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(All events on Oahu, unless noted)
2010
November
Aloha
State BJJ
Championships: Final Conflict
(BJJ & Sub Grappling)
(Kaiser H.S. Gym)
11/6/10
Man Up & Stand Up Kickboxing Championship
(Kickboxing)
(Filcom Center, Waipahu)
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
Just Scrap
(MMA)
(Hilo Civic Auditorium, Hilo)
10/2/10
Mad Skills
(Kickboxing)
(Filcom Center, Waipahu
9/11/10
Kauai Knockout Championship
(MMA, Kickboxing)
(Kauai)
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)
|
|
September
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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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!
|
Want to Contact
Us? Shoot us an email by Clicking Here!
Follow O2 Martial Arts news via Twitter at:
http://www.twitter.com/O2MAA
Man-up
& Stand-up 2010 part IV
Today!
What: Man-up & Stand-up 2010 part IV (kickboxing)
When: Friday September 10, 2010
Doors open @ 6pm
Where: Waipahu Filipino Community Center
The
main event will feature the young but hungry O2 rising star who
goes by the name of Isaac
Hopps.
This young boy has just been getting better with every fight
that he has taken. He will now face the confident but cautious
Soljah boy “Nui Wheeler”. Nui will be defending his
welterweight title for the fourth time. He took a break after
losing his super lightweight belt in the beginning of the year
but “he’s back”. He hopes to show this young boy
that you must first pay your dues to fill his shoes. But it seems
as if Isaac has no intentions of paying his dues or becoming
journeyman. Isaac is looking to take his spot as THE BOSS. Oh
$h!t, Nui ain’t gonna stand for that. As of right now, the
ring is Nui’s office and when Sep 10 arrives, we’ll
see who is getting demoted or who is still taking care of business.
Be there when Nui meets Isaac, west meets east, boss meets apprentice.
NUI WHEELER 146 ISAAC HOPPS – das right – its on.
Another
fight that will be a showstopper is the Dennis Montera vs Alika
Kumukoa match. Dennis is the younger of the two but don’t
count this youngster out. Brada has skills and that’s why
he has the 115# title. Dennis will be defending his title against
an older and relentless fighter who will do anything for that
title. Both fighters are very technical and can hit. Dennis has
been in kickboxing for a while now and has faced some of the
best teenagers at 115# beating mostly everyone his skills made
contact with. Alika on the other hand has also faced some well
named fighters at 115# to 135# doing fairly well. But Alika will
finally get to fight someone at his walking weight on Sep 10.
Be there when these two lightweights LIGHT each other up. Das
right
Another
lightweight fight that promises to be action packed is the Shawn
Desantos vs Israel Lovelace. Shawn has beaten most of his opponents
and is looking to beat one more that one of his Wahiawa originals
failed to do on the last man-up. Israel on the other hand fights
as if he has no worries in the world. With the skills that these
two bangaz have, they should have no worries. Shawn is wanting
to bring this win back to Wahiawa with him but so is Israel,
well not to Wahiawa but to the Wesside. Will another Wahiawa
boy end up on the canvas from the confident Wessider. Sep 10
– be there.
There
will be more exciting matches but Man-up & Stand-up always
like to say a few words for the up and coming. If you don’t
believe that there will be some major fireworks. Check out this
line up
MICHAEL
150 MAKANA WIGGLESWORTH
CODY 160 RODNEY BARONA
MIKAL PEYTON 135 ISAAN HATTORI
NUI WHEELER 145
ISAAC HOOPS
JON MENDONSA 145
BRYSON LUM
JON PAALIMOO 135 KALIN STAFFORD
JOSE TOLETA 135
KAINOA COOK
JOEY SODENO 115
DJ CASERIA
BJ SANTANA 130
MICAH SHIGETA
RONNIE VILLAHAMOSA 155 JUSTIN DULAY
D FERREIRA 190 DANIEL SANTOS
SCOTT ENDO 170 BARAK HOLT
DENNIS MONTIRA 115 ALIKA KUMUKOA
AARON VILLAHMOSA 125 KALANI JOHNSON
JUSTIN FONOTI 215
BRYSEN DELACRUZ
TAISEN KEY 125 CARLOS MASUNGSON
KAHALE DELIMA SHW JARREN KAWALU
TODD PARK 160 ROBERT BANIS
BLAKE VILLANEDA 150 JORDAN RITA
IKAIKA TAMPOS 145 VERN KAPOI
ANDYMAR
RENON 225
MATT STONE
PAUL AUSTRIA 130 CHASE TANTOG
BOBBY BARTELL 145 GARY DEPERALTA
SHAWN DESANTOS 120 ISRAEL LOVELACE
RICKY FARJARDO 120 DONOVAN CALLURUDA
CHANTE STANDFORD 115 KAIMI SURREL
ETHAN KERFOOT 165 DYLAN VENEGAS
JOSEPH CARTER 145 ISAAC SABALA
All
matches & participants are subject to change
Source: Derrick Bright
|
X-1
World Events Tomorrow
Saturday, September 11, 2010
Blaisdell Arena
X-1
TO PRESENT BIGGEST TITLE FIGHT IN HAWAIIAN MMA HISTORY ON SEPTEMBER
11TH AT “HEROES”
Second
round of light heavyweight title tourney to commence
Honolulu,
HI (USA): Top Hawaiian fight promotion X-1 World Events today
announced the full fight card for its next incredible event,
entitled “HEROES.” This exciting fight card will feature
a main event of X-1 World Middleweight Champion Falaniko Vitale
putting his belt on the line against devastating KO artist Kala
“Kolohe” Hose. Also taking place at the Neal S. Blaisdell
Arena that night will be the much-anticipated second round of
the X-1 World Light Heavyweight title tournament, as the pairings
have been set. Russia’s Vitaly Shemetov, coming off a brutal
KO victory over Japanese MMA pioneer Shungo Oyama, will battle
Hawaii’s own Poai Suganuma. Also coming off a big KO win
is South Korea’s Sang Soo Lee, who will lock horns with
California’s Roy Boughton, an undefeated submission specialist.
“HEROES” will also showcase two world title fights,
as well as a world kickboxing championship match.
Tickets
for this incredible event will go on sale on August 7th at the
Blaisdell Box Office at 9 AM, as well as all Wal-Mart, Kailua
Sports Gear outlets, and on Tickemaster.com, or by calling (800)
745-3000. Prices are $200.00 for 1st row/cageside seats , $150.00
for 2nd row seats, $100.00 for floor seats, $50.00 for the risers/lodges,
and $35.00 for the upper bowl. Tickets for all military, law
enforcement, fire department, and EMT’s are available with
ID at the Blaisdell Box Office for $10 off of the $50 and $35
seats, and $25 off the $200 floor seats, $150 2nd row seats,
and $100 floor seats.
Falaniko
Vitale (27-9, fifteen submissions) is one of the most respected
Hawaiian combatants fighting today. An experienced athlete who
recently celebrated ten years as a professional fighter, Vitale
proudly represents the 808 Fight Factory, one of the toughest
fight gyms on the Islands, and has fought for some of the most
well-known promotions in the world. Fans of King of the Cage,
Rage in the Cage, SuperBrawl, Icon Sport, the IFL, StrikeForce,
and the UFC have all seen his skill set exhibited. In his most
recent bout, he defended his coveted X-1 strap against former
UFC competitor Kalib Starnes, finishing his controversial opponent
via submission in the process. Niko, as he is known, has taken
on top names in the sport, including “Ruthless” Robbie
Lawler, former StrikeForce Middleweight title challenger Jason
“Mayhem” Miller, MMA pioneer Jeremy Horn, StrikeForce/UFC
veteran Trevor Prangley, and UFC fighter Frank Trigg. He has
beaten notable fighters such as UFC vet Aaron Riley, former UFC
Middleweight Champion Dave Menne, UFC middleweight contender
Yushin Okami, and the aforementioned Lindland.
Kala
“Kolohe” Hose (7-3, seven KO/TKOs) is known for his
devastating knockout power, and has garnered a reputation as
one of the toughest Island fighters today. He claimed the ICON
Middleweight title in August of 2008 with an exciting TKO victory
over current UFC fighter Phil Baroni that was lauded by Island
fight fans for its great action. Also a veteran of Superbrawl
and EliteXC, Hose will look to add the X-1 Middleweight belt
to his list of accomplishments. During his career, he’s
faced UFC veterans such as Baroni, “Mayhem” Miller,
and Reese Andy. He will face what is probably the toughest opponent
of his career in Vitale.
In
addition, the second round of the heralded X-1 World Light Heavyweight
tourney will commence at this event, as former EliteXC headliner
and Hawaii native Poai Suganuma (10-3) will match up with “The
Dancing Russian” Vitaly Shemetov (7-7), who brutalized respected
veteran Shungo Oyama in the first round of the tournament en
route to a KO victory. Suganuma, for his part, defeated Greg
Schmitt via unanimous decision on his way to advancing. The other
semifinal matchup will feature Gracie-trained submission specialist
Roy Boughton (4-0, four submissions), who tapped out Adam Akau
with a first round guillotine choke to garner a place in the
second round of the tournament, as he faces extremely tough South
Korean SpiritMC veteran Sang Soo Lee (14-9). Lee knocked out
Daniel Madrid with a beautiful right hand in order to move on
in the tourney. Also featured will be a 145 lb. World Championship
bout between Dave Moreno and Ricky Wallace, as well as a 135
lb. World Championship fight between Bryson Hanson and Russell
Doane.
“I
am very excited about this incredible card. Having two great
Island fighters like Niko and Kolohe fight for the belt, along
with the second round of the tournament, and throwing in two
other title matches…what a card!” exclaimed Mike Miller,
Owner/Promoter of X-1 World Events. “It’s going to
be an amazing night of fights.”
The
full fight card is as follows:
Main
Event: 185 lb. World MMA Championship:
Falaniko Vitale vs. Kala “Kolohe” Hose
Light
Heavyweight MMA Championship tournament (second round):
Poai Suganuma (HI) vs. Vitaly Shemetov (Russia)
Sang Soo Lee (S. Korea) vs. Roy Boughton (California)
145
lb. World MMA Championship:
Dave Moreno vs. Ricky Wallace
135
lb. World MMA Championship:
Bryson Hanson vs. Russell Doane
160
lb. World Kickboxing Championship:
Danilo Zanollini vs. Kaleo
Kwan
155
lbs. – Bryson Kamaka vs. Herman Santiago
135
lbs. – Adrianna Jenkins vs. Kat Alendai
135
lbs. – Eddie Perrells vs. Mark Tajon
135
lbs. – Raquel
Paaluhi
vs. Sarah D'Alelio
170
lbs. – Anthony Torres vs. Thomas Sedeno
145
lbs. – Dustin Kimura vs. Chris Williams
185
lbs. – Caleb Price vs. Collin Mansanas
135
lbs. – Van Shiroma vs. Kazuki Kinjo
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/
About
Fight of Your Life Communications
Fight of Your Life is the only company that focuses exclusively
on communications within the sport of MMA. Through utilization
of media relationships, sponsorship contacts, writing skills,
and public relations experience, Fight of Your Life raises the
profile of its clients, which increases awareness, draws revenue,
and helps establish long-term viability. Current Fight of Your
Life clients include fight promotions such as Gladiator Challenge,
Jeff Curran’s XFO, X-1 World Events, MMA Big Show, and Shine
Fights. In addition, Fight of Your Life handles management for
rising StrikeForce lightweight title contender Lyle “Fancy
Pants” Beerbohm. Also, Fight of Your Life owner Phil Lanides
covers MMA for Examiner.com. For additional information on Fight
of Your Life Communications, please visit http://www.fightofyourlife.com/
|
Kendall Grove Confirms Dec. 4th Bout with Demian Maia
By FCF Staff
Kendall Grove will soon begin preparing to face another of the
UFC’s notable middleweights, as the Hawaiian fighter has
confirmed that he’ll fight Demian Maia next, December 4th,
at “The Ultimate Fighter” Season 12 Finale in Las Vegas.
Grove made the announcement on his official Twitter account.
December
4 live on spike tuff 12 final grove vs maia
about 16 hours ago via web
I
know he's one of da best that's y I took the fight I'm here to
do it big and I know what da f--- I'm doing just enjoy da fight
cause I wil
about 11 hours ago via web
Grove
(12-7) has gone 3-2 in his last five fights, earning wins over
Jason Day, Jake Rosholt and most recently Goran Reljic, who the
former TUF competitor defeated by Split Decision at UFC 116.
Grove's losses during that stretch came against Ricardo Almeida
and Mark Munoz.
Maia
(13-2) recently returned to the winning column, following his
Unanimous Decision loss to champion Anderson Silva in April,
dominating Mario Miranda for the UD win at UFC 118 on August
28th. The renowned jiu-jitsu practitioner has gone 7-2 in the
Octagon, with Maia’s only other loss coming against Nate
Marquardt.
The
UFC has not officially announced the bout.
Source: Ful Contact Fighter
|
Kenny
Florian Opts to Improve, While Dan Hardy Would Rather Complain
By Ben
Fowlkes
Just because two men are looking at the same problem, it doesn't
mean they're going to come up with the same answer. It's an obvious
lesson, but one we learned again this week thanks to Dan Hardy
and Kenny Florian.
The
(perceived) problem? All these knuckleheaded wrestlers are coming
into MMA, taking people down, and then just holding them there
until time runs out and the judges declare them the winner.
The
solution? According to Hardy we need to make some rule changes,
maybe give the referees more authority to put a stop to these
grapple-happy shenanigans. But according to Florian, who this
week told Sherdog.com that he's hired Boston University assistant
wrestling coach Sean Gray to help him in training, the answer
is to add more arrows to your own quiver rather than trying to
take them out of someone else's.
I
think we already know which strategy will prove more successful.
The
funny part is, Florian might be forgiven for wallowing in a little
anti-wrestling self-pity right now. He just lost an uninteresting
three-rounder to Gray Maynard, who was content to use his wrestling
to grind out a decision. If Florian had responded by publicly
blasting that strategy – the way Hardy did in the case of
the Nik Lentz-Andre Winner fight – most of us would have
had a little sympathy for his plight.
But
that's not what he did. Instead he admitted that he needed to
improve his wrestling in order to make sure that never happens
again. He looked within, at his own shortcomings, rather than
directing his frustration outward.
As
Sports Psychology professor Dr. Ted Butryn said in this article
back in July, success in sports hinges greatly on locus of control.
If you think other people and outside forces are responsible
for whether you win or lose, it's harder to improve. If you think
everything rests on your own ability and performance, even if
you're wrong, you're more likely to get better.
Hardy
and the other wrestling whiners in MMA might do well to take
note of Florian's attitude on the matter. If you want to stay
off your back in this sport, it's up to you to make it happen.
Something tells me guys like Maynard and Georges St. Pierre aren't
going to stop taking you down even if you ask nicely.
Source: MMA Weekly
|
Proponents
for MMA legislation need to step up their game and update their
playbook
By Zach
Arnold
KENNY
RICE: “Bob Reilly is a very vocal opponent. Next week, we’ll
have part two talking about the financial implications as they
have found in Europe, they’ve found in Australia and all
over the U.S. practically except for New York that MMA and specifically
the UFC can bring to a state and a community.”
BAS
RUTTEN: “I think it’s crazy. I did a lot of research
on the guy and he puts like for instance he says gambling, prostitution,
live executions, and MMA, he puts them all in the same sentence,
it’s almost like propaganda. If he starts repeating this
to people the whole time, they’re going to see it as something
violent. I have no clue. The purpose of MMA is to hurt somebody?
Ask Mike Tyson what was the purpose for him in boxing, what he
does. We always defend ourselves by something that’s really
just an 8 count, that is the most dangerous thing there is. Think
about it, you know you get hit, you go down, you’re wobbly,
your brain is telling your body I don’t want to do it any
more, no, no, no, no, no, people pay money yet to watch it. Let’s
give you 10 seconds, you’re good to go? Can you see this
finger? You see that? Go, go, go! And they go again, they’re
going to get knocked down again. This is constantly going. That
is brain damage. In Mixed Martial Arts, if you’re on top
on somebody on mount and we all saw it, if three clean punches
come through before the guy gets knocked out, they’re going
to pull him off. They stop the fight. I don’t get it. All
the punches are directed to the head in boxing but boxing is
OK. Even worse, they say wrestling is OK, somebody else said
pro-wrestling, that’s OK. I said pro-wrestling is OK? It’s
a bad examples for kids, Mixed Martial Arts, but pro-wrestling
is not a bad example? Kids think that is real! That’s why
you see guys jumping out of the window on top of somebody else,
that kid dies or breaks his back, how many times did we hear
that? Kids thinks it’s real. I say cause-and-effect, that’s
what you see in Mixed Martial Arts. You hurt somebody, well he
goes down so let’s not do that not on the street. I think
it’s actually a good example.”
KENNY
RICE: “Randy, what do you think about listening to Mr. Reilly?”
RANDY
COUTURE: “Well, I just think it’s an uneducated view.
He doesn’t understand our sport and I don’t think there’s
anything violent about our sport. It’s a contact sport for
sure and it’s not for everybody but it’s not about
violence, it’s not… he’s obviously uneducated.
He’s going back six years to citing PRIDE rules when PRIDE
hasn’t existed for quite some time and certainly the rules
for PRIDE were you a little more… contact-oriented when
you could kick on the ground and a lot of those other things,
but even that was relatively safe as combative sports go and
sports in general so I think that, you know, we’ve got an
education process in place here we’re trying to make these
people see that we’re not crazy, we’re not dangerous,
this is not violence, it’s a combative sport.”
As
Eddie Goldman has pointed out in the past couple of months, the
critics of Mixed Martial Arts have been updating their arguments
recently and the proponents of MMA legislation are using the
same playbook from five years ago. MMA is a violent sport and
there’s no way to deny it. So, don’t deny it. That’s
why you’re arguing for legislation of the sport in various
states in the first place — because it is a dangerous sport.
Second,
don’t assume that the loudest critics of MMA are ‘uneducated’
and that they will change their tune after listening to UFC give
their sales pitch. Saying the same things you’ve been selling
for the last decade and not addressing the current realities
that face the sport is disappointing. Furthermore, as we’ve
seen with states known for their regulation of Mixed Martial
Arts, there’s plenty of scandals that take place (from inadequate
drug testing to fighters fighting with staph infections).
As
time goes on, the critics of the sport will sharpen their arguments
due to having a body of evidence to make their case against allowing
the sport to be active in areas like New York (despite whatever
pro-financial growth arguments for implementing MMA legislation
are made in the first place).
Source: Fight Opinion
|
“Dos
Santos will be better on the title fight”
By Guilherme
Cruz
With six wins on the six fights he did on the UFC’s octagon,
Junior “Cigano” dos Santos will now have the dream
chance of every fighter: the UFC belt. Waiting for the winner
of the fight between Brock Lesnar and Cain Velasquez, the coach
Luis Carlos Dórea shows confidence on his pupil, believing
he will be even better when it comes the time for him to fight
for the belt.
“He’s expecting to see who he’ll confront because
they’re two great athletes, the fight would be tough against
any of them… I always say: he’s constantly evolving,
so you’ll see him a lot better than before, with willingness,
personality, a real warrior… He knows that it’ll be
worth the title and he’ll do everything in his power in
order to win this. After this fight, he’ll be the champion”,
bets Dórea, on a chat with TATAME, without pointing out
a favorite on the duel between Lesnar and Velasquez.
“It’ll be a very tough fight, light all fights are…
Cain doesn’t go for it too much, does his game and it’s
pretty efficient, and Brock Lesnar is very strong, dangerous…
It’ll be a tough fight for both of them. I can’t say
much now, it’ll be a tough fight and let’s see who
is the best fighter in there”, comments.
Glad
with the work of his heavyweight, Dórea compliments the
journey he had to roam until the title shot. “He deserves
all of this because of everything he’s been doing. There’re
six wins in six fights, five of them by knockout, four of them
on the first round… He’s an athlete who had evolved
a lot, started against a great athlete, (Fabrício) Werdum,
winning by KO… Cigano only had tough ones on his way, but
there’s no easy one on UFC. He’s been tested several
times and now I think the time has come. He showed his abilities
while standing up, he proved himself to be very strong. Six fights,
six critical wins”, celebrates.
Source: Tatame
|
Florian
Hires Wrestling Coach, Back in 5 Months
by Joe
Myers
UFC lightweight Kenny Florian dropped a unanimous decision to
Gray Maynard at UFC 118 last month in Boston, costing him an
opportunity at a third shot at the 155-pound title. Most fighters
would be anxious to get back into action, hoping to dispel the
memory of such a tough loss.
However,
it may be a little longer than expected before fans see the fighter
known as "Ken Flo" back in the Octagon.
"It
looks like my training team wants me to fight in another five
months," said Florian during an interview Tuesday on the
Sherdog Radio Network's "It's Time!" show with Bruce
Buffer. "I'm more motivated than ever. I'm pissed, to be
honest. I want to crush my training. That's what I'm focused
on right now. I just hired the assistant wrestling coach at Boston
University (Sean Gray) to be my wrestling coach here in Boston
and I have other plans for a lot of other things as far as training
goes."
The
34-year-old Florian said he was back training the week after
the loss to Maynard and that the setback has motivated him to
work even harder in the gym.
"Losses
are blessings in disguise," said Florian, who holds wins
over Takanori Gomi, Joe Stevenson, Clay Guida, Roger Huerta and
Joe Lauzon in his last seven bouts. "I've never been more
motivated in my life. I kind of feel like this was one of the
most frustrating losses that I've ever had and it was a fight
I definitely learned a lot from. I'm very motivated and I had
to come back to training quickly. I've already started training
and did a hard conditioning session (Tuesday). I'm just motivated
to work very hard and get right back into it."
The
hiring of Gray by Florian -- who has 12 finishes (three knockouts,
nine submissions) among his 13 victories -- was a direct result
of Florian's being outwrestled by Maynard, who's had his last
seven fights go the distance.
"I
kind of figured that's what he would do," Florian said in
reference to Maynard's wrestling-first game plan. "Gray's
stood up with people before, but I had an inkling (Maynard would
go for takedowns). I knew he was going to do what he had to do
to get the win, which was exactly what he should've done. It
was a smart game plan by him. He's the best wrestler in the lightweight
division and one of the best in the UFC.”
The
Brazilian jiu-jitsu black belt acknowledged that even though
he’s made great strides with his wrestling, it just wasn’t
enough at UFC 118.
“I
need to make sure my game is capable of beating everybody in
every aspect and it wasn't. So, I've been doing wrestling every
single day. I've been watching wrestling and researching wrestling
every single day," he said.
Once
Florian does get back into action, one name that has been mentioned
as a potential opponent is Australian George Sotiropoulos. Another
accomplished black belt, Sotiropoulos is 6-0 in the UFC and has
won seven straight fights since a disqualification loss to Shinya
Aoki back in October 2006. The only other blemish on his record
is a split-decision loss to “The Ultimate Fighter 10”
alumnus Kyle Noke in July 2005.
Florian
said a matchup with Sotiropoulos is one he welcomes, as it fits
his pre-requisite to face a top lightweight when he does return
to the Octagon.
"I
just want to fight a tough guy, a top guy," said Florian.
"I know there's talk about me facing George Sotiropoulos
out there. I haven't heard anything from the UFC, but in my mind,
I think it would be a great fight. I think it'd be a phenomenal
fight. He's a guy who likes to fight and likes to go forward.
He's aggressive and I think that's a fight that could do big
things for both of us. He's one of those guys that I think are
at the top of the food chain in the lightweight division."
Source: Sherdog
|
RICCO
RODRIGUEZ RE-EMERGES AT BELLATOR 31
by Ken
Pishna
Two
former UFC fighters are set to make their Bellator debuts when
the promotion lands at the L'Auberge du Lac Casino Resort in
Lake Charles, La., on Sept. 30.
Former
UFC heavyweight champion Ricco Rodriguez (44-11) has been on
a rebuilding binge. He was once considered one of the more promising
heavyweights in the world, but fell into the “what could
have been” category before his recent re-emergence. Rodriguez
will make his first start for Bellator against Dave Herman, riding
a nine-fight winning streak that includes seven bouts already
in 2010.
Eight
years Rodriguez's junior, Herman (16-2) is widely considered
a top heavyweight prospect of today. He was riding a three-fight
winning streak before being derailed by Rameau Thierry Sokoudjou
in May. He’ll look to get one of the biggest wins of his
career when he faces Rodriguez.
Another
former UFC fighter making his Bellator debut on the same night
is Yoshiyuki Yoshida, who will be facing upstart Chris Lozano,
also making his Bellator debut.
Yoshida
(11-5) is making his first start since receiving his walking
papers from the UFC. He holds wins over Dan Hardy and Akira Kikuchi,
but only managed a 2-3 record in the Octagon. He’ll look
to rebound from back-to-back losses against Lozano.
Yoshida
will be the toughest test of Lozano’s career. The youngster
is a knockout specialist, however, winning all four of his professional
fights by knockout with no blemishes on his record.
Both
bouts were announced during the telecast of Bellator 28 on Thursday
night.
Two
bouts also expected on the Bellator 31 fight card, but not yet
announced, are the semifinal bouts of the Season 3 Women’s
115-Pound Tournament. Megumi Fujii (21-0) squares off against
Lisa Ward (14-5), while Jessica Aguilar (9-3) faces Zoila Frausto
(8-1).
Source: MMA Weekly
|
What
has and hasn’t been said yet about Tapout’s new deal
with ABG
By Zach
Arnold
When
Bloomberg News broke the story on Tuesday morning about Tapout,
Silver Star, and Hitman Fight Gear selling their companies to
Authentic Brands Group LLC, a lot of concern and panic set in
initially as far as major players in the Mixed Martial Arts industry
were concerned. Was Tapout cashing out while the getting was
good? Do they think the MMA industry has peaked? Are they broke?
Lots of questions were raised by the Bloomberg article.
Dealmaker
Salter to Bring Cage Fighting T-Shirts to the Masses
It
was an article, in terms of research, that had a lot of MMA media
writers cringing (including HDNet host Mike Straka). It also
caused a stir amongst Tapout management, who addressed rumors
of Tapout appearing in Walmart stores in the future.
“NO!
NEVER! No. I think there was a lot of confusion. You know, I
mean, these guys are trying to put together, they did an interview,
I don’t know where that I came from, I saw it and I did
an interview with them but they got some facts wrong. They were
kind of mixed up. You know, sometimes people… we do interviews
with people who don’t understand the MMA space and sometimes
we try to explain it to them and they, you know, it gets it’s
like you know somewhere it gets lost in translation but no that’s
not true. They asked, the question was are you guys going to
Walmart and I said no, I said we do have brand segmentation where
we have other brands that we’ve developed that maybe in
the future, you know, could go to Walmart but it wouldn’t
be the Tapout brand, by no means.”
Tuesday
night’s semi-conference call, if you want to call it that
(listen here to the hour-long discussion on TapoutRadio.com),
was part pep-talk, part-reassurance speech to the masses.
In
addressing the Walmart rumors, Punkass and Skrape (the names
they proudly used on the discussion show), they made it clear
that other brands that they owned might appear in a Walmart in
the future but not the Tapout brand.
“Well,
I mean, we have our mid-tier brand that is at Kohl’s and
JC Penney and then, you know, Tapout just continues to be in
the same places plus we’re talking to some exciting new
places, some very big chains that, you know, understand the sports
you know the sports sales and sports companies and we’re
looking to get in there also and so it’s just, you know,
we’re just going to open some more doors and tighten up
the brand A LOT, I mean there’s a lot of things that, you
know, you got to understand. We didn’t come from the clothing
business. We don’t understand the clothing business. These
guys understand the clothing industry, that’s where they
come from and we’re, you know I mean, so they’ve educated
us a lot. Just today I’ve learned so much about some of
the things we were [expletive] up and how we can fix them and,
you know, it’s just it’s an exciting time. I think
we’re real excited about working with these guys and tightening
up the brand and bringing it to where we always wanted to be,
a competitor with Nike and Reebok and Under Armour and you know
the top brands of the world.”
The
sale of Tapout and Silver Star has created a lot of confusion
amongst the fighters, agents, promoters, and gym owners across
the country as far as what is going to change, if anything, with
the way Tapout does business. More importantly, their relationship
with the UFC.
“No,
I mean, [fighters will] be sponsored in all the UFCs, fighters,
none of that is going to change. None of the sponsorship-type
stuff, it’s all about trying to continue helping the fighters,
the UFC, growing the brand, doing what we do on a day-to-day
thing, that’s all going to be the same. The same direction
we’re headed is where we’re going, we’re just
trying to get a little bit of back wind behind us and get a little
push.
“Yeah,
I mean, we had this, you know, multi-billion dollar company who’s
going to come in and help us get this, you know, straight and
we’re going to take all the good of what we do and make
it better and we’re going to take all the bad of what we’ve
done and get rid of it, you know, so moving forward it’s
just going to be good for Tapout and everyone will see that in
the near future. I mean, over the next, the things that these
guys brought up are just so exciting, the things that they’re
talking about and ways to increase our business and how, I mean
these guys helped, you know, they have a background in the snowboard
industry and they helped grew some big brands and grow some big
brands in that space and in action sports space and they’re
really excited to, you know, get a hold of this brand which they
believe is, you know, can be one of the top, you know, five brands,
three brands, in the world if not the top.”
Throughout
the conference call, it became pretty clear that Tapout viewed
their new alliance with ABG as cleaning up areas where they were
losing money and refining the brand so that it could have much
larger distribution in the future. Juxtapose this with what was
said about the growth of Tapout on the conference call.
“It’s
the same, guys, and we’re telling everybody it’s the
same. I mean, this should all be (not) seen with the customer,
the fans should never know the difference other than to be excited
that, you know, something’s changed for the positive that
whether it’s a garment is better than it was before, we
have new product or product that, you know, that is segmented
and better than it ever was, I mean we want to compete with the
best and these guys are going to help us do that and that’s
what we’re excited about. I mean, there’s never been
so much emphasis on quality product than talking to these guys
and even though we believe in that [mindset] it’s been hard
to do when you don’t have a lot, you know, money to back
you in those decisions because we’ve been self-capitalized
so having to, you know, answer, ‘well do we have the money
to go out and do this?’ We didn’t, you know, now we
do. So that’s exciting to us and I just hope that excitement
can translate to our fans when they see how excited we are about
what we’re doing and the job going forward that we have
that we’re going to get back to looking at the product and
making sure because a lot of growth was so crazy over the past
several years. Over the past five years, we were growing 300-500%
every single year and when you’re growing that fast, it’s
hard to, you’re running, you know how like when you’re
holding onto a rope and a car’s driving real fast and for
whatever reason you don’t let go and you feel like you’re
about to, you’re going so fast you’re going to you
know fall in front of you? I mean, that’s how fast we were
running trying to, you know, run with this company because it
was just running out of control and these guys have encouraged
us to just get back to the basics and work on product and putting
out the best product that we can and, you know, they’re
not called Authentic Brands Group for nothing, that’s what
they’re about.”
Despite
repeated statements noting excitement and confidence in the new
deal, it was very clear that the goal was to try to repeat the
positives as much as possible because people are in the industry
who are jaded are probably wondering if Tapout’s in it for
the long-term or if this was a short-term play. There’s
nothing wrong with cashing out and making a profit, but obviously
the sale naturally raised questions about whether or not Tapout
was generating enough money to cover their debts and if they
had the infrastructure in place to keep hold as a dominant player
in their field. Plus, throw in concerns about UFC’s over-saturation
of PPVs and the issues UFC is having drawing local fans at live
shows and you have a company in Tapout who needs UFC to remain
strong in order for their business to remain strong as well.
A
lot of the conference call was talking about who ABG is and why
they are going to be so great for Tapout. We’ll address
those comments in a second. However, there was one passage from
the conference call that really stood out and raised a flag.
“Yeah,
I mean, these guys are looking at us… I mean, these guys
are looking at us to make sure that we keep the brand integrity.
I mean, all the artists are still right here in our office. All
the marketing still in our office. All the, you know, the clothing
is still here in our office. The only thing we’re not doing
is selling and shipping and we have somebody who’s standing
over us making sure that we have all the resources that we need
to do our job and I know people really blew this out of, you
know, out of proportion because they don’t, maybe they don’t
understand that that’s how businesses grow but that is how
businesses grow. I mean, unless you want to continue to be a
small business forever, which we, you know, how do you compete
with a company like Nike who’s doing, you know, $35 billion
dollars a year? You can’t unless you bring in your own company
to help you do that and that’s what we’ve done. We
brought in our own partner who’s going to help us, you know,
understand that part of the business and take it to the next
level and it’s exciting for us. Nobody is more excited than
us and I think the fans will really see, everybody who loves
Tapout or who’s watched Tapout over the years, are going
to understand what this is all about over the next year. They’re
going to see why you have to have people like this involved in
your business to help grow it. I mean, we’ve done this without
ANY CAPITAL or without anybody investing in our business for
the past 12 years and now we’ve finally have somebody that’s
come into our business and to help us take it to the next level
and that’s what we’re going to do.”
It’s
true that Tapout grew without initial start-up capital, but it
doesn’t tell the whole story. As Justin Klein (aka The Fight
Lawyer) recently detailed in a report, Tapout reportedly had
millions of dollars in loans that they recently paid back. Those
loans involved a private equity firm called PEM Group. The SEC
filed a complaint against PEM alleging that they broke laws.
A court froze the assets of PEM and a sale of PEM’s assets
was discussed. Given that Tapout had loans to PEM, Justin raises
the question as to whether or not the Tapout sale to ABG had
anything to do with PEM’s troubles and what happened to
PEM’s equity interest in Tapout.
This
Tapout press release from 2007 features quotes from Marc Kreiner
about Tapout’s deal with PEMGroup and also with powerhouse
agency group CAA.
As
you’ll see in the video above, you’ll recognize who
Mr. Kreiner is. (You might remember seeing him on a past CNBC
show about MMA.) I point out his name because on Tuesday night’s
discussion on Tapout radio, a host asked about what Mr. Kreiner’s
role in the company would be going forward.
“I
will be running Tapout and Marc is, you know, going to, he has
other things that he’s going to go off and do other than,
you know, I’m sure he has his own ambitions and other things
that he wants to do and he’s a business guy but he won’t
be with us any more.”
It
was by far the shortest part of the conversation. The Tapout
founders spent more time trying to reassure their supporters
that they aren’t going anywhere despite the deal with ABG.
“Well,
I mean, actually nothing should change as far as the consumer
knows except for that the brand should just get bigger and better.
It gives us a lot more resources and allows us to tap into their
resources and so, you know, I mean it’s an exciting time
for Tapout and, you know, we’re able to, these guys are
based out of New York and we do a lot of business out of New
York also so you know it’s just, it’s a lot of good
things and we’re just looking forward to the future. I mean,
we’re still here, we’re continuing to come to work
every day and today was a crazy day of just figuring things out,
you know, a lot of them were all in here today, they had their
full team in here today and trying to understand our business
more and it was just one crazy day and tomorrow’s going
to be the same thing so we’re just we’re working towards,
you know, kind of a seamless crossover and I’ll continue
on with a new title of President…”
With
ABG acquiring both Tapout and Silver Star, questions have been
raised about what brand would get top billing and if both brands
will still be business rivals to each other.
“Yeah,
it’ll still run as two separate entities. We’re not…
it’s not like we’re moving in together.
“We’re
still going to be trying to out-compete them in everything we
do. It’s still competitive, just because we’re owned
by the same company now, it’s still competitive. We’re
still going to go after fighters that we want and try to steal
fighters if they have ‘em if we want ‘em so it’s
still going to be run totally separate.
“I
mean, [ABG's] going to maximize our distribution and that’s
where, yeah, you will probably see Silver Star hanging next to
Tapout in certain stores where it makes sense but they also see
the two different brands for what they are. I mean, they’re
two different brands and they, you know, they focus on …
they have an overlap of customers but they also have segmented
customers. There’s customers that would buy Silver Star
that wouldn’t buy Tapout and there’s Tapout’s
customers that wouldn’t buy Silver Star and so they understand
that and they want to continue, you know, in that same direction
and so it’s not like, you know, Luke’s moving into
our building next door here but as far as the sale side and some
of the things that they do that they can overlap, they will just,
you know, to conserve, you know, money and manpower.”
The
Luke they’re referring to is Luke Barrett, who founded Silver
Star in the early 1990s.
“Well,
I mean, we both understood what was going on. I got on the phone
with Luke several times and, you know, we both understood this
was a great thing for the sport and a great thing for both brands.
I’ve known Luke for a long time, so you know, even before
he was in the MMA space or I was in, you know, I think maybe
right around when we got started here, you know, he’s been
around for a long time, we’ve been around for a long time
and there’s some mutual respect there, but you know at the
end of the day we’re both out there to do business and we
go out and we act like competitors. … I think they’re
just different brands. I mean, there’s an understanding
and we’ve had that discussion … these are two different
brands. I mean, obviously, Silver Star’s going to follow
us more so because we’re in a lot more doors than they are
but there may be areas that they just don’t see the Silver
Star brand going in and, you know, Luke and that’s a decision
for Luke to make, you know, he’ll decide where he wants
his brand and that’s a decision he makes with them. They’ve
come to use and we’ve had our discussion where we see our
brand and they’re 100% about it and actually we’re
already setting up those meetings right now with some very big
companies and also the ones that we’re already with trying
to, you know, make those relationships better and increase the
footprint that we have in those stores that we’re already
doing business with.”
The
big question Punkass and Skrape tried to answer, as best as they
could, was why they chose ABG over everyone else in order to
make a business deal with.
“I
mean, literally for the past… since being in the retail
space, which is about the past five years or so, you know prior
to that we were just an internet business, but for the past five
years I can’t even count how many companies have been here.
Jamie’s (Jamie Salter) came to us like 17 times trying to
buy us. I mean, you know I talked with everybody and everybody
came in here with a song and a dance and these guys… I just,
I don’t think I’ve… the team that they assembled,
I don’t think of anybody that we’ve talked anybody
was even close to being as passionate as much as these guys were
about this business. Not even half as close and these guys said
all the right things. They talked about all the right team and
they were 100% when they brought that team in here today and
it’s just a bunch of good guys who know what they’re
talking about. Very, very smart business guys who I’m taking
a lesson from, you know, and they’re 100% committed to taking
this brand to, you know, the next level.
“And
to answer a question that something that I’ve been hearing
a lot over the last couple of days, people kept talking about
Tapout selling out, why did you sell the company, why this, why
that, but it’s all for right reasons and, you know, like
Punkass said, we’re not clothing guys. We don’t know
the industry like these guys do. They know the industry so they’re
going to take us to spots and to levels we’ve never knew
about so…
“And
we didn’t sell out. We’re going not going to anywhere.
We’re still here and, you know, we can’t specifically
talk about the business, but we didn’t sell out. We just
brought in strategic partners that will help us take this brand
to the next level.
“It’s
all for the fighters. Like, we’re doing this to help better
the brand, which in turn is helping fighters. That’s our
main goal at the end of the day, which is help the fighters,
help grow the sport, and help grow the brand. So that’s
still, it’s still our motive, that’s all we want to
do.
“And
every single one of these companies have done the same. You can’t
name any large company that is out in the market space right
now that hasn’t done the same thing in one way or another.
You know, sometimes economically it’s done in different
ways at the end of the day, you all get the same result. You
get these big partners involved in your business to help you
grow it because I know the guys that started Nike [and] the guys
that started Quiksilver, they were just regular guys. They didn’t
know how to do what is being done today. Somebody came in and
showed them how to do it and help them do it and that’s,
uh, that’s exactly what we did.”
A
legitimate concern by Tapout supporters is whether or not ABG
understands the MMA business inside-and-out and if they understand
the ‘lifestyle’ component to it that you see in gyms
and at the UFC Expo events.
“No,
they came in real educated, actually and even though, I mean,
they probably couldn’t, you know, hold a candle to most
MMA fans out there, but I mean they knew names, who had the belts,
who was good, who wasn’t, you know, who was in, who was
out, you know, how long the UFC had been in business, who ran
you know running the sport, who was running the UFC, I mean they
had all the answers for us when they first came in and that was
just the first meeting and then even nowadays they sound like
us, you know, I mean they’re pretty educated, they’ve
been on their own dime going to a lot of the shows and they came
to the Boston event. They came to our show in Las Vegas, the
Magic clothing and apparel show and it’s just you know I
mean they want to be educated in the sport, they love the sport
when they got into the space, they said they’ve been looking
at the sport for a long time and so you know I mean again like
I said when they first came in they sold us, they were 1000 times
more energetic and more excited about our brand. I mean, you
would have thought they were us coming in and that’s how
excited they were.”
One
thing was clear in the Bloomberg News report — ABG sees
big potential in “the MMA space” (I hate corporate
lingo like that) on an international level. Can the Tapout brand
expand internationally and generate the kinds of revenues internationally
that will overtake what Tapout makes domestically?
“The
resources that and I’m just saying the thing over again,
the same [expletive], different way, you know I mean the resources
that these guys… this is what I need, I mean, this is what
we and Skrape to do these things and we’ve always wanted
to have these types of relationships and they’ve always
been, you know, 10 steps away and now they’re right at our
fingertips and we’re just excited about where this brand’s
going. It’s like I can’t even say that enough, I mean
this is just an exciting, exciting day for us. This is not…
one of the best days in Tapout’s history. And I mean, you
know, the growth of the brand obviously and the start of the
brand and Ultimate Fighter and all those, you know, those pegs
that we have in MMA history obviously a part of Tapout’s
history but for Tapout’s history it’s probably one
of the best days in Tapout’s history. Partnering up with
ABG is going to be exciting and Tapout is going to be a household
name and deliver the best products and to the stores and places
that we couldn’t reach before and around the world where
we couldn’t reach before.”
The
goal for Tapout is to branch out into more than what they are
currently producing and to essentially have everything they possibly
can be branded with the Tapout logo.
“Yeah,
absolutely, I mean we’re already going in that direction.
We have huge lines that we developed for, you know, as far as
the compression and sports-driven product and track suits and
the public just, it’s been… you know, they were developed
over, you know, this year, earlier this year and the public just
hasn’t seen a lot of it. Some of it is on our web site but
it’s still, you know, working on getting it out there and,
you know, again why these partners are going to be so great getting
it out there and that’s where they really see the business.
I mean, they want, what you see Nike and Reebok and Under Armour
doing is exactly what you’re going to see Tapout doing.
… That’s how brands evolved, like Nike started out
making tennis shoes, you know, for runners and stuff. Well, and
then and they made shorts, t-shirts, sweatpants, track suits,
compression shorts, that’s just evolution. You evolve and
try to help the athlete where it is. That’s like what we’ve
done. We started out with just a t-shirt and then with this,
you know, and it’s evolved to fighting shorts and all that
stuff so it’s going that direction.”
A
part of Tapout’s expansion is into the gym industry, which
is something that UFC is also expanding into. There’s already
the Tapout gym in Las Vegas and UFC has their gym in Concord,
California. Recently, Shawn Tompkins was at the grand opening
of the new Tapout gym in Boston. This is a big deal for the company.
“It’s
insane. I guess we have 60 people applying for gyms right now.
We just opened our gym in Boston which was insane. It’s
sick. … I’m going off the top of my head right now,
but we probably have 10 gyms that we’re working on and 60
gyms that are just applications in the queue waiting to get approved
so that’s definitely an exciting part of our business. We
have a great commercial, I think it’s coming up on The Ultimate
Fighter show, that the kickoff fight before the show The Ultimate
Fight Night and it’s like a cool two-minute commercial that
talks about the gyms and it’ll explain some more so if you
get a chance if you’re watching that Ultimate Fight Night
before The Ultimate Fighter, look for that commercial —
it’s pretty cool.”
Tapout’s
image isn’t about being corporate… or at least that
didn’t seem to be the initial intentions. However, after
hearing “taking it to the next level” about 20 times
on the semi-conference call, it was as if we were listening to
a boardroom meeting.
Will
some of Tapout’s biggest fans yell “you sold out!”
loudly?
“I
mean, do we have to go out and put suits on? No. They don’t
want to change who we are or how we do business, other than to
make it better. You know, we learned a little while ago we had
to, you know, grow up and we’ve been doing, you know, when
we started out this business work off handshakes and verbal deals
but, you know, as you start to do big-dollar deals you start
to learn real quick that people don’t always carry out their
commitments and, you know, you say, hey you’re going to
wear this shirt out and you come out and you watch the television
and they come out in somebody else’s shirt, you know that
happens a few times and you realize you have to start putting
this on paper and so we grew up a little while ago and figured
that out and so a lot of that won’t change. We’ve been
doing that for years and I don’t plan on putting on a suit
any time soon. I have one suit in my name and I don’t wear
it as much as possible so none of that’s going to change
and nor do these guys want to change that about us. I mean, I
really, I mean, these guys in the future I’m sure some of
them, you know, you’ll be able to meet and they’re
just great guys. They’re the type of guys that this brand
needs to get involved to help take it to the next level.”
The
two living founders said that the late Charles “Mask”
Lewis would have approved of the direction the company is going
in.
“This
is something that we’ve talked about, I wouldn’t say
since day once, but we’ve talked about, we always talked
about a Nike, we always talked about Nike’s going to come
in and buy us for x amount of dollars and we’re going to
blow it up and still retain shares and keep doing what we’re
doing as who we are, so this is something that we’ve talked
about years. I could probably say at least 10 years, 12 years,
10, 11 years or so we’ve talked about it. This day started
because that’s what we wanted, you want a big company to
come in and blow you up even bigger and then you can just go
out and keep doing what you’re doing with just that bigger
of a blanket to drape over people so, yeah, this is something
he would absolutely love and be 100% behind. We wouldn’t
do it if it didn’t feel right in our hearts, which meant
we know Charles wouldn’t have approved of it but we absolutely
think and know that he would have, so yeah this is a no-brainer
that we would love it.
“Oh
yeah, he would have been all about this. I could hear him right
now just saying, ‘These are THE GUYS, these are the guys
that are going to help take it to the next level so we can touch
more lives.’ That’s what he always wanted to do, that’s
all we talked about. It’s all we talked about was growing
the brand so we could touch more people, so we sell a billion
shirts. He used to say a million shirts but since I think we
passed that up a while ago, now it’s sell a billion shirts.”
Back
to Marc Kreiner, who was ‘the suit’ behind the three
founders when the business was growing. In that linked press
release from Tapout a few years ago about their tie-up with CAA,
Mr. Kreiner noted that there was interest in perhaps doing an
IPO (initial public offering). Is that now on the table with
Tapout partnering up with ABG?
“Brother,
the sky’s the limit, man. Sky’s the limit. There is
no handcuffs on us any more and it’s the truth, I can’t
say it any better than that. Sky’s the limit. We can’t
put limitations on our dreams. Right now, all those dreams, all
those thoughts that we’ve ever had, those days of sitting
in Carl’s Jr. with Charles and talking about where this
brand was going to go are all going to come true now and it’s
exciting.”
They
closed out the ’serious’ part of their semi-conference
call on Tuesday night with this message to their fans.
“Just
the fact that we’re not going to anywhere and I thank all
the fans for being concerned and that, you know, we want to let
them know that we’re here for the long haul, that they couldn’t
rip me out of this [expletive] place if they tried and we wouldn’t
have done the deal if that would have been part of the agreement.
I mean, we’re here to stay, we aren’t going nowhere.
We love this brand more than anything. We eat, drink, and sleep
this [expletive] and you couldn’t peel us out of here so
I just want everybody to know that this is a good thing and that
we’ll be around for a long time to come.”
Source: Fight Opinion
|
Final
book by famous anti-yakuza lawyer will be published; PRIDE rumored
to be in book
By Zach
Arnold
Yesterday,
I wrote an article about the curious death of anti-yakuza lawyer
Toshiro Igari. Igari, who was a very famous anti-yakuza crime-fighting
lawyer and ex-prosecutor, was found dead in Makati City (Manila,
Philippines) at the end of August.
In
a new article by Yukan Fuji today, Voices of doubt are flying
around the ’suicide’ of Mr. Igari in the Philippines.
The
article notes that Igari was recently talking about the need
for wearing a bulletproof vest for safety reasons. A friend of
Igari’s is quoted as saying that ‘there was no reason
found for him to commit suicide.’ According to the police
in the Philippines, Igawa fell down on a bed, cut his left wrist
with a knife, and that pills were scattered around him. Mr. Igari,
who was a frequent traveler, left Japan to go to Manila on 8/11
and was scheduled to come back on 8/22. A friend of his tried
to communicate with him and couldn’t reach him, which prompted
the friend to contact the Japanese Embassy in the Philippines.
Mr. Igari’s body was then discovered by authorities.
Mr.
Igari, who was raised in Fukushima, worked his way up as a public
prosecutor in the Yokohama District Public Prosecutor’s
Office. He soon registered for private practice in 1990. He was
very much involved in the social world of lawyers as an anti-yakuza
crime fighter (as part of the Japanese Federation of Bar Associations).
He gained notoriety by working with police to help fight off
yakuza involvement in the scalping of baseball tickets. A couple
of months ago when a major Sumo scandal broke out regarding Sumo
wrestler Kotomitsuki and his baseball gambling problem, Igari
told Sankei Shimbun that the Sumo world’s connections with
the yakuza run much deeper than the baseball world’s connections
do.
As
I noted in yesterday’s article on Mr. Igari’s death,
he had just finished writing a new book on investigations and
projects related to yakuza cases he was focusing on. The book
was set to be published by major publishing house Kodansha, which
also happens to publish big-selling magazines like Shukan Gendai
(the publication that broke the PRIDE yakuza scandal wide open).
In the Yukan Fuji article, someone from Kodansha is quoted as
saying that Mr. Igari’s book was scheduled to be published
in mid-September and that the book will be published as planned
as a ‘posthumous book.’ The source said that Mr. Igari
finished writing his book at the end of July before he left to
go to Manila.
Yesterday,
we noted that a source with knowledge of the book claimed that
part of the book would focus on a lawsuit that former MMA power
broker Miro Mijatovic was filing against Dream Stage Entertainment.
Mr. Igari was heading up a seven-lawyer team on behalf of Mr.
Mijatovic to focus on DSE. With Kodansha having a prior history
of being the publisher that printed the yakuza scandal stories
related to PRIDE, it certainly remains a high possibility that
Mr. Igari’s final book will indeed touch upon PRIDE and
new details about what exactly happened during the collapse.
Source: Fight Opinion
|
DirecTV
Won't Offer Shine Fights
By Michael David Smith
day after we noted that DirecTV, alone among major carriers,
had chosen to offer Friday night's Shine Fights pay-per-view
card but not Saturday night's Shark Fights card, DirecTV has
changed course.
With
Shine Fights' event moving from a sanctioned show in Virginia
to an unsanctioned show on a tribal territory in Oklahoma, DirecTV
decided not to offer Shine Fights anymore.
"We
pulled it off the schedule given the possibility that the event
may be canceled based on the last-minute venue change and we
do not want to put our customers in the position having to get
refunds," DirecTV said in a statement to MMAFighting.com.
So
if you're an MMA fan who has DirecTV, you're out of luck this
weekend: Neither one of the pay-per-views being offered by other
carriers is being offered by DirecTV.
Shine Fights
Announces Pairings for Friday's Lightweight Tournament
By Matt
Erickson
It's been an interesting – and mostly rough – road
leading to Shine Fights' lightweight tournament. But two days
before the event, the promotion made official its grand prix
pairings.
As
Shine Fights COO Jason Chambers announced on Twitter in the days
leading up to the tournament, first-round tournament matches
between Drew Fickett and Charles "Krazy Horse" Bennett,
Rich Crunkilton and Carlo Prater and James Warfield and Kyle
Baker were confirmed by the promotion Wednesday night. Also made
official was the fourth bout, Shannon Gugerty vs. Dennis Bermudez.
The
promotion's first lightweight grand prix – a single-night,
eight-man tournament – will take place Friday at the First
Council Casino in Newkirk, Okla., 75 miles south of Wichita,
Kan., and is scheduled to air live on pay-per-view.
That's
the simple version. Behind the scenes, and the last week publicly,
it seems to have been a scramble for Shine Fights just to keep
the event alive.
Last
Saturday, MMA Fighting was first to report the promotion was
moving the event to Oklahoma from Fairfax, Va., where it was
originally to take place, because the commission would not license
it. A source close to the promotion told MMA Fighting the main
issue was Shine's decision to have fans select the first-round
matchups via e-mail. Shine Fights CEO Devin Price later said
in an official statement that he was given verbal approval for
the event a month in advance, but the Virginia commission became
concerned with allegations that Shine still had not paid some
fighters from its May 15 pay-per-view event in North Carolina,
which was scrapped the day of the show.
Once
the move to Oklahoma was announced, Oklahoma State Athletic Commission
director Joe Miller told MMA Fighting that because the event
will be on land owned by the Otoe-Missouria Tribe, the commission
has no authority. The event will not be sanctioned by the Oklahoma
commission. Miller said Friday's fighters will not be able to
get license approval in Oklahoma for a 60-day period following
the fight.
On
Wednesday, Chambers told MMA Fighting the restrictions and "major
concerns" about the event that Miller has were a "non-issue"
for Shine Fights. Chambers said the fighters on the card have
been told by the promotion's matchmaker that they could face
a 60-day license suspension in the state. But Marcus Aurelio
told Tapout Radio that he had to hear that from his lawyer.
For
Aurelio, that's now a moot point. After Aurelio took a fight
with Dream lightweight champion Shinya Aoki at DREAM.16 in two
weeks, Chambers told MMA Weekly on Monday that Aurelio was still
a part of the Shine tourney – but that his contract with
the promotion was an exclusive one and he had not given Aurelio
permission to fight for Dream.
On
Wednesday, the promotion announced that Aurelio had been sidelined
with an injury while training for the tourney and would be replaced
by Gugerty. "I am sad to see Marcus pull out of the tournament
and wish him a fast recovery," Chambers said in a statement
from the promotion.
Though
the tickets page at Shine Fights' official website lists a link
to the Oklahoma event, its home page banner, as of Thursday morning,
still lists the Virginia location, as well as now-scrapped participants
Aurelio, Josh Shockley and Hector Munoz. Shockley had to withdraw
with an injury and was replaced by Baker; Munoz was replaced
by Bermudez.
The
event is still planned for a $29.95 pay-per-view broadcast –
if it can be found. All the 11th-hour scrambling by the promotion
caused DirecTV to pull plans to offer it to subscribers. "We
pulled it off the schedule given the possibility that the event
may be canceled based on the last-minute venue change ...,"
DirecTV told MMA Fighting on Wednesday. The event is also not
scheduled to be provided by Dish Network, DirecTV's satellite
competitor. Comcast, the largest cable provider in the U.S.,
does not have the event listed. And AT&T's UVerse cable service
had the event listed on Wednesday night, but it no longer appears
in event searches as of Thursday morning.
Yet,
despite all the obstacles, the promotion's official stance remains
positive: "It is no secret that we have faced a barrage
of challenges with this tournament," Chambers said Thursday
in a release. "However, the Shine team has persevered and
done an amazing job of ensuring both the fighters and fans get
to be part of an amazing show."
Fickett
is the tourney's most veteran fighter. At 37-13 with 26 submissions,
he has wins over UFC veterans Josh Koscheck, Kenny Florian, Kurt
Pellegrino and Dennis Hallman. His opponent, Bennett (23-17-2),
has wins over Strikeforce vet KJ Noons and former WEC bantamweight
title challenger Yoshiro Maeda.
Crunkilton
(16-3) fights for the first time in nearly a year. He started
7-0 in his WEC career, all pre-Zuffa. But with only three fights
the last three years due to injuries, going 1-2 in that stretch,
the promotion released him last fall. Prater (24-7-1) has wins
over UFC vets Spencer Fisher and Carlos Condit, as well as Strikeforce's
Pat Healy. He also fought Fickett more than six years ago, losing
by submission.
Warfield
(21-6) has all of his victories by stoppage. He fought on Shine's
second event a year ago, losing to Yves Edwards by triangle.
Baker (9-4) would have been a fan favorite had the event remained
in Virginia, where he lives and trains. His most notable win
came at a Virginia event in April 2009 – a knockout win
over Fickett.
Gugerty
(12-5) was let go by the UFC in the spring after going 2-3 with
the promotion. Back-to-back losses to Terry Etim and Clay Guida
sent him packing. Both his UFC wins – and all three of his
UFC losses – ended with choke submissions. Bermudez (8-0)
is the lone unbeaten fighter in the tournament. He was a Division
II All-American wrestler at Bloomsburg (Pa.) University and is
a recent training partner of Urijah Faber.
Source: MMA Fighting
|
Leonardo
Santos
By Guilherme Cruz
To receive a low blow during a MMA fight is a bad thing, but
it happens. When you are hit twice is awful, but the athlete
takes a deep breath and move on. But, four knees in less than
three minutes? That’s too much. That was exactly what went
though Leonardo Santos’ mind when he had to “test”
his protection against the Japanese Sotaro Yamada on Sengoku
14. Back to Brazil, Leo had a funny chat with TATAME, commenting
his win by declassification of his opponent and the suffering
he went though on that octagon. “On the two firsts, I thought
he was kicking the wrong place since I’m taller than him,
but after the fourth I thought: “it’s not possible”,
reminds Leo, comparing the knees to the uppers and knees given
by his training partners Marlon Sandro and José Aldo:
“I could be hit 10 times with an upper from Marlon, 30 times
with José (Aldo)’s knee, but that thing was hurting
a lot (laughs)”, jokes the fighter, who now sights the belt
of his division.
Your last fight didn’t go like you were expecting, but you
got the win. What did you think of it?
Yeah, man… We train in order to in, but we can never know
what will happen. I didn’t want it to happen the way it
did, I had a good strategy to keep the fight standing, to do
the bang with him because I’m from Jiu-Jitsu and he was
expecting me to try to take him down. I think I chose the right
tactic and that, at that time, was confusing for him and he despaired.
I think he lost control of himself and messed it up, but he could
have got nervous too because the tension to be in there is huge,
only who is in there knows it. There’s not much to say about
it… It’s sad to win the way I did, but what matters
is the win itself.
You hit in him the first low blow, but the he applied four on
you. What was going though your head at that time?
Man, the coup I fit was not on his low zone, it was on his waist,
with the feet fit… But, what can I do? There’s nothing
to say about it, it happened…
Do you think the judge should have interrupted the fight before
that fourth blow?
I began to lose my focus… I tried to stand up, to take a
breath and don’t lose the focus of the fight, but after
the third coup I was kind of sad, I didn’t get what was
going on. After he hit me there for the third time, I thought
he wouldn’t be disqualified anymore. I thought he would
be punished, like losing his scholarship, but he wouldn’t
be disqualified because he had hit me three times and the event
didn’t do a thing, so I thought it was bet for me to keep
on fighting. He hit me for the fourth time and I looked at the
referee and said: “it was the fourth time”. Then they
disqualified him… I didn’t expect them to do that anymore.
What the guys said on the backstage of the show about his posture?
No one got it, we didn’t get what happened and why he did
that. After the fight I began to think it was naughtiness, but,
when I was talking to Marlon (Sandro), I thought he lost control…
He thought I’d do one think and I did the exact opposite
thing, so he was desperate, but only he can tell whether it was
meanness or not.
Did you meet him after the fight?
I meet him. He came and apologized to me, said he didn’t
mean to and I forgive him. I’m not God to go and judge him.
I was there to fight, it didn’t work out, so ok... Let’s
move on. I can’t keep thinking about it over and over again…
He apologized, said he would like to fight me again, but I said:
“Next time, I’ll use a rock protector (laughs)”.
With those sharp knees, it wouldn’t be a bad idea...
For me it’d be great. On the two firsts, I thought he was
kicking the wrong place since I’m taller than him, but after
the fourth I thought: “it’s not possible”.
The problem now is to get a fine voice, having problems on reproducing
laughs)…
Man, I’m glad I already have one, so I wasn’t worried
about it (laughs). My boy is grown up, has a good health, so
let’s go for it (laughs).
You train with the tough guys from Nova União. Which is
the toughest thing: to handle Manlon Sandro’s uppers, the
kicks of José Aldo or the low blows of the Japanese?
I could be hit 10 times with an upper from Marlon, 30 times with
José (Aldo)’s knee, but that thing was hurting a
lot… The worst part is that, on the event, you’re concentrated
in order not to lose your focus. It’s an odd situation…
I won, but it was really weird because I trained a lot and I’ve
been hit four times with low blows and I forgot to train that
defense (laughs).
Now you can minister seminars about clinch defense for low blows
(laughs)…
Don’t even mention it… It’s on the past for me
now, man. I don’t want to feel it again (laughs). To win
this way is not the same thing, you get off there lacking something.
But it’s cool… Le’t go for the next one and see
what happens.
You have been quoted to dispute the lightweight GP… Did
the guys from the event say anything to you yet?
Akijiro
Gono ruined the party because the guys were counting on his win…
They’s said to me, during the fight: “If Gono wins,
you’ll fight him for the belt”. After he loss, things
got messed up again, so I don’t know what will happen. I
think they’ll make a GP. If they don’t make one, I
don’t know what they’ll do because things are busy
around here, so I have to be sharp to get there and make a statement.
Source: Tatame
|
Mir
confident in Jiu-Jitsu and promises Cro Cop discomfort
by Carlos
Eduardo Ozório
Frank Mir was supposed to face Rodrigo Minotauro at UFC 119 this
coming September 25, in Indianapolis. Due to injury, however,
Minotauro was replaced with Mirko Cro Cop. Out goes the ground
specialist and in comes a striking specialist with a potent left
kick.
Obviously,
the change means a strategy modification for the black belt,
but it’s nothing that worries him, despite his praise for
his opponent.
“I
feel Cro Cop is still the one we saw in Pride. I feel a lot of
guys have seen him enough to know too keep away from him and
not stand still in front of him, which could be really dangerous,
because he still has the same leg he always did. He’s very
quick and agile,” he remarks.
“Mirko
is really good with his kicks, but I’m not bad with my legs,
either. If you add to that the wrestling I’ve been working
on and my Jiu-Jitsu, he has a lot more to be worried about than
me. Once the cage door closes, the advantage will be all mine.
I can’t see any situation where I won’t feel comfortable
with Cro Cop. I can beat him in more ways than he can beat me.”
One
of Mir’s great abilities against Cro Cop really is his ground
game.
Source: Gracie Magazine
|
SIVER
VS. WINNER AGREED TO FOR UFC 122
by Ken
Pishna
UFC lightweights Dennis Siver and Andre Winner are on tap for
the Ultimate Fighting Championship’s return trip to Germany
in November.
The
fight was first reported by AOL Fanhouse. MMAWeekly.com confirmed
verbal agreements by both parties for the fight with independent
sources.
The
UFC first landed in Germany in Cologne for UFC 99 in June 2009.
The Octagon will be set up in Oberhausen for UFC 122.
Siver
(16-7) had a disastrous first go around in the Octagon, losing
three of four fights. He has rebounded strong since returning
at UFC 93. He has since accrued a record of 4-1 in his last five
UFC bouts. With a win over Spencer Fisher at “The Ultimate
Fighter: Team Liddell vs. Team Ortiz” finale, Siver looks
to keep the momentum going.
Winner
(11-4-1), however, enters the bout coming off of a loss to Nik
Lentz at UFC 118 in Boston. The loss stalled the momentum he
had going after back-to-back victories. Winner was a finalist
on ninth season of “The Ultimate Fighter.”
UFC
122 has yet to be officially announced, but is expected to feature
a headline bout pitting middleweight contenders Vitor Belfort
and Yushin Okami against one another with a possible shot at
the title on the line.
Source: MMA Weekly
|
Luke
Rockhold is ready for Matt Lindland, wants title match with Jacare
By Zach
Arnold
INTERVIEWER:
“So you have a big fight coming up with Matt Lindland. How
do you feel about the opportunity to fight a veteran like Matt?”
LUKE
ROCKHOLD: “Um, Matt’s, you know, it’s a big opportunity.
I’m looking forward to it, you know? The only thing I’m
not looking forward to is, I heard he really stinks, you know.
He doesn’t like shower before a fight. (laughs) So I’m
going to try to keep it at a distance with Matt, keep my range.
But, nah, you know, it’s a big opportunity. He’s really
tough, you know, all-around and I’m going to try to expose
his weaknesses. He’s a tough wrestler. I’m really good
at, you know, I’m a good wrestler. People underestimate
my wrestling even though I wrestle with really tough guys and
I’ll be ready for that wrestling. He’s got to be ready
for my jiu-jitsu. I’m one of the best guys here in the division
and again I think my stand-up’s one of the best, too. I
think those two parts of the games are going to be where I’m
going to expose him in this fight and nullify the wrestling and
come out, come with it on the feet, keep the distance, and try
to take him out there and if he wants to get on top of me or
gets me down, I’ll implement my jiu-jitsu game and make
him work and submit him, get back up and keep working.”
INTERVIEWER:
“How much of an advantage do you think it is training at
AKA (American Kickboxing Academy) with all the world-class wrestlers
you have?”
LUKE
ROCKHOLD: “It’s a huge advantage. I get to work with
Daniel Cormier and Cain Velasquez and I’m always caught
in the middle so I always, for some reason, get bumped up to
the big guys and it pays off, that’s how I’ve gotten
so far in my career is you know I’m sitting here working
with Cain and Daniel and now we got Mark Ellis in here, too,
so I’m going to be working with the biggest, toughest wrestlers
in the world and I don’t see Matt giving me anything that
they can’t, you know, and if I can hang with them, I’ll
think I’ll be just fine so I’m working hard on my wrestling
and he better bring some other stuff because I’ll be ready
for what I’ve seen and I’m coming hard.”
INTERVIEWER:
“Where do you think a win would place you in the Middleweight
division?”
LUKE
ROCKHOLD: “Um, I mean, I think it should put me right up
there into title contention depending on what they want they
do and how I end this fight, you know, I figure I’m going
to come and do like I always do and come out, come out to finish,
and finish strong. I’ll be ready for whatever they give
me. If they want to give me a shot after this, I’m more
than ready. I see a lot of holes in Jacare’s games and I
think I can expose them and I think my jiu-jitsu’s definitely
well-enough to keep up with him and my wrestling is better than
his, no doubt about it. My stand-up is good and a lot of the
stuff on the feet I haven’t shown yet. I can fight from
both sides and, yeah, I’m more dynamic than he is in a lot
of ways and I’m ready. I see the holes and I can expose
them if they want to give me the shot but I’m focused right
now and Matt’s real tough competition so I’m grinding
every day. … I’m cracking the whip for the next seven
weeks and I’ll be ready, I’ll be coming with it.”
Source: Fight Opinion
|
Shine
the spotlight on one-night tourneys
Jason
Chambers could make the latest unemployment statistics sound
cheerful. Put him in charge of the Pittsburgh Pirates and he’d
convince you the Buccos are on the verge of becoming a dynasty
rather than a long-term civic embarrassment to the city of Pittsburgh.
Will the smile of Justin Chambers, the chief operating officer
of Shine Fights, fade quickly? UFC president Dana White calls
Chambers' tourney idea "stupid and dangerous."
He
is a former mixed martial arts fighter, actor and television
host who’s taken on the seemingly impossible task of turning
an MMA startup company into a success. It’s not impossible,
of course – Dana White with no college degree and $40 million
of his backers’ money in the hole, turned the Ultimate Fighting
Championship into a $1 billion company – but at this stage,
I like the Pirates’ chances of becoming a dynasty better.
Chambers
is the chief operating officer of Shine Fights, which has a pay-per-view
card slated at the Patriot Center in Fairfax, Va., on Sept. 10
that will feature an eight-man, one-night lightweight tournament.
Shine is allowing fans to choose the opening-round tournament
matchups by voting via email.
A
large percentage of MMA’s most devoted fan base loves the
idea of one-night tournaments, which Royce Gracie and the early
days of the Ultimate Fighting Championship made so popular. On
a recent Strikeforce broadcast on Showtime, a poll asked fans
if they liked the idea of one-night tournaments. More than 80
percent responded positively.
Chambers,
who joined Shine after the cancellation of its May 15 event that
was to have featured boxer Ricardo Mayorga against Din Thomas,
believes the tournament concept will allow Shine to differentiate
itself from the UFC.
The
30-year old Chambers understands that though the UFC’s business
is growing rapidly, MMA’s growth outside the UFC is more
measured.
“I’m
a huge UFC fan,” Chambers said. “I love Strikeforce,
too. But I know that about 88 to 92 percent of the audience are
UFC fans first, then MMA fans second. I get that. We’re
not here trying to compete against the UFC. We just believe there
is room in the marketplace for someone like us.”
White
has a history of squashing competitors as if they were roaches
beneath his foot. He’s none too kind to them, as folks from
PRIDE, the World Fighting Alliance, the International Fight League,
Elite XC and Affliction, among others, will tell you.
Chambers,
who once fought UFC star Thiago Alves, and Shine CEO Devin Price
clearly get that. They take great pains to heap praise upon White
and the UFC in hopes of avoiding White’s crosshairs.
To
that end, they’ve decided to invest a significant part of
their future in running one-night tournaments in which the finalists
could end up fighting as many as three times in one night. It’s
not a format many ringside physicians like and even White said
it is outdated.
“It’s
stupid and dangerous to have guys fight more than one time a
night,” White said. “The sport has evolved so much,
it makes no sense to do tourneys.”
Price
and Chambers pledge to proceed with caution and say they’ve
taken every measure necessary to protect the safety of the eight
men who will compete in their lightweight grand prix. That will
include having replacements available if a winner can not continue,
not allowing elbows and limiting the length of the bouts to two
five-minute rounds with one three-minute overtime round in the
event of a draw.
Going
the tournament route is a way for Shine to differentiate itself
from the big players on the market while at the same time filling
a niche.
Still,
it has plenty of obstacles to overcome. Shine’s May card
in Fayetteville, N.C. was canceled after boxing promoter Don
King was granted an injunction by a Florida judge, preventing
Shine from using Mayorga. Shine still planned to go forward that
night, but the North Carolina Boxing Authority canceled the event.
It said there was not a physician at the arena in time for the
event and that it did not receive the fighters’ compensation
in time.
Several
fighters claim they weren’t paid the portion of their purses
that they were promised by Price, a contention Price disputes.
But
the Sept. 10 card has yet to be licensed by Virginia. Eric Olson,
the acting public information officer for the Virginia Department
of Professional & Occupational Regulation, said the state
is in talks with Shine but has yet to license it.
“We’re
working closely with the promoter to make sure all of our guidelines
are met,” Olson said. “Obviously, the safety of the
fighters is tantamount.”
Michael
Schwartz is the chief ringside physician in Connecticut and for
the Foxwoods and Mohegan Sun tribal nations. He said it’s
critical that the ringside doctors who work for any tournament
do a comprehensive physical examination of every fighter after
he wins a match and before he’s cleared to go on to the
next round.
He
noted that there will be pressure on the doctor to let the tournament
proceed, but said the doctor must resist such urges and be given
complete authority.
“You
have to examine him after each fight as if it’s the first
time you’ve seen him and make certain he is fully fit to
compete in the upcoming (bout),” Schwartz said.
Chambers
said the doctors will have complete autonomy to do as they see
fit. But he said Shine couldn’t walk away from the tournament
concept because of the huge fan interest in them.
As
the Aug. 21 Showtime poll illustrated, there is a lot of interest
in the one-night tournaments. And if Shine can become synonymous
with such events, it can create a niche for itself in a marketplace
that is dominated by the UFC.
“We
want to set ourselves apart from the other organizations,”
Chambers said. “One of the ways we’ll do that is to
use the 24-foot ring, like they did in PRIDE, instead of a cage.
These tournaments are also part of that. We polled the fans and
this is what they want. Any business has to take that knowledge
and act upon it. If you’re a restaurant, you don’t
tell the customer what to order. They order what they want.”
Chambers
said Shine is already planning to run one-night tournaments at
welterweight, middleweight and light heavyweight and is even
considering one at featherweight.
It’s
part of the plan to make Shine a fan-friendly alternative. The
odds against it succeeding are long. The NFL is hugely successful,
but other competitive leagues like the USFL, the WFL and the
XFL have flopped.
The
problem with each of them was that, to some extent, they wanted
to compete with the NFL for players, sponsors and fans. Shine
has no such expectations in MMA.
“The
reason that promoters like the WFA, Elite XC and even the IFL
have come and gone is that they didn’t have a strong grasp
on the MMA community,” Chambers said. “As I said, most
people now are UFC fans first and then maybe they’re MMA
fans. It’s different in boxing. You have the [Manny)] Pacquiao-[Floyd]
Mayweather fight and nobody asks who is promoting it. No one
would know, or care. But in MMA, people know that UFC 118 is
on this weekend and the second question is, ‘Who’s
fighting?’ The real star of the UFC is the UFC itself. That
brand is very powerful.
“But
beyond them, there is a lot of opportunity for growth there.
There is a lot we can do to create our own identity.”
It’s
an uphill battle, to be sure. Affliction put on two of the best
top-to-bottom cards in recent memory, yet still failed utterly
from a financial standpoint and waved the white flag before it
could put on a third. It might be easier for the Pirates to compete
against the Yankees than for an MMA startup to become regularly
profitable.
If
Chambers manages to pull it off with Shine, maybe someone should
check to see if he can walk on water.
Source: Yahoo Sports
|
Octagon
observations: Another boxing lesson
BOSTON
– An octagon’s worth of observations after an eventful
UFC 118 at the TD Garden:
1.
Boxing takes a hit: From a pure fighting standpoint, Randy Couture
vs. James Toney taught us nothing we didn’t already learn
back when Royce Gracie rolled over boxer Art Jimmerson at UFC
1 in 1993. But those who think this fight doesn’t hurt boxing
perception-wise are kidding themselves. From promoters to fighters
to media, those in the boxing game have spent years scoffing
at MMA and attempting to dismiss it, often going so far as to
claim a boxer could step into the cage with nothing more than
his boxing skills and beat anyone in MMA. So what does it say
when a man with a claim to a heavyweight boxing title shows up
flabby and listless, and then gets rag-dolled by a man closer
to 50 than 40? Hardcore fans of both sports understand that Couture
would lose to Toney in a boxing ring. But to the casual fan watching
at a sports bar Saturday night whose dollars make the difference
between a modest-selling fight in both sports and a blockbuster,
boxing on Saturday night looked like a sport down for the count.
2.
Couture reaches a crossroads: Couture has been called “too
old” seemingly since he fought and defeated the then-20-year
old Vitor Belfort back at UFC 15. Now 47, the five-time former
champion has been given a couple lay-ups in his past two fights,
first getting the declining Mark Coleman and then fighting Toney.
But the last time Couture fought a top-shelf, in-his-prime fighter,
in November against Brandon Vera, he walked away with a unanimous
decision win. So Couture has a decision to make: Does he want
to continue with “special attraction”-type matches,
or is he ready for another crack at an elite foe? Given his track
record, “The Natural” should be able to call his shots,
and if he wants to test himself against one of 205’s best
and see if he still has it, then UFC president Dana White should
make the match.
3.
Penn’s station: Reporters have wasted more cyber-ink on
whether B.J. Penn will live up to his potential than perhaps
any other in-ring subject in MMA over the past several years.
Maybe it’s time to simply accept Penn is what he is, rather
than what others want him to be. Penn is a fearless fighter who
loves to challenge himself and is capable of utter brilliance.
He’s also capable of putting up a stinker from time to time.
Still, with his body of work as one of only two fighters to hold
multiple UFC weight class titles, and his ability to remain in
MMA’s frontline mix for a decade while others have come
and gone, if it were up to me, Penn would be in the UFC Hall
of Fame. If nothing else, after his second straight loss to Frankie
Edgar, he has earned the right to take as long as he wants to
decide which direction to next take his career.
4.
Stand-up guy: Edgar, meanwhile, could be on the cusp of an MMA
style shift. His blazing speed, unpredictable hand and foot movement,
and ability to dart in and out of range and score points en route
to a decision victory might not make him the world’s flashiest
fighter, but it sure has made the Toms River, N.J. native effective.
It’s similar to the method Dominick Cruz has employed as
WEC bantamweight champion. And while this style hasn’t yet
been given a catchy nickname, success breeds imitators, so if
this keeps up, this over-the-top, stick-and-move, point-scoring
standup game could be the next wave in MMA’s evolution.
5.
A division in transition: Edgar has also solidified his hold
on the gold while the lightweight division is in transition.
Penn won’t be getting another title shot anytime soon. Nor
will Kenny Florian. Tyson Griffin has stalled and former champ
Sean Sherk is a non-factor. Instead, guys like Edgar, Gray Maynard,
Evan Dunham, WEC champ Ben Henderson, Strikeforce champ Gilbert
Melendez and perhaps Bellator champ Eddie Alvarez make up the
new breed at 155 pounds. While they lack Penn’s star power,
it will be interesting to see how this gaggle of fresh faces
pans out – and whether the ultra-competitive White can go
the distance and sign the top-level guys not under his umbrella.
6.
Harsh reality: White, at the post-fight news conference, called
Kenny Florian a “choker.” That’s a bit harsh,
but the cold facts are that Florian simply hasn’t been able
to produce in his biggest career fights. When the stakes have
been highest – in The Ultimate Fighter 1 finale against
Diego Sanchez; in lightweight title shots against Sherk and Penn;
and Saturday night, in his hometown against Maynard with a title
shot on the line – Florian has simply come out flat. He’s
0-4 in those fights, and in the course of 13 rounds arguably
went 1-12, perhaps taking the second round against Sherk. It’s
a tough thing to say about a guy who has been such a hard worker
and a thoughtful, articulate ambassador for the sport, but he
has been given ample opportunity to crack the UFC’s championship
level and simply hasn’t done so.
7.
Rising to the challenge: Nate Diaz’s punk attitude makes
him a difficult guy to support, but you’ve got to admire
the guy’s heart and fire once the cage door is locked. The
Stockton, Calif., native dropped three fights out of four at
lightweight, two of them split decisions (to Maynard and Clay
Guida). While that would send most scurrying back to smaller
promotions, the TUF 5 champ instead decided he wanted to bump
up to 170. The idea seemed a head-scratcher, but since then he
has gone out and rolled over two solid welterweights in Rory
Markham and Marcus Davis. Diaz now says he wants to float between
the two divisions, and I say, as long as he keeps bringing the
heat in the Octagon, let him fight wherever he wants.
8.
And finally … Two years ago, the UFC took their road show
to Minneapolis in August. The card featured former U. of Minnesota
wrestler Brock Lesnar, a fighter with Minneapolis ties in Roger
Huerta, and a Georges St. Pierre title defense, and came up a
couple thousand seats shy of a sellout at the Target Center.
Last August, the company went to Portland, Ore., with local legend
Couture headlining and a bunch of local fighters on the card,
and also came up well short of a sellout. Saturday, the Boston
debut, which on paper seemed as if it should be an instant sellout,
was just short of a full house, with a crowd of 15,575. Sure,
the economy’s a factor, but the trend here seems to indicate
that indoor events in cold-weather cities in the dead of summer
are going to be a tough draw unless you put together a blockbuster
event.
Source: Yahoo Sports
|
“Mayhem”
vs. Sakuraba at Dream 16
Awash
in speculation about the financial future of the promotion, Dream
recently announced several more bouts for Dream 16 on Sept. 25
at Nippon Gaishi Hall in Nagoya, Japan.
Japanese
legend Kazushi Sakuraba continues his rough ride into the sunset
with the promotion matching him up with Strikeforce contender
Jason “Mayhem” Miller. Sakuraba has lost three of his
five most recent bouts and enters this bout off a loss to Ralek
Gracie. Miller defeated Tim Stout in his most recent effort after
failing in his bid to win the Strikeforce middleweight title
in late 2009.
Dream
lightweight champion Shinya Aoki continues his rebound following
a loss to Strikeforce champion Gilbert Melendez. He’ll look
to build on a win over Tatsuya Kawajiri when he face Marcus Aurelio
at Dream 16. Aurelio is first scheduled to take part in a one-night,
eight-man Grand Prix this Friday, if Shine Fights can regroup
after recently being denied a license in Virginia.
Also
announced for Dream 16 are former lightweight champion Joachim
Hansen vs. Hideo Tokoro, “Lion” Takeshi Inoue vs. Kazuyuki
Miyata, and the Light Heavyweight Grand Prix final between Gegard
Mousasi and Tatsuya Mizuno.
Source: MMA Weekly
|
Reinventing
Kazuyuki Miyata
Groomed
For Success
Five
years ago, Kazuyuki Miyata was on track to become one of Japanese
MMA’s biggest stars.
An
Olympic wrestler with rare physical ability and media-friendly
good looks, Miyata was the Japanese made-for-TV archetype. With
just three months of mixed martial arts training under his belt,
he signed a lucrative three-year deal with Japan’s top promoter,
Fighting and Entertainment Group, to star in its then MMA series,
K-1 Hero’s.
His
inexperience showed in his early outings, as he lost as many
fights as he won. However, the 2000 Olympian learned on the job,
and his poster boy appeal helped him gain favor with casual Japanese
television watchers.
“I
was still a beginner, but I was facing top fighters because I
had to, given the money I was being paid,” Miyata said.
“It was tough. [FEG president Sadaharu] Tanigawa -- probably
because of my physique and early performances -- had expectations
that were too high for me.”
Norifumi
“Kid” Yamamoto changed everything, as he knocked Miyata
out with a flying knee four seconds into their fight at K-1 Hero’s
5. At the time, Yamamoto had 16 fights under his belt; Miyata
had six.
“I’m
confident striking in sparring now, but my heart hasn’t
fully transitioned into striking during fights,” Miyata
said. “Once I get hit, I start thinking striking is too
much of a gamble, and I revert to ‘safe driving.’ I
still have that fear of losing all memory like in the Kid loss.
It’s become a part of me.”
Groomed
For Success
A
gifted wrestler, Miyata won regional- and national-level wrestling
championships during his middle and high school years. Though
these accolades theoretically ensured his path into higher education,
it was not guaranteed.
“I
almost didn’t graduate,” Miyata said with a chuckle.
“We used to cut class and go to pachinko places instead.”
“
Once I get hit, I start
thinking striking is too
much of a gamble, and I
revert to ‘safe driving.’
”
-- Kazuyuki Miyata.
His
social circle included fellow standout fighters Michihiro Omigawa
and Hayato “Mach” Sakurai, both of whom attended Tsuchiura
Nichidai High School with Miyata. Despite academic disinterest,
all three were deeply committed to extra-curricular activities:
the judo club for Omigawa and Sakurai, the wrestling club for
Miyata. Cutting class was justifiable, but missing practices
was not.
While
Omigawa’s future lay in judo and Sakurai’s in Shooto,
Miyata -- with a little help -- graduated high school and entered
one of Japan’s elite wrestling colleges, Nippon University.
“I
owe a lot to [current FILA Japan head] Tomoaki Fukuda,”
Miyata said. “At the time, Fukuda headed up Nippon University’s
wrestling team and was looking to scout me. I graduated only
because he interceded on my behalf so that I could wrestle for
Nippon University.”
Miyata
became a collegiate champion at 139 pounds in 1999 and represented
Japan in freestyle wrestling at the 2000 Summer Olympics in Sydney,
Australia. After placing 13th in Sydney, Miyata sought a place
in the 2004 Olympics in Athens, Greece, but failed to qualify.
“I
retired from wrestling after not making Athens,” he said.
“By then, I was already working as a businessman in a publicly
traded company. Japan was still in its ‘kakutogi boom,’
and I noticed that my friend, ‘Mach’ Sakurai, was competing
successfully. Coincidentally, my university wrestling coach was
also friends with Kazuyoshi Ishii of K-1.”
Doing
it Big, Losing it Big
While
most prospects in Japan work full-time while fighting, the media
buzz around Miyata’s signing with K-1 forced him to resign
from his office job at the behest of his company. It was a feasible
move only because he was signed to K-1.
“The
reason I started out in such a big show was that I had three
kids and a wife,” he said. “I had to quit working at
this major company to fight, so to make it worth the risk, I
had to do it big.”
For
a time, the gamble seemed to pay off. Miyata was covered by a
handsome six-figure yearly salary on top of individual fight
purses. All he had to do was train, fight and develop as one
of K-1’s MMA stars. The crushing knockout loss to Yamamoto
derailed those plans.
“I
thought I could take him down and pound him out, but Kid’s
strategy was better,” said Miyata, whose voice and expression
grew distant at the memory. “He broke my jaw, and I couldn’t
fight for half a year. That’s life, I guess. It was a huge
chance for me. If I’d beaten him, I’d have become an
even bigger star.”
In
the years since, Miyata has surrounded himself with people to
help him not only improve his skills but also overcome the shadow
that loss has cast over him. Miyata’s striking coach, Sean
Frew, believes the traumatic knockout has “taken two years
of Miyata’s life” an also instilled in him hesitancy
towards striking.
“He
was caught cold,” Frew said. “It wasn’t a striking
match at all, but, in his mind, he relates it to striking, and
that’s why he’s thinking, ‘If I commit to a strike,
I may miss, I may get countered and I may get knocked the [expletive]
out again.’ I’m trying to teach him that it’s
more dangerous if you just stand there and do nothing, waiting
and wondering. That’s when you’re going to get hurt.”
Miyata
yearns to reclaim his early career aggression and rid himself
of his striking timidity. However, meeting those goals has proven
difficult.
“Hero’s
was getting to be very popular. When it ended, I was like, ‘Why?’”
Miyata said. “I became a little less famous since then,
actually. During Hero’s, I used to fight four times a year
on primetime television. I get a lot of recognition among kakutogi
fans now that I’m in Dream, but it’s not comparable
to the Hero’s days.”
With
less exposure, a lucrative starting contract expired and a pathological
fear of striking, a 5-7 Miyata had difficulty staying relevant
at lightweight. As such, Dream’s introduction of the 139-pound
“featherweight” division in 2009 provided his break
to make a run back towards becoming a contender.
Since the cut, Miyata has had a new lease on life, going unbeaten
in his last four appearances. In addition, former Hero’s
event supervisor and Rings founder Akira Maeda has begun mentoring
him, cornering and training Miyata weekly and further bolstering
his confidence.
Miyata
is now certain he can make a significant run in Dream, but his
eyes -- like many of his lighter weight peers-- have begun to
shift abroad.
“Though
63 kilograms is my ideal fighting weight, Dream is planning to
divide the current featherweight division into 60 (132 pounds)
and 65 (143 pounds) kilograms,” said Miyata, who fights
Takeshi Inoue on Sept. 25 at Dream 16. “I can’t make
60, but 65 I can do just fine.
“The
bantamweight division in the WEC is also tempting,” Miyata
added. “I want to go there someday. I think the WEC is the
top of the world for the lower weight divisions. In general,
I want to someday fight in the U.S. again. They have very passionate
fans and a strong wrestling culture. That would be an audience
that would really appreciate things like my German suplex.”
To
prepare for that day, Miyata has begun building a training environment
more in line with current top facility standards.
“I’m
planning now to open a mega gym near Tokyo,” he said. “It
will probably be the biggest gym here. It’ll have a ring,
a cage, mat space -- everything a fighter needs to get ready
to fight anywhere in the world. It’s going to be in Misato,
Saitama, just outside of Tokyo. It’ll be about 350 square
meters, with two floors. It will also have a small dormitory
to house fighters.”
Source: Sherdog
|
Belfort
Wants Toney
The inventor of Twitter -- someone whom I would very much enjoy
punching in a vital organ -- has made it possible for celebrities
and laypersons to transmit any idea that pops into their head.
These can sometimes approach the level of haiku: brief bits of
cleverness that make a point. More often, the thoughts make you
wonder how the messenger can navigate a flight of stairs without
perishing.
Vitor
Belfort’s wish to box James Toney is one that would have
benefited from more internal auditing. It’s easy to see
Toney as an oaf shuffling through the last days of his career,
and while it’s obvious he’s at best 50 percent of the
athlete he once was, there is little doubt that Toney would beat
Belfort. He is a professional boxer, a participant of over 100
fights total and possesses skills Belfort hasn’t ever had
to face. (Put another way: Belfort was once outstruck by Randy
Couture, who immediately ducked for a low single when he had
to face Toney. The man knew his limits.)
Belfort
boxed professionally just once, a first-round KO over Josemario
Neves in April 2006. Neves had never boxed before and hasn’t
since, making the fight essentially pointless as a way of gauging
any skills either man has in a punching contest. Belfort is renowned
for his hand speed, yes, and could probably embarrass Toney in
a decathlon, but the skills are otherwise so skewed in favor
of Toney that Belfort might as well be challenging Brock Lesnar
to a takedown drill.
It
will never happen -- certainly not under the watch of Dana White,
who has repeatedly vetoed the side aspirations of his freelance
employees. So why even bother mentioning it? Because it should
act as a cautionary tale for Twitterers who fail to realize that
they’re in terrible danger of broadcasting ill-advised thoughts
for idiots like me to pick apart. When in doubt, sleep on it.
Source: Sherdog
|
Parisyan
vs. Parisyan
The
boxer Oliver McCall once began sobbing between rounds in a bout
with Lennox Lewis. In a hybrid MMA/kickboxing contest, an exhausted
Bob Sapp begged his corner not to force him out for more punishment
against Jerome Le Banner. Paulo Filho regarded Chael Sonnen as
a nuisance neighbor rather than an opponent in a cage.
Fighters
have perpetually exhausted adrenal glands, and sometimes it all
comes out at once. In these cases, it happened to come out in
front of an audience. What’s surprising is not that it happens:
It’s that it doesn’t happen more often.
That’s
because choosing a career in prizefighting is an emotional drain.
Athletes make an appointment months in advance that will jeopardize
both their health and their future. It’s like signing up
for a medical procedure: The thing itself might not be so bad,
but the anticipation is what wears nerves raw. And unlike most
operations or phobias, there’s a fairly good chance something
is going to go very, very wrong.
Most
guys deal with it. Some don’t. On the surface, Karo Parisyan
had the posture and attitude of someone who was too callused
to be trumped by fear. He probably sticks his chest out when
buying a gallon of milk. Seeing him fight, I’d envy his
constitution. There’s a guy, I thought, who would never
need a Valium before getting his teeth cleaned.
But
being an Armenian with a sandpaper attitude doesn’t insulate
you against everything. When I worked with a writer named David
Samuels to cover Parisyan’s implosion in mid-2009, Samuels
came back with a laundry list of possible triggers for the panic
attacks that had begun crippling Parisyan’s career. Marriage
was looming. He was sick. The money wasn’t good. The pressure
just builds and builds and builds. For most fighters, seeing
the referee wave off their fight is like turning the nozzle and
letting it all out. It has to come out.
Karo
never seemed to experience that release. He started thinking
death was around the corner. His blood pressure shot up. He suffered
17 attacks before fighting Thiago Alves in April 2008. Alves
knocked him out. Nobody had ever done that to him. He pulled
out of his next fight. Then he tested positive for painkillers.
Then he pulled out of another fight, this time the day of. The
UFC lost his phone number, possibly for good. He was photographed
looking gaunt. He had a nothing fight in a nothing promotion
and insisted his bout -- originally the co-main -- be moved up
so he wouldn’t have to be trapped in a locker room for two
hours with himself. He won. So that’s something.
Now
Parisyan is back in the UFC and scheduled for a November bout
with Dennis Hallman, a veteran who is skilled but not especially
violent. He swears his rebelling thoughts are under control and
that he deserves a second (fifth?) chance.
Deserving
it is one thing. Being ready for it is another.
It’s
easy to speak rationally when you’re months away from a
fight. That creeping sense of pending doom is muted. Fight night
is a different story. Most athletes get nervous, but it’s
a manageable kind of sickness: a let’s-get-this-over-with
vibe rather than a I-think-I’ll-lock-myself-in-this-storage-closet
freeze. If you are predisposed to exhausting yourself with worry
and your nervous system treats daily tasks as threats, I can
think of no worse occupation than being a fighter. Having a fractured
mentality before you take a risk that requires considerable focus
and acuity is a dangerous and foolish thing.
There’s
little doubt that he’s frustrated by his handicap. He may
not be in a financial position to take his time in addressing
the problem. But I would no sooner invite him back into the cage
with jumbled thoughts than I would if he had a broken leg. I
hope he’s offered the UFC real evidence that he’s recovering;
I would hope the UFC would help facilitate treatment if he is
not. Karo Parisyan is one of the toughest guys around, but that’s
not going to do him much good unless he walks into the arena
believing it.
Source: Sherdog
|
Black
belt matchup at Dream: Aoki vs Marcus Aurélio
Dream
16 is set for September 25 in Nagoya, Japan. The organization
announced new matchups for the event and one of them, in particular,
is a draw for ground fighting fans.
Big
idol of Japanese MMA, known for his slick submissions, Shinya
Aoki will have to put his Jiu-Jitsu to the test, when he faces
off with black belt Marcus Aurélio, a former Pride and
UFC fighter.
The
bout gathers two great submission wizards. With twenty-four wins
and five losses, Aoki has decided fifteen of his fights using
subs. Now Marcus Aurélio, with twenty wins and eight losses,
has gotten the finish thirteen times.
Another
of the show’s attractions will be the light heavyweight
title fight between Gegard Mousasi and Tatsuya Mizuno.
Check
out the likely card:
Dream
16
Nagoya, Japan
September 25, 2010
Shinya
Aoki vs Marcus Aurélio
“Lion”
Takeshi Inoue vs Kazuyuki Miyata
Hideo
Tokoro vs Joachim Hansen
Tatsuya
Mizuno vs Gegard Mousasi
Jason
“Mayhem” Miller vs Kazushi Sakuraba
Michihiro
Omigawa vs Joe Warren
Caol
Uno vs to be announced
Ikuhisa
Minowa vs to be announced
Norifumi
“Kid” Yamamoto vs to be announced
Source: Gracie Magazine
|
Few
easy paths to linear titles
With
all the different organizations in mixed martial arts boasting
competing claims of who is No. 1, there is an old-fashioned way
of determining who the real world champion is at each weight
class.
It’s
the linear test.
The
linear champion, a term used more commonly in boxing, is the
guy who beats the champion to become the champion, regardless
of specific belts recognized by sanctioning bodies.
With
the exception of heavyweight and possibly lightweight, the current
linear champion in the five major weight divisions is the person
who holds the UFC belt.
More From Dave Meltzer
*
Penn's next step a tricky maneuver Aug 31, 2010
* Toney far from first MMA crossover Aug 23, 2010
ADVERTISEMENT
The
politics of MMA, in which the sport’s biggest company, the
UFC, doesn’t work with other promotions, makes for a series
of twists and turns in the claim for linear supremacy.
For
evidence, you need look no further than the oldest division in
the sport, the heavyweights.
Heavyweight:
Not Brock Lesnar
The
first true heavyweight MMA champion, before weight classes even
existed in UFC, was Ken Shamrock. The UFC debuted on November
12, 1993, in Denver, with a one-night tournament, won by Royce
Gracie.
The
company’s first actual singles title match was on April
7, 1995, with Gracie vs. Shamrock for what was called the “World
Superfight championship.”
The
match, the longest in UFC history, went 36:06 before it was called
off due to pay-per-view time running out, and ruled a draw. At
the time, MMA fights had no judges. If there had been judging,
Shamrock, who weighed between 205 and 210 pounds, would have
easily won the decision from the 180-pound Gracie.
Gracie
dropped out of UFC, and on July 14, 1995, in Casper, Wyoming,
Shamrock beat Dan Severn with a guillotine in a battle of the
two top fighters in the organization at the time, to become the
first Superfight champ.
Severn
won a rematch on May 17, 1996, in Detroit, on a split decision
in one of the worst fights in company history. When Mark Coleman
beat Severn on February 7, 1997, the title was renamed the UFC
heavyweight championship.
While
Brock Lesnar holds that championship today, the linear title
scenario isn’t as cut-and-dried. The UFC belt passed from
Coleman to Maurice Smith to Randy Couture, all in 1997. Couture
then had money issues with the original UFC ownership group,
left the company without being defeated, and went to Japan.
The
linear title left UFC with Couture, who lost via armbar to Enson
Inoue in a Vale Tudo fight in Tokyo on October 25, 1998. Inoue
then lost to Mark Kerr in the PRIDE organization. Kerr then lost
to Kazuyuki Fujita on May 1, 2000, and that’s where things
get really interesting.
Fujita
battered Kerr to win a decision in a major upset. It was the
first match for both men in an eight-man, one-night event that
was billed to crown the best fighter in the sport, the original
PRIDE Grand Prix tournament.
Fujita
suffered a knee injury in the Kerr fight from ramming his knee
into Kerr’s head so many times. He came to the ring for
his second fight, in order to collect his paycheck, and as soon
as the bell rang, his corner threw in the towel in a match with
Coleman, so technically, he competed and lost. Coleman went on
to win the tournament, and the linear title stayed with PRIDE
until the closing of the organization in 2007.
Coleman’s
next loss was to Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira, who later became PRIDE’s
first world heavyweight champion. Nogueira held both the linear
and PRIDE titles until losing to Fedor Emelianenko via decision
on March 16, 2003.
Nobody
beat Emelianenko until June 26, 2010, in San Jose, when Fabricio
Werdum submitted him with an armbar in 1:09 in a Strikeforce
match. So while Lesnar holds the most publicized version of a
world title, Werdum actually holds the linear claim that traces
back to Shamrock.
Light
heavyweight: All UFC
In
the light heavyweight division, the UFC title, at the time called
the middleweight title, dates back to December 27, 1997, when
Frank Shamrock beat Olympic gold medal winning wrestler Kevin
Jackson with an armbar in 14 seconds in a match in Yokohama,
Japan.
Shamrock
actually never lost another match until 2007, but he stopped
fighting as a light heavyweight in 2003.
Shamrock
would now be considered by today’s standards a medium sized
welterweight. At the time, there was no middleweight division.
He fought sparingly after vacating the UFC title at the end of
1999 due to better money offers, and was a middleweight when
he lost to Renzo Gracie via disqualification in 2007.
Because
Shamrock’s days as a light heavyweight were limited, the
most legitimate title claim remained with UFC, which filled the
void after Shamrock left the company with an April 14, 2000,
match in Tokyo where Tito Ortiz beat Wanderlei Silva via decision.
For the past decade, that title can be perfectly traced in the
UFC cage to the championship held today by Mauricio “Shogun”
Rua, who beat Lyoto Machida on May 8, 2010 in Montreal.
Middleweight:
What you didn’t know about Silva-Sonnen
The
current UFC 185-pound championship was created when Murilo Bustamante
beat Dave Menne via knockout in the second round on January 11,
2002, at the Mohegan Sun Casino in Uncasville, Conn. That linear
title is held today by Anderson Silva. But while he won the UFC
title nearly four years ago to start his record-breaking reign,
believe it or not he actually claimed the linear title four weeks
ago.
Bustamante
left UFC in a contract dispute. While he lost to Quinton Jackson
in Japan as a light heavyweight, his first loss at middleweight
was to Dan Henderson, which ended up creating the PRIDE title,
which was actually at 183 pounds.
The
linear title took an interesting twist in Japan, where Kazuo
Misaki beat Henderson in a PRIDE non-title match and then lost
to Paulo Filho.
After
PRIDE went down in 2007, Filho was signed by WEC and won its
middleweight championship. Filho’s only career loss was
November 5, 2008, to Chael Sonnen, in what was supposed to be
a WEC middleweight title match. Filho didn’t make weight,
thus the match was made WEC non-title, but Sonnen beat him via
decision.
With
Sonnen as the rightful champion, the linear “belt”
moved with Sonnen to UFC when WEC dropped its middleweight division.
Sonnen then lost to Demian Maia, who lost to Nate Marquardt.
Marquardt lost to Sonnen, and the title finally wound up with
Silva on August 8, in Oakland, via fifth-round triangle submission.
Welterweight:
GSP’s world
The
welterweight title was created on October 16, 1998, when Pat
Miletich won a decision over Mikey Burnett at the UFC’s
only event ever held in South America, in Sao Paolo, Brazil.
The 170-pound class was first called the lightweight championship,
but quickly was changed to the welterweight division.
In
those days, before Zuffa had purchased UFC, fighters didn’t
have exclusive contracts. Miletich, as champion, fought on a
February 2, 1999, SuperBrawl show in Honolulu, where he lost
via triangle choke to Jutaro Nakao. During Miletich’s UFC
title reign, he lost three times outside the UFC.
The
linear title, however, still ends up with current UFC champion
Georges St. Pierre, but there is a winding road there.
Nakao
lost in Japan to Tetsuji Kato, who lost to Hayato Sakurai, who
lost to, of all people, a 167-pound Anderson Silva on August
26, 2001. Silva lost in Japan to Daijyu Takase, who lost to Rodrigo
Gracie, also in Japan. Gracie lost to B.J. Penn in Honolulu.
Penn returned to UFC and lost to St. Pierre on March 4, 2006.
This was prior to St. Pierre’s first title win over Matt
Hughes on November 18, 2006, in Sacramento, Calif.
In
the past four-and-a-half years, St. Pierre only lost once, to
Matt Serra, and immediately regained the title in the rematch.
Lightweight:
Two lines of thought
The
holder of the current linear lightweight championship is a matter
of interpetation.
The
current UFC lightweight championship can be traced back to February
23, 2001, when Jens Pulver won a majority decision over Caol
Uno in Atlantic City, N.J. Since Miletich’s title was still
being called “lightweight,” the 155-pound title was
originally called the bantamweight title.
A
few months later, both titles underwent name changes. Pulver
also ended up in a financial dispute with UFC, and left the organization
and fought elsewhere without losing the championship.
Pulver’s
first loss after winning the title was in Montreal, where he
was knocked out in just 1:13 by Duane “Bang” Ludwig.
Ludwig went to Japan and lost by submission to Penn on May 22,
2004 in Tokyo. Penn did not fight at lightweight again for three
years, but when he returned, he defeated Pulver, Joe Stevenson
to claim the vacant UFC title, Sean Sherk, Kenny Florian and
Diego Sanchez. He would actually not lose a lightweight match
until April 10, 2010 when he dropped the UFC title to Frankie
Edgar, who beat Penn again in a rematch last weekend.
But
could Penn truly said to remain the linear lightweight champion
when he didn’t fight at that weight for three years, and
had to be coaxed back into the division?
If
you believe the answer to that question to be “no,”
the most logical progression after Penn stopped fighting as a
lightweight would be to move to the PRIDE World Lightweight Grand
Prix tournament held in Japan in 2005. UFC didn’t even have
a lightweight champion at the time, so the top lightweights in
the world were involved. But the big issue in that tournament
is that the weight class was 161 pounds, not 155, and that does
make a difference.
Takanori
Gomi won the tournament, beating Luiz Azeredo in the finals on
September 25, 2005, via decision. Gomi solidified his claim beating
Hayato Sakurai, which created PRIDE’s first lightweight
championship.
This
version of the linear title takes several turns from there. Gomi
lost to Marcus Aurelio, who lost to Mitsuhiro Ishida, who then
lost to Gomi. Gomi lost to Nick Diaz in Las Vegas, but the loss
was overturned because Diaz tested positive for marijuana. Gomi
then lost in one of the great upsets in MMA history, to unheralded
Sergey Golyaev on November 1, 2008. Golyaev immediately lost
to Eiji Mitsuoka, who lost to Kazunori Yokota, who lost to Tatsuya
Kawajiri. By this point, in Japan, the lightweight division was
154 pounds, close enough to the 155 that has been the North American
standard.
The
title line would end with Dream champion Shinya Aoki, who quickly
submitted Kawajiri on July 10, 2010, which was less than three
months after Aoki was completely dominated in a Strikeforce fight
by Gilbert Melendez.
Source: Yahoo Sports
|
CLEMENTI
ENTERS BELLATOR 'ON A MISSION'
Former UFC lightweight Rich Clementi has a chip on his shoulder.
After
suffering through inconsistency, he feels he was just about to
put everything together when his release came early last year.
Eager
to prove that he’s far from finished, Clementi has joined
forces with Bellator, beginning with his headlining fight on
the promotion’s Sept. 9 card in his backyard of New Orleans.
“I’m
doing great,” Clementi told MMAWeekly.com. “I had back-to-back
fights, put everybody away pretty fast, and literally went from
one training camp into the next.
“So
it’s like my training camp has been going on for four months,
and I’m the best I’ve probably ever been my whole career.”
Clementi
feels the addition of a new concept to his training also is factoring
into him being at his absolute peak.
“In
the past six months I’ve implemented a strength and conditioning
coach after spending most of my career without one and it’s
just made a huge difference,” he stated.
On
Sept. 9, Clementi will get an opportunity to showcase the newest
version of himself against Carey Vanier in his first nationally
televised fight in over a year.
“He’s
a good wrestler and is a southpaw, which can be challenging sometimes,
but I think it will be more challenging to him because I’ve
fought more southpaws,” said Clementi of Vanier. “He’s
really quick, but doesn’t look like the strongest guy in
the world, so I’m looking to use my size against him a little
bit.
“In
my last fight I walked in there the day of the fight at 183.
So I think my size is going to be a step up a little bit and
I think my jiu-jitsu is going to nullify and surpass his wrestling.”
Clementi
is happy to be in Bellator and plans on big things happening
with the company.
“My
ultimate goal is to fight for their title,” he stated. “Anything
that is a step in my way is a mini-roadblock and I plan on plowing
through it. That’s just my overall attitude and there’s
nothing that’s going to keep me from it.
“I’m
really, really hungry. I feel like I have a lot to prove not
only to the fans, but for my own satisfaction as well.”
Having
taken steps to solidify not only his training, but also his private
life, Clementi feels like a whole new fighter, and his opponents
will be lesser off for it.
“I
want to thank Bellator for letting me headline a show in my own
backyard,” he closed out. “I plan on representing the
organization well and I’m 100-percent and looking to kill
it on Sept. 9.
“For
the guys that have followed me for a long time, I appreciate
it and just watch out, because I’m very, very focused and
very much on a mission. I figure I was a dangerous guy before,
but now that I’m a little more focused in the right direction,
that makes me a much more dangerous animal.”
Source: MMA Weekly
|
SAKURABA,
AOKI, HANSEN HIGHLIGHT DREAM 16
Awash in speculation about the financial future of the promotion,
Dream recently announced several more bouts for Dream 16 on Sept.
25 at Nippon Gaishi Hall in Nagoya, Japan.
Japanese
legend Kazushi Sakuraba continues his rough ride into the sunset
with the promotion matching him up with Strikeforce contender
Jason “Mayhem” Miller. Sakuraba has lost three of his
five most recent bouts and enters this bout off a loss to Ralek
Gracie. Miller defeated Tim Stout in his most recent effort after
failing in his bid to win the Strikeforce middleweight title
in late 2009.
Dream
lightweight champion Shinya Aoki continues his rebound following
a loss to Strikeforce champion Gilbert Melendez. He’ll look
to build on a win over Tatsuya Kawajiri when he face Marcus Aurelio
at Dream 16. Aurelio is first scheduled to take part in a one-night,
eight-man Grand Prix this Friday, if Shine Fights can regroup
after recently being denied a license in Virginia.
Also
announced for Dream 16 are former lightweight champion Joachim
Hansen vs. Hideo Tokoro, “Lion” Takeshi Inoue vs. Kazuyuki
Miyata, and the Light Heavyweight Grand Prix final between Gegard
Mousasi and Tatsuya Mizuno.
Source: MMA Weekly |
Carneiro
fights at Glory; UFC is consequence
Without
fighting since September of 2009, Roan Jucão will enter
the ring again on October 16, the day when he will dispute the
first phase of Glory’s GP, in Holland. On a chat with TATAME,
the former champion of UFC guaranteed he’s ready for the
battle. “Thanks God I’m training well, I’m feeling
more and more mature and happy with this opportunity, to fight
on an event of this magnitude”, said, excited with the level
of his opponents. “There’re only great names. I don’t
pick opponents, I fight whoever they tell me to. This was the
opportunity that was waiting for to put me on the top of the
division again”, guarantees, talking about his trainings
and the possible return to UFC.
What
are your expectations for this GP?
The
best possible, I’m very excited. Thanks God I’m training
well, I’m feeling more and more mature and happy with this
opportunity, to fight on an event of this magnitude. I’ve
only fought on one GP my whole life, in England, but there were
three fights on the same evening (in 2006, Jucão won two
fights and has been stopped by Leonardo Lúcio).
What
do you think of the confirmed athletes for the tournament?
There’s
only great names in there… Siyar Bahadurzada, world champion
of SHooto, Luis Beição, Nick Thompson, Sergey Golyaev,
who beat Takanori Gomi… There’re few names left, but
there’s only hard guys. I’m glad to have all this names
to confront. . I don’t pick opponents, I fight whoever they
tell me to. This was the opportunity that was waiting for to
put me on the top of the division again.
Do
you want to go back to UFC?
Of
course that Ultimate is the Best event in the whole world, I’ve
been there, but everybody know i’ve been injured on my last
fight. I beat Ryo Chonan and that’s what matters in my mind.
But that’s not my expectation. If it happens, it will, but
it’s not a thing I crave for. What I really want is to fight
this event and win the belt without leaving any doubts. There’re
other organizatons too, like Strikeforce and even Glory, which
is promoting this spectacular GP. I want to be happy, fighting
wherever it is, always fighting the bests.
Do
you think that the fact you have not fight since September of
2009 can be a bad thing for you on this GP?
Not
at all. I’m training hard. i helped (Thiago) Pitbull on
his last fight and we ready fight back on the gym. I’m in
a good conditioning, with no injuries and that’s what matters…
It won’t disturb me in any way.
Source: Tatame |
Thales
Leites blames his weight for his loss
Fighting
for War on the Minland’s title, event that happened on August
14 in California, Thales Leites ended up beat by the American
Matt Horwich, submitted on the fourth round with a rear naked
choke. Back to Brazil, Thales talked to TATAME and revealed that
the blame should be put on him, who had trouble to make weight.
“There
was a professionalism problem on the time of losing weight. I
had to lose more than 26 pounds one week before the event, so
I left it for the last minute. I relaxed on that matter. We’re
professionals. On this level, any detail makes a hell of a difference”,
tells Thales, who started well, but got tired during the fight.
“I didn’t cadence the fight, I wanted to get it over
with and end up frustrated. The guy did his job, was patience
and waited the right moment, but I was exhausted. If it was a
three rounds fight, I’d win by points, but I’d knew
it’d be five rounds”, regrets.
Besides
the tiredness, the black-belt criticizes his development on the
ground. “I lost many positions. If you’re a Jiu-Jitsu
fighter and get the mount on the back, or the guy get off there
after being submitter or IF the round finishes, and that was
not what happened at all. I lost the mount, the back, arm-triangle
choke, which is my position”, reminds the athlete. “I
saw my mistakes over and over again, I talked to André
(Pederneiras), and the thing is I have to be more professional.
Unfortunately, I had to make this mistake to realize it, but
now I’m doing it right again”, promises.
With
three fights and two wins on 2010, Thales hopes to close the
year with one more triumph. “There’s nothing set, but
I want to fight again. Let’s see how things go, maybe it’s
on MFC… I’m waiting”, tells, taking his time off
to rest a bit before getting back for the hard trainings in Rio
de Janeiro. “Next week I’ll be back on the trainings.
I want to fight one more time this year”, concluded, on
a chat with TATAME.
Source: Tatame
|
SHINE
FIGHTS MOVES SEPT 10 SHOW TO OKLAHOMA
Shine Fights is officially coming to Oklahoma.
Following
issues with the Virginia Professional Boxing and Wrestling Program,
Shine Fights, in less than 24 hours, has picked up and moved
its show to Oklahoma. The card will now take place at the First
Council Casino in Newkirk, Okla.
MMAWeekly.com
confirmed the news on Sunday with Shine Fights COO Jason Chambers.
According
to reports that surfaced over the weekend, the Virginia Professional
Boxing and Wrestling Program had issues with Shine Fight's decision
to allow fans to be involved in matchmaking the first round of
their one-night, eight-man lightweight tournament.
COO
Jason Chambers explained that getting fans to pick the fights
they wanted to see was crucial to this show.
"The
fans are the ones that ultimately at the end of the day put together
the match-ups that they want to see," Chambers told MMAWeekly.com
prior to the venue switch. "It doesn't make sense to me
from a business point of view to create a product and try to
shove it down everyone's throats and go these are the fights
you should see.
"I
think the fans should have a vested interest in putting together
cards they want to see."
Shine
Fights didn't back down from allowing the fans to pick the first
round match-ups and instead moved the show to Oklahoma, where
the Sept. 10 card will now take place.
The
one-night, eight-man tournament will still go down as planned
with participants including Rich Crunkilton, Drew Fickett, Charles
Bennett, Marcus Aurelio, and others.
Source: MMA Weekly |
EXPECT
THE BEST RONNIE MANN AT SHARK FIGHTS
“I’ve just been sitting here patiently waiting for
a fight,” says British 145-pound fighter Ronnie Mann. “All
I want to do is fight.”
After
sitting on the shelf for the entire year, Mann is finally returning
to action on Sept. 11 for the Shark Fights promotion, and he
couldn’t be happier.
“I’ve
been tied into a Sengoku contract where they haven’t been
getting me any fights,” commented Mann. “My manager,
Gary Ibarra, managed to get this Shark Fight one-fight deal that
Sengoku gave me permission to do.”
Having
stayed busy working with his teammates during their preparations
for fights, Mann decided it was time to come to the US to prepare
when he finally got the call to action.
“I’ve
come out here and trained before, but not before a fight. It’s
my first training camp out in the States,” he said. “I
love it, it’s gone really good and I’ve got no complains
so far.
“I’ve
been training out here at Tapout Las Vegas with Shawn Tompkins
and I’m training with a good bunch of guys.”
The
main focus of Mann’s preparations to face Doug Evans for
the Shark Fight’s featherweight title has been a weakness
Ronnie feels is common amongst his countrymen.
“I’ve
been trying to work on my wrestling,” said Mann. “As
you know, in England we are pretty weak in wrestling, so I’ve
been trying to improve myself.
“That’s
the reason why I came to the States, because you guys are the
best at wrestling. I’ve been trying to do a lot of wrestling,
especially my defensive wrestling.”
With
Evans’ strong wrestling base and aggressive style, Mann
knows patience will be the key on Sept. 11.
“I
know Doug’s a wild guy who in previous fights swings for
the fences and goes all out the first couple rounds,” commented
Mann. “It’s all about keeping my distance and try to
pick him off.
“If
he does get me down to the ground, I’ll use my submission
game to try to tap him.”
Mann
knows this will be his first exposure to a lot of American fans,
and how relevant is will be to have a good performance for his
future prospects.
“It’s
very important because this is the route I want to go anyway,”
stated Mann. “When my contract is done with Sengoku I want
to try to start something in the United States for my MMA career.
“So,
yeah, it’s very important to have a good performance this
time. This should be my best fight yet.”
Currently
locked into one more fight with Sengoku, Mann is hoping to fulfill
his contract this year, then look to take his career to the next
level.
“I
want try to start again and head into the big shows like the
WEC, which is the place to be at 145 pounds,” he said. “If
I do well in this fight hopefully I’ll get invited up. Or
Bellator, really, I just want to try to get on the big shows
and fight the best people.”
With
an opportunity to step onto the US MMA scene with a bang, Mann
promises fans nothing less than the absolute top his game has
to offer at Shark Fights.
“I
want people to come check me out,” he concluded. “This
should be my best fight, so just pay attention to my fight and
keep an eye out for me.”
Source: MMA Weekly |
X-1
World Events
Saturday, September 11, 2010
Blaisdell Arena
Tickets are on sale
now!
X-1
TO PRESENT BIGGEST TITLE FIGHT IN HAWAIIAN MMA HISTORY ON SEPTEMBER
11TH AT “HEROES”
Second
round of light heavyweight title tourney to commence
Honolulu,
HI (USA): Top Hawaiian fight promotion X-1 World Events today
announced the full fight card for its next incredible event,
entitled “HEROES.” This exciting fight card will feature
a main event of X-1 World Middleweight Champion Falaniko Vitale
putting his belt on the line against devastating KO artist Kala
“Kolohe” Hose. Also taking place at the Neal S. Blaisdell
Arena that night will be the much-anticipated second round of
the X-1 World Light Heavyweight title tournament, as the pairings
have been set. Russia’s Vitaly Shemetov, coming off a brutal
KO victory over Japanese MMA pioneer Shungo Oyama, will battle
Hawaii’s own Poai Suganuma. Also coming off a big KO win
is South Korea’s Sang Soo Lee, who will lock horns with
California’s Roy Boughton, an undefeated submission specialist.
“HEROES” will also showcase two world title fights,
as well as a world kickboxing championship match.
Tickets
for this incredible event will go on sale on August 7th at the
Blaisdell Box Office at 9 AM, as well as all Wal-Mart, Kailua
Sports Gear outlets, and on Tickemaster.com, or by calling (800)
745-3000. Prices are $200.00 for 1st row/cageside seats , $150.00
for 2nd row seats, $100.00 for floor seats, $50.00 for the risers/lodges,
and $35.00 for the upper bowl. Tickets for all military, law
enforcement, fire department, and EMT’s are available with
ID at the Blaisdell Box Office for $10 off of the $50 and $35
seats, and $25 off the $200 floor seats, $150 2nd row seats,
and $100 floor seats.
Falaniko
Vitale (27-9, fifteen submissions) is one of the most respected
Hawaiian combatants fighting today. An experienced athlete who
recently celebrated ten years as a professional fighter, Vitale
proudly represents the 808 Fight Factory, one of the toughest
fight gyms on the Islands, and has fought for some of the most
well-known promotions in the world. Fans of King of the Cage,
Rage in the Cage, SuperBrawl, Icon Sport, the IFL, StrikeForce,
and the UFC have all seen his skill set exhibited. In his most
recent bout, he defended his coveted X-1 strap against former
UFC competitor Kalib Starnes, finishing his controversial opponent
via submission in the process. Niko, as he is known, has taken
on top names in the sport, including “Ruthless” Robbie
Lawler, former StrikeForce Middleweight title challenger Jason
“Mayhem” Miller, MMA pioneer Jeremy Horn, StrikeForce/UFC
veteran Trevor Prangley, and UFC fighter Frank Trigg. He has
beaten notable fighters such as UFC vet Aaron Riley, former UFC
Middleweight Champion Dave Menne, UFC middleweight contender
Yushin Okami, and the aforementioned Lindland.
Kala
“Kolohe” Hose (7-3, seven KO/TKOs) is known for his
devastating knockout power, and has garnered a reputation as
one of the toughest Island fighters today. He claimed the ICON
Middleweight title in August of 2008 with an exciting TKO victory
over current UFC fighter Phil Baroni that was lauded by Island
fight fans for its great action. Also a veteran of Superbrawl
and EliteXC, Hose will look to add the X-1 Middleweight belt
to his list of accomplishments. During his career, he’s
faced UFC veterans such as Baroni, “Mayhem” Miller,
and Reese Andy. He will face what is probably the toughest opponent
of his career in Vitale.
In
addition, the second round of the heralded X-1 World Light Heavyweight
tourney will commence at this event, as former EliteXC headliner
and Hawaii native Poai Suganuma (10-3) will match up with “The
Dancing Russian” Vitaly Shemetov (7-7), who brutalized respected
veteran Shungo Oyama in the first round of the tournament en
route to a KO victory. Suganuma, for his part, defeated Greg
Schmitt via unanimous decision on his way to advancing. The other
semifinal matchup will feature Gracie-trained submission specialist
Roy Boughton (4-0, four submissions), who tapped out Adam Akau
with a first round guillotine choke to garner a place in the
second round of the tournament, as he faces extremely tough South
Korean SpiritMC veteran Sang Soo Lee (14-9). Lee knocked out
Daniel Madrid with a beautiful right hand in order to move on
in the tourney. Also featured will be a 145 lb. World Championship
bout between Dave Moreno and Ricky Wallace, as well as a 135
lb. World Championship fight between Bryson Hanson and Russell
Doane.
“I
am very excited about this incredible card. Having two great
Island fighters like Niko and Kolohe fight for the belt, along
with the second round of the tournament, and throwing in two
other title matches…what a card!” exclaimed Mike Miller,
Owner/Promoter of X-1 World Events. “It’s going to
be an amazing night of fights.”
The
full fight card is as follows:
Main
Event: 185 lb. World MMA Championship:
Falaniko Vitale vs. Kala “Kolohe” Hose
Light
Heavyweight MMA Championship tournament (second round):
Poai Suganuma (HI) vs. Vitaly Shemetov (Russia)
Sang Soo Lee (S. Korea) vs. Roy Boughton (California)
145
lb. World MMA Championship:
Dave Moreno vs. Ricky Wallace
135
lb. World MMA Championship:
Bryson Hanson vs. Russell Doane
160
lb. World Kickboxing Championship:
Danilo Zanollini vs. Kaleo
Kwan
155
lbs. – Bryson Kamaka vs. Herman Santiago
135
lbs. – Adrianna Jenkins vs. Kat Alendai
135
lbs. – Eddie Perrells vs. Mark Tajon
135
lbs. – Raquel
Paaluhi
vs. Sarah D'Alelio
170
lbs. – Anthony Torres vs. Thomas Sedeno
145
lbs. – Dustin Kimura vs. Chris Williams
185
lbs. – Caleb Price vs. Collin Mansanas
135
lbs. – Van Shiroma vs. Kazuki Kinjo
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/
|
Man-up
& Stand-up 2010 part IV
What: Man-up & Stand-up 2010 part IV (kickboxing)
When: Friday September 10, 2010
Doors open @ 6pm
Where: Waipahu Filipino Community Center
The
main event will feature the young but hungry O2 rising star who
goes by the name of Isaac
Hopps.
This young boy has just been getting better with every fight
that he has taken. He will now face the confident but cautious
Soljah boy “Nui Wheeler”. Nui will be defending his
welterweight title for the fourth time. He took a break after
losing his super lightweight belt in the beginning of the year
but “he’s back”. He hopes to show this young boy
that you must first pay your dues to fill his shoes. But it seems
as if Isaac has no intentions of paying his dues or becoming
journeyman. Isaac is looking to take his spot as THE BOSS. Oh
$h!t, Nui ain’t gonna stand for that. As of right now, the
ring is Nui’s office and when Sep 10 arrives, we’ll
see who is getting demoted or who is still taking care of business.
Be there when Nui meets Isaac, west meets east, boss meets apprentice.
NUI WHEELER 146 ISAAC HOPPS – das right – its on.
Another
fight that will be a showstopper is the Dennis Montera vs Alika
Kumukoa match. Dennis is the younger of the two but don’t
count this youngster out. Brada has skills and that’s why
he has the 115# title. Dennis will be defending his title against
an older and relentless fighter who will do anything for that
title. Both fighters are very technical and can hit. Dennis has
been in kickboxing for a while now and has faced some of the
best teenagers at 115# beating mostly everyone his skills made
contact with. Alika on the other hand has also faced some well
named fighters at 115# to 135# doing fairly well. But Alika will
finally get to fight someone at his walking weight on Sep 10.
Be there when these two lightweights LIGHT each other up. Das
right
Another
lightweight fight that promises to be action packed is the Shawn
Desantos vs Israel Lovelace. Shawn has beaten most of his opponents
and is looking to beat one more that one of his Wahiawa originals
failed to do on the last man-up. Israel on the other hand fights
as if he has no worries in the world. With the skills that these
two bangaz have, they should have no worries. Shawn is wanting
to bring this win back to Wahiawa with him but so is Israel,
well not to Wahiawa but to the Wesside. Will another Wahiawa
boy end up on the canvas from the confident Wessider. Sep 10
– be there.
There
will be more exciting matches but Man-up & Stand-up always
like to say a few words for the up and coming. If you don’t
believe that there will be some major fireworks. Check out this
line up
MICHAEL
150 MAKANA WIGGLESWORTH
CODY 160 RODNEY BARONA
MIKAL PEYTON 135 ISAAN HATTORI
NUI WHEELER 145
ISAAC HOOPS
JON MENDONSA 145
BRYSON LUM
JON PAALIMOO 135 KALIN STAFFORD
JOSE TOLETA 135
KAINOA COOK
JOEY SODENO 115
DJ CASERIA
BJ SANTANA 130
MICAH SHIGETA
RONNIE VILLAHAMOSA 155 JUSTIN DULAY
D FERREIRA 190 DANIEL SANTOS
SCOTT ENDO 170 BARAK HOLT
DENNIS MONTIRA 115 ALIKA KUMUKOA
AARON VILLAHMOSA 125 KALANI JOHNSON
JUSTIN FONOTI 215
BRYSEN DELACRUZ
TAISEN KEY 125 CARLOS MASUNGSON
KAHALE DELIMA SHW JARREN KAWALU
TODD PARK 160 ROBERT BANIS
BLAKE VILLANEDA 150 JORDAN RITA
IKAIKA TAMPOS 145 VERN KAPOI
ANDYMAR
RENON 225
MATT STONE
PAUL AUSTRIA 130 CHASE TANTOG
BOBBY BARTELL 145 GARY DEPERALTA
SHAWN DESANTOS 120 ISRAEL LOVELACE
RICKY FARJARDO 120 DONOVAN CALLURUDA
CHANTE STANDFORD 115 KAIMI SURREL
ETHAN KERFOOT 165 DYLAN VENEGAS
JOSEPH CARTER 145 ISAAC SABALA
All
matches & participants are subject to change
Source: Derrick Bright
|
Lyoto
confirms: Rampage’s vacation is over
Lyoto
Machida is already at full steam training in his hometown of
Belem, Brazil, so it would be wise for Quinton “Rampage”
Jackson, Machida’s next opponent, to drop his summer holidays.
The fight between two former light heavyweight division champions
is set for the November 20 UFC 123 show in Detroit. Before one
of his training sessions, Machida had a chat with GRACIEMAG.com,
and here’s what he said:
How
do you feel about facing Quinton Jackson?
Couldn’t
be a better opponent and the date is great, too; it gives me
time to prepare. I already did an exchange in the USA and I foresee
doing another one. I’m happy to be back and to prove I’m
in the mix with the best of them. I’m working hard, I’m
correcting a lot of things and putting a lot of effort in. I’m
doing all aspects of fighting, the takedowns, ground fighting
and striking.
Against
Rashad Evans, Lyoto became UFC champion. Photo: Josh Hedges
For
your last fight (loss to Mauricio Shogun) you only trained in
Belem and didn’t do any exchanges. Was that a mistake?
Really,
I was very focused while training in Belem. I’m not going
to say it was a mistake, because I believe you can train anywhere,
but when you have a lot of sparring partners, the technical level
of people competing makes it much better to test yourself, to
feel how you’ll react in determined situations. It’s
important. I trained with Anderson and Mark Muñoz’s
wrestling guys. I foresee a return trip there (USA) and several
exchanges. I want to train at several academies, because I don’t
hold myself to one in particular and I feel that’s important.
What’s
your breakdown of Rampage’s qualities and defects?
First
of all, he’s a former champion, so Rampage is someone with
differential. A fight between two former champions couldn’t
be more fitting, two fighters who want their place in the sun.
He’s a strong guy who has good boxing and wrestling. I feel
he’s a bit limited standing, but he’s really strong
and, although he may defend well on the ground, he’s not
that good there, either. As I feel MMA is a sport in constant
evolution, one tends to seek out all the possibilities, regardless
of the facet of the fight that comes up. I’m going to exploit
Rampage where he isn’t totally dominant. But I’m prepared
for anything, whether it’s standing or on the ground.
Lyoto
and Shogun faced off twice, with one victory apiece. Photo: Josh
Hedges
You
were undefeated in sixteen fights and suffered your first loss
to Shogun. Did you learn anything from this setback?
The
learning process is, at times, unconscious, something we can’t
make out, whether in terms of your behavior or attitude. But
it was a great learning process in every respect, be it in or
out of the ring, for the people who were by my side, in training…
I learned from it, but it’s hard to foresee how I’m
going to fight and how everything will be. I’ll only know
on the day and I’m most curious to find out just that: how
I’m going to carry myself.
I
don’t fall for provocation. It’s when we’re locked
in battle that we see what happens,” Lyoto Machida
Rampage
has spoken of you before and will probably start up with provocations.
Does that concern you?
I
see the professional side of it and know it’s his way of
doing marketing. But nothing is worth talking about before the
fact, because it really comes down to fight time. I’d rather
not focus on that. Saying you’re going to make something
happen is easy, but it’s when we’re locked in battle
that we see what happens. I don’t fall for provocation and
I’m focused.
Source: Gracie Magazine
|
From
Fedor to Carlson Gracie, the champs’ favorites
Putting
together a list of the best of all times is never easy, and big
names will inevitably be left out, so Brazil’s MMA magazine,
NOCAUTE, passed on the task to some of Brazil’s greatest
MMA representatives, asking them to list their all-time favorites.
Check
out who made their lists:
Maurício
Shogun
1
– Fedor Emelianenko
2 – Georges St. Pierre
3 – Anderson Silva
4 –
BJ Penn
5 – Wanderlei Silva
For
everything Wanderlei has done in MMA, no way he can be left off
anyone’s list” Shogun
Murilo
Bustamante
Carlson
is Bustamante's favorite. Photo: publicity
1
– Carlson Gracie
2 – Fedor Emelianenko
3 – Rodrigo Minotauro
4 – Anderson Silva
5 –
BJ Penn
Shoot,
the five best? Tough question! I’ll think about it and get
back to you by email” Bustamante
José
Aldo
José
Aldo remembers the achievements of Royce Gracie
1
– Fedor Emelianenko
2 – Royce Gracie
3 – Randy Couture
4 – Rodrigo Minotauro
5 – Anderson Silva
It’s
rough putting Minotauro in fourth and Anderson in fifth; they’re
practically number-one’s, too” Aldo
Anderson
Silva
Minotauro
is Anderson's favorite. Photo: Josh Hedges
1
– Rodrigo Minotauro
2 – Randy Couture
3 – Georges St. Pierre
4 – Fedor Emelianenko
5 –
BJ Penn
Dude,
can I mention one more? Lyoto can’t be left out” Anderson
Source: Gracie Magazine
|
JOSH
THOMSON SHOOTING FOR OCT. 9 RETURN
After suffering a rib injury in the first round of his fight
against Pat Healy, Josh Thomson sucked it up and figured out
a way to win, and win he did. Battling back from the injury,
Thomson caught Healy in a rear naked choke with less than a minute
to go in their fight back in June.
Now
fully healed, Thomson is looking to return to the Strikeforce
cage, and October in San Jose, Calif., seems to be the right
time and place.
"There
is a lot of talk right now about Oct. 9," Thomson told MMAWeekly
Radio. "We haven't come up with an opponent yet. I do know
that it's been talked about. It was supposed to be (Tatsuya)
Kawajiri, it was supposed to be the winner of (Shinya) Aoki and
Kawajiri, but the problem is Aoki. I guess the next fight for
Aoki was supposed to be in Japan. Dream was having a hard time
paying their fighters, I wasn't about to take that chance going
over there fighting and not getting paid."
The
situation in Dream has been well documented and several fighters
have complained about not receiving pay or waiting several weeks
or even months after their fights to get compensated by the Japanese
promotion.
As
Strikeforce continues to build their lightweight division and
look for a new contender to face champion Gilbert Melendez later
this year, Thomson says there have been a few names tossed around
for him, including a certain former top five lightweight from
American Top Team.
"Kawajiri's
obviously out for a little while with the ankle, for his leg
in that fight, so the only other person I can think of would
be JZ (Gesias Cavalcante). Billy Evangelista would be another
possibility. I'm not exactly sure to be honest," said Thomson.
"Odds
are, my whole idea of it all, I believe it will probably be JZ,
but like I said, I'm not sure."
Another
name that was a possible opponent for Thomson was Washington
fighter Lyle Beerbohm, but it appears at this time, he's out
of the running for a shot at "The Punk."
"I
do know a fight with Lyle Beerbohm was suggested, but I do know
they have offered him two other fights on two other occasions
to fight Justin Wilcox and he turned them down," Thomson
explained. "So I don't know if they're willing to give him
a fight with me after turning down somebody else."
Whoever
it ends up being, Thomson is just motivated to get back in the
cage and compete. After sitting out for over a year between 2008
and 2009, he wants to fight, and while training has taken its
toll on his body, he's ready to get in there and throw down once
again.
"Everybody
says it, if you're not feeling beat up and banged up, then you're
not training hard enough. Everybody goes into a fight banged
up, so you have to be aware of that when you go into a fight.
If you can train with it, you can sure as hell fight with it,"
Thomson said.
The
Oct. 9 card for Strikeforce is still coming together, but the
headline fight features Stockton, Calif., bad boy Nick Diaz putting
his welterweight title up for grabs in a rematch against pro
boxer turned MMA knockout artist K.J. Noons.
With
the fight in San Jose, Thomson's backyard, it seems like a natural
fit that he'll end up on the show.
Source: MMA Weekly |
SPRATT
FIGHTING FOR HIMSELF AT SHARK FIGHTS
While many fighters view upcoming matches as potential resume
additions for their audition to make it to the UFC or other major
MMA promotions, veteran Pete “Secret Weapon” Spratt
instead fights for himself.
Having
had his opportunities in the past, Spratt enjoys fighting for
himself and if something more comes from a victory, fine, if
not, then he’s not going to lose sleep over it.
“For
me, I don’t know how important it is as far as the outside
circumstances, but as a fighter you always try to go in there
and win every fight,” he said of his upcoming Sept. 11 Shark
Fights bout with Eric Davila.
“Here
as I start winding down my career, the next fight is always the
most important fight, and I’m looking to go in there and
get a win.”
Having
been in training camp consistently since April helping teammates
get ready for fights, Spratt feels as sharp as can be entering
what is nearing fight number 40.
“It
has its positives and negatives,” he commented. “Training
for so long, you tend to have a tendency to get hurt a little
bit, get little nicks and bruises that may take a while to recover
because you’re constantly in camp. Other than that, it’s
a positive because you’re in shape, you’re sharp, and
you’re ready to go.”
As
is typical fashion for Spratt, when it comes to what people can
expect from him in a fight, he intends to be the same fighter
– for better or worse – that he’s always been.
“I
don’t know what you’ll be able to expect from (Davila),
but people that know me and know my style can expect some fireworks,”
said Spratt. “That’s all I do. That’s all I try
to provide is an exciting fight.
“No
matter who is standing in the cage across from me, I’m still
going in there to try to knock their head off. My game plan and
my fighting style is not going to be any different from one guy
to the next.”
As
his own career winds down and he begins to work more with the
next generation of fighters, Spratt’s outlook is one of
someone who loves what they do and someone won’t let that
change for any outside influences.
“I’m
just taking one fight at a time and enjoying it,” stated
Spratt. “Sure, I would like to make another run at a major
promotion, but some promotions are pretty fickle with who they
pick and bring back and that, so I’m just going to fight
and win, and let the chips fall when they may.
“If
I get the call to come up, fine, if not, I’ll just end my
career on a winning streak.”
Spratt
knows who he is and where he is at in his life, and it’s
because of that, that he can always be counted on for a solid
performance, win or lose.
“I’d
like to thank my manager Sven Bean, Knockout Representation,
MMA Overload, Head Blade, IGF and everybody at my team, RBBJJ/Team
Spratt,” he concluded. “Everybody check out Shark Fights
live on PPV on Saturday, Sept. 11.
“I
like to swing for the fences and like to finish, and that’s
what I’m going to be looking to do.”
Source: MMA Weekly |
REPORT:
SHINE FIGHTS FACING ANOTHER SHAKE-UP
Just as quickly as Shine Fights is back in the saddle, trying
to recover from a disastrous event in May, the bronco is bucking.
Shine’s
big match-up between veteran Din Thomas and former boxing champion
Roberto Mayorga in May was derailed by litigation by promoter
Don King. The vent itself, “Worlds Collide,” was fully
cancelled by the North Carolina Boxing Authority, which determined,
on the night of the event, that there were too many unsatisfactory
issues unresolved to allow the event to go forward.
The
promotion is still embroiled in conflict with several of the
fighters that were scheduled for its May event, arguing over
money that the fighters say is owed them, but which Shine Fights
CEO Devin Price says has been settled.
Price
has since reorganized and brought in Bellator broadcaster Jason
Chambers as his COO to launch a rebound effort, including an
eight-man lightweight Grand Prix tournament, scheduled for Sept.
10 at the Patriot Center in Fairfax, Va.
The
promotion initiated a marketing effort that included fan voting
to determine the pairings in the tournament, and that’s
where reports say that the wheels started to come off in Virginia.
AOL
Fanhouse’s Matt Erickson on Saturday reported that the Virginia
Professional Boxing and Wrestling Program, the commission that
oversees MMA in the state, would not grant Shine Fights a license
due to the fan-based matchmaking.
The
report goes on to say that Shine is packing up and moving to
Oklahoma to secure a venue and still operate its one-night, eight-main
tournament with the fan voted match-ups intact.
This
can only be seen as another significant blow to the promotion,
on the ropes after the debacle in May. Shine officials have to
be hoping they can pull in a decent crowd and, more importantly,
draw well on their first pay-per-view effort, if there is any
hope for survival.
Shine
officials did not respond to attempts for comment on this report
at the time of publication.
Source: MMA Weekly |
VILLEFORT
IN TO FACE VILLASENOR AT SHARK FIGHTS
Shark Fights has been working hard to put its most ambitious
fight card to date together pitting UFC veterans Trevor Prangley
and Keith Jardine against one another in its Sept. 11 main event,
with Rameau Thierry Sokoudjou vs. Houston Alexander as the co-main
event.
With
just a week to go, however, Shark Fights lost two of its scheduled
combatants, Drew McFedries and Marcus Hicks, according to a report
from MMAJunkie.com, who also reported that Daniel Straus has
already stepped in for Hicks against Karen Darabedyan.
MMAWeekly.com
has confirmed that Danillo Villefort has been tapped as replacement
for McFedries to face Joey Villasenor.
A
Brazilian training with American Top Team, Villefort (11-3) enters
the bout on a two-fight streak following a one and done appearance
at UFC 101. He defeated Mike Campbell in the WEC before dropping
the bout to Jesse Lennox in the Octagon.
Villasenor
(27-7) is a former EliteXC middleweight champion, who is currently
under contract with Strikeforce and looking to bounce back from
a loss to Ronaldo “Jacare” Souza. Jacare won the Strikeforce
middleweight championship just one fight after defeating Villasenor.
Shark
Fights 13 is scheduled to take place at the Amarillo Civic Center
in Amarillo, Texas.
Source: MMA Weekly |
“Dos
Santos will be better on the title fight”
With
six wins on the six fights he did on the UFC’s octagon,
Junior “Cigano” dos Santos will now have the dream
chance of every fighter: the UFC belt. Waiting for the winner
of the fight between Brock Lesnar and Cain Velasquez, the coach
Luis Carlos Dórea shows confidence on his pupil, believing
he will be even better when it comes the time for him to fight
for the belt.
“He’s
expecting to see who he’ll confront because they’re
two great athletes, the fight would be tough against any of them…
I always say: he’s constantly evolving, so you’ll see
him a lot better than before, with willingness, personality,
a real warrior… He knows that it’ll be worth the title
and he’ll do everything in his power in order to win this.
After this fight, he’ll be the champion”, bets Dórea,
on a chat with TATAME, without pointing out a favorite on the
duel between Lesnar and Velasquez.
“It’ll
be a very tough fight, light all fights are… Cain doesn’t
go for it too much, does his game and it’s pretty efficient,
and Brock Lesnar is very strong, dangerous… It’ll be
a tough fight for both of them. I can’t say much now, it’ll
be a tough fight and let’s see who is the best fighter in
there”, comments.
Glad
with the work of his heavyweight, Dórea compliments the
journey he had to roam until the title shot. “He deserves
all of this because of everything he’s been doing. There’re
six wins in six fights, five of them by knockout, four of them
on the first round… He’s an athlete who had evolved
a lot, started against a great athlete, (Fabrício) Werdum,
winning by KO… Cigano only had tough ones on his way, but
there’s no easy one on UFC. He’s been tested several
times and now I think the time has come. He showed his abilities
while standing up, he proved himself to be very strong. Six fights,
six critical wins”, celebrates.
Source: Tatame
|
Leo
Santos and the low blows at Sengoku
To
receive a low blow during a MMA fight is a bad thing, but it
happens. When you are hit twice is awful, but the athlete takes
a deep breath and move on. But, four knees in less than three
minutes? That’s too much. That was exactly what went though
Leonardo Santos’ mind when he had to “test” his
protection against the Japanese Sotaro Yamada on Sengoku 14.
Back to Brazil, Leo had a funny chat with TATAME, commenting
his win by declassification of his opponent and the suffering
he went though on that octagon. “On the two firsts, I thought
he was kicking the wrong place since I’m taller than him,
but after the fourth I thought: “it’s not possible”,
reminds Leo, comparing the knees to the uppers and knees given
by his training partners Marlon Sandro and José Aldo:
“I could be hit 10 times with an upper from Marlon, 30 times
with José (Aldo)’s knee, but that thing was hurting
a lot (laughs)”, jokes the fighter, who now sights the belt
of his division.
Your
last fight didn’t go like you were expecting, but you got
the win. What did you think of it?
Yeah,
man… We train in order to in, but we can never know what
will happen. I didn’t want it to happen the way it did,
I had a good strategy to keep the fight standing, to do the bang
with him because I’m from Jiu-Jitsu and he was expecting
me to try to take him down. I think I chose the right tactic
and that, at that time, was confusing for him and he despaired.
I think he lost control of himself and messed it up, but he could
have got nervous too because the tension to be in there is huge,
only who is in there knows it. There’s not much to say about
it… It’s sad to win the way I did, but what matters
is the win itself.
You
hit in him the first low blow, but the he applied four on you.
What was going though your head at that time?
Man,
the coup I fit was not on his low zone, it was on his waist,
with the feet fit… But, what can I do? There’s nothing
to say about it, it happened…
Do
you think the judge should have interrupted the fight before
that fourth blow?
I
began to lose my focus… I tried to stand up, to take a breath
and don’t lose the focus of the fight, but after the third
coup I was kind of sad, I didn’t get what was going on.
After he hit me there for the third time, I thought he wouldn’t
be disqualified anymore. I thought he would be punished, like
losing his scholarship, but he wouldn’t be disqualified
because he had hit me three times and the event didn’t do
a thing, so I thought it was bet for me to keep on fighting.
He hit me for the fourth time and I looked at the referee and
said: “it was the fourth time”. Then they disqualified
him… I didn’t expect them to do that anymore.
What
the guys said on the backstage of the show about his posture?
No
one got it, we didn’t get what happened and why he did that.
After the fight I began to think it was naughtiness, but, when
I was talking to Marlon (Sandro), I thought he lost control…
He thought I’d do one think and I did the exact opposite
thing, so he was desperate, but only he can tell whether it was
meanness or not.
Did
you meet him after the fight?
I
meet him. He came and apologized to me, said he didn’t mean
to and I forgive him. I’m not God to go and judge him. I
was there to fight, it didn’t work out, so ok... Let’s
move on. I can’t keep thinking about it over and over again…
He apologized, said he would like to fight me again, but I said:
“Next time, I’ll use a rock protector (laughs)”.
With
those sharp knees, it wouldn’t be a bad idea...
For
me it’d be great. On the two firsts, I thought he was kicking
the wrong place since I’m taller than him, but after the
fourth I thought: “it’s not possible”.
The
problem now is to get a fine voice, having problems on reproducing
laughs)…
Man,
I’m glad I already have one, so I wasn’t worried about
it (laughs). My boy is grown up, has a good health, so let’s
go for it (laughs).
You
train with the tough guys from Nova União. Which is the
toughest thing: to handle Manlon Sandro’s uppers, the kicks
of José Aldo or the low blows of the Japanese?
I
could be hit 10 times with an upper from Marlon, 30 times with
José (Aldo)’s knee, but that thing was hurting a
lot… The worst part is that, on the event, you’re concentrated
in order not to lose your focus. It’s an odd situation…
I won, but it was really weird because I trained a lot and I’ve
been hit four times with low blows and I forgot to train that
defense (laughs).
Now
you can minister seminars about clinch defense for low blows
(laughs)…
Don’t
even mention it… It’s on the past for me now, man.
I don’t want to feel it again (laughs). To win this way
is not the same thing, you get off there lacking something. But
it’s cool… Le’t go for the next one and see what
happens.
You
have been quoted to dispute the lightweight GP… Did the
guys from the event say anything to you yet?
Akijiro
Gono ruined the party because the guys were counting on his win…
They’s said to me, during the fight: “If Gono wins,
you’ll fight him for the belt”. After he loss, things
got messed up again, so I don’t know what will happen. I
think they’ll make a GP. If they don’t make one, I
don’t know what they’ll do because things are busy
around here, so I have to be sharp to get there and make a statement.
Source: Tatame
|
The
MMA Mindset: Diet Edition
by Cameron Conaway
A
morbidly obese man takes the butter knife from his loaded plate,
carves off a chunk from the Wood Grill Buffet butter block and
slaps it atop his mashed potatoes. His shape is neither pear
nor apple. He is polygon closed not with a bounded path or circuit
but by excess flesh. I stood beside him in Hayabusa fight shorts
and a Frank Shamrock T-shirt. A splurge day for me. A day for
him.
Living
MMA is well beyond shelling the 50 bones for a pay-per-view.
It’s well beyond wearing the latest fight gear. It’s
deeper than pockets and appearance. With the MMA Mindset comes
beneficial lifestyle choices, a curiosity to find comfort in
discomfort, a willingness to test mental and physical conditioning,
and, above all, to carry oneself the way a martial artist should
even if not a trained martial artist.
My
MMA Mindset took root years ago. When I was 12 my father left
my mother and I became the man of the house. Pubescent, I wanted
to see the porn section at the local video store. On my way there
I saw a UFC video with Ken Shamrock on the cover. It wasn’t
porn, but I had to have it. Ken carried himself so respectfully,
articulately, moved his muscularity so gracefully and instantly
became a sort of surrogate father figure for me. Next thing you
know I quit basketball and took a part-time job cutting cabbage
and celery in a produce department so I could afford the four-hour
trips from Altoona, Pa., to train at Renzo Gracie’s academy
in midtown Manhattan.
But,
here at the Wood Grill Buffet, I stood beside this obese man
and thought: How can he not be inspired when he sees footage
on Spike TV of Carlos Condit gritting his teeth and damn-near
crying to finish an uphill wind sprint? How can he not dig deep
and fight his own battle with gluttony when he sees Matt Hughes
dig deep and (after Frank Trigg’s ball-shot) carry him to
the opposite end of the cage and choke him out? Or when Brock
Lesnar overcomes Shane Carwin’s beating and finds a way
to win? How can he not see the physical benefits of a healthy
diet when Rich Franklin stands Adonis-like over the smoothie
blender he uses each morning for breakfast?
There
is a certain discipline which inhabits MMA that I believe can
go well beyond mixed martial arts fighters, that I believe can
spill over into the mass media even more than the buffet man’s
triceps spilled over the table at which he ate. Obesity rates
are rising in 28 states. Type II diabetes inhabits the bodies
of children at younger and younger ages. Even the dude rocking
Affliction and screaming “kick his ass!” at Hooters
can take something positive from this sport. So can the CEO of
a Fortune 500 company, the elementary schoolteacher and the interior
designer. If MMA is going to go global (and it is), let’s
also globalize the integrity and honor of the acronym’s
last two letters.
While
driving:
On
a hot, humid day: Turn off the air conditioner. Roll down the
windows. Breathe. Feel the heat on your seat. Feel yourself become
a little sticky, a little uncomfortable.
On
a freezing cold day: Shut the heat off and roll down the windows.
Let the skin on your face burn just a little, let your teeth
chatter just a little. Smile through it.
When
driving past a McDonald’s, drive slowly. Savor the smells.
Taste the fries through scent but deny. Be strong, go home, eat
salmon and broccoli.
These
build the mental toughness, the fighter-spirit needed to maintain
dedication to the health of the only bodies we’ll ever have.
These are reminders of how good we have it. Reminders that, over
time, will make us complain less (because we are affected less)
when we run out of maple syrup for our breakfast pancakes or
when we cut out soda from our diet. Such seemingly disparate
(yet purposeful) discomforts are in fact related. There are parallels
everywhere if we look hard enough. And after a period of weeks
of cutting soda and other sweets, we’ll realize how desensitized
we’ve become to sweetness. Eventually, we’ll be able
to taste the sweetness in vegetables. Even water will have a
certain sweetness. And pineapple will be powerful enough to pucker
our faces so hard that we may look, for a second, like Wanderlei
Silva.
I
interviewed Martin Rooney recently. I consider him to be the
top strength and conditioning coach in all of MMA. I ranted about
how honored I was for this opportunity.
He
said: “You know, Cameron, I took it because it’s a
win-win. We should always strive to make everything we do in
life a win-win situation. You get to hear my knowledge first-hand;
I get the exposure you can bring through your writing. It’s
a win-win, brother.”
MMA
should be the same. Why passively sit back and watch away our
time? Let’s transact with the pre-fight training clips,
the in-home fighter diet segments, the fights themselves and
even the humility shown by most fighters post-fight. Let’s
change our lives for the butter, er, better because of MMA. Let’s
make our fandom into a win-win situation. Our lives are at steak,
er, stake.
Source: Sherdog
|
ALVES
VS HOWARD HEADED TO MONTREAL
by Damon
Martin
Thiago Alves will try to show UFC president Dana White one more
time that he can make 170lbs when he returns at UFC 124 on December
11 to face John "Doomsday" Howard in a welterweight
bout on the Montreal, Canada card.
The
news was confirmed to MMAWeekly.com by sources close to the fight
on Thursday. The initial news of the fight was reported by MMAJunkie.com
on Thursday as well.
Heading
into UFC 117, Thiago Alves (17-7) hoped to put the last year
of his life behind him as he faced Jon Fitch with a chance to
fight for the welterweight title again on the line. Following
more than a year off due to complications with injuries and actual
brain surgery, Alves came into the fight and missed weight, which
is not the first time the Brazilian struggled to cut to the welterweight
limit.
Alves
went on to lose the fight to Fitch, and UFC president Dana White
even proclaimed afterwards that he hoped the American Top Team
fighter would consider a move to middleweight where he could
comfortable make the weight limit.
Following
another tough weight cut, Alves sought out the services of former
"Ultimate Fighter" competitor and fight nutrition guru
Mike Dolce to help him with his diet, and make sure weight cutting
would not be an issue any longer. He'll see if the move paid
off on December 11.
Opposing
Alves in the fight at UFC 124 will be Boston area fighter John
"Doomsday" Howard (14-4) who tasted his first defeat
in the Octagon in his last fight against Jake Ellenberger in
early August. Prior to that loss, Howard had gone 4-0 in the
UFC, with impressive performances over Daniel Roberts and Dennis
Hallman.
Now,
bouncing back from the first loss he's had since 2007, Howard
will get a tough test as he faces a top ten welterweight in Thiago
Alves.
The
bout between Alves and Howard will be part of the UFC 124 card
slated for Montreal, Canada and headlined by hometown hero Georges
St. Pierre taking on Josh Koscheck for the UFC welterweight title.
Source: MMA Weekly
|
How
Rampage Jackson currently views the state of his MMA career
By Zach
Arnold
He is in Japan doing PR for the A-Team movie and did an interview
with Sports Navigator (Yahoo Japan).
The
interview itself was largely tame in terms of content. He talked
about how he is very relaxed this time around in Japan as opposed
to when he came to Japan as a fighter and was very tense and
felt urges of volatility even during interviews as he was mentally
getting ready for fights.
Rampage
was asked about his future as a fighter and his current movie
career. He said that his dream is to be like Oscar De La Hoya
and fight once or twice a year and be able to also promote himself
through movies. However, he acknowledged that he can’t do
both activities at the same time and that there isn’t a
case in which a world champion (like himself) could succeed also
as an actor at the same time.
Source: Fight Opinion
|
Former
wrestlers boast versatile skill set in the cage
By Beau Dure, Special for USA TODAY
BOSTON — The Ultimate Fighting Championship made its first
Massachusetts appearance Saturday with a rare matchup of a mixed
martial artist vs. a heavyweight boxer. It leaves town looking
ahead to the more usual fare: two lightweight wrestlers who have
invested time to learn more disciplines.
With a partisan crowd chanting "U-F-C," Randy Couture
easily ran over boxer James Toney, using his MMA and wrestling
experience to grab a quick takedown and subdue the first-time
MMA fighter for a first-round submission. Toney had spent weeks
touting boxing's superiority in the combat sports world but had
no answer as Couture punched and choked him on the mat.
Then
former Clarion University wrestler Frankie Edgar beat BJ Penn
for the second time to retain his UFC lightweight title. Next
up for Edgar: former Michigan State wrestler Gray Maynard, who
controlled his fight against local favorite Kenny Florian earlier
in the evening.
College
wrestling alumni tend to have more deliberate fights than free-swinging
strikers, and the TD Garden crowd grew restless during wins by
Maynard, Nik Lentz (Minnesota) and Mike Pierce (Portland State).
The 10-fight card ended without a KO.
Maynard,
the only fighter with a win against Edgar, hopes MMA crowds will
learn to appreciate combat-sport nuances.
"I've
heard stuff about (boxer) Floyd (Mayweather) — 'Floyd is
so boring to watch,' " Maynard said. "I love it. It's
the small things that I like to watch."
Like
most former wrestlers, including his mentor Couture, Maynard
is effective at "ground and pound," punishing downed
opponents with short punches, elbows and knees. But Maynard also
is an effective puncher, as is Edgar, who outstruck Penn by a
lopsided margin in the fight.
"Frankie
looked like an absolute mixed martial artist in there,"
UFC President Dana White said. "This kid's a wrestler, and
his boxing was awesome."
Not
that MMA fighters are ready for the boxing ring. Couture had
no interest in meeting Toney again in Toney's sport.
"I
would respectfully decline such an offer," Couture said
with a smile. "As silly I think it is for James to jump
into mixed martial arts the way he did, I'd feel about the same
way (about me boxing). James would probably knock me out in the
first round."
Couture,
from the perspective of a 47-year-old with 13 years in MMA, thinks
boxers and athletes from any other discipline have to invest
the time to learn multiple skills to succeed in the sport.
"For
a world champion in some other combative sport to think you're
going to cross over and jump right into the top level of mixed
martial arts — it's not gonna happen," Couture said.
UFC
to expand to Asia: After the fight card, White announced that
the UFC would expand operations into Asia, introducing former
NBA executive Mark Fischer as executive vice president and managing
director for Asia.
The
UFC says it has signed Tiequan Zhang, from China's Inner Mongolia
region, as part of its strategy for attracting new fans in Asia.
Zhang is expected to debut next month as a lightweight in World
Extreme Cagefighting, a sister organization of UFC.
Earlier
this year, Abu Dhabi-owned company Flash Entertainment bought
10% of the UFC.
Source: USA Today
|
Penn
Rushes It
by Jake Rossen
The natural tendency in reaction to failure is to fix it -- to
do something that washes out the miserable feeling of having
come up short. This is fine if you’re a landscaper; it’s
ridiculous if you’re a fighter.
Having
suffered consecutive defeats to Frankie Edgar, B.J. Penn told
fans on his Web site that he was looking to get back in the ring
“as soon as possible” and that he can “build off
of what I built in the last camp.” A normal frame of time
would be to see him return around Christmas: If he’s expediting
things, an October return is more likely.
The
problem with Penn’s ambition is that he’s allowing
his emotions to get the better of reason. Downtime between fights
isn’t necessarily about healing up -- something Penn says
he doesn’t need to do following Edgar’s swarming, nonviolent
attack -- but letting your nervous system come down from a stressful
event and allowing yourself time to peak for the next time.
If
Penn is so desperate to get back in the ring that he ignores
the schedule that gives him the best possible chance of winning,
then he’s become reckless. He has long been the captain
of his own ship, calling the shots, the workouts and the time
off. Who’s there to push him when he doesn’t want to
be pushed? In fights with Diego Sanchez and Kenny Florian, it
was the Marinovich brothers: Penn has since separated from them.
I’m
not of the mind Penn is in the last act of his career. He looked
sensational in pre-Edgar bouts and he’s hardly been damaged
to the point where he’s aged beyond his 31 years. What he
has always lacked is direction, both in his career and in his
gym. If someone were in charge, they’d shoot down his request
for an immediate return. The problem is that no one has ever
been able to tell B.J. Penn what to do.
Source: Sherdog
|
Joe
Warren Planning on Leaving MMA for 2012 Olympic Run
By Ariel
Helwani
Joe Warren has certainly made an impact in his 17-month pro MMA
career.
He
defeated veterans Chase Beebe and Norifumi "Kid" Yamamoto
in his first two fights, which just so happened to be in the
DREAM featherweight tournament in 2009. Those wins landed him
in the finals of the tournament before losing to eventual champion
Bibiano Fernandes.
Warren
rebounded from that defeat to win the Bellator Season 2 featherweight
tournament. Thursday evening, he challenges champion Joe Soto
for the Bellator 145-pound belt.
Three
weeks later, Warren will face the dangerous Michihiro Omigawa
at DREAM.16.
Obviously,
Warren expects to win both those fights. He also expects to be
the DREAM featherweight champion by Jan. 1, 2011.
His
next move, though, might surprise you.
Warren
told host Mauro Ranallo on Sirius' The Fight Show earlier this
week, that he plans to leave MMA this time next year to make
a run at the 2012 Summer Olympics in London.
It's
a curious move for a guy who just began his MMA career and has
experienced great results since. But don't worry, after what
he expects to be a golden Olympic run, he says he will finish
his business in MMA.
"I'll
win the Olympics in 2012," Warren told Ranallo. "We'll
win this fight here this coming Thursday, then the 25th [DREAM.16],
and then hopefully we get the DREAM belt on New Year's. I'll
defend my titles the first few months of next year, and then
retire from fighting, go into the Olympics and then come back
after it."
When
Ranallo pressed Warren on his sudden retirement, the 33-year-old
backed off a bit.
"I
don't know about retire, but I'm going to just focus on wrestling.
It's a whole different ballgame out there on the Olympic-level
than competing in Bellator or DREAM. I think I can do it, and
I think that my kids will be old enough to be there and see it.
I say it's the only thing I didn't win in wrestling, and it's
something I can do, so I just don't want it to pass me by. I
don't know if four years from now I will be able to make a push
for it, so I know I'm young now and in shape, so I thought, Why
not go out and win an Olympic gold medal for personal gratification."
A
former Greco-Roman NCAA All-American at the University of Michigan,
Warren has won gold medals at the Pan-Am and World Championships,
but failed to make the 2008 Olympic team after testing positive
for THC, a chemical produced by Marijuana, following the 2007
US World Team Trials.
If
he accomplishes everything he has set out to do, this two-year
stretch for Joe Warren could be one of the finest in combat sports
history.
And
that journey begins Thursday night in San Antonio, TX.
Source: MMA Fighting
|
10
September Tussles Worth Watching
by Tim
Leidecker
The month of September is every MMA fan’s paradise. It doesn’t
matter where you are, chances of a quality event happening relatively
close by are good.
The
only place where things are not looking all too bright is Japan.
For the first time since changing the makeup of this column earlier
this year, no tussle from the Land of the Rising Sun managed
to make the list. Is this a realistic picture of the MMA marketplace
in Japan for the summer of 2010? And if it is, is it just a snapshot
in time or a forerunner of things to come?
As
always, this 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,
WEC, Dream and Sengoku Raiden Championship are excluded by design.
10.
Falaniko Vitale vs. Kala Hose
X-1 “Heroes,” Sept. 11 -- Honolulu, Hawaii
A
classic grappler against striker confrontation will headline
X-1’s 13th show. UFC veteran Vitale returned from an 18-month
layoff this March to submit fellow former UFC fighter Kalib Starnes
at X-1 “Champions 2.” Hose’s star rose during
a five-round war with Phil Baroni in March 2008. Baroni was just
coming off a successful stint in Japan and a high-profile title
fight against Frank Shamrock, and “Kolohe” managed
to stop “The New York Bad Ass” midway through the final
round. Has Hose finally improved his submission defense enough
to survive Vitale’s ground attack?
9.
Igor Araujo vs. Lincon Rodrigues
Strength & Honor Championship 3, Sept. 18 -- Geneva, Switzerland
Two
of the best Brazilians on the European circuit will battle each
other for the SHC welterweight title. Defending champ Araujo,
a longtime teammate of UFC lightweight contender Rafael dos Anjos
at Gracie Barra Caveirinha in Belo Horizonte, has competed at
pretty much every major show across Europe and is one of the
“aces” for SHC. Rodrigues caught fight fans’ attention
when he made the semifinals of a $20,000 open-weight tournament
in Vienna, Austria, last year as a welterweight. The muay Thai
specialist was eventually stopped by Bellator heavyweight Damian
Grabowski.
8.
Andreas Kraniotakes vs. Björn Schmiedeberg
Respect FC 4, Sept. 11 -- Herne, Germany
EA
Sports MMA heavyweight Andreas Kraniotakes will try to bounce
back from the freak knockout he suffered at WFC 10 in March.
To maximize his chances against former 300-pounder Schmiedeberg,
“Big Daddy” has headed off to San Diego for his first
professional training camp. The five-round fight will not only
headline Germany’s best MMA event at the moment, it will
also be for the vacant Respect heavyweight championship. Can
the “Gazelle“ extend his win streak to five and derail
the Kraniotakes hype train or will the Greek-German emerge as
the best heavyweight in Germany?
7.
Eduardo Pamplona vs. Edilberto de Oliveira
Jungle Fight 22, Sept. 18 -- Sao Paulo, Brazil
Is
there a curse on muay Thai ace Pamplona? Last month his third
consecutive fight was cancelled at the last moment. Now Jungle
Fight head honcho Wallid Ismail has taken matters into his own
hands and made Pamplona against Edilberto “Crocota”
the main event of Jungle Fight 22. Hometown hero Pamplona will
have a significant home field advantage against Crocota. The
question in this fight will be whether the former Minotauro student
will be brave enough to stand and bang with Pamplona or rather
fall back on his formidable submission skills.
6.
Edson Barboza vs. Mikhail Malyutin
Ring of Combat XXXI, Sept. 24 -- Atlantic City, New Jersey
Tipped
to be a future great by many experts, The Armory’s Edson
Barboza will return to Atlantic City for the 31st edition of
Ring of Combat. Facing the explosive striker will be former Red
Devil team member and M-1 veteran Malyutin. The 28-year-old Malyutin
will be the first real test for the young Brazilian, who has
knocked out most of his opponents inside the first round so far.
Malyutin originally comes from a boxing background, but he also
has a solid submission game he has used to choke out Finland’s
Niko Puhakka among others.
5.
Tom Watson vs. Jesse Taylor
MFC 26 “Retribution,” Sept. 10 -- Edmonton, Alberta,
Canada
Tom
“Kong” Watson will try to double-dip this month. While
the sporting challenge will be his Sept. 10 fight against Jesse
Taylor in Canada, he will receive the big payday as he takes
on kickboxer-turned-tabloid star Alex Reid in his home country
of England two weeks later. There just may be one thing he hasn’t
reckoned with: Taylor. Even though “JT Money” has been
hot and cold in recent months, he is definitely strong enough
to lay a beating on Watson that could prevent a meeting with
Reid. How ironic would that be after the “Reidernater”
pulled out of their May fight with an injury?
4.
James Zikic vs. John Phillips
BAMMA 4, Sept. 25 -- Birmingham, England
Although
Reid vs. Watson is the fight that gets all the headlines for
this show, the most competitive matchup on the card will be the
middleweight duel between the durable James Zikic and power puncher
John Phillips. Zikic, who can also boast five pro boxing matches,
has gone the distance with Fabricio Werdum and Vitor Belfort
in his MMA career. Welshman Phillips comes from an amateur boxing
background as well. His pugilistic skills have transitioned even
better to MMA than Zikic’s, as he has managed to take 11
of his total 12 career wins by way of knockout.
3.
Daniel Tabera vs. Jan Blachowicz
KSW 14 “Judgment Day,” Sept. 18 -- Lodz, Poland
The
final of the latest KSW light heavyweight tournament will be
contested between Spanish M-1 and Bellator veteran Daniel Tabera
and KSW Team member Blachowicz. Blachowicz, who has already had
to turn down multiple offers from big promotions stateside because
of his commitments to KSW, is seen as the next big thing to come
out of Poland and the heir of Mamed Khalidov at 205 pounds. The
only thing that has managed to slow down Blachowicz in his career
has been his injury vulnerability. Knee and shoulder problems
kept him on the shelf for all of 2009.
2.
Paul Daley vs. Jorge Masvidal
Shark Fights 13, Sept. 11 -- Amarillo, Texas
A
highly explosive welterweight matchup is one of the featured
bouts at Shark Fights 13. The fight card is a “who’s
who” of MMA free agents at the moment. Daley, the sport’s
current bad boy, rebounded from his outburst against Josh Koscheck
with a hard-earned third-round submission stoppage of Brazilian
Daniel Acacio in July. Masvidal, equipped with plenty of experience
in Strikeforce, Sengoku and Bellator and long tipped for greatness
at 155 pounds, will be returning to welterweight against Daley.
1.
Joe Soto vs. Joe Warren
Bellator Fighting Championships 27, Sept. 2 -- San Antonio, Texas
Anything
but two regular Joe’s have an appointment for the promotion’s
featherweight championship at Bellator 27. Champion Joe Soto
will not only put his belt but also his undefeated record of
9-0 on the line as he takes on 2006 Greco-Roman wrestling world
champion Joe Warren. In previous bouts, Soto has used his own
formidable Greco-Roman background to shut down and beat up his
opponents. However, none of his previous opponents had anywhere
near the credentials that the Dream featherweight grand prix
semifinalist brings to the table.
Source: Sherdog
|
NATE
DIAZ WANTS TOP CONTENDERS & TITLE SHOT
by Jeff
Cain
Nate Diaz has been flawless in his two showings since moving
up in weight class from the lightweight division, finishing reputable
welterweights Rory Markham and Marcus Davis.
“The
Kid from Stockton” wants meaningful match-ups from this
point forward against opponents that will get him closer to a
title shot. The 25-year-old is willing to take on contenders
in both weight classes.
“Whatever
they want to do with me, I’m fine,” said Diaz during
the UFC 118 post-fight press conference. But if he had his way,
he’d get a top five-ranked opponent next at either 170 or
155.
“I’d
like to get someone in the top three contenders at either lightweight
or welterweight rather than against some tough guy that’s
not as popular or not as high in the rankings,” said Diaz.
“I
want to try and get a belt here sometime.”
Diaz
called for a rematch with Gray Maynard, who defeated him by split
decision in January, before Maynard gets his title shot against
Frankie Edgar, but UFC president Dana White quickly shot down
the idea.
“I’d
like to fight Gray before he gets a title shot if that would
be possible,” commented Diaz. “I don’t think he
did too much against me.”
“That’s
not possible right now,” responded White. “That would
suck for Gray. That would be twice in a row that we did that
to him and that’s not going to happen.”
Diaz
moved up in weight class following the loss to Maynard, and after
losing three out of his last four lightweight fights, all by
decision. He’s 2-0 as a welterweight.
Source: MMA Weekly
|
Popovitch:
“The gi helps my no-gi game”
by Carlos
Eduardo Ozório
Winner
of the most recent ADCC, in 2009, Pablo Popovitch carries on
proving he’s a tough nut to crack in No-Gi Jiu-Jitsu. In
the supermatches at last Saturday’s UFC Fan Expo in Boston,
Popovitch beat No-Gi Worlds champion Lucas Lepri. The bout between
our GMA’s was an evenly-matched affair, and Pablo won by
2 to 0. Check out the conversation with the black belt, our GMA
in Florida.
How
did the match with Lepri go in your view?
It was a great match but I felt we didn’t open the game
until the last two minutes of regulation time. I was training
a lot of MMA and felt my game was a little rusty. After eight
minutes I kind of figured his guard out and that was when I almost
passed his guard a couple of times. Lucas is a great fighter
who has won many championships. It’s the second time we
go against each other and both times I won with a tight score.
His guard is really good and it’s hard to score, I want
to thank him for taking the match on such short notice.
You
were going to face Gregor Gracie, but he got injured and in came
Lepri. Did that hinder you?
Not really. Both are great fighters, but I trained a lot and
I was ready to face anyone. Injuries happen all the time; you
have to prepare for this kind of thing.
When
do you compete next?
I want to win the Florida State Championship, Pan and the No-Gi
Worlds. I will train a lot and give my best to win each of those
tournaments.
Do
you prefer competing without the gi? Why?
Back in the day, when I used to train with Master Carlson Gracie,
everyone was focusing on no-gi training. Right around the time
when Arona won his first ADCC that’s when I fell in love
with no-gi training and made it my goal to win the ADCC; that
was my dream. For the past six years I was a finalist twice and
won it last year. I love training with the gi, and I am sure
it helps my no-gi game. But the truth is I enjoy competing no-gi
a lot. Maybe I’ll get the itch to compete with the gi soon.
If I do I will be prepared. I will need about three months of
straight gi training, run a couple of smaller tourneys and I
will be ready for the big show.
If
anyone is ever in Florida, make sure to visit my schools in Ft.
Lauderdale or Pembroke Pines. Here is my official website for
more info www.bjjcenter.com.
Source: Gracie Magazine
|
UFC
Hall of Famer Chuck Liddell still undecided on future; return
still possible
by John
Morgan
More than two months after his disappointing UFC 115 loss to
Rich Franklin, UFC Hall of Famer Chuck Liddell (21-8 MMA, 16-7
UFC) is still waiting to decide what comes next.
During
a special Q&A session at this past weekend's UFC Fan Expo
Boston 2010 at the Hynes Convention Center in Boston, Liddell
said he hopes to make a decision in the next month or two, but
he isn't ruling out a return to the cage.
And
if he does come back, it won't be for a one-off affair.
"I
don't know yet," Liddell said of his future. "I haven't
taken too much time to think about it. I've been traveling. I've
only been home two days in a row twice since my last fight, so
I really haven't settled down.
"I
get to be home for a month here coming up, so I'm going to go
home and kind of figure out what I'm doing now."
Liddell
remains one of the UFC's most beloved fighters, and in 2009 he
was enshrined in the organization's Hall of Fame. But despite
coming to UFC 115 in the best condition he's been in years, Liddell
still suffered a first-round knockout to former middleweight
champion Rich Franklin.
The
loss was Liddell's third-consecutive knockout defeat, and he
fell to just 1-5 in his past six outings.
The
difficult stretch led UFC president Dana White in June to declare
Liddell retired. When pressed by MMAjunkie.com (www.mmajunkie.com)
to determine what he would do if Liddell insisted on further
competition, White sheepishly stated he would consider releasing
the "Iceman."
That
statement fueled speculation that Liddell could take his services
elsewhere if White held firm to his demands. But at the Q&A
session, Liddell said fightingoutside of the world's premier
mixed martial arts organization didn't really appeal to him.
"[White]
really kind of left it up to me," Liddell said. "I
really haven't thought about it. Until I figure out what I'm
doing and decide what I want to do, there's no reason to think
about that.
"I
mean really, if I come back to fight, I want to fight to be the
best and prove I'm the best. The only place I can do that is
the UFC."
During
the hour-long fan-driven Q&A, the subject of a potential
Liddell return to the octagon to "punch Tito Ortiz in the
head" was brought up several times.
While
Liddell said he'd be more than happy to face his arch-rival and
complete the coaches fight from "The Ultimate Fighter 11"
that never took place, the 40-year-old said if he returns, he's
not limiting the list of potential opponents. He'll be looking
to make a run at the belt, and that means he'll take on all comers.
"I'll
fight whoever," Liddell said. "Whatever it takes to
get back to a world title, if I decide to continue."
Source: MMA Junkie
|
Sherdog.com’s
Pound-for-Pound Top 10
Frankie
Edgar wasn't ready to give up his spot on this list. At UFC 118
in Boston, he fought every bit like a man who belonged on it.
For
the second time in four months, "The Answer" won a
unanimous decision nod over B.J. Penn. This time around, there
wasn't a shred of controversy, as Edgar dominated Penn for 25
minutes and affirmed his place here. In maybe MMA's most talented
division, he'll have the chance to really add to that resume
in the future with a stream of top-notch 155-pounders in his
sights, including his first challenger -- the only man to defeat
him -- Gray Maynard.
With
his loss, Penn exits this list, on which he's enjoyed a spot
since March 2008. However, stepping back into the fold is one
of Penn's lightweight coevals.
Gilbert
Melendez staked his claim as one of the sport's best back in
April, smashing on Dream lightweight champ Shinya Aoki in a hugely
significant lightweight bout. That win, combined with Penn's
loss, allow Melendez to slip back into the pound-for-pound top
10. Melendez previously enjoyed real estate here from the initial
Sherdog pound-for-pound list in September 2007 up to his June
2008 loss to Josh Thomson.
1.
Anderson Silva (27-4)
If great champions need signature moments, Silva may have excelled
himself in Oakland on Aug. 7. The brash and bombastic Chael Sonnen
bombed on a hapless Silva for 23 minutes. Then a sudden triangle
armbar earned "The Spider" the come-from-behind victory.
In spite of his win and the rib injury he reportedly carried
into the bout, post-fight discussion has focused on the waning
dominance and increasing fragility of Silva. The Curitiba native
will have a chance to prove his fifth-round submission was no
fluke, though. After his recovery, he's expected to rematch Sonnen
in the coming months.
2.
Georges St. Pierre (20-2)
When St. Pierre and Josh Koscheck met for the first time in August
2007, St. Pierre walked away with a unanimous decision. When
they collide in a UFC title rematch three-plus years later at
UFC 124, it will be on the heels of the 12th season of “The
Ultimate Fighter,” which figures to build the second fight
with an easy and obvious face-heel dynamic. It’s a dynamic
that is only going to be reinforced by the fact that their Dec.
11 clash will go down at the Bell Centre in Montreal.
3.
Jose Aldo (17-1)
Though Alexandre Franca Nogueira was perhaps the first true dominant
featherweight during the division's embryonic stages, it is his
countryman Aldo who is now situated as the first truly great
145-pounder. Coming off a brutal blowout of divisional posterboy
Urijah Faber in April, Aldo will return to action at WEC 51 on
Sept. 30 to make his second title defense. Taking on the enormous
task of trying to be a dent in the Brazilian dynamo will be veteran
Manny Gamburyan, who has been rejuvenated after cutting down
to the more appropriate featherweight division.
4.
Frankie Edgar (13-1)
On Aug. 28 in Boston, Edgar proved that no matter the controversy
that surrounded his April UFC title win against B.J. Penn, he
is definitely the sport's top lightweight. For five rounds, Edgar
was the superior fighter, ahead of "The Prodigy" every
step of the way, standing or on the ground. However, in spite
of two massive wins, fans are unlikely to be too taken with Edgar's
accomplishments until he gets through his next challenger: Gray
Maynard. The only man to beat Edgar, Maynard outpointed him in
April 2008.
5.
Jon Fitch (23-3, 1 NC)
Love him or hate him, Fitch was in his element at UFC 117, where
he duplicated his June 2006 win over Thiago Alves with a commanding,
one-sided unanimous decision. Whether or not the victory will
earn Fitch another shot at the UFC welterweight title is as yet
unclear. What is clear, however, is that Fitch has entrenched
himself as the hands-down second-best fighter in one of MMA's
historically rich weight classes. His grinding fight style will
continue to make him a polarizing figure among fans, but Fitch
absolutely meets the most pivotal requirement -- consistently
beating great fighters -- of this list.
6.
Mauricio Rua (19-4)
“Shogun” Rua’s current resume remains a far cry
from where it was in 2005, when he tore through four top-10 opponents
in half a year. Though he now has the UFC title in one of MMA's
most talent-rich divisions, Rua's real problem is the ongoing
knee injuries he seems to suffer with regularity. Coming off
his May knockout triumph over Lyoto Machida, Shogun's third serious
knee surgery in three years has postponed a fight with former
champion Rashad Evans into 2011.
7.
Jake Shields (25-4-1)
There was a time just a few short years ago when Shields was
reviled for being one of MMA’s most loathsome fighters to
watch. During the last five years, the Cesar Gracie protégé
has transformed himself from a drab, peripheral contender to
one of the sport’s elite fighters. With elite credentials
at both 170 and 185 pounds, the former Strikeforce middleweight
champion has now signed with the UFC, where he'll head back to
the talent-rich welterweight division. The first step for Shields
inside the Octagon will come Oct. 23 at UFC 121 in Anaheim, when
he takes on Martin Kampmann.
8.
Lyoto Machida (16-1)
"The Machida Era" lasted less than a year, as Mauricio
"Shogun" Rua brutally plunked MMA's proudest karateka
in Montreal to take the UFC light heavyweight title and 205-pound
supremacy. However, Machida still enjoys considerable stature
in MMA with high-quality wins in one of MMA's most talented and
star-laden weight classes. Though it won't restore him to the
lofty status he previously enjoyed as champion, Machida will
have the chance to build on his resume at UFC 123 on Nov. 20
in Auburn Hills, Mich. He’ll meet fellow former champion
Quinton "Rampage" Jackson.
9.
Rashad Evans (15-1-1)
Evans' May 29 win over rival Quinton Jackson didn't exactly set
the world on fire. Evans walked away with a unanimous decision
win, though. He’ll have the chance to take his resume from
"very strong" to "exceptional" in the near
future, as his win over Jackson installed him as the UFC's top
205-pound contender. The real issue for the former champ is simply
inactivity, as champion Mauricio "Shogun" Rua's most
recent knee injury has pushed their clash back into 2011.
10.
Gilbert Melendez (18-2)
In the biggest lightweight bout that could've been made outside
of the UFC, Melendez thumped on Dream champion Shinya Aoki for
five lopsided rounds, earning the most significant and outstanding
win of his career. The major challenge going forward for the
28-year-old Cesar Gracie student is going to be securing major
fights within the confines of Strikeforce. Fortunately, as the
Aoki fight showed, the lightweight division has a level of global
depth and versatility that makes it easier than it would be in
other divisions.
*With
his Aug. 28 loss to Frankie Edgar, formerly fifth-ranked B.J.
Penn falls off the pound-for-pound list.
Source: Sherdog
|
Demian
Maia
By Guilherme Cruz
Jiu-Jitsu black-belt, Demian Maia gave a lesson on the ground
against his countryman Mário Miranda on UFC 118, but,
despite having fit several positions, he could not get the submission.
“I got there and I felt I have evolved a lot and I got to
the positions I wanted to”, comments Demian. On an exclusive
interview given to TATAME, the fighter commented the win over
Mário, on his recover after the loss to Anderson Silva
in Abu Dhabi, and talked about the extra motivation of seeing
his last tormentor on Mário’s corner. “With
all due respect to Mário, but I was glad when I heard
that Anderson would be on his corner because I knew I’d
motivate me even more”, confess the fighter, who comment
the rematch between Chael Sonnen and Anderson Silva, which might
happen on 2011.
What did you think of your comeback against Mário Miranda?
I was glad I came back with a win. Of course I’d like it
to be due to a submission, but he’s a very slippery guy
on the ground, defended himself well, kept himself calm during
the whole fight, even when was on a bad position, he’s a
good athlete. His professional record already shows he’d
be a hard one for everyone on this division. He’s only got
one loss in 12 fights, so, for sure, he’d be harsh on everyone.
Where you surprised with his abilities on defending the submissions?
No… I knew he was a Jiu-Jitsu black-belt and a very good
Wrestling athlete, so I knew it wouldn’t be easy for me
to submit him, but he really defended himself well and I also
had some technical mistakes which I might correct. I think it
was a good thing for me to have this chance to see what I must
improve, but I won’t take his credits of being a high level
athlete.
You have dedicating yourself a lot on the boxing trainings and
other modalities, besides Jiu-Jitsu. Do you think that this helped
you to lose so many positions and could not submit him, once
you are training less your Jiu-Jitsu?
I don’t think so, not at all. I keep training a lot of Jiu-Jitsu,
I don’t leave it aside… I don’t train only Jiu-Jitsu
nowadays, but Jiu-Jitsu represents, at least, 50% of my technical
training, so it’s a lot… It’s much more than many
people train. I believe I have to chance some things… I
got easily on the mount, on his back and arm.... I got to the
positions I wanted to. I trained and I felt like I evolved a
lot and got to the positions I wanted to. There was only a final
detail missing because, besides that, I felt comfortable on getting
to the positions…. I trained a lot of Jiu-Jitsu for this
fight.
What did Dana White say about your win after the controversy
fight with Anderson Silva?
Man, on the press conference what Dana said, when He was asked
about what he think it’d be the next step for me, that he
still doesn’t know because the division is too busy…
There’s Anderson’s fight with Chael (Sonnen), there’s
Vitor (Belfort) who should get a title fight, there’re lot
of athletes that are on the front line, so it’s one of the
busiest divisions now.
Anderson was on Mário’s corner during the fight,
since they are training partners. Did that motivate you more?
Of
course it did. I was glad when I knew he’d be on his corner
because I knew it’d motivate me even more. With all due
respect to Mário, but I was glad when I heard that Anderson
would be on his corner because I knew I’d motivate me even
more.
Source: Tatame
|
Alan
Belcher Recovering From Further Eye Surgery
By
FCF Staff UFC middleweight Alan Belcher is recovering from another
operation to repair the detached retina in his right eye, which
forced him out of his scheduled September 15th bout with Demian
Maia. According to posts made by Belcher’s wife Ashlee,
on his official Twitter page, the coming weeks are vitally important
in the fighter’s recovery.
Here
are some of the posts that appeared today and yesterday on Belcher’s
Twitter account:
Several
people have sent me @'s asking where they can send Alan a get
well soon card to.gym address is 10322 gorenflo rd diberville
ms 39340
about 18 hours ago via TwitBird
We
are home He is in a lot of pain though Next few weeks are really
important He has to lay face down :( thanks for prayers, @Ashleebelcher
about 19 hours ago via TwitBird
This
is alans wife @Ashleebelcher Yesterday his vision was blurry
again today heading into another surgery on same eye please keep
praying
5:51 AM Sep 1st via TwitBird
Belcher
(16-6) has impressed in recent Octagon competition and a win
over Maia may have left the talented striker within grasp of
a title shot. In May, Belcher tapped out former number one contender
Patrick Cote in the second round, to extend his UFC record to
7-4. The 26 year-old-fighter has only lost once in his last five
fights, which was a tightly contested Split Decision loss to
Yoshihiro Akiyama at UFC 100 last summer.
Source: Full Contact Fighter
|
PARISYAN
BACK IN THE UFC VS. HALLMAN IN DETROIT
by Damon
Martin
Welcome back to the Octagon, Karo Parisyan.
The
one-time top ten welterweight and former 170lb title contender
has been asked to return to the UFC and face Dennis Hallman at
UFC 123 in Detroit.
The
news was confirmed to MMAWeekly.com by sources close to the situation
on Thursday, with verbal agreements in place for the fight. MMAFighting.com
first reported the news on Thursday.
Parisyan
(19-5) left the UFC unceremoniously after dropping out of a fight
in November 2009 against Dustin Hazelett after failing to receive
a license for his fight from the Nevada State Athletic Commission.
Speaking
to MMAWeekly.com following the incident, Parisyan said, "Everything
is over bro. I’m just going to go home. Everything is (expletive)
up. I’ve got to think about what I’m going to do for
my career."
His
removal from the fight was followed up by UFC president Dana
White hitting Twitter and proclaiming that Parisyan would never
fight in the UFC again stating, "He will not be fighting
Saturday or ever again in the UFC!”
Well,
never doesn't always mean never.
Since
leaving the UFC, Parisyan has only fought once, a submission
victory over Ben Mortimer in Impact FC in Australia.
Welcoming
Parisyan back to the UFC will be fellow Octagon veteran Dennis
Hallman (45-13-2) who came back to the promotion himself in late
2009 after more than 4 years away from the UFC. Since returning,
Hallman has gone 1-1 with a win over Ben Saunders in his last
fight, while his lone loss came at the hands of John Howard.
The
fight between Hallman and Parisyan will likely occupy part of
the untelevised undercard, although no official announcement
about the fight or the card have been made by the UFC at this
time.
Source: MMA Weekly
|
DESTINY:
New Era Today!
Waipahu Filcom Center, Waipahu, Hawaii
September 4, 2010
Event starts: 7:00pm
Source: Event Promoter
|
Inside
the Mind of Mayhem
By Ben
Fowlkes
It's just after 6 p.m. in an upscale steakhouse in Houston and
already Jason "Mayhem" Miller is yelling at me. Maybe
it's not so much at me. More like near me. More like near everyone
in the room, and people are starting to notice.
"It's
stupid, all these people who are so worried about communism if
we get free health care," Miller says, his voice rising
far past what most people would consider an indoor volume. "What
if the fire department made you go through the same steps as
the non-socialist health care system?"
Businessmen
in ties glance up from their prime rib dinners at the next table.
Any thought they may have had of asking Miller to keep it down
vanish when they see the source of the commotion – a rangy,
cauliflower-eared 29-year-old with a nose that looks as if it's
been broken just for fun on more than one occasion, gesturing
spastically as he becomes more agitated.
"Imagine,
you call them up and they're like, 'Do you have fire insurance?'
And you're saying, 'Uh, my house is burning down right now.'
'Are you PPO or HMO? 'The house is on fire!' 'What's your policy
number?' 'Okay, it's, uh, 97JK39W2.' 'What's your group ID?'
'AHHHHHH! MY HOUSE IS GONE!'"
He
erupts into his trademark laugh, an almost cartoonishly maniacal
cackle that suggests he might be on the verge of either torturing
James Bond or simply flipping the table over on a whim. It's
the kind of laugh that makes me briefly wonder whether this whole
dinner idea, where I would sit down with Miller to learn a little
about what makes this enigmatic fighter tick, was really such
a brilliant notion.
This
whole scene was predictable, really. When we came in Miller asked
the hostess to seat us somewhere in the back of the restaurant
because, as he put it, "we're going to be yelling a lot."
By
we, he meant him. What the hostess didn't realize is, he wasn't
kidding.
Over
the course of our nearly two-hour dinner, Miller will hold court
on a number of topics, from gay marriage ("I think any two
people dumb enough to get married should be able to get married")
to illegal immigration ("It's so funny to me how rednecks
hate Mexicans who are trying to find a better life. Trust me,
if America turns south, goes bad, I'm running to Canada.")
and even the lessons he's learned about drug addiction from watching
A&E's "Intervention."
Even though I took the brunt of the blame, and I was the guy
who set the whole thing off, I king of felt, dude, I got jumped.
-- Mayhem Miller
This last one, it turns out, is something he's spent a good chunk
of time thinking about.
"There's
three main stories for 'Intervention,'" he says. "Either
the kid gets raped and turns into a drug addict, the kid gets
molested and turns to drugs, or the kid has a religious parent
who hates the fact that they're gay, and every day it's, 'Stop
sewing and play football, you homo,' and the kid eventually can't
take it anymore. It used to be you'd see a guy on the street
corner and you'd think, that's sad, I wonder how he got there.
But you didn't know. Guess what, thanks to reality TV, we know
now. We watch the show!"
By
this point, the men in ties have either learned to ignore our
table altogether, or are at least doing a very good job of pretending.
When Miller starts talking about the disgusting staph infection
he got on his neck after fighting Jake Shields for the Strikeforce
middleweight title, I begin to hope for their sake that it's
the former and not the latter.
Then
again, maybe those guys should be listening. From a distance
Miller might seem like a minor disaster waiting to happen, but
the truth is you'd be hard-pressed to find another pro fighter
who's as passionate or as intellectually curious.
For
instance, few MTV viewers realize that the oversized personality
they recognize only as the "Bully Beatdown" guy just
enrolled at Saddleback Community College in Mission Viejo, Calif.
for the fall semester.
And
why would a man with a thriving career as a pro athlete, TV host,
and color commentator want to spend his days in community college
classrooms with mopey 18-year-olds in board shots and flip-flops?
Because if he's going to write his memoirs some day, he feels
he needs to become a better writer. Otherwise, how will he ever
explain the bizarre complexity of what he does?
"I
think about how strange my life is all the time before a fight,"
he says. "It's like, here I am, standing in a cage across
from another dude. Now we're going to fight each other, and you
guys are going to watch. It dawns on me all the time how odd
my life is, and not just because I've been jumped on national
television. Network television, even. It goes to everyone's house.
My grandfather saw that."
So
did Strikeforce CEO Scott Coker, who was not pleased. And so
did CBS executives, who have yet to give Strikeforce another
shot at network TV. And the Tennessee State Athletic Commission,
which fined and suspended Miller, along with his newest arch
nemesis, Nick Diaz, who Miller says was the overreacting catalyst
that turned a normal post-fight stunt into a full-scale brawl.
"Even
though I took the brunt of the blame, and I was the guy who set
the whole thing off, I kind of felt like, dude, I got jumped.
I never went into the cage with that intention. I felt like I
was just watching it all go down. It was totally surreal. I'm
in this dog pile, bunch of dudes on top of me, and I'm like,
wow, I'm getting jumped on national television. And right as
I was thinking about it I heard Gus Johnson go, 'Gentlemen, we're
on national television.' I'm like, I know, right?"
With
Shields now gone from Strikeforce and Diaz as unrepentant as
ever, Miller has turned his focus on the welterweight champ,
though he isn't hopeful he'll get the chance to face him. Diaz
has gone up in weight for bouts with Scott Smith and Frank Shamrock
recently, but Miller believes there's "no chance" Diaz
will agree to fight him.
"I
know he's scared, and in his culture you can't admit that you're
scared. You have to act like a gangster and jump somebody,"
he says.
There's
a reason Miller took what happened in Nashville a little harder
than many fighters might have, and it had a lot to do with his
experiences growing up in government housing in Fort Bragg, N.C.,
where his father made a career for himself in the Army.
"I
get a little fired up about the whole deal, because I grew up
with kids like that, where the only time they got me was when
they jumped me," he says.
Not
that his dad was the easiest figure to come home to either. Growing
up, Miller heard all the time that he wouldn't be a man until
he could beat up his dad. Then one day he did just that, and
his father kicked him out of the house. Only not right away,
and not in the usual manner.
"One
day, my dad was like, 'Hey, I'm going to Tennessee. You want
me to drop you off in South Carolina at that girl's house?' I
had fallen in love with this girl who lived in South Carolina,
and I mean in love. Not the kind of love you can fall in now.
I mean that 17-year-old love, where you're like, I will die for
this girl. It never even occurred to me that South Carolina wasn't
on the way to Tennessee. Not at all. All I heard was, 'Do you
want to go to this girl's house?' I was like, hell yeah. So he
dropped me off there and never came back for me."
It
would be five years before Miller would speak to his father again.
While moving from Atlanta to L.A. to pursue his goals of fighting
for a living, Miller's van broke down. He called his father for
the first time since getting unceremoniously dumped in South
Carolina, and he asked for $300 to fix his van. His father gave
it to him.
"I
owe him a lot," Miller says now. "I used to hate him.
But I love him. I'm his biggest fan and he's my biggest fan.
I can still kick his a--, though."
It's
a good thing Miller was able to fix the van. It became his home
once he arrived in L.A. He simply parked it outside the gym and
stayed there. That way, all he had to worry about each day was
waking up, walking the forty feet or so into the gym, and training.
He was young, extremely poor, and essentially homeless. He was
also just about as happy as he'd ever been.
I'm an artist. I want to practice my art. I don't want to stand
around in a smoky room and have Vietnamese dudes throw bottles
at my head.
-- Mayhem Miller
"[MMA trainer] Colin Oyama, he told me every day to get
a job. Finally "Rampage" [Jackson] got me a job as
a bouncer, but I hated that job. I hate working. I'm an artist.
I want to practice my art. I don't want to stand around in a
smoky room and have Vietnamese dudes throw bottles at my head."
But
what a difference ten years makes. Now Miller's biggest problems
are trying to figure out how to keep his wiener dog from escaping
from the house he just bought in Mission Viejo, or preparing
to face MMA legend and personal hero Kazushi Sakuraba in Japan
later this month, or what to say to one of the models he's casually
dating who texts him during dinner.
And
don't worry, he's fully aware how annoying it is to hear a man
complain about these things.
"The
other night I was dealing with a lot of different problems, but
they were all good problems like this, and I remember for a second
thinking, dammit, I wish I was still living in my van right now.
I wish I had no responsibilities. I wish I was still living in
the parking lot of the Huntington Beach Ultimate Training Center,
and just waking up in the morning to go to a jiu-jitsu class.
But then I snapped back to reality and said, 'Hey idiot, this
is awesome.'"
As
self-motivating mantras go, 'Hey idiot, this is awesome,' might
be lacking in poetry, but at least it's honest. At least it fits,
in its own weird way.
And
when we're talking about a kid who couldn't sit still in school,
who wandered back and forth across the country with nothing more
than the vague goal of being a fighter, and who somehow turned
it all into a several different lucrative careers at once, is
there any other way for it to fit?
Maybe
the better question is, considering the man he's become –
the traveling, one-man violent comedy act – if the path
he took to get here was anything other than completely strange
and hilariously bizarre, would you even believe it?
Source: MMA Fighting
|
FABER
VS. MIZUGAKI SET FOR WEC 52 NOV 11
by Damon
Martin
Urijah Faber's bantamweight debut was supposed to be in September,
but a knee injury sidelined the former 145-pound champion a couple
of extra months. The "California Kid" is now primed
to return on Nov. 11 against Japanese heavy-hitter Takeya Mizugaki
at WEC 52 in Las Vegas.
The
news was confirmed to MMAWeekly.com by sources close to the fight
on Thursday, stating bout agreements have been issued and should
be signed shortly for the November contest.
Since
making the decision to drop to 135 pounds, Faber's (23-4) bantamweight
debut has been one of the most talked about moves in MMA. The
former featherweight king dropped his last fight to current champion
Jose Aldo in April, and then made the final decision to try his
hand at 135 pounds after mulling the move for some time.
Faber
was set to face Mizugaki in September at WEC 51, but a knee injury
suffered in training pushed the fight off the card.
Happy
to wait a few extra months to welcome Faber to the division is
Japanese fighter and former bantamweight title contender Takeya
Mizugaki (13-4-2). Coming off a win over Rani Yahya in his last
fight, Mizugaki is anxious to be the first test for Faber in
the 135-pound weight class. He even asked the WEC to hold off
finding him another opponent when the Sacramento fighter was
injured.
The
bout between Faber and Mizugaki will likely serve as a co-main
event for the November show, which is also set to feature the
return of former bantamweight champion Brian Bowles against Wagnney
Fabiano. More fights should be announced for WEC 52 in the coming
weeks.
Source: MMA Weekly
|
Vitor
Belfort Confirms Nov. 13th Bout With Yushin Okami
By FCF Staff
Vitor Belfort has confirmed, that as expected, he will face fellow
middleweight contender Yushin Okami, at UFC 122, November 13th
in Oberhausen, Germany. The following statement appeared on the
fighter’s official Twitter page earlier today.
"Now
it's game time we have a fight nov 13 against okami"
Belfort
(19-8) has not fought since last September, when in his Octagon
return he stopped former champion Rich Franklin in the first
round. The renowned striker had been set to face middleweight
champion Anderson Silva in April, but a shoulder injury and subsequent
surgery forced Belfort to the sidelines. Heading into UFC 122
Belfort has won 5 straight fights.
Okami
(25-5) has won back-to-back fights over Lucio Linhares and most
recently Mark Munoz, since losing by Unanimous Decision to current,
number one contender Chael Sonnen last October. The powerful
Japanese fighter has gone 9-2 in the UFC to date.
It’s
expected that the winner of the Okami / Belfort tilt, which has
yet to be officially confirmed by the UFC, will secure a title
shot. UFC 122 will be broadcast on Spike.
Source: Full Contact Fighter
|
FRANKIE
EDGAR: IT'S TIME TO RIGHT THAT WRONG
by Damon
Martin
It may be a little early in Frankie Edgar's career to call any
victory a defining win, but picking up a one-sided decision over
a man many consider to be one of the best lightweight fighters
ever could sway many to believe it was that big of a victory.
As
Edgar tagged former lightweight champion B.J. Penn with punch
after punch, mixing in some bone crunching takedowns, the New
Jersey fighter solidified his place at the top of the 155-pound
division and answered any questions if the first win over Penn
was a fluke.
Never
doubting himself, Edgar admits that the win at UFC 118 over Penn
was just what the doctor ordered, and if you doubted him before,
what are you thinking now?
"It's
great, and I guess you could say it means more," Edgar told
MMAWeekly Radio about the second win over Penn. "Winning
the title's great, defending it's better. I'm sure every single
one's going to get better and better. That's the plan, I hope
I can keep this thing for a while."
The
best way to hold onto the title is to keep the same hunger in
training and fighting as he did before winning the belt. Edgar
doesn't even understand what complacency means because he never
wants to fall into that category of a one-and-done champion.
"I
don't think I'll ever fall into that," he said. "Just
because being the smaller guy all the time, people throwing shots
at me for that. That will keep me focused. Honestly, after the
first fight with B.J., I knew I had to step up more and this
fight it just made me more ambitious. I'm looking to be on top
for a while."
With
Edgar at the top of the weight class and new top contender Gray
Maynard nipping at his heels, the lightweight division in the
UFC is currently in a state of renewal. Penn and Sean Sherk,
the last two champions before Edgar, are currently sitting outside
the title picture. Previous contenders like Kenny Florian, Joe
Stevenson, and Diego Sanchez are either coming off losses or
out of the division all together.
Names
like Evan Dunham and George Sotiropoulos now litter the list
of possible contenders. Edgar says that it's bound to happen
as the sport continues to grow and the top fighters just keep
getting better.
"It's
inevitable, it's just the cycle," Edgar explained. "You
can't always be on top forever, and way the sport's evolving,
guys are getting better, it's just what's going to happen."
What's
happening next for Edgar is some down time with his family, including
a new baby at home, but the rest won't last for long as his next
challenger waits for his chance to take away the title. Following
Edgar's initial win over Penn in April, he said he would gladly
accept a fight against Maynard then, but the UFC opted for the
automatic rematch instead.
Now
with Maynard far and away the top contender, Edgar is anxious
to face "The Bully" and also take on the only fighter
to ever hand him a loss.
"It's
the perfect story. He's undefeated, he's coming up the ranks,
I'm the champ, and he beat me already," Edgar said. "It's
the perfect chance to right that wrong."
As
far as timing goes, he leaves that up to the UFC, but all signs
are pointing towards an early 2011 showdown between to the two
top dogs in the 155-pound weight class.
"If
it's 2010, maybe at the very end, possibly early 2011,"
Edgar stated. "We'll see what Dana and Lorenzo would like,
and I'm sure we'll find out soon."
Source: MMA Weekly
|
UFC
119 card for 9/25 Conseco Fieldhouse event in Indianapolis
By Zach
Arnold
Dark
matches
¦Heavyweights:
Mark Hunt vs. Sean McCorkle
¦Welterweights: TJ Grant vs. Julio Paulino
¦Lightweights: Steve Lopez vs. Waylon Lowe
¦Lightweights: Thiago Tavares vs. Pat Audinwood
¦Heavyweights: Matt Mitrione vs. Joey Beltran
¦Middleweights: CB Dollaway vs. Joe Doerksen
Main card
¦Lightweights:
Melvin Guillard vs. Jeremy Stephens
¦Lightweights: Sean Sherk vs. Evan Dunham
¦Welterweights: Matt Serra vs. Chris Lytle
¦Light Heavyweights: Antonio Rogerio Nogueira vs. Ryan
Bader
¦Heavyweights: Frank Mir vs. Mirko Cro Cop
Source: Fight Opinion
|
Edgar:
Being a Marketable Champ Takes Time
by Joe
Myers
It took two wins over the fighter considered by many to be the
greatest lightweight in mixed martial arts history in B.J. Penn,
but UFC lightweight champion Frankie Edgar finally might be getting
some much-deserved respect.
Still,
Edgar doesn't consider himself to be in Penn's league just yet.
That only comes by standing the test of time.
"It's
going to take time, just like it took time for GSP to be considered
to be the best welterweight because Matt Hughes was so good for
so long," Edgar said on the Sherdog Radio Network's "It's
Time!" show with Bruce Buffer on Tuesday. "Now GSP
has so many wins and people think he's the best. It just takes
time for me to get my respect and that's how it works. You have
to earn your time."
While
most fighters might rest on their laurels after defending their
championship, the 28-year-old Edgar said the back-to-back wins
over Penn have made him want to go out and accomplish more in
his MMA career.
"I'm
definitely more ambitious," said Edgar, who has wins over
former UFC lightweight champ Sean Sherk, Tyson Griffin and Hermes
Franca among his 13 victories. "I feel very motivated personally.
I feel like it lit a fire under my ass. I'm still hungry. I really
am. I was hungry and this win made me hungrier even more. I don't
know why. A lot of people would think that I'd feel content,
but I'm not content by any means. It's been like a rollercoaster
ride, but I don't want to get settled and go for the ride. I
just want to work things out and make it even better."
Edgar's
next challenge will come in the form of Gray Maynard, who picked
up a unanimous decision win over Kenny Florian in a title eliminator
earlier on the card. The title fight will be a rematch of a bout
from UFC Fight Night 13 in April 2008 that saw Maynard win a
unanimous decision.
Even
though Maynard handed him the only loss of his 14-fight professional
MMA career, Edgar -- who has now won five straight fights --
said he expects the rematch to go differently.
"I
really don't feel that I'm at the top of my abilities yet and
I'm sure Gray has room to improve, too," said Edgar, who
trains at Ricardo Almeida Jiu-Jitsu. "He improved in his
last fight and I improved in my last fight. We're different fighters
and I think it'll be a different fight than it was. I think I've
made a lot of progress. My boxing is a lot more smooth. I'm bigger
and stronger. I didn't have a very good jiu-jitsu instructor
when I fought him the first time and now I'm studying under Ricardo
Almeida."
With
Maynard having had seven straight fights go to the judges with
just one finish among his 10 wins and Edgar being a relatively
new champion that not a lot of people appreciate yet, the prospect
of a Maynard-Edgar title fight hasn't gotten the masses excited
just yet.
However,
Edgar feels a rematch with Maynard is one that not only makes
sense, but is a fight people will want to see.
"Being
a marketable champion takes time," said the 28-year-old
Edgar. "I've got to get some more exposure. I've been in
the main event on the main card two times in a row and that helps
out some. As far as the storyline goes, I think it's a great
storyline. He got a win over me and I've got the title. He's
worked his way up and is undefeated. My only loss is to him.
I think it's a great storyline. People will want to see that."
Source: Sherdog
|
Daniel
Gracie Returning to MMA Following Four-Year Hiatus
By Ariel Helwani
Daniel Gracie, the cousin of Renzo and Roger Gracie, woke up
one morning and knew it was time to return to MMA.
His
last fight -- a loss to to Allan Goes in the now-defunct IFL
-- took place in November 2006. Since then, the 38-year has remained
active as a jiu-jitsu instructor, most recently taking over the
Renzo Gracie Jiu-Jitsu Academy in Stamford, CT.
But
when Gracie stopped by The MMA Hour on Monday, he announced that
his time away from MMA was coming to an end later this year.
"I
can't just watch it. I was getting cranky because I wasn't fighting.
Actually, I decided to take a little while from MMA because my
English was terrible. I could talk but not teach jiu-jitsu, so
I said, I have to learn to teach in English, because I know that
my future is going to be having a jiu-jitsu school and teaching
jiu-jitsu."
Gracie's
return to MMA will take place on Nov. 20, but he wouldn't specify
where and against who. It won't be at UFC 123, though, which
also takes place on the same day.
He's
a five-time champion in the Brazilian National Jiu-Jitsu Championships
and two-time champion at the World Jiu-Jitsu Championships. He
also placed third at the 2005 Abu Dhabi Submission Wrestling
World Championship in California.
Gracie
was thrown into the fire in June 2002 when he made his MMA debut
at PRIDE 21 alongside his cousin Renzo and the likes of Fedor
Emelianenko and Anderson Silva.
He
won his first two fights, but then went 2-2-1 in his next five
fights before taking a break from the sport.
"My
first fight was in PRIDE in front of 60,000 people. I didn't
have any amateur fights; I didn't have any small event to start
with. I was more scared about the people watching than the fight.
I was like, 'Man, what am I doing here?' You know, 60,000 just
for you.
But
Gracie knew he would return to MMA someday, it was just a matter
of when.
"All
those years, I didn't stop to train. I was training, but at the
same time, I looked at people fighting and said, 'Man, I miss
[it].' But I know that I am going to be there again and now is
the time. I'm feeling stronger, I have more knowledge in MMA.
"I
want to fight in the best shape of my life. And that is what
I am doing right now. It's time to get back and it's time to
get excited again."
By
the time his career is officially over, Gracie would like to
compete in at least 20 pro MMA fights. That means he has 13 fights
left to go.
He
will return in a year that saw his family members Rolles and
Renzo make their UFC debut, as well as Roger make his Strikeforce
debut.
There
certainly seems to be a new wave of interest in MMA by the Gracie
family, and Daniel said he he knows exactly why.
"Because
we belong there. Everybody is fighting there because of us. So
why are we going to be out watching? That's impossible."
Source: MMA Fighting
|
MMA
safer than some sports
By Ian Reich, Windsor Star
Re: Pandering to the worst in human nature, by Dr. Byron P. Rourke,
Aug. 25.
As
a doctor, it bewilders me that you have obviously not researched
the facts of the sport of MMA.
Cleary
you have no knowledge of the sport, the training involved and
the safety record of the sport.
It
is rather amusing that you would try to compare the safety of
wearing a seatbelt or a helmet while riding a bike to the safety
of a fighter in MMA. You are comparing automobile accidents,
involving extremely high rates of speed, momentum and force.
The
same for helmets while riding a bike -- hitting your head from
a five- to six-foot height on solid concrete is a force that
has no business being compared to the power a human can generate
by using any type of self-propelled anatomical force.
Of
the three deaths attributed to the sport of MMA over the past
20 years, one was not sanctioned, and the fighter was told not
to fight due to severe concussion syndrome.
The
second death was not an immediate cause of injuries suffered
while fighting but rather due to complications from surgery that
he went under.
The
latest death, a result of someone cleared to fight by an athletic
commission where clearly, the individual should not have fought.
This is something that could have easily been prevented.
He
was well below the BMI limit that indicates a possible diagnosis
of anorexia or any other potential medical illness. At 6'9"
and only 155 lbs., this individual clearly should not have been
cleared to fight.
Much
more investigation was needed to even consider sanctioning him
for fighting.
I
urge you to look at our other sports, the rate of severe injury
and trauma and compare it to mixed martial arts, or as you like
to call it, UFC, which is in fact a promotion within the sport,
not a sport itself.
Children
and adults die in hockey, football, lacrosse and more.
Are
we to ban all of these sports due to the risk of death?
Accidents
will happen and it is a way of life. The sport of MMA has stringent
safety guidelines and the safety record speaks for itself.
I
find it rather difficult that you seem to have omitted that boxing,
a century-old sport, has multiplied in ring deaths per decade.
Also,
there are thousands of individuals who suffer from lifelong conditions
as a direct result of continued blows to the head with heavily
padded gloves, which in fact, makes it more dangerous.
Why
are you not complaining about that? The answer is ignorance,
lack of knowledge and clear disregard and lack of consideration
of true empirical data.
The
data is clear. MMA is by no means a life-threatening sport.
You
do, in fact, have an exponentially better chance of dying while
driving than you do participating as an MMA fighter.
MMA
is safe. MMA does not allow for repeated blows to the head like
boxing.
Once
a fighter can no longer defend himself, the fight is stopped.
A
fighter can tap due to pain of a submission lock. Or, a fighter
can win or lose depending on the judge's scorecards.
People
need to realize that the leading cause of death is not sport,
accidents, illness and injury.
Once
we are born, we are going to die. Hence, life is the leading
cause of death.
We
all just do it in a different way.
IAN
REICH, Windsor
Source: The Windsor Star
|
Cunha
denies news on deal with Shogun
Last week, the American news announced the return of the partnership
between Maurício Shogun and Sérgio Cunha, who trained
the UFC champion for the last time when he would fight Chuck
Liddel, and he won that light heavyweight bout. N a chat with
TATAME, Cunha denied any agreement with the champion.
“There’re lots of interviews of me on American websites…
The last one was on the beginning of last week and caused a heat,
because it had something about Shogun doing a camp with me. I’d
like to thank the affection and the recognition of me and my
work, but I believe that the reporter didn’t get it right
or got too excited, because we’ve talked about many athletes
whom I worked with, but I’d like to clear that up and say
I didn’t said that about Shogun”, clarifies Sérgio.
Despite things are not set, Cunha tells he would work with Maurício
again. “That doesn’t mean it can’t happen on his
next fight or again in the future. Our experience with the camp
against Chuck was great for both of us, because we’re close
friends and we’re always in touch”, said leaving the
doors open to all other champion he have trained.
“It can be (Murilo) Ninja, (Rodrigo) Minotauro, Anderson
(Silva), (Murilo) Bustamante among many others whom I had the
pleasure to work with in the past and we kept in touch. All the
athletes who trained with me are welcome to come and train with
me again wherever I am, mainly these one that are the ones that
are my friends and I have a special affection for them and a
way of work which has been proved to work for them”, highlights
Sérgio.
GOOD SEQUENCE OF WINS POST-SHOGUN
Since he trained Shogun to confront Liddell, Cunha has been dedicated
to his new team on the United States and the success is impressive.
In almost 100 fights within a year, the team got 83 wins and
only 12 losses. “The results are proving the hard work we’ve
been doing. When I got here, I saw many athletes coming here
and I saw a great potential on them. I’ve been dedicating
all my time on the camps for the high level athletes on my team”,
tells the coach, who has his agenda filled up for the next weeks.
“I’m going today to San Antonio, Texas, with my athlete
Travis Reddinger, to fight on Bellator on September 2. right
after that, I have two other athletes who’ll fight on CFX,
on the 11th, and two others will be fighting on Capitol Hill,
and on the 25th two more will fight on King Of The Cage. And
it keeps on going until the end of the year”, tells, highlighting
some of his new athletes. “We have Mike Richman on The Ultimate
Fighter and Shana Olsen on Strikeforce, and soon Mike Foster
will fight on M-1. I’m finishing a camp and starting another
one, it’s an endless cycle, the demand it huge”.
Happy
with his new phase, Cunha celebrates. “I’m very pleased
with the growth of my work and these wins. One thing when you
get an athlete to train and he’s already ready, but it’s
completely different when you get a guy and has to work with
him from the beginning and build a new generation of complete
athletes with a good base in all types of art. In my school,
we have Muay Thai, Wrestling and Jiu-Jitsu, so to see these guys
fighting on big events… It’s really rewarding to build
and shape an athlete to compete in high level”, concluded
the coach.
Source: Tatame
|
Cain
Velasquez:
“I felt there was something missing in wrestling”
After beating Rodrigo Minotauro at UFC 110, Cain Velasquez remains
undefeated in MMA, with eight wins. His next opponent, on October
21 in California, is the gargantuan Brock Lesnar, in a bout worth
the heavyweight title. A phenomenal wrestler established on the
university circuit, this fighter of Mexican heritage simply walked
away from representing his country at the greatest festival for
his sport there is, the Olympics. Why? To be happy in MMA.
Our correspondent Nalty Jr spoke with the beast in an interview
filed in our NOCAUTE magazine archives. Coming up, check out
a bit of the conversation to find out more about Cain Velasquez.
How
long have you trained MMA and what’s your belt in Jiu-Jitsu?
I
started MMA three years ago. I started Jiu-Jitsu at the same
time that I started MMA; I’m currently a purple belt. I
do a lot more no-gi than gi, but when I train in the gi I’m
a purple belt.
After
learning Jiu-Jitsu my wrestling improved” Cain Velasquez
You
come from a wrestling background. Did you feel much difference
when you started learning Jiu-Jitsu?
I
didn’t feel there was much difference between Jiu-Jitsu
and wrestling, but after I learned Jiu-Jitsu my wrestling improved
considerably. I have more positional control. I feel the mixture
of wrestling and Jiu-Jitsu is really great.
How
did the opportunity to fight in the UFC come about?
I
had two fights on my CV and wanted to fight in other shows before
going to the UFC, to get some experience. But It was really hard
to get fights with other organizations, so my manager said: ‘We
haven’t fought in a long time, we can’t wait any longer.
It’s time to call up the UFC.’ He made the call, made
Dana White an offer and we went to Vegas. We took two fighters
with us and Dana watched me standing with those two fighters
and doing Jiu-Jitsu with another two heavyweight athletes. He
liked what he saw and told me I was in the UFC.
You
were a wrestling champion in the USA. Did you ever harbor the
dream of competing at the Olympics?
When
I was in college, that was one of my objectives. But when I was
just doing wrestling I felt there was something missing. So I
discovered what was missing was throwing punches. I wanted to
do boxing and kickboxing, throw strikes. That’s why, instead
of setting the goal of going to the Olympics, I chose to set
out on a career in MMA.
Your base is wrestling, but you’ve won nearly all your fights
by knockout (seven in eight). Does that surprise you?
No.
I’ve practiced MMA for three years and worked on my standup
game a lot. I always use my wrestling in fights, even when I’m
going for the knockout. I use my wrestling to take it to the
ground and do ground and pound. Even though I’m a wrestler,
I train hard to be the best I can be in MMA.
How
do you deal with the pressure of being unbeaten?
I
don’t feel any pressure. I’m just conscious that I
have to keep training hard in the gym. I don’t pay attention
to what people say. I can’t listen to them. What I have
to do is be well-trained and ready to beat my opponent.
What
can you say about your game plan, your strategy in your fights?
I
have a strategy for each fight; it depends on who my opponent
is. Before each fight, I get together with my coaches and watch
my future opponent’s fight and we talk amongst ourselves
to reach a conclusion on the best strategy to beat the fighter.
And, based on that strategy, we train for months to beat the
guy.
Source: Gracie Magazine
|
Matches
to Make after WEC 50
by Tomas
Rios
Joseph
Benavidez file photo: Sherdog.com
The
favorite sport of Norman Mailer’s ghost brought serious
game in the form of WEC 50 on Wednesday at the Palms Casino Resort
in Las Vegas. As usual, the post-fight afterglow calls for some
beard-tastic matchmaking, and I’m the one to keep it extra
grizzled.
Joseph
Benavidez vs. Demetrious Johnson
I
don’t know about the rest of you, but I’m sick and
tired of the WEC not employing a flyweight division, especially
when a match between Benavidez and Johnson would be the perfect
debut for this weight class. There are plenty of great flyweights
out there for the taking, but using a couple of homegrown fighters
to get the division off the ground seems like an easy sell.
In
Benavidez’s two bouts with Dominick Cruz and in Johnson’s
match with Brad Pickett, their talent was every bit as obvious
as the massive size disparity with which they deal as bantamweights.
Giving them the opportunity to cut an extra 10 pounds and show
what they can do against someone their own size would serve up
a guaranteed “Fight of the Night” candidate.
As
long as Johnson beats Clint Godfrey -- and he should -- this
looks like the right move for the WEC at a time when its lightweight
division is clearly running out of steam. More importantly, a
long-ignored weight class would finally overcome the biggest
obstacle in its long, winding road to mainstream MMA fans: acceptance
by a Zuffa promotion.
Chad
Mendes vs. Javier Vazquez
Just
about anyone who comes out of Urijah Faber’s Team Alpha
Male camp will have a ton of hype attached to his name, and Mendes
is certainly no different. An elite NCAA wrestler who has translated
those skills to MMA in short order, all he needs to show now
is that he can create offense from the top control he so easily
gains.
Vazquez
is just the guy to put him in there against. If Mendes cannot
get any real offense going, “Showtime” will outclass
him on the ground. Long known for his brilliant grappling skills,
Vazquez has developed solid striking chops to match and, in all
honesty, should be rocking a 4-0 record in the WEC, rather than
the mediocre 2-2 mark incompetent judges handed him.
Vazquez
deserves a high-profile main card slot as much as anyone and,
unlike Cub Swanson, has the technical Brazilian jiu-jitsu skills
to keep Mendes from pulling off a Mark Coleman special. Mendes
can no longer be coddled, and he needs to prove that wrestling
is not the only skill he brings to the table.
Brad
Pickett vs. Damacio Page
Contrived
as Pickett’s “One Punch” gimmick may be, it’s
impossible not to appreciate the way he fights. All three of
his WEC bouts have been a pleasure to watch, and a tilt with
Page would make “The Expendables” look like a “Care
Bears” spinoff.
Manliness
would be on the agenda for every second of this duel, as both
fighters’ willingness to unload haymakers and get into scrambles
worthy of The Flash makes for a tantalizing style clash. Considering
Page and Pickett’s only WEC losses have come to bantamweight
elites Brian Bowles and Scott Jorgensen, respectively, investing
in building a contender out of one of them seems like a fine
idea.
Simply
put, when Page can get through a training camp without sustaining
some sort of injury, he’s one of the only bantamweights
around who’s willing to fight at the sadomasochistic pace
for which Pickett has become known. Besides, anytime one can
match up a guy nicknamed “The Angel of Death” against
someone with the genes of a bare-knuckle boxer, one has to do
it.
Cheap
Shots & Quick Thoughts
Dominick
Cruz vs. Scott Jorgensen: An absolute no-brainer for the WEC,
regardless of Urijah Faber’s popularity. Imagine an even
more competitive version of Cruz’s rematch with Benavidez,
and that’s the kind of awesome potential this fight holds.
Benson
Henderson vs. Anthony Pettis: The WEC needs to break up the lightweight
title trinity of Henderson, Donald Cerrone and Jamie Varner before
the division turns into a redundant wreck. The prodigiously gifted
Pettis possesses charisma, style and skill to spare and would
bring something new to a division desperate for new faces.
Bart
Palaszewski vs. Maciej Jewtuszko: Rocking Anthony Njokuani’s
universe with a spinning back elbow should be plenty to get Jewtuszko
a main card return bout in the WEC. Palaszewski will stand in
the pocket with him, which means violence, sweet, sweet violence.
Source: Sherdog
|
BOWLES
RETURNS VERSUS FABIANO AT WEC 52
by Ken
Pishna
Former WEC bantamweight champion Brian Bowles is set to make
his return to the cage on at WEC 52 on Nov. 10. He will face
former IFL featherweight champion Wagnney Fabiano.
News
of the rumored fight was first reported by Joe Ferraro at Sportsnet.ca.
MMAWeekly.com independently confirmed the bout with sources close
to the fight.
Bowles
(8-1) hasn’t fought since losing his title belt to Dominick
Cruz at WEC 47 in March. The loss disrupted his previously unblemished
record that includes victories over fighters such as Miguel Torres,
Will Ribeiro, Damacio Page, and Charlie Valencia.
Bowles
has been on the sidelines since the Cruz fight due to a broken
hand that he suffered in that bout.
Fabiano
(14-2) has suffered only one defeat since signing on in the WEC’s
featherweight division in late 2008. That one defeat, to Mackens
Semerzier, was enough to get Fabiano to make the decision to
move down to bantamweight where he is now 2-0 for the WEC.
The
two will be part of the WEC 52 fight card that Urijah Faber vs.
Takeya Mizugaki is expected to headline. The event has been heavily
rumored for the Arco Arena in Faber’s backyard of Sacramento,
Calif., but MMAWeekly.com sources indicate that the event is
likely to take place elsewhere.
World
Extreme Cagefighting has yet to announce the event and its location.
Source: MMA Weekly
|
The
curious death of anti-yakuza laywer Toshiro Igari
By Zach
Arnold
On
Thursday, news broke that NHK will once again broadcast Sumo
telecasts live after promises by Sumo’s governing body that
they had severed all ties with the yakuza. One person who had
not been impressed by what was happening as far as Sumo’s
‘clean-up’ process was concerned was 61-year old former
prosecutor Toshiro Igari.
Igari,
who became famous for his various television appearances attacking
the yakuza along with books that he wrote in the past on the
subject, was one of Japan’s most ardent attackers of the
way that yakuza did business in the country. At the end of August,
he was found dead in a residence in Makati City (the financial
district of Manila in the Philippines). Police initially ruled
the death a suicide and said that both of his wrists were slit
open due to a ‘cutter knife’ and that tablets (pills)
were found near his body.
Of
course, given his spirits (which were reportedly good) and the
amount of powerful enemies he developed over many years, there
is great skepticism that the death is a suicide. Adding fuel
to the fire is the fact that a new book by the late Mr. Igari
was set to come out about new yakuza cases that he was working
on or investigating. One source with knowledge of the book claims
that Mr. Igari was ready to discuss his involvement on a seven-lawyer
team that was working on behalf of former MMA power broker Miro
Mijatovic, who was suing Dream Stage Entertainment and legally
going after parties involved in PRIDE for what had happened to
him over the many years in the MMA business. The ghost of PRIDE’s
past still lingers. Mr. Mijatovic was the former Japanese agent
for Fedor Emelianenko & Mirko Cro Cop.
Mr.
Igari was very critical of the police investigation that went
on in Japan regarding the main players behind PRIDE. It is unknown
if the new book he had been working on will be published.
Source: Fight Opinion
|
UFC
118 FIGHTER SALARIES:
JAMES TONEY CASHES IN
The Massachusetts State Athletic Commission released the UFC
118: Edgar vs. Penn 2 fighter salary information on Thursday.
The main event featured UFC lightweight champion Frankie Edgar
defending his title in a rematch with former champion B.J. Penn.
The event took place on Saturday, Aug. 28, at the TD Garden in
Boston.
The
following figures are based on the fighter salary information
that promoters are required by law to submit to the state athletic
commissions, including the winners' bonuses. Any undisclosed
bonuses that a promoter also pays its fighters, but does not
disclose to the athletic commissions (such as pay-per-view bonuses),
are not included in the figures below.
MAIN
CARD FIGHTERS:
-Frankie
Edgar: $96,000 (includes $48,000 win bonus) def. B.J. Penn: $150,000
-Randy
Couture: $250,000 (no win bonus) def. James Toney: $500,000
-Demian
Maia: $68,000 (includes $34,000 win bonus) def. Mario Miranda:
$8,000
-Gray
Maynard: $46,000 (includes $23,000 win bonus) def. Kenny Florian:
$65,000
-Nate
Diaz: $60,000 (includes $30,000 win bonus) def. Marcus Davis:
$31,000
PRELIMINARY
CARD (NON-TELEVISED) FIGHTERS:
-Joe
Lauzon: $24,000 (includes $12,000 win bonus) def. Gabe Ruediger:
$8,000
-Nik
Lentz: $22,000 (includes $11,000 win bonus) def. Andre Winner:
$10,000
-Dan
Miller: $30,000 (includes $15,000 win bonus) def. John Salter:
$8,000
-Greg
Soto: $12,000 (includes $6,000 win bonus) def. Nick Osipczak:
$10,000
-Mike
Pierce: $24,000 (includes $12,000 win bonus) def. Amilcar Alves:
$6,000
UFC
118 DISCLOSED FIGHTER PAYROLL: $1,428,000
Source: MMA Weekly
|
Penn's
performance puts future in jeopardy
By Billy
Hull
Does B.J. Penn really want to be a fighter?
Thirty-one years old is supposed to be the prime of an athlete's
career. On Saturday, Penn looked like he was 51 in his loss to
Frankie Edgar at UFC 118 in front of a TD Garden crowd of 15,
575.
Leading up to the fight, Penn said he wanted Frankie Edgar to
know the real B.J. Penn. He said the real B.J. Penn would be
on display for all to see.
The worst part about it all is that he may have been right.
The former UFC lightweight and welterweight champion knows what
it takes to be the best. A hard-core workout regimen with former
trainer Marv Marinovich put Penn in the best shape of his life.
He showed how great he can be with dominant, one-sided wins over
Kenny Florian and Diego Sanchez. He could do it all -- strike
with power, stave off takedowns at will and punish people with
a ferocious ground game.
Against Edgar, it was the opposite. Edgar was the one who looked
like a black belt world champion in jiu-jitsu. Edgar was the
one picking up Penn and slamming him hard on the ground.
Longtime boxing trainer Freddie Roach once said Penn has the
best boxing in MMA. Are we sure he didn't mean Edgar?
There shouldn't be any greater motivation than getting a second
chance to face the guy who beat you the first time.
From the moment Penn was shown walking to the ring, you could
almost see it in his eyes. Against Sanchez and Florian, he looked
like a rabid dog, ready to unleash all of his skill on his opponent.
On Saturday, he looked tentative just walking to the ring. Mentally,
he was so out of it he walked to the wrong corner and waited
a good 10 seconds before finally figuring out his cornermen were
on the other side.
Mixed martial arts is a sport evolving on a daily basis. As more
and more people get into it, new and fresher ideas are coming
about, making it much harder to stay on top.
For the second time in less than two years, and first at 155
pounds, we saw Penn manhandled to the point that it was almost
tough to watch. Mouth open, gasping for air, eating combinations,
getting taken down with ease, it was a bad night all the way
around for the Penn camp.
It's up to him where he goes from here. He knows what it takes
to fully prepare for a fight, and for his last two against Edgar,
he hasn't been willing to do it.
He's spent all of his time in Hilo, working with the same group
of guys that surround him every day.
If Penn is going to continue on from here, he has to first figure
out if he wants it. If what it takes is to get back with Marinovich
or find another team that will push him and make him better in
ways he's not getting now in Hilo, is he willing to do it?
At 31, he has plenty of time to figure it out. Does he want to?
He said he wanted to fight every month if possible, but now more
than ever, it's most important he takes his time to step back
and figure things out.
If he wants to put the proper time and effort into it, then it's
back to the grind. But if he doesn't, then it might be time to
think about hanging up the gloves.
The worst thing he can do is continue to think he can go out
there unprepared and unmotivated like he was against Edgar. If
that's the case, then a repeat of Saturday night is what awaits
a man that nobody is used to seeing get beat up the way he did.
And nobody wants to see that.
Source:
Star Advertiser
|
Mike
Swick Looks Back at Recent Struggles, Forward to a Healthy Future
By Ben
Fowlkes
As anyone who's ever gone out to dinner with Mike Swick can tell
you, watching the UFC welterweight order is an ordeal unto itself.
He can't have garlic, or any of the great stuff that makes spicy
food spicy. He can't have many of the staples of the American
restaurant industry, in fact, and it's not just when he's cutting
weight.
Because
of an esophageal issue that he's struggled with for the past
four years, even minor interactions like ordering at a restaurant
have become exhausting.
"I
know every time I have to order food somewhere, it's going to
be a problem," Swick told MMA Fighting this week. "When
the waitress comes up to ask for my order, I know ahead of time
it's going to be an issue. I have to explain that I can't have
garlic, can't have spice, go through this whole spiel every time,
and then there's about a 50% chance that I'll just be ignored
and it will be in there anyway. Then I'll be up for four hours
feeling like I'm having a heart attack."
It's
a problem that's affected his social life and his fighting career,
but now he's hoping that he may be on the verge of a solution.
As
Swick explained in a video blog, he recently learned that he'd
been misdiagnosed with the stomach condition dyspepsia. He was
told there was no cure, and the only effective management was
adhering to certain dietary restrictions. Those restrictions
included eating much smaller meals and not eating within hours
before laying down.
For
a pro athlete burning through several thousand calories a day
in intense workouts, it was next to impossible. The breaking
point came the week he flew to England to face Dan Hardy at UFC
105.
"That
was a fight where I really wanted more than anything to back
out of that fight the week of the fight. I would never do that,
but it was just the worst week of my whole career," Swick
said. "Every aspect of it was terrible. I got almost no
sleep. My stomach was at its worst because of my esophagus issue.
I was cramping pretty much non-stop and I wasn't able to eat
anything. I was just really malnourished."
Just
the fact that he made it through all three rounds of the fight
felt like a feat, Swick said, even though it hurt to watch Hardy
celebrate as if he were on top of the world.
"I
had to just suck it up, and [Hardy] went on to act like he climbed
Mount Everest. He got a title shot, was on the cover of all the
magazines, and he beat the weakest version of me that has ever
fought. The world had no idea, and I just had to swallow that.
I went ahead and fought him in his backyard. I had no support.
Even my hat was stolen when I walked out to the cage. Not a single
good thing happened to me that week."
After
that fight, Swick went to his doctor in a desperate state. Maybe
there was no cure for dyspepsia, but there had to be something
they could do. Even if it was some experimental surgery, Swick
was up for it. He'd done it before when he was 19 and had a risky
surgery to repair a congenital heart defect that would have kept
him from ever pursuing his dream of becoming a pro fighter. Now
he faced a different, but similarly troubling issue. If he couldn't
do something about it he felt the career he'd sacrificed so much
for would soon be over.
But
when he was referred to a specialist, Swick found out he'd never
had dyspepsia. Instead he had a combination of esophageal spasms
and acid reflux, which produce similar symptoms.
"[The
specialist] said, the good news is it's treatable. The bad news
is, for years you've been living with this problem that you could
have gotten help for. So it was kind of bittersweet news."
Now
Swick is in the final stages of getting approval for a treatment
that would use a neurotoxin to paralyze his esophageal muscles
in order to stop the spasms. The success rate for the treatment
is around 60%, Swick said. If he's among the 40% for whom it
doesn't work, a potentially dangerous surgery might be his only
option.
"We're
hoping it works, because that would get me back to training and
fighting really fast," Swick said. "It's put a damper
on my life outside of fighting. My personal life, my social life,
this just stops you from enjoying life so much. ... It basically
feels like you're having a heart attack. It's these spasms inside
your chest, and if you eat the wrong food it triggers it for
hours."
Finally
Swick may be close to ending to this personal nightmare. At least
he's got a better than even shot. After all the pain it's caused
him over the years, the part-time poker pro will take those odds.
Source: MMA Fighting
|
WARREN
KO'S SOTO TO WIN BELLATOR GOLD
Press Release
Bellator Fighting Championships crowned a new Featherweight World
Champion in front of a boisterous crowd at the Majestic Theatre
in San Antonio.
In
the night’s main event the Bellator World Featherweight
Championship was on the line as "The Baddest Man on the
Planet", Joe Warren, took on defending Bellator World Champion
Joe “The Hammer” Soto in the first ever defense of
a Bellator World Title.
The
first round was all Soto, as the undefeated champion put on a
boxing clinic, delivering a series of devastating punches to
what appeared to be a completely outmatched Warren. As the first
round came to a close, a battered and bruised Warren headed to
his corner shaken, but not discouraged.
In
round two, Warren stormed out of the gate on a mission, delivering
an overhand right to the head of Soto that sent "The Hammer"
reeling to the canvas. After scrambling back to his feet, it
was a crushing knee to the chin that finished the fight, establishing
Warren as the newly crowned Bellator World Featherweight Champion.
“I
told you I was going to win,” Warren said after the victory.
“I came in here and got the job done. I’m super happy
to be a World Champion. This is the first time I’ve knocked
someone out – there is a lot more to come.”
Kicking
off the night was a Quarterfinal Bantamweight Tournament matchup
between Ed “Wild” West and Bryan Goldsby. Both fighters
began feeling each other out on the feet before West attempted
a series of dazzling leg lock submissions attempts that impressed
the crowd and the judges.
In
the final period, “Wild” West came out swinging for
the fences, connecting with a number of heavy strikes to Goldsby,
which ultimately led to a unanimous decision win for the talented
West.
In
other Bantamweight Tournament action, Nick “Garfield”
Mamalis took on Zach “Fun Size” Makovsky a grueling
back and forth three round battle. Both fighters flexed their
wrestling skills in a match filled with crisp strikes and impressive
slams. The momentum swung back and forth, with Markovsky shaking
off everything Mamalis tried to throw at him early. However,
Mamalis landed powerful takedown slam in the second round that
left Makovsky in a daze.
As
the fight moved to the third and final round, Fun Size dug deep
and secured a rear-naked-choke that led Makovsky to an impressive
30-27 unanimous decision victory.
Rounding
out the Bantamweight Tournament was a quarterfinal match between
submission specialist Ulysses “Useless” Gomez and Travis
"Hurricane" Reddinger. Gomez controlled the first round
with consistent leg kicks and looked to end the fight early by
applying a tight guillotine to Reddinger, but was unsuccessful
in his attempt.
Rounds
two and three saw similar action, with each fighter delivering
numerous takedowns throughout the fight while Gomez controlled
the bulk of the action on his way to a hard fought split decision
victory (29-28, 28-29, 29-28).
Source: MMA Weekly
|
Lyoto
vs. Rampage in Detroit
by Carlos
Eduardo Ozório
This week the UFC confirmed Detroit, Michigan, as the location
for the 123rd installment of the event. The evening’s main
event will pit two former light heavyweight champions against
each other, Quinton “Rampage” Jackson and Lyoto Machida.
Machida
hasn’t fought since May, when he suffered the first loss
of his sixteen-fight career. Worse still, he lost his belt in
the fight against Mauricio Shogun.
Jackson,
too, comes in off a negative result. After dropping out for ten
months, when he tried his hand as an actor in the movie The A-Team,
he ended up losing to Rashad Evans, another former divisional
champion.
Another
fight that should make sparks fly at the show is between Matt
Brown and Rory MacDonald.
Source: Gracie Magazine
|
SI’s
Josh Gross discusses what’s next for BJ Penn in his UFC
career
By Zach
Arnold
From his SI radio show on Tuesday:
“If
you want to point to one thing, really one thing that’s
the difference between Frankie Edgar and BJ Penn at this point
in their careers, motivation. The motivation to be champion.
Nothing was going to stop Edgar from fighting the fight that
he wanted, nothing, and BJ Penn certainly wasn’t going to
do that and he couldn’t do that. You saw BJ get frustrated
over the course of the fight, you know, things that he had wanted
to do, things that he had hoped to happen and he was in shape,
he was ready. This is the first time, I think, the first time
in BJ Penn’s career where he fought someone of his size
and was dominated and I don’t know how he’s going to
react to that. I talked to his trainer, Rudy Valentino, on Monday.
BJ apparently was already back in the gym, doing cardio, they
want to keep him in the shape that he was, they don’t want
him eating and getting fat and blown up. But it’s a motivation
issue, really. How’s he going to react to losing to a guy
that’s his size, smaller. Really? Frankie Edgar, I mean…
I was one of many people calling for him to drop down to Featherweight.
Looks foolish now, perhaps, but he is as small as you get in
the Lightweight division. This is not BJ Penn going up in weight
and losing to larger men. This is someone who he’s fighting
who is his peer, who’s smaller than him, who beat him in
every aspect of the fight. I don’t know how BJ Penn reacts
to that. It will be very interesting.
“There
has been talk in previous losses about retirement. These are
words that, he actually openly spoke out about retirement. My
understanding is that he’s not saying that now. He’s
gotten already past any possible point of saying I’m going
to walk away from Mixed Martial Arts. So, BJ Penn fans, rejoice
in that. He will fight again. What exactly his motivation is
and where exactly he goes, what he accomplishes, I don’t
know, but can he rebound? I mean, can he find the form that he
did 9, 10 years ago when he started in this thing, when he blew
through people? I don’t think so. I don’t think so.
Not unless there’s a major shift in his life. He’s
a father now. He’s got a young child. Married, I think married,
but he definitely has a long-time girlfriend. I don’t, I
just don’t see him recapturing what he had. I don’t,
I think it’s very difficult if you’re a fighter, especially
someone who was anointed early on as he was, The Prodigy. I mean
I think says it all in terms of what people’s expectations
were of BJ Penn. When you have that and all of a sudden you can’t
compete at the level that you once could, mentally you can’t
get up, you can’t meet the challenge in front of you…
I don’t think BJ’s the kind of guy that’s going
to fight until he can’t do it any more. I don’t think
he’s the guy that’s going to be like a James Toney,
42, out of shape, looking for a pay day. That’s not BJ Penn.
He’s never been that way, he’s always expressed the
exact opposite, he doesn’t want to do that. So I’m,
you know, I don’t know.
“I
think lots of interesting choices ahead. Is he fighting for himself
any more? You know, he always did fight for himself, that was
his motivation. He wanted to prove what he had and he did that
in a lot of ways and I got some criticism, too, for the piece
that I wrote afterwards saying that he’s not the best Lightweight
of all time. Ummm…. maybe for this moment he still is, but
he won’t go down as that. There’s no way he goes down
as that. I don’t see it. His excursion up to the higher
weight division in the middle of his career was a big mistake.
I said that then and I say that now and I think in the end, that’s
the reason why we will not have seen BJ Penn reach his max potential
in the sport. Great talent. Great, great talent, but I just don’t
see it.”
Source: Fight Opinion
|
Report:
GSP vs. Koscheck II to Take Place Dec. 11th in Montreal
By FCF
Staff
Georges St. Pierre and Josh Koscheck will fight for the second
time, December 11th, at UFC 124 in Montreal, Quebec, according
to multiple reports today. The rematch will be hosted by the
city’s Bell Centre, and will take place after the conclusion
of the upcoming season of “The Ultimate Fighter”, that
will see GSP and Koscheck coach opposite one another.
The
following post appeared on Koscheck’s official Twitter page
this morning:
"2
get what u have never had u must do what u've never done."
Looks like we going 2 Russia aka.(MTL) kids on dec 11 :)
The
location and date of the bout was first reported by MMA Fighting.com,
citing a confirmation from UFC President Dana White.
St.
Pierre and Kosheck first fought in August, 2007, when the current
welterweight champion dominated Koscheck en route to a Unanimous
Decision win. GSP has won 6 straights bout since the fight, while
the accomplished collegiate wrestler Koscheck has gone 6-2.
It
will be interesting to see how Koscheck is greeted by Montreal
fans on December 11th; following his UD win over Paul Daley at
UFC 113, the outspoken welterweight declared that both St. Pierre
and the city’s beloved Montreal Canadiens hockey team, were
headed for losses.
Source: Full Contact Fighter
|
Lawal
Says Defeat Deserved for Abandoning Game Plan, Preps for Surgery
Wednesday
by Joe
Myers
Sometimes after a loss, fighters might take a long time to figure
out what went wrong.
Not
so for former Strikeforce light heavyweight champion Muhammed
“King Mo” Lawal, who lost his title to Rafael "Feijao"
Cavalcante via a third-round referee stoppage at Strikeforce
"Houston" earlier this month.
"I
threw out my wrestling," Lawal told the Sherdog Radio Network's
"Savage Dog Show" on Monday. "The thing is, if
you look at (UFC 118), wrestling dominated. Demian Maia used
wrestling to get his takedowns. Gray Maynard used wrestling.
Frankie Edgar used his hands and his wrestling when he had to.
I didn't use my wrestling enough. I didn't set anything up. I
didn't fake any takedowns. I didn't really shoot any hard takedown
attempts."
Lawal
was leading on the judges' scorecards before Cavalcante floored
the collegiate wrestling champion with consecutive knees and
a right hand to signal the beginning of the end.
The
29-year-old fighter won the title by out-wrestling favorite Gegard
Mousasi to a five-round unanimous decision at Strikeforce “Nashville”
on April 17 in Tennessee.
Lawal
did slam Cavalcante early in the fight, but "Feijao"
got back to his feet shortly thereafter and Lawal stayed away
from his trademark wrestling after that. Lawal said Cavalcante's
quick recovery wasn't the reason why he didn't utilize his wrestling
skills.
"A
slam is a slam," said Lawal. "A takedown is different.
If you take somebody down, you control their whole body into
a position when you land. But I slammed him and was looking to
throw punches and he came back up. I was trying to throw punches
and he came back up and recovered. If I'd just grinded him out
and taken him down over and over like I did with Mousasi, he
would've been gassed out dead in the third round."
The
first loss of Lawal's eight-fight pro MMA career not only cost
him the Strikeforce title, but it will put him on the sidelines
for several months, as he will undergo knee surgery to replace
both his anterior and posterior cruciate ligaments in his left
knee on Wednesday in Los Angeles.
Lawal’s
surgery will be performed by Dr. Neal S. Elattrache, of the Kerlan-Jobe
Orthopaedic Clinic, the same physician who performed arthroscopic
surgery on heavyweight contender Fabricio Werdum Aug. 18 to remove
27 loose bone fragments in the Brazilian’s left elbow.
It's
the second ACL surgery for Lawal, who had the same surgery in
2009 after tearing the ligament during the first round of his
bout against Ryo Kawamura at Sengoku “Seventh Battle”
in March 2009.
Lawal
was upbeat about the defeat and the upcoming rehabilitation process,
which could take up to nine months.
"I've
lost before in wrestling," said Lawal. "I'm going to
bounce back. I didn't want to lose, but I deserved to lose because
I went out there and abandoned my true game plan. I just went
out there and fought a stupid fight. If I hadn't lost, I would've
gone back and done the same things over and over again. If I
wouldn't have lost now, who knows who I would've lost to later."
Source: Sherdog
|
Trevor
Sherman Hopes to Keep Training James Toney in MMA
By Michael
David Smith
After a two-decade career as a professional boxer, James Toney
looked like a fish out of water in his mixed martial arts debut
on Saturday night, and UFC President Dana White said after Randy
Couture overwhelmed Toney that the UFC was done experimenting
with professional boxers.
But
Trevor Sherman, the man who trained Toney for MMA, said he doesn't
want Toney to quit the sport, even if he has to fight in a second-tier
MMA promotion.
"I
still love James," Sherman said. "I hope he doesn't
stop doing MMA, and if the UFC does release him ... trust me
-- there's plenty of interest."
Sherman
acknowledged that it was a little embarrassing seeing Toney fail
to stop Couture from putting him flat on his back and submitting
him. He said they had worked on a game plan for how to stop Couture's
takedowns, but he believes that once the fight started, Toney
started thinking about getting a chance to land a punch, and
nothing else.
"I'm
super disappointed," Sherman said. "We had a distinct
game plan going in that we worked on for hundreds of hours. We're
talking 14 to 16 weeks of working on sprawls. We thought Randy
would shoot in low, or maybe he might kick, and it was disappointing
that James, one of the best boxers who ever lived, started believing
that that's all he needed -- and he never landed a punch."
Once
Couture got Toney on the ground it was only a matter of time
before the submission came, and Sherman said that the method
of submission -- a head and arm choke -- was exactly what he
had been working with Toney to defend.
"We
worked on the head and arm choke and the arm bar extensively
because we knew if it went to the ground Randy would go right
for the mount," Sherman said. "James got angry when
he got to the ground and just wanted to hit him and that was
all she wrote."
Although
Toney weighed in at 237 pounds and appeared to be out of shape,
Sherman said he was impressed with how hard Toney worked during
their time together, and that Toney was much heavier when they
first started training together.
"If
he was under 270 I'd be shocked," Sherman said of Toney's
first workout with him. "He dropped at least 30 or 40 pounds
getting ready for the fight. I mean, he was ginormous. We whittled
him down to below 237 and then he probably gained a few pounds
that last week."
Sherman
believes Toney was put in a tough position by fighting as accomplished
an opponent as Couture his first time out. He said there was
talk of Toney taking on Kimbo Slice, and that would have made
more sense.
"I
wanted him to fight Kimbo -- I thought he should have done that
as a tune-up, but James didn't want a tune-up," Sherman
said. "It was his first fight, and it was against one of
the best. Randy wouldn't allow any room for error. Randy is probably
the best ever at game planning."
For
his part, Kimbo recently told the MMA Hour that he would be open
to fighting Toney, but no one ever proposed that to him. In any
event, the UFC's heavy promotion of Toney over the last few months
will give him plenty of opportunities to fight again, either
in boxing or MMA. Sherman said he thinks Toney should stay in
the cage.
"I
hope it's MMA," Sherman said. "I think James Toney
is humbled and ready to get back to work. My first question to
him was, 'Do you want to fire me?' because he lost, and if I
can't get my fighter to follow the game plan we laid out, that's
my fault. But he immediately said no. I would love to work with
him again."
Source: MMA Fighting
|
André
Galvão
By Eduardo Ferreira
Having his opponent changed at the last minute, André
Galvão got the news that on the last edition of Strikeforce,
which happened last Saturday (21) he would confront Jorge Patino
“Macaco”, a veteran on the Brazilian rings. “I’ve
always liked to watch Macaco fighting and his controversy manners”,
tells Galvão, who won by TKO on the third round. “This
win will bring me many good things. Now I just need to wait for
the harvest time”, celebrates. On an exclusive interview
given to TATAME, the black belt commented the duel and spoke
about the success of X-Gym Team, which conquest two belts on
the event with Ronaldo Jacaré and Rafael Feijão.
“On my fight there was overcoming, on Jacaré’s,
focus and good shape, and on Feijão’s a technical
and tactical superiority above the normal lines. All the team
is to be congratulates”, celebrates, on the exclusive chat
which you check here below.
How was this win on Strikeforce?
It was great since all wins are great (laughs). I think it was
a good fight for me. Macaco is an old tough guy, I watched him
fighting while I was growing up. To tell you the truth, he’s
a legend on Brazilian MMA, in my opinion. I’ve always likes
Macaco fighting and his controversy manners. This win will bring
me many good things. Now I just need to wait for the harvest
time.
Five days before the event they changed your opponent. What did
you changed in order to fight Macaco?
Actually, I had already trained, so I couldn’t change anything.
I did what I had been doing on the trainings and it was the same
thing I’d do with Nate Moore. Thanks God I was well prepared.
The only thing that changed was the preparation for the fight,
because all fighters know it’s a hard part of the process.
Especially when they change your opponent at the last minute,
putting you to confront a guy of the Macaco’s caliber.
After the event, did the organizers say anything about a belt
dispute on the middleweight division? Do you believe you are
close to get this chance?
Yes. Joinha told me they’ve said something about it, but
we’re just chatting for now. I know that, with my hard trainings
and my dedication, this time will come sooner or later. I’m
in no hurry. God will give me the chance when I’m ready,
the time will come according to His wish.
How did you feel winning and watch Jacaré and Feijão
winning belts?
Man, it was great. My fight was a very important one for the
team, because I’d start that night proving the world we
deserved to be there on that night. It was remarkable, for sure.
Jacaré did a good job, winning calmly, and Feijão
locked it all with a golden key. On my fight there was overcoming,
on Jacaré’s, focus and good shape, and on Feijão’s
a technical and tactical superiority above the normal lines.
All the team is to be congratulates, everything worked and God
was there with us at all times.
X-Gym has three belts now (Jacaré, Feijão and Anderson)…
Does that make you the better team in Brazil?
That’s the result of many years of hard work. Anderson’s
been doing it for a while, Feijão is on the business for
six years and Jacaré 7. I believe that things come right
on time, everything happens when they should, and thanks God
we’re having a great moment for our team. I believe that
the abilities of each athlete and coach make the difference.
We depend on each other. There’s no gain with no fight or
sacrifice. Things are great between us, he have a loto f fun
together and we’re sticking to each other more and more.
When will you fight again? Who might be your next opponent?
I
don’t know when I’ll fight again, but I hope it happens
as soon as possible, because I love it and I want to keep improving.
God is on control of everything in my life. I know that on the
right time I’ll be ready again.
Source: Tatame
|
Belfort
recovers motivation, to face Okami
by Carlos
Eduardo Ozório
A matchup that had been speculated on, Vitor Belfort vs. Yushin
Okami will really go through. Belfort confirmed it over twitter.
“Hey
gang! The fight is set for November 13 in Germany. I’m counting
on you to root for me. The fight is against the super tough Okami.
Let’s do it!”
Away
from the octagon since September 2009, when he submitted to shoulder
surgery, Vitor recently stated he would prefer not to make his
return at the Germany event. Now, with the date and location
confirmed, he doesn’t seem to mind anymore.
“My
motivation is way up there. We have to know where we want to
reach and planning is the beginning of the journey,” he
remarks.
Japan’s
Okami comes off back to back wins in the UFC and is the man responsible
for the last loss on middleweight champion Anderson Silva’s
record, in 2005, winning by disqualification, after an illegal
kick from the Spider.
Check
out the likely matchups:
UFC
122
Oberhausen, Germany
November 13, 2010
Vitor
Belfort vs Yushin Okami
Krzysztof Soszynski vs Goran Reljic
Jorge Rivera vs Alessio Sakara
Amir Sadollah vs Peter Sobotta
Jason Brilz vs Vladimir Matyushenko
Dennis Siver vs opponent to be defined
Peter Sobotta vs opponent to be defined
Pascal Krauss vs opponent to be defined
Source: Gracie Magazine
|
MAYNARD:
NO TRASH TALKING EDGAR, JUST BUSINESS
by Damon
Martin
It's been a long wait for Gray Maynard to get his shot at the
UFC lightweight title, but after defeating Kenny Florian at UFC
118, it's now signed, sealed, and delivered. He gets the next
crack at champion Frankie Edgar.
The
two lightweights first met in April 2008, and the end result
was Maynard keeping his record perfect, handing Edgar the only
loss on his otherwise flawless record.
When
Edgar won the title back in April of this year, many named Maynard
the top contender at that time because of his win over the New
Jersey fighter, but former champion B.J. Penn got the nod instead.
Watching the rematch between Edgar and Penn at UFC 118, Maynard
admits he picked the Hawaiian to win the fight, but was impressed
with what Edgar was able to do.
"I
was like damn Frankie's doing good! He just kept coming, and
he did good. It was a great fight. My hat's off to him,"
Maynard told MMAWeekly Radio following UFC 118.
Now
that he's in the top contender's spot, Maynard feels that getting
past someone like Florian was his own test to prove he belonged
among the best lightweights in the world, and no one can question
whether or not he deserves a shot at the title.
"This
is the best time. I went through all the top guys. Nobody can
say, 'Oh he didn't do this, or this.' This is mine, I deserve
this, I earned it," Maynard stated.
Following
the fights on Saturday night one person who did protest Maynard
getting the shot was Nate Diaz. The two first battled during
the fifth season of “The Ultimate Fighter" and then
met again earlier in 2010 when Maynard took a split decision
over the Stockton, Calif., fighter.
Diaz
asked for another crack at Maynard, and while UFC president Dana
White immediately shot down the idea, Maynard says he wasn't
paying attention to the request in the first place.
"I
don't even try to hear that dude," said Maynard. "I'm
focused on a belt, that's all I care about, not Nate Diaz. I
think (after) the TV show it took eight wins to get back to Nate,
so he's got a long way to go to get back to me."
Regardless
of other fighters calling for a bout with him, Maynard has only
one focus right now and that's a fight with Edgar for the lightweight
championship. Neither fighter has ever been known to trash talk
much leading into their fights, and Maynard says nothing will
change just because a title is on the line.
"It's
great competition. He trains hard. He's a cool guy too. It's
cool because his dad is always like 'hey Gray!' talks to me and
stuff; nicest guy in the world. So trash talk ain't gonna happen,"
Maynard said. "But I guarantee you he's going to train hard,
and I'll train, and it's going to be a good fight.
"It's
all business. Throw the trash talk out, it's just all business."
Maynard
did admit, however, that when the two fighters were seated at
the post fight press conference following UFC 118, he did have
his eyes on Edgar's gold belt sitting on the table in front of
them.
"It
was blinging, it was all shiny and stuff. I hope he doesn’t
mess it up. I don't want any chips in it when I get it,"
Maynard said with a laugh.
As
far as timing for the fight, Maynard would like a little time
off and then head back to camp before he tackles the task of
beating Frankie Edgar again. With only a few months left in 2010,
Maynard believes it will likely be 2011 when the two fighters
square off for the belt.
"That
would be cool. I had a camp and then I had a scope done, that
would be cool though, 2011," said Maynard. "It would
be perfect timing I think."
Source: MMA Weekly
|
Transcript
of UFC Canada boss Tom Wright’s interview with The Fight
Network
By Zach
Arnold
I
transcribed most of the interview (but not all of it). This interview
happened before the Canadian Medical Association passed their
resolution calling for a ban on Mixed Martial Arts in the country.
JOHN
POLLOCK: “On August the 14th the Ontario Government announced
that they’re going to move forward to regulate and sanction
the sport of Mixed Martial Arts. Tom Wright was named as the
Director of Operations for UFC Canada just this past May and
he was here in our office. I had the opportunity to sit down
with Tom, where we discussed the announcement and what comes
next as the UFC plans to invade Ontario in 2011.”
“Tom,
August 14th, 2010, a huge day for the province of Ontario when
it comes to Mixed Martial Arts, the day that the history books
can officially begin to be written in terms of the progression
of the sport but you’ve just been heading up the UFC officers
here in Canada for under three months and already this huge announcement
that did catch a lot of people off guard on Saturday.”
TOM
WRIGHT: “Well, John, you’re right, it was a great day
for Mixed Martial Arts, for our sport in not only this province
but in the country and specifically for us it’s an exciting
time. But, you know what? We’ve been working with the Ontario
Government for at least the past two years and as you know when
you’re trying to build a new sport, when you’re trying
to enter into new, you know, kinds of territories, these things
take time and so I think the August 14th announcement was that
culmination of a lot of hard work by a lot of really committed
people and I give a lot of credit to McGuinty’s government,
Sophia Aggelonitis, who really did her homework and listened
to Ontarians but went out and actually got some facts and talked
to stakeholders and looked at studies and really determined that
our sport has come a long way and that it’s the right thing
for the athletes for our sport that it be regulated and the only
way it gets regulated is for it to be sanctioned and if you don’t
sanction it, it’s going to go underground and then you’re
not going to have safe competitions, you’re not going to
have consistent competitions, so you know I think it is a great
day and there’s still a lot of hard work to go, you know
that.”
JOHN
POLLOCK: “Is that a common thread you’ve seen, Tom,
in terms of critics of the sport who are not familiar with the
sport that once they actually sit down, take in a Mixed Martial
Arts event, a lot of preconceived notions are put to rest at
that point on top of the facts and figures that are associated
with the sport?”
TOM
WRIGHT: “John, you’re absolutely right and what I’ve
found is that our fan base, you know, our fans they’re incredibly
avid. You can’t find any more passionate fans than we have
in MMA. But then there’s this huge chasm between the passionate
fans and the regular sport people or regular, you know, consumers
that really don’t have any understanding and so they have
awareness of it but no understanding so that’s one of our
biggest challenges is the educational program that’s required.
And, you know, Government officials were a Class-A example. You
know, people have these misconceptions about our sport. They
think that our athletes are all on steroids. They think that
the competition’s aren’t fair. They think there isn’t
a Unified set of rules. But once you sit down with them and you
talk with them and you provide them with the details, you provide
them with the facts so they can make informed, objective, rational
decisions. We don’t expect everybody to be a fan but all
we want them to do is make an objective, have an opinion based
on fact not that’s based on fallacy.”
JOHN
POLLOCK: “Do you see a lot of comparisons to another part
of your life, overseeing the Canadian Football League and dealing
with critics of football? But in that case, football much more
ingrained in the culture because of the history behind it. Do
you see some common links between criticisms of both?”
TOM
WRIGHT: “Well, you know what, actually not really, John.
I think the actual connection that I see the Canadian Football
League and our league, the UFC and our sport, is that the athletes
themselves are very similar in as much as they’re incredibly
passionate, they’re incredibly talented, but what they really
are is accessible and they’re approachable. I mean you take
a look at most professional athletes and you think of the major
leagues, you think of the NFL, you think of Major League Basketball,
you think of the NBA, the NHL, and then I think of the CFL and
the UFC and I see in those two sports, those two leagues athletes
that are approachable and they’re accessible and they really
want to get out and engage and have contact in their communities
and I think that’s one of the real commonalities between
those two sports. I think that, you know, football traces its
roots back to the 1800s to rugby. The CFL, as you know, the 98th
Gray Cup is going to happen in Edmonton this year, so it’s
been around a long time. I think that maybe some of the fallacies
that people have regarding football, which is an interesting
one, is that they don’t see it as much of a contact combat
sport as say Mixed Martial Arts and one of the things I’ve
tried to point out is that there’s more instance of serious
injuries, serious head injuries, overall serious injuries in
football than there are in Mixed Martial Arts, but people don’t
make that connection because they see football players with helmets
and then they see Mixed Martial Arts where there might be a lot
of blood on the mat. Well, those are superficial injuries as
you know. You watch a football game and I tell you, on the offensive
and defensive line, you want to see combat, you want to see contact?
That’s where it happens as well and there are studies coming
out in the United State that actually show that in the United
States, there are more serious injuries in, are you ready for
this, competitive cheerleading than there are in Mixed Martial
Arts and so I mean that’s, you know, there’s all sorts
of examples but one of our jobs as the promoters of the game
and to try to build the sport of Mixed Martial Arts is to dispel
those notions and make sure that people are forming their perspective
from information that’s real.”
JOHN
POLLOCK: “Now, in the wake of this announcement in Ontario,
we haven’t heard any statement from the Ontario Athletic
Commission and Ken Hayashi. What has their reaction been and
what is your relationship been like with Ken Hayashi, who has
been a staunch opponent of Mixed Martial Arts coming to the province?
Is he more open to the sport now with this announcement?”
TOM
WRIGHT: “Well, John, it’s early days. I mean, you have
to remember that it was, the announcement was only made last
Saturday and I know we’ve already reached out to Ken Hayashi,
Marc Ratner, and our US offices has spoken to Ken and I’ve
reached out to him as well and our plan is to sit down with him
as quickly as possible to make sure that he understands that
we’re here to be a resource for them, that we’re here
to support his efforts. There’s a lot of work that has done
but you also has to remember that Ontario is not the first province
or the first state to actually regulate this sport. There’s
a lot of other jurisdictions that have gone through this process.
The minister said that the standard that they were going to be
looking at is the state of New Jersey. Obviously there’s
40, you know, 45 other states that have already gone through
this process and there are six other provinces that have started
this process. So, we will help Mr. Hayashi and help him through
the work that has to be done and we’re here to support it
but we’re also here to make sure that we do this properly.
We haven’t set any timetables that say it has to be done
by this date. It’s the Government’s role and we’re
here to support the Government in this case.”
JOHN
POLLOCK: “Now, another story that came out over the past
week was the British Columbia Medical Association, Mr. Ian Gillespie,
they’re trying to table a notion to the CMA, the Canadian
Medical Association, trying to ban the sport within the country
and I’m curious if they have tried to contact you because
in their lone statement that they’ve released, I’ve
found quite a number of fundamental flaws to their issues and
some of their radio interviews this week it seems that it’s
like what we talking earlier, very elementary knowledge of the
sport. Have they reached out to you? Has there been any dialogue
between both you yourself and the British Columbia Medical Association?”
TOM
WRIGHT: “Well, John, no we haven’t had any direct dialogue
and we’re following this very closely but I think you hit
the nail on the head when you said that, you know, you’re
seeing some really rudimentary knowledge of our sport, some decisions
that are made or proposals that are being recommended based on
either old facts or no facts. Dr. Gillespie I believe himself
has admitted that he has not ever attended a Mixed Martial Art
event, had never watched on one, and was relying on data that
was going back to the late 1990s so I think that, you know, we’ve
reached out in different ways to the BC Medical Associations.
We want to make sure that they provide a fair and balanced approach
on this issue and that they look at the facts and we provided
them with a lot of different facts, the John Hopkins study which
I’m sure you’ve seen, you know what that one talks
about in terms of the incidence of traumatic head injuries in
other sports compared to ours and that it’s so much more
prevalent in boxing than in ours, and I think at the end I mean
it goes back to what we were chatting about earlier, John. You
know, one of the reasons why you want a sport regulated is so
that the safety of the athletes is protected and in the absence
of regulation you’ll drive the sport underground and people
will get hurt and so if I’m a medical association, I really
want to make sure that those kinds of principles and those kinds
of standards and those kinds of requirements are put in place
and frankly, that’s what we’re here to help with. So
we’re more than happy to sit down with BC Medical Association,
the Canadian Medical Association, and help develop those standards
so that athlete safety is taken care of.”
JOHN
POLLOCK: “One of the interesting parts about the province
of Ontario when it comes to regulating boxing is that they’ve
instituted same-day weigh-ins for boxers so they cannot gain
x amount of pounds prior to a fight. Is that something that we
could see incorporated into Mixed Martial Arts or is it something
that’s still a detail that has to be worked out with the
Ontario Athletic Commission?”
TOM
WRIGHT: “I think that will be a detail that will have to
be worked out with the athletic commission and you know it’s
a good point that you bring up, John. I’m not sure whether
or not it’s a consistent requirement or at least a consistent
standard for MMA events across North America. I know for the
UFC, we always have our weigh-ins on the day before. If a fight’s
on a Saturday, we’ll do the weigh-ins on a Friday. So I’m
not sure if that’s consistent across all 45, 46 states in
the U.S. but those are the kind of conversations that we’ll
obviously have with Ken (Hayashi) and with members of the Athletic
Commission here in Ontario so we can establish those standards.”
Source: Fight Opinion
|
X-1
World Events
Saturday, September 11, 2010
Blaisdell Arena
Tickets are on sale
now!
X-1
TO PRESENT BIGGEST TITLE FIGHT IN HAWAIIAN MMA HISTORY ON SEPTEMBER
11TH AT “HEROES”
Second
round of light heavyweight title tourney to commence
Honolulu,
HI (USA): Top Hawaiian fight promotion X-1 World Events today
announced the full fight card for its next incredible event,
entitled “HEROES.” This exciting fight card will feature
a main event of X-1 World Middleweight Champion Falaniko Vitale
putting his belt on the line against devastating KO artist Kala
“Kolohe” Hose. Also taking place at the Neal S. Blaisdell
Arena that night will be the much-anticipated second round of
the X-1 World Light Heavyweight title tournament, as the pairings
have been set. Russia’s Vitaly Shemetov, coming off a brutal
KO victory over Japanese MMA pioneer Shungo Oyama, will battle
Hawaii’s own Poai Suganuma. Also coming off a big KO win
is South Korea’s Sang Soo Lee, who will lock horns with
California’s Roy Boughton, an undefeated submission specialist.
“HEROES” will also showcase two world title fights,
as well as a world kickboxing championship match.
Tickets
for this incredible event will go on sale on August 7th at the
Blaisdell Box Office at 9 AM, as well as all Wal-Mart, Kailua
Sports Gear outlets, and on Tickemaster.com, or by calling (800)
745-3000. Prices are $200.00 for 1st row/cageside seats , $150.00
for 2nd row seats, $100.00 for floor seats, $50.00 for the risers/lodges,
and $35.00 for the upper bowl. Tickets for all military, law
enforcement, fire department, and EMT’s are available with
ID at the Blaisdell Box Office for $10 off of the $50 and $35
seats, and $25 off the $200 floor seats, $150 2nd row seats,
and $100 floor seats.
Falaniko
Vitale (27-9, fifteen submissions) is one of the most respected
Hawaiian combatants fighting today. An experienced athlete who
recently celebrated ten years as a professional fighter, Vitale
proudly represents the 808 Fight Factory, one of the toughest
fight gyms on the Islands, and has fought for some of the most
well-known promotions in the world. Fans of King of the Cage,
Rage in the Cage, SuperBrawl, Icon Sport, the IFL, StrikeForce,
and the UFC have all seen his skill set exhibited. In his most
recent bout, he defended his coveted X-1 strap against former
UFC competitor Kalib Starnes, finishing his controversial opponent
via submission in the process. Niko, as he is known, has taken
on top names in the sport, including “Ruthless” Robbie
Lawler, former StrikeForce Middleweight title challenger Jason
“Mayhem” Miller, MMA pioneer Jeremy Horn, StrikeForce/UFC
veteran Trevor Prangley, and UFC fighter Frank Trigg. He has
beaten notable fighters such as UFC vet Aaron Riley, former UFC
Middleweight Champion Dave Menne, UFC middleweight contender
Yushin Okami, and the aforementioned Lindland.
Kala
“Kolohe” Hose (7-3, seven KO/TKOs) is known for his
devastating knockout power, and has garnered a reputation as
one of the toughest Island fighters today. He claimed the ICON
Middleweight title in August of 2008 with an exciting TKO victory
over current UFC fighter Phil Baroni that was lauded by Island
fight fans for its great action. Also a veteran of Superbrawl
and EliteXC, Hose will look to add the X-1 Middleweight belt
to his list of accomplishments. During his career, he’s
faced UFC veterans such as Baroni, “Mayhem” Miller,
and Reese Andy. He will face what is probably the toughest opponent
of his career in Vitale.
In
addition, the second round of the heralded X-1 World Light Heavyweight
tourney will commence at this event, as former EliteXC headliner
and Hawaii native Poai Suganuma (10-3) will match up with “The
Dancing Russian” Vitaly Shemetov (7-7), who brutalized respected
veteran Shungo Oyama in the first round of the tournament en
route to a KO victory. Suganuma, for his part, defeated Greg
Schmitt via unanimous decision on his way to advancing. The other
semifinal matchup will feature Gracie-trained submission specialist
Roy Boughton (4-0, four submissions), who tapped out Adam Akau
with a first round guillotine choke to garner a place in the
second round of the tournament, as he faces extremely tough South
Korean SpiritMC veteran Sang Soo Lee (14-9). Lee knocked out
Daniel Madrid with a beautiful right hand in order to move on
in the tourney. Also featured will be a 145 lb. World Championship
bout between Dave Moreno and Ricky Wallace, as well as a 135
lb. World Championship fight between Bryson Hanson and Russell
Doane.
“I
am very excited about this incredible card. Having two great
Island fighters like Niko and Kolohe fight for the belt, along
with the second round of the tournament, and throwing in two
other title matches…what a card!” exclaimed Mike Miller,
Owner/Promoter of X-1 World Events. “It’s going to
be an amazing night of fights.”
The
full fight card is as follows:
Main
Event: 185 lb. World MMA Championship:
Falaniko Vitale vs. Kala “Kolohe” Hose
Light
Heavyweight MMA Championship tournament (second round):
Poai Suganuma (HI) vs. Vitaly Shemetov (Russia)
Sang Soo Lee (S. Korea) vs. Roy Boughton (California)
145
lb. World MMA Championship:
Dave Moreno vs. Ricky Wallace
135
lb. World MMA Championship:
Bryson Hanson vs. Russell Doane
160
lb. World Kickboxing Championship:
Danilo Zanollini vs. Kaleo
Kwan
155
lbs. – Bryson Kamaka vs. Herman Santiago
135
lbs. – Adrianna Jenkins vs. Kat Alendai
135
lbs. – Eddie Perrells vs. Mark Tajon
135
lbs. – Raquel
Paaluhi
vs. Sarah D'Alelio
170
lbs. – Anthony Torres vs. Thomas Sedeno
145
lbs. – Dustin Kimura vs. Chris Williams
185
lbs. – Caleb Price vs. Collin Mansanas
135
lbs. – Van Shiroma vs. Kazuki Kinjo
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/
|
NEXT
UP: EDGAR VS. MAYNARD WILL DO JUST FINE
Gray Maynard has spent nearly his entire professional career
in the UFC. Just two bouts into the pros, he joined the cast
of “The Ultimate Fighter Season 5.”
Now,
three years and eight victories later, he is on the verge of
reaching the pinnacle... the lightweight title.
Maynard
dominated Kenny Florian at UFC 118 in Boston on Saturday night.
He took Florian out of his element, taking away the Bostonian’s
striking game, putting him on his back almost at will, and ground
and pounding him for three rounds.
The
win over Florian caps a stellar resume. Maynard holds wins over
Nate Diaz, Jim Miller, Roger Huerta, and most importantly, current
UFC lightweight champion Frankie Edgar. In fact, he is the only
man to ever defeat Edgar.
It’s
a no-brainer that the next title shot is his, etched in stone.
Nate
Diaz, after defeating Marcus Davis in Boston, tried to angle
in on Maynard’s action, requesting a rematch, but UFC president
Dana White would have none of it.
“That's
not gonna happen. I said if Gray beat Kenny, Gray gets the shot.
He absolutely beat Kenny,” remarked an obviously impressed
White.
“Gray
Maynard basically fought his fight, did what he wanted to do,
and dominated (Florian) tonight.”
Maynard
is the fighter with an undefeated record, currently standing
at 10-0, but it’s Edgar that is the current lightweight
kingpin. With two consecutive victories over B.J. Penn, the New
Jersey native appears to be the invincible one.
Maynard
respects him, but he’s not buying.
“He
did a great job. He's the champ. That's a nice belt to have,
but I want that belt,” said the Xtreme Couture product.
“Everybody is beatable.”
As
much as Maynard wants the title shot, Edgar is as keen on the
rematch as well.
“He
has a win over me. So he deserves the shot. Obviously I would
like a chance to possibly avenge that loss,” said the champ.
About
the only questioning of the match-up came from the media, asking
if the bout was marketable?
“What
does this kid got to do to get the respect?” asked a flustered
Dana White. “(Edgar) just dominated B.J. Penn. Dominated
him! (Gray) just beat Kenny Florian.
“The
fight's gonna do just fine.”
Source: MMA Weekly
|
RANDY
COUTURE'S COURSE HEADED BACK TO 205
Though his current contract with the Ultimate Fighting Championship
is winding down, Randy Couture isn’t showing any signs of
slowing down after defeating boxing champion James Toney at UFC
118.
In
fact, he’s more than prepared to continue defying Father
Time.
"I'm
sure the UFC, if things continue the way they've been continuing,
will want to sign me to a new contract," he recently told
MMAWeekly.com, and the talk after the fight was all about the
future, not if he would fight again, but when and where.
“I
take ’em as they come,” he said at the post-fight press
conference. “They always come up with interesting things
to do with me and I’m happy about that.”
UFC
president Dana White wasn’t exactly clear on what’s
next for the former two-division champion, but it sounds like
a dip back down to light heavyweight is in the cards. The fight
with Toney was in the heavyweight division.
“Obviously
that 205-pound division is exciting. It’s kind of in limbo
right now, so getting Couture back in the 205-pound division
is a good thing,” he stated.
There
are athletes that are able to perform well beyond the expected
years typically allotted by time, but it’s a rather rare
feat.
Nolan
Ryan pitched a Major League Baseball no-hitter when he was 44
years old. George Blanda, playing in the National Football League,
was named his conference’s player of the year when he was
43.
Couture,
at 47 and already in the UFC Hall of Fame, is still performing
at a world-class level.
“I
still think it’s incredible,” remarked White. “At
47 years old, he’s still one of the best 205-pounders in
the world.
“Randy
Couture is a handful for anybody on any given night.”
Source: MMA Weekly
|
“Sonnen
already showed what he’s got”
After
a lot of controversy and provocation, Chael Sonnen scared the
hell out of the Brazilians and punished the UFC champion Anderson
Silva for 23 minutes, but proved that his stubbornness in not
training Jiu-Jitsu got him one again, tapping out on a tight
arm bar on the triangle two minutes before the end of the fight.
Impressed with the American’s performance, Dana White will
give him another shot against Anderson, but Josuel Distak, Anderson’s
trainer is cool about it.
“Sonnen
was 100% and showed what he’s got… Now it’s the
time for him to see Anderson from the right angle. I want to
see how it’ll be like this time”, said the trainer,
reminding that Anderson had a rib injury, what might have affected
his performance during the fight. With the rematch predicted
to happen on 2011, the “Spider” will have plenty time
to recover. “Anderson Silva is taking care of himself in
order to be 100% recovered from this injury. I think he’s
coming back to Brazil to train with the team and, for sure, now
you’ll see Anderson at his best. It’s not just him,
but Anderson also wants this rematch to happen”, concluded.
Source: Tatame
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MIKE
KYLE: "I WANT FEIJAO"
“I want it known that I want Feijao, and if he’s a
real champion, he’ll want to avenge his loss.”
These
are the words of Mike Kyle, whom after watching Rafael “Feijao”
Cavalcante claim the Strikeforce light heavyweight title from
Muhammad “King Mo” Lawal earlier this month, feels
he should be next in line for a title fight after having defeated
Feijao little more than one year ago.
“I
believe it makes me the number one contender, and I hope Strikeforce
feels the same,” Kyle told MMAWeekly.com. “I have a
lot of fans that have been calling me, telling me, texting me
and telling me that the (next title) fight should be mine.”
It’s
hard to argue that Kyle hasn’t earned his right to challenge
for the title.
Currently
riding a three-fight winning streak, he has rebuilt himself into
a legitimate contender after years of struggling with personal
and professional miscues.
Having
watched Feijao defeat Lawal, Kyle is confident as ever he could
take the title if he is given the opportunity.
“It
was a good show to watch, an exciting fight. I was a little disappointed
that Mo didn’t put on a better fight,” stated Kyle.
“The inexperience of both fighters showed, and that’s
where I believe I will beat Feijao, because I have more experience
than him.
“Feijao
worked a lot on his cardio, I think, but I wasn’t super
impressed. At the end of the second round he was really down,
and whatever his corner said to him to get his head back on straight,
he came back out and finished the fight, but he showed a big
weakness in his game. I saw him quit in the same way he quit
against me.”
So
far, Kyle is unaware of Strikeforce’s plans for him, but
no matter what they line up, he wants a fight that intrigues
him if he does not get an immediate title match.
“They
haven’t guaranteed me a fight yet,” he said. “There’s
been other talk with Roger Gracie, and other names at 205 have
gotten thrown out there. I’d like to say no and just wait
for my shot at the title, but there are five or six fighters
out there that I’d really want to fight before my career
is over.
“If
those opportunities jump on board, I’ll do it, but if it’s
just taking an average fight; being the number one contender;
I don’t want that fight. I want to fight Feijao, Fedor (Emelianenko),
King Mo, (Gegard) Mousasi – however it works out.”
Still,
there’s no denying that a title shot is first and foremost
in Kyle’s mind.
“That’s
the first thing (I’d want to do) right away, would be go
out and avenge my loss,” he stated.
“No
disrespect to him or his camp, but he has my belt, and I’m
better than him in every category and that I can beat him in
every category. If you put me in the cage with him again, it’s
going to be the same fight as last time.”
Kyle
urges fans to let Strikeforce know that a title bout between
him and Feijao is what they want to see. Whether on Facebook,
Twitter or message boards, fan support is critical towards making
a possible match-up happen.
“We
need all the help we can to get me in that fight,” rallied
Kyle.
Having
already defeated the man holding the belt once, Kyle feels it’s
only a matter of time before he gets an opportunity to make history
repeat itself, and in the process bring his career to its highest
point after working so hard to bring it out of its lowest.
“I
just want to give a special shout out to the sponsors that back
me up: Clinch Gear, Cage Hero; the rest of the AKA camp, Bob
Cook, and Zinkin Entertainment,” he concluded.
“Thanks
to the fans for all their support; the new ones that I’ve
gained and the ones that have been with me this whole time; with
their support I am on my way to becoming a great champion.”
Source: MMA Weekly
|
Demian:
“I think Anderson’s smart; he trains Jiu-Jitsu”
Demian
Maia returned to his winning ways at UFC 118, with a unanimous
decision over Mario Miranda. The black belt, in a conversation
with GRACIEMAG.com, explains why he was so close to the tapout,
but couldn’t manage to get his opponent to quit. In the
following interview, Demian also comments on how Anderson Silva,
the man to beat him in his penultimate fight, was in his opponent’s
corner.
Check
out the chat:
Your
opponent was switched for Mario Miranda. What did you think of
him?
It
ended up not being Alan Belcher, but he was an opponent up to
par, as his record shows. He’s tall, well-rounded, very
hard to finish. He’s strong for his weight and I feel it
was a good return fight for me. Thank God it all worked out and
I managed to do what I trained to do.
What
was missing for you to get the tapout in the fight, since you
were so close to it so many times?
First,
he defends really well, and in really sticky situations, where
you have to defend taking blows. Sport Jiu-Jitsu is one thing,
MMA is really different. He defended really well in difficult
positions. I didn’t try to finish him from his back that
much and I think I could have been more incisive there. Now I
tried to get his arm several times, but he really did escape.
It’s something I need to fix, but credit to him, too.
What
may be next for you in the UFC?
Things
are all mixed up at this weight (middleweight). At this weight,
in my 15 fights, I only have two losses and to excellent athletes.
I feel it’s a bit of an illusion thinking dropping weight
will be easier. Who knows, I might try it out some day, but I’m
not stuck on that. But for the time being, I don’t intend
to.
With
Anderson in his corner, it just made me more determined to win,”
Demian
Anderson
was in Mario’s corner. Did you two speak? Did it add any
emotion for you during the fight?
I
don’t speak with him nor do I have a relationship with him.
We greet each other normally, but we have no personal rapport.
I respect, above all, the fighter who faced me. Mario Miranda
is an excellent athlete and seems to be a good person. Now with
Anderson in his corner, it just made me more determined to win.
What
did you think of Anderson’s submission of Chael Sonnen,
that double attack from the triangle, in pure Jiu-Jitsu style?
That’s
Jiu-Jitsu for you. It’s the martial art Brazil created for
the world and those who train all the time will have a card up
their sleeve. I think he’s a smart guy, because he trains
Jiu-Jitsu.
Source: Gracie Magazine
|
Check
at the best pics from the UFC Fan Expo superfights
Roberto
“Cyborg” Abreu carries on in fine form, both in and
out of the gi, as shown last Saturday in his superfight with
Rolles Gracie, held at the Grapplers Quest event that went down
at the UFC Fan Expo in Boston.
The
black belt beat Rolles by 9 to 2 and also witnessed teammate
Pablo Popovitch’s triumph. Pablo was supposed to have faced
Gregor Gracie, who pulled out injured and made way for Alliance’s
stalwart competitor Lucas Lepri. Further proof of his no-gi skills,
ADCC champion Popovitch beat Lepri by 2 to 0, which readers already
found out here on GRACIEMAG.com.
Source: Gracie Magazine
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