knees, doing all those crazy acrobatics he
does,” Grispi said. “But then I saw him calm down a
little bit in the title fights to conserve energy, it looks like,
because he has five five-minute rounds. Definitely a mature fighter.
Definitely he has ring awareness and [knows] what’s going
on time-wise and everything like that. He’s definitely a
complete package.”
Aldo
is Sherdog.com’s No. 3-ranked pound-for-pound fighter in
the world. He has looked nearly invincible in the WEC, but Grispi
believes he’ll find a way to beat him.
“Everyone’s
human,” Grispi said. “No matter how you look at it,
everyone’s human. They can be knocked out, they can be choked
out. I’m going to find those weak points when I get in there.”
Source: Sherdog
|
Palhares:
“I have to start all over again”
By Guilherme
Cruz
With three consecutive wins, Rousimar “Toquinho” Palhares
was on the golden road to reach the top of his division on UFC,
but he was mistaken and was defeated on a silly way by Nate Marquardt,
on UFC Fight Night. “It was a moment of distraction…
Can you imagine: stopping to talk with the referee during the
fight. It was a mistake I made, but I have to learn somehow.
It certainly was a painful way, but it’s the way it is”,
regrets Palhares. “I thought that the second round was about
to end, but there was some extra seconds I didn’t know about”.
Back to the hard trainings at Brazilian Top Team, in Rio de Janeiro,
the black belt still doesn’t know when he’ll return
to Ultimate’s cage. “I’m training hard every day,
but they didn’t tell me about it yet”, tells, looking
forwards for a recovery after the painful loss. “It’s
hard, specially the way it happened, I had plenty conditions
to win and I gave him the win on a stupid act. It’s hard,
but I have to start it all over again. I was too good, man…
I was really good, until I made this terrible mistake, but it
won’t happen again”, guarantees.
While
he’s waiting for the definition of his next bout, Rousimar
sees his tormentor confronting Yushin Okami on the main event
of UFC 122, duel that will give its winner the chance to fight
for the belt against Alderson Silva or Vitor Belfort. When TATAME
asked Toquinho about his tormentor’s future, the athlete
decided not to make any bets. “I don’t know, a fight
is a fight, and look what happened to me… I was thinking
about one thing and another came along”, outwits, predicting
a balance on the bout between Anderson and Belfort, which happens
in February of 2011. “Oh, for sure it’ll be about exchanges…
And, if it’s that way things will go, it’s 50-50”,
concluded.
Source: Tatame
|
Bjorn
Rebney wants Bellator vs. Strikeforce 3-on-3 series on PPV
By Zach
Arnold
From
our friends at The Fight Nerd web site starting around the 5
minute time mark, notes about what Bellator CEO Bjorn Rebney
would like to do for an interpromotional feud with Strikeforce
and being on PPV.
INTERVIEWER:
“I’m not even going to say a question here, I’m
just going to say a phrase. You can respond… Bellator vs.
Strikeforce.”
BJORN
REBNEY: “I love it. I keep talking about it. I’m hopeful
that it could occur. I’m hopeful that it could occur beyond
just Eddie Alvarez vs. Gilbert (Melendez). I would love to set
up a Welterweight fight, a big super fight at Welterweight. I
would, you know, I would do anything to set up a Middleweight
fight. I can only imagine that if there’s hesitancy on their
part in terms of taking a Lightweight fight that they’re
probably going to be very, very hesitant to take on a Middleweight
fight as well. We would do it. We would do it without problem.”
INTERVIEWER:
“Co-promoting is not a problem?”
BJORN
REBNEY: “No! Not only is it not a problem, but we wouldn’t
even have to do a typical orchestration of a co-promotional event
where everybody argues and fights and scratches and claws. We
would go to San Jose, I know some… I married a woman in
my first marriage from San Jose, there’s some spectacular
restaurants and great hotels, we would make ourselves at home,
we would come in and we would take three fights. It would be
great. From a fan perspective, with the CEO hat off, I mean can
you see Ben Askren fighting Nick Diaz? Can you see Eddie Alvarez
and Gilbert Melendez? Jacare versus Hector Lombard?”
INTERVIEWER:
“Bjorn Rebney vs. Scott Coker could happen.”
BJORN
REBNEY: “Scott’s great. I love talking to Scott. He’s
a good dude. I can understand his hesitancy, but I like him a
lot. I’d love to do that. Would love to do that.”
(clipped
— moving to questions about original TV deal and the current
deal.)
INTERVIEWER:
“Back then, you guys were talking more of the Latino audience.
Now it seems like you moved away from that, kind of evolved in
your formatting on how you put a show on TV, your target audiences.
What’s going to be the next step in the evolution of Bellator?”
BJORN
REBNEY: “Well, I mean, the evolution over to the general
market audience is based on Fox Sports Net coupled with NBC.
between the two of them you’re talking about 200 million
homes. So, the show went from being an ESPN Deportes to being
a Fox Sports Network/NBC show, everything turning, our signage,
all the bumps, all the teases, all the interplay of the announcer
play, it turned into that show which is great because that’s
where you got to be from a crossover perspective in MMA so, um,
you know, the next step in the evolution will be to do away with
some of the issues and problems we faced on the delay basis with
FSN and that will be the next stage in the evolution. The production
will keep getting better, we’ll keep recruiting world-class
fighters, we’ll keep bringing in the next Ben Askren, the
next Joe Warren, the next Dan Hornbuckle, the next Hector Lombard,
the next Eddie Alvarez, on and on and on. .. We’re just
going to keep recruiting and creating through our television
vehicle and through the frequency of our events new stars that
are underneath the Bellator banner. The evolution of a brand
like ours is about consistently taking steps forward and we’re
going to be in position to take another pretty good step forward
in the very near future and I think that step forward will eliminate
some of the last remaining issues with our distribution platforms,
so, um, you know we’re going to keep moving forward but
can’t announce it right here.”
INTERVIEWER:
“What are your thoughts about a Bellator PPV?”
BJORN
REBNEY: “I mean, I don’t mean to keep going back to
it, but you know, in and around New Year’s and the kind
of fights we’re talking about in terms of the potential
for co-promotion with Strikeforce, I think that would make for
a spectacular PPV. I always look at stuff, I separate myself
and I say, would I buy that? Would I pay for that? And there
are some shows that I look at and go, ‘ehhhhh, probably
not. And then are some shows that I look at and go, whoa, I would
stay at home for that, you know, and I would irritate the kids,
etc. and I would buy it and I would watch every piece of it.
That’s the kind of show that I would buy. So, that might
have the makings of a PPV but it’s going to take, it’s
just like a marriage, you know, you can’t get into without
the acquiescence of both parties so they need to say yes.”
Source: Fight Opinion
|
UFC
127 to Be Held in Sydney, Australia
By Mike
Chiappetta
After a successful maiden voyage Down Under in 2010, the UFC
will be returning in 2011.
MMA
Fighting has learned that UFC 127 will be held in Sydney, Australia
on Sunday, Feb. 27, 2011 (Feb. 26 in North American time zones).
The
event is likely to be held at the Acer Arena, site of UFC 110
in February 2010.
UFC
110 was the promotion's first trip to Australia, and a paid audience
of 17,831 filled the Acer, setting an attendance record for a
UFC event outside of North America. To date, that number remains
the largest crowd of 2010, as fans paid a $2.5 million gate.
In
the main event of UFC 110, Cain Velaquez knocked out Antonio
Rodrigo Nogueira in the first round to earn a heavyweight title
shot. He later cashed in his opportunity at UFC 121, earning
a TKO win to beat Brock Lesnar and become the champ.
No
matchups have yet to be determined for UFC 127, though a welterweight
scrap between Chris Lytle and Carlos Condit seems a prime possibility
for the event.
Source: MMA Fighting
|
10
November Tussles Worth Watching
by Tim Leidecker
The
mixed martial arts fan has rarely had it better. Exciting prospects
are popping up left and right, shows around the world are improving
and creating new stars, and veterans of the major promotions
are lending their names to help grow smaller organizations.
Like
every month, Sherdog.com spotlights some gems that might not
get much recognition otherwise. One again, the formula revolves
around 10 fights in 10 different countries.
As
always, the list does not focus on the well-promoted main event
bouts you already know to watch but rather on fights from all
over the planet that are worth seeing. The UFC, Strikeforce,
Dream and Sengoku Raiden Championship are excluded by design.
Juha-Pekka
Vainikainen vs. Anthony Durnell
Iron Fist 3, Nov. 6 -- Szczecin, Poland
While
KSW remains the clear-cut number one promotion in Poland, a couple
of organizations are struggling for seconds, Beast of the East,
Infinite Fighting Federation and Iron Fist among them. Finland’s
Vainikainen and Durell, a German-based U.S. Air Force instructor
will headline the MMA portion of Iron Fist’s third show.
Unbeaten in eight appearances, “The Death Dealer” has
made a name for himself on the European circuit and wants to
use a win over a seasoned striker like Vainikainen to position
himself for fights stateside.
Jose
“Pele” Landi-Jons vs. William Dias
Samurai Fight Combat 4 “Overload,” Nov. 6 -- Curitiba,
Brazil
Around
the turn of the Millennium, there were two strikers in MMA everyone
feared: Igor Vovchanchyn and Landi-Jons. “Pele” made
his name in Brazil, with memorable wars against Jose Patino,
Evangelista “Cyborg” Santos and Johil de Oliveira.
Seventeen years into his career, the 37-year-old muay Thai ace
is still going strong. In his first fight this year, he will
take on William Dias, who hopes to use the stage as a springboard.
Chances of a knockout are high.
Po'ai
Suganuma vs. Sang Soo Lee
X-1 “Island Pride,” Nov. 9 -- Honolulu
An
interesting light heavyweight scrap will go down on Hawaii when
Suganuma meets Lee. Suganuma enjoyed a strong start into his
career, winning four of his first five fights inside the Pancrase
promotion. After splitting a pair of bouts with UFC veteran Jared
Hamman under the EliteXC banner, the heavy-hitting Hawaiian never
received another chance to show his skills on a bigger stage.
Lee, a Korean judoka, has fought and beaten a number of notables,
including Roman Zentsov, Aleksander Emelianenko and Alexey Oleinik;
he seems certain to put Suganuma to the test.
Petras
Markevicius vs. Alexey Prokofiev
Hero’s Lithuania 2010, Nov. 20 -- Vilnius, Lithuania
The
Hero’s promotion may be long dead and buried in Japan, but
it remains very much alive and kicking in Europe, as main licensee
Donatas Simanaitis readies the sixth edition of Hero’s Lithuania
at the massive 12,500 seat Siemens Arena in the Lithuanian capital.
Markevicius, a 40-fight veteran, will compete in his fourth straight
Hero’s Lithuania show. The renowned submission specialist
will collide with a fellow ground fighting guru in Russia’s
Prokofiev. The two men have combined to win 80 percent of their
matches by submission.
Tom
Niinimaki vs. Sergej Grecicho
Cage 14 “All-Stars,” Nov. 20 -- Espoo, Finland
Grecicho,
one of Lithuania’s top fighters and a two-time combat sambo
world champion, rarely fights at home. The European featherweight
recently lost a controversial decision to Jason Young in a catchweight
bout, and while lesser fighters might have asked for a tune-up
fight following the defeat, the 25-year-old will instead take
on Niinimaki, a Shooto veteran.
The
experienced Finn has thrived on hunting prospects in 2010, dealing
Dutchman Ben Boekee and Englishman Dave Hill their first career
defeats.
Jake
Rosholt vs. Matt Horwich
Xtreme Fight Night “Rosholt vs. Horwich,” Nov. 12 --
Tulsa, Okla.
Two
UFC-sharpened fighters will do battle in the main event of Xtreme
Fight Night’s inaugural effort. Rosholt entered the sport
of MMA on the back of an outstanding collegiate wrestling career
that saw him win three Div. I titles between 2003 and 2006. While
Rosholt was in college, Horwich was busy submitting opponents
in MMA. The deeply religious Californian has endured many close
fights this year. In August he broke out of his shell and dealt
Brazilian jiu-jitsu black belt Thales Leites the first submission
loss of his career. Can he handle Rosholt?
Fumihiro
Kitahara vs. Mamoru Yamaguchi
Shooto “The Way of Shooto 6,” Nov. 19 -- Tokyo
In
this month’s premier flyweight matchup, Kitahara, a 2008
rookie tournament champion, will take on Yamaguchi, a former
Shooto world titleholder. The 26-year-old Kitahara recently won
two significant decisions over seasoned veterans Masatoshi Abe
and Masaaki Sugawara. Now, he gets to test himself against a
former champion. Yamaguchi sports the best-known afro in Japanese
MMA, has a wealth of experience and is skilled in fighting in
all distances. A win over the Yokohama, Japan, native would catapult
Kitahara into title contention and propel him into the top five
rankings worldwide.
David
Heath vs. Glover Teixeira
MFC 27 “Breaking Point,” Nov. 12 -- Edmonton, Alberta,
Canada
The
Maximum Fighting Championship promotion carries the reputation
as the “Canadian UFC” for a reason. Just this year,
Yves Edwards, Wilson Gouveia, Thales Leites and Jesse Taylor
have all competed inside the MFC ring. The light heavyweight
showdown between Heath, the UFC veteran, and Teixeira, a Brazilian
jiu-jitsu black belt, does not lack intrigue, even though it
will not serve as one of the main events at this MFC show. Heath
owns a 3-0 mark in 2010, having finished each of his opponents;
Teixeira has not tasted defeat since his decision loss to “The
Ultimate Fighter” Season 3 finalist Ed Herman in March 2005.
Bruno
Carvalho vs. Robert Jocz
Tempel Mix Fight Gala 11, Nov. 27 -- Sindelfingen, Germany
Top
European action originates from Germany, as Carvalho, the World
Free Fight Challenge middleweight champion, takes on Jocz, the
World Full Contact Association 185-pound titleholder. After a
bumpy start to his career, Carvalho -- who now calls Gothenburg,
Sweden, his home -- has come into his own in the past 18 months,
adding some devastating knockout power to his judo and Brazilian
jiu-jitsu black belts. Jocz suffered the first knockout loss
of his career at the hands of previously unknown Armenian Hracho
Darpinyan on Oct. 16, but the Pawel Nastula disciple remains
a dangerous and durable opponent.
Ricco
Rodriguez vs. Daniel Tabera
Israeli Fight Club “Genesis,” Nov. 9 -- Tel Aviv, Israel
Former
Abu Dhabi Submission Wrestling World Championships qualifier
and Renzo Gracie black belt Haim Gozali has made it his mission
to advance the sport of MMA in his home country of Israel. Spurred
by his grappling enthusiasm, he has booked a host of ground fighting
virtuosi for IFC’s “Genesis” event. The show will
be co-headlined by the man who eliminated Gozali in the quarter-finals
of his lone ADCC appearance in 2005, as Rodriguez tackles a steady
Spaniard in Tabera. The flagship fighter out of Valencia’s
S.H.O.O.T. academy, Tabera reached the final in KSW’s recent
209-pound tournament.
Source: Sherdog
|
Herschel
Walker’s Next Strikeforce Opponent To Be Revealed Friday
by Damon
Martin
Former Heisman Trophy winner and NFL veteran Herschel Walker
won’t have to wait much longer to find out who he’s
fighting at Strikeforce’s Dec. 4 event.
Strikeforce
CEO Scott Coker says the promotion plans on announcing the next
bout for Walker on Friday, Nov. 5 for the fight card in St. Louis.
“We’re
going to announce something I think this Friday,” Coker
told MMAWeekly Radio in regards to Walker’s next fight.
The
48-year-old former NFL running back made waves when he debuted
for the promotion in early 2010. Walker defeated Greg Nagy by
third round TKO in his first ever professional MMA bout.
Walker
had said several times that he planned on returning to the sport.
He trained with the team at American Kickboxing Academy to get
him ready for his MMA debut.
There
have been no indications at this time as to who might be the
fighter to step in and face Walker, but much like Nagy, the experience
level will likely be similar to that of the NFL player turned
MMA fighter, who is currently 1-0.
Look
for Strikeforce to announce Walker’s opponent on Friday.
Source: MMA Weekly
|
Dave
Meltzer: People who want Strikeforce to work with Bellator are
naive about the business
By Zach
Arnold
From
the Observer radio show late last night:
“Bjorn
Rebney’s idea is to put together a card where you have champions
vs. champions, the Bellator champions against the Strikeforce
champions in all the weight classes and so he has, um… he
said he’s been texting Scott Coker and Scott Coker has not
gotten back to him and then Scott Coker was on Sherdog radio
saying he never got any of these texts and then [Bellator's]
PR department actually showed that, in fact, that he had sent
the texts. I don’t know if Scott Coker got ‘em or not
but I know Scott Coker, as of today, said that it’s absolutely
not viable [to make] these matches and from his standpoint, you
know, it would be stupid to do them, you know…
Champion
vs. Champion, what if your guys lose? You’re the stronger
promotion, what’s the upside to that? I mean, granted, you
know, like I say Eddie Alvarez and Gilbert Melendez could be
a fantastic fight but it’s not, you know… There’s
just no upside for Strikeforce for that fight, so that’s
kind of where that stands right now and, you know, it puts, you
know it’s kind of like the deal where people were clamoring
for Dana White to co-promote and bring Fedor into UFC and, you
know, you and I were both like, this is ridiculous, but people
are very naive about the business of this business and this is
the same thing. It’s like, you know, Coker’s looking
bad to some people because they’re naive about the business
of the business, ‘like we could see these great fights!’
that quite frankly, you know, it’s not like anyone’s
clamoring for these fights in the real world. Not that anyone’s
clamoring for any fights from Strikeforce in the real world but
the point is that, you know, what if the Bellator guys win? Then
you’ve got paper champions in Strikeforce, you know, you
have your guys lose on your own, it’s absolutely ridiculous
business-wise to do this.
But,
you know, again, people really don’t understand that aspect
of business and, you know, they’re going, ‘Oh, he’s
a pussy, he won’t let his guys fight,’ so that’s
kind of like where that’s at right now.”
Source: Fight Opinion
|
Carlos
Condit vs. Chris Lytle Targeted for Upcoming UFC Event
By Mike
Chiappetta
Just one week ago, Chris Lytle told MMA Fighting that he was
hoping to face Carlos Condit in his next bout. The possibility
is moving closer to reality.
According
to sources with knowledge of the situation, the UFC is working
towards putting together a Condit-Lytle bout, but a date has
not yet been determined for the possible fight.
Reports
that the fight would take place at UFC 126 on Feb. 5 are incorrect,
according to the sources, and would likely take place at a later
date.
It
is a fight over one year in the making. The two had originally
been scheduled to scrap in Sept. 2009 until a knee injury knocked
Lytle from the bout.
Both
men are in the midst of impressive win streaks. Lytle has won
four straight, including his most recent victory, a unanimous
decision over former welterweight champ Matt Serra at UFC 119.
Condit, meanwhile, has won three in a row, including a spectacular
knockout of Dan Hardy at UFC 120.
Lytle
(30-17-5) has long been thought of as one of the UFC's most exciting
fighters, capturing seven nightly bonus awards during his tenure
in the promotion. Condit (26-5) also has a reputation as a game
fighter, winning nightly awards in each of his last two fights.
Source: MMA Fighting
|
MAN-UP
& STAND-UP Tomorrow
WAIPAHU FILCOM CENTER
SATURDAY NOV 6
DOORS OPEN AT 6:00
WEIGH INS
FOR MAN UP & STAND UP
FRIDAY
NOVEMBER 5 2010 AT 5:30
UP
& UP GYM (CAMPBELL INDUSTRIAL PARK)
2112 LAUWILIWILI ST. #103G
KAPOLEI, HI 96707
SIGNS
WILL BE POSTED
18
& OVER PHOTDO ID REQUIRED
17
& UNDER BIRTH CERTIFICATE REQUIRED, PARENT NAMED ON THE BIRTH
CERTIFICATE MUST SIGN WAIVER
Awwwwhhhhh
yeah, this updated card has way more fire power than the previous
card that was just posted last week. Man-up & Stand-up has
added Eric “The Executioner” Edwards against North
Shore’s finest Jarren Kauwalu in a title for title match.
Eric the super heavyweight champion will face off against the
king of the giants champion Jarren. Both fighters are over 210
lbs, both fighters can bang, and both fighters wanna leave the
ring with two belts around their waist on Nov 6. Will Jarren
be able to put an end to Eric’s winning streak with his
stick and move style. Or will the Executioner Edwards turn Jarren
into one of his statistics. The North Shore boy turned his last
opponent into a punching back in the third round by tiring him
out in the first and second. Will Jarren be able to out condition
Eric or will the Man-up & Stand-up fans find out the reason
why Eric Edwards is called THE EXECUTIONER. What does executioner
mean anyway? The fans wanna know, Man-up & Stand-up wanna
know. Does Jarren wanna know? Well hopefully on Nov. 6, this
question will be answered.
Also
added, Man-up & Stand-up will have a team vs team match with
Laupahoehoe MT going up against Tiger MT. Das right Muay Thai
at its best. The last time these two met in a team competition.
Laupahoehoe walked away with the bragging rights. 2 years ago
when these two met, Tiger’s fighters were new to competition
but now they feel that Nov 6 will have a different story. Laupahoehoe
will bring their fists, their knees and their razor sharp shins
to the ring to prove that it’s the same story but with a
different cover. This will be traditional muay thai rules without
the elbows. Bruises will form, blood will flow, bodies will fall
(BWF). That’s just how its done here on Man-up & Stand-up.
Man-up
is sorry we couldn’t get all of the fighters on this event
but not to worry their will be another one in the making very
soon. Thank you to all of the supporters of this event. Nov 6
at the Filcom will be one not to miss. It has everything you
can possibly ask for in an end of the year/ stand-up action/
championship show. Be sure to check out the new clips of some
of the fighters on next weeks write up.
GRUDGE MATCHES
KAMAKANI WAIALAE
65
KAENA DESANTOS
MATT STONE
220
DUSTIN CALLASTRO
NICK RIVERA
185
MIKE ELI
RONNIE VILLAHMOSA
155
RODNEY BARONA
NICK CHING
(O2 Martial Arts Academy)
125
PAUL AUSTRIA
KAINOA
COOKE (O2 Martial Arts Academy)
135
TYSON MEDRANO
BRYSEN
LUM (O2 Martial Arts Academy)
145
MARK YARCIA
CHEVEZ ANTOQUE
SEMI PRO LIGHT WT
CHARLES HAZELWOOD
185
ISAAC HOPPS (O2 Martial Arts Academy)
ROOKIE OF THE YR
RICKY PLUNKETT
145
JUSTIN
DULAY (O2 Martial Arts Academy)
SUPER WELTER WT
ROBERT BANIS
155
ELIAS VELASCO
FLYWEIGHT
MATT AUSTIN
120
TITLE DEFENSE
JAMIN TAYABA
125
JAYCOBI VISTANTE
JUMAR ESCOSIO
160
JOSEPH GARCIA
ERIC EDWARDS
TITLE FOR TITLE
JAREN KAUWALU
UNDER CARD
JOE KAULULAAU
165
ETHAN KERFOOT
NEVADA HARRISON
125
JORDAN
GUILLERMO (O2 Martial Arts Academy)
JAYAR VISCONDE
120
MICAH SHIGETA
(O2 Martial Arts Academy)
CHRIS KAHELE
185
CARLOS PEREZ
DENNIS MONTIRA
125
KALAI MCSHANE
TEAM VS TEAM
JUSTIN PERREIRA
155
ROB TIGER
JAXON KAGAWA
170
BRANDON TIGER
ROB RASP
230
ABDUL TIGER
LANCE FUNG CHEN
180
LANCE TIGER
All
matches & participants are subject to change.
Source: Derrick Bright
|
FOR
IMMEDIATE RELEASE: October 19, 2010
KALA “KOLOHE”
HOSE TO DEFEND HIS HOME
Tomorrow
AGAINST
INVASION AS X-1 PRESENTS
“ISLAND PRIDE”
November 6, 2010
Blaisdell Arena
Light
heavyweight title tourney final to commence
Honolulu,
HI (USA): World class fight promotion X-1 World Events is proud
to bring its next exciting fight card to Hawaii as they present
“ISLAND PRIDE,” live on Saturday, November 6th, at
the Neal S. Blaisdell Arena in Honolulu. This incredible night
of action will feature local fight legend Kala “Kolohe”
Hose in the main event, as he battles extremely tough and experienced
Mexican fighter Edwin “Tigre” Aguilar. In the co-main
event, the X-1 Light Heavyweight Championship tournament will
come to a finish, as Island favorite Po’ai Suganuma and
Korea native San Soo Lee will lock horns with the belt on the
line. Also on the card will be Strikeforce fighter Lolohea Mahe,
as he makes his return to X-1. Local fight fans won’t want
to miss this night of bone-crunching KO’s, slick submissions,
and electrifying finishes!
This
event will also be shown live on Pay Per View on all inner islands.
The undercard will begin at 5:30 PM, and the main card is scheduled
to start at 7 PM. Ticket prices for “ISLAND PRIDE”
include $35 for riser seats, $50 for floor seats, $70 for second
row seats, and $100 for front row seats. Please see http://www.x1events.com/
for more ticket information.
Kala
“Kolohe” Hose (7-4, seven KO/TKOs) is a fighter known
for his devastating knockout power, and has garnered a reputation
as one of the toughest Island fighters active today. In August
of 2008, he claimed the ICON Middleweight title with an exciting
TKO victory over current UFC fighter Phil Baroni that was lauded
by MMA fans for its great action. A veteran of Superbrawl and
EliteXC, Hose will look to rebound from a disappointing fourth-round
submission loss to X-1 Middleweight Champion Falaniko Vitale
during the most recent X-1 event, “HEROES.” During
his career, he’s faced UFC veterans such as Baroni, Vitale,
“Mayhem” Miller, and Reese Andy. Now, he will take
on the ultra-tough Edwin “Tigre” Aguilar. This knockout
specialist has claimed 16 of his 21 career victories via TKO/KO,
and with “Kolohe” standing on the other side of the
cage, someone is bound to get knocked out in this one!
In
addition, X-1 fans will finally find out who the X-1 Light Heavyweight
Champion will be, as the tournament will come to a close at “ISLAND
PRIDE.” Former EliteXC headliner and Hawaii native Poai
Suganuma (11-3) will tackle the challenge brought by extremely
tough South Korean SpiritMC veteran Sang Soo Lee (15-9) with
championship glory at stake. Suganuma defeated Greg Schmitt via
unanimous decision in the first round of the tournament to advance
to the semi-finals. There, he knocked out Vitaly Shemetov in
just over a minute to gain a spot in the final round. Now he
faces Lee for the belt. The Korean knocked out Daniel Madrid
with a beautiful right hand in the opening round of the tourney,
which allowed him to move on to the second round. In his second
tourney fight, Lee took a unanimous decision victory over California’s
Roy Boughton, which thrust him into the title finals. Now, Suganuma
and Lee will tangle to show who the real champion is.
“ISLAND
PRIDE” is also proud to present a returning local favorite
in Lolohea Mahe. Mahe is coming off a two-fight stint in Strikeforce,
and is looking to rebound in the promotion that helped launch
him. A two-time X-1 veteran, Mahe is determined to prove he belongs
on the big stages of MMA. In addition, “ISLAND PRIDE”
will present two state championship fights, with the 155 lb.,
and 145 lb. state title belts all on the line.
“What
an incredible night of fights this should be!” exclaimed
Mike Miller, Owner/Promoter of X-1 World Events. “We’re
proud to bring back Kolohe, who has a tough task on his hands
with ‘Tigre’ Aguilar. Then we finally get to see who
the next X-1 Light Heavyweight Champion will be, and we’re
also glad to see Lolohea Mahe back in X-1. Local fight fans are
in for an awesome night!”
Here
is the fight card as it stands now:
185
lb. Main Event:
Kala
“Kolohe” Hose (7-4) vs. Edwin “Tigre” Aguilar
(21-15-0-1)
X-1
Light Heavyweight Championship tournament (final round):
Poai Suganuma (HI) (11-3) vs. Sang Soo Lee (S. Korea) (15-9)
Heavyweight:
Lolohea
Mahe (4-2-1) vs. Jake Faagai (1-1)
X-1
155 lb. State Title:
Bryson
“The Kid” Kamaka (11-17) vs. Max “Lil’ Evil”
Holloway (0-0)
X-1
145 lb. State Title:
Sadhu
Bott (4-0) vs. Dustin Kimura (3-0)
135
lbs.:
Matt
Comeau (6-3) vs. Van Oscar Penovoraff (3-1)
185
lbs.:
Collin
Mansanas (2-0) vs. Delbert Grace (3-1)
180
lbs.:
Brennan
Kamaka (5-15) vs. Michael Brightmon (10-4)
About
X-1 World Events
Founded
in 2004 by Mike Miller, X-1 World Events is a world-class mixed
martial arts (MMA) promotional company based in Honolulu, HI.
Locally-owned and operated, X-1 delivers exciting live arena-based
entertainment events to fight fans all over the islands. The
events feature some of the MMA world’s most talented fighters,
including UFC, Pride, and Abu-Dhabi veterans such as former UFC
champions Dan “The Beast” Severn and Ricco Rodriguez,
UFC veterans Jeff Monson, Kimo Leopoldo, Chad “The Grinder”
Reiner, “Sugar” Shane Nelson, Brandon Wolff, Wes “The
Project” Sims, Ronald “The Machine Gun” Juhn,
Wesley “Cabbage” Correira, and Falaniko Vitale, as
well as Pride veterans Chris Brennan and Ron “H2O-Man”
Waterman. X-1 World Events can be found online at http://www.x1events.com/
Source: X1 World Events
|
Kenny
Florian Vs. Evan Dunham To Headline UFC Fight For The Troops
Jan 22
by Damon
Martin
If
everything goes down as planned for the Jan 22 “Fight for
the Troops” show in Fort Hood, Tex. the men and women of
the Armed Forces will get a lightweight battle as their main
event as Kenny Florian and Evan Dunham have agreed to face off
as the headliner for the show.
The
fight was confirmed to MMAWeekly.com by sources close to the
negotiation on Tuesday. Heavy.com initially reported the fight
on Monday as well.
After
a title run that saw him land in his hometown of Boston for UFC
118, Kenny Florian (13-5) came up short in his fight against
Gray Maynard, and the one time “Ultimate Fighter” alum
went back to the drawing board to figure out what went wrong.
Concentrating
on his wrestling following the loss in August, Florian had announced
previously that he was set to face Dunham on the Super Bowl card,
but now it appears the lightweight tilt will go down in January
instead.
Hoping
to bounce back from a loss of his own, Evan Dunham (11-1) tasted
defeat for the first time ever in his career back in September
when he faced former UFC lightweight champion Sean Sherk. The
loss didn’t come without controversy though as most thought
Dunham had won the fight despite the split decision not in favor
of Sherk.
UFC
president Dana White even voiced his opinion that he believed
Dunham won, but the decision fell to the former champion and
so now the Oregon native will get back on the horse, and face
a very tough test in the form of Kenny Florian in January.
The
Jan 22 show has been all but set for the next installment of
the “Fight for the Troops” series set to go down at
Fort Hood in Texas. Sources confirmed to MMAWeekly.com on Monday
that negotiations are underway to bring the show to the troops
in Texas, but the final word has yet to be confirmed at this
point.
Source: MMA Weekly
|
Zoila
Frausto ends the 22-fight winning streak of Megumi Fujii
By Zach
Arnold
Call
me stunned, but actually I’m not. Going into the fight,
Frausto was by far the better striker and she had a huge size
advantage. The question was whether or not Fujii would be able
to get her on the ground and submit her. Against Lisa Ward that
was possible. Against Zoila Frausto, who is almost 30 pounds
heavier and taller, that was a tall order to ask for.
Here’s
how the Florida judges scored the fight:
Hector
Gomez – 48-47 for Frausto
John Rupert – 48-47 for Fujii
Rich Green – 49-46 for Frausto
Bellator
color commentator Jimmy Smith scored it 49-46 for Fujii. I scored
it 48-47 in favor of Frausto. The big attribute, if you want
to call it that, for Fujii in the stand-up war was ‘cage
control.’ However, it was very clear from the get-go that
in the stand-up battle, Frausto was a much more accurate and
powerful striker. Fujii let her hands drop several times and
as Mr. Smith himself pointed out, once Frausto applied pressure
to Fujii you could see her striking angles disappear. Apply pressure
by moving forward and you win. That’s what happened.
Fujii
didn’t try for a takedown in the first three rounds, something
which shocked just about everyone. When she did try for a takedown
in round four, Frausto simply stood tall and used her size and
balance to stuff it. With about 30 seconds left in round five,
Fujii finally got Frausto on the ground and the crowd cheered
very loudly. However, it was too late to do much and the Frausto
already won the fight. Jorge Gurgel told Frausto that she had
won all four rounds heading into round five and Jimmy Smith didn’t
think that was a good thing to say. Little did he know that Gurgel
was right about the way the judges scored the fight.
Watching
the fight was interesting for the tactical war, but I fully understand
that in Strikeforce or UFC the fans would have unmercilessly
booed watching this for 25 minutes. I give credit to the Bellator
audience in Florida — they were booing a little in round
three but by the end of the fight they were very respectful and
applauded both women.
Should
Fujii have went for takedowns earlier in the fight? Probably
so, but it seemed clear from the get-go that the size advantage
was simply too much for her to overcome. This definitely seemed
to be on her mind throughout the fight. Fujii walks around at
118 pounds and fights at 115. Frausto walks around at 145-150
and makes the cut to 115 pounds. Physically impossible to overcome
that size advantage.
The
story of Frausto winning the tournament is nothing short of remarkable.
She was brought in to basically put on a good fight and make
Rosi Sexton look good. Instead, she blasted Sexton and KO’d
her. Sexton was being groomed as one of the top fighters for
the 115-pound tournament. Frausto’s win catapulted her into
the tournament and from there she did what she needed to do to
win. (I still think she lost to Jessica Aguilar, and that seems
to be the natural title fight coming up.)
As
for the main event on tonight’s Bellator show between Hector
Lombard and Alexander Shlemenko, the less said the better. Eddie
Alvarez vs. Roger Huerta this fight was not. When the fight started,
Lombard was heavily cheered. By round three, the fans were booing.
By the end of the fifth round, the fans were annoyed. Lombard
dominated and controlled the fight but Shlemenko showed enough
heart and defense to stall Lombard in order to go the distance.
Lombard did not show the explosiveness that he has in past fights
against weaker opponents. All three judges scored 49-46 in favor
of Hector Lombard. Lombard said after the fight that he didn’t
make excuses but “I don’t feel 100%.” Afterwards,
Lombard grabbed the microphone and said, “Jacare, I want
your belt.” Yes, the Bellator 185-pound champion called
out the Strikeforce 185-pound champion.
At
the end of tonight’s Bellator telecast, the announcers noted
that the next season will start in 2011 with Featherweight, Lightweight,
Welterweight, and Middleweight tournaments for season four.
Source: Fight Opinion
|
Vitor
Belfort
By Eduardo Ferreira
Former UFC champion, Vitor Belfort moved to Las Vegas, where
he will make his preparation to dispute the middleweight title
against Anderson Silva, on February 5. On an exclusive interview
to TATAME, “The Phenom” talked about the reasons why
he moved to Las Vegas, explained why he accepted to fight against
Anderson even after a time off, and complimented his opponent.
“Anderson is very versatile so you can’t have one settled
game plan. I know he’s the best in the world, but I can
get intimidated by it”, guarantees Vitor, replying the statements
of Wanderlei Silva, who betted on Anderson. Check below the exclusive
chat with Belfort.
How are the trainings for Anderson Silva’s bout going?
Great man, the rhythm is good. I’ve been training with Ray
Sefo, Rodrigo Artilheriro, a world champion of Muay Thai…
I’ve been training on Randy Couture’s gym and on Tapout’s
gym. Everything’s going just fine. Vegas don’t have
beaches, so I only train here. I decided to move here because
I want to end my career on the United States, where I started
it.
You were about to fight Yushin Okami in November. What changed
in your training now you’ll only fight in February?
I slowed it down a little. I had to hold it for a while so I
wouldn’t get over trained, since Anderson’s fight will
only happen in February. But now in November I’ll set my
training strategy.
You are almost a year off and now you’ll have this title
fight. Wouldn’t you like to do another fight before this
one so you’d be on a better rhythm?
Every rule has its exceptions, I’ve had the opportunity,
so I don’t care about the “ifs”. I don’t
have this word in my vocabulary.
You once were the heavyweight and then light heavyweight champion
and now you have the chance to make history as you’ll fight
for a belt on a another division. Does that motivate you for
this fight against Anderson?
That’s just one of the factors that motivate me. What motivates
me the most is being able to perform the work I’ve been
doing in a good act. My expectations are these, they are all
about what I can do on that fight.
Do you already have a strategy settled for this bout?
Anderson is very versatile so you can’t have one settled
game plan. The important thing is to be prepared for anything
because he’s a great fighter. You can get there thinking
things will go one way, but it can suddenly change. I know he’s
the best in the world, but I can get intimidated by it.
Wanderlei Silva gave a statement saying that Anderson Silva will
freak the hell out of you. What do you think about it?
I don’t think anything, he’s a spectator and he can
think whatever he wants to. If you have a mouth, you can say
whatever you want and Wanderlei has a big mouth. But it’s
about cheering, everyone can cheer for their favorite, and the
important is to be respectful and know how to choose the right
words. In February I’ll have my chance for the belt and
let’s see how it’ll be.
What did you think of the bout between Brock Lesnar and Cain
Velasquez? And what do you expect for Junior Cigano’s fight
against the new heavyweight champion?
Velasquez
is pretty fast and Lesnar doesn’t have that MMA fighter
talent. He’s a wrestler and is really powerful… my
congratulations Velasquez, you did a fantastic fight, and now
he’ll confront a skillful guy. Cigano has all the weapons
to win, but we can’t forget the dangers that his opponent
might present him.
Source: Tatame
|
Shane
Carwin on Shelf for 8-12 Weeks After Surgery Addresses Multiple
Injuries
By Mike
Chiappetta
Shane Carwin has a full-time job as an engineer to go along with
his better-known career as a successful mixed martial artist,
but that busy schedule will be scaled back for the time being
as the UFC contender rehabs from a serious surgical procedure.
The
heavyweight star recently underwent surgery to address neck,
back and nerve problems, and will not be allowed any physical
contact for 8-12 weeks, his manager Jason Genet told MMA Fighting.
The
procedure, performed on Nov. 2 by neurosurgeon Dr. Chad Prusmack
in Colorado, took four hours and required drilling into Carwin's
skull as part of the process that repaired nerve damage and problems
with his C5, C6 and C7 discs.
"It
went as good as it could have, but it was worse than we thought
it was, if that makes sense," said Genet, who explained
that the extent of the problem wasn't completely known until
Carwin went under the knife.
The
35-year-old Carwin (12-1), a former collegiate wrestling champion
and NFL prospect before transitioning into MMA, had been suffering
through the injuries for years, working through them with physical
therapy, traction, pain pills and epidurals.
Recently,
the injury had resulted in more pain and eventually, numbness
in his fingers and one of his arms. By the time surgery was nearing,
the problem had progressed to the point Carwin had trouble sleeping
and would vomit from medication.
"His
body was out of whack and it could have caused some severe damage
if it had not been addressed," Genet said. "It was
very much required.
"When
he woke up, the pain in his back where knife-pain was in the
last few weeks was gone, he could feel his fingers, and the numbness
was gone," he continued.
In
one to two weeks, Carwin will be able to begin light cardiovascular
or mobility workouts, but can't do any impact training or weight
lifting for the foreseeable future.
Given
the 8-12 week no-contact timeframe and a traditional 6-8 week
training camp, it seems likely that Carwin won't be back fighting
in a UFC Octagon anytime before spring 2011. But the best news
Carwin received is that his fight career should resume with no
restrictions once he is fully rehabilitated.
"Their
doctor said he was surprised Shane could compete with the damage
as it was, but with the surgery, there's no reason he won't be
able to fight and possibly even perform at a higher level,"
Genet said. "Once Shane gets back into the motions, we think
it'll be relatively quick for him to get into fighting shape.
He's not a guy who has a lot of ring rust."
Carwin
was most recently in action at UFC 116, where he nearly took
the UFC heavyweight title from Brock Lesnar during a one-sided
first-round before he succumbed to a second-round arm triangle
submission. A power puncher with a wrestling background, Carwin
had finished all 12 of his opponents prior to losing to Lesnar,
and captured the UFC interim heavyweight championship with a
knockout over Frank Mir at UFC 111.
Source: MMA Fighting
|
After
14 years, Wand still slick with fists and words
by Carlos
Eduardo Ozório
“Today’s my 14th anniversary as a professional MMA
fighter. I thank all my fans,” announces Wanderlei over
Twitter.
Indeed,
the fighter made his debut on November 1, 1996 against Dílson
Filho at the Brasileiro de Vale-Tudo 1 event, where other notable
participants put in appearances, like José Pelé
Landi, Jorge Patino Macaco, Jorge Pereira, and Johil de Oliveira
among others. Wand won his bout by knockout 3:35 minutes into
the fight.
Since
then he has amassed 33 wins, ten losses, one draw, one no contest,
23 knockouts, three submissions, Pride FC belts, triumphs over
Quinton Jackson, Ricardo Arona, Dan Henderson, Kazushi Sakuraba…
Such results and attitudes have, over the years, made the “Axe
Murderer” into not just one of the greatest fighters in
MMA history, but one of the greatest idols in the style worldwide.
Relembrando passado e falando do presente e futuro, Wand postou
recentemente um vídeo com o treinador Rafael Cordeiro,
que viveu grande parte das glórias ao seu lado.
Remembering
the past and addressing the future, Wand recently posted a video
with trainer Rafael Cordeiro, who was by his side for a big part
of his glorious achievements.
“We’ve
known each other a long time. We know everything about each other
(laughs)! Cut!”
“For
the importance of the fight and the technique displayed, Werdum’s
submission over Fedor should be, without a shadow of a doubt,
the submission of the decade!”
“Our
aim now is to regroup. Come train with us, Shogun. Shogun, come.
We’ll put together first-rate training for you. I’ll
do whatever I can do to help. He’s my idol in MMA…”
“I
think Anderson’s going to strike fear into Belfort. Belfort
already chickened out the first time! Anderson, whatever you
need, I’m at your disposal…”
“In
his last fight, Anderson was finally baptized in the beatdown
because, up until then, no one had ever touched him. He proved
he’s a man and proved to the whole world he deserves his
belt. He was a man and had the cool head a champion must have
during a tough moment…”
Source: Gracie Magazine
|
Fistic
Medicine: Cauliflower Ear
by Matt Pitt
One figure in particular stands out among the beautiful sculptures
of the Ny Carlsberg Glyptotek museum’s Greek antiquities
wing. Amidst the marble beasts, eternally pouting graceful maidens
and delicate youths, a hard faced man stares balefully at visitors.
A hostile, unpretty face, he could be a soldier, a slave, a god.
But by his deformed ears, we know him for what he truly is: a
fighter.
No
physical deformity is so inextricably bound to a specific athletic
endeavor as cauliflower ear and combat sports. True, other forms
of ear injury can lead to the deformity -- 19th Century opium
addicts were recognizable by damaged ears born of uncounted hours
lying insensate on hard wooden opium den palates -- but none
as surely as the high-intensity repeated trauma of grappling.
For years, the physiology and treatment of cauliflower ear was
a matter of debate, and athletes had no choice but to bear their
scars. Advances in surgery and a landmark 1975 study from Sweden
changed all that.
In
the Swedish study, investigators took two cohorts of young rabbits.
In the first, they injected blood beneath the skin of the ears.
In the second, they injected the same amount of blood beneath
the perichodrium -- the thin layer of connective tissue that
covers the cartilage of the ear. It is this cartilage that gives
the pinna of the ear its distinctive curved and ridged shape.
In the first group, the blood was readily absorbed; there were
no complications. In the second group, where the perichondrium
had been disturbed, the blood persisted, and the ears developed
deformities. The study showed that not all auricular hematomas
cause cauliflower ear, only those in which the perichodrium has
been disrupted. Unfortunately, the shearing forces seen in grappling
are very likely to cause those perichondrial injuries.
The
Swedish study also elucidated what is happening at the microscopic
level in the formation of cauliflower ear. When the perichodrium
is torn away from the cartilage of the pinna, chondroblasts on
the perichondrium are exposed to blood. In the presence of blood,
chondroblasts build cartilage; in the ear, they build flexible
elastic cartilage. Rapidly, new cartilage forms on top of the
existing ear cartilage. When the hematoma is eventually absorbed,
the taut perichodrium contracts, creating the irregular buckled
appearance of cauliflower ear. The timeline for this progression
is rapid: chondroblast activation occurs within hours, extensive
chondroblast invasion of the hematoma occurs within days and
solid cartilage is in place in less than a month.
The
best approach to cauliflower ear is prevention -- the distinctive
head gear of modern wrestling has proven remarkably effective
at preventing ear trauma. Unfortunately, grapplers in MMA frequently
forgo ear protection because it inhibits escaping chokes.
When
injury does occur, treatment begins immediately. As soon as a
fighter notices pain or swelling in his ear, he should ice the
ear to prevent further injury; cauliflower ear pathophysiology
is not strictly an inflammatory response, but similar principles
apply. Firm non-traumatic pressure to the injured ear will reduce
the amount of bleeding into the hematoma. The next step involves
evacuation of the hematoma. While not all auricular hematomas
are subperichondrial -- and thus cauliflower ear generative --
it is impossible to readily tell which are and which are not;
a prudent fighter treats every auricular hematoma.
The
gold standard of care for treating an auricular hematoma is surgical
incision and drainage. This can be done within seven days of
injury by an emergency room physician trained in the procedure
or at a later point by an Otolaryngologist (ENT). After local
anesthesia, an incision is made along the edge of the hematoma,
following the natural contours of the ear, and the clot within
is suctioned out. The skin flap is then replaced, and the ear
is packed tightly with bolsters held in place using sutures sewn
through the ear. Recent published research has suggested that
bolstering may not be necessary: the primary risk is recurrent
bleeding and the need for a repeat procedure.
An
alternative technique employs needle aspiration to drain the
hematoma. Long used by self-treating grapplers, this approach
is gaining increasingly legitimacy in medicine. An 18- or 20-Gauge
needle is used to evacuate the clot. This technique is much simpler
-- simple enough that there are YouTube videos of various athletes
performing the procedure on themselves with the aid of a bathroom
mirror. This technique is associated with more frequent re-accumulation
of fluid and incomplete evacuation of the hematoma.
When
these early steps to prevent cauliflower ear formation fail or
when they are never undertaken by the injured athlete, the only
remaining option is cosmetic surgery. Surgery offers benefits
beyond mere aesthetics: cauliflower ear can be painful and, in
extreme cases, affect hearing. The auricuoplasty procedure can
be done relatively cheaply, perhaps for $3,000. Even so, when
balanced against the cost of protective headgear -- no more than
$50 for the top-of-the-line guards -- the argument for prevention
rather than treatment is difficult to refute.
There
appears to be some genetic predisposition to cauliflower ears,
some unfortunate combination of ear shape and perichondrial friability.
But by far the greatest risk factor for cauliflower ear is the
fighter’s attitude. In the subculture of grapplers -- much
like German dueling scars or African ritualistic scarification
-- the deformed ears may be valued for what they putatively represent:
hours on the mat, endurance of pain, disinterest in the mores
and aesthetics of mainstream culture. In such a culture, beauty
and pathology are in the eye of the beholder.
Matt
Pitt is a physician with degrees in biophysics and medicine.
He is board-certified in emergency medicine and has post-graduate
training in head injuries and multi-system trauma. To ask a question
that could be answered in a future article, e-mail him at mpitt@sherdog.com.
Source: Sherdog
|
TUF's
Michael Johnson Explains Why He Wanted to Fight Bruce Leroy
By Michael David Smith
On this week's episode of The Ultimate Fighter, the four quarterfinal
fights were matched up, and rivals Michael Johnson and Alex "Bruce
Leroy" Caceres got their wish of being able to fight each
other.
In
his weekly interview with MMAFighting.com, Johnson touched on
why he wanted to fight Bruce Leroy and what kind of fight he
expected. He also discussed the wild card fight on this week's
episode between Aaron Wilkinson and Marc Stevens, and on the
fight that nearly took place outside the cage when Josh Koscheck
started jawing with members of Georges St. Pierre's team.
The
full interview is below.
Michael
David Smith: The big news for you coming out of this episode
is that you get the fight you wanted, against Alex Caceres, aka
Bruce Leroy. Why was that the fight you wanted?
Michael Johnson: Because he'd been nagging me in the house, getting
on my nerves. I didn't really like the way he acted in the house,
I didn't like his work ethic, I didn't like how he'd claim he
was hurt, I didn't like how he'd just be lying around while we
were working out. I don't appreciate that.
Did
you think Alex was faking a back injury to get out of training?
I don't know if he was faking, but he was probably exaggerating.
It's not my call to say if he's injured, but it was like he would
work out really hard one practice and then the next practice
just be lying around.
GSP
asked all of you guys to pick one teammate you'd be willing to
fight and it was clear for you that it would be Alex, and Alex
wanted to fight you. Did you want to fight him because you disliked
him personally, or because you thought you matched up well with
him in the cage?
It was both. More on the not liking him side, but it was also
strategic on my part, thinking I matched up with him well, had
superior wrestling and could control him. I thought he was the
weakest link left in the competition at that point. It was all
about getting to the Finale and that was my game plan. It kind
of worked out that the guy I thought I could beat was also the
guy I didn't like.
The
fight we saw in this episode was Aaron Wilkinson vs. Marc Stevens,
and in the second round, Wilkinson sunk in the guillotine and
Stevens was tapping. What did you think of that fight?
A lot of the guys thought Marc was just going to take Aaron down,
but I thought Aaron was going to beat him. Marc isn't as skilled
or as well rounded as he thinks he is. He took a shot and Aaron
just locked up his guillotine. Pretty crazy that he got guillotined
in both fights. He should have learned from his first one.
Like
you said, Marc had already been choked out once on the show and
it seemed like a lot of people didn't think he had earned the
right to have that wild card spot.
I definitely didn't think he deserved it. I thought that spot
should have gone to whoever put up the best fight in the previous
round and that definitely wasn't Marc.
We
almost saw a fight outside the cage when Josh Koscheck was starting
stuff with Brad Tate and other guys on your team. Did you think
an actual fight was going to break out?
No, I think Tate got under Koscheck's skin pretty well and Koscheck
had to resort to being physical because Tate was beating him
in the trash talking aspect. I didn't think they were going to
actually come to blows and fight, but I actually thought the
whole thing was pretty funny.
Source: MMA Fighting
|
Are
there any negatives to the WEC-UFC merger?
By Zach
Arnold
From
the crew at Cagewriter/Yahoo Sports, a discussion about some
of the potential drawbacks to this merger taking place.
STEVE
COFIELD: “It was not the network TV deal that was…
I think speculated on more than fact-checked. It was a merge
between the WEC and the UFC and it looks like a huge positive.
You’ve now got a chance to get all these WEC stars who I
think have been a little under-covered now get the full attention
from the casual MMA fan.”
KEVIN
IOLE: “Steve, I think overall very good news for the industry,
for the fighters, for fans. I think overall good news. You know,
there are some negatives to it. I mean, the good thing is now
you’re going to take these top WEC fighters and put ‘em
on UFC PPV cards and they’re going to make those cards that
much stronger. You think back to say, UFC 119, where a lot of
fans were complaining about, you know, there wasn’t much
there beyond the main event of Frank Mir and Mirko Cro Cop. You
know, if you could have put, you know, a Jose Aldo or a Urijah
Faber in a good fight on that undercard, you know people have
less to complain. I think that’s going to, you know, be
fixed. The fact that there are going to be more title fights,
on the conference call one of the reporters said, well, yeah,
there’s going to be a title fight on every card now. I mean,
that’s ridiculous, that’s not going to happen. But
there are going to be, you know, there’s two more championships
now. There are going to be more championship fights, so I think
that we’ll see more championship fights on the PPV cards.
People seem to like that. And guys are going to be fighting for
their jobs, especially in the Lightweight division. You know
you’re going to merge the WEC Lightweights who weren’t
as good overall top-to-bottom as the UFC and those guys now as
they come into the UFC, they know they can’t afford a slip
so they’re really going to fight. So I think, you know,
that’s going to create a positive. The negative, of course,
is you know we’re going to have people losing their jobs.
Some of these fighters are just not going to be in the UFC or
WEC any more. There’s not as big of a margin.
“The
other thing I don’t think maybe a lot of people are thinking
of that could end up being a problem is developing young talent
because if we have so many fight cards and only so many spots
to put these fighters, then I think it’s going to be incumbent
upon the matchmakers, you know, to get rid of guys if they lose
a fight whereas, you know, in the past, you know, both Sean Shelby
with the WEC and Joe Silva with the UFC, they had a little bit
of flexibility. If somebody lost that they liked and they thought,
you know, had potential and could give them a second or a third
fight, doesn’t happen too often but, you know, they did
have that flexibility with people they like but, you know, they’re
going to lose that to a certain degree now. You know if you’re
a young fighter, you know, the UFC is going to be a pretty harsh
place to be and, you know, it’s going to be tough on the
matchmakers to develop fighters. That may be one of the down
sides.”
STEVE
COFIELD: “You know, I think what looks like a net loss now
in terms of, you know, free fights and areas to develop guys
in Zuffa eventually 6 or 8 months from now could turn back into
a gain because I still feel like with the Spike deal up and the
aggressive nature they’re approaching of the worldwide scene
that I think by the second half of 2011 they’re going to
wind up having more shows and you’re going to have more
opportunities out there but, you’re right, for the next
6-to-8 months it is going to be an uncertain time especially
on these upcoming WEC cards, I’ll tell ya what — next
two cards you are fighting for your life to get in because if
you don’t win and you’re not on the televised portion,
there’s a good chance you ain’t coming over.”
KEVIN
IOLE: “Probably won’t be a UFC fighter, yeah, no doubt.
You know if they have a net loss of 5, you know, maybe 6 if you
want to look at it that way, Steve, because there were 7 WEC
fights on Versus this year and 2 UFC fights and when I say 7
that’s counting November and December coming up, so that
would make 9 fights and then, of course, WEC 48 was a PPV and
that was their first PPV, historically that had been a WEC fight
on Versus. So depending on how you want to look at it, annually
there were 8 or 9 shows that we’re looking at. You know,
now you’re talking going back to 4 with the UFC shows on
Versus so that’s a net loss of five or six, you know that’s
going to be tough, you know, and it’s going to hurt the
fans, it’s going to hurt some of these fighters. But I agree
with you, I think at some point the UFC will come up with another
deal and another vehicle to get some of these fights on TV. You
know, Dana’s always working the angles and he’s been
out looking and beating the streets, you know, for some other
deals. The Spike deal being up, I mean I think you could see
something come about where, you know, maybe they end up on NBC,
maybe they end up on Fox, you know, maybe even on some kind of
Disney combination.”
STEVE
COFIELD: “I think The Ultimate Fighter angle is kind of
interesting now. They’re going to hold tryouts within the
next couple of weeks for the next season. I would love them to
change their mind a little bit, bump up what they’re going
to do. I think that the natural match for the first thing you
come out with is a Miguel Torres-Urijah Faber season.”
KEVIN
IOLE: “I mean that would certainly be really good and both
of them have great personalities, so they would be tremendous
coaches on the show. I think that would really, really be good.
And, you know, one of the problems, you know, that they would
have with that is that the coaches themselves maybe aren’t
as well-known to the massive audience that, you know, the UFC
fighters are, you know, so maybe they do that with the second
one but I agree with you, I mean I think that, you know, it would
be very good television because Urijah and Miguel both have good
personalities, you know they’re both really talented guys
with something to prove. You know they both were champions, lost
their belts, you know, kind of on the comeback trail right now.
They happen both to be fighting at 135. I think that would be
a terrific way to go. I also think, you know, maybe now with
these extra fighters that they may come up with some other, you
know, in addition to just The Ultimate Fighter everybody wants
to say, well The Ultimate Fighter Canada, the Ultimate Fighter
Mexico, maybe they’ll come up with a different concept that
they can do but still incorporate fights onto another, you know,
TV organization so, you know, I think this [is worth] watching.”
STEVE
COFIELD: “And the reason I mention those two guys, I think
that division is the biggest winner out of all of them. I think
it’s a great division, 135 pound division. They automatically
as they move over to UFC have five guys basically that are all
in the same area who I think are just going to kind of round-robin
against each other unless they get locked up in a reality show
but between the champ (Dominick) Cruz, (Joseph) Benavidez, Torres,
Faber, and don’t forget about Brian Bowles, too.”
KEVIN
IOLE: “Yeah, no, I mean Brian Bowles has been injured but
when he comes back I certainly think, you know, he’s a legitimate
guy in there. He knocked out Miguel Torres, so, you know, you
knock Miguel Torres and you’re telling me that you’re
a good fighter, I agree with you. I think there’s a lot
of good fights to be made, you know, in that weight class. You
know, I think as they introduce these guys, you know, I think
you’re going to see Faber and Torres be, you know, kind
of at the head of the pack just because they are among the most
well-known but they’re going to bring the other fighters
with them.”
STEVE
COFIELD: “And most important point we have to address, since
the press conference we did get confirmation that the key person
in this whole deal who will be retained is, she’s not an
Octagon girl, I guess she’s a cage girl, Brittney Palmer
will be coming over.”
KEVIN
IOLE: “Yeah, Brittney Palmer! I couldn’t believe it
on Twitter I’m getting more questions about ‘is Brittney
Palmer going to go over to the UFC?’ than I am about the
implications of the fights but we have confirmed for anybody
who was worried, Brittney will be with the UFC so she’s
going to be an Octagon girl, I’m assuming at UFC 122. Haven’t
confirmed that but look for her pretty soon.”
Source: Fight Opinion
|
Henderson
vs. Babalu Winner Gets Strikeforce Title Shot Against Feijao
by Damon
Martin
As Dan Henderson and Renato “Babalu” Sobral get ready
for their rematch as the main event of the upcoming Strikeforce:
Henderson vs. Babalu II show in December, the promotion has thrown
a little bonus on board. The winner will get a shot at Rafael
“Feijao” Cavalcante’s light heavyweight championship.
Strikeforce
CEO Scott Coker confirmed the news when appearing on MMAWeekly
Radio Monday night.
“Right
now my feeling is Dan Henderson fights Babalu, the winner should
be fighting Rafael Feijao,” said Coker. “To me I think
the winner will probably be granted a title shot.”
Both
Henderson and Babalu will be making their return to 205 pounds
when they meet in December. Henderson is coming off of his middleweight
title loss to Jake Shields in April, while Sobral will be going
back to 205 pounds after a catchweight fight against Robbie Lawler
from June.
There
are of course other challengers that could enter the picture
next year, but Coker believes the two legends battling it out
on Dec. 4 deserve the next shot at the belt. Cavalcante won the
belt in August with a TKO over former champion Muhammed “King
Mo” Lawal.
Coker
believes there will be a lot of fights early next year to help
determine more contenders, but for now the winner of Henderson/Sobral
makes the most sense.
“We’ve
got Gegard (Mousasi) coming back at the beginning of the year,
we’ve got King Mo back probably near the end of the first
quarter, and Mike Kyle who knocked out Feijao is another fight
that we definitely want to promote,” Coker stated.
“I
think Rafael Feijao fighting the winner of (Henderson/Babalu)
would make a lot of sense.”
Henderson
and Sobral will be the main event of the Dec. 4 card, which will
also feature middleweights Robbie Lawler and Matt Lindland in
a featured attraction on the show as well.
Source: MMA Weekly
|
Lyoto’s
brother with MMA match in Brazil: “I’m more offensive”
by Carlos
Eduardo Ozório
Win Fight Entertainment (WFE), which reaches the eighth-event
mark on December 15, at the luxurious Fiesta Bahia Hotel in Salvador,
Brazil, confirmed the fourth fight of the evening’s card;
Chinzo Machida is set to face Bahia native Leonardo Laiola. Back
at the luxury hotel for the fifth time, the event is set to kick
off with middleweight, welterweight, and lightweight title fights.
The
WFE Platinum marks the return of Chinzo Machida, brother to former
UFC light heavyweight champion Lyoto Machida. Chinzo is one of
those responsible for his brother’s successful career. With
numerous karate titles, Chinzo is making his return to MMA, a
sport he has only appeared in twice.
Tipped
to participate in major events, Chinzo, who is younger and more
aggressive than his brother, commented on his return to the sport
after four years.
“I
did MMA to experiment, because Lyoto was already doing it and
I wanted to test myself. I had two fights, but then, there was
the Karate World Championship and a number of other events. I
got involved with that and could only return now,” says
the athlete.
However
successful in karate competitions, Chinzo holds one knockout
win and one submission loss on his MMA record.
“I’ve
been training Jiu-Jitsu and wrestling the whole time and I think
I’m ready to return,” he says.
“I
feel our attacks are distinct. My game was always more offensive
and Lyoto’s was always more counter-attacking. But one must
be balanced, I can’ be too offensive and make myself vulneraable,
I can’t go in half cocked. I have to keep calm and wait
for the right moment to attack and defend,” he reveals.
Chinzo’s
opponent, a native of the Brazilian state of Bahia Leonardo Laiola
is a student of famed boxing coach Luiz Carlos Dórea and
has four wins on his five-fight record. Laiola will set foot
in the WFE cage for the third time.
WFE
Platinum 8
December 15, 2010
Salvador, Bahia, Brazil
Bruno
“Carioca” Santos vs. Luis “Besouro” Junior
Edilberto
“Crocotá” Oliveira vs. Sergio Júnior
Chinzo
Machida vs. Leonardo Laiola
Erick
“Parrudo” Barbosa vs. Jorge “Jorjão”
Rodrigues
Ednaldo
“Lula” Oliveira vs. to be announced
Amanda
“Leoa dos Ringues” Nunes vs. to be announced
Source: Gracie Magazine
|
Escudero
Signs With Shine Fights
by Mike Whitman
It
didn't take long for Efrain Escudero to find a new home.
The
winner of the eighth season of “The Ultimate Fighter”
has signed with Shine Fight Promotions, the organization announced
via press release on Wednesday.
Escudero
was released by the UFC on Sept. 20 after dropping two of his
last three fights. A former junior college All-American wrestler,
Escudero began his MMA career in 2006, winning his first 10 fights
before being cast as a member of the “TUF 8” house.
The Mexican American defeated fellow cast member Phillipe Nover
by unanimous decision at “The Ultimate Fighter 8” finale
to win a contract with the UFC. Escudero found success inside
the Octagon, defeating Cole Miller before running into fellow
up-and-comer Evan Dunham at UFC Fight Night 20 in January, where
he lost by third-round armbar in an exciting bout. The 24-year-old
most recently lost to rising star Charles Oliveira in September,
and was subsequently cut by the organization.
“Going
to Shine is the first step to becoming a world champion,”
said Escudero. “As far as my career goes, things happen,
and I don’t live in the past. I’m excited to get this
show [on] the road. Shine, here I come!”
Escudero
joins his mentor, Drew Fickett, in the relatively competitive
Shine Fights 155-pound talent pool. The organization’s most
recent event was a one-night, eight-man lightweight tournament
on Sept. 10 in Newkirk, Okla., which Fickett won with a trio
of submissions. Other competitors who fought in the event included
UFC and WEC veterans Charles Bennett, Rich Crunkilton and Carlo
Prater. Shine is perhaps best known for its on-again, off-again
relationship with former boxing world champion Ricardo Mayorga,
who was scheduled to fight Din Thomas earlier this year before
a Don King injunction killed the match-up just hours before it
was to take place.
No
date or opponent has been set for Escudero’s Shine debut,
though the release stated that an announcement would be coming
soon.
Source: Sherdog
|
FOR
IMMEDIATE RELEASE: October 19, 2010
KALA “KOLOHE”
HOSE TO DEFEND HIS HOME
This Saturday!
The weigh-ins
are set for X-1’s “Island Pride,” which takes
place this Saturday, November 6th at Blaisdell Arena, and will
feature local favorite Kala “Kolohe” Hose locking horns
with tough Mexican fighter Edwin “Tigre” Aguilar. Also
at “Island Pride,” the X-1 Light Heavyweight Championship
tournament will come to a finish, as Po’ai Suganuma and
Korea native San Soo Lee will tangle for the title, and Strikeforce
fighter Lolohea Mahe makes his return to X-1.
There
will be no press conference for this event. The weigh-ins begin
at 1 PM at Blaisdell Arena on Friday and are open to the public.
The media are welcome and encouraged to attend. If you are interested
in an interview with one of the fighters, like “Kolohe”
Hose or Poai Suganuma, I will be happy to facilitate this. Also,
if you’re interested in attending on a media credential,
please let me know and I’ll send you an application. Thank
you for your time and consideration.
AGAINST
INVASION AS X-1 PRESENTS
“ISLAND PRIDE”
November 6, 2010
Blaisdell Arena
KALA
“KOLOHE” HOSE TO DEFEND HIS HOME
AGAINST INVASION AS X-1 PRESENTS
“ISLAND PRIDE”
Light
heavyweight title tourney final to commence
Honolulu,
HI (USA): World class fight promotion X-1 World Events is proud
to bring its next exciting fight card to Hawaii as they present
“ISLAND PRIDE,” live on Saturday, November 6th, at
the Neal S. Blaisdell Arena in Honolulu. This incredible night
of action will feature local fight legend Kala “Kolohe”
Hose in the main event, as he battles extremely tough and experienced
Mexican fighter Edwin “Tigre” Aguilar. In the co-main
event, the X-1 Light Heavyweight Championship tournament will
come to a finish, as Island favorite Po’ai Suganuma and
Korea native San Soo Lee will lock horns with the belt on the
line. Also on the card will be Strikeforce fighter Lolohea Mahe,
as he makes his return to X-1. Local fight fans won’t want
to miss this night of bone-crunching KO’s, slick submissions,
and electrifying finishes!
This
event will also be shown live on Pay Per View on all inner islands.
The undercard will begin at 5:30 PM, and the main card is scheduled
to start at 7 PM. Ticket prices for “ISLAND PRIDE”
include $35 for riser seats, $50 for floor seats, $70 for second
row seats, and $100 for front row seats. Please see http://www.x1events.com/ for more ticket information.
Kala
“Kolohe” Hose (7-4, seven KO/TKOs) is a fighter known
for his devastating knockout power, and has garnered a reputation
as one of the toughest Island fighters active today. In August
of 2008, he claimed the ICON Middleweight title with an exciting
TKO victory over current UFC fighter Phil Baroni that was lauded
by MMA fans for its great action. A veteran of Superbrawl and
EliteXC, Hose will look to rebound from a disappointing fourth-round
submission loss to X-1 Middleweight Champion Falaniko Vitale
during the most recent X-1 event, “HEROES.” During
his career, he’s faced UFC veterans such as Baroni, Vitale,
“Mayhem” Miller, and Reese Andy. Now, he will take
on the ultra-tough Edwin “Tigre” Aguilar. This knockout
specialist has claimed 16 of his 21 career victories via TKO/KO,
and with “Kolohe” standing on the other side of the
cage, someone is bound to get knocked out in this one!
In
addition, X-1 fans will finally find out who the X-1 Light Heavyweight
Champion will be, as the tournament will come to a close at “ISLAND
PRIDE.” Former EliteXC headliner and Hawaii native Poai
Suganuma (11-3) will tackle the challenge brought by extremely
tough South Korean SpiritMC veteran Sang Soo Lee (15-9) with
championship glory at stake. Suganuma defeated Greg Schmitt via
unanimous decision in the first round of the tournament to advance
to the semi-finals. There, he knocked out Vitaly Shemetov in
just over a minute to gain a spot in the final round. Now he
faces Lee for the belt. The Korean knocked out Daniel Madrid
with a beautiful right hand in the opening round of the tourney,
which allowed him to move on to the second round. In his second
tourney fight, Lee took a unanimous decision victory over California’s
Roy Boughton, which thrust him into the title finals. Now, Suganuma
and Lee will tangle to show who the real champion is.
“ISLAND
PRIDE” is also proud to present a returning local favorite
in Lolohea Mahe. Mahe is coming off a two-fight stint in Strikeforce,
and is looking to rebound in the promotion that helped launch
him. A two-time X-1 veteran, Mahe is determined to prove he belongs
on the big stages of MMA. In addition, “ISLAND PRIDE”
will present two state championship fights, with the 155 lb.,
and 145 lb. state title belts all on the line.
“What
an incredible night of fights this should be!” exclaimed
Mike Miller, Owner/Promoter of X-1 World Events. “We’re
proud to bring back Kolohe, who has a tough task on his hands
with ‘Tigre’ Aguilar. Then we finally get to see who
the next X-1 Light Heavyweight Champion will be, and we’re
also glad to see Lolohea Mahe back in X-1. Local fight fans are
in for an awesome night!”
Here
is the fight card as it stands now:
185
lb. Main Event:
Kala
“Kolohe” Hose (7-4) vs. Edwin “Tigre” Aguilar
(21-15-0-1)
X-1
Light Heavyweight Championship tournament (final round):
Poai Suganuma (HI) (11-3) vs. Sang Soo Lee (S. Korea) (15-9)
Heavyweight:
Lolohea
Mahe (4-2-1) vs. Jake Faagai (1-1)
X-1
155 lb. State Title:
Bryson
“The Kid” Kamaka (11-17) vs. Max “Lil’ Evil”
Holloway (0-0)
X-1
145 lb. State Title:
Sadhu
Bott (4-0) vs. Dustin Kimura (3-0)
135
lbs.:
Matt
Comeau (6-3) vs. Van Oscar Penovoraff (3-1)
185
lbs.:
Collin
Mansanas (2-0) vs. Delbert Grace (3-1)
180
lbs.:
Brennan
Kamaka (5-15) vs. Michael Brightmon (10-4)
About
X-1 World Events
Founded
in 2004 by Mike Miller, X-1 World Events is a world-class mixed
martial arts (MMA) promotional company based in Honolulu, HI.
Locally-owned and operated, X-1 delivers exciting live arena-based
entertainment events to fight fans all over the islands. The
events feature some of the MMA world’s most talented fighters,
including UFC, Pride, and Abu-Dhabi veterans such as former UFC
champions Dan “The Beast” Severn and Ricco Rodriguez,
UFC veterans Jeff Monson, Kimo Leopoldo, Chad “The Grinder”
Reiner, “Sugar” Shane Nelson, Brandon Wolff, Wes “The
Project” Sims, Ronald “The Machine Gun” Juhn,
Wesley “Cabbage” Correira, and Falaniko Vitale, as
well as Pride veterans Chris Brennan and Ron “H2O-Man”
Waterman. X-1 World Events can be found online at http://www.x1events.com/
Source: X1 World Events
|
MAN-UP
& STAND-UP This
Saturday!
WAIPAHU FILCOM CENTER
SATURDAY NOV 6
DOORS OPEN AT 6:00
WEIGH INS
FOR MAN UP & STAND UP
FRIDAY NOVEMBER 5 2010 AT 5:30
UP & UP GYM (CAMPBELL INDUSTRIAL PARK)
2112 LAUWILIWILI ST. #103G
KAPOLEI, HI 96707
SIGNS WILL BE POSTED
18 & OVER PHOTO ID REQUIRED
17 & UNDER BIRTH CERTIFICATE REQUIRED, PARENT NAMED ON THE
BIRTH CERTIFICATE MUST SIGN WAIVER.
Awwwhhhh
yeah, Nov 6 is almost here and the weapons of mass concussion
are about to be fired. Kickboxing at its finest will be showcased
in Waipahu’s Filcom Center. Man-up & stand-up has got
almost everything from 8 yr olds fighting grudge matches to a
champion vs champion match. Das right its all here so get your
tickets now or you can get it at the door because its still gonna
be affordable considering its scheduled for 20+ matches. Hopefully
this is the last change to the card that has to be made.
All
of the grudge matches that you will witness on Nov 6 are rematches
from previous cards that were controversial or so close that
both sides were willing to do it one more time. Every grudge
match is sure to be a crowd pleaser. Hopefully this time the
judges will not have a say in these matches.
Isaac
Hopps will
face the undefeated Ricky Plunkett. Isaac is the stick and move
fighter which might be the good route for him being that he will
face the aggressive Ricky who has done it all from kickboxing
to mad skillz to mma within the past two years. Isaac’s
only lost came from the semi pro welterweight champion who he
pressed the whole first round of their fight and looked kind
of winded in the later rounds. This will be an interesting one.
Will their game plans change or will they stay with what has
brought them glory throughout the year? Come and find out.
Robert
Banis and Justin
Dulay are
set to do battle for the super welterweight jr amateur title.
Both teenage fighters are pretty similar in style, strength,
speed and condition so it would be best to bring everything in
this match. Hopefully one of these guys has been training harder
than the other. If this one goes to decision, the loser will
definitely be asking for a rematch. This battle will probably
be the most technical fight of the night. Two of the finest technicians
in their age division around.
The
second youngest fighters on this card will be Elias Velasco going
up against Matt Austin. Both of these 14 year olds are young
animals that love the stand-up scene. These two kids can BANG.
Elias is dangerous once he finds his range. Matt becomes more
aggressive when he senses weakness. So will range or weakness
make its appearance first in this match? Only one way to find
out. Be there.
Hope
to see you all at the next Man-up & stand-up this Saturday
Nov. 6 at the Waipahu Filcom Center. Thanks for all of your support.
GRUDGE MATCHES
KAMAKANI WAIALAE
65
KAENA DESANTOS
MATT STONE
220
DUSTIN CALLASTRO
NICK RIVERA
185
MIKE ELI
RONNIE VILLAHMOSA
155
RODNEY BARONA
NICK CHING
(O2 Martial Arts Academy)
125
PAUL AUSTRIA
KAINOA
COOK (O2 Martial Arts Academy)
135
TYSON MEDRANO
BRYSEN
LUM (O2 Martial Arts Academy)
145
MARK YARCIA
CHEVEZ ANTOQUE
SEMI PRO LIGHT WT
CHARLES HAZELWOOD
185
ISAAC HOPPS
(O2 Martial Arts Academy)
ROOKIE OF THE YR
RICKY PLUNKETT
145
JUSTIN
DULAY (O2 Martial Arts Academy)
SUPER WELTER WT
ROBERT BANIS
155
ELIAS VELASCO
FLYWEIGHT
MATT AUSTIN
120
TITLE DEFENSE
JAMIN TAYABA
125
JAYCOBI VISTANTE
JOMAR ESCOSIO
160
JOSEPH GARCIA
ERIC EDWARDS
TITLE FOR TITLE
JAREN KAUWALU
UNDER CARD
JOE KAULULAAU
165
ETHAN KERFOOT
NEVADA HARRISON
125
JORDAN
GUILLERMO (O2 Martial Arts Academy)
JAYAR VISCONDE
120
MICAH SHIGETA
(O2 Martial Arts Academy)
CHRIS KAHELE
185
KILI KEKAULA
BRONSON KUKOMU
125
ALEX VINULAN
DJ CASERIA
(O2 Martial Arts Academy)
125
SHAWN
ROBERT CHOLO AGUIAR
155
ROB TIGER
BRANDON CARVALHO
170
BRANDON TIGER
JARON GUILLERMO
100
BRENTON WAIALAE
OLA LUM
(O2 Martial Arts Academy)
140
THOMAS MATHIAS
KALEO
MIKOSOBE
145
PAUL BOTER
All
matches & participants are subject to change.
Source: Derrick Bright
|
Jake
Shields Happy To Face GSP In Toronto, Will Be Cageside At UFC
124
A
win is a win.
It’s
the philosophy that Jake Shields is working with following his
split decision victory over Martin Kampmann at UFC 121, and now
he’s got his eyes set on the prize he came to the promotion
to claim.
The
UFC welterweight title currently held by Georges St-Pierre.
The
test will not be an easy one of course, and after a rough patch
to start his Octagon career, Shields admits he wasn’t even
sure the UFC would stand by their promise of a title shot if
he won, and even he would understand why.
“It
was a great feeling because after that fight I knew I put on
such a poor performance, I wouldn’t have been surprised
at all if (UFC president Dana White) said either (Jon) Fitch
or (Carlos) Condit or something for the title shot. I wouldn’t
have blamed him at all cause I was so mad at myself for putting
on such a bad performance,” Shields said when appearing
on MMAWeekly Radio.
“I
think it’s awesome that they’re still giving me the
shot. Even though this wasn’t the best performance, I honestly
do still feel I deserve a title shot, on a 15-fight winning streak,
over some pretty decent opponents.”
In
the run Shields is currently on he has defeated fighters like
Paul Daley, Carlos Condit, Yushin Okami, Jason “Mayhem”
Miller, and Dan Henderson. Anyone that doubts his credentials
can just look at the list of opponents he’s faced and defeated,
but that will only grant him a shot at the belt. Shields still
has to earn the victory to go home with the gold.
The
research will start for Shields right away as he plans on sitting
front row and center in December at UFC 124 to scout the fight
between Georges St-Pierre and Josh Koscheck. If he was forced
to pick a winner, Shields believes he’s leaning one way,
but won’t be surprised no matter who walks out champion
that night.
“I
think it’s a really tough fight and really close, and I
just give a slight edge to GSP, but I wouldn’t be shocked
by any means if Koscheck beat him,” said Shields.
“I
think he’s got a shot, but I still give a slight edge to
GSP. He’s just a guy that knows how to win.”
As
far as who Shields would rather fight, he fully confesses that
he’s been calling for a shot at St-Pierre for several years.
“I
would definitely rather fight GSP,” Shields commented. “One,
he’s the bigger name, the bigger star, and it’s a guy
I’ve wanted to fight for a while, and two, I don’t
really want to fight Josh. I’ve been training with him forever,
I mean I’ll definitely fight him because it’s business,
but fighting against your sparring partners is kind of weird
to me. Not that I won’t do it, just not something I’m
really stoked to do.”
If
St-Pierre is victorious for a second time over Koscheck, then
Shields is happy to become the bad guy for Canadian fans to root
against as he becomes the next man in line to try to take the
title away from their home country hero. The Californian says
he’s even happy to face St-Pierre on his home soil if that’s
what it takes to get the belt.
“I
definitely plan on going up to Montreal and be watching to see
who I’m fighting. Maybe I’ll pull a Koscheck and bash
their hockey team or something like that,” Shields joked.
“There’s
a possibility of me fighting him in Toronto in that big 50,000
seat arena or whatever it is. You might as well make them hate
you like Koscheck’s done.”
Shields
will head to Montreal in December and will happily sit through
the title fight at UFC 124 and await his chance to call out the
winner to finally compete for the UFC gold.
Source: MMA Weekly |
UFC
122 Winner Guaranteed Title Shot; Will It Be Nate Marquardt or
Yushin Okami?
UFC
Fighters Nate Marquardt and Yushin OkamiThe UFC and Spike TV,
in a news release earlier this week, confirmed that UFC 122:
Marquardt vs. Okami would air via same day tape delay on Spike
TV at 9:00 p.m. ET/PT. Not only that, but the release also assured
that the winner of the main event between Nate Marquardt and
Yushin Okami was guaranteed a shot at Anderson Silva’s UFC
middleweight championship.
Marquardt
(30-9-2) is coming off of a first-round TKO victory against Rousimar
Palhares on Sept. 15. With over 40 fights on his resume, Marquardt
is one of the most experienced fighters in the UFC, and has notched
wins against notable middleweights like Demian Maia and Martin
Kampmann. His last four victories have come by way of knockout,
setting the stage for fireworks on Nov. 13.
Marquardt
was originally slated to fight Vitor Belfort in the main event,
but when Chael Sonnen was pulled from a title rematch with Silva
due to a positive drug test, Belfort was called upon to face
Silva at UFC 126 on Super Bowl weekend. That bout will be Belfort’s
first in nearly a year and a half after sitting on the sidelines
due to injury.
Okami
(25-5) has fought the best middleweights in the world throughout
his lengthy career. Since his debut in the Octagon in August
2006 at UFC 62, he was won nine of 11 bouts in the Octagon, including
victories over Alan Belcher, Mike Swick, the late Evan Tanner,
and, most recently, Mark Munoz this past August. In January of
2006, he defeated current UFC champ Anderson Silva at B.J. Penn’s
Rumble On The Rock promotion in a controversial bout where Silva
was disqualified for an illegal kick. A victory over Marquardt
could deliver a rematch with Silva, if the current champion is
successful in defending against Belfort.
Both
Marquardt and Okami sit high in the current MMA Top 10 rankings,
easily making their individual cases for a shot at the UFC middleweight
title.
Other
UFC 122 bouts scheduled for the televised portion of the event
include Jorge Rivera vs. Alessio Sakara, Andre Winner vs. Dennis
Siver, Amir Sadollah vs. Peter Sobotta, and Goran Reljic vs.
Krzysztof Soszynski.
Winner,
Sadollah, and Soszynski, are all alumnus of “The Ultimate
Fighter,” the popular reality series that also airs on Spike
TV.
Source: MMA Weekly |
After
KOing Dan Hardy at UFC 120, Carlos Condit Eyes Possible Fight
With Jon Fitch
Carlos
Condit didn’t just ruin Dan Hardy’s day at UFC 120,
he also turned a corner in his own career, as he begins a path
that he believes will take him towards a shot at the welterweight
title currently held by Georges St-Pierre.
As
dominant a champion as there’s been in a promotion, that
was Carlos Condit when he held the WEC welterweight strap. Cruising
through fights with relative ease, Condit was poised for a big
jump when he moved over to the UFC, but came up short in his
debut fight against Martin Kampmann.
Two
more fights followed after that and both resulted in wins, but
not the same kind of dominating and fierce victories that Condit
had become accustomed unleashing. That changed at UFC 120 as
he laid out British fighter and former top contender Dan Hardy
with one punch.
“So
far in my UFC career I haven’t been as dominating as I was
in the past, so I was just trying to get back on track,”
Condit explained when speaking to MMAWeekly Radio. “You’ve
watched my career, you knew me back when I was fighting in Rumble
on the Rock and stuff, and I was taking guys out in the first
round back then. I haven’t been able to do that in my last
couple fights, so I’m just showing people what they might
have forgot.”
It
was a harsh reminder that Dan Hardy had to live through, and
now Condit believes he’s exactly where he wants to be. He’s
back in the MMA Top 10 rankings, on the precipice of a major
fight in the UFC’s welterweight division, which is what
he’s been waiting for.
“In
this fight, I felt as comfortable as I’ve ever felt in the
cage,” said Condit. “I feel like I’m coming into
my prime now. It’s now or never if I’m going to get
that belt around my waist. I’m going to give it my best
effort and train as hard as I can, and these next couple of fights
will probably define my career.”
As
far as who his next fight will be against, Condit’s not
sure just yet, but a list of names including Jon Fitch, Jake
Shields, and Martin Kampmann all could be viable candidates for
the New Mexico based fighter. Fitch in particular is a match-up
that intrigues Condit because of their stylistic differences.
“Any
one of those guys you just named would be great,” Condit
commented. “I think Fitch, that would be a great fight.
I think his game plan would be similar to (GSP’s) game plan.
Wrestler probably try to take me down, and if I could deal with
that then that is maybe a marker for how I might do in a title
match.
“I’d
have to work my butt off, but I like a challenge.”
Fitch
is currently awaiting his next opponent as well, so there’s
a solid chance UFC matchmaker Joe Silva puts the two top ten
ranked opponents together in a fight.
Never
one to stay away from the action for too long, Condit plans to
head back to the gym pretty soon to maintain his current level
of readiness. He believes his constant work this year led to
the performance he had against Hardy, and he wants to keep that
intensity alive.
“Maybe
February or March, that would be good for me fighting,”
Condit mentioned as far as timing for his next fight.
Whatever
the fight ends up being, Carlos Condit has served notice to the
UFC welterweight division that he’s back in form, and they
all need to be on the look out.
Source: MMA Weekly |
Gilbert
Melendez’s Message Is Clear: I Want To Fight Eddie Alvarez
Recently
both Bellator CEO Bjorn Rebney and lightweight champion Eddie
Alvarez have made statements that Strikeforce as a promotion
is “protecting” Melendez from that fight. The Cesar
Gracie trained fighter is letting his voice be heard that he
wants the fight to happen as well. Melendez says he wants to
face the best in the world and Alvarez falls into that category.
Both fighters reside near the top of the lightweight rankings.
“Of
course I want to fight Frankie Edgar and Eddie Alvarez, those
are the guys I do want to fight, and I do mention them so much
because I really want to figure out who’s No. 1 in the world.
That would help me figure it out right there,” Melendez
told MMAWeekly Radio recently.
Melendez
wants everyone to know that if there have been problems in putting
together a fight with the Bellator champion, it’s nothing
coming from him, because he’s been a vocal employee for
Strikeforce asking for the bout to happen.
“Heck
yeah, I think I’ve been the one making the most noise about
this and I think I’m finally starting to get heard,”
Melendez said. “I’m pretty sure Eddie Alvarez, no offense
to any of the fighters, but I’m pretty sure Eddie Alvarez
isn’t happy beating Toby Imada, or me fighting guys like,
no offense to Lyle Beerbohm or some of these other young guys,
they’re all tough, but I know Eddie wants to fight me, I
want to fight Eddie.”
The
promotional hurdles seem to be the biggest obstacle in all of
this actually taking place. Rebney has been very vocal about
putting the fight together, hitting the podium at every chance
to call for the lightweight megafight.
Melendez
has decided to take matters into his own hands. In the past he’s
been like many fighters saying he will fight whoever the promotion
puts in front of him. No more says Melendez, who will gladly
call for the fights he wants and hopes Strikeforce and its CEO
Scott Coker are listening.
“I
think we’re getting warmer, I think our voices are getting
heard,” Melendez commented. “I think as a fighter I’m
trying to step up to make some noise and be heard. Eddie Alvarez
is making some noise about it, the fans are starting to hear,
the buzz is out, and it sounds like it’s a possibility.
“I’m
trying to step up and make things happen for myself so I’m
calling out names. This is a guy who I think is within my reach
to fight, so that’s why I’m making noise about it.
It’s not out of disrespect or nothing, but I do want to
fight that guy.”
While
all current signs point to Melendez returning to action in Japan
against Shinya Aoki in Dream to close out 2010, the Strikeforce
champion hopes that when Strikeforce schedules his next fight
the name on the contract is Eddie Alvarez.
“It
makes sense. It makes sense to figure it out, and if they bring
that to the table, I’m more than happy (to accept). I’ve
been trying to bring that to the table. I know Bjorn (Rebney)
says it, I know Scott Coker says it, but they are the two businessmen
and they have to figure that out, and hopefully they can come
to an agreement,” said Melendez.
“Win
or lose, I just want to figure out if I can beat this guy or
not. I can’t live with myself not knowing.”
The
two sides may continue to talk, but Melendez is hopeful that
a deal can be hashed out and the fight can be put together as
soon as possible. If the fight does happen it would be the first
co-promotion between Strikeforce and Bellator, and could mean
big things for both promotions down the road as they try to stave
off the UFC promotional machine.
Source: MMA Weekly |
Wagnney
wants a submission at WEC 52
Wagnney
Fabiano will return to WEC’s cage on the 52nd edition of
the event, but a replacement of opponents got the Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu
black belt by surprise. “I don’t even care, I’ll
fight anyone they pick me to… I’m glad they’ve
warned me in time (laughs)”, said Wagnney to TATAME. Ready
to fight on November 11, he would confront the former champion
Brian Bowles, but an injury forced the American to leave the
card of the event, being replaced by Joseph Benavidez, who is
coming from a loss on a title fight.
“Both
are good, man, but it wasn’t an easy trade for me. They’re
both tops of the division and it’ll be a good fight”,
analyzes the fighter, believing that a win can bring him closer
to the belt of the division. “Beating him, I can’t
say I’ll be the next because there’s (Urijah) Faber
there now, right (laughs), but the possibility is great. In fact,
what I want to do is to fight. Fighting, it’s the essential
to me”, said, hoping that the crowd pleaser gets in the
middle of the line on his first win.
As
for the trainings and game plan, the former champion of IFL already
has everything planned for the bout, one of the main events on
the Las Vegas show. “The trainings is about the same, it’s
actually a little better because he’s shorter, maybe I’ll
work more on the stand-up game and move a lot, a thing that makes
him kind of lost. I say it because of his fight with Dominick
Cruz (current champion of the weight division), that beat him
twice… I’ll have a good game plan, but for sure I’ll
always try to take him down and catch him”, affirmed Wagnney.
Source: Tatame
|
Lyoto
sets up powerful camp to get ready for Rampage
Following
a two-week stint in California training with Cain Velasquez,
the new UFC heavyweight champion, Lyoto Machida returned home
to Belém do Pará in Brazil, where he is surrounded
by hard-hitting training partners.
Along
with his father, Yoshizo, and brother Chinzo, the former UFC
champion is now training with Glover Teixeira, Pedro Rizzo and
boxing coach Ulisses Pereira at Machida academy.
The
Lyoto-Quinton “Rampage” Jackson matchup is set for
November 20.
“They
will stay until November 7. On the 15th I’ll head to the
USA,” relates Machida.
Between
one punch-packed training session and another (like yesterday,
for example), Lyoto, Rizzo, and Glover work on strength and explosiveness.
Still
unable to return to fighting in the U.S. because of his visa,
Glover Teixeira will fight for the MFC belt November in Canada
against Ryan Jimmo, while Rizzo is set to face Tim Sylvia in
February 2011.
“I
returned to training two weeks ago,” says Rizzo.
Source: Gracie Magazine
|
Paul
Sass
Rodrigo
“Minotauro” reached the top of the world working with
his back on the floor, handling the punches on the ground and
pound and getting a win by submission. Inspired on the Brazilian
heavyweight, Paul Sass wants to show it still is possible to
be successful on MMA fighting on the guard. “I don’t
think it is too risky really, I just think you just have to control
the ground and pound and try work for a submission and make them
think about that more”, said the British lightweight, who
got to UFC with an unbeaten professional record of 10 wins, seven
of them conquered with triangles. As it couldn’t be any
different, the win on the debut, and an extra bonus for the best
submission, came with his favorite trap: “I don’t know
why they insist on coming to my guard”. On the exclusive
interview, Paul talked about dream of shinning on UFC, the pressure
he felt on his debut and the plans of training in Brazil in 2011,
along with Coach Marcelo Brigadeiro. Check it below:
You
were expecting a submission victory in your debut, and you also
got the bonus of the event. How did you feel after that impressive
victory?
Yes
I was hoping for a submission in my debut and to get the bonus
has helped me a lot, also it showed that I am not just one more
fighter in the 155lbs, I am a fighter that finishes fights. After
the victory I felt relieved all my hard work has paid off and
I felt great.
Some
fighters feel some pressure on their UFC debut. Did you feel
something different?
During
the week I felt ok, no nerves, and when I got the arena I was
ok as well, but when I was in the cage the nerves kicked in then
and I felt weird, so I just had to overcome them nerves.
Did
the UFC say who is next or you? Who do you see as a possible
next opponent?
No,
I haven’t been told what is next yet. A possible opponent
I don’t know, hopefully someone with similar experience
maybe.
After
this amazing debut, do you think you’ll get a fight in the
pay-per-view card?
I
don’t really know, but I am happy just to fight, does not
matter if in the pay-per-view or undercard. I will just keep
fighting and winning.
Everybody
knows that you can finish fights from the bottom, but your opponents
still insist on fighting against you on the ground. Do you think
they underestimate your guard?
I’m
not sure why they still insist in coming into my guard. Yes,
maybe they underestimate it and think they can pass and control
the fight from there. Good for me, I hope they keep doing it.
Some
fighters say that, with the aggressive ground and pound and wrestling,
is too risky to fight from the guard nowadays. What do you think
about that?
I
don’t agree. I don’t think it is too risky really,
I just think you just have to control the ground and pound and
try work for a submission and make them think about that more.
As (Marcelo) Brigadeiro always says to me, as long as I keep
attacking they will be worried about defending and won't be attacking
me.
What
are the most important things you have to be careful when you’re
fighting from the bottom?
The
most important thing you would have to watch out for is a big
shot or getting a cut. I am confident with it because Brigadeiro
makes me practice many different controls from the bottom, mixing
it with attacks so, I don't think that someone will hit me hard
without being tapped straight after.
Rodrigo
“Minotauro” Nogueira is worldwide famous for having
a great guard. Do you somewhat inspire yourself on him?
Yes,
Nogueira is a big influence on me. He could be losing a fight
and then pull off a submission from nowhere.
In
Brazil, the MMA fans loved your UFC debut. What do you have to
say to them?
When
I found out people in Brazil loved my fight I was so happy. I
was made up they enjoyed it and hope they enjoy my future fights
also. I’m coming over to train in Brazil in January with
my coach. Marcelo Brigadeiro is going on holidays and I am following
him because I can't stay too long away from his training, this
guy just made me get a bonus on my UFC debut. I would also like
to say thanks for all the support and good thoughts the guys
from Brazil gave me.
Source: Tatame
|
What
UFC-WEC merger means for fans
The
best top-to-bottom cards in mixed martial arts on a consistent
basis were, unquestionably, delivered by the World Extreme Cagefighting.
Those fights will now take place on a significantly larger stage
as Zuffa has folded the WEC into the Ultimate Fighting Championship,
effective with UFC 125 on Jan. 1.
The
UFC and the WEC each had its own lightweight divisions and their
own champions, but those divisions will merge. WEC champion Benson
Henderson will defend his title on Dec. 16 against Anthony Pettis.
The winner will meet the winner of the UFC lightweight title
fight at UFC 125 between Frankie Edgar and Gray Maynard later
in 2011 for the undisputed belt.
The
UFC will simply fold the WEC’s bantamweight and featherweight
divisions into its stable, giving it seven weight classes now,
joining lightweight, welterweight (170 pounds), middleweight
(185), light heavyweight (205) and heavyweight (265). WEC featherweight
champion Jose Aldo will make his UFC debut at UFC 125 when he
defends his title against an opponent to be named. The UFC will
recognize the winner of the Dec. 16 fight between Dominick Cruz
and Scott Jorgensen as its bantamweight champion.
UFC president Dana White sees only positives in the merger.
The
addition of the WEC fighters to the UFC roster should provide
deeper pay-per-view cards and provide higher-quality fights.
The
downside for fight fans, at least in the short term, will be
a reduction of free fights on television. In 2010, the UFC had
two fights on Versus, which will expand to four under a new deal
announced Thursday by UFC president Dana White. But the WEC has
already had five fights on Versus and still will air cards on
the cable network on Nov. 11 from Las Vegas and Dec. 16 from
Glendale, Ariz. As a result, that was nine shows, which will
be cut to four under the new deal.
Unless
the UFC adds an additional television deal, those five shows
won’t be replaced on free television, though White did not
seem to mind.
“I’m
not looking at this thing as a negative like, ‘Oh, we lost
a couple of fights on Versus,’ ” White said. “It’s
a positive. We’ve got the UFC on Versus. The last one we
did pulled killer numbers. Now that we’ve added these other
two weight classes to the UFC, everything is positive. I’m
not looking at it like, ‘Oh, we lost two fights. We have
to pick them up somewhere else.’ ”
White
said the merger became necessary because of the UFC’s expansion
and the growth of the business in general. Adding high-quality
fights from the WEC to UFC pay-per-view shows will clearly strengthen
the UFC cards and should at least lessen common fan complaints
about the lack of championship fights and diluted pay-per-view
cards.
White
has become irate when fans complained about shows such as UFC
119 in September, which didn’t have a title fight or many
of the company’s star attractions on it. But with the WEC
fighters coming aboard, guys like Aldo and bantamweight Urijah
Faber should instantly become household names and the complaints
should decrease.
“It’s
time,” White said of the long-sought merger. “As we
continue to grow globally and we’re going into these new
markets like China, India and Mexico, it’s time to do it.
We’re doing enough fights, et cetera, et cetera, to fold
this thing into the UFC. What’s always been in the cards
is to continue to grow this sport and add every weight class,
not just 135 and 145.
“The
reality is, all of these weight classes should be in the UFC.
There was a time early on, when we first bought this thing, that
155 didn’t even exist. Now, as we continue to grow and we’re
doing more fights every year, and we’re going into these
different markets, we can continue to add weight classes. That’s
always been our goal. Our goal is to build this sport worldwide
and continue to add weight divisions until we have every single
weight division in the UFC.”
The
two missing weight classes are flyweight, which has a limit of
125 pounds, and super heavyweight, which is everything above
266. White said the UFC will eventually add flyweight, though
he’s not sure when, but will not add either super heavyweight
or a women’s division. He’s long maintained that there
are not enough super heavyweights or women to make a viable division
and held that stance again Thursday.
The
WEC used a 25-foot cage, but White said that all shows will be
contested in the UFC’s 30-foot cage.
Source: Yahoo Sports
|
Urijah
Faber Discusses Transition From Featherweight to Bantamweight
Former
WEC featherweight titleholder Urijah Faber is set to make his
bantamweight debut at WEC 52 on Nov. 11 against Takeya Mizugaki
and recently spoke with MMAWeekly.com about the weight cut and
decision to drop to the 135-pound division.
We’ve
seen weight cutting take it’s toll on fighters, most recently
with Jake Shields’ return to the welterweight division in
his UFC debut after competing as a middleweight, but Faber doesn’t
anticipate any issues because he was a smaller featherweight
competing against bigger opponents.
“The
whole reason I’m able to do this is because I’m the
same size as all the 135-pounders anyways,” said Faber.
“It’s just not going to be like at 145 where I could
eat full meals the night before weigh-ins and stuff like that.
It’s not necessarily going to be the worst thing in the
world, but it’s not going to be fun either.”
Faber
saw the writing on the wall with the competition at 145 growing
bigger in talent and size in recent years.
“I
knew this was going to happen. When I first started fighting
I wanted to fight at 135, but no one was offering the weight
class. I went up two weight classes and I came back down to 145
and made a stand and said, hey, I’m going to fight here
and really helped to build up that weight class,” Faber
told MMAWeekly Radio.
“The
bottom line is it’s getting more competitive and it’s
just like college wrestling now. It wasn’t as competitive
because there wasn’t as many eyes on the sport. I’ve
been the same size as 135-pounders for a while,” he added.
“When
I fought Jose Aldo I walked into the cage around 153. Mike Brown
said he was 166. We were fighting in the same weight class and
13 pounds difference. Basically that’s kind of what you’re
looking at. I’ve been doing really well even though I’ve
been giving up some size.”
“The
California Kid” says the transition to the lower weight
class hasn’t been too difficult and he’s only had to
trim off about five to seven pounds of mass.
“It’s
been going really well,” Faber said of the weight cut. “I
feel like I’m back in college, which is not necessarily
a great thing because I was cutting weight all through college.
I feel really good at about 147 to 149 pounds. That’s where
I’m walking around at now.
“It’s
just basically been not having to stuff myself and being real
strict on my diet. I feel great.”
He’ll
have the opportunity to show just how great he feels when he
faces Takeya Mizugaki on Nov. 11 at WEC 52, on of the two final
events for WEC before it merges with the UFC in January.
Source: MMA Weekly |
Octagon
Observations: UFC 121 aftermath
1.
Branching out: Cain Velasquez’s victory over Brock Lesnar
could be a watershed moment in the UFC’s attempt to grow
mixed martial arts fan base. The company heavily marketed Velasquez’s
Mexican heritage in the run-up to the fight. The fruits of this
push were evident in the Honda Center crowd’s vociferous
reaction to Velasquez’s victory. For sheer volume, the intensity
level was matched only by Georges St. Pierre’s 2008 title
victory over Matt Serra in his hometown of Montreal. With Oscar
De La Hoya retired from boxing, the Marquez brothers heading
to the back end of their magnificent careers and no obvious successor
on the horizon, there is an opportunity for the UFC to make Velasquez
the marquee player among Latino combat sports figures. What Velasquez
lacks in charisma he makes up for with his heart and his courage
as a heavyweight who is smaller that most of his foes –
a trait that cuts across all ethnicities and creeds.
2.
Brock’s next step: Perhaps the most intriguing aspect of
Lesnar’s career is how the MMA world has watched him develop
under an intense spotlight. Each fight leads to a new set of
questions about how the former champion, who only has seven fights
under his belt, will respond. The question this time: What will
be his reaction to getting his tail kicked for the first time?
Lesnar marches to the beat of his own drummer and for all we
know, he could end up deciding he’s made enough money and
it is time to move on. But here’s guessing that a trilogy
fight with Frank Mir, who Lesnar legitimately despises, is enough
to get the former champ’s competitive juices flowing again.
3.
Title worthy? So Jake Shields comes into the UFC, looks listless
in claiming a split-decision victory over Martin Kampmann that
many felt Kampmann won … and UFC president Dana White says
he’s going ahead with his plan to give Shields a UFC welterweight
title shot. Good luck selling that one, Dana.
4.
Where does Diego go? Diego Sanchez appears to have made the right
career move in returning to his roots with Greg Jackson’s
camp, as his exciting win over Paulo Thiago at UFC 121 attests.
Now, hopefully Jackson will get Sanchez to focus on committing
to a single weight class. Sanchez has spoken of fighting at both
170 pounds and 155, but jumping between weight classes is more
suited for a veteran who doesn’t figure into championship
plans. Sanchez is still young enough to make another run at a
championship, and the sooner he picks a path, the faster he’ll
move forward.
5.
The Tito show: Here’s the UFC’s dilemma with Tito Ortiz:
Do you give the former UFC light heavyweight champion another
fight or two to try to find his rhythm, or do you cut ties now,
before his performance drops off a cliff? Ortiz has remained
competitive in each of his past five fights, going to a decision
in four of them. But he’s 0-4-1 in that stretch after his
loss to Matt Hamill on Saturday, and his level of opposition
has decreased with each successive fight. Ortiz has been valiant
in battling through a series of injuries, but time is not on
his side. The UFC may be better off releasing the former champ
before his performances turn embarrassing.
6.
Going, going, Gonzaga: Brendan Schaub notched the biggest win
of his career Saturday night with his decision victory over Gabriel
Gonzaga. But the match underscored how Gonzaga has become one
of MMA’s biggest cases of squandered potential. Gonzaga
possessed all the tools to become a great one, and he appeared
well on his way after his legendary head-kick knockout of Mirko
Cro Cop in 2007. But Gonzaga never left his small Western Massachusetts
camp, never was pushed in the gym by elite heavyweights and never
quite made it to the top. With three losses in his last four
fights, Gonzaga is walking on thin ice.
7.
Losing a step: Longtime fans consider it heresy to critique referee
John McCarthy, ever, for any reason. But the icon of the sport
had a bad night at UFC 121. In Tom Lawlor’s victory over
Patrick Cote, McCarthy was the only person in the building who
missed an egregious foul, as Cote blatantly grabbed the fence
and used it to gain the leverage to get out of a Lawlor submission
attempt. Then, in the Ortiz-Hamill fight, McCarthy was too slow
in getting between Hamill and Ortiz at the end of Round 1. Hamill
is deaf and can’t hear the horn to signal the end of the
round; because McCarthy was late, Ortiz ate a punch to the head
after the round ended. McCarthy’s place as a pivotal figure
in MMA history is secure, but just like fighters, referees pass
their peaks as well. Saturday night may have shown that McCarthy
is losing a step.
8.
Stout-hearted: If you buy a ticket to a UFC event and Sam Stout
is on the card, it is a fair bet that you’ll get 15 minutes
of good-to-great standup action. All seven of his UFC bouts in
the past three years have gone the distance. Most of those fights
have been back-and-forth standup slugfests, and he’s come
away with Fight of the Night honors five times. His latest win
came Saturday night, when was slightly better than Paul Taylor
in a split-decision victory. The UFC seems content to keep Stout
in an entertaining lower-card slot, but with three wins in his
past four fights, it’s time to give the London, Ontario,
native a crack at a high-level lightweight.
Source: Yahoo Sports
|
Coker
Expects Gina Carano to Fight in 2011
With
a starring role in Steven Soderbergh’s soon-to-be-released
film “Knockout,” Gina Carano seems to be doing just
fine in her life outside of MMA.
However,
Strikeforce CEO Scott Coker thinks Carano will return to the
cage in 2011.
“I
believe so,” Coker said Friday during a “Savage Dog
Show” interview on the Sherdog Radio Network.
Carano
fought last on Aug. 15, 2009, in a widely anticipated matchup
against Cristiane “Cyborg” Santos. With one second
left in the opening round, Santos stopped Carano to hand her
the first loss of her career and win the Strikeforce 145-pound
women’s title.
“I
know Gina is not going to go out the way that it went down,”
Coker said. “Her whole thing now is just timing and scheduling.
She’s got the movie coming out in April, I believe, and
she’s got some more stuff on her plate.”
After
which Coker expects Carano to give in to the pull to fight again,
the same as other film crossovers have before her.
“I
know, just like Cung [Le] or other people that have [been] part
of the film business … they’re still a fighter by heart,
believe me, and they have that desire to compete,” Coker
said. “I think Gina will be the same. It’s just a matter
of time. I believe she will fight in 2011.”
More
Notes from Coker’s Interview on “The Savage Dog Show”:
•
Coker suggested Robbie Lawler could get a title shot against
middleweight champion Ronaldo “Jacare” Souza if Lawler
defeats Matt Lindland on Dec. 4. However, if Lindland wins, a
rematch against Souza doesn’t sound likely: “I think
if Robbie wins, I think that would be a great fight. Let’s
just see what happens on December 4. Jacare, I know he wants
to fight, get back in the cage. We’ll have him probably
in the first quarter of [2011]. He definitely will be fighting.”
•
Coker discussed whether Strikeforce will be on CBS in 2011: “We’re
going to start a dialogue with them in the beginning of the year.
It’s something that’s going to be an ongoing dialogue.
The relationship is good. They just helped put out a DVD that
hit the shelves this month as well as [we’re] working on
some other television opportunities. On the broadcast side, we
all know what happened last year in Nashville. We’re going
to pick it up again in the beginning of the year. I had a good
conversation with [CBS executive] Kelly Kahl at the EA Sports
party last, what, two weeks ago in L.A. ... The conversation
is ongoing, and it’s always a good dialogue.”
•
Coker would like to promote Josh Thomson against Tatsuya Kawajiri
in the U.S.
•
Coker was impressed with Shinya Aoki’s win over Kawajiri.
He said Aoki looked much more comfortable in a ring than he did
in the cage against Gilbert Melendez. He’s working on a
rematch between Melendez and Aoki that would take place in a
ring on New Year’s Eve in Japan.
•
Coker would like to match Brett Rogers against Lavar Johnson.
Source: Sherdog
|
The
Rise and Fall of Todd Duffee
A
year ago, Todd Duffee was one of the brightest prospects in the
UFC’s heavyweight division. With a perfect record and a
Herculean physique, he appeared to be on his way to contender
status in no time.
What
a difference a year makes.
After
Duffee destroyed Tim Hague with the fastest knockout in promotional
history at UFC 102 in August 2009, UFC president Dana White publicly
avowed to put him on the “fast track.” A back injury,
however, kept Duffee out of the cage until May, when he fought
Mike Russow at UFC 114. After dominating the first two rounds
of the fight despite battling a knee injury, the young stud was
knocked cold by a Russow right hand late in the third period.
A
little over three months later, Duffee was released from the
company. He never received a formal explanation as to why he
was let go, according to Duffee. After releasing the fighter,
White claimed Duffee had a bad attitude and questioned the commitment
of the former American Top Team standout.
“Dana
never actually talked to me. The only time he talked to me was
after my first fight [in the UFC], and he publicly went out and
said that I had a good attitude,” says Duffee. “I gave
up my entire life [to be a fighter]. The thing that was insulting
to me was when he said that he didn’t know if I wanted to
be in the UFC.”
Now
training at the Grudge Training Center in Colorado, Duffee challenges
anyone who questions his desire to be a fighter.
“My
dad was dying, and I spent my dad’s last five months preparing
for a fight. I didn’t go visit my dad once. I was focused
on one thing and one thing only, and that’s how I’ve
trained my entire career. So that kind of hurt my feelings,”
says Duffee. “It was kind of hard to swallow when I heard
that someone could have that kind of misconception about me,
especially someone who has that much control over what I’m
trying to do with my life. With a snap of someone’s fingers,
everything you’ve worked so hard for goes down the sh--ter.”
Duffee
now fields questions regarding whether he will ever fight again,
a process the heavyweight finds frustrating considering his self-confessed
commitment to the sport.
“I
have a horrible attitude because Dana White says I have a horrible
attitude. That’s frustrating, you know?” Duffee says.
“I can’t tell you how hard that is to swallow. My last
five and a half years have been based around only fighting. I
don’t have friends. I don’t go hang out and party.
I’m not that kind of guy.”
Naturally,
when a prospect of Duffee’s caliber is suddenly cut from
the world’s top MMA promotion, media and fans alike will
speculate as to why. One theory stems from a post Duffee made
on a prominent mixed martial arts Internet forum in August, wherein
the fighter wrote that he was looking for a weekend job in Denver
and that he was tired of being completely broke.
“I
know a lot of people say that I was complaining about money,
and I wasn’t. I was getting paid more than fair. I’m
on the same track as guys like Travis Browne,” says Duffee.
“You could pay me $100,000 right now, and I’m still
going to have a weekend job, because I have a set training schedule
[in Denver] that I didn’t have in Vegas. That made a lot
of people mad, but I don’t know why.”
Another
theory that arose centered on Duffee’s role in the upcoming
film “Never Back Down 2.” Duffee was scheduled to fight
HIT Squad product Jon Madsen at UFC 121 but withdrew, citing
the same knee injury that hindered him against Russow in May.
If Duffee was not healthy enough to fight, why would he be healthy
enough to act in the movie? However, the fighter claims the situation
did not unfold that way.
“I
accepted the role, but I wasn’t going to do it, because
they told me they didn’t want me doing it. That’s not
a problem. I’m not an actor,” says Duffee. “Then
[UFC matchmaker] Joe Silva came up to me at an expo and told
me to go ahead and do the movie. I still didn’t really want
to do it, because I wanted to concentrate more on getting healthy
and getting ready to fight sooner.”
Duffee
asserts he never signed a contract to fight Madsen at UFC 121
and claims he put off signing his film contract so he could put
his MMA career first.
“I
never personally agreed to [fight Madsen]; my manager did. They
all really wanted that fight for me because it was on the Brock
[Lesnar] card. I was just asking for a couple of weeks to see
if I could get healthy to take that fight,” says Duffee.
“I just didn’t feel comfortable taking a fight injured
in hopes that I’ll be able to get ready. Once I got cut,
I was on set for like a week before I signed [the movie contract],
just in case I got a phone call [from the UFC] saying, ‘Hey,
let’s get you a new contract. Let’s get you back in
the UFC.’”
With
the dust settled surrounding Duffee’s release, he has focused
on returning to training full time. His injured knee still healing,
he does not plan on rushing the recovery. Rest, the fighter says,
remains a much more palatable alternative to going under the
knife.
“I’m
going to try to ease into it and be smart for a change, but I’m
not having the same kind of issues I was previously,” says
Duffee. “My big thing is I try to avoid surgery at all costs.
Surgery is a last-ditch effort. If it doesn’t work, then
you’ll have [a really bad] situation, you know?”
Though
returning to the company that cut him loose is not currently
at the top of the Duffee’s list, he remains open to fighting
for the UFC again when the time is right.
“I
have a lot to prove, and the UFC is the place to be,” he
says. “They’ve definitely helped evolve this sport.
They’ve pushed it. They’ve made a lot of good things
happen for this sport. I don’t have a reason why I wouldn’t
want to be there. I mean, I’d like an explanation [for why
they released me], but I don’t expect it.”
Duffee
has not yet received any offers from fight promotions. Once the
24-year-old returns to action, he hopes to fight as frequently
as possible.
“I’d
like to rattle four or five fights off on average a year,”
he says. “I’m not saying that I’m going to stay
away from the big organizations, but I don’t want to be
trapped. I want to [avoid] a non-compete clause in any contract
I end up signing so I can compete on a regular basis. When you
go out and fight only every eight or nine months, you don’t
get the feel.”
Source: Sherdog
|
Leonard
Garcia Meets Tyler Toner At Ultimate Fighter Season 12 Finale
The
influx of the WEC into the UFC will begin before 2010 is over
as featherweights Leonard Garcia and Tyler Toner have agreed
to meet at the “Ultimate Fighter” season 12 finale
show on Dec 4.
Leonard
Garcia George Roop WEC 47
The
fight was confirmed to MMAWeekly.com by sources close to the
situation on Saturday, with verbal agreements in place for the
early December contest.
The
news came just earlier this week that the WEC would merge with
the UFC in 2011, and it looks like with a couple of cards left
to go in 2010, the promotion will start to showcase a few featherweights
and possibly some bantamweights before the year is out.
Leonard
Garcia (14-6-1) is familiar with the UFC having fought there
three times before dropping down to 145lbs and a move over to
the WEC. The former title contender is coming off a loss to Mark
Hominick in his last bout, and hopes to be welcomed back to the
UFC with a win in December.
Coming
off a loss of his own in his last fight in September, Tyler Toner
(11-2) will look to turn things around when he gets his first
crack at competing in the world famous Octagon in December. A
product of the Grudge Training Center in Colorado, Toner had
gone 1-1 in the WEC and will try to up that record when he make
his UFC debut in five weeks.
There’s
been no word if the bout between Garcia and Toner would make
the televised broadcast for the Spike TV show or not, but both
are known for exciting styles so there’s a good chance the
featherweights may be seen at some point during the show.
More
fights like the Garcia/Toner match-up could be added to the last
couple of cards to close out 2010, although no other bouts have
been confirmed at this time.
Source: MMA Weekly |
Sengoku
15 Results; Izumi Defeats Zikic In Controversial Decision
Sengoku
finished off their 15th show on early Saturday morning for fans
in the United States and the results didn’t happen without
a certain level of controversy. In the main event on the card,
former Olympic silver medalist Hiroshi Izumi got a split decision
win over Cage Rage veteran James Zikic in what can only be described
a baffling call from the judges sitting ringside.
Zikic
appeared to clearly have the win in the bag after battering Izumi
on the feet, but somehow the Judoka got the nod via split decision.
HDNet broadcast the Sengoku show in the States, and commentators
Michael Schiavello and Frank Trigg were both extremely critical
of the decision and stunned by the judges final call.
In
other action, former UFC fighter Brian Cobb made the most of
his trip to Japan after a disastrous start when he missed weight
and was docked a percentage of his fight purse and lost a point
before the bout even started. Cobb was able to control the majority
of the action against Kazunori Yakota to get the split decision
win, and up his record to 17-6 overall.
Maximo
Blanco absolutely blitzed Kiuma Kunioku with every strike in
the book and may have even thrown in the kitchen sink. Blanco
won the bout via first round TKO after an unrelenting attack
of punches, soccer kicks and ground and pound to get his fifth
win in a row, and seventh win of his career.
The
Sengoku welterweight Grand Prix advanced more fighters hoping
to secure the title as one time UFC fighter Keita “K-Taro”
Nakamura pulled off his best Matt Hughes impression, trapping
opponent Takuya Wada in a crucifix position, pounding away at
his head until he had enough and tapped out at just over three
minutes into the first round. Yasubey Enomoto outworked Taisuke
Okuno to win a decision, and will now meet Nakamura at the Sengoku
year end show to close out the welterweight tournament and declare
a new champion.
The
Sengoku bantamweight tournament also got down to their final
four match-ups at the show with former WEC bantamweight Akitoshi
Tamura edging out Shoko Sato by split decision, Taiyo Nakahara
got a split decision over Shintaro Ishiwatari, Shunichi Shimizu
got the nod over Wataru Takahashi, and finally Manabu Inoue held
off Jae Hyun So for a unanimous decision win.
Tamura
will now meet Nakahara, while Shimizu faces Inoue in the semifinal
match-ups of the bantamweight tournament in the final Sengoku
show to close out 2010.
The
other fight featured on the Sengoku card showcased Kazuo Takahashi
submitting Chang Soeb Lee by armbar in the first round of their
bout on the show.
Source: MMA Weekly |
UFC
return comes early for WEC's Garcia, TUF 12 Finale adds the brawler
We
won't have to wait very long before the first official sign of
the WEC-UFC merger. Jose Aldo was supposed to kick things off
for WEC fighters at UFC 125 on Jan. 1. Now MMAWeekly reports
that the first look at WEC fighters in the UFC will arrive in
less than six weeks.
...
Leonard Garcia and Tyler Toner have agreed to meet at the "Ultimate
Fighter" season 12 finale show on Dec 4.
There
shouldn't be any UFC butterflies for Garcia, who fought three
times for the promotion at lightweight before he dropped down
to 145 pounds and the WEC in 2008. Garcia (pictured on the left)
challenged for the WEC featherweight title at WEC 39, losing
to Mike Brown. He's gone 2-2-1 since, so there's some pressure
on him to win against Toner. Another loss and Garcia (14-6-1,
3-3-1 WEC, 1-2 UFC) could be sent packing. Toner (10-2) was 1-1
with the WEC.
Here's
the rumored card at the TUF 12 Finale:
Stephan
Bonnar v. Igor Pokrajac
Finalist No. 1 v. Finalist No. 2
Kendall
Grove v.
Demian Maia
Rick Story v Johny Hendricks
Rich Attonito v. Dave Branch
Leonard Garcia v. Tyler Toner
Source: Yahoo Sports
|
Shaolin
to fight at Strikeforce
GMA
member Vitor Shaolin Ribeiro has an MMA comitment soon.
He
will be facing Justin “The Silverback’’ Wilcox
at Strikeforce’s main event on November 19th.
Shaolin
is the head coach of Modern Martial Arts Vitor Shaolin BJJ, in
Manhattan.
The
BJJ world champion has a 20-4 MMA record.
Source: Gracie Magazine
|
Jungle
Fight: Erick subs two and beats Mexican “lost in translation”
Erick's
belt in Wallid's hands. By promoter's side, municipal secretary
of sport Saulo Costa and fighter Edilberto Crocotá. Photo:
Jesus Henrique / O Liberal.
Welterweight
Erick Silva (Minotauro Team) was today’s big winner at Jungle
Fight by Ortobom in Belém do Pará.
With
two submissions on the night, Erick took the mini-GP and confessed
to Brazil’s Premiere Combate channel: “I hope this
was my last fight in Brazil.”
Erick’s
day’s labor began with a hard-fought win over Gil de Freitas,
winning by guillotine choke in the third round. First, a thudding
kick to the belly dropped Gil, and the ultimate winner finished
the business on the ground, ending it with snug neck tie.
The
final had Erick up against Mexico’s Francisco Ayon, who
after beating Argentine Fernando Martinez went straight to the
dressing room and stated he had no idea he would have to fight
again.
After
the misunderstanding was cleared up, Ayon appeared in the ring
for the final, but just to be quickly put away by an armbar from
Erick.
Others
of the night’s standouts were Queixinho Marajó and
Edilberto Crocotá, who showered their colleague Shinzo
Machida with ovation after he overcame a game André Lobato.
“How about that, the guy confused Shinzo with Lyoto,”
laughed someone in the stands. Could it be? With Crocotá
and Jungle Fight, anything can happen.
Check
out the complete results:
GP:
Erick
Silva submitted Gil de Freitas via guillotine at 0.57 min of
R3
Francisco Ayon defeated Fernando Martinez via split decision
Final: Erick Silva submitted Francisco Ayon via armbar in R1
Featured
fights:
Paulo
Henrique defeated Anderson Tarta via armbar at 1:54 min of R1
Neilson Gomes defeated Silmar Sombra via unanimous decision
Ildemar Marajó knocked out Jacko Quintana via liver shot
at 1:23 min of R1
Edilberto Crocotá submitted André Lobato via arm-triangle
at 2:49 min of R2
Source: Gracie Magazine
|
Cain
Velasquez Proud To Be First Mexican UFC Heavyweight Champion
Cain
VelasquezCain Velasquez is the undisputed UFC heavyweight champion
of the world.
The
new champ made quick work of the former division king, Brock
Lesnar, with a first-round technical knockout at 4:12 of the
opening stanza.
Velasquez
isn’t one to show a lot of emotion outside of the Octagon,
but after the biggest moment of his fighting career, he described
the feeling following the win.
“It’s
a great feeling, definitely, to have the belt,” said the
newly crowned champion and No. 1 fighter in the MMA heavyweight
rankings.
For
just a few seconds after he pounded Lesnar into a technical knockout,
Velasquez walked away from his beaten opponent and his face changed
from the typical stone cold look fans are used to. The chiseled
grill of the Mexican-American heavyweight changed to one visibly
overwhelmed with joy.
It
almost appeared as though the new heavyweight champion was on
the verge of tears.
Velasquez
explained his emotion.
“Great
feeling,” he said, reflecting on the moment the fight was
stopped. “All the hard work I put in, you know… it’s
been for this moment. I pictured it going out that way.”
Velasquez
went on to explain that this was the best ending to the fight
he could have imagined. Of course, every fighter hopes to have
the optimum ending to their fights, but you could truly see the
emotion through Velasquez’s four ounce gloves when he covered
his face after the fight had been halted.
The
joy one can experience from becoming a world champion is sacred.
Few on the planet can tell you what it feels like, which makes
Cain Velasquez part of an exclusive fraternity. Like Ricco Rodriguez
before him, Velasquez holds UFC hardware with Hispanic blood
coursing through his veins – something the UFC marketed
without reservation leading into his shot at the title.
It’s
a pill that a lot of fight fans are tired of swallowing, but
the new champ doesn’t seem to be concerned about that controversy.
As a matter of fact, Velasquez represents himself and the people
of his background as Latino just as easily as the UFC wishes
to promote it.
“I
feel great being the first Mexican heavyweight champion in the
UFC,” he said. “This belt I dedicate to the people,
the Mexican people in the United States.”
With
the UFC planning expansion into foreign markets, all eyes are
currently on Mexico. Obviously, Velasquez is an ideal candidate
to fight South of the border, but nothing has been confirmed
as far as an ETA for the UFC’s Mexican debut.
Before
the fights in Mexico happen, Velasquez will duel with Junior
dos Santos in his first title defense. UFC president Dana White
has already confirmed this fight will happen, but there is no
word on when the epic battle will take place.
Velasquez
knows that he has a tough test ahead of him in his next fight
and recognizes the danger that dos Santos can bring to the table.
“I
think he’s the best stand-up fighter there is, as far as
heavyweights,” Velasquez said when talking about his next
opponent. “I definitely have my work cut out for me.”
Experts
might say that dos Santos has a slight edge on the feet, but
Velasquez’s power is second to none…literally. According
to the Sports Science Lab, his punching power measures at 2,230-pounds
of force. This statistic is higher than any boxer ever to appear
on the television show.
One
thing can be certain – Cain Velasquez versus Junior dos
Santos will pack a heavy punch for fight fans.
Source: MMA Weekly |
JZ
Cavalcante To Return To Strikeforce In January Or February
Previously
ranked in the top five of the lightweight division, Gesias “JZ”
Cavalcante has been on the comeback trail over the last year.
While his last fight didn’t end the way he hoped, he’s
gunning for a rematch or another big fight to kick off 2011.
JZ Cavalcante Andre Dida Hero's 10
A
controversial decision landed in JZ’s lap when his last
fight ended with Josh Thomson in Strikeforce. The Brazilian felt
he won the fight, and a great many fans agreed with him when
the scores were read that night.
While
he was hoping to fight again before the close of 2010, according
to Cavalcante’s manager Alex Davis, the American Top Team
fighter will be back in Strikeforce during the first two months
of next year.
“I’ve
heard from Strikeforce that he’ll probably be fighting in
January or February,” Davis told MMAWeekly.com. “They
didn’t have enough space on the December card.”
Following
several bouts with injuries that put Cavalcante on the sidelines,
he is now healthy and looking to regain the status that saw him
just a fight or two away from being considered the best lightweight
in the sport. Davis says it’s been a long road back, but
now JZ is hitting his stride again and Thomson got a taste of
that in their fight earlier this month.
“JZ
had been awhile without fighting. He took the fight in Japan
in which he did well, he fought real safe, and then it took a
little while for him to catch speed in that fight. The third
round (against Thomson) that was really JZ. I think if we see
another fight against Josh Thomson, that’s the fight we
will end up seeing,” Davis explained.
Ideally,
Cavalcante would love another shot to settle the score with Thomson
for his next fight, but realistically both he and his camp know
that he’ll probably end up fighting somebody else. The end
goal is still to fight for the Strikeforce lightweight title,
so whatever path gets him there, that’s where JZ will go.
“JZ
wants a rematch,” said Davis. “I don’t think AKA
or Josh Thomson would want to give him an immediate rematch cause
they want (Gilbert) Melendez, so JZ is just going to have to
go and beat somebody else up and get another chance at him. It
will happen, he’ll get it.”
One
place fans won’t see JZ this year is back in Dream, closing
out the year on their New Year’s Eve card in December. According
to Davis, the promotion has still not paid the Brazilian lightweight
for his last fight there, and with the tension growing, he’s
not expected to go back any time soon.
“JZ’s
not going to accept a fight with Dream unless he gets paid for
the last one,” Davis commented. “It’s common sense,
he’s not going to go take a second fight with Dream unless
he gets paid for the first one. Nobody would.”
So
for now, Cavalcante will continue to train alongside his teammates
at American Top Team until he gets the call from Strikeforce
to come back in 2011.
Source: MMA Weekly |
Managers
On UFC-WEC Merger Positives & Negatives
The reaction from the MMA world about the UFC-WEC merger has
been positive across the board from fighters to fans to managers.
The exposure and popularity of the 145-pound and 135-pound divisions
will give fighters a chance to earn more money, be seen by more
people, and realize the dream of competing in the UFC.
For
the fighters, the move means starting Jan. 1, 2011, they will
be fighting in the UFC and some fans may get to see the lighter
weight classes for the first time ever. Fighters like Jose Aldo,
Dominick Cruz, Urijah Faber, Scott Jorgensen, and Joseph Benavidez
will have the chance to become household names like Anderson
Silva and Georges St-Pierre.
Many
of the managers working with much of the WEC roster already have
other fighters competing in the UFC, but the merger brings the
whole group together. There is a certain level of enthusiasm
that everyone has about the move.
“Every
one of them is excited,” said Mike Roberts of MMA Inc.,
conveying the thoughts of his team of fighters. “Of course
the initial question for me was, ‘what does this mean for
me?’ and I said it means you’re going to the big show.”
Roberts,
along with his partner Jeff Meyer, represent one of the largest
sections of WEC talent with fighters like Faber, Benavidez, Jorgensen,
Anthony Pettis, and Chad Mendes. He believes that the merger
will create more opportunities, and that’s what everyone
in the fight business wants.
“Well,
there’s no disadvantage to having a lot of guys in the UFC,”
said Roberts. “It’s a giant machine. The advantage
is it’s a bigger group to get them out there and show what
they can do, and get more eyes on them.”
Urijah
Faber, who is currently ranked in the top part of the featherweight
division and will soon make his bantamweight debut, has always
wanted to be a part of the UFC at some point in his career. Now
instead of jumping up to 155 pounds and fighting well above his
weight, Faber will get to live his dream and fight on the biggest
stage of MMA in a more natural weight class.
It’s
a similar situation for every fighter making the move over from
the WEC.
“Urijah’s
always thought about it, even though he loved the WEC and it
will always have a good place in his heart, he’s always
dreamt of fighting in the UFC,” Roberts commented. “You
don’t know a fighter out there that hasn’t dreamt of
fighting in the UFC. If they say they haven’t, they’re
lying.”
Alex
Davis, who manages or co-manages several fighters in both the
UFC and WEC, including former featherweight champion Mike Brown,
says that the positives are right there for every fighter to
take advantage of when the merger begins in 2011.
“That
is a big positive for the guys that are under contract, that
are doing well, yes it is definitely,” Davis responded when
asked about the fighters making more money through the promotion,
bonuses, and sponsorships. “UFC carries a lot more (weight)
than the WEC in that sense of course.”
It
can’t be denied however that there are certain reservations
by managers about the growing roster of fighters headed to the
UFC, with only so many slots to fill on any given fight card.
“I
think at least in the beginning, let me narrow it down. For instance
if we look at the 155-pound division, they’re going to have
to cut people. Because now it’s a UFC division and Joe (Silva)
already has a hard time keeping everybody in action as it is,
now he’s going to have so many more people now. In that
sense it’s going to narrow things down a bit,” Davis
stated.
“The
thing is now they’re going to have less events with more
fighters. I do not think they’re going to increase fights
per card because they already have a formula that works. I think
in the beginning at least until the UFC manages to open up more
markets and expands what they’re doing, I think it’s
going to narrow down a little bit. They’re going to have
to cut a lot of people, that’s my first worry.”
The
WEC will still produce two more shows in 2010 before the final
list of fighters moving over to the UFC is finalized. UFC president
Dana White expressed that they were going along with business
as usual as far as fighters moving over to the promotion, as
well as how they will evaluate fighters with the end result being
based on performance and wins and losses.
While
the general feeling about the UFC-WEC merger is one of excitement,
it can’t be ignored that there are some reservations. The
only answer to any of those questions will come with time.
Source: MMA Weekly
|
Fistic
Medicine: Cauliflower Ear
One figure in particular stands out among the beautiful sculptures
of the Ny Carlsberg Glyptotek museum’s Greek antiquities
wing. Amidst the marble beasts, eternally pouting graceful maidens
and delicate youths, a hard faced man stares balefully at visitors.
A hostile, unpretty face, he could be a soldier, a slave, a god.
But by his deformed ears, we know him for what he truly is: a
fighter.
No
physical deformity is so inextricably bound to a specific athletic
endeavor as cauliflower ear and combat sports. True, other forms
of ear injury can lead to the deformity -- 19th Century opium
addicts were recognizable by damaged ears born of uncounted hours
lying insensate on hard wooden opium den palates -- but none
as surely as the high-intensity repeated trauma of grappling.
For years, the physiology and treatment of cauliflower ear was
a matter of debate, and athletes had no choice but to bear their
scars. Advances in surgery and a landmark 1975 study from Sweden
changed all that.
In
the Swedish study, investigators took two cohorts of young rabbits.
In the first, they injected blood beneath the skin of the ears.
In the second, they injected the same amount of blood beneath
the perichodrium -- the thin layer of connective tissue that
covers the cartilage of the ear. It is this cartilage that gives
the pinna of the ear its distinctive curved and ridged shape.
In the first group, the blood was readily absorbed; there were
no complications. In the second group, where the perichondrium
had been disturbed, the blood persisted, and the ears developed
deformities. The study showed that not all auricular hematomas
cause cauliflower ear, only those in which the perichodrium has
been disrupted. Unfortunately, the shearing forces seen in grappling
are very likely to cause those perichondrial injuries.
The
Swedish study also elucidated what is happening at the microscopic
level in the formation of cauliflower ear. When the perichodrium
is torn away from the cartilage of the pinna, chondroblasts on
the perichondrium are exposed to blood. In the presence of blood,
chondroblasts build cartilage; in the ear, they build flexible
elastic cartilage. Rapidly, new cartilage forms on top of the
existing ear cartilage. When the hematoma is eventually absorbed,
the taut perichodrium contracts, creating the irregular buckled
appearance of cauliflower ear. The timeline for this progression
is rapid: chondroblast activation occurs within hours, extensive
chondroblast invasion of the hematoma occurs within days and
solid cartilage is in place in less than a month.
The
best approach to cauliflower ear is prevention -- the distinctive
head gear of modern wrestling has proven remarkably effective
at preventing ear trauma. Unfortunately, grapplers in MMA frequently
forgo ear protection because it inhibits escaping chokes.
When
injury does occur, treatment begins immediately. As soon as a
fighter notices pain or swelling in his ear, he should ice the
ear to prevent further injury; cauliflower ear pathophysiology
is not strictly an inflammatory response, but similar principles
apply. Firm non-traumatic pressure to the injured ear will reduce
the amount of bleeding into the hematoma. The next step involves
evacuation of the hematoma. While not all auricular hematomas
are subperichondrial -- and thus cauliflower ear generative --
it is impossible to readily tell which are and which are not;
a prudent fighter treats every auricular hematoma.
The
gold standard of care for treating an auricular hematoma is surgical
incision and drainage. This can be done within seven days of
injury by an emergency room physician trained in the procedure
or at a later point by an Otolaryngologist (ENT). After local
anesthesia, an incision is made along the edge of the hematoma,
following the natural contours of the ear, and the clot within
is suctioned out. The skin flap is then replaced, and the ear
is packed tightly with bolsters held in place using sutures sewn
through the ear. Recent published research has suggested that
bolstering may not be necessary: the primary risk is recurrent
bleeding and the need for a repeat procedure.
An
alternative technique employs needle aspiration to drain the
hematoma. Long used by self-treating grapplers, this approach
is gaining increasingly legitimacy in medicine. An 18- or 20-Gauge
needle is used to evacuate the clot. This technique is much simpler
-- simple enough that there are YouTube videos of various athletes
performing the procedure on themselves with the aid of a bathroom
mirror. This technique is associated with more frequent re-accumulation
of fluid and incomplete evacuation of the hematoma.
When
these early steps to prevent cauliflower ear formation fail or
when they are never undertaken by the injured athlete, the only
remaining option is cosmetic surgery. Surgery offers benefits
beyond mere aesthetics: cauliflower ear can be painful and, in
extreme cases, affect hearing. The auricuoplasty procedure can
be done relatively cheaply, perhaps for $3,000. Even so, when
balanced against the cost of protective headgear -- no more than
$50 for the top-of-the-line guards -- the argument for prevention
rather than treatment is difficult to refute.
There
appears to be some genetic predisposition to cauliflower ears,
some unfortunate combination of ear shape and perichondrial friability.
But by far the greatest risk factor for cauliflower ear is the
fighter’s attitude. In the subculture of grapplers -- much
like German dueling scars or African ritualistic scarification
-- the deformed ears may be valued for what they putatively represent:
hours on the mat, endurance of pain, disinterest in the mores
and aesthetics of mainstream culture. In such a culture, beauty
and pathology are in the eye of the beholder.
Matt
Pitt is a physician with degrees in biophysics and medicine.
He is board-certified in emergency medicine and has post-graduate
training in head injuries and multi-system trauma. To ask a question
that could be answered in a future article, e-mail him at mpitt@sherdog.com.
Source: Sherdog
|
MAN-UP
& STAND-UP This
Saturday!
WAIPAHU FILCOM CENTER
SATURDAY NOV 6
DOORS OPEN AT 6:00
Awwwhhhh
yeah, Nov 6 is almost here and the weapons of mass concussion
are about to be fired. Kickboxing at its finest will be showcased
in Waipahu’s Filcom Center. Man-up & stand-up has got
almost everything from 8 yr olds fighting grudge matches to a
champion vs champion match. Das right its all here so get your
tickets now or you can get it at the door because its still gonna
be affordable considering its scheduled for 20+ matches. Hopefully
this is the last change to the card that has to be made.
All
of the grudge matches that you will witness on Nov 6 are rematches
from previous cards that were controversial or so close that
both sides were willing to do it one more time. Every grudge
match is sure to be a crowd pleaser. Hopefully this time the
judges will not have a say in these matches.
Isaac
Hopps will
face the undefeated Ricky Plunkett. Isaac is the stick and move
fighter which might be the good route for him being that he will
face the aggressive Ricky who has done it all from kickboxing
to mad skillz to mma within the past two years. Isaac’s
only lost came from the semi pro welterweight champion who he
pressed the whole first round of their fight and looked kind
of winded in the later rounds. This will be an interesting one.
Will their game plans change or will they stay with what has
brought them glory throughout the year? Come and find out.
Robert
Banis and Justin
Dulay are
set to do battle for the super welterweight jr amateur title.
Both teenage fighters are pretty similar in style, strength,
speed and condition so it would be best to bring everything in
this match. Hopefully one of these guys has been training harder
than the other. If this one goes to decision, the loser will
definitely be asking for a rematch. This battle will probably
be the most technical fight of the night. Two of the finest technicians
in their age division around.
The
second youngest fighters on this card will be Elias Velasco going
up against Matt Austin. Both of these 14 year olds are young
animals that love the stand-up scene. These two kids can BANG.
Elias is dangerous once he finds his range. Matt becomes more
aggressive when he senses weakness. So will range or weakness
make its appearance first in this match? Only one way to find
out. Be there.
Hope
to see you all at the next Man-up & stand-up this Saturday
Nov. 6 at the Waipahu Filcom Center. Thanks for all of your support.
GRUDGE MATCHES
KAMAKANI WAIALAE
65
KAENA DESANTOS
MATT STONE
220
DUSTIN CALLASTRO
NICK RIVERA
185
MIKE ELI
RONNIE VILLAHMOSA
155
RODNEY BARONA
NICK CHING
(O2 Martial Arts Academy)
125
PAUL AUSTRIA
KAINOA
COOK (O2 Martial Arts Academy)
135
TYSON MEDRANO
BRYSEN
LUM (O2 Martial Arts Academy)
145
MARK YARCIA
CHEVEZ ANTOQUE
SEMI PRO LIGHT WT
CHARLES HAZELWOOD
185
ISAAC HOPPS
(O2 Martial Arts Academy)
ROOKIE OF THE YR
RICKY PLUNKETT
145
JUSTIN
DULAY (O2 Martial Arts Academy)
SUPER WELTER WT
ROBERT BANIS
155
ELIAS VELASCO
FLYWEIGHT
MATT AUSTIN
120
TITLE DEFENSE
JAMIN TAYABA
125
JAYCOBI VISTANTE
JOMAR ESCOSIO
160
JOSEPH GARCIA
ERIC EDWARDS
TITLE FOR TITLE
JAREN KAUWALU
UNDER CARD
JOE KAULULAAU
165
ETHAN KERFOOT
NEVADA HARRISON
125
JORDAN
GUILLERMO (O2 Martial Arts Academy)
JAYAR VISCONDE
120
MICAH SHIGETA
(O2 Martial Arts Academy)
CHRIS KAHELE
185
KILI KEKAULA
BRONSON KUKOMU
125
ALEX VINULAN
DJ CASERIA
(O2 Martial Arts Academy)
125
SHAWN
ROBERT CHOLO AGUIAR
155
ROB TIGER
BRANDON CARVALHO
170
BRANDON TIGER
JARON GUILLERMO
100
BRENTON WAIALAE
OLA LUM
(O2 Martial Arts Academy)
140
THOMAS MATHIAS
KALEO
MIKOSOBE
145
PAUL BOTER
All
matches & participants are subject to change.
Source: Derrick Bright
|
FOR
IMMEDIATE RELEASE: October 19, 2010
KALA “KOLOHE”
HOSE TO DEFEND HIS HOME
This Saturday!
AGAINST
INVASION AS X-1 PRESENTS
“ISLAND PRIDE”
November 6, 2010
Blaisdell Arena
Light
heavyweight title tourney final to commence
Honolulu,
HI (USA): World class fight promotion X-1 World Events is proud
to bring its next exciting fight card to Hawaii as they present
“ISLAND PRIDE,” live on Saturday, November 6th, at
the Neal S. Blaisdell Arena in Honolulu. This incredible night
of action will feature local fight legend Kala “Kolohe”
Hose in the main event, as he battles extremely tough and experienced
Mexican fighter Edwin “Tigre” Aguilar. In the co-main
event, the X-1 Light Heavyweight Championship tournament will
come to a finish, as Island favorite Po’ai Suganuma and
Korea native San Soo Lee will lock horns with the belt on the
line. Also on the card will be Strikeforce fighter Lolohea Mahe,
as he makes his return to X-1. Local fight fans won’t want
to miss this night of bone-crunching KO’s, slick submissions,
and electrifying finishes!
This
event will also be shown live on Pay Per View on all inner islands.
The undercard will begin at 5:30 PM, and the main card is scheduled
to start at 7 PM. Ticket prices for “ISLAND PRIDE”
include $35 for riser seats, $50 for floor seats, $70 for second
row seats, and $100 for front row seats. Please see http://www.x1events.com/
for more ticket information.
Kala
“Kolohe” Hose (7-4, seven KO/TKOs) is a fighter known
for his devastating knockout power, and has garnered a reputation
as one of the toughest Island fighters active today. In August
of 2008, he claimed the ICON Middleweight title with an exciting
TKO victory over current UFC fighter Phil Baroni that was lauded
by MMA fans for its great action. A veteran of Superbrawl and
EliteXC, Hose will look to rebound from a disappointing fourth-round
submission loss to X-1 Middleweight Champion Falaniko Vitale
during the most recent X-1 event, “HEROES.” During
his career, he’s faced UFC veterans such as Baroni, Vitale,
“Mayhem” Miller, and Reese Andy. Now, he will take
on the ultra-tough Edwin “Tigre” Aguilar. This knockout
specialist has claimed 16 of his 21 career victories via TKO/KO,
and with “Kolohe” standing on the other side of the
cage, someone is bound to get knocked out in this one!
In
addition, X-1 fans will finally find out who the X-1 Light Heavyweight
Champion will be, as the tournament will come to a close at “ISLAND
PRIDE.” Former EliteXC headliner and Hawaii native Poai
Suganuma (11-3) will tackle the challenge brought by extremely
tough South Korean SpiritMC veteran Sang Soo Lee (15-9) with
championship glory at stake. Suganuma defeated Greg Schmitt via
unanimous decision in the first round of the tournament to advance
to the semi-finals. There, he knocked out Vitaly Shemetov in
just over a minute to gain a spot in the final round. Now he
faces Lee for the belt. The Korean knocked out Daniel Madrid
with a beautiful right hand in the opening round of the tourney,
which allowed him to move on to the second round. In his second
tourney fight, Lee took a unanimous decision victory over California’s
Roy Boughton, which thrust him into the title finals. Now, Suganuma
and Lee will tangle to show who the real champion is.
“ISLAND
PRIDE” is also proud to present a returning local favorite
in Lolohea Mahe. Mahe is coming off a two-fight stint in Strikeforce,
and is looking to rebound in the promotion that helped launch
him. A two-time X-1 veteran, Mahe is determined to prove he belongs
on the big stages of MMA. In addition, “ISLAND PRIDE”
will present two state championship fights, with the 155 lb.,
and 145 lb. state title belts all on the line.
“What
an incredible night of fights this should be!” exclaimed
Mike Miller, Owner/Promoter of X-1 World Events. “We’re
proud to bring back Kolohe, who has a tough task on his hands
with ‘Tigre’ Aguilar. Then we finally get to see who
the next X-1 Light Heavyweight Champion will be, and we’re
also glad to see Lolohea Mahe back in X-1. Local fight fans are
in for an awesome night!”
Here
is the fight card as it stands now:
185
lb. Main Event:
Kala
“Kolohe” Hose (7-4) vs. Edwin “Tigre” Aguilar
(21-15-0-1)
X-1
Light Heavyweight Championship tournament (final round):
Poai Suganuma (HI) (11-3) vs. Sang Soo Lee (S. Korea) (15-9)
Heavyweight:
Lolohea
Mahe (4-2-1) vs. Jake Faagai (1-1)
X-1
155 lb. State Title:
Bryson
“The Kid” Kamaka (11-17) vs. Max “Lil’ Evil”
Holloway (0-0)
X-1
145 lb. State Title:
Sadhu
Bott (4-0) vs. Dustin Kimura (3-0)
135
lbs.:
Matt
Comeau (6-3) vs. Van Oscar Penovoraff (3-1)
185
lbs.:
Collin
Mansanas (2-0) vs. Delbert Grace (3-1)
180
lbs.:
Brennan
Kamaka (5-15) vs. Michael Brightmon (10-4)
About
X-1 World Events
Founded
in 2004 by Mike Miller, X-1 World Events is a world-class mixed
martial arts (MMA) promotional company based in Honolulu, HI.
Locally-owned and operated, X-1 delivers exciting live arena-based
entertainment events to fight fans all over the islands. The
events feature some of the MMA world’s most talented fighters,
including UFC, Pride, and Abu-Dhabi veterans such as former UFC
champions Dan “The Beast” Severn and Ricco Rodriguez,
UFC veterans Jeff Monson, Kimo Leopoldo, Chad “The Grinder”
Reiner, “Sugar” Shane Nelson, Brandon Wolff, Wes “The
Project” Sims, Ronald “The Machine Gun” Juhn,
Wesley “Cabbage” Correira, and Falaniko Vitale, as
well as Pride veterans Chris Brennan and Ron “H2O-Man”
Waterman. X-1 World Events can be found online at http://www.x1events.com/
Source: X1 World Events
|
Jose
Aldo To Defend UFC Featherweight Title Against Josh Grispi At
UFC 125
And
just like that we have the first official defense of the UFC
featherweight title.
Jose
Aldo, who was announced on Thursday to defend his newly minted
UFC featherweight belt at UFC 125, will battle New England fighter
Josh Grispi in the co-main event of the New Year’s Day card
set to go down in Las Vegas.
The
match-up was confirmed to MMAWeekly.com by sources close to the
fight on Friday, stating bout agreements have now been issued
for the first ever 145lb title fight in the UFC. The fight was
initially reported by MMA.TV on Friday as well.
As
the reigning and defending 145lb champion, Jose Aldo (18-1) has
become as feared as any fighter in MMA today. A devastating striker
with pinpoint accuracy, Aldo has cruised through his WEC career
piling up 8 wins, with his last three being title fights.
After
blasting Manny Gamburyan in his last fight, Aldo was rumored
to face either Grispi or Mark Hominick in his next title defense,
but now the fight will take place on the big stage as the co-main
event for UFC 125.
Originally
scheduled to fight at WEC 52 on Nov 11, Josh Grispi (14-1) was
asked to step out of his fight against Erik Koch and face Aldo
for the championship instead.
Grispi
will come into the fight as one of only a few featherweights
that will have a height and reach advantage over Aldo, and he
possesses a scary array of offensive weapons to throw at the
champion to try and dethrone him.
The
announcement of the Aldo vs. Grispi fight officially kicks off
the 145lb division’s presence in the UFC after the merger
with the WEC was finalized on Thursday.
The
bout will serve as co-main event for the card and will take place
on Jan 1 along with the lightweight title fight between champion
Frankie Edgar and challenger Gray Maynard.
Source: MMA Weekly |
UFC-WEC
Merger: Will The Lightweight Division Get Thinned Out?
With
the announcement of the WEC’s merger into the UFC starting
in 2011, the positives seem to far outweigh any potential negatives
when it comes to the fighters getting a chance for more exposure,
better paydays, and more lucrative sponsorships.
The
featherweights and bantamweights have especially become known
for non-stop action and some of the best fights in the sport
over the last few years. The UFC hopes to continue to expand
the divisions as fight cards grow, and will eventually open up
a flyweight division (125-pound limit) as well.
The
one division that was mirrored by both the UFC and WEC was the
155-pound lightweight class. UFC president Dana White announced
on Thursday that the upcoming WEC title fight between champion
Ben Henderson and challenger Anthony Pettis would close the door
on that belt with the winner automatically challenging either
Frankie Edgar or Gray Maynard in a title unification bout 2011.
The
other side of the merger is the rest of the WEC’s lightweight
division melding into the UFC, bringing the 155-pound roster
to a much larger number. The last time the WEC folded divisions
into the UFC, the sheer number of fighters at 185 pounds and
170 pounds weren’t as great, whereas the lightweight division
in the WEC has a full compliment of competitors.
According
to a current listing of lightweights on UFC.com, the promotion
boasts 46 lightweight fighters including champion Frankie Edgar.
The WEC’s website lists 20 lightweight fighters to their
credit. Obviously updated lists may actually have more fighters
and newly contracted competitors which, when added together,
could see the UFC’s lightweight division more than 70 fighters
under contract.
Also
add in at least a few of the competitors from this season of
“The Ultimate Fighter” reality show, which features
a class of 14 more lightweights, with “The Ultimate Fighter
Season 12? finale set to go down in December.
Does
the large number of fighters in the lightweight division mean
the UFC will be keeping fighters on a shorter leash when it comes
to evaluating talent and handing down releases following losses?
“I
don’t know; we’ll see how it goes. The way that it
works in here is you come in and you keep winning, you stick
around. Or if you lose fights, but you’re incredibly exciting
you stick around for a while too. It depends,” UFC president
Dana White said about the large number of fighters in one division.
The
UFC president is quick to point out that the fighters are evaluated
on talent and performance, as well as wins and losses, but there’s
no set goal in mind once the WEC’s lightweights move over
that they need to trim the roster.
“I
couldn’t say, ‘oh yeah there’s going to be a short
leash,’ who knows?” White stated. “Listen, we’re
looking for great fighters and exciting fighters, and if you’re
one of those you’re going to stick around no matter how
deep the roster is.”
One
aspect that will change, at least in the short term in 2011,
is the reduction in the total number of shows the two promotions’
parent company, Zuffa, will be putting on. The UFC announced
a new deal that will replace the current structure they have
with the Versus sports network that will showcase four total
shows in 2011 under the UFC brand.
The
WEC shows will of course disappear starting in 2011 after running
a total of eight shows in 2010. The additional UFC shows will
account for two more than 2010, but overall six less shows in
the scheduled calendar year with the loss of WEC programming,
as of now.
While
no other deals are in place at this time to expand the TV coverage
of the UFC, White doesn’t rule out adding more shows in
2011, they just don’t have anything more at this time.
“We
ended up getting a deal for the UFC on Versus. We did four fights,
that’s what we’re allowed to do with the deal that
we’re in now,” White said.
“I
don’t know how this whole thing’s going to pan out,
but I’m not looking at this as a negative like, ‘oh
we lost a couple fights on Versus.’ It’s a positive.”
With
so many more fighters under contract now, expansion is surely
going to happen if everyone is to get a chance to fight, with
most fighters under contract to fight at least three times per
year. The UFC hasn’t announced yet if they intend on extending
any broadcasts or possibly adding additional fights to the televised
or undercard portion of the shows coming up in 2011, but all
could be a possibility.
As
far as the lightweight divisions go, the last two WEC shows ever
will feature a total of nine bouts with 155-pound fighters, and
it’s quite possible that those performances will effect
how many of them remain with the promotion as they merge with
the UFC in 2011.
Source: MMA Weekly |
Cain
Velasquez Proud To Be First Mexican UFC Heavyweight Champion
Cain
VelasquezCain Velasquez is the undisputed UFC heavyweight champion
of the world.
The
new champ made quick work of the former division king, Brock
Lesnar, with a first-round technical knockout at 4:12 of the
opening stanza.
Velasquez
isn’t one to show a lot of emotion outside of the Octagon,
but after the biggest moment of his fighting career, he described
the feeling following the win.
“It’s
a great feeling, definitely, to have the belt,” said the
newly crowned champion and No. 1 fighter in the MMA heavyweight
rankings.
For
just a few seconds after he pounded Lesnar into a technical knockout,
Velasquez walked away from his beaten opponent and his face changed
from the typical stone cold look fans are used to. The chiseled
grill of the Mexican-American heavyweight changed to one visibly
overwhelmed with joy.
It
almost appeared as though the new heavyweight champion was on
the verge of tears.
Velasquez
explained his emotion.
“Great
feeling,” he said, reflecting on the moment the fight was
stopped. “All the hard work I put in, you know… it’s
been for this moment. I pictured it going out that way.”
Velasquez
went on to explain that this was the best ending to the fight
he could have imagined. Of course, every fighter hopes to have
the optimum ending to their fights, but you could truly see the
emotion through Velasquez’s four ounce gloves when he covered
his face after the fight had been halted.
The
joy one can experience from becoming a world champion is sacred.
Few on the planet can tell you what it feels like, which makes
Cain Velasquez part of an exclusive fraternity. Like Ricco Rodriguez
before him, Velasquez holds UFC hardware with Hispanic blood
coursing through his veins – something the UFC marketed
without reservation leading into his shot at the title.
It’s
a pill that a lot of fight fans are tired of swallowing, but
the new champ doesn’t seem to be concerned about that controversy.
As a matter of fact, Velasquez represents himself and the people
of his background as Latino just as easily as the UFC wishes
to promote it.
“I
feel great being the first Mexican heavyweight champion in the
UFC,” he said. “This belt I dedicate to the people,
the Mexican people in the United States.”
With
the UFC planning expansion into foreign markets, all eyes are
currently on Mexico. Obviously, Velasquez is an ideal candidate
to fight South of the border, but nothing has been confirmed
as far as an ETA for the UFC’s Mexican debut.
Before
the fights in Mexico happen, Velasquez will duel with Junior
dos Santos in his first title defense. UFC president Dana White
has already confirmed this fight will happen, but there is no
word on when the epic battle will take place.
Velasquez
knows that he has a tough test ahead of him in his next fight
and recognizes the danger that dos Santos can bring to the table.
“I
think he’s the best stand-up fighter there is, as far as
heavyweights,” Velasquez said when talking about his next
opponent. “I definitely have my work cut out for me.”
Experts
might say that dos Santos has a slight edge on the feet, but
Velasquez’s power is second to none…literally. According
to the Sports Science Lab, his punching power measures at 2,230-pounds
of force. This statistic is higher than any boxer ever to appear
on the television show.
One
thing can be certain – Cain Velasquez versus Junior dos
Santos will pack a heavy punch for fight fans.
Source: MMA Weekly |
Nogueira:
“I can’t wait to fight again”
Rogério
“Minotouro” Nogueira was looking after a title shot
on UFC, but the defeat to Ryan Bader screwed his plans. On a
chat with TATAME, the Brazilian said he’s thinking about
his next fight. “I just stopped for a week and I’m
already back to the trainings… I can’t wait to fight
again”, said Minotouro, who still doesn’t have an opponent
set. “There are some speculations on the internet, but there’s
nothing confirmed by Ultimate”, explains.
On
the chat, Rogério commented some of the main fights that
will occur oh his weight class on the next months, like the belt
dispute between Maurício Shogun and Rashad Evans. “Shogun
will win. I think Shogun is more aggressive, makes great presentations,
so I’ll cheer for him and I believe he’ll win”,
bets, commenting other duels on the division. “I hope that
Lyoto wins (on a bout against Rampage Jackson”, he moves
a lot, so I believe he’ll win this fight. He’s well
trained”.
Other
duel that may define some things on the division will be the
bout between Ryan Bader, Minotouro’s tormentor on UFC 119,
against Jon Jones, great sensation on the division. Without having
an opinion, the Brazilian believes that the intelligence will
make the difference. “It’ll be a really tough bout…
Whoever takes the other down first will have an advantage. The
game plan will count a lot”, said, hoping for a real war
between Thiago Silva and Brandon Vera: “it’ll be a
great fight… Two strikers, this is a great match”,
concluded.
Source: Tatame
|
Palhares:
“I have to start all over again"
With
three consecutive wins, Rousimar “Toquinho” Palhares
was on the golden road to reach the top of his division on UFC,
but he was mistaken and was defeated on a silly way by Nate Marquardt,
on UFC Fight Night. “It was a moment of distraction…
Can you imagine: stopping to talk with the referee during the
fight. It was a mistake I made, but I have to learn somehow.
It certainly was a painful way, but it’s the way it is”,
regrets Palhares. “I thought that the second round was about
to end, but there was some extra seconds I didn’t know about”.
Back
to the hard trainings at Brazilian Top Team, in Rio de Janeiro,
the black belt still doesn’t know when he’ll return
to Ultimate’s cage. “I’m training hard every day,
but they didn’t tell me about it yet”, tells, looking
forwards for a recovery after the painful loss. “It’s
hard, specially the way it happened, I had plenty conditions
to win and I gave him the win on a stupid act. It’s hard,
but I have to start it all over again. I was too good, man…
I was really good, until I made this terrible mistake, but it
won’t happen again”, guarantees.
While
he’s waiting for the definition of his next bout, Rousimar
sees his tormentor confronting Yushin Okami on the main event
of UFC 122, duel that will give its winner the chance to fight
for the belt against Alderson Silva or Vitor Belfort. When TATAME
asked Toquinho about his tormentor’s future, the athlete
decided not to make any bets. “I don’t know, a fight
is a fight, and look what happened to me… I was thinking
about one thing and another came along”, outwits, predicting
a balance on the bout between Anderson and Belfort, which happens
in February of 2011. “Oh, for sure it’ll be about exchanges…
And, if it’s that way things will go, it’s 50-50”,
concluded.
Source: Tatame
|
Bob
Sapp returns against “Crazy Bear”
This
December, BAMMA 5 will be held in the Metro Radio Arena in England.
And in the main event is a heavyweight who draws a lot of attention.
That
heavyweight is Bob Sapp, who came to fame after an epic battle
with Rodrigo Minotauro at Japan’s now-defunct Pride FC promotion
in 2002. The big guy coming off a win will face Stav “Crazy
Bear”, who counts ten wins, one loss and one draw on his
record.
For
further information on the event, visit www.bamma.com.
Check
out the card:
Bob
Sapp vs. Stav Economou
Rob
Sinclair vs. Olivier Pastor
John
Phillips vs. Michael Kuipers
Mark
Adams vs. Robbie Olivier
Darren
Towler vs. Oli Thompson
Colin
Fletcher vs. Rob Mills
Valentino
Petrescu vs. Alex Makhonin
A
J Wenn vs. Andy Fisher
John
Cullen vs. Ashleigh Grimshaw
Rob
Davison vs. Phil De Fries
Franky
Slater vs. TBA
Andy
Ogle vs. Shane Omer
Simon
Gould vs. Luke Dalmaedo
Paul
Hartly vs. Jeremy Palmer
Source: Gracie Magazine
|
No-Gi
Brazilian Nationals decisive day
On
the eve of Brazil’s presidential elections, Rio de Janeiro’s
Tijuca Tennis Club was stage to the runoff determining the new
leaders of Brazil, but in No-Gi Jiu-Jitsu. The finals of the
2010 Brazilian National Championship began just as the clock
struck six in the afternoon.
One
of the big standouts of the day was businessman Victor Costa
(CheckMat), who heads the Koral Kimonos company, showing his
slick ground game. After winning his first superheavyweight match
on points, he opted not to enter the final against Antonio Peinado
(Alliance), who won his first via rear-naked choke and then took
the championship title. Victor’s reason for not entering
the decider was to spare himself for the absolute, where he battled
for gold against Nilson Ricardo (Nova União). In the open
weight category, the black belt won his first on points, finished
his second with an arm triangle, and beat Theodoro Canal (GFTeam)
in the semifinal via referee decision. In the gold-medal contest,
he quickly put away Nilson Ricardo with a rear-naked choke.
Luiz
“Big Mac” (Godoi) got the best of the ultraheavyweight
division. “Big” won his first by WO and finished his
second with a kimura lock to then face Igor Silva (GFTeam) in
the decider. In the final, the São Paulo native used his
judo experience to land a throw and control the bout from there
on out, winning by points.
Rafael
Bettega took heavyweight gold. The Alliance rep had to compete
one less time in his bracket and saw his first opponent disqualified.
In the final, he faced MMA fighter Marcus Maciel “Bicudinho”
(BTT) and won via kneebar from half-guard.
Kleber
Buiú (Gracie Barra), who came in off a win at the Rio
Open, beat Murilo Santana (Barbosa) and took top spot on the
medium heavyweight winners’ stand, after an evenly-matched
dispute. Murilo started the action with a sweep, but in the final
minute, Buiú was still playing for keeps and managed to
make it to back mount to rally back for the win (4 to 2). Prior
to the final, the fighter would beat his first adversary with
a rear-naked choke and overcome his second with takedowns.
Another
Marcos Barbosinha ace, Tiago Alves started out falling behind
on the scorecards in the middleweight final. His opponent, Jonatas
Novaes (Brasa), managed a sweep. Known for his high-pressure
Jiu-Jitsu, Tiago persisted until passing guard (3 to 2). Alves
won his prior matches by a large margin on points. In his first,
9 to 0, and his second, against a game Vitor Henrique (GFTeam),
he also took a sizable lead, but his opponent ended up injured
and out.
Davi
Ramos (Top Brother) got by his first lightweight challenge on
advantage points. He then faced Helder “Bob Sponja”
Medeiros (CheckMat) in the semifinal, and won with two takedowns
and a sweep for a 6-2 tally. In the decider, Davi submitted Marcio
Rodrigues (Tubarão) with a footlock.
The
best at featherweight was Leonardo Souza (Gordo-Evolve), who
drew 2 to 2 with André Luiz (Godoi), but eeked out the
win on advantage points. At light feather, Rufino Gomes (CheckMat)
finished off two opponents with rear-naked chokes. In the gold-medal
match he beat Leandro Escobar (Soul Fighters).
In
the female mix, Michelle Tavares recovered from a loss in the
lightweight final, having moved up a weight category due to lack
of opponents, and won the absolute. She won her first engagement
with a triangle choke, her second with a ten-finger choke, and
won the final against Polyana Lago (Alliance) by sweeping and
mounting (6 to 0).
Michelle’s
bane at lightweight was Marina Ribeiro (CheckMat), who managed
a sweep and two back mounts to one sweep from the guard by Michelle
(10 to 3). Another standout was Rosalind Ferreira (Gavião),
who overcame Polyana Lago with advantage points in the middleweight
final, and Luiza Monteiro (CheckMat), who won two matches with
footlocks.
CheckMat
took top spot on the team winners’ stand, followed by Gracie
Barra and GFTeam.
Source: Gracie Magazine |
USA-BOXING
HAWAII, KAWANO B.C., & PALOLO B.C.
PRESENTS THE
6TH ANNUAL CLINTON A.J. SHELTON MEMORIAL MATCH EVENT
SPONSORED BY WAIPAHU PAWN SHOP & LELAND CHAPMAN
October 30, 2010 AT THE PALOLO DISTRICT PARK GYM, 6 P.M.
BOUTS SUBJECT TO CHANGE.
RED CORNER WEIGHTS BLUE CORNER
BIRTHDATE/CLUB Bouts Age 3 ROUNDS AGE BIRTHDATE/CLUB Bouts
1). Haley Pasion (2) 18 112 33 Corina Ishikawa (8)
Kawano B.C. 10/11/92 1 min. 03/23/77 Kawano B.C.
2). Xavier Aloiau-Verano (0) 8 60 9 Jordan Manangan (0)
Wailuku Maui B.C. 01/23/02 1 min. 09/29/01 Molokai B.C.
3). Bryer Nagahama (2) 12 115 13 Cole Dante (0)
Pearlside B.C. 05/21/98 1 min. 07/25/97 Unattached
4). Leomar Claveria (0) 26 145 18 Christian Ramil (0)
Boxfit808 B.C. 09/04/84 1 min. 10/02/92 636 B.C.
5). Sheldon Young (2) 12 70 12 Kawelo Alcos (2)
Wailuku Maui B.C. 12/02/97 1 min. 01/19/98 Unattached
6). Chaves Justly Galdones (10) 10 70 10 Maika Samson Giron (2)
Flipside B.C. 07/29/00 1 min. 01/21/00 Pearlside B.C.
7). Jonathan Roldan (0) 18 125 21 Stampson Springsteen(0)
Palolo B.C. 03/06/92 1 min. 05/07/89 Molokai B.C.
8). Jaywill Taroma (0) 14 105 13 Colt Dante (0)
Wailuku Maui B.C. 11/09/95 1 min. 07/25/97 Unattached
9). Simon Blair (0) 17 140 24 Brandon Caban (0)
Molokai B.C. 10/23/93 1 min. 04/10/86 Boxfit808 B.C
10). Zachary Domagalski(3) 18 180 20 Kaleohano Tolentino (2)
Wailuku B.C. 07/01/92 1 ½ min. 04/03/90 636 B.C.
11). Antonio Toetu'u (0) 20 201+ 20 Lawrence Olive (0)
Palolo B.C. 09/30/90 1 ½ min 04/02/90 Pearlside B.C.
------------INTERMISSION 15 MINUTES---------------INTERMISSION
15 MINUTES-----------
12). Nikko Leon Guerrero (0) 19 165 18 Bradson Mercado (0)
Wailuku Maui B.C. 06/22/91 1 ½ min. 10/21/92 Unattached
13). Isaiah Lavea (1) 20 201+ 21 Nathan Lewis (1)
Palolo B.C. 08/22/90 1 ½ min. 05/04/89 Unattached
14). Giovanni Navarro (0) 23 185 27 Frederick Turner (0)
Unattached 03/28/87 1 ½ min. 11/26/82 Pearlside B.C.
15). Marco Pagaduan (9) 20 155 30 Antonel Cruz (16)
Kakaako B.C. 10/25/90 2 min. 10/09/80 Kawano B.C.
16). Anthony Ibanez (10) 18 135 25 Koichi Tanji
(10) Wailuku Maui B.C. 09/24/92 2 min. 09/07/85 Kawano B.C.
In
loving memory of Clinton A.J. Shelton, October 7, 1982 - October
8, 2005
Thank
You to Sponsors Waipahu Pawn Shop at Waipahu Shopping Plaza-
Owner Lloyd McKee, Hawaiian Fight Gear, Leland Chapman from "Dog
the Bounty Hunter", Rock Bottom Sports Bar and Grill, Chris
Leben from Ultimate Fight School. Our Volunteers, Coaches, Officials,
Dr.Kanani Texeira, and Dr. Myles Suehiro, Officer Ron Richardson,
Officer Daryl Takata and Officer Al Dela Cruz , Parents, Boxing
Commissioners, Door Workers, and "YOU" our Boxing Fans.
All boxers will receive gold medals for stepping in the ring,
these athletes are all winners!!
Mahalo for your Support and Thank You Again!!
Source: Bruce Kawano
|
Aloha
State Championship
Kaiser High School, Honolulu, Hawaii
November 27, 2010
This
is the third leg of the Hawaii BJJ Triple crown.
The
event will offer prizes in cash for some divisions.
For
more info, go to hawaiitriplecrown.com.
Source: Romolo Barros
|
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