Upcoming
Events
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want to list an event on Onzuka.com?
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Us
(All events on Oahu, unless noted)
2012
October
Aloha
State BJJ Championship
(BJJ
& Sub Grappling)
(Kaiser H.S. Gym)
August
King of the Mat
(Submission Grappling)
7/14/12
King of the Cage
(MMA)
(Blaisdell Arena)
7/7/12
Warpath to Mayhem:
Rumble at the Resort
(MMA)
(Kauai Beach Resort, Lihue, Kauai)
6/16-17/12
State
of Hawaii BJJ Championship
(BJJ
& Sub Grappling)
(Blaisdell Arena
5/26/12
Toughman Hawaii Presents; King Of The Ring
(Boxing)
(Edith Kanakaole Tennis Stadium, Hilo)
5/19/12
Scrappler's Fest
(BJJ & Sub Grappling)
(Kauai)
The Quest For Champions
Martial Arts Tournament 2012
(Sport-Pankration, Submission Grappling, Continuous Sparring)
(St. Louis High School Gym)
5/4/12
King of the Ring
(Kickboxing)
(Waipahu Filcom)
Just Scrap XVI
(MMA)
(Maui War Memorial Gym, Wailuku)
4/28/12
Destiny
(Kickboxing & MMA)
(The Waterfront, Aloha Tower)
4/21/12
Amateur Boxing Event
Smoker Fundraiser
(Boxing)
(Palolo District Park Gym)
4/14/12
Man Up & Stand Up
(Kickboxing)
(Waipahu Filcom, Waipahu)
Hawaiian
Open Championship of BJJ
(BJJ & Sub Grappling)
(Kaiser H.S. Gym)
3/29/12 - 4/1/12
Pan
Jiu-Jitsu Championship
(BJJ)
(Irvine, CA)
3/3/12
Warpath to Mayhem:
Rumble at the Resort
(MMA)
(Kauai Beach Resort, Lihue, Kauai)
Vendetta 3
(Kickboxing, Triple Threat)
(Waipahu Filcom, Waipahu)
Toughman Hawaii: Challengers
(Kickboxing)
(Hilo Civic, Hilo)
2/11/12
Amateur Boxing Event
(Boxing)
(Palolo District Park Gym)
2/4/12
Man Up & Stand Up
(Kickboxing)
(Waipahu Filcom Center, Waipahu)
1/21/12
ProElite
MMA
(MMA)
(Blaisdell Arena)
1/15/12
Polynesia
International BJJ Tournament
(BJJ)
(King Intermediate, Kaneohe)
1/7/12
Toughman Hawaii
(Kickboxing)
(Hilo Civic Center, Hilo)
|
|
April
2012 News Part 3
|
O2 Martial Arts Academy
provides 7 days a week training! Relson Gracie Jiu-Jitsu classes
taught by Black Belts Kaleo Hosaka and Chris & Mike Onzuka
We are also offering Kali-Escrima (stick fighting) on Monday
nights with Ian Beltran & Erwin Legaspi.
Kickboxing Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday with Kaleo Kwan, PJ
Dean, & Chris Slavens!
We are starting a
Wrestling program in May taught by Cedric Yogi. May will be free
for all O2 members to try the classes out!
Kids Classes are also
available!
Click
here for info!
Take classes from
the Onzuka brothers in a family-like environment! |
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to Advertise on Onzuka.com?
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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 Kaleo Hosaka 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.
O2 will start a wrestling program in May headed by Cedric Yogi
who was previously the head coach of the Pearl City High School
Wrestling Team.
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!
Mix and match your classes so you can try all the martial arts
classes offered at O2!
If you want to learn martial arts by masters of their trade in
a friendly and family environment, O2 Martial Arts Academy is
the place for you!
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Want to Contact
Us? Shoot us an email by Clicking Here!
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Scrappler's
Fest is Set for May 19!
Kauai's premier BJJ and Submission Grappling tournament has secured
a date for its next event.
Scrappler's Fest
Kauai
Saturday, May 19, 2012
Start preparing your team and start saving up for the trip to
compete against Kauai's best grapplers from Kauai Technical Institute
(KTI), Powerhouse, Longman, New Breed, Kamole, amongst others.
|
The
Quest For Champions Martial Arts Tournament 2012
Featuring:
Sport-Pankration * Submission Grappling * Continuous Sparring
Saturday, May 19, 2012
St. Louis High School Gym
9:00am
For more Information, please contact Kempo Unlimited Hawaii
kunltd@hotmail.com or 808-778-3601
Source:
Tommy Lam
|
Marloes
Coenen Takes Former Teammate Alistair Overeem to Task Over Golden
Glory
Former
Strikeforce bantamweight champion Marloes Coenen is also former
teammates with current UFC heavyweight Alistair Overeem.
Overeem
has swarmed the headlines recently for his troubles stemming
from a drug test in Nevada that showed an elevated ratio of testosterone-to-epitestosterone,
to the tune of 14-to-1. The limit for a combat sports athlete
in Nevada is 6-to-1.
Overeem
went before the Nevada State Athletic Commission on Tuesday to
plead his case, saying that he was administered medication under
the supervision of a doctor, but was unaware said medication
also had testosterone in it.
During
his examination with the commission, Overeem commented on his
former team and management at Golden Glory in Holland. Coenen,
who has a main event fight coming up this weekend for Invicta
FC, didn’t take to kindly to Overeem’s comments, unloading
on her former teammate while she was a guest on The MMA Show
with Mauro Ranallo.
“When
Alistair got the deal (with the UFC), he abandoned (Golden Glory),”
declared Coenen. “He said he wants to surround himself with
smart people, but you know what happened yesterday, I don’t
know how smart those people are. He said a lot of lies and it
was really hurtful for me because I know what happened.
“And
it makes me look bad because I’m with (Golden Glory). He
said they weren’t a good management team, but I know what
they did for him. When he lost five fights in a row a long while
ago, Martin de Jong stuck with him and believed in him, and the
same goes with the management.”
According
to the Invicta headliner, it goes beyond just supporting Overeem
in his fighting career. Coenen indicated that Golden Glory had
also worked to keep Overeem out of legal trouble in the past.
“When
Alistair had a big fight in the Netherlands because he didn’t
want to pay 50 cents to the woman that sits at the toilet, it
was the Golden Glory team that kept him out of jail. I know so
many things they did for him, so when he calls them criminals,
it’s not true.
“I’m
with Golden Glory; so when he calls them bad he indirectly talks
bad about me. It makes me look like a person who can’t make
good decisions.
“If
he wants to leave the team, I’m fine with that, he’s
a grown man and can make his own decisions. But don’t stab
them in the back and make them look bad when they’ve worked
so hard for you.”
Source:
MMA Weekly
|
MMA
Fighter & Marine Dustin West works with Wounded Warrior Project
(PRESS
RELEASE) -- Dustin Westhas quietly built a reputation as a knockout
artist and a fan favorite in the Southeast. Having ended numerous
fights in under a minute, the heavy handed Tennessee native will
take his KO road show to Knoxville, TN this Friday night to face
Stoney Halelive on HDNet at XFC 16 ‘High Stakes’.
Before
pursuing MMA, West served his country as a Marine. Now that he
has had some success in the sport, ‘DWest’ is hoping
he can shine a light on a cause near and dear to his heart; The
Wounded Warrior Project.
The
WWP is an organization that assists injured servicemen when they
come home from war and helps them transition back to life as
a civilian. Anyone who served in the military who has incurred
injuries or illness due to their service on or after September
11, 2001 is eligible to enter the program. Whether it’s
helping soldiers find jobs or simply helping with paperwork for
benefits / grants, the WWP has helped thousands of soldiers since
its institution in 2002.
“The
XFC has given me a wonderful opportunity to compete on HDNet
at ‘High Stakes’,” said West. “I really think
it’s important to use this opportunity to give to others
and bring awareness to The Wounded Warrior Project. I served
in the Marine Corp and was fortunate to come back home with my
health. There are a lot of others who aren’t as lucky as
me. And I think it’s important to give back and honor those
heroes. I encourage everyone who reads this to go to www.woundedwarriorproject.org
and do what you can to support these brave men and women.”
Not
only did West get permission to represent the Wounded Warrior
Project at XFC 16, he will also have local Knoxville soldiers
that were wounded in battle as his guests at the event.
XFC
President John Prisco is thrilled to have Dustin Westfighting
on the card. “Dustin is an example of what honor and integrity
is all about,” said Prisco. “I have watched Dustin
progress in his career over the years and he is a very talented
fighter. He’s been knocking out guys left and right. After
his big knockout over Johnathan Ivey, I had to put him on the
card at ‘High Stakes’. Once I put him on the card,
I had some talks with him and his manager and realized just how
important The Wounded Warrior Project was to him. It’s really
good to see a young man like that who wants to give back to wounded
men and women who come home from war. A lot of guys go after
sponsors to make a quick buck but here’s a former Marine
who is more concerned with helping his fellow soldiers. It’s
really touching and I’m proud to have Dustin competing for
the XFC.”
XFC
16 : High Stakes will feature Jamie Varnervs. Drew Fickett in
the main event and is sponsored by Sheets Energy Strips &
Overthrow Gear and will air live on HDnet from the Knoxville
Civic Coliseum in Knoxville, TN on February 10th, 2012. Tickets
are on sale now through OfficialXFC.com. To learn more about
the XFC, please visit www.officialxfc.com, “like” them
on Facebook, and “Follow” the promotion on Twitter
(@officialxfc).
Source:
Sherdog
|
PR
on Wednesday Sacramento AB2100 hearing
By Zach
Arnold
UFC
is bringing in the big names to schmooze with the politicians
about not supporting new amendments to AB2100 that would, by
law, prohibit many contractual provisions that Zuffa currently
uses in standard fighter contracts. Reportedly, Chuck Liddell
and Matt Hughes were in Sacramento to shake various hands.
I
heard names like Urijah Faber & Jon Fitch bandied about as
pro-UFC witnesses for tomorrow’s testimony. It takes place
in Sacramento at 2 PM EST/11 AM PST and you can listen to the
hearing live by clicking here. If anyone can record the audio,
please send it my way. I would greatly appreciate it (for transcription
purposes). The California Channel will not air the hearing live
and does not plan on airing the session any time soon on the
network. So, any help here from you would be greatly appreciated.
Press
release on tomorrow’s Sacramento hearing on AB2100
For
immediate release
Contact:
Marva Diaz (916-319-2028, Marva.Diaz@asm.ca.gov)
Professional
Bill of Rights for MMA Athletes
AB 2100 Reforms Contractual Practices in MMA
(SACRAMENTO)—
Assembly Member Luis A. Alejo’s (D-Salinas) AB 2100 would
protect professional mixed martial arts (MMA) fighters in California
from certain exploitative business practices.
“Tragically,
many athletes who compete professionally in mixed martial arts
in California are subjected to pervasive exploitation by some
fight promoters,” said Alejo. “These fight promoters
exploit the dreams of young fighters by promising lucrative careers.
But once these fighters enter the business, they are required
to surrender many of their rights. As a result, these talented
athletes are often unable to make enough money to support themselves
and their families in the sport they love.”
The
bill would protect professional fighters licensed in California
from the following exploitative, oppressive and coercive practices:
Requiring
athletes to relinquish all rights to their own identities “in
perpetuity.” This deprives athletes of the opportunity to
make money from video games, clothing and other merchandise made
with their names or images.
Pressuring athletes to sign coercive contracts by banning them
from lucrative events and denying them the right to compete in
important contests if they do not agree to certain terms.
Restricting athletes’ freedom of movement and ability to
negotiate for higher pay through coercive clauses that “automatically
renew” promotional contracts.
Frustrating athletes’ freedom to benefit financially from
their own success by placing unreasonable restrictions on sponsorships.
The bill also would extend certain legal protections already
afforded to professional boxers under the federal Muhammad Ali
Boxing Reform Act of 2000.
The
following California fighters will testify in support of the
bill at an April 25th legislative hearing in the Assembly Committee
on Arts, Entertainment, Sports, Tourism and Internet Media: Retired
four-time defending, undefeated Ultimate Fighting Championship
(UFC) champion Frank Shamrock; current lightweight fighter and
former Maximum Fighting Championship (MFC) champion Antonio D.
McKee; and former UFC light heavyweight turned attorney Christian
Wellisch.
Others
expected to testify in support of the bill is a representative
from the Mixed Martial Arts Fighters Association (MMAFA) and
a broad coalition of labor unions.
“As
a result of coercive contractual practices, competitive market
forces have been strangled, future earnings power of the athletes
is stripped away by the promoter, and purses to the athlete are
artificially depressed,” said Rob Maysey, founder of the
MMAFA. “There is no legal, economic or other legitimate
explanation as to why mixed martial artists should be afforded
less protection or have fewer rights than their boxing counterparts.”
Luis
Alejo represents the 28th District in the California State Assembly,
which consists of San Benito County, the Salinas Valley, North
Monterey County, South Santa Clara County and the city of Watsonville.
Source:
Fight Opinion
|
Antonio
Rodrigo Nogueira vs. Cheick Kongo Set for UFC 149
By Ariel
Helwani - Video Reporter and Writer
Two
of the UFC's top heavyweights will look to get back on track
in July.
Antonio
Rodrigo Nogueira will meet Cheick Kongo at UFC 149 on July 21
in Calgary, Alberta, Canada, Calgary Sun reported on Tuesday.
UFC president Dana White tweeted on Wednesday that the fight
will not headline the pay-per-view.
Speaking
of which, Jose Aldo was originally scheduled to headline the
card, but White said on Tuesday that the promotion is considering
moving him to UFC 147 on June 23 in Brazil. He was open to the
idea of booking Jon Jones vs. Dan Henderson as the UFC 149 main
event but said the organization has yet to finalize those plans.
Nogueira
(33-7-1, 1 NC) hasn't fought since he was submitted by Frank
Mir via kimura at UFC 140 in December. Nogueira never tapped,
however, the fight was stopped after Mir broke his right arm.
The 35-year-old Brazilian is 2-3 in his last five fights.
As
for Kongo (17-7-2), the 36-year-old Frenchman recently had his
four-fight unbeaten streak snapped by Mark Hunt when he lost
via TKO at UFC 144 in February. The loss marked his first since
his Dec. 2009 submission to Mir at UFC 107.
UFC
149 will take place at the Scotiabank Saddledome in Calgary.
It will mark the UFC's first visit to the city.
Source:
MMA Fighting
|
Hatsu
Hioki Meets Ricardo Lamas at UFC on FX 4
Hatsu
Hioki will be fighting in June, but it won’t be against
Jose Aldo for the UFC featherweight title.
Instead
the Japanese stand out will face Ricardo Lamas at UFC on FX 4
in Atlantic City on June 22.
UFC
officials confirmed the fight to FoxSports.com on Wednesday.
“Many
pegged Hioki as the next possible challenger for Jose Aldo’s
title, but he wants one more test before going for the belt,”
UFC President Dana White said. “In his way is Lamas, who
has proven to be a tough competitor for anyone to deal with,
especially since moving down to featherweight and finishing both
opponents at 145 pounds. Both guys have verbally agreed to the
match.”
Ricardo
Lamas has gone 2-0 since coming to the UFC picking up wins over
Matt Grice and Cub Swanson, and now has a chance to rocket into
the top ten if he can get past Hioki in June.
The
two featherweights are the latest addition to the UFC on FX 4
card, which takes place in Atlantic City in June. It’s the
first trip the UFC has made to the city in 7 years.
Meanwhile,
with Hioki’s fight announced it all but secures Jose Aldo’s
next opponent as Duke Roufus student Erik Koch. Koch has been
out of action for several months dealing with an injury, but
with Hioki and other potential opponent Dustin Poirier already
locked into fights, it’s a foregone conclusion that the
Milwaukee based competitor will get the next crack at the UFC
featherweight title.
Source:
MMA Weekly
|
Galvao
wants the weight and absolute world titles of Jiu-Jitsu
Story by
Erik Engelhart
Current
absolute and weight champion at ADCC, Andre Galvao had a good
start this year and earned one of the few titles he lacked on
his collection: Abu Dhabi Pro’s. The black belt defeated
Vitor Toledo on the weight finale and was overcome by Rodolfo
Vieira on the judges’ call on the absolute dispute, on a
much tied bout. Andre has beaten up GFTeam athlete in 2009 on
a no gi fight, and is already learning from his mistakes in Abu
Dhabi, wishing for a third fight against Rodolfo.
On
the interview you check below, Galvao talked about World Pro’s
title, criticized the organization of the event, evaluated his
loss to Rodolfo, commented on teaching Sheikh Tahnoon Bin Zayed,
and claims to be more motivated than ever to get two gold medals
at World.
You
got your first Abu Dhabi Pro title, one you lacked in your collection.
How did you like the competition?
Yeah,
that was my first Abu Dhabi Pro title, the only one I didn’t
have yet, but thank God I have it now. It was a high level competition,
many good opponents and good people there. The Arab Emirates
sees Jiu-Jitsu as a sport that is good for them, which is so
true. If you do it, you know it. Their main goal is to make Abu
Dhabi the world’s capital of Jiu-Jitsu. They’re working
for it. But so that happens fast, they have to improve the organization,
because there’re many flaws.
What
happened?
Picture
this: the first day black belts started fighting like six, 7p.m.
and stopped at 1a.m., when we started fighting for the absolute
title. And the delay also happened the next day, so it wasn’t
just an incident. They have a great eye on competition, but the
schedule is really badly done. There’s great rewarding,
which is excellent, but they lacked punctuality. That’s
all. Besides that, there were great fights to watch.
Talking
about a good fight, you and Rodolfo Vieira had a great rematch
on the absolute finals and you were defeated by points (4x2).
Why couldn’t you defeat him this time?
I
guess what happened it was I got insecure. I guess I tried to
use my game plan, I should’ve let it go a little more. I
needed to fight harder. I lost some positions I couldn’t
have loss. On a fight like this one, we can’t make mistakes,
but we’re humans and it happens sometimes. When I was on
top I should’ve been more careful, but I tried to speed
things up and open a way for him.
You
was defeated and now you’re even because you had defeated
him on a no gi bout back in 2009. Do you think about a third
fight?
Rodolfo
is doing great and got me this time, congratulations. What I
can tell you is that it was a very good fight for me. I’ve
learned a lot from it and now I’m training more to correct
my mistakes so I won’t do it again when we meet.
And
how about the Jiu-Jitsu classes for Sheikh Tahnoon Bin Zayed,
how were they? Is he really tough?
He’s
very technical, knows real Jiu-Jitsu. Sheikh is a Jiu-Jitsu addict.
He has good conditioning and knows how to use his weight, does
guard and always goes for the submission. He’s a black belt
graduated by Renzo Gracie, what do you want? (laughs) He’s
complete. You can’t mess around with him because he’s
a tough guy (laughs). The classes were great to me and it’s
a huge pleasure teaching him. And not only because of what he
has done in Jiu-Jitsu on the past decade, but because he’s
thirsty for knowledge. He’s shown me very good stuff too,
good positions. I’m really glad to help him.
What
are the expectations for World? Will you fight both absolute
and weight?
I’m
feeling really great. We have a good training, high level training
back in my gym in San Diego, California. That’s what is
keeping me motivated. It won’t be different at World. That’s
my job: I train to fight. I’ll dispute weight and absolute
divisions. The expectations are huge, I’m more motivated
than ever to have a good championship done.
Source:
Tatame
|
Dana
White: Tito Ortiz, BJ Penn Deserve to Be in UFC Hall of Fame
By Dave
Doyle
WEST
HOLLYWOOD, Calif. -- The UFC hasn’t set a time or date for
its next set of inductions into the company’s Hall of Fame.
But when they get around to it, said company president Dana White,
two former champions will likely get a call.
During
a lunch gathering at The Palm restaurant, White said two fighters
coming close to the end of the line, former UFC light heavyweight
champion Tito Ortiz and multi-weight class champ B.J. Penn, belong
in the Hall of Fame.
"Despite
my personal problems with Tito, he belongs in," said White.
"He was the champion when we first bought this thing. The
fact that Tito is still here, Tito and I have had our moments,
but it doesn’t change what he did for the company."
Ortiz
was the first major drawing card of the Zuffa era. "The
Huntington Beach Bad Boy" held the light heavyweight title
from 2000-03, still the third-longest reign in company history,
and his rivalries with Ken Shamrock and Chuck Liddell helped
etch the new-era UFC into mainstream consciousness.
Ortiz
and White have famously clashed over the years. But White says
he can’t deny the former champion his place in history.
"The
beef between me and Tito, Chuck and Tito, the fact is, that played
a huge role in helping making this thing as big as it is."
Penn,
a Hilo, Hawaii native billed as "The Prodigy," is one
of the most naturally gifted fighters ever to set foot in the
Octagon. His willingness to fight anyone -- he once gave up 50
pounds in a fight against future UFC light heavyweight champion
Lyoto Machida and took him to a decision -- made him one of the
company’s most popular fighters.
Penn
is one of just two fighters to win titles in multiple weight
classes. In 2004, the natural lightweight went up to welterweight
and submitted Matt Hughes to claim the crown, ending Hughes’
13-fight win streak. In 2008, he defeated Joe Stevenson for the
vacant UFC lightweight title and held the belt for two years.
"Definitely,"
White said when asked if Penn belongs in the Hall. "The
thing about B.J. Penn is that what he brought to the lightweight
division, there was a point in time when we first bought this
company when people thought guys in the lighter weight divisions
couldn’t be stars and couldn’t see pay-per-views and
couldn’t cross over. B.J. Penn was definitely that first
crossover guy for us."
Ortiz
will fight Forrest Griffin in their trilogy fight on July 7 in
what is expected to be Ortiz’s last fight. Penn is hinting
at retirement, but White thinks he’s not done yet.
"He’ll
be back. It’s tough, when there are 16,000 people in the
arena chanting your name, it’s tough to walk away from that.
B.J. Penn is a fighter. You hear some of these guys, and Tito
was one of these guys, he said he wanted to be famous. B.J. Penn
is a fighter."
Fighters
currently in the Hall are Royce Gracie, Ken Shamrock, Dan Severn,
Randy Couture, Mark Coleman, Chuck Liddell and Matt Hughes. Late
TapouT co-founder Charles "Mask" Lewis is also inducted.
Source:
MMA Fighting
|
UFC
145 Prelims Draw 1.6 Million Viewers on FX; Bellator 66 Pulls
109,000 on MTV2
By Mike
Whitman
The
Ultimate Fighting Championship drew its highest viewership numbers
on cable network FX last Saturday, as the UFC 145 prelims attracted
an average of 1.6 million viewers to the Fox-owned station. The
telecast just edged the previous FX high of 1.5 million viewers
set by the UFC 144 prelims in February.
Meanwhile,
Bellator Fighting Championships saw its Friday night effort yield
the second-lowest viewership figure of Season 6. Bellator 66
brought in just 109,000 viewers on MTV2, trailing only Bellator
61, which netted 108,000.
Headlined
by a light heavyweight title clash between former teammates Jon
Jones andRashad Evans, UFC 145 took place at Philips Arena in
Atlanta. The undercard offering featured six bouts in total,
four of which aired on FX. Highlighting the broadcast was a quick
submission victory for heavyweight prospect Travis Browne over
Strikeforce vet Chad Griggs, as well as a bloody, three-round
welterweight affair that sawMatt Brown best Stephen Thompson.
The
night prior, Bellator 66 showcased arguably its stoutest card
of the season, topped by a lightweight rematch between former
Bellator champion Eddie Alvarez and reigning Dream kingpin Shinya
Aokiat the I-X Center in Cleveland. Alvarez easily dispatched
the Japanese submission ace, evening the score by blasting Aoki
with a first-round uppercut before sealing the deal with ground-and-pound.
Lightweight and middleweight tournament semifinals were also
featured, as Brent Weedman, Rick Hawn,Maiquel Falcao and Andreas
Spang moved one step closer to a shot at Bellator gold.
Source
Sherdog
|
Recap
of Sacramento AB2100 bill hearing; passes committee on 5-3 vote
By Zach
Arnold
Today’s
Assembly committee hearing in Sacramento (State Capitol, Room
437) for the committee for Arts, Entertainment, Sports, Tourism,
and Internet Media to discuss amendments to AB2100 was quite
an interesting hearing. Assembly chair Nora Campos, who oversaw
testimony as a moderator for the hearing, had a thankless job
of trying to manage so many different voices, both pro-AB2100
and con-AB2100. All things considered, she did a commendable
job.
The
hearing, which started at 11 AM, featured some real MMA star
power. On the pro-AB2100 side, you had Frank Shamrock as the
lead figure. He was joined by Christian Wellisch (fighter turned
lawyer), Antonio McKee, and Rob Maysey as the four main figures
presenting comment. In addition to their comments, there were
many special interest political groups that stated their name
and public support for AB2100. This included various labor unions
(Teamsters, California Labor Federation), the Jockey’s Guild,
and also Juanito Ibarra (Rampage Jackson’s former manager).
There
was no question that Frank’s testimony, out of all the witnesses
present for the hearing, was by far the most impressive in terms
of persuading the committee. In these kinds of settings, he is
really sharp and it’s hard to attack him. Larry Epstein,
UFC’s attorney, tried to do this later on but in an ineffective,
half-hearted way. More on that in a second.
Christian
Wellisch talked about the issues that he faced at American Kickboxing
Academy. I think we all remember the Jon Fitch episode over video
game rights. I thought his testimony was good, but I’m not
sure how persuadable it was.
Rob
Maysey did a fine job presenting his case. He focused on the
fact that fighters who sign Zuffa contracts give away rights
for life, rights that they cannot get back when they are at the
negotiating table with UFC for a new deal or with another promotion
to sign a contract.
Antonio
McKee was a surprise in terms of testimony & how influential
his remarks were. I honestly didn’t see it coming. He talked
a lot about the struggles he’s gone through in order to
make it to where he has and he expressed concerned about fighters
getting $50 pay days. He hoped that AB2100 amendments would pass,
stating that it would open doors for younger fighters to be protected.
Overall,
if you’re a supporter of AB2100, you had to be happy with
the testimony performance of those who spoke on behalf of the
bill’s amendments.
AB2100,
as comments from our readership in the past have noted, has a
lot of holes that can poked at in order to stop it dead in its
tracks. What fascinated me the most about the anti-AB2100 testimony
from the UFC camp is that I thought it was less effective and
persuasive than the comments that were made by our readers. I
was a little bit taken aback by how… flat… the performance
was by Team UFC at the hearing. They had more ammunition to work
with here than the pro-AB2100 team and I’m not sure they
delivered enough to stop the process dead.
Tim
Lynch, Zuffa’s top lobbyist (Platinum advisors), said that
‘the bill is a bit of a moving target’ because the
pension tax for a retirement fund has been removed, but that
he still considers the legislation problematic. He noted having
a problem with the California State Athletic Commission being
given the power to review if fighter contracts are coercive or
not. Tim said that AB2100’s amendments would make it impossible
for the UFC to book a large MMA event in California. He was quick,
concise, and to the point. A good start.
Then
came Ronda Rousey. Zuffa clearly thinks she’s persuasive
and has sent her around to do a charm offensive with politicians
(see: New York), but I thought her attitude here was not good
at all if you are anti-AB2100. There were two big problems with
her overall testimonial performance: 1) tone (condescending,
arrogant) and 2) what she actually said in terms of numbers for
what she gets paid did not come across as a positive to me. If
I was a pro-AB2100 supporter, I would have been thrilled by her
performance today in making my case for me.
Ronda
started by promoting her Olympic career and her MMA career. She’s
right up there when it comes to self-promotion, I’ll give
her that. She said that the amendments to AB2100 were bad because
it would allow the state to review a contract that she was happy
with and the promoter was happy with.
(This
was the standard argument Lorenzo Fertitta presented in the letter
last week stating that AB2100 would be government interference
in private contracts.)
Ronda
stated that she did not support a contractual situation where
a third-party, a person she doesn’t know, would have control
over her business decisions. While she wouldn’t admit that
there are contractual issues that fighters face, she said that
‘this bill does nothing to help solve it.’
At
this point, her testimony was what it was. Later on is when things
got worse.
Matt
Hughes, along with Chuck Liddell, did the handshaking circuit
yesterday in Sacramento and he was the best character witness
UFC presented. Not even close. “I’m here for my experience
and not my success.” He focused on the merchandising contracts
with UFC and said that the deals with non-binding and gave royalties.
He noted that Topps came out with a trading card of him and he
got his own action figure. Matt said that when he retires that
he can ’still create revenue throughout the years of not
fighting’ because UFC will employ him.
“I’ve
never signed a contract with anybody that my manager or lawyer
hasn’t looked at before.”
He
stated that he didn’t want a third-party to look over a
contract that his manager & lawyer had negotiated. He went
on to say that AB2100 would hurt smaller MMA shows and drive
them away from California. He said that the shows would move
to Las Vegas. (They would more or less move to Indian casinos
rather than Vegas, but his point is well-taken.)
He
went to say that the smaller MMA shows is Zuffa’s infrastructure,
a farm system for developing talent if you will. (I guess The
Ultimate Fighter wasn’t worth a mention.) Matt said that
AB2100 would kill the MMA farm system in California within six
to ten years.
“I
really wonder why these other fighters think that this is a good
bill. I would like to debate them on the merits of the bill.”
Marc
Ratner then gave testimony and talked about his regulatory background.
He didn’t say a lot. He called California one of the top
commissions in the country, but they only have seven or eight
employees. Marc claimed that AB2100 would severely hamper the
commission because the bill’s provision would be very hard
to enforce. He put over Lorenzo Fertitta as being a former member
of Nevada’s athletic commission and Kirk Hendrick was Nevada’s
senior deputy attorney general of state.
(I
have no idea why he name-dropped Hendrick here.)
Ratner
went to say that Zuffa has the ‘deepest regulatory bench
in the world’ and that they run towards regulation, not
against it. He said no athletic commission in the world would
be able to handle the enforcement of AB2100. Ratner’s testimony
performance was perfunctory and nothing special.
Lawrence
Epstein, UFC’s lead attorney, presented the best & most
effective argument against AB2100. However, that concise argument
got lost when he went on… and on… and on about various
issues. If you judged his performance at the hearing in general,
it was OK but nothing special. He tried several times to interrupt
and answer questions that were being bandied about by various
Assemblymembers on the committee. Nora Campos had to stop him
from speaking… a lot.
Epstein
started out with a smug assertion that he wanted the hearing
to be ‘operating with the proper set of facts.” He
broke down the two kinds of contracts that Zuffa has fighters
sign: 1) promotional agreements and 2) merchandising agreements.
He
noted that promotional agreements are 1 year/3 fights or 2 years/6
fights and that these contracts are ‘relatively short compared
to other sports.’ He claimed that the exclusive nature of
the contracts was necessarily because ‘it makes commercial
sense to be so.’ Epstein said it made no sense for fight-by-fight
deals because of promotion hopping.
He
tried to go after Wellisch, an attorney and former UFC fighter,
over interpretation of Zuffa contracts, stating that “I
think he frankly has a misunderstanding of the contract.”
As
for the merchandising agreement, Epstein says that it’s
non-exclusive and that the company shares revenues with the fighters.
He further stated that fighters are free to do their own trading
card & toy deals.
“We
have literally created millions and millions of dollars through
this [merchandising] rights program.”
Epstein
said he would proudly stack up their merchandising system against
‘the other major leagues.’
(Be
careful what you wish for there.)
Epstein
talked about the Muhammad Ali act and how his previous background
was in boxing. He claimed that he was involved in debates about
the Ali act. Epstein said the Ali act was designed to deal with
‘very, very specific ills that were present in the boxing
industry.’ He went on to throw Don King under the bus, saying
that his contracts have ‘options upon options upon options.’
He also said the Ali act was needed to address reckless sanctioning
bodies.
At
this point, Nora Campos told him to wrap his testimony up. Epstein
hurriedly said that AB2100 would result in hundreds, if not thousands
of contracts that the California State Athletic Commission would
have to review in terms of ‘coercive’ language. He
said the commission would have to hire ‘a new law firm’
just to oversee all the contracts signed in MMA.
This,
right here, was the best argument UFC had against AB2100 and
Epstein didn’t focus in on it until the very end when he
had to basically blurt it out.
Chuck
Liddell gave a quick comment to the committee. This was not a
highlight moment for him. He was nervous, which is understandable.
He said that the CSAC already has the right to ‘take care
of things’ related to contracts.
“It’s
not going to help us any. … They have all the tools they
need to come in and correct.”
Chairwoman
Campos asked for any more remarks from the anti-AB2100 side.
A spokesperson from the Howard Jarvis Tax Association, a very
powerful political interest group in California, stepped up to
the mic and asked if amendments to AB2100 including a pension
tax or not. When notified that the pension tax language was dropped
from the amendments, the spokesperson immediately dropped opposition
to the bill.
That
was key for the bill’s amendments to even survive for debate.
Questions
and answers with the committee members
It
should be duly noted that the three Republicans on the committee,
Beth Gaines, Jim Silva, & Katcho Achadjian, pretty much gave
away their thoughts on AB2100… as in they wanted nothing
to do with it, but without actually blurting that out.
What
was striking here from the line of questioning is that outside
of Luis Alejo, the Assemblyman who is pushing for the AB2100
amendments, the other members of the committee do not know much
about MMA.
As
such, you ended up with questions like ‘have there been
individual challenges to contracts?” in court.
One
of the members, I think it was Tony Mendoza, came across as very
supportive.
“This
area of sport has not had the oversight or protections for athletes
that boxers and others have had. So, we’re in a committee
today. This bill’s going to have a light ahead of it.”
He
further added that as a general policy statement of the state
of California, this is a growing sport in popularity. His interest
is that California establishes a foundation of non-negotiable
protections and would look forward to that. Thanked Frank Shamrock
for his testimony.
Christian
Wellisch responded to the question about contractual challenges
by saying that the reason fighters don’t challenge in court
is due to intimidation of being fired, which he noted was his
personal experience.
Assemblyman
Alejo brought up the “ESPN documentary” (Outside the
Lines) talking about fighter pay and why many fighters don’t
want to go on the record.
Assemblyman
Mendoza remarked that he agreed with what was said but that the
opposition proposed ‘a lot of good points.’
“There’s
some answering that needs to be done.”
He
said that a tremendous case had been made in terms of fighters
being intimidated, saying it was ‘eye-opening testimony
for us,’ but that he hopes to come up with a reasonable
conclusion.
I
think, at this point, it was Assemblyman Katcho Achadjian (or
Assemblyman Monning) who asked the question, ‘How are you
treated in other states?” to which Epstein replied the same
as in California. The Assemblyman noted concerns about the state
losing business and said that he’d like to see the amendment
language. What became clear after a few minutes is that many
of the Assembly members voting had not read the latest revised
amendment draft of AB2100, so many members on the committee took
the stance of wanting to read the amended version of AB2100 before
voting yes or no in committee.
Assemblyman
Alejo responded by saying that the offices of the other members
got the revised amendments to the bill and he did confirm that
amendments related to a pension tax were removed.
An
Assembly member asked if those in support of AB2100 were all
retired fighters. Epstein made it quickly known that Frank Shamrock
is labeled as a “UFC champion” but that he didn’t
fight under the Fertitta/Dana administration. I have no idea
why he felt compelled to state this.
How
about a do-over?
Beth
Gaines, who is Vice Chairwoman of the committee, asked a simple
yet bizarre question: “Please clarify how you work the promotion
process. How do you get a fight?”
Ronda
Rousey stepped up to answer this. I’m betting Zuffa wished
she didn’t after what she said.
Before
answering the question, Rousey snarkily answered that “I’m
actually the only current fighter here today.” At that point,
a seat was made for Antonio McKee to step up to answer. One of
the committee members tried to save Ronda from this faux pas.
Within
seconds of this, Rousey hastily remarked, “What was the
question again?” The written word cannot explain the tone
during this question from her.
Rousey
went to say that you find any kind of promotion putting on a
show, get a matchmaker to find an opponent. She noted that she
did this for three fights and ‘got paid nothing but got
enough of a résumé.’ She was trying to say
amateur fights, but if you’re not quick on the draw you
wouldn’t have picked this up.
She
noted her ‘next pro-fight’ was for King of the Cage
and she got paid $800. Her next fight afterwards, same amount.
Then she got picked up by Strikeforce and ‘they multiplied
my salary many times over. … They re-signed me again for
even more money.”
She
started criticizing fighters who are supportive of AB2100, saying
that people should take a look at what the record of those fighters
is.
“If
you’re bad at your job, you shouldn’t expect people
to pay you for it.”
Antonio
McKee then promptly chimed in and said he had one of the longest
winning streaks in MMA, something that can verified by Sherdog.
At
that point, Epstein stepped in and said that “one of his
50 or so fights was in the UFC.”
As
Rousey continued her testimony, her tone got sharper and more
aggressive.
She
noted that her manager is Darren Harvey and her lawyer is Rod
Lindstrom. She says they look over every single contract she
signs. Rousey noted her last contract was $15,000 to show and
$15,000 to win and that she had her manager ask for ‘a couple
of extra grand.’ She claimed her manager told Zuffa that
a couple of grand may not sound like a lot to you but it is to
her, and she got the money.
“I
do good work for them and I’m valuable to this company and
they treat me like that and I have no complaints.”
You
could sense that the more numbers Rousey started floating around,
the worse things started looking for the anti-AB2100 side —
especially if you are a politician who doesn’t follow the
sport and are seeing some of these figures for the first time.
Confusion
Stunningly,
one Assembly member asked if the California State Athletic Commission
currently oversees regulation of Mixed Martial Arts like they
do for boxing. I kid you not, this was asked.
The
same person then asked if the commission gave any input or comment
about the bill. Nora Campos replied, ‘no, not at this time,’
and said the commission would develop a response at their next
commission hearing.
(Let
me save the committee some time. No, don’t expect the California
State Athletic Commission to support the amendments proposed
for AB2100.)
Final
remarks
Assemblyman
Alejo thanked everyone for the “Rumble in the Rotunda”
and that his legislation is about promoting ‘equity and
fairness for these [fighters].” He said that he doesn’t
want to see MMA superstars 5-to-10 years down the road as exploited
figures who are living in poverty. The Assemblyman said that
California is a leader in political/social policy and that the
bill would set forth a great standard for protecting fighters.
Alejo said he’s a big MMA fan and that he wants to see fighters
get paid enough to provide for their families and to pay for
monthly training expenses. He listed off promotions of dead MMA
promotions and said that when you buy out all the leagues and
control the major names, it’s much more difficult for fighters
to obtain a fair contract. He concluded by stating that he would
work with both the pro-AB2100 and anti-AB2100 sides.
At
this point, Nora Campos put up a motion for further bill discussion
at a later time. Assemblymen Mendoza & Monning voted aye,
with the Republicans voting no. The motion only required a second
approval for further bill discussion and that was achieved.
Bottom
line
I
thought the pro-AB2100 side did about as well as you could expect
in presenting their case.
I
thought the UFC side was rather weak & pedestrian, given
that they’re playing with the stronger hand here as far
as MMA fan support goes.
I
don’t see the California State Athletic Commission backing
the amendments to AB2100 at all, but I could see DCA taking a
stand for it. The DCA/CSAC political battle is nothing new.
The
committee has 6 Democrats and 3 Republicans. The 3 R’s are
solidly no.
There’s
no question that Frank Shamrock delivered for his side here.
In these settings, he’s really good at what he does.
Update:
Eddie Goldman says the bill passed the committee on a 5-to-2
vote. The Contra Costa Times article (linked in comments section)
said this as well. I’m… surprised. That wasn’t
my takeaway as far as what they were voting on, I simply thought
they were voting on further debate at a later point. Hmmm. I’ll
get the roll call later.
The
roll call
There
was, in fact, an actual vote. You could have fooled me, given
how close I paid attention to the proceedings. However, the vote
was not 5-2 with two ‘present’ votes. The vote total
was, in fact, 5-3 with one Assemblyperson abstaining. This lines
up with what I noted during the hearing, which is the three Republicans
who came out and said no.
So,
the five Democrats on the panel voted ‘aye’ despite
some of them admitting minutes earlier that they had not even
received a copy of the amended AB2100 bill with the pension tax
provision removed.
Ayes:
Butler, Campos, Gatto, Mendoza, Monning
Noes: Achadjian, Beth Gaines, Silva
No Votes Recorded: Carter
I
had been sitting here tonight wondering if I lost my mind and
missed something procedurally. Turns out, I didn’t miss
much at all. It’s the sausage-voting process itself, however,
that resulted in the outcome we got today.
The
amended AB2100 bill now is headed to the Committee on Appropriations.
List
of parties in support and against AB2100 amendments
Support:
American Rights at Work, Arete Agency. California Conference
Board of the Amalgamated Transit Union. California Conference
of Machinists. California Labor Federation, AFL-CIO. California
Police Activities League. California Teamsters Public Affairs
Council. Engineers & Scientists of California, IFPTE Local
20. Fighters Online, International Longshore and Warehouse Union,
Jockey’s Guild, Mixed Martial Arts Fighters Association,
Patient Networks, Professional & Technical Engineers, IFPTE
Local 21, United Food & Commercial, Workers Western States
Council, UNITE-HERE, AFL-CIO, Utility Workers Union of America,
Local 132, two private citizens (Eddie Goldman & Juanito
Ibarra)
Opposition:
Goossen Tutor Promotions, Honda Center, Howard Jarvis Taxpayers
Association, HP Pavilion at San Jose, Ultimate Fighting Championship
Source:
Fight Opinion
|
Erik
Koch Tabbed as Jose Aldo’s Next Opponent; Could be UFC 147
or UFC 149
by Damon
Martin
It
appears Jose Aldo’s next opponent will be one that will
gladly stand and trade with him.
Erik
Koch looks like the “to be named opponent” for Aldo’s
next title defense, whenever the UFC decides on a date for the
featherweight champion to get back in action.
Sources
close to the two fighters confirmed that Koch is the likely candidate
to get the shot at Aldo, although bout agreements have not been
issued for the 145-pound title fight showdown.
The
main reason for that however is that Aldo’s title defense
date has not been set in stone yet.
Originally,
Aldo was going to fight at UFC 149 in Calgary on July 21, but
with the recent loss of Anderson Silva vs. Chael Sonnen 2 to
the UFC 147 fight card in Brazil, UFC officials then shifted
their focus to bringing Aldo back home for a main event bout
instead.
While
details are still being worked out, it appears Erik Koch will
be the name called when Aldo’s fight is finally announced.
Assuming
everything goes to plan, Koch will step into the fight with Aldo
on a four-fight win streak, with three of those victories coming
by way of knockout or submission.
Training
under legendary coach Duke Rufous in Milwaukee, Koch has shown
to be a dynamic striker with knockout power in both his hands
and feet, and could present the most interesting match-up in
the striking realm that Aldo has faced yet in the UFC.
Koch
has been out of action since last September after defeating Ultimate
Fighter winner Jonathan Brookins and was supposed to return in
February against Dustin Poirier but an injury sidelined him.
While
no injury is good, it appears the time off will benefit Koch
as his return to action will likely include a title shot attached
to it.
Source:
MMA Weekly
|
Destiny
Tonight
Saturday, April 28, 2012
Aloha Tower Waterfront
|
2012
HAWAIIAN CHAMPIONSHIP OF
BRAZILIAN JIU-JITSU
PART 1 OF TRIPLE CROWN SERIES
KAISER
HIGH SCHOOL GYM, APRIL 16, 2012
NAME SCHOOL points
MEN'S GI WHITE BELT
ROOSTER
1ST - RICHARD YI Relson Gracie - Papakolea Jiu-Jitsu 5
2ND - KANOA ANO Nova Uniao Eight Sixxx 3
3RD - MARCUS NOBLIES Gracie Barra Honolulu 1
3RD - JOHNNY TANICALA Relson Gracie - Kauai Technical Institute
1
SUPERFEATHER
1ST - BRICEL CABEL Nyza Jiu-Jitsu 5
2ND - ZACH LOBETOS Nova Uniao/JKJJ 3
3RD - EVAN ASHER Gracie Barra University 1
3RD - EDWARD AHI Maui Jiu-Jitsu 1
FEATHER
1ST - JOSHUA PEACOTT-RICARDOS Relson Gracie - Kapolei Jiu-Jitsu
5
2ND - REECE TAIRA Ultimate Fight School 3
3RD - CORY ETIBEK Gracie Barra University 1
3RD - KOA FINNERAN Gracie Jiu-Jitsu Kailua 1
LIGHT
1ST - KAZU NOZAKI Sunset Beach Jiu Jitsu 5
2ND - PATRICK KATAHARA Gracie Technics 3
3RD - MATTHEW OYADOMARI Gracie Barra Aiea 1
3RD - KEKOA REIS N/A 1
MIDDLE
1ST - STEVEN HO Gracie Barra University 5
2ND - HANALE KOEGER N/A 3
3RD - MICHAEL AZUMA Relson Gracie - Ronn Shiraki Academy 1
3RD - KAWAI KUPIHEA Ka-mole Jiu-Jitsu 1
MIDDLE HEAVY
1ST - SIMEN RAUDSTEIN Ultimate Fight School 5
2ND - KRISTIAN AQUINO Gracie Barra University 3
3RD - MIKE COOPER N/A 1
3RD - ELLIOT SIRCA-HANSEN Relson Gracie - O2 Martial Arts Academy
1
HEAVY
1ST - PARKER PAREDES Trilogy Jiu-Jitsu 5
2ND - JOHN CHINEN-ZABLAN Trilogy Jiu-Jitsu 3
3RD - SHAUN HENDERSON Mad Tiger Jiu-Jitsu 1
3RD - AQUINO MATT Nova Uniao Eight Sixxx 1
SUPER HEAVY
1ST - MICHAEL GALUTIRA Gracie Barra University 5
2ND - JORDAN PARSONS Mad Tiger Jiu-Jitsu 3
3RD - ERIK ARREOLA N/A 1
3RD - KAYDIZ TEHOTU Gracie Jiu-Jitsu Kailua 1
SUPER HEAVY HEAVY
1ST - JEREMY Relson Gracie - Ronn Shiraki Academy 5
2ND - ANDY STARN N/A 3
3RD - JASON KADILAK Sunset Beach Jiu Jitsu 1
3RD - WALLY NISHIMURA Relson Gracie - Kauai Technical Institute
1
MEN'S GI BLUE BELT
SUPERFEATHER
1ST - KEVIN NATIVIDAD Nova Uniao Eight Sixxx 5
2ND - ARJAY BALISACAN Relson Gracie - Kauai Technical Institute
3
3RD - JOSHUA MARTINEZ Maui Grappling Academy 1
3RD - ELI OLSON Sunset Beach Jiu Jitsu 1
FEATHER
1ST - BILLY PACHECO JR Relson Gracie - Team HK 5
2ND - KAMA KAAEA Maui Grappling Academy 3
3RD - TODD KAJIWARA Nyza Jiu-Jitsu 1
3RD - FRANK RIVERA Ka-mole Jiu-Jitsu 1
LIGHT
1ST - DAVID BACHMANN Sunset Beach Jiu Jitsu 5
2ND - ARTHUR GUERRERO Gracie Jiu-Jitsu Kailua 3
3RD - EDUARDO BORGES Sunset Beach Jiu Jitsu 1
3RD - JEFFREY ANDAYA Maui Grappling Academy 1
MIDDLE
1ST - JEREMY NITTA Mad Tiger Jiu-Jitsu 5
2ND - KJ KAMA Trilogy Jiu-Jitsu 3
3RD - MATT GALDONES N/A 1
3RD - TAYLOR KEVIA Gracie Jiu-Jitsu Kailua 1
MIDDLE HEAVY
1ST - SOMPHANE KASOMBATH Relson Gracie - Team HK 5
2ND - IKAIKA EARL Alliance JJ 3
3RD - JOEL BARENG Trilogy Jiu-Jitsu 1
3RD - BLAINE REUM Sunset Beach Jiu Jitsu 1
HEAVY
1ST - JUSTIN NIHEI Relson Gracie - Ronn Shiraki Academy 5
2ND - ANTHONY IREK Pure Jiu Jitsu 3
3RD - MATT PACARRO Gracie Technics 1
MEN'S GI PURPLE BELT
FEATHER
1ST - KONA PRRAS Maui Jiu-Jitsu 5
2ND - KAI WEYDEMEYER Ka-mole Jiu-Jitsu 3
3RD - JAY OLIVEIRA Relson Gracie - Ronn Shiraki Academy 1
LIGHT
1ST - DANIEL IGE Sunset Beach Jiu Jitsu 5
2ND - MATT GORMAN Sunset Beach Jiu Jitsu 3
3RD - JUAN CORRAL Maui Jiu-Jitsu 1
3RD - GUSTAVO FONSECA BJ PENN 1
MIDDLE
1ST - BEN SACAPANIO Maui Grappling Academy 5
2ND - SHANE KAHANANUI Relson Gracie - Kauai Technical Institute
3
3RD - MICHAEL DORMAN Relson Gracie - Kapolei Jiu-Jitsu 1
MIDDLE HEAVY
1ST - JOSH HAYES Gracie Jiu-Jitsu Kailua 5
2ND - JAVIER MIRELEZ North Shore Jiu-Jitsu 3
3RD - NOAH WERNSMAN Brazilian Freestyle Jiu Jitsu 1
3RD - NICHOLAS LEE Relson Gracie - Ronn Shiraki Academy 1
HEAVY
1ST - STUART KAM Relson Gracie - Kapolei Jiu-Jitsu 5
2ND - KOJI VENTEN Relson Gracie - Ronn Shiraki Academy 3
3RD - SEAN STARN Brazilian Freestyle Jiu Jitsu 1
3RD - FRANSCISCO GOMEZ Nova Uniao Eight Sixxx 1
MEN'S GI BROWN BELT
OPEN
1ST - KYLE OLIVARES Relson Gracie - O2 Martial Arts Academy 5
2ND - DESMOND THAIN Relson Gracie - Ronn Shiraki Academy 3
3RD - BRONSON ACDAL Nova Uniao Eight Sixxx 1
MEN'S GI MASTERS BLUE BELT
36 YRS AND OVER
1ST - RICH STOVER Brazilian Freestyle Jiu Jitsu 5
2ND - SAMUEL KAIMUOLA Alliance BJJ 3
3RD - ANDREW ROSENBERG Grappling Unlimited 1
3RD - DAN LATHROP Gracie Jiu-Jitsu Kailua 1
WOMEN'S GI WHITE BELT
FEATHER
1ST - SAVANNAH CLOSE Sunset Beach Jiu Jitsu 5
2ND - JESSICA SEID Brazilian Freestyle Jiu Jitsu 3
MIDDLE / MIDDLE HEAVY
1ST - PATRICIA EDSTROM Maui Jiu-Jitsu 5
2ND - ERICA KOLCZ Makule Jiu Jitsu 3
NOVICE
MEN'S NO-GI
ROOSTER
1ST - RICHARD YI Relson Gracie - Papakolea Jiu-Jitsu 5
2ND - KANOA ANO Nova Uniao Eight Sixxx 3
SUPERFEATHER
1ST - RODNEY KAHAO South Oahu MMA 5
2ND - BRICEL CABEL Nyza Jiu-Jitsu 3
FEATHER
1ST - REECE TAIRA Ultimate Fight School 5
2ND - OSCAR PALOMARES Pure Jiu Jitsu 3
3RD - RAYMOND HALUALANI HEE Sunset Beach Jiu Jitsu 1
LIGHT
1ST - CADE PINE N/A 5
2ND - KAZU NOZAKI N/A 3
3RD - RYAN DACK North Shore Jiu-Jitsu 1
MIDDLE
1ST - NAUTA TEIKI Gracie Barra University 5
2ND - BLAINE REUM Sunset Beach Jiu Jitsu 3
3RD - ZACHARY TSUTSUI-KEUMA Nova Uniao Eight Sixxx 1
HEAVY
1ST - JOHN CHINEN-ZABLAN Trilogy Jiu-Jitsu 5
2ND - MATT AQUINO Nova Uniao Eight Sixxx 3
MIDDLE HEAVY
1ST - SIMEN RAUDSTEIN Ultimate Fight School 5
2ND - JACOB MEDEIROS Maui Grappling Academy 3
SUPER HEAVY
1ST - JASON KADILAK Sunset Beach Jiu Jitsu 5
2ND - MICHAEL GALUTIRA 3
3RD - WALLY NISHIMURA Relson Gracie - Kauai Technical Institute
1
INTERMEDIATE
MEN'S NO-GI
SUPERFEATHER
1ST - KEVIN NATIVIDAD Nova Uniao Eight Sixxx 5
2ND - TOM VOIT Sunset Beach Jiu Jitsu 3
3RD - ELI OLSEN Sunset Beach Jiu Jitsu 1
FEATHER
1ST - KAMA KAAEA Maui Grappling Academy 5
2ND - IKAIKA SILVA Mad Tiger Jiu-Jitsu 3
3RD - HARVEY KARAS Sunset Beach Jiu Jitsu 1
3RD - IKAIKA SALASANG Gracie Barra 1
LIGHT
1ST - DANIEL UEHARA Maui Grappling Academy 5
2ND - ED NHIEU Relson Gracie - Team HK 3
3RD - BRANDON MARTYN Sunset Beach Jiu Jitsu 1
MIDDLE
1ST - KJ KAMA Trilogy Jiu-Jitsu 5
2ND - NICHOLAS LINDBLAD Grappling Unlimited 3
MIDDLE HEAVY 5
1ST - SOMPHANE KASOMBATH Relson Gracie - Team HK 3
2ND - JOSH SOUTER Brazilian Freestyle Jiu Jitsu 1
HEAVY
1ST - PAKER PAREDES Trilogy Jiu-Jitsu 5
2ND - ANTHONY IREK Pure Jiu Jitsu 3
3RD - JUSTIN NIHEI Relson Gracie - Ronn Shiraki Academy 1
3RD - ANDREW THOMPSON Relson Gracie - Team HK 1
MEN'S GI MASTERS
36 YRS AND OVER
1ST - SEAN STARN N/A 5
2ND - ANDREW ROSENBERG Grappling Unlimited 3
ADVANCED
MEN'S NO-GI
SUPERFEATHER
1ST - JOSHUA MARTINEZ Maui Grappling Academy 5
2ND - TRACIE KUKI Gracie Technics 3
FEATHER
1ST - KONA PORRAS Maui Jiu-Jitsu 5
2ND - JUSTIN WAIAU Maui Martial Arts 3
LIGHT
1ST - DESMOND THAIN Relson Gracie - Ronn Shiraki Academy 5
2ND - MATT GORMAN Sunset Beach Jiu Jitsu 3
3RD - DANIEL IGE Sunset Beach Jiu Jitsu 1
3RD - STENTEN BOISER Pure Jiu Jitsu 1
MIDDLE
1ST - BEN SACAPANIO Maui Grappline Academy 5
2ND - MICHAEL DORMAN Relson Gracie - Kapolei Jiu-Jitsu 3
3RD - CORY TSUDA Relson Gracie - Team HK 1
3RD - SHANE KAHANANUI Relson Gracie - Kauai Technical Institute
1
MIDDLE HEAVY / HEAVY
1ST - JAVIER MARTINEZ North Shore Jiu-Jitsu 5
2ND - KYLE OLIVARES Relson Gracie - O2 Martial Arts Academy 3
3RD - ALIOUNE DIOP 36 Chambers 1
3RD - NICHOLAS LEE Relson Gracie - Ronn Shiraki Academy 1
ULTRA HEAVY
1ST - AUGIE PADEKEN Nova Uniao Eight Sixxx 5
2ND - STUART KAM Relson Gracie - Kapolei Jiu-Jitsu 3
3RD - RK CASTILLO Nova Uniao Eight Sixxx 1
3
INTERMEDIATE
WOMEN'S NO-GI
SUPER FEATHER
1ST - JESSICA SERRANO Relson Gracie - Main Academy 5
2ND - MAKANI ADRIA Sunset Beach Jiu Jitsu 3
WHITE BELT
KID'S GI
7-8 YRS 47-65 LBS
1ST - EAMONN JIMENEZ Relson Gracie - O2 Martial Arts Academy
5
2ND - VICTORIA LEE N/A 3
3RD - TANNER AOKI Alliance BJJ 1
3RD - TY CLARK Relson Gracie - Waikiki 1
7-8 YRS 57-62 LBS
1ST - NOAH CHANG N/A 5
2ND - ELIJAH MEDEIROS BJ PENN 3
3RD - KELA CHINEN-ZABLAN Trilogy Jiu-Jitsu 1
3RD - NICHOLAS ONISHI Grappling Unlimited 1
7-8 YRS 70-78 LBS
1ST - MATHEW "JR" DARNELL Gracie Jiu-Jitsu Kailua 5
2ND - BRYCE OSHIRO Relson Gracie - Team HK 3
3RD - KAI DELVENTHAL North Shore Jiu-Jitsu 1
3RD - MAIYA C KUWANA Relson Gracie - Uptown 1
8 YRS 80-90 LBS
1ST - BENJAMIN CHEE Relson Gracie - O2 Martial Arts Academy 5
2ND - ADAM SABATINI N/A 3
9 YRS 53-58 LBS
1ST - ETAHN JOHNSTON Relson Gracie - Waikiki 5
2ND - TITAN RODRIGUES North Shore Jiu-Jitsu 3
3RD - DYLAN TOMITA Grappling Unlimited 1
10 YRS 60-75 LBS
1ST - AZYLYNN GELLA N/A 5
2ND - BRIANNA WOOD Central Oahu Jiu Jitsu 3
10-11 YRS 175-200 LBS
1ST - MADISON DENA Gracie Jiu-Jitsu Kailua 5
2ND - ISAAC AHAEE Grappling Unlimited 3
11 YRS 75-82 LBS
1ST - NAKELA SNYDER Relson Gracie - O2 Martial Arts Academy 5
2ND - MAKANA SRVIONGSANA Brazilian Freestyle Jiu Jitsu 3
3RD - BO STONE North Shore Jiu-Jitsu 1
3RD - GRIANLUCA BATTLES Sunset Beach Jiu Jitsu 1
11-12 YRS 94-110 LBS
1ST - CHAZTON LUANGRATH Relson Gracie - O2 Martial Arts Academy
5
2ND - ALLYSON KUWANA Brazilian Freestyle Jiu Jitsu 3
3RD - NICHOLAS OSHIRO Relson Gracie - Team HK 1
3RD - STORMY ENRIGHT Maui Jiu-Jitsu 1
12-14 YRS 107-124 LBS
1ST - DOMINIQUE BATTLES Sunset Beach Jiu Jitsu 5
2ND - TYLER CIESKOWSKI Gracie Jiu-Jitsu Kailua 3
3RD - KEANU SRIVONGSANA Brazilian Freestyle Jiu Jitsu 1
15 YRS 122-125 LBS
1ST - CHRISTIAN NATIVIDAD Nova Uniao Eight Sixxx 5
2ND - MICHAEL CARLSON Maui Jiu-Jitsu 3
MIX COLOR BELT
KID'S GI
11-12 YRS 65-68 LBS
1ST - NOLAN MOORE North Shore Jiu-Jitsu 5
2ND - KAIZEN NINO Relson Gracie - Waikiki 3
3RD - CHAI CAPILI Central Oahu Jiu Jitsu 1
11-13 YRS 71-76 LBS
1ST - CASEY NITTA North Shore Jiu-Jitsu 5
2ND - KEA RODRIGUES Central Oahu Jiu Jitsu 3
3RD - MILES ALEXANDER North Shore Jiu-Jitsu 1
3RD - LIAM MASON Team Garage 1
13-14 YRS 109-112 LBS
1ST - VINCENT STARN Grappling Unlimited 5
2ND - BRAD JOHNSTON Relson Gracie - Waikiki 3
13-14 YRS 125-137 LBS
1ST - KEALAKAI IGNACIO Nova Uniao Eight Sixxx 5
2ND - DOMINIC BOLAND Gracie Jiu-Jitsu Kailua 3
3RD - KAYLEB MEDEIROS BJ PENN 1
3RD - CHRISTIAN TAIPIN North Shore Jiu-Jitsu 1
13-15 YRS 143-148 LBS
1ST - CHRISTIAN LEE Mad Tiger Jiu-Jitsu 5
2ND - RIVER JEFFRIES Sunset Beach Jiu Jitsu 3
3RD - BRANDON BELL Gracie Barra University 1
3RD - RUSTY KAMA Trilogy Jiu-Jitsu 1
COLOR BELT
KID'S GI
9-7 YRS 52-65 LBS
1ST - RAINE YOSHIDA Alliance BJJ 5
2ND - ISAIAH PADELLO Relson Gracie - Hawaii Kai 3
3RD - AYDAN NGUYEN N/A 1
8-10 YRS 68-77 LBS
1ST - ZACHARY KAINA Relson Gracie - Waikiki 5
2ND - JACE WATARA Brazilian Freestyle Jiu Jitsu 3
3RD - LUKE ANTIPALA Gracie Jiu-Jitsu Kailua 1
3RD - KEOLA KAILI Relson Gracie - Team HK 1
10 YRS 85-Eight Sixxx LBS
1ST - WYATT MCHALE North Shore Jiu-Jitsu 5
2ND - CHANDELLE GREGORY Alliance BJJ 3
12-13 YRS 87-99 LBS
1ST - BRYZEN CADIZ Powerhouse Kauai JJ 5
2ND - JASPER CATORNA Relson Gracie - O2 Martial Arts Academy
3
3RD - HONOLUA BLOMFIELD North Shore Jiu-Jitsu 1
3RD - RALPH EDADES Gracie Technics 1
12-13 YRS 92-102 LBS
1ST - SOFIE LIZARES Gracie Technics 5
2ND - HONOLULU BLOMFIELD North Shore Jiu-Jitsu 3
15 YRS 121-125 LBS
1ST - GIOVANNI RODRIGUES Gracie Barra University 5
2ND - KEALE LEMOS Sunset Beach Jiu Jitsu 3
3RD - MICAH MADRID Gracie Jiu-Jitsu Kailua 1
3RD - MAKANI ADRIE Sunset Beach Jiu Jitsu 1
NOVICE
KID'S NO-GI
5-6 YRS 50-59 LBS
1ST - TRESON ISRAEL Relson Gracie - Waikiki 5
2ND - DONOVAN REIS Grappling Unlimited 3
3RD - ADRIAN LEE Mad Tiger Jiu-Jitsu 1
3RD - KAEO AVEIRO Gracie Jiu-Jitsu Kailua 1
5-6 YRS 36-40 LBS
1ST - NALU CHINEN-ZABLAN N/A 5
2ND - KAIMANA BARENG Trilogy Jiu-Jitsu 3
3RD - DAVIS TOMITA Grappling Unlimited 1
3RD - SEAN LOUIS RG - WATERFRONT 1
5-7 YRS 44-47 LBS
1ST - DARIUS NELSON North Shore Jiu-Jitsu 5
2ND - NAOR URBANC Relson Gracie - Team HK 3
3RD - DRASEN MIZUSAWA Trilogy Jiu-Jitsu 1
7-8 YRS 57-64 LBS
1ST - ELIJAH MEDEIROS BJ PENN 5
2ND - AYDEN NGYUEN Relson Gracie - Team HK 3
3RD - VICTORIA LEE Mad Tiger Jiu-Jitsu 1
3RD - KELA CHINEN-ZABLAN Trilogy Jiu-Jitsu 1
7-9 YRS 70-75 LBS
1ST - KYLE HELM Gracie Jiu-Jitsu Kailua 5
2ND - MAIYA KUWANA Relson Gracie - Uptown 3
9 YRS 58 LBS
1ST - TITAN RODRIGUES North Shore Jiu-Jitsu 5
2ND - DYLAN TOMITA North Shore Jiu-Jitsu 3
10-11 YRS 75-Eight Sixxx LBS
1ST - MAKANA SRIVONGSANA Brazilian Freestyle Jiu Jitsu 5
2ND - CHANDELLE GREGORY Alliance BJJ 3
10-11 YRS 175-200 LBS
1ST - XAVIER WILDY Relson Gracie - O2 Martial Arts Academy 5
2ND - ISAAC AHAEE Grappling Unlimited 3
13-15 YRS 120-125 LBS
1ST - CHRISTIAN NATIVIDAD Nova Uniao Eight Sixxx 5
2ND - KEANU GRIVONGSANA Brazilian Freestyle Jiu Jitsu 3
3RD - MAKANI ADRIC Sunset Beach Jiu Jitsu 1
11-14 YRS 99-110 LBS
1ST - TYLER CIESKOWSKI Gracie Jiu-Jitsu Kailua 5
2ND - ALLYSON KUWANA Relson Gracie - Uptown 3
12-14 YRS 130-145 LBS
1ST - KEALAKAI IGNACIO Nova Uniao Eight Sixxx 5
2ND - CHRISTIAN TAIPIN North Shore Jiu-Jitsu 3
INTERMEDIATE
KID'S NO-GI
7-9 YRS 52-54 LBS
1ST - EAMONN JIMENEZ Relson Gracie - O2 Martial Arts Academy
5
2ND - ETHAN JOHNSTON Relson Gracie - Waikiki 3
3RD - TY CLARK Relson Gracie - Waikiki 1
3RD - RAINE YOSHIDA Alliance BJJ 1
9-10 YRS 68-74 LBS
1ST - ZACK KAINA Relson Gracie - Waikiki 5
2ND - KEOLA KAILI Relson Gracie - Hawaii Kai 3
3RD - JACE WATARI Brazilian Freestyle Jiu Jitsu 1
3RD - LUKE ANTIPACH Gracie Jiu-Jitsu Kailua 1
11 YRS 68-70 LBS
1ST - CHAI CAPILI Central Oahu Jiu Jitsu 5
2ND - NAKELA SNYDER Relson Gracie - O2 Martial Arts Academy 3
3RD - KEA RODRIGUES Central Oahu Jiu Jitsu 1
13 YRS 145-148 LBS
1ST - CHRISTIAN LEE Mad Tiger Jiu-Jitsu 5
2ND - RIVER JEFFRIES Sunset Beach Jiu Jitsu 3
3RD - RUSTY KAMA Trilogy Jiu-Jitsu 1
12-13 YRS 87-102 LBS
1ST - JASPER CATORNA Relson Gracie - O2 Martial Arts Academy
5
2ND - BRYZEN CADIZ Powerhouse Kauai JJ 3
3RD - SOFIA LIZARES Gracie Technics 1
3RD - CHAZTON LUANGRATH Relson Gracie - O2 Martial Arts Academy
1
13-14 YRS 109-125 LBS
1ST - DOMINIC BOLAND Gracie Jiu-Jitsu Kailua 5
2ND - BRAD JOHNSTON Relson Gracie - Waikiki 3
3RD - VINCENT STERN Grappling Unlimited 1
ADVANCED
KID'S NO-GI
11-12 YRS 65-76 LBS
1ST - CASEY NITTA North Shore Jiu-Jitsu 5
2ND - LIAM MASON Team Garage 3
3RD - NOLAN MOORE North Shore Jiu-Jitsu 1
3RD - KAIZEN NINO Relson Gracie - Waikiki 1
SUPERFIGHT
1ST - JONAVERA BONINI Sunset Beach Jiu Jitsu 5
2ND - DEAN LISTA Nyza Jiu-Jitsu 3
SCHOOL POINTS
Relson
Gracie - O2 Martial Arts Academy 51
Relson
Gracie - Ronn Shiraki Academy 26
Relson Gracie - Team HK 29
Relson Gracie - Papakolea Jiu-Jitsu 10
Relson Gracie - Kauai Technical Institute 10
Relson Gracie - Hawaii Kai 6
Relson Gracie - Main Academy 5
Relson Gracie - Uptown 7
Relson Gracie - Waikiki 35
Relson Gracie - Kapolei Jiu-Jitsu 17
Relson Gracie - Waterfront 1
Gracie Jiu-Jitsu Kailua 47
Central Oahu Jiu Jitsu 13
Trilogy Jiu-Jitsu 35
Gracie Barra Honolulu 1
Gracie Barra University 26
Gracie Barra Aiea 1
Gracie Barra 1
Brazilian Freestyle Jiu Jitsu 30
Maui Grappling Academy 33
Maui Martial Arts 3
Kaiser High School
Sunset Beach Jiu Jitsu 72
Mad Tiger Jiu-Jitsu 24
Grappling Unlimited 25
North Shore Jiu-Jitsu 61
Ka-mole Jiu-Jitsu 5
Nova Uniao Eight Sixxx 52
Nyza Jiu-Jitsu 12
Combat 50 / Nova Uniao
Gracie Technics 14
South Oahu MMA 5
Powerhouse Kauai 8
Ultimate Fight School 18
Alliance BJJ 19
Maui Jiu-Jitsu 21
Pure Jiu Jitsu 10
BJ PENN 10
South Oahu MMA 5
36 Chambers 1
Team Garage 4
Makule Jiu Jitsu 3
SCHOOLS POINTS
TEAM POINTS
1ST - Relson
Gracie - O2 Martial Arts Academy 196
Relson Gracie - Ronn Shiraki Academy
Relson Gracie - Team HK
Relson Gracie - Papakolea Jiu-Jitsu
Relson Gracie - Kauai Technical Institute
Relson Gracie - Hawaii Kai
Relson Gracie - Main Academy
Relson Gracie - Uptown
Relson Gracie - Waikiki
Relson Gracie - Kapolei Jiu-Jitsu
Relson Gracie - Waterfront
2ND - Sunset Beach Jiu Jitsu 96
Mad Tiger Jiu-Jitsu
3RD - Gracie Jiu-Jitsu Kailua 95
Central Oahu Jiu Jitsu
Trilogy Jiu-Jitsu
Source:
Romolo Barros
|
Toughman
Hawaii Presents; King Of The Ring
Edith Kanakaole
Tennis Stadium, Hilo, Hawaii
May 26, 2012
|
Just
Scrap XVI
Maui War Memorial Gym
May 4, 2012
|
Dana
White Still Deciding On Whether or Not to Release Alistair Overeem
by Damon
Martin
Alistair
Overeem will sit out the next nine months after a failed drug
test, but his fate with the UFC is still up in the air.
On
Tuesday, Overeem appeared before the Nevada State Athletic Commission
to answer to the charges of an elevated testosterone test that
was return after a drug screening in late March following the
UFC 146 pre-fight press conference.
Ultimately,
the commission decided to deny Overeem a license and the resulting
penalty was 9-months before he could re-apply for a fight license
in Nevada, and also agree not to fight in another state or province
while under the suspension.
UFC
President Dana White was out of the country when the Overeem
verdict was handed down, but on Wednesday he appeared on the
Jim Rome Show where he found out about the punishment literally
on air.
“I
wasn’t very optimistic about his chances. I didn’t
think things were going to turn out very well for him, as expected.
9 months? 9 months isn’t as bad as I thought it was going
to be. I thought he’d get a year, easily a year,” said
White with some surprise.
Overeem’s
claim on Tuesday was that a doctor had administered a shot with
anti-inflammatory drugs, but the cocktail also contained testosterone
that resulted in the elevated levels during the test.
Regardless
of what was injected into Overeem’s body, White says that
the UFC heavyweight should have disclosed it to the commission
no matter what was inside.
“Whatever
medicine you’re on you’re supposed to tell them before
you test, not after you test,” said White.
“I’m
not a fan, I’m not a fan at all. You’re not going to
hear me defending Alistair Overeem, believe me.”
Now
with Overeem on the shelf for the next nine months, will he soon
also be a free agent?
“I
don’t know we’ll see what happens,” White said
about possibly releasing Overeem. “He went before the commission,
the commission gave him nine months. I’m sure he’s
going to have to go in and test again.
“Before
he went in there he sat down at a lunch with me and my partner,
looked us in the face and said ‘I’m the most tested
athlete in all of sports, they can test me whenever they want
to’. He flew in for the press conference, they tested him,
and now he’s on a 9 month suspension, claiming he was on
anti-inflammatories which he should have told them about before
they tested.”
The
heart of the matter for White comes down to the fact that he
believes Overeem lied to him, and that’s something that
is not easily forgiven.
“I
do, yeah, I know he lied to me,” said White. “I don’t
like it.”
Source:
MMA Weekly
|
Unbeaten
Heavyweights Stipe Miocic, Shane del Rosario to Tangle at UFC
146
By Mike
Whitman
The
UFC’s game of heavyweight musical chairs has ended.
Promotion
officials recently announced that unbeaten prospectsStipe Miocic
and Shane del Rosario will collide May 26 at UFC 146. The event
will be headlined by a heavyweight title tilt between former
champion Frank Mir and reigning divisional ruler Junior dos Santos.
Dos
Santos was originally slated to face former Strikeforce titlistAlistair
Overeem at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas, but Overeem
withdrew from the bout after his pre-fight drug test revealed
an elevated testosterone to epitestosterone ratio. The Dutchman’s
absence left a noticeable hole in the all-heavyweight main draw,
causing the UFC to change several scheduled matchups.
Mir
was promoted to the headlining spot, leaving Cain Velasquez temporarily
without an opponent. However, the UFC soon announced that Antonio
Silva would fill that void and subsequently revealed thatGabriel
Gonzaga would slide in to face Roy Nelson. Now, Miocic has answered
the call to face Gonzaga’s original opponent in del Rosario.
Miocic,
29, debuted with the UFC this past October after winning the
North American Allied Fight Series heavyweight title. A former
NCAA Division I wrestler at Cleveland State University, Miocic
outpointed the durable Joey Beltran at UFC 136 before knocking
out British grappler Philip De Fries in just 43 seconds two months
ago at UFC on Fuel TV 1.
Del
Rosario is a veteran of EliteXC and M-1 Global competition and
has finished all 11 of his career victims. The 28-year-old debuted
with Strikeforce in 2009 and has competed three times for the
promotion, taking out Brandon Cash and Lolohea Mahe before submitting
Lavar Johnson with a first-round armbar at “Fedor vs. Silva”
in February.
Source:
Sherdog
|
Three
revealing psychological UFC moments
By Zach
Arnold
There’s
been a lot of crazy things going on in the lead-up to UFC 145
this weekend in Atlanta, Georgia. The press conference today
featuring Rashad Evans and Jon Jones was rather subdued. There
has been an extensive paid advertising campaign by UFC to move
the needle on this fight. On that front, the company has done
just about everything possible. You know the fight is happening
on Saturday. The question is whether or not you’re interested
in purchasing the PPV. The reported internal estimate target
for buys is 800,000. Given that I think fans see the fight as
so one-sided, I have reservations about what the buy rate will
be. If I had to come up with an over/under PPV buy rate figure,
I’ll say 600,000.
While
the focus is in Atlanta this weekend, there have been three interesting
& curious events that have taken place in Zuffaland that
I think reveal the current psychology of the company. All of
them may not interest you, but I think at least one of the three
will be revealing to you for your own reasons.
1.
Dana White goes nuts over Cage Potato joke about betting on a
fight
If
UFC had not thrown a fit about this joke online, I would have
never known about it. However, Dana White & UFC ratcheted
up the legal bombasticity (I made this word up) and demanded
a retraction from Cage Potato in regards to the site’s joke
that Dana is betting money on Jones beating Rashad this weekend.
What
made the backlash from UFC so random & out of nowhere is
that Dana White had an infamous bet with PRIDE front man Nobuyuki
Sakakibara over Chuck Liddell. The price tag of said bet was
$250,000. However, Dana says that doesn’t count because
the bet was about Chuck vs. Wanderlei — and that fight didn’t
happen.
So,
I’ve been trying to figure out why Dana threw such a public
fit against Cage Potato. The obvious answer is that UFC is making
sure the media stays in line in terms of subservient behavior.
Given that UFC has not been able to control recent stories (Overeem’s
drug test failure, Rampage pushing testosterone), it’s got
to be creating a sense of paranoia for the micromanagers to not
be able to fully control a media narrative. In my opinion, the
easiest way to crack the whip and get the press back into sycophant
mode is to use your leverage. For UFC, that leverage is money
and their legal team. Going after Cage Potato over a dumb ‘betting’
joke is like shooting fish in a barrel.
There
may be another reason UFC is very hyper-sensitive about the Cage
Potato betting joke. UFC recently cut a league sponsorship deal
with Jon Jones for his upcoming Atlanta fight. The reason? Because
Form Athletics, which had been sponsoring Jones, shut down. Other
UFC fighters have had sponsorship money troubles. Muscle Pharm,
which still backs UFC fighters, had sponsorship issues with the
WEC. Jonathan Brookins recently went on social media and said
he was having problems getting his sponsorship money. What makes
this curious is that sponsors now have to pay UFC a ‘tax’
(fine) in order to have the ‘right’ to sponsor a fighter.
So, UFC is getting their money but fighters are publicly making
statements saying they’re having difficulties getting sponsorship
money from deals previously agreed to.
USA
Today: Jon Jones’ manager Malki Kawa defends UFC sponsorship
You
can see why UFC is ultra-sensitive about the Cage Potato betting
joke on Jon Jones given that they’re sponsoring Jones for
his fight. The ultimate ‘conflict of interest’ storyline.
With that said, none of us would have paid any attention to the
Cage Potato joke if UFC hadn’t overreacted with the bluster
they did in the first place.
2.
Corporate Chael’s testosterone troll job on UFC Tonight
After
blasting Alistair Overeem on Twitter over his failed ‘random’
drug test in Nevada, Chael Sonnen has decided to do a testosterone
troll job on the ‘MMA media.’ His new favorite whipping
boy is HDNet and Kenny Rice.
To
me, I’m not even going to give what he said here credence
because that’s playing into his game. However, the message
being sent does fascinate me in a couple of different ways.
First
of all, if Dana White & UFC didn’t want this commentary
to air on Fuel TV, they would have put the kibosh on it. After
all, UFC Tonight was the promotional vehicle Dana used to announce
Shogun vs. Rampage even though Rampage had not signed a bout
agreement. This announcement was made during his Testosterone
preaching period. Rampage then went back on Twitter and said
he couldn’t fight right away because he needed double knee
surgery but then admitted that he was going to do things on his
own terms.
So,
the idea that UFC wanted Sonnen to send the message that he did
is intriguing. Sonnen, a poster boy for testosterone usage in
MMA, has fought in Texas and Illinois since returning to action.
His next fight against Anderson Silva is in Brazil, which means
a UFC-regulated drug testing environment. Having Sonnen defend
someone over drug testing T/E ratios is foolish, but UFC let
this air on their TV platform.
Second,
Sonnen going after the ‘MMA media’ is another message
to various MMA sites to ‘get back in line.’ I’ve
long said that testosterone usage is a loser of an issue for
promoters and an even bigger loser for fighters. It’s not
just the media who UFC is getting chippy with either over the
issue. When Ben Askren went on Twitter and said that Dana’s
claims that fighters couldn’t be randomly tested was a ‘bold
faced lie,’ Dana went out of his way to bury Askren for
being the most boring fighter around.
3.
UFC’s reaction to California’s AB2100 bill to give
MMA fighters more rights
Last
week, we noted amended legislation making its way through the
California state Assembly by Assemblyman Luis Alejo (D-Salinas)
that would dramatically change the contractual rights that MMA
fighters have. As we noted when we first saw the proposed changes,
the amendments to AB2100 sure sounded like a direct challenge
to the structure of contracts that Zuffa (UFC & Strikeforce)
currently use with fighters.
Read
the amended AB2100 changes here.
The
reader reaction we got to these changes was overwhelmingly negative.
The readership viewpoint is that UFC & Bellator will simply
not run shows in California and that local California promoters
will move all of their MMA events to Indian casinos, which would
therefore take away money to finance the California State Athletic
Commission.
A
hearing on the amended changes to AB2100 was supposed to take
place on Tuesday (4/17). However, that hearing was postponed
by the committee in which is overseeing the amendment changes
to the bill (the Assembly committee on Arts, Entertainment, Sports,
Tourism, and Internet Media).
Coincidentally
or not, the hearing on amendments to AB2100 was postponed on
the same day that UFC sent off a three-page letter to Assemblyman
Alejo in objection to the proposed changes. Here is the text
of Lorenzo Fertitta’s letter to Assemblyman Alejo. I will
highlight any key words or phrases that I think should be commented
on.
Re:
Assembly Bill 2100 (Alejo) – As Amended – OPPOSE
On
behalf of Zuffa, LLC, d/b/a Ultimate Fighting Championship, and
Forza, LLC, d/b/a Strikeforce, we write to respectfully oppose
Assembly Bill 2100.
Zuffa,
LLC (Zuffa) first became a licensed promoter in the State of
California in February 2006. Zuffa’s subsidiary, Forza,
LLC, (Forza) became a licensed California promoter in March 2011.
Over the past six years, Zuffa and its affiliates have promoted
over 20 mixed martial arts (MMA) events in the State of California,
and to our knowledge, we are one of the highest tax-paying promoters
of unarmed combat in the state.
As
a licensed promoter, Zuffa has paid well over a million dollars
in direct taxes to the California State Athletic Commission (CSAC).
In addition to the direct taxes, UFC events have generated millions
of more dollars for the State of California in indirect revenue
through tourism, retail shopping, restaurants, hotels, car rentals,
etc. Zuffa is proud that our professional sporting events create
work and jobs for so many Californians, and that we generate
an enormous economic impact for cities like Los Angeles, Anaheim,
San Diego, Oakland and San Jose.
Zuffa
has enjoyed bringing world class events to California because
the state’s regulatory system has provided certainty in
how events are regulated, overseen and taxed. Indeed, the California
legislature was one of the first states to specifically pass
legislation encouraging promoters to bring major events to California.
Such legislation requires the CSAC to regularly solicit input
from its stakeholders to determine what actions can be taken
to entice major events to come to California. In addition, recognizing
that financial certainty is critical to California’s economic
competitiveness, existing law caps the taxes on ticket sales
and television broadcasting that promoters pay to the CSAC when
events are held in California.
It
is therefore troubling that AB2100 would specifically impede
bringing business to California and would intentionally drive
the business to states with a more reasonable tax and regulatory
framework. Indeed, AB2100 would remove the economic certainty
of television taxes and would place an undue and unacceptable
burden on all promoters of televised unarmed combat. Thus, the
proposed tax structure would actually result in fewer events
in California, and would directly harm California’s athletes,
arenas, hotels, restaurants, shopkeepers, and all of their respective
employees and families.
The
proposed gross tax on promoters is purported as a means to bolster
the boxer’s pension fund that has been identified as trouble
for many years. In fact, SB 543 (Steinberg), which was just signed
into law in October 2011, requires the CSAC to report to the
Legislature on the condition of the Boxers’ Pension Fund
by July 30, 2012. By statute, this report must ‘include
a recommendation on whether the fund should be continued and,
if so, whether it should be expanded to include all athletes
licensed under this chapter and approrpriate fees paid into the
fund.’ Consequently, to insert MMA athletes into a system
whose future is uncertain is clearly premature.
In
a similar vein, the proposal offered to prevent alleged ‘coercive’
contracts will not benefit athletes, but rather will simply interject
the government into private contract matters. Zuffa is only one
of approximately 30 MMA promoters licensed by the CSAC. However,
Zuffa has paid more to MMA athletes, and has generate more opportunities
for MMA athletes, then any other promoter in history. More, Zuffa
routinely and voluntarily pays bonuses and other compensation
that is above and beyond the written agreements with its athletes.
Since Zuffa purchased the UFC in 2001, compensation for UFC athletes
has increased over 35-fold, and more than 50 UFC athletes have
received compensation over $1,000,000 directly from Zuffa. Beyond
pure monetary compensation, Zuffa was also the first and, to
our knowledge, the only promoter to provide accident insurance
for its roster of athletes; a costly benefit that was believed
to be impossible for combat sports. Furthermore, it bears noting
that most of the professional athletes at the UFC level have
skilled management and legal counsel that assist with contract
review and negotiations, and alleged ‘coercive’ contracts
are not based on reality.
Finally,
the CSAC is a well-respected regulatory body that has done a
fine job of overseeing more unarmed combat events than probably
any other athletic commission in the country. As a result, promotional
companies like the UFC voluntarily choose to bring MMA events
to California, which has helped grow MMA into a worldwide sport,
a sport that literally did not exist 15-20 years ago. It is through
thoughtful oversight and regulation by state athletic commissions
that the sport of MMA will continue to grow, AB2100 will stifle
that growth and will drive events, tax revenue and economic impact
outside of the State of California.
The
above reasons are only a brief summary of why AB2100 is not in
the best interests of the State of California and its citizen;
additional information and evidence can and will be provided.
For the foregoing reasons, we respectfully oppose AB2100.
Sincerely,
Lorenzo
Fertitta
Chairman of the Board
Chief Executive Officer
Where
do we begin here in response?
Obviously,
you knew the letter was going to be heavily slanted towards the
way UFC sees the sport and how they see themselves as the sport
in the first place. What was striking about the tone by UFC in
this letter is how they don’t think the legislation that
currently applies to boxing should apply to them. You see still
boxing shows happening in California on a big scale. However,
Zuffa doesn’t think the rules that are applied to boxing
should be applied to their shows.
Which
leads me to the first bolded sentence, the remark about stakeholders.
The California State Athletic Commission is a bureaucratic agency
that’s supposed to take care of managing regulation that
ensures the health & safety of fighters at events. It is
not a corporate Board of Directors of a publicly-traded Wall
Street company where their number one responsibility is a fiduciary
responsibility. UFC labeling itself as a stakeholder in the letter
is just the height of haranguing haughtiness.
The
second bolded sentence about laws capping taxes on ticket sales
& TV broadcasting fees is basically UFC drawing a line in
the sand. We saw what they just did in Florida and Oklahoma over
taxes. Out of nowhere, UFC went after both states over whether
or not such taxes were constitutional. It created a crisis in
Oklahoma to the point where Oklahoma’s commission, headed
by Joe Miller, had to temporarily shut down business in the state
until they could get emergency funding to start operating again
as a commission. Things got so bad that Miller called Jim Ross
(WWE) for his help.
After
Florida announced the tax repeal, UFC announced a show for South
Florida. I don’t know if there is any relationship between
the tax action and UFC coming back to Florida or not.
So,
if the amendments to AB2100 do pass, will UFC sue California?
Given recent actions, it’s a possibility for sure.
The
third bolded sentence about the government interjecting into
private contracts is too funny. The UFC clearly sees the AB2100
amendments the same way I do, which is a direct attack on their
fighter contracts. The fact that Zuffa crows about giving fighters
bonuses on a voluntary basis is even more humorous. My best guess
is that Assemblyman Alejo is not impressed with Zuffa’s
self-touted generosity about the way they pay fighters through
a bonus structure.
However,
the last bolded sentence about UFC fighters having skilled management
and legal counsel is a giant knee-slapper. Despite the UFC signing
with Fox and their business model supposedly growing, we have
simply not seen the skill level of representation in MMA increase.
Just compare the quality of agents in MMA to other sports like
baseball, football, or basketball. There are no agents like Scott
Boras or Drew Rosenhaus in MMA. You still have fighters who are
being represented by uncles, fathers, or sisters. How UFC could
think that Assemblyman Alejo would be impressed by these remarks
is beyond me.
The
question the Assemblyman is probably asking is why UFC doesn’t
want the Muhammad Ali act to apply to MMA fighters. But as we
just learned in reading UFC’s letter to the Assemblyman,
the CSAC serves at the behest of their ’stakeholders’…
right?
Source:
Fight Opinion
|
Bellator
Boss Bjorn Rebney Confirms Hector Lombard Is UFC-Bound
By Mike
Chiappetta - Senior Writer
World-ranked
middleweight Hector Lombard will leave his longtime home at Bellator
and sign with the UFC.
Bellator
CEO Bjorn Rebney confirmed the move to MMA Fighting on Tuesday
afternoon.
Lombard
currently has one of the longest unbeaten streaks in MMA. He
hasn't lost a fight since December 2006. Since then, he's gone
25 straight fights without a defeat.
Bellator
had a right to match the UFC's offer to the man who was their
reigning middleweight champion, but Rebney cited differences
between the two organizational models as the obstacle that could
not be overcome when it came to matching the UFC's deal.
"We
have a business model where we make decisions based on analyzing
data," he said. "Since the first day we came into being,
we made decisions based on real models, not hypotheticals. The
UFC model is largely based on pay-per-view, and the offer they
made to Hector is going to be monetized via pay-per-view. While
pay-per-view could play a role in our future, today it doesn't.
So, we did our due diligence to review the UFC contract, analyzed
it in terms of charging our audience to see Hector vs. putting
him on free TV, and we decided to allow the UFC to sign Hector,
where I am extremely confident he will win the UFC middleweight
title on pay-per-view."
Lombard,
along with former lightweight champ Eddie Alvarez, were the first
two fighters Rebney signed when he began the promotion in 2008.
Because of their long bond, Rebney said he felt he owed it to
Lombard to make a quick decision.
"There
was no reason to make him wait," he said. "We got the
information. We got the very long UFC contract, looked at the
data, did the analysis, and made our decision."
Lombard,
who is 31-2-1 overall with 1 no contest, went 8-0 with seven
knockouts during his run in Bellator, capturing his championship
in June 2009 with a fourth-round TKO of Jared Hess. He also successfully
defended the belt in a unanimous decision win over Alexander
Shlemenko, the only time in his last eight fights his opponent
made it to the judges' scorecards.
"He
was a great fighter here, and there's no doubt in my mind he'll
be a great fighter when he goes to the UFC," Rebney said.
"I've said for a long time he's the best middleweight in
the world, and I think he'll win the UFC title in short order."
Over
the weekend, UFC president Dana White confirmed his interest
in Lombard, saying, "I like him. I like him a lot."
Now,
it appears he has his man.
Source:
MMA Fighting
|
Jon
Jones Says Alexander Gustafsson is Close to a Title Shot
by Jeff
Cain
UFC
light heavyweight champion Jon Jones is quickly running out of
viable opponents to face in the 205-pound division.
UFC
president Dana White recently confirmed that Dan Henderson will
get the next title shot against Jones, but who waits in the wings
for the champ if he defeats Henderson?
UFC
matchmaker Joe Silva will have his work cut out for him, but
one name keeps popping up when the subject of 205-pound contenders
is discussed and that’s Alexander Gustafsson.
Gustafsson
is on a five-fight win streak. He’s an inch taller than
the six-foot-four Jones, but is at a reach disadvantage. They
each have one loss on their resumes, although Jones’ lone
defeat came by disqualification in a fight he was about to finish.
A
striking battle between the two would certainly be compelling,
but Jones doesn’t see any similarities between the two other
than their height.
“I
don’t think it’s appropriate people are comparing us,”
said Jones.
“The
only similarities that we have is we’re both tall, and that’s
it. We’re completely different athletes. I have a wrestler
base where I shoot and throw from the clinch, I kick fast and
accurate; he has really great boxing,” continued Jones.
Jones
isn’t sold on Gustafsson’s contender status. He feels
the Swedish striker needs to win a couple more fights before
being considered for an opportunity at UFC gold.
“Alexander
Gustafsson, I think he’s pretty close to a title shot. I
think maybe if he wins two more fights against some top guys,
maybe like Lyoto (Machida) or Rashad (Evans) or somebody, somebody
that can push him in different categories,” said Jones during
the UFC 145 pre-fight press conference.
“I’d
like to see him against another wrestler and I would like to
see him against a worthy striker. Then I think a title shot would
be very appropriate,” added the light heavyweight titleholder.
While
Jones feels Gustafsson is a couple of wins away from challenging
him for the belt, he enjoys watching Gustafsson fight.
“I
like his demeanor, though,” said Jones. “He has some
swagger. He exudes winning from the second he steps in the cage.
I think the kid has the potential to be a star.”
Source:
MMA Weekly
|
UFC
May 2012 fight cards
By Zach
Arnold
Event:
UFC on Fox 3 (Saturday, May 5th)
Venue: Izod Center in East Rutherford, New Jersey
TV: Fox (all network affiliates)
Dark
matches
Middleweights:
Mike Massenzio vs. Karlos Vemola
Bantamweights: Johnny Bedford vs. Nick Denis
Featherweights: Dennis Bermudez vs. Pablo Garza
Lightweights: Danny Castillo vs. John Cholish
Bantamweights: Louis Gaudinot vs. John Lineker
Welterweights: John Hathaway vs. Pascal Krauss
Flyweights: John Dodson vs. Tim Elliott
Lightweights: Tony Ferguson vs. Michael Johnson
Main card
Heavyweights:
Pat Barry vs. Lavar Johnson
Middleweights: Rousimar Palhares vs. Alan Belcher
Welterweights: Josh Koscheck vs. Johny Hendricks
Lightweights: Jim Miller vs. Nate Diaz
Event: UFC on Fuel 3 (Tuesday, May 15th)
Venue: Patriot Center (Fairfax, Virginia)
TV: Fuel
Dark
matches
Bantamweights:
Alex Soto vs. Azamat Gashimov
Bantamweights: Jeff Curran vs. Johnny Eduardo
Lightweights: Rafael dos Anjos vs. Kamal Shalorus
Lightweights: TJ Grant vs. Carlo Prater
Middleweights: Brad Tavares vs. Dongi Yang
Lightweights: Cody McKenzie vs. Aaron Riley
Middleweights: Jason MacDonald vs. Tom Lawlor
Main card
Light
Heavyweights: Igor Pokrajac vs. Fabio Maldonaldo
Bantamweights: Yves Jabouin vs. Jeff Hougland
Lightweights: Donald Cerrone vs. Jeremy Stephens
Welterweights: Amir Sadollah vs. Jorge Lopez
Featherweights: The Korean Zombie vs. Dustin Poirier
Event: Strikeforce Heavyweight GP tournament finals (Saturday,
May 19th)
Venue: HP Pavilion (San Jose Arena)
TV: Showtime
Bobby
Voelker vs. Nah-Shon Burrell
Gian Villante vs. Derrick Mehmen
Virgil Swicker vs. Carlos Augusto Filho
Billy Evangelista vs. James Terry
JZ Cavalcante vs. Isaac Vallie-Flagg
Rafael Feijao vs. Mike Kyle
Strikeforce Lightweight title match: Gilbert Melendez vs. Josh
Thomson
HW GP tournament finals: Josh Barnett vs. Daniel Cormier
Event: UFC 146 (Saturday, May 26th)
Venue: MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada
TV: FX for prelims, PPV for main card
Dark
matches
Featherweights:
Mike Brown vs. Daniel Pineda
Light Heavyweights: Kyle Kingsbury vs. Glover Texeira
Welterweights: Dan Hardy vs. Duane “Bang” Ludwig
Lightweights: Jacob Volkmann vs. Paul Sass
Middleweights: Mayhem Miller vs. CB Dollaway
Featherweights: Diego Brandao vs. Darren Elkins
Lightweights: Evan Dunham vs. Edson Barboza
Main card
Heavyweights:
Stipe Miocic? vs. Shane Del Rosario
Heavyweights: Roy Nelson vs. Gabriel Gonzaga
Heavyweights: Mark Hunt vs. Stefan Struve
Heavyweights: Cain Velasquez vs. Antonio “Bigfoot”
Silva
UFC Heavyweight title match: Junior dos Santos vs. Frank Mir
Source: Fight Opinion
|
TUF
Brazil finals’ card might include Jose Aldo
President
of the UFC, Dana White affirmed this Tuesday, on a press conference
held in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, that The Ultimate Fighter’s
finale will happen in Brazil, on June 23rd. however, he denied
that its place is confirmed and revealed that Jose Aldo, featherweight
champion of the UFC, might be on this fighting card.
“We
talked about moving Aldo to this card and it’ll probably
work. We’re working it with his team”, affirmed the
big boss.
In
January this year, the Brazilian defended his undisputed title
against Chad Mendes, in Rio de Janeiro. Nova Uniao athlete, Aldo
knocked his opponent out on the first round and excited thousands
of Brazilian. On his Twitter account, Jose Aldo talked about
the possibility of fighting home again.
“If
it actually happens, I’ll be really glad. I’m going
for it, you can be sure I’ll do this for you”, posted
him.
Source:
Tatame
|
Mark
Munoz vs. Chris Weidman Headlines UFC on FUEL 4
By Shaun
Al-Shatti - Staff Writer
A
five-round middleweight clash pitting Mark Munoz against Chris
Weidman has been tapped as the main event of UFC on FUEL 4.
The
summer event is slated for July 11, 2012, though a location and
venue have yet to be confirmed. Ariel Helwani broke the news
on Tuesday night's episode of UFC Tonight.
Munoz
(12-2) rides into the bout sporting a four-fight winning streak,
including a trio of victories last year over the likes of C.B.
Dollaway, Demian Maia and Chris Leben that pushed his name into
title contention. Munoz was previously booked to fight Chael
Sonnen in a No. 1 contenders bout at UFC on FOX 2, however the
34-year-old abruptly withdrew from the event less than two weeks
out due to an influx of bone spurs in his elbow.
Munoz's
exit paved the way for Weidman (8-0) to enter as a late replacement
at UFC on FOX 2, where he ultimately earned the biggest win of
his career by out-pointing Maia for a unanimous judges' nod.
The former two-time All-American trains under the guidance of
former UFC champion Matt Serra and is 4-0 thus far in his brief
UFC career, counting dominant victories over Alessio Sakara,
Jesse Bongfeldt and Tom Lawlor.
Source:
MMA Fighting
|
Jamie
Varner Booked for Legacy FC 11; Jay Hieron, Junior Assuncao Signed
for July 13
By Mike
Whitman
Former
WEC lightweight champion Jamie Varnerhas will step in for an
injured Alex Moronoto lock horns with Lee King in a 160-pound
catchweight affair at Legacy Fighting Championship 11.
Sherdog.com
confirmed the May 11 booking Wednesday with Legacy FC promoter
Mick Maynard, who also verified that the Texas-based organization
has signed Jay Hieron andJunior Assuncao to compete against to-be-named
opponents at Legacy FC 12 on July 13.
MMAJunkie.com
first reported the matchup and signings. Both events take place
at the Arena Theater in Houston and air live on HDNet.
Varner,
27, has earned knockouts in each of his last two appearances
after posting a record of 1-4-1 in his six previous outings.
The Arizona native was released from WEC after suffering losses
to Benson Henderson, Donald Cerrone and Shane Roller. “C-4”
closed out 2011 on a high note, however, finishing Nate Jollyand
Drew Fickett in a combined 1:49.
Hieron
will enter the Legacy cage after a four-fight stint in Bellator.
“The Thoroughbred” won the promotion’s fourth-season
welterweight tournament last year, besting Anthony Lapsley, Brent
Weedman and Rick Hawn to earn a shot at 170-pound champion Ben
Askren. Hieron was then edged by “Funky” in their title
fight, falling by split decision to Askren this past October.
Assuncao
is a five-time UFC veteran, most recently completing a two-fight
Octagon stint to end last year. Riding six consecutive victories,
the 30-year-old made the cut from lightweight to featherweight
to face Eddie Yaginat UFC 135, outpointing the former Tachi Palace
Fights champion this past September. Assuncao was released from
the promotion after dropping a unanimous nod to Ross Pearson
in December.
Source
Sherdog
|
A
predictable day for Keith Kizer & the NSAC with Alistair
Overeem
By Zach
Arnold
Over
the last few weeks, Dave Meltzer has reported on a number of
scenarios that Alistair Overeem’s camp was allegedly going
to pursue in order to stay out of hot water over his failed ‘random’
drug test in Nevada due to high T/E levels.
According
to Dave, the first story was going to involve a plea for Testosterone
Replacement Therapy. However, Overeem had given the NSAC blood
test results instead of urine test results last November. When
Bas Rutten alluded to Overeem getting clearance, I suspect this
is what he was talking about. Plus, Overeem had passed previous
urine tests from Nevada. So, according to Dave, this strategy
fell apart.
The
second story allegedly was going to involve a ‘Viagra defense’,
citing a need for Viagra & testosterone due to impotence.
However, as widely reported in media circles (such as the BBC),
Viagra is not recommended for those with low testosterone levels.
Which
leads us to yesterday’s explanation, where Overeem claimed
that a doctor gave him an anti-inflammatory medication that was
supposedly mixed with testosterone. You can make of this what
you will.
The
end result is that, today, Overeem was told that he could reapply
for a license in Nevada… at the end of December.
Unbelievably,
Overeem presented the doctor in question (Dr. Hector Oscar Molina)
from Texas. I suppose that’s better than Nate Marquardt
who never mentioned his testosterone-administering doctor’s
name, but…
When
the name of Dr. Molina surfaced, MMA message boards quickly went
nuts and started digging dirt (no matter if it was true or false).
Cage Potato promptly dropped the proverbial hammer on Dr. Molina.
Bloody
Elbow: Alistair Overeem’s doctor has a very interesting
background
Kevin Iole: Nevada Governor Brian Sandoval should fire the five
members of the NSAC
Victor Conte was not impressed:
The
strict liability rule defeats Overeem’s arguments. He is
responsible no matter how it got into his body. “I didn’t
know” is unacceptable. Why would Overeem’s attorney
bring in a doctor with a history of illegal medical prescription
problems to testify? Makes no sense. Does Overeem’s lawyer
actually think MMA scribes are going to believe that Overeem
voluntarily gave up the fight? Rather interesting that Overeem’s
doctor injected him wth a water based testosterone, which clears
the system faster than oil based.
Mike
Chiappetta posted some interesting observations online about
today’s hearing. The first point of order — how ‘random’
was the NSAC drug test?
Keith
Kizer says Overeem initially sped out of building when faced
with random test. UFC tracked him down short time later. Overeem’s
lawyer says Reem was trying to avoid being served legal papers
in public, and that’s why he bailed random test.
Second
point of order — the medication.
Overeem’s
lawyer: We will turn over the vial to you. It says “anti-inflammatory.”
No indication on vial it contains prohibited substance. Overeem’s
lawyer saying he is not questioning the test results, but then
he said he does question some parts of procedure. Says it was
an intentional ingestion of a mixture provided by doc “without
knowledge of substance you would frown upon.” Overeem says
he first took the injection which he believed was anti-inflammatory,
on Jan. 1.
Overeem
says he had no knowledge that he was gonna be tested. Says he
doesn’t know why Kizer would say that he was informed before
presser. Overeem asked on his feeling about the doc who gave
him shot. “I’m not upset because no evil will was intended.”
Overeem tells the NSAC that he injected a 2nd shot in his own
shoulder. Overeem’s doc: Shot was insufficient to raise
testosterone levels and give anabolic advantage. Doc says usually,
patients know what is in their shot, but he and Reem “didn’t
go into specifics.” Doc says he included test in shot to
“promote faster healing” b/c Reem was not going to
be able to take any time off.
NSAC
called his presentation “superlative”! Seriously. Wow.
Our
friend MMA Supremacy notes recent history:
Lorenzo
gave Overeem a $1M signing bonus after Strikeforce firing…
1st installment was for Lesnar fight, 2nd & 3rd in next 2
fights.
How
much money will UFC try to get out of Overeem now? Here’s
a clue:
Once
Overeem’s team changed reason about 3X’s, UFC pulled
plug… no need to wait for today’s hearing. Can book
AO in NYE card.
Pathetic
work by Nevada, but entirely predictable given what else happened
today. Brent Brookhouse:
The
NSAC basically ended that by going “great job, great defense,
you’re a champion, please come back and fight here.”
Jordan
Breen:
Overeem
denied license. He can reapply in nine months from the test,
meaning he can’t fight before Dec. 27. Gee, what a convenient
time.
A
well-connected MMA player wrote me the following after today’s
hearing:
What
did this decision ultimately do? Not much. If the commission
had wished to look strong they would have thought about the big
picture. They treated Overeem like he was some misled angel.
They would have discussed how tough it will to come back. Instead,
they made it seem like they are welcoming him with open arms
in December. They made little or no big deal about him skipping
out on the test in the first place.
Given
today’s circus, there was something poetic about Nevada
clearing the way for Chael Sonnen to fight Anderson Silva in
Las Vegas at UFC 148. Chael fights in Vegas for the Summer and
Overeem fights in Vegas for NYE. Funny how that worked out.
Source:
Fight Opinion
|
Falcao
vs. Spang Winner to Face Alexander Shlemenko to Crown New Bellator
Champion
by Damon
Martin
Bellator’s
philosophy after the defection of middleweight champion Hector
Lombard to the UFC? The show must go on.
And
the show will go on in the middleweight division as they will
crown a new champion later this year.
According
to Bellator CEO Bjorn Rebney, the winner of the current middleweight
tournament between Maiquel Falcao and Andreas Spang will then
move on to face the last tournament winner, Alexander Shlemenko,
to crown a new champion.
Rebney
confirmed the plans via Twitter on Wednesday.
“Winner
of Falcao vs. Spang will face Alexander Shlemenko for the world
title this fall,” he wrote.
Falcao
and Spang will battle it out in just a few weeks for the latest
Bellator middleweight tournament title, and then the winner faces
multi-time Bellator veteran Alexander Shlemenko.
Currently,
Shlemenko is recovering from an auto accident that happened a
couple of weeks ago in his native Russia. The middleweight contender
suffered a broken collarbone and dislocated thumb in the wreck,
but should be recovered to return to action later this year.
The
good news for Shlemenko, however, is that when he does come back
he’ll be fighting for the Bellator middleweight title; it
just won’t be against Hector Lombard.
Source:
MMA Weekly
|
Destiny
Tomorrow
This Saturday, April 28, 2012
Aloha Tower Waterfront
|
Source: Trent Sera
|
MMA
Top 10 Rankings: Jon Jones Maintains Stranglehold on No. 1
The
updated MMAWeekly.com World MMA Rankings were released on Wednesday,
April 25. This system ranks the Top 10 MMA fighters from across
the world in each of the seven most widely accepted men’s
weight classes and the Top 10 pound-for-pound women fighters.
Taken
into consideration are a fighter’s performance in addition
to win-loss record, head-to-head and common opponents, difficulty
of opponents, and numerous other factors in what is the most
comprehensive rankings system in the sport.
Fighters
who are currently serving drug-related suspensions are not eligible
for Top 10 consideration until they have fought one time after
the completion of their suspension.
Fighters
must also have competed within the past 12 months in order to
be eligible for Top 10 consideration unless they have a bout
scheduled within a reasonable time frame.
(Fighter’s
previous ranking is in parenthesis.)
Below
are the current MMAWeekly.com World MMA Rankings:
WOMEN’S
POUND-FOR-POUND (all weight classes)
1. Megumi Fujii (1)
2. Sarah Kaufman (2)
3. Ronda Rousey (3)
4. Miesha Tate (4)
5. Marloes Coenen (5)
6. Tara LaRosa (6)
7. Rosi Sexton (7)
8. Alexis Davis (8)
9. Hiroko Yamanaka (9)
10. Jessica Aguilar (10)
HEAVYWEIGHT
DIVISION (over 205 pounds)
1. Junior Dos Santos (1)
2. Cain Velasquez (3)
3. Josh Barnett (4)
4. Frank Mir (5)
5. Fabricio Werdum (6)
6. Shane Carwin (7)
7. Daniel Cormier (8)
8. Travis Browne (10)
9. Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira (9)
10. Antonio Silva (n/a)
LIGHT
HEAVYWEIGHT DIVISION (205-pound limit)
1. Jon Jones (1)
2. Rashad Evans (2)
3. Dan Henderson (3)
4. Mauricio “Shogun” Rua (4)
5. Lyoto Machida (5)
6. Phil Davis (6)
7. Alexander Gustafsson (7)
8. Gegard Mousasi (8)
9. Ryan Bader (9)
10. Quinton Jackson (10)
MIDDLEWEIGHT
DIVISION (185-pound limit)
1. Anderson Silva (1)
2. Chael Sonnen (2)
3. Vitor Belfort (3)
4. Michael Bisping (4)
5. Mark Munoz (5)
6. Tim Boetsch (6)
7. Brian Stann (7)
8. Yushin Okami (8)
9. Rousimar Palhares (9)
10. Chris Weidman (10)
WELTERWEIGHT
DIVISION (170-pound limit)
1. Georges St-Pierre (1)
2. Carlos Condit (2)
3. Jake Ellenberger (3)
4. Josh Koscheck (4)
5. Johny Hendricks (5)
6. Jake Shields (6)
7. Jon Fitch (7)
8. Diego Sanchez (8)
9. Martin Kampmann (9)
10. Rory MacDonald (10)
LIGHTWEIGHT
DIVISION (155-pound limit)
1. Benson Henderson (1)
2. Frankie Edgar (2)
3. Gilbert Melendez (3)
4. Gray Maynard (4)
5. Jim Miller (5)
6. Anthony Pettis (6)
7. Clay Guida (8)
8. Michael Chandler (9)
9. Eddie Alvarez (n/a)
10. Nate Diaz (10)
FEATHERWEIGHT
DIVISION (145 pound-limit)
1. Jose Aldo (1)
2. Hatsu Hioki (2)
3. Chad Mendes (3)
4. Dustin Poirier (4)
5. Erik Koch (5)
6. Pat Curran (6)
7. Marlon Sandro (7)
8. Kenny Florian (8)
9. Chan Sung Jung (9)
10. Iuri Alcantara (10)
BANTAMWEIGHT
DIVISION (135 pounds or less)
1. Dominick Cruz (1)
2. Urijah Faber (2)
3. Renan Barao (3)
4. Michael McDonald (5)
5. Brian Bowles (4)
6. Scott Jorgensen (6)
7. Brad Pickett (7)
8. Bibiano Fernandes (8)
9. Masakatsu Ueda (9)
10. Eduardo Dantas (n/a)
FLYWEIGHT
DIVISION (125 pounds or less)
1) Joseph Benavidez (1)
2) Ian McCall (2)
3) Demetrious Johnson (3)
4) Jussiero da Silva (4)
5) Yasuhiro Urushitani (5)
6) Shinichi “BJ” Kojima (6)
7) Darrell Montague (7)
8) Mitsuhisa Sunabe (8)
9) Mamoru Yamaguchi (9)
10) Dustin Ortiz (10)
Source:
MMA Weekly
|
Sherdog
Rewind: An Interview with NAC Executive Director Keith Kizer
By Jack
Encarnacao
The Nevada Athletic Commission was in the spotlight once again
when its surprise drug test at an Ultimate Fighting Championship
press conference in March resulted in the eventual cancellation
of one of the biggest heavyweight title fights in the promotion’s
history.
Challenger
Alistair Overeem’s urine sample showed a prohibited ratio
of testosterone-to-epitestosterone: a metric that indicates an
athlete has synthetic testosterone in his body that could give
him unfair advantages in training, in recovery and in a fight.
Overeem will appear before the commission on Tuesday to explain
the T/E ratio, but, on Friday, it was announced that Frank Mir
has replaced the Dutchman in his May 26 pay-per-view headliner
against champion Junior dos Santos at UFC 146.
While
Overeem will become the latest in a cast of top fighters to face
such hearings, the face of the other side of the regulatory equation
remains consistent. Keith Kizer, a former gaming attorney in
Nevada, became director of the commission in 2006. Kizer replaced
current UFC executive Marc Ratner, who was director in Nevada
when MMA was sanctioned in the state and drug testing was introduced
for fighters.
Kizer
recently joined the Sherdog Radio Network “Rewind”
program to discuss the larger frameworks at play in commission
procedures, the history of drug testing fighters and his views
on responsible and effective testing.
For
the full interview, including Kizer’s comments about Internet
message boards, Nick Diaz’s case, how commissioners are
appointed, referee “Big John” John McCarthy, judging
and brain health, download the full interview (it begins at the
one-hour mark).
Sherdog.com:
How, why and when did you take the helm in Nevada?
Kizer: I was the attorney for the commission for quite a few
years. I also was the lead attorney for the Nevada Gaming Commission
and Nevada State Gaming Control Board. And then, when Marc Ratner
left to go to the UFC in May of 2006, he had asked if I was interested
in replacing him here, and I said that I was.
Sherdog.com:
Were you around when the commission began experimenting with
drug testing for MMA fighters in 2001?
Kizer: Yes. I actually started working with the commission in
late 1997 and got really involved starting in the spring of ’98.
So, yeah, [I was] here, not just for the drug testing but, in
fact, the whole creation of regulations for the sport of mixed
martial arts.
Sherdog.com:
What do you remember about those times? Initially, the commission
was seeking to simply get an idea of what was in MMA fighters’
systems, more than to penalize them.
Kizer: Exactly. That was something I wasn’t too involved
[in]; that was more of a medical thing. One of the commissioners
at the time, Dr. Flip Homansky, was kind of taking the lead on
that one and doing some testing of the fighters and seeing what
kind of policy we could derive from that. At the beginning, actually,
when they first started doing it, I believe there weren’t
any penalties attached at all. It was basically kind of a fact
find. Then it kind of got into what was called a period of leniency,
where we had a situation where the suspensions, if any, would
be short-term, and the fines, if any, would be a small percentage
of the total purse. What they were looking for was … if
[fighters] had a habit, they’re kicking the habit, or if
they weren’t being vigilant, they were going to be vigilant.
We were looking for some sort of remorse --perhaps that’s
too strong of a term -- and sometimes we got it and sometimes
we didn’t get it, and that kind of dictated whether the
leniency would sink in. But even then, it might be a situation
where we might give a guy a nine-month suspension, but the fine
would be zero percent or it would only be 10 percent or something
like that; or, on the flip side, it might be a situation where
the fine might be more than that, but the suspension might only
be four or five or six months; or it might be a situation even
where both those things were shortened a great deal, and that
was kind of the case for a couple of years, maybe a few years.
We kind of got any bugs out, if any, during that pre-period of
leniency with the testing and then the period of leniency to
kind of get the message out, and it’s worked fairly well.
And now we’re at the point where things have ratcheted up
as far as fine amounts or suspension lengths, but that is a situation
where no one is to blame but the athlete.
Sherdog.com:
Was there pushback from promoters who feared losing their main
events over drug testing?
Kizer: Never had that. It was more of a money issue because [with]
fight night drug tests, the promoters have to pay. It was more
of a situation like that: “Well, wait, I got another $3,000
or $2,000 [to pay]?” Actually, back then it was much cheaper
than that because we didn’t test as many people as you test
now. It might be a situation where you have another $1,000 being
sought from the promoter and for some of these smaller fights
that’s a big deal, so that was it more so than anything
else.
Sherdog.com:
You said early on commissioners were looking for remorse from
athletes. Is remorse still an important thing for a fighter to
show when they appear before the commission?
Kizer: I think it helps. I’m not sure if it necessarily
would translate into a lesser fine or a lesser suspension, but
I think it does translate into, I think, some sort of good will
and forgiveness from the fans, which may be more important. I
think it also translates into good will from the officials going
forward, be it the Nevada commission or another commission going
forward, when the athlete has done his or her time and is coming
back to the sport.
Sherdog.com:
As fighters have been able to afford higher-profile attorneys,
has it gotten more difficult to get admissions and remorse like
that out of fighters?
Kizer: Hard to know. It’s a situation where we had, probably
at the beginning of all this, we kind of had three different
defenses, and it’s still the three you probably see most
often anywhere. One is,“Hey, look, I’m completely innocent,
and this test must be wrong.”That was seen a lot more in
the earlier days when people were trying to challenge the tests
and took the approach of, “Hey, look, he’s completely
clean. This test is wrong. We want to investigate the tests.
We want to have a B sample tested; we want this, we want that.”
And the tests were always verified. It was a situation where
that’s not … the cause of the positive test, that the
test itself messed up. It’s so slim it’s almost not
even worth checking on, so then, it really comes down to the
other two arguments; either a“Yeah, I did it. You caught
me. I’m sorry. I’m here to take my punishment”
or kind of the middle ground, which is probably the most common
one still, and that is, “Well, it somehow got in my system,
but I don’t know how. I must have taken something I shouldn’t
have taken. I didn’t know. I still don’t know what
it could have been” or “I do know now what it is, though
I didn’t tell you about it before.”
Sherdog.com:
How is the Nevada Athletic Commission funded?
Kizer: We’re funded from the general fund. The state itself
gives us money from the general fund in our budget for every
fiscal year.
Sherdog.com:
You’re not also funded by taxes on live gates and pay-per-views
and things like that?
Kizer: That’s the funding we collect and send to the state.
None of that money goes to us directly. The amount of money we
raise makes no difference on the amount of money we get. There’s
no direct correlation there.
Sherdog.com:
What’s the budget roughly every year?
Kizer: Probably about $600,000 to $700,000, somewhere around
there, give or take $50K.
Sherdog.com:
How much are different commission personnel paid?
Kizer: Inspectors, unfortunately, are by far the lowest-paid.
They get paid $75 an event. It doesn’t matter if this event
is a 10-hour event or a three-hour event. It doesn’t matter
if it’s a pay-per-view from the Mandalay Bay Events Center
or if it’s some club show in a ballroom in a smaller casino.
And that’s something we’ve tried over the years to
get the pay increased for them, and it just isn’t going
to happen or hasn’t happened. And it’s going to be
tough in this economy for it to happen any time soon. It’s
unfortunate. It’s almost like a hobby, a labor of love for
them. And with the judges, referees and timekeepers … we
have our smaller shows, and they get about $200, $250 for smaller
shows. Now, for the bigger shows in MMA, a pay-per-view of a
UFC caliber, all the refs would get $1,200 and judges I believe
get $950 and timekeepers about $600. So there’s a little
bit more money in those situations, and, of course, [with] shows
in-between, the pay would be somewhere in between. But, yeah,
compared to what an NFL referee makes, it’s very little
in that regard. In boxing, the pay structure’s a little
different. It’s a little more widespread, where the ref
at the top of the card might make $8,000, while the refs on the
bottom of the card are only making $600, say for a [Floyd] Mayweather
[Jr.] card. So there’s a bigger gap there, disparity, as
opposed to UFC, where everybody’s making $1,200.
Sherdog.com:
Take us through a typical drug testing routine on a fight weekend.
Kizer: The day of the fight, that’s when the drug testing
usually is done, though we do, of course, do out-of-competition
testing, as well. But in that situation, what would happen is
the inspectors or a representative from the lab that acts as
our agent will come to the athlete [and conduct] the pre-fight
test when they get there at the arena that night. And usually
fighters get there about anywhere from 90 minutes to maybe three
hours before their fight, depending when they’re fighting
on the card and when they’re there. But they’re usually
there no later than 90 minutes before their fight. They’ll
get there, and then, if they have a urine test they have to provide,
they’ll provide it at that time to either the inspector
or the drug testing collector. We try to do that as soon as they
can, so not only can we check it off our list but also the fighter
can then get ready for his fight. There will actually be two
post-fight exams. The doctor will then decide in the dressing
room whether or not to give the fighter any type of medical suspension
or medical requirement. The fighter gets paid and then also the
fighter has to do a post-fight drug test. We try to get that
done as soon as they’re ready to urinate and can get done
with that test so they can go shower and get ready for the press
conference.
Sherdog.com:
How long does it take to get a sample back?
Kizer: The lab usually comes out [and] picks them up directly
from the fights. So they’ll send a courier out, they’ll
come get the stuff [and] go back to the lab. It usually depends
on how many samples there are and how many fights we have that
weekend. Sometimes, we’re testing upwards of 50 people,
depending if we have three fights or something that weekend.
But, usually, about a week is general rule of thumb. Sometimes,
it might take a couple days. Sometimes, I’ve gotten them
early. Sometimes, on Monday, I have some results coming back
rather quickly, but, usually, it’s about a week out.
Sherdog.com:
How many folks does the commission have to collect samples?
Kizer: Well, inspectors, we have probably about ... [at] any
given show, there’s probably about 10 inspectors working
the show. And like I said, a lot of times now, starting last
September, we now have a professional drug collecting agency
or company that comes out. And they usually send one or two people
out to do the testing or do the collecting on that, too.
Sherdog.com:
Why doesn’t the commission do blood tests along with urine
tests?
Kizer: Well, it depends. Sometimes, we have done blood tests.
It just depends on what we’re looking for.
Sherdog.com:
Why not do blood tests as a matter of course, as you do urine?
Kizer: Well, the testing that we’re basically doing fight
night, especially with the steroids, the urine test is the one
that’s going to catch you.
Sherdog.com:
But you can’t get an absolute concentration of testosterone
from a urine sample. Only blood will tell you if an athlete is
within normal testosterone range for someone his age, and there’s
a whole lot more you can tell only from blood, such as EPO and
other types of doping.
Kizer: Oh, yeah, that’s why I said it depends on what you’re
testing for, but steroids is, generally ... you’re wrong.
Urine is the preferred method of testing for steroids; it stays
in your system a lot longer, a lot longer. But there are certain
things, yeah, if we’re looking for someone’s total
testosterone, we’ll test them for blood, and we’ve
done that.
Sherdog.com:
Why not all the time? Why not always know what someone’s
total testosterone is? That seems to me to be a very consistent
indicator of whether someone’s fighting clean.
Kizer: Right. I can tell you the urine testing is what we do
as a matter of course. Again, we’re not just looking for
testosterone. You don’t want to just test somebody for testosterone.
You want to test them for steroids, masking agents, diuretics,
and, so, you need urine for that. So that kind of gives you the
whole ball of wax. So that helps a lot. But, you know, if there
was a need to test for total testosterone, we could do that,
as well. But, as a matter of course, that’s something that
makes it going beyond a matter of course, having guys give blood.
I personally don’t think it’s necessarily a good idea
to jab a needle in a guy’s arm just before he gets in the
ring.
Sherdog.com:
Is that really what it comes down to?
Kizer: I think it’s part of it, yeah … I think the
first thing might be the fact that the risk to the athlete’s
greater by jabbing the needle in his arm. We actually had this
discussion in a public meeting about two years ago, and that
was definitely one of the concerns raised. What happens if you
knick a vein, or you get some kind of hematoma in the guy’s
arm as you’re testing them for blood? So there’s a
concern there on the safety thing. That’s probably one of
the bigger things but also the fact that there’s so much
more you can get from the urine. Yeah, you could do both, as
well, but that doesn’t lessen the safety risks. But blood
is always an option.
Sherdog.com:
I understand the state recently upped your budget to pay for
out-of-competition drug tests?
Kizer: Yes, we did, just with this fiscal year, in fact. Last
fiscal year we basically had nothing. It was definitely nothing
I wanted to broadcast out there to let the athletes know that,
but now our legislature was very kind and understood the concern
and was able to fund it, not just this fiscal year but next fiscal
year, as well.
Sherdog.com:
Alistair Overeem was given a surprise, out-of-competition test
on March 27 at the UFC press conference. Why did the commission
do that?
Kizer: That’s just a situation that kind of came out of
this. I had done that once before, I think in July, the beginning
of the fiscal year, where we had a couple boxers here for a press
conference. Starting in September, as I mentioned before, we
now have an agency; I think it’s only 20 bucks extra a test,
so it’s very cheap for the promoter. So I checked with the
agency first to find out,“Can you come to the press conference
at the MGM [Grand] on that day?” They said, “No problem.”
I gave them a time to show up; actually, I thought the press
conference was going to end about a half hour later than it did,
but it was a shorter press conference than I thought. So the
guys had to wait around a little bit, but not very long, 10 minutes
or so, until the collector came. And then they were all kind
of held in the back until the collector came. Then they all went
up to the hotel room where he was based out of and gave their
urine samples. We were going to have Overeem tested anyway because
of the condition from his 2011 license, but it got to the point
where I found out [about the press conference]. So that was the
first thing, when I found out, “Oh, there’s going to
be a press conference. Oh, Overeem’s going to be there.
Oh, good, I can actually send ... instead of relying on him going
to a lab and giving the urine sample, I can send the lab to him.
Makes it easier on him, and it makes it easier on me.” But,
then, it kind of begged the question to myself of, “Well,
if he’s going to be there and there are five other guys
there, why not have him do the other five?” So I let the
chairman know that -- that that was my plan. He said that’s
a great plan, go forward with it; and we got it done.
Sherdog.com:
Overeem missed commission-imposed deadlines for his December
drug test, yet he was granted a conditional license to face Brock
Lesnar. Why wasn’t he simply denied a license?
Kizer: That was definitely an option. They made him come before
the commission, be on the hearing via the telephone there and
answer some very tough questions. That was definitely something
where he needed to prove to them that they should still give
him a license. And he actually did a very good job at that meeting,
and the commission gave him a license but conditioned it. He
had another test that was done even before the fight when he
got here in Nevada. Of course, we did the normal [tests on fight
night], but there was also two tests he needed to do within the
six months after the fight. This one [at the press conference]
was the first, so there’s still one pending, if it’s
even necessary. So, yeah, that was something where … he
had to go through the ringer for that one.
Sherdog.com:
A bit of hay has been made about the fact that Overeem’s
license to fight in Nevada expired Dec. 31, 2011, so he wasn’t
a licensed fighter when you tested him in March. You’ve
said the commission was within its right to test Overeem since
he was being advertised as fighting in your jurisdiction. Why
can a promoter promote someone as fighting in Nevada before that
fighter is licensed?
Kizer: Well, it’s all contingent on getting the person licensed.
Let’s say, for example, a promoter promoted somebody saying,
“I know this guy’s not going to be available and I
know he’s not going to come and fight here, but I’m
going to put him on the marquee anyway.” And then five days
before the fight or a week before the fight or something, [they]
pull him off. And that’s prohibited. So they have to have
some sort of agreement between the promoter and the fighter that
he is going to appear on that card. Now, injuries do happen sometimes,
and other things might get in the way. [The fighter] might have
a personal tragedy where he needed to pull out of the fight,
and that’s understandable with proof. But, for the most
part, that’s an ongoing obligation on the promoter to make
sure that that does not occur -- false advertising.
Sherdog.com:
Why doesn’t a promoter make sure a guy is licensed before
he’s promoted as fighting?
Kizer: Well, the licensing requirements, the medical requirements
that come into play, as long as we get those before the weigh-in
and in ample time to review them, that’s not a problem.
So there’s no need to get licensed, let’s say, in February,
when you’re fighting in May. If you want to -- you can get
licensed that early-- you can, but, logistically, there’s
no need to be licensed that early.
Sherdog.com:
Overeem has, since the drug test, applied for a fight license
in Nevada, correct? Or, the UFC applied on his behalf?
Kizer: Yes. The UFC usually collects all the materials for their
fighters and then ships them to us. Sometimes, with smaller cards
like club cards, the fighter might actually come in or mail it
in or actually come in in-person and deliver the stuff himself.
Sometimes, fighters get licensed even though they have no fights
[and] they have no contractual obligations with promoters. They’ll
get licensed so they’re ready to go. Most people probably
get licensed the week of the fight.
Sherdog.com:
Has Overeem applied for a Therapeutic Use Exemption from the
commission?
Kizer: Has not.
Sherdog.com:
If I want permission to use testosterone from Nevada, what do
I have to do?
Kizer: Well, [with] any kind of therapeutic use exemption, not
just limited to testosterone, you need to contact the commission;
we need to get communications open with your treating physician.
So that would be a situation where the fighter’s obligated
through his or her physician to get us all the necessary documentation
and the requests. In other words, Doctor X is saying, “I’m
treating this athlete for this condition; here’s the treatment
plan. This treatment plan would not put the fighter at undue
risk, would not give him or her an unfair advantage. Here’s
the labs that I’ve done to kind of confirm, that confirm
the diagnosis.” [They] send it to us, we run it by our doctor,
our doctor goes through it and sees that it might be a situation
where he may say, “That seems like a very overly-aggressive
treatment plan.” Or it might be a situation where the doctor
will say, you know, “That drug is not safe enough to use
in competition, so you need to change the plan that way.”
Or again, you have to lower the levels, perhaps of the Adderall
that you’re taking. Adderall is one that I know I’ve
seen before, where in certain normal dosages it may be [an] unfair,
not [an] unfair, undue risk for the fighter to use it during
competition. So you have to lower [the dosage] or use a different
drug during the competition phase. So all that stuff comes into
play, and that’s kind of the starting point and it’s
also kind of the important part-- is the medicals. And then our
doctor, he might have the fighter do additional testing; he may
have the fighter provide additional documentation; he’ll
talk with the doctor, communicate with the doctor from the fighter,
so all that comes into play. And then, sometimes, the TUE could
be granted under some very specific conditions or it could be
denied.
Sherdog.com:
What kind of turnaround time is there in a fighter getting a
‘yes’ or ‘no’ on a TUE request?
Kizer: I can’t talk specific to Alistair. But a fighter,
in general, getting us all that information, I mean, it’s
not a quick process. But it’s not something of, “Hey,
we’ll let you know in 12 months or something.” Obviously,
you don’t want to do that to a fighter, either, so it could
depend. Depending on how quick the fighter’s doctor gets
us all the information that our doctor needs, it could be something
that takes a week, or it could be something where our doctor
needs more information [and] might need to send the fighter out
for additional testing, and it could take a couple months. So
a lot just depends on what the diagnosis is, what the treatment
plan is, what state the records are in. The key there on timing
is the fighter’s doctor getting us everything we need.
Sherdog.com:
We know about Nevada’s allowed limit of a 6:1 testosterone-to-epitestosterone
level. Why don’t we know what the NAC considers allowable
ranges for total testosterone?
Kizer: It’s pretty much between 300 and 1200 [nanograms
per deciliter]. But even then, if your testosterone, let’s
say, is 500, which is normal, but it’s there because you’re
using synthetic testosterone and you don’t have a TUE, you’re
breaking the rules. There’s no safe harbor. You could be
1:1, but if somehow there’s evidence of use of synthetic
testosterone and you don’t have a TUE, you could be penalized
for that. A better example: you have a prescription. You have
a prescription for hydrocodone, but you’re using it during
the fight and you test positive for hydrocodone --and that’s
happened -- you’re going to be facing a disciplinary complaint.
Sherdog.com:
What strikes me is the possibility that a fighter could be using
more testosterone in camp than is allowed, putting himself beyond
the 1200-ng/dl limit, and if it clears the system before you
take a urine test, you’d still show below 6:1 T/E on your
urine test. The athlete knows he won’t get blood tested,
and it’s easier to cycle use in a way that controls the
T/E ratio in urine than it is to control the measurements a blood
test gives you.
Kizer: I’m not sure if that statement’s correct, but
let’s assume it is -- I don’t know. We’ve caught
a lot of guys with T/E ratios out of whack, so I’m not sure
that it’s as easy as you say. You hear a lot of people saying
how easy it is to pass a steroid test or any anabolic test, and
I’m sure I could point to several dozen [fighters] who would
disagree. And I’m sure other commissions could do the same.
No test is foolproof, I agree with you there, but I don’t
think we should overstate nor understate the effectiveness of
testing.
Sherdog.com:
It seems if you want to use testosterone there’s more incentive
not to seek the commission’s permission and simply use it
without telling anybody. If you tell the commission, you subject
yourself to blood tests, which introduce a whole new way of getting
caught using.
Kizer: Well, I guess you could say that about any [performance-enhancing
drug]. If you’re going to take steroids, it’s better
not to tell me you’re taking it than to tell me you’re
taking it. If you’re going to commit murder, it’s probably
best not to tell the police you’re going to commit murder.
So yeah, that’s a self-evident truth, I think.
Sherdog.com:
If a fighter wanted to use testosterone, I don’t see why
he would tell the commission and seek a TUE.
Kizer: If they’re going to use it improperly or unlawfully
or whatever term you want to say, you’re right. But again,
that’s the same thing with steroids or anything else. Any
other prohibited substance, yeah, why would you tell the commission
you’re taking a prohibited substance? Unless you have a
legitimate need and can prove it.
Sherdog.com:
Are there still only three fighters for whom Nevada has approved
an exemption to use testosterone?
Kizer: Yeah, only three fighters. They’re all MMA fighters,
but, yeah, only three fighters have been granted for TRT. I think
one thing that will come of all this media spotlight on it, I
think you’ll have a lot more requests. Some will be illegitimate,
someone saying, “Oh, OK, maybe I can trick the commission
into giving me a TUE for TRT, get a doctor who can try to manipulate
my labs or something.” But I think also there will be a
lot more legitimate requests. I think there’s probably people
out there not realizing that, “Hey, I’m 27 years old
or I’m 32 years old or whatever my age is, why do I care
about having my T checked?” And they’ll go and they’ll
get their T checked and they’ll be abnormally low, be it
from something genetic or it could be from something related
to fighting. Weight cutting or getting hit in the head supposedly
has some aspects of maybe lowering your T. So I think [for] a
lot of fighters this may actually [be] a positive thing, as a
lot of fighters who may not realize they’re suffering from
this will get checked out and find that out. So good for them,
but, of course, it makes it more difficult for us. But that’s
alright; we’re up to the challenge to deal with both the
legitimate and the illegitimate increases in requests.
Sherdog.com:
Your predecessor, Marc Ratner, acts as the UFC’s de facto
commission when they go international or to a place with no commission.
When it comes to fighters, the UFC itself drug tests or screens
medically, how would you know what they find and don’t find?
Kizer: Really, unless they tell us or you tell us via the press,
I wouldn’t know. The fighter is obligated under penalty
of perjury to inform us when he applies here whether he’s
been subject to any sort of discipline elsewhere. So if there
has been any discipline put on the fighter ... and we’ve
had fighters who have not been quite so honest [and] they’ve
had to deal with the consequences. Nowadays, though, especially
with jurisdictions that are recognized, that would be in the
fighter’s official record. In boxing, it’s a place
called Fight Fax. With MMA, it’s mixedmartialarts.com. Both
those entities do great work in that regard. And it’s easy
to see a fighter’s history in that regard. But you’re
right, on non-government-regulated events, be it UFC or anybody
for that matter, if it a fighter tests positive, there’s
no sort of official discipline. That’s more difficult to
find out.
Sherdog.com:
What if, say, the UFC approved a fighter to use testosterone
on an international show? Would you have any way of knowing?
Kizer: When you do apply for a TUE [in Nevada], you do need to
let us know whether you’ve ever applied for one -- whether
you’re granted or not -- whether you’ve applied for
one elsewhere. So that would be something that would come up
there.
Sherdog.com:
Do you ever see a time when a commission like yours puts athletes
in Olympic-style 24/7 monitoring programs, where they could be
tested at any time and have to report their whereabouts to the
commission?
Kizer: Maybe. It would be much tougher for a state agency to
deal with that than an international agency, but that could be.
In a way, that’s kind of what we’re doing to the extent
we can. A situation where I can call up a fighter and say, “Look,
you need to go get tested right now, or you need to get tested
within a certain amount of timeframe,” or in the case of
what happened [with Overeem at the press conference], “You’re
being tested right now, right here.” So there are aspects
of that, but we’re never going to have jurisdiction beyond
our borders. That’s true of any state commission or city
commission; also true of certain national bodies, as well, of
course. So that makes it more difficult, but that doesn’t
mean that we can’t do things. So, you know, adding the steroid
testing back roughly 10 years ago, a little more than 10 years
ago, increasing the amount of guys getting tested fight night
and then having this out-of-competition testing, as well; every
time you add. You could look at it as, well, OK, great, you’re
doing this, but you’re still not doing that. OK, now you’re
doing that, but you’re not doing this. You could always
look at what else could be done. I don’t know any, any,
any agency, anti-doping agency, be it a state commission, be
it a national commission, [the World Anti-Doping Agency], [the
United States Anti-Doping Agency], the Canadian [Anti-Doping
Agency], whoever, that tests every athlete every day, blood and
urine. But you can easily say why not? Don’t you care? Why
wouldn’t you test this guy more than less? So, yeah, you
can always say that. Well, you tested him on Thursday and Friday,
but you didn’t test them on Saturday. You don’t care
if he did something on Saturday? Well, no, that’s not a
fair criticism. So you got to do what you can with what you have,
and that’s kind of the issue. And hopefully we’ve done
that, but, nonetheless, it doesn’t mean that, hey, this
is exactly how the program’s going to look two years from
now or even two months from now. Hopefully, it gets better every
year and we get more resources, and [with] the resources we have,
we find better ways to spend them, more effective ways and that
comes into play. There’s always going to be crime. There’s
never going to be a time where you’re not going to have
any murders or any robberies, but that doesn’t mean you
don’t have a police force.
Sherdog.com:
Since you disputed Chael Sonnen’s testifying to the California
commission that he’d consulted with you on a TRT exemption,
he has yet to fight in Nevada. In fact, I believe he was denied
a corner license by Nevada to participate as a coach on “The
Ultimate Fighter.”Kizer: Not quite the case. No, he never
pursued the application. It actually kind of became moot when
the California commission reinstated the remainder of his suspension,
and that was basically during the part of the show. So there
was no denial of it, because he kind of was forced to withdraw
due to the California commission’s additional suspension.
Sherdog.com:
What’s your sense around Sonnen’s ability to get licensed
in Nevada again? Kizer: I’ve seen Chael. I’ve talked
to Chael at fights. Chael is now being quite clear with people
that he and I never talked. He’s making that quite clear,
and that any comments made before that we had talked were untrue.
Dana White even came to me and said, “Keith, I know he lied
about you. He lied about me. He lied about Marc Ratner. He lied
about [UFC doctor] Jeff Davidson; but that’s who he is.”
I said, “Well, that’s not good enough for me, you know,
Dana. So, well, Dana, I appreciate that, but that’s not
good enough for me.” Those guys want to deal with it, it’s
fine, but I’m in my position; we have to deal with these
fighters and we have to trust what they tell us, especially on
health and safety stuff. So, you know, the good news is, yeah,
he’s done his time, he’s made quite clear that any
misinterpretation of his words that he and I had spoken is incorrect.
And I appreciate that. I appreciate that he was very conciliatory
and honorable to me when we talked after all those hearings happened
and things like that. And I give the guy props for stepping up
and doing that, so good for him. So, yeah, I don’t think
there would be any issues with respect to him getting licensed
here, be it as a corner man or a fighter. The question becomes
one of competition, with him or anybody, if they plan to use
TRT, they have to go through and get the exemption granted. And
I can’t speak to any fighter, be it [Sonnen] or anyone else
who’s not been granted the exemption -- who’s never
applied for one, in fact -- to know what the outcome would be.
The standards would be the same as they were for the fighters
we’ve OK’d.
Source:
Sherdog
|
Bas
Boon statement on Golden Glory petitioning for K-1 bankruptcy
in Tokyo
By Zach
Arnold
Update:
Here’s an official reply from K-1 (Douglas Kaplan) regarding
comments made by Bas Boon on Saturday:
K1G
is organizing great events in the US, Europe and Asia. Mike and
I are working with our team to bring together the best fighters
for the fans and will do exactly that. Tanikawasan and Ishiisan
are not involved. I know this because I am involved and know
what is going on intimately. I don’t know why Bas Boon is
spending so much time in the press but we are busy focused on
delivering the fans what they want, incredible K1 events.
****
The
following is a press release issued by Bas Boon of Golden Glory
on Saturday morning. The comments made in this press release
do not necessarily reflect the personal or professional views
of Fight Opinion or anyone else in the press who received said
statement on this mailing list. Make of this press release as
you wish.
It
should be further noted that the name Miro Mijatovic is listed
during this statement. When admitted K-1 yakuza fixer Seiya Kawamata
sued Nippon TV over the New Year’s Eve TV contract, it was
Miro who won a lien in Tokyo District Court against anything
Kawamata won in his lawsuit against N-TV. The court considered
Miro to be of good faith & character.
You
will notice a couple of [later on...] marks during the statement.
This is due to focusing on the main claims made in said statement.
If
any parties named in this statement would wish to send us a statement
for rebuttal to post on the site, we will gladly do so.
******
BAS
BOON STATEMENT TEXT
All
grammar/punctuation in statement is not altered from original
statement text.
Interview
with Bas Boon by Tadashi Tanaka the Japanese journalist who broke
the story in 2006 in the Japanese magazine Shukan Gendai (Weekly
Gendai) containing allegations that the Pride Fighting Championships,
once the largest mixed martial arts organization in the world,
was actually owned by the Yakuza, Japanese organized crime. Pride
shows were dropped by Fuji TV, a major national broadcast network
in Japan. Pride eventually went under”.
On
April 5th Tokyo time, Mr. Tanikawa issued a press release regarding
the establishment of a new K-1 by K-1 Global Holdings as well
as his resignation from K-1 FEG. I will summarize what he said
and point out some grave errors of fact he has made. To recap
the facts:
1.
Golden Glory has filed a petition in Japan to have FEG declared
bankrupt
2.
The petition was filed by us on March 14, 2012 in the Tokyo District
Court.
3.
FEG is no longer financially sound, and is unable to pay its
creditors, including KOI (Knockout Investments, N.V.), which
is owed in excess of $1 Million. Including other parties who
are also owed money by FEG the amount may exceed $30 million.
4.
Despite repeated promises to pay, Mr. Tanikawa of FEG stated
in writing on Feb. 9, 2012 that it has released its employees
and has no funds to pay KOI.
5.
Golden Glory and its fighters have suffered damages resulting
from FEG’s failure to pay
6.
Golden Glory has filed this petition to seek the Court’s
protection to find and secure any assets of FEG which should
be used to repay its creditors
7.
A company called EMCOM Holdings issued an announcement dated
Jan.31, 2012 that it had acquired a Hong Kong registered company
called K-1 Global Holdings and had funded this company to take
over the loans made by a Japanese company called Barbizon connected
to Kazuyoshi Ishii. Barbizon had security for its loans to FEG,
this security was over the trademarks of K-1 (owned by Ishii)
and the historical K-1 fight footage (owned by FEG): http://www.hd.emcom.jp/en/pdf/20120131_002.pdf
8.
As a creditor of FEG, Golden Glory is concerned that some transactions
will drain FEG of its remaining assets and goodwill and leave
the creditors with nothing. We hope that this bankruptcy proceeding
will also lead to an opportunity to shed light on the parties
and what is really going on with the K-1 brand. We just want
to get our athletes paid what they are owed by K-1.
[later
on...]
If
the court brings out all the facts, don’t be surprised to
see that Mr. Kazuyoshi Ishii is still a major shareholder in
the overall organization alongside EMCOM, and may still control
the international rights to K-1.
It
will be interesting to see how the court will handle FEG’s
assets changing hands not long before I filed the bankruptcy
lawsuit. Everybody can smell rotten fish here.
We
have filed a petition for bankruptcy of FEG/K-1 and that’s
why Mr. Tanikawa made this announcement:
http://feg-jp.com/en/news/2012/0405_release_01.html
You
will hear a lot of this in the press in the near future. The
K-1/FEG management are the ones who have created a staggering
debt and worst of all, left the kickboxing athletes without pay,
while apparently managing to benefit themselves. It’s going
to be tough going for K-1 and it will be interesting to see what
kind of sponsors or TV broadcasters will want to be associated
with anybody dealing with K-1 or Its Showtime.
The
most tragic aspect of this is that there were many incredibly
talented athletes, production companies, venues, and many other
suppliers who were making an honest living providing services
to K-1.
Tanikawa’s
latest press release states that I am trying to hurt and destroy
K-1, but the truth is absolutely the opposite. We were trying
to rescue it and they already destroyed the brand themselves.
I have no grudge with Simon Rutz. if we did we would never have
considered working with him.
[Later
on...]
It’s
funny how in court Mr. Ishii claimed he had nothing to do with
the fighting branch anymore but in China I witnessed with my
own eyes a huge press conference were they announced 60 % for
Mr. Bruno Wu and 40% for Mr. Ishii in a joint venture. Mr. Wu
apparently did some more research and pulled out of this venture.
Tanikawa’s
claim that Simon Rutz supports K-1 is almost as ridiculous, check
out this link where Showtime is threatening to sue K-1: http://teamtakeover.forum-express.com/t11534-its-showtime-sueing-feg
They
made a deal to keep the Its Showtime fighters cheap and agreed
to pay only 50% in the form of a signing bonus for old debt to
Showtime fighters owed by K-1.
Simon
then made a deal for himself … Showtime made a deal with
Gunil “Mike” Kim (who Simon hated first, Kim made Simon
looked like a fool when the “last 16” Grand Prix in
China was cancelled in 2011,with the so- called reason of visa
problems).
Their
new plan is apparently to run K-1 events in Holland (under the
management of Simon’s/Showtime team and run Showtime in
Japan under the management of old K-1 and Mr. Kim) this way they
hope to avoid the problems with bad press and possible government
scrutiny as they hope to renew the TV contracts under a new face.
[Later
on...]
I
had enough of their miss-truths and deception lies and came with
my own investors and have launched the Glory brand globally.
We have signed Albert Kraus, Petrosyan, Le Banner, Peter Aerts
the whole Golden Glory team and others. Tanikawa even mentioned
this in his press release as if we had acted improperly: sure
these K-1 fighters made a living for a long time with K-1, but
K-1 does not own them and certainly K-1 do not have any rights
or claims when they do not pay fighters their outstanding debt
for over 15 months! Then somebody comes and pays 100% or close
to 100% of the outstanding amounts in the form of a new signing
bonuses to these incredible athletes How does this make me the
guy who is trying to ruin K-1, according Tanikawa?
It’s
like a slapstick movie — when the petition for bankruptcy
was filled it took Tanikawa less than one day to leave the sinking
ship and make his announcement.
The
next weeks will be really interesting to see all the excuses
made by “former” K-1 employees and executives. The
funny thing is that many fighters are still being approached
by Tanikawa even today to sign with K-1 Global Holdings owned
by EMCOM. The personal assistant of Tanikawa works now for Mr.
Kim. Mr. Ishii and Mr. Kim have companies in Hong Kong. Is the
plan to have the trademarks of K-1 parked there?
In
2005, I started a lawsuit with Miro Mijatovic because of Pride
and other problems, now history repeats itself and its K-1/FEG
who did not pay their outstanding debt and I filed a petition
for bankruptcy.
By
the way, on April 12th Tokyo time, EMCOM Holdings press released
that Mr. Ryouji Ueno stepped down as President and Mr. Hakmin
Kim is back as President. We wonder this announcement could be
direct result of the petition Koi/Golden Glory filed for bankruptcy
and signing many top fighters to the new glory show.
Source:
Fight Opinion
|
Anderson
Silva vs. Chael Sonnen 2 Rescheduled for UFC 148
By Shaun
Al-Shatti - Staff Writer
As
anticipated, the UFC has scrapped plans to hold Anderson Silva's
championship rematch against Chael Sonnen in a soccer stadium
in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.
The
blockbuster grudge match, which was originally booked for UFC
147 on June 23, has now been rescheduled to headline UFC 148
on July 7, 2012 at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas, NV.
UFC President Dana White announced the switch at a press conference
in Rio on Tuesday morning, though according White, it took some
persuasion to get Silva onboard.
"He
was very upset about not fighting in Brazil," White said.
"He wanted this fight with Chael Sonnen here. It took a
lot of talking, and I finally convinced Anderson to take this
fight in Las Vegas."
Silva
put on a good face throughout the proceedings, however it was
clear he wasn't happy with the decision.
"I'm
a UFC athlete," Silva said. "I don't just have fans
in Brazil, but worldwide. So regardless of where this fight is,
I'll be representing Brazil. I'll be doing my job for my fans,
and nothing will really change. The only thing is unfortunately
the fight, due to the alliance the UFC has with a company which
wasn't professional enough to understand the size of the UFC,
unfortunately the fight will not be in Brazil."
Previously,
White cited difficulties obtaining a proper venue in Brazil due
to a United Nations Conference on Sustainable Development booked
for the same week. The conference runs from June 20-22 and lists
194 member nations among its attendees.
At
Tuesday's presser White refused to go into specifics about what
ultimately forced the move, alluding only to "a lot of problems."
"There
were many things that cause this fight to fall apart here,"
White explained.
"As
we got into the logistics of making this thing happen here, just
everything that could go wrong went wrong, and we weren't able
to pull it off fast enough."
Despite
his not-so-friendly relationship with the country of Brazil,
Sonnen also expressed his frustration regarding the situation.
"It
was disappointing, especially with the thought of coming to a
stadium," Sonnen admitted. "In Toronto, (Jake) Shields
and (Georges St. Pierre) did 55,000 seats, and I was hoping to
be part of breaking that and getting it done here in Brazil.
But look, Las Vegas is the fight capital of the world. This is
the biggest fight in the history of combat.
"My
plan wasn't to walk in here and tell you guys we're not going
to fight. My plan was to come in here, take your money, my new
belt, and go home back to America. But instead I'm going to have
to wait, I'm going to have to stomp him on July 7, and that's
exactly what I'm going to do."
Not
surprisingly, Sonnen also couldn't resist taking a few jabs at
his already irate rival.
"I
don't have anything against the Brazilian people." Sonnen
remarked. "I've got something against a Brazilian that's
sitting a few feet from me. Maybe a couple other gentlemen (too),
but your women are all okay we me, so feel free to give me a
call or pay me a visit.
"But
as far as my impression (of Brazil), it's a lot like America.
When I was a little kid, I remember going outside and sitting
with my friends. We'd talk about the latest technology and medicine
and gaming and American ingenuity, and I'd look outside and Anderson
and the Brazilian kids are sitting outside playing the mud. And
I'll tell you something else, I think it's disgusting, I think
it's an embarrassment to the sport and himself that he'd come
around with that fake belt when the entire world watched me defeat
him on live TV."
The
comments seemed to tip Silva over the edge, as the normally reserved
champion answered back with his own verbal assault.
"Chael
Sonnen doesn't practice the martial arts," Silva declared.
"He's a wrestler, so he doesn't know what martial arts is.
Respect. Respect for a country. Respect to a people. And respect
towards human beings. Many times, people even ask me, 'well,
isn't he promoting the fight?' Yes, okay, but there are many
different ways for you to do that. He did not respect our country.
He disrespected my family. And above all, he disrespected all
the UFC audience."
Of
course, Sonnen interrupted Silva by loudly snoring midway through
his response.
With
Silva-Sonnen II now shifted off the card, UFC 147 is left to
feature a middleweight match-up between The Ultimate Fighter:
Brazil coaches Vitor Belfort and Wanderlei Silva, the TUF: Brazil
featherweight and middleweight finals, and a heavyweight bout
between Fabricio Werdum and Mike Russow.
UFC
featherweight champion Jose Aldo may also be moved onto the card.
Aldo is currently scheduled to fight a yet to be announced opponent
at UFC 149.
"We
talked about moving Jose down to this card here," White
revealed. "It's probably going to happen. We're working
with his camp right now. And then, Dan Henderson vs. (Jon) Jones
could be a possibility (for UFC 149)."
Meanwhile,
a venue for UFC 147 has yet to finalized. UFC officials originally
targeted the Estádio Olímpico João Havelange,
a colossal soccer stadium that could potentially seat upwards
of 50,000 Brazilian fight fans, however that is no longer an
option.
"We're
still in talks and we're trying to figure out exactly where we're
going to take this event," White concluded. "It's going
to happen obviously, the details are just not worked out and
we don't have a venue yet."
Source:
MMA Fighting
|
UFC
145 Jones vs. Evans Fighter Salaries: Jon Jones Tops the Payroll
The
UFC 145: Jones vs. Evans fighter salaries were released by the
Georgia State Athletic and Entertainment Commission on Wednesday.
The
main event at Saturday’s event at Philips Arena in Atlanta
featured UFC light heavyweight champion Jon Jones continuing
his run through the light heavyweight contenders, with a five-round
unanimous decision victory over Rashad Evans.
The
following figures are based on the fighter salary information
that promoters are required by law to submit to the state athletic
commissions, including the winners’ bonuses.
Although
mixed martial arts fighters do not have collective bargaining
or a union, the fighters’ salaries are still public record,
just as with every other major sport in the United States. Any
undisclosed bonuses that a promoter also pays its fighters, but
does not disclose to the athletic commissions (specifically,
pay-per-view bonuses, fight of the night bonuses, etc.), are
not included in the figures below.
UFC
145: Jones vs. Evans Fighter Salaries
Jon
Jones: $400,000 (no win bonus)
def. Rashad Evans: $300,000
Rory
MacDonald: $36,000 (includes $18,000 win bonus)
def. Che Mills: $8,000
Ben
Rothwell: $104,000 (includes $52,000 win bonus)
def. Brendan Schaub: $14,000
Michael
McDonald: $16,000 (includes $8,000 win bonus)
def. Miguel Torres: $32,000
Eddie
Yagin: $12,000 (includes $6,000 win bonus)
def. Mark Hominick: $17,000
Mark
Bocek: $46,000 (includes $23,000 win bonus)
def. John Alessio: $10,000
Travis
Browne: $24,000 (includes $12,000 win bonus)
def. Chad Griggs: $27,000
Matt
Brown: $36,000 (includes $18,000 win bonus)
def. Stephen Thompson: $8,000
Anthony
Njokuani: $24,000 (includes $12,000 win bonus)
def. John Makdessi: $12,000
Mac
Danzig: $54,000 (includes $27,000 win bonus)
def. Efrain Escudero: $10,000
Chris
Clements: $12,000 (includes $6,000 win bonus)
def. Keith Wisniewski: $10,000
Marcus
Brimage: $16,000 (includes $8,000 win bonus)
def. Maximo Blanco: $13,000
Source:
MMA Weekly
|
Dana
White’s stressing out over steroids comes off as incoherent
By Zach
Arnold
Kenny
Florian may be mad about drug usage in MMA, but his bosses have
spun a rather conflicting message on this front.
The
back drop of what happened in the UFC over the last two weeks
should be established here. For UFC Sweden, you have Thiago Silva
headlining a main event against Alexander Gustafsson. Silva was
coming off of suspension from Nevada because of an altered urine
sample for his drug test. Hacran Dias, who was supposed to be
on The Ultimate Fighter Brazil but failed a drug test due to
usage of diuretics, got signed by UFC to a contract. To add a
touch of irony, Fuel TV hired Karyn Bryant to do the fighter
interviews. Yes, that Karyn Bryant who Rampage motorboated and
name-dropped his chiropractor (Dr. William Kessler) during an
interview when he was praising his usage of testosterone.
So,
we know where UFC stands based on their recent actions when it
comes to the usage of drugs by fighters in MMA. Don’t hate
the player, hate the game? Well, when the game is about whether
or not UFC is a sport, part of that process is drug testing and
cleaning up rampant drug abuse. It’s not just an image thing,
it’s also a health & safety thing, too.
Money
quote from the first article:
“The
[expletive] testing in this sport is insane. It is literally
the gold standard in all of sports.”
And
as for the guys who get caught by that testing? White had some
words for them as well.
“You’re
grown men. You’re [expletive] adults. You’re professional
athletes. How many times do you have to be told not to do this?
To the point where you just completely blow you’re entire
[expletive] career?”
Money
quote from the second article:
“I
have 375 fighters in every country all over the world,”
White fumed. “The battle that I have to get these guys to
get their [expletive] bout agreements back and show up for press
is un[expletive]believable. The fact that I have to make personal
phone calls to tell guys to talk to the [expletive] press. Now
I’m going to start making personal phone calls to go show
up for random drug tests? The general public and the media need
to grasp some [expletive] concept of reality, okay? The reality
of us doing all the [expletive] things that we’re doing,
when we already have the gold standard in drug testing, and then
trying to chase 375 guys all over the world to randomly test
them too? It’s impossible.”
What’s
funny about this quote is that no one is asking Dana to personally
hold a cup and take a urine sample from 375 fighters around the
world and do the drug testing himself. The Voluntary Anti-Doping
Agency, a non-profit organization set up to help out with advanced
& independent drug testing in combat sports, is right in
Las Vegas. VADA works with WADA-accredited labs, something that
many athletic commissions currently do not. For the UFC, all
they would need to do is support an independently-operated drug
testing program that would administratively take the issue right
out of their hands. No more drug testing while running ’self-regulated’
shows, either.
Earlier,
I remarked that Dana sounds as out-of-touch as Bob Arum does
on this issue. Truthfully, we know Dana knows better than what
he’s spouting off here. He knows drug usage is a big problem
and his company is facing chaos because guys are getting suspended.
That’s what makes the UFC’s predicament so intriguing
here — the current drug testing protocols are nowhere near
what they should be and yet many fighters are failing a standard
IQ test by being sloppy drug users or shamelessly begging for
a hall pass to use testosterone. Combine that with the number
of fighters who are using designer steroids or growth hormone
quietly and you can see just how out of control things are right
now for drug usage in the sport.
UFC
is at a crossroads here. Promoters want certainty. An environment
with no drug testing would provide certainty, but that world
is not going to exist. So, it’s time for UFC to cooperate
with independent agencies that can handle the drug testing issue
for them and do the job right. Sunlight may as well be exposed
on all the fighters.
It’s
not as if independent drug testing on a world stage isn’t
currently being done. It’s done with Olympic competitors.
It’s done with tennis players. Drug testing in tennis blows
away what’s currently happening in MMA.
And,
yet, you will see people basically take a realpolitik stance
on the matter. “Hey, Chael Sonnen’s fighting in Brazil
while using testosterone. Thiago Silva’s headlining UFC
Sweden. How much more proof do you need that they don’t
care about PEDs?” The way in which this dropped during a
conversation is more or less in a ‘hey, if they don’t
care, why should I care?” kind of tone.
Why
the UFC should care about the drug issue
Liability.
Forget pushing pipe dream, no-name international MMA sanctioning
bodies. It’s simply not going to work. What will work is
if the UFC works with someone like VADA and actually stops hiring
guys who are prominent drug users. Fighters wouldn’t risk
using drugs as often if they knew the price to be paid was their
job security. UFC has the power of message to send to fighters
not to use testosterone or else they won’t be coming back
to the organization. Instead, guys who recently miss failed drug
tests get hired right back or back within a year.
But
what happens on a self-regulated show if a testosterone user
like Sonnen ends up crippling or killing a fighter? There will
be hell to pay on many fronts and the legal front is a guaranteed
avenue of pain for Zuffa. They should clean things up as much
as they possibly can now before it mushrooms into a giant legal
headache later on. Take a look at the legal issues the NFL is
facing right now from having over 1,000 former players sue them
over concussions.
Image
& credibility. How on Earth can a bunch of men who look like
Greek Gods be crying hypogonadism with a straight face and telling
fans that they have to use testosterone because they suffer from
a medical condition that less than 2% of the adult male population
in the world suffers from? It’s embarrassing to see play
out the way it is right now. On Tuesday (7-8 PM EST, 4-5 PM PST)
in Nevada, there will be a 1 hour meeting of the NSAC’s
medical advisory panel to talk about Therapeutic Use Exemptions.
What exquisite timing given Alistair’s hearing coming up
next week. The varying standards between different AC’s
over TUEs and what the process should be is a perfect reason
as to why TUEs for testosterone shouldn’t be happening in
the first place. If the WWE, of all companies, can see what a
fiasco a TUE for testosterone is for a professional wrestler,
why should an MMA fighter get a hall pass to use testosterone?
Dr. Margaret Goodman of VADA is largely opposed to TUEs for testosterone.
I’ve said that TUEs for testosterone shouldn’t be happening.
Others who come from the pro-wrestling business see the oncoming
train wreck in MMA over the testosterone issue and they, too,
are sounding off against testosterone usage in MMA.
Last
week, Siena released the latest poll results about the image
of MMA & MMA legislation in the state of New York. 38% approval,
52% disapproval and the numbers amongst women continue to be
horrific – 26% approve, 60% oppose. UFC has spent millions
of dollars trying to get MMA legislation passed in the state
despite the fact that UFC has not cultivated grass roots support
for MMA in the state amongst key Democratic voter blocks. If
you’re a parent and your kid wants to get involved in MMA,
you might have second thoughts about it because of the current
drug culture of the business. It’s not as if the fighters
who are using drugs in MMA are low-profile people. We’re
talking big names here, household names for MMA fans. The drug
issue isn’t the #1 primary cause of low approval ratings
for MMA in New York, but it’s a hell of a hammer to slam
the business with. And who can blame the politicians for not
approving MMA legislation in the state if they aren’t receiving
any pressure from influential voters to pass such a bill?
It’s
time for a total overhaul of the mindset at Zuffa headquarters
over the way the drug issue is being handled in the sport now.
It’s not just about the health & safety of their fighters,
it’s also about their corporate image which is getting chipped
away every time a high-profile fighter gets busted for drug usage.
When you are a facing a problem like this, rewarding guys who
recently fail drug tests sends a loud message and it’s not
a positive one. Both in terms of public relations and business
actions, UFC needs to dramatically change the way business is
being handled. It’s in their best financial interests to
do so, whether they realize that right now or not.
Source:
Fight Opinion
|
Anderson
regrets not fighting in Brazil anymore
Anderson Silva didn’t like having his Chael Sonnen rematch
moved away. Middleweight title holder, Silva would fight the
American in Rio de Janeiro for the Ultimate belt, but now it’s
been transferred to Las Vegas, United States, on July 7th, at
UFC 148.
During the press conference held this Tuesday, in a hotel in
Barra da Tijuca, Spider regretted not fighting for the Brazilian
fans, and Dana White and the American trash talked were also
there to see it.
I’m not glad because it’s not in Brazil, but I’m
a UFC athlete. I don’t only have fans here, I have fans
all over the world. Independently of where I’ll fight, I’ll
be representing Brazil and I’ll do my job for my fans. It
doesn’t change much”.
Clearly bothered by Sonnen’s provocations, the Brazilian
didn’t respond and tried to remain calm. Anderson also commented
about his talkative opponent.
“When I started training martial arts I learned about respect.
Sonnen doesn’t know martial arts. He’s a wrestler,
he doesn’t know how to respect people. Some say he’s
promoting the fight, but he disrespected my country, my family
and fans. Some people say thing without really knowing and they
think it’s awesome. He did it all, but he didn’t do
the most important thing which was defeating me”, stated
the champion, who simultaneously heard Sonnen fake snoring at
the microphone.
Source:
Tatame
|
Alistair
Overeem License Request Denied; Can Re-Apply in December
By Mike
Chiappetta - Senior Writer
The
career of UFC heavyweight Alistair Overeem has been put on hold.
On Tuesday, the Nevada state athletic commission denied his request
for licensure, and ruled that he would be ineligible to reapply
before December 27, nine months from the date of his failed random
test.
Even
prior to the hearing, UFC president Dana White said Overeem would
not be offered fights elsewhere in an attempt to circumvent that
ruling. That effectively means that his MMA career is suspended
until he is re-licensed.
In
a meeting held at the Cleveland Clinic Lou Ruvo Center for Brain
Health in Las Vegas, Overeem denied intentionally taking any
performance-enhancing substance. Instead, he claimed he had been
given an anti-inflammatory shot that unknowingly contained testosterone
as one of his four ingredients.
The
doctor who administered the first of two shots, Dr. Hector Oscar
Molina of Texas, also appeared at the hearing and confirmed that
he had prescribed the shot for Overeem, though under oath, he
couldn't recall whether he had informed Overeem that testosterone
was included. Overeem also said that he hadn't informed Molina
that he was facing random drug testing as part of a conditional
license he'd received from NSAC last December.
"What
surprises me very much is the fact, Mr. Overeem, that when we
had you here the last time, you really impressed me as someone
who is very intelligent," said commissioner Pat Lundvall.
"That you wouldn't have informed Mr. Molina that you had
these conditions upon you that you were going to be tested and
you had to know what was being injected into your body."
Overeem
accepted the ruling, saying he would not fight anywhere during
the nine-month period.
"Believe
me when I tell you that that title fight is my dream, my ultimate
goal," he said. "I have three other belts, Strikeforce,
DREAM and K-1. This was going to be the crown of my career, which
I'm giving up to take a couple steps back to get back on the
horse, do the testing and prove myself, that I’m a clean
fighter. And when that is established, get back on the horse
and continue."
Earlier
in the hearing, Overeem's attorney David Chesnoff had asked for
a 45-60 day postponement to collect more information, but the
commission members unanimously voted against it.
Overeem
said he met Dr. Molina in Texas through former pro fighter Tre
Telligman, and that he visited him to address several injuries,
including pain in his rib. Molina defended his treatment, noting
he has treated other pro athletes in the past, while saying it
was a cocktail he had given to other patients.
"It's
insufficient to raise it to give an anabolic advantage that testosterone's
normally used for, but it's’ enough to help him heal faster,"
Molina said.
Overeem's
March urine test came back with an elevated testosterone-to-epitestosterone
ratio of 14:1. That number is considerably higher than NSAC's
cutoff of 6:1.
He
was removed from a UFC 146 title match with Junior Dos Santos
last Friday, with UFC president Dana White citing scheduling
pressure and a lack of confidence in Overeem's explanation.
The
hearing opened up with a surprise revelation, as NSAC executive
director Keith Kizer said Overeem had initially left the MGM
Grand on March 27 after being told he would be subject to a random
test, but only later returned after prodding. Overeem said he
had never been personally informed, something confirmed by a
UFC official at the hearing.
Overeem
originally broke his silence on the topic on Monday, releasing
a statement which placed the blame on a prescription anti-inflammation
medicine that included testosterone, though he said at the time
he received it, he was "completely unaware" that it
was an ingredient.
Last
December, Overeem faced a separate NSAC hearing that could have
derailed his No. 1 contenders' match with Brock Lesnar. That
issue stemmed from the fact that Overeem left the country on
Nov. 17, the same day he was asked to take a drug test, in order
to return to Holland. In that hearing, Overeem said that the
trip home was necessary to care for his ailing mother, who suffered
from a recurrence of cancer. Overeem didn't to a urine test until
Dec. 7. The commission ultimately gave him the benefit of the
doubt, issuing him a conditional license while requiring him
to undergo mandated tests as well as two random, future tests.
He
went on to defeat Lesnar via TKO.
The
March test he failed due to a raised T/E count was considered
his first random test. He was screened along with five other
fighters on the UFC 146 card, but was the only one who did not
pass.
Overeem
is 36-11 with 1 no contest in his career, and has previously
won championships in Strikeforce, DREAM and K-1.
Source:
MMA Fighting
|
Eye
for an Eye: Mike Winkeljohn
By Tristen
Critchfield
ALBUQUERQUE,
N.M. -- It was but a momentary lapse in reflex, something that
one of the world’s premier striking coaches would catch
999 times out of 1,000 in a routine practice. Probability says
the odds were heavily against Mike Winkeljohn losing his right
eye during a mitt session on Sept. 23, 2009; less than a one-percent
chance, really. However, anyone with deep roots in the fight
game will tell you every underdog has its day.
When
the man affectionately known as “Wink” felt the toenail
of a longtime kickboxing student slice his eyeball in half, his
mind began to race -- not with thoughts of fear, denial or self-pity,
however, but of an impending trip to corner one of his fighters
in Puerto Rico the next day. A cut, which was Winkeljohn’s
initial self-diagnosis, would surely add a measure of inconvenience
to the work ahead. It quickly became apparent that his situation
was far more serious than a run-of-the-mill scrape.
“I
asked the person that kicked me if it was cut,” Winkeljohn
recalled. “He goes, ‘No, coach, it’s your eyeball.’
I felt moisture, and it was all the fluid from inside my eye.
It just shriveled up like a little grape; I was in shock, so
I didn’t feel it. I saw [the look] on the doctor’s
face after she examined me. I knew [it was bad].”
Growing
up in Albuquerque, Winkeljohn always wanted to be the toughest
guy in the neighborhood for what he would now tell you were the
wrong reasons. Now, some seven months shy of his 50th birthday,
family, friends, fighters and fellow coaches alike would concur
that he is indeed that guy, though perhaps not in the exact mold
that a teen-aged Winkeljohn might have envisioned.
Losing
an eye can be a life-altering moment for a person in any line
of work, much less for someone whose profession requires the
right blend of instinct and coordination to keep a group of finely
tuned professional athletes at its peak. Many of those closely
associated with Winkeljohn would agree that the unfortunate incident
of two and a half years ago changed the man they had previously
known. In many aspects of his life, they would say, he got better.
One
thing has not changed: Winkeljohn is still the baddest man on
the block.
“I
think he was uncertain [about coming back]; I wasn’t uncertain,”said
Greg Jackson, Winkeljohn’s partner at Jackson’s Mixed
Martial Arts. “I just know how he is. I knew nothing was
gonna stop him -- you can shoot that guy 10 times in the chest,
and he’d still come at you with a .45. I didn’t have
any doubt that he would be working. There’s another reason
he’s your hero. Nothing slows that guy down. Things that
would have slowed other people down, he just shakes them off.”
Fake
It ’Til You Make It
It
was hardly preordained that Winkeljohn would ascend to any kind
of status in the combat sports world. The son of a nurse, Mary
Anne, and an engineer-turned-real-estate-developer, Alan, the
young Winkeljohn lacked focus in his early athletic endeavors,
bouncing from baseball to basketball to track and field at Albuquerque’s
Manzano High School.
Nothing
stuck, however, perhaps because Winkeljohn had been focused on
helping out around the house after his parents divorced when
he was 12. As the second oldest of four brothers, he felt a sense
of responsibility relatively early in life.
Jones
has flourished under Winkeljohn.
“We
had to be home early enough so [my mom] could go and work the
night shift,” Winkeljohn said. “All my friends wanted
to go out and get in trouble, so that probably helped in a way
because it taught me things. I wasn’t so worried about getting
smacked as I was about disappointing my mom. She meant everything
to me; she still does.”
Though
he was never a terror on a hardwood or diamond, Winkeljohn enjoyed
testing his mettle with his fists. He was good at it, too, even
though he cannot pinpoint where he acquired his fighting DNA.
Today, his older brother is a nuclear engineer; one younger brother
works at Southwest Airlines, while the other is an IT specialist.
“I’m
definitely the black sheep of the family. I’m a little different
than everybody else,” he said.
As
a young man, Winkeljohn won plenty more street fights than he
lost, but it took only one humbling experience for him to seek
out further instruction in his ever-evolving passion.
“I
got beat up one day by a guy who was much smaller than me: a
good wrestler who had some good boxing hands,” Winkeljohn
recalled, dissecting the fight like the coach he has become.
“It made me think, ‘Hey, I better change this.’
I did really good up until that point in time. I had my share
of good moments -- which I’m not proud of. I think I was
doing a lot of things for the wrong reason.”
Winkeljohn’s
learning curve would accelerate and his philosophy would begin
to change the day he walked into Bill Packer’s gym. Packer
was an instrumental figure in shaping martial arts in the United
States, fusing the physical elements of American Kenpo Karate
with the philosophy and tradition of its Asian roots. As one
of the founding fathers of the American Kenpo Karate Academy,
Packer used his training methods to guide AKKA kickboxers to
numerous national and world titles.
Winkeljohn
would become one of those champions, but on that first day he
was mostly interested in becoming more proficient at beating
up people. The advanced prowess of the fighters he saw training
told him he had come to the right place, and while he would get
much better at fighting, those skills would be showcased within
the parameters of organized competition.
With
just four amateur fights under his belt, Winkeljohn went on to
amass a 25-7-2 record as a professional kickboxer, including
memorable battles with Marek Piotrowski and Coban Lookchaoemaesaithong.
In 17 years, he would capture two International Sport Karate
Association championships and one muay Thai world title. Many
of his achievements were aired in the relative obscurity of late-night
ESPN broadcasts, then not at all once the network went dark on
its kickboxing coverage. Winkeljohn does not care to revel in
past glories -- “they’re just titles,” he said
-- but he is quick to throw a playful jab toward his current
charges, many of whom have benefitted from the escalating popularity
of mixed martial arts.
“He
does make fun of me to keep me on my toes,” said UFC light
heavyweight champion Jon Jones.“He’ll say, ‘Oh,
you got an interview to do tonight? I guess that’s more
important than the fight.’ He just makes fun of the 2012-style
fighter; he’s from an age when there were no video interviews
or Twitter. I always tell him, ‘It’s not my fault.’
It’s just what fighting is nowadays.”
Winkeljohn
began coaching in the midst of his fighting career, with no inkling
as to how far the journey would take him. He would not become
truly successful until he retired from kickboxing, however. A
more narrow focus allowed him to devote full energy to his students
instead of himself.
Jackson
has been a partner since 2007.
“All
I can say about fighting is it’s all-consuming,” Winkeljohn
said. “It’s all you think about. All you think about
is your fight, and it causes problems in your life in that your
wife or someone else can look at you and you’re lost in
thought.”
Winkeljohn
credits Packer for helping him reach the heights that he achieved.
“I
think he was a master of the mindset. He could talk me into doing
anything. He’s able to do that and makes you believe in
yourself,” he said. “He was all about ‘fake it
’til you make it.’He gave you a reputation to live
up to. When people start believing in you, [you] start believing
in [yourself] and start aspiring to what everybody else thinks
[you] should be. He was the king of being tough when it comes
to that.”
The
Beginning of a Dynasty
The
foundation for Winkeljohn’s crossover into MMA was laid
when he started competing in the Russian-based combat sport of
Drako, which combined Winkeljohn’s forte -- kickboxing --
with takedowns. Submissions were not allowed. Most importantly,
“they were paying really well,” Winkeljohn said. Around
that same time, an organization called the Ultimate Fighting
Championship held its first event in Denver.
Drako
exposed Winkeljohn’s lack of wrestling aptitude. To help
remedy those deficiencies, he sought out Chris Luttrell, an Albuquerque
police officer who was an acquaintance from high school. Winkeljohn
would spend the better part of a year inside the University of
New Mexico wrestling room, refining his all-around skills. Through
Luttrell, Winkeljohn was introduced to Jackson, and the two men
began exchanging philosophies on standup and ground fighting.
“Chris
was a big part of what we did, because he came from that wrestling,
aggressive physical side. Greg was more laid back but very well
understanding of street mentality. The coming together of all
of us helped quite a bit,” Winkeljohn said.
Winkeljohn
had been running his own martial arts school, the American Kenpo
Karate Academy, since the early 1980s, moving locations once
while continuing to combine the beginnings of MMA with his own
martial arts teachings. His interest in the developing sport
would cause some conflicts with his mentor, Packer.
“I
would go and roll with Greg and then I would go right back and
teach my classes,” Winkeljohn recalled. “I was always
kind of a crux because here I’m teaching people traditional
martial arts, which I love, because there are so many things
that are taught that have nothing to do with fighting, but at
the same time my heart is in the fighting part of it.
“I’m
having arguments with Mr. Packer [at the time], who was really
into the Kenpo side, and all I want to do is teach people how
to fight and get better at what they do,” he continued.
“It was causing a few headaches along the way. I started
just doing grappling and kickboxing at my school. I kind of just
transitioned out of it, just because that’s where my heart
was at. In the meantime, I opened a school in [northeast Albuquerque].
I built it myself.”
“I
asked the person that kicked me if it was cut. He goes, ‘No,
coach, it’s your eyeball.’ I felt moisture, and it
was all the fluid from inside my eye. It just shriveled up like
a little grape.”
-- Mike Winkeljohn, Jackson’s Mixed Martial Arts
While
they would work closely together for many years, Winkeljohn and
Jackson did not officially become partners until 2007. Today,
the sign outside the southeast Albuquerque gym location bears
the name Jackson-Winkeljohn Mixed Martial Arts. It might be more
commonly known as Jackson’s MMA around the world, but those
on the inside recognize both men equally.
“Wink’s
been my guy for this whole time,” said 13-time UFC veteranKeith
Jardine. “Greg’s always been there; he gets a lot of
the credit and he deserves it, but Wink is the other guy that
hasn’t got the credit. Between rounds, he’s always
the guy in the corner talking to me. He’s that guy that
I can always rely on.
“My
kicks are all because of Wink,” he added. “I was working
out with a [Holland-based] kickboxing coach last week, and the
guy comes and tells me: ‘There’s no way an American
taught you those leg kicks.’ I said, ‘No, Mike Winkeljohn
did.’ I was pretty proud to say that.”
Source
Sherdog
|
Juicy
new fight odds for big name UFC Summer fights
By Zach
Arnold
Gray
Maynard -285 vs. Clay Guida +215
Rich
Franklin -325 vs. Cung Le +255
Michael
Bisping -315 vs. Tim Boetsch +245
Forrest
Griffin -295 vs. Tito Ortiz +225
Source:
Fight Opinion
|
Liz
Carmouche Ready to Put on a Show at Invicta’s Inaugural
Event
by Mick
Hammond
After
winning five straight fights to start out her career, Liz Carmouche
suffered setbacks last year when she lost back-to-back bouts.
According
to Carmouche, changes needed to be made. “The harshest critic
I know is myself. Even if I win, if anything, I’m harder
on myself. I see more holes in my game with a win than I do with
a loss. Having two losses definitely made me look at myself and
how I was training and has made me work that much harder wanting
another win.”
Having
high profile fights with Marloes Coenen and Sarah Kaufman may
lead people to forget that Carmouche has just a little over two
years of experience in the sport.
“I’m
really new to it,” said Carmouche. “I’m going
up against people who decades of experience of fighting, and
I’m still learning as a go.
“I’ve
definitely made a lot of changes. My schedule’s a lot different
and it allows me to concentrate on every aspect of MMA, to commit
the time I need to it.”
With
Strikeforce’s schedule cut in half for 2012, Carmouche was
more than happy to hear that she’d be allowed to fight for
Invicta FC on April 28 in Kansas City, Kan.
“It’s
been almost a year now since I’ve had a fight, and while
I’ve trained the whole time, it’s different when you
don’t have that pressure and end goal, so just have that
opportunity alone, I’m happy for,” she said.
“To
work with people who really want to build up women’s MMA
is just wonderful. These are people who had previously worked
for Strikeforce, so they definitely know what they’re doing,
so I’m really looking forward this.”
Carmouche
is scheduled to face Ashleigh Curry on Invicta’s inaugural
show. It’s a fight that Carmouche is not taking lightly.
“I
know she doesn’t necessarily have a lot of MMA experience,
but she’s an athlete all-around,” said Carmouche of
Curry. “She went from basketball to boxing and has 10 boxing
matches, so she’s by no means inexperienced.
“She’s
five-foot-nine and I’m five-foot-six, so just trying to
get in and get away from the exchanges is going to be difficult
enough in itself. Because of her reach (I’m) practically
running to try to get in there.”
With
women’s fights at a premium, Carmouche knows it’s not
just enough to win, but she must win in impressive fashion to
not only keep herself busy, but the sport as a whole alive.
“As
much as I’d like to think it’s not constantly nagging
me, we have to prove ourselves and show that we have just as
much a right to be there as the men,” she said.
“We
have to have a great show that leaves a mark in everyone’s
minds. It’s not just go out there and give your best performance,
it’s go out there and give a performance that they will
remember.”
Source:
MMA Weekly
|
UFC
145: Ben Rothwell Knocks Out Brendan Schaub
Ben
Rothwell Affliction 1Former IFL star Ben Rothwell looked in the
best shape of his MMA career at UFC 145, and that showed as he
TKOed TUF 10 alumni Brendan “The Hybrid” Schaub in
the first round.
The
big boys wasted no time to get in each other’s faces and
start throwing down. Early on it seemed that Schaub was the busier
puncher, and would rock Rothwell with a spinning back elbow.
From there Schaub was swinging wildly at Rothwell against the
cage and in the blink of an eye, Rothwell counters with a short
left that sends Schaub crashing to the canvas and followed up
with a few punches on the ground.
The
time was 1:10 in the first round and was named a TKO victory
for Rothwell.
“I
feel great, I mean you can take a look at me and it speaks for
itself,” Rothwell said post-fight.
Big
Ben believes that his new found conditioning and his willingness
to never back down during a fight helped him prevail and now
that he’s back on the right track, Rothwell let all the
other heavyweights know loud and clear that you can’t stand
in front of him.
“I
just am not backing down and I know my chin can take some shots.
I don’t want to continue my whole career going on like that
but I know I can take it, I just got to throw back and if you’re
going to stand in front of me you’re probably going to go
down.
Source: MMA Weekly
|
UFC
145: Eddie
Yagin Takes
A Split Decision Over Mark Hominick
Eddie
Yagin UFC 145Eddie Yagin made his presence felt at UFC 145 after
scoring his first win in the Octagon with a split decision (29-28,
28-29, 29-28) victory over former no. 1 contender Mark Hominick.
Yagin
clearly took the first round. The former Tachi Palace Fights
champion landed several hard leg kicks and stiff lefts. Midway
in the round, Yagin dropped Hominick with an uppercut left hook
combination and then tried to pounce but Hominick was able to
regain his faculties but there is a visible mouse under Hominick’s
right eye.
Round
two went better for the Canadian as he was able to land more
straight punches and body shots, however Yagin was able to drop
Hominick with a right hand. Yagin would try to pressure Hominick
again with ground n’ pound but Hominick was able to stop
and get back to his feet. Towards the end of the round Yagin
appeared to slow down and Hominick landed some body shots and
both men appear to be bloody.
Hominick
seemed to pick things up in the third round and landed far cleaner
hand combinations. Yagin’s strikes seemed to be predictable
for the Canadian and Hominick starts to unload. Towards the end
of the third round,
The
victory puts the 33-year-old Yagin on the map and moves his mixed
martial arts record to 16-5.
Source: MMA Weekly
|
UFC
145: Bocek Pulls a Win Against UFC Vet
Mark
Bocek UFC 83John Alessio has been biding his time. The WEC and
UFC veteran put together an impressive streak over the last couple
years in hopes of making a return to the big stage. When Matt
Wiman bowed out due to training injury, “The Natural”
jumped at the opportunity to fight in the octagon again, making
his first appearance since 2006.
Paired
against Mark Bocek, John Alessio was in for big challenge at
UFC 145.
A
Brazilian jiu-jitsu and kempo karate black belt, Mark Bocek is
a ten fight veteran and one of the stronger grapplers in the
UFC’s bustling lightweight division. The Tristar gym fighter
used his grappling prowess early to drag Alessio to the mat and
controlled the opening round comfortably.
Alessio
started the second in his favor, using his distance and jabs
to keep Bocek at bay. Unfortunately, he was unable to keep the
fight standing. Alessio’s corner expressed a message of
emergency, begging for him to knock Bocek out but was unable
to overcome the superior grappling of his counterpart.
After
three rounds, the judges awarded Mark Bocek a unanimous decision.
Bocek extended his streak to two wins while Alessio was
left winless in the octagon after three appearances.
Source: MMA Weekly
|
UFC
147 moved to Minas Gerais, Silva-Sonnen II will be in Las Vegas
Rio
de Janeiro won’t host UFC 147 anymore. Due to problems with
United Nation’s Rio+20 event, the UFC decided to move the
show to Mineirinho arena, at Minas Gerais’ capital Belo
Horizonte, on June 23.
With
the shift, Anderson Silva vs. Chael Sonnen will now take place
at UFC 148 in Las Vegas, Nevada, on July 7.
Sources
close to the situation confirmed all the information to TATAME
this Friday.
Dana
White, along with Anderson Silva and Chael Sonnen, will host
a press conference next Tuesday to announce all the changes.
Source: Tatame
|
Closing
the Book on UFC 145
Apr
22, 2012 - ATLANTA -- The Jackson family civil war is over for
now. Longtime pupil Rashad Evans won't be heading back to Albuquerque
anytime soon, but there are signs that healing between the two
sides has already begun.
After
ripping his former coach Greg Jackson in public for the decision
to accept Jon Jones on his team -- a decision that ultimately
led to Evans leaving the team -- Evans lost to Jon Jones at UFC
145. But among the first to console him for the defeat was Jackson.
The
two shared a moment after the fight which was not caught on camera,
with Jackson walking over and whispering something in his former
champion's ear, and Evans' seemingly accepting the peace offering.
The third member of the messy situation, Jones, more publicly
offered an olive branch to Evans both before and after the fight.
Less than an hour after it finished, he said that he hopes to
regain Evans' friendship after over a year as bitter enemies.
"I
still have a lot of thinking to do with the whole situation,
but one thing I do want to get out of this is to rekindle a respect
level and some type of communication with Rashad," he said.
"Hopefully we can do that in private and work on that in
the future. I do have tons of respect for Rashad, and I know
he does respect me to some degree. There's a lot of emotion between
us that can lead to a friendship."
Evans
didn't shut the door on it, saying he would need a while to let
the whole situation sink in.
"I
don't know," he said. "It takes some time for the lessons
you learn in the situation to kick in. But like Jon was saying,
you never know what happens in future. We were friends before,
so you never know what could happen. We got some cool experiences
we shared together. We'll see. We'll probably compete again one
of these days, so we’ll keep it on a level where we can
say 'What's up’ but beat the hell out of each other when
we have to."
MMA
doesn't necessarily need sentimental endings to rivalries, but
it's nice to hear the bad blood may be a thing of the past.
Source: MMA Fighting
|
Rashad
Evans Won't Rule Out Move to Middleweight, But Likely to Stay
at 205
Apr
22, 2012 - ATLANTA -- Rashad Evans has long been considered a
small light-heavyweight, but even after suffering his second
career loss, he plans to stay there.
That
said, during the UFC 145 post-fight press conference, he opened
the door a crack for a possible move to middleweight following
his defeat at the hands of Jon Jones.
"I’m
a 205-pounder," Evans said. "I’ve only lost twice
and I lost to a good competitor … But if an opportunity
happens at 185, I'll take it. But I like 205, I'll just have
to work my way back up and get back to a title shot."
Evans
road back to a championship opportunity would figure to be shorter
at middleweight, where he would be starting with a clean slate.
In addition, due to division champion Anderson Silva's long reign,
there is always a need for new contenders. Right now, while Chael
Sonnen is on deck to face Silva, there's no clear-cut next challenger
after him.
In
the light-heavyweight division, besides top contender Dan Henderson,
there's veterans like Mauricio "Shogun" Rua, Lyoto
Machida, and rising younger fighters like Alexander Gustafsson
and Ryan Bader trying to make the leap. It is simply a more crowded
field.
When
asked about it the possibility of offering Evans a middleweight,
UFC president Dana White said he had never considered the possibility.
"I
honestly have never thought about it," he said. "We'll
see what happens."
White
also might have offered Evans enough hope to stay at his longtime
home as well, saying an eventual rematch between him and Jones
could never be ruled out.
"Anything's
possible," he said. "If they keep winning, absolutely."
Evans'
two career losses have both come in title fights. Besides losing
to Jones, his other defeat was his championship loss to Lyoto
Machida at UFC 98 in May 2009.
Source: MMA Fighting
|
Destiny
This Saturday, April 28, 2012
Aloha Tower Waterfront
|
UFC
President Confirms Dan Henderson Next In Line For Jon Jones
After
Jon Jones’s decisive win over former light heavyweight champion
Rashad Evans, UFC President Dana White made it no secret who
the next contender is. And that’s former Olympian and PRIDE
champion Dan Henderson.
“We
told Dan Henderson he would fight the winner of this fight.”
Dana White said at the UFC 145 post-fight press conference.
Henderson
earned his shot at the title after having a fight of the year
candidate against former UFC light heavyweight champion Mauricio
“Shogun” Rua. In addition to beating Rua, Henderson
knocked out legendary heavyweight Fedor Emelianenko and captured
the Strikeforce light heavyweight title from Rafael Feijao.
As
for Jones, after being critical of his own striking against Evans
at UFC 145, Jones feels like he has a mission to accomplish by
being the dominant striker and aiming to finish the PRIDE and
UFC legend in devastating fashion.
“I
feel great that I already have a mission, and I’m working
to better myself,” Jones said. “Dan Henderson is a
great opponent. He’s a winner and has a huge fan base. He
has extreme knockout power and I’m excited to conquer.”
At
this time there has been no date set for Jones vs. Henderson,
but stay tuned to MMAWeekly as we keep you up to date on everything
UFC.
Source:
MMA Weekly
|
UFC
145: Jon Jones Squashes Rivalry With Evans
Jon
Jones UFCIn the main event of UFC 145 Jon Jones successfully
defended his light heavyweight title and put an end to the long
heated rivalry between him and Rashad Evans. The judges scored
the bout a unanimous decision (49-46, 49-46, 50-45) in favor
of Jones.
Jones
would keep Rashad at a distance and land effective strikes that
would back him up. In rounds two and three, Jones would stun
Evans with an elbow strike that caught the former champion off
guard.
Even
with the fight in the bag and Evans punches looking more and
more telegraphed, Jones kept pressing the action and looking
for the finish at the end of the fight and even tripping Evans
to the mat. At the end of the final round Joness would pull guard
and both Evans and Jones would trade strikes on the mat.
With
the win Jones is satisfied that he put an end to the rivalry
between him and Evans, and successfully defends his belt for
the third time in the Octagon. However satisfied Jones may be
with the win, he feels that he wasn’t where he needed to
be striking wise and looks to fix his mistakes.
“Yeah,
it’s definitely my most satisfying victory,” Jones
said post-fight. “I felt like my striking was a little more
elementary and I kept on making mistakes. I didn’t feel
the cleanest on my feet but who I beat was very important to
me.”
Source:
MMA Weekly
|
UFC
145: MacDonald Finishes Mills
Rory
McDonald at UFC 129Former Cage Rage welterweight champion Che
Mills earned ‘Knock Out of the Night’ honors in his
UFC debut back in November, sending Chris Cope his walking papers
with vicious knees and punches. The win extended his streak to
five fights and earned him a date with Rory MacDonald.
Rory
MacDonald is considered one of the best welterweights in the
UFC today. A teammate of Georges St. Pierre, the 22-year old
fighter is riding a two fight win streak that includes victories
over Nate Diaz and Mike Pyle.
Mills
came out aggressive early, landing hard leg kicks as he moved
forward. MacDonald countered with a takedown and displayed his
dangerous ground game. MacDonald used vicious ground and pound
to batter Mills, opening a cut over his right eye. The Canadian
fighter finished the round strong with mount and back control.
MacDonald
landed a single leg takedown at the start of the second round
and never looked back. Flattening out his opponent, he rained
down hard clean unanswered punches that forced referee Mario
Yamasaki to halt the fight.
“Che
was a great opponent. He didn’t get much respect in the
media because of his lack of fights in the UFC,” said MacDonald.
“I’m very happy the way the fight went.”
“I
want to be champion one day but I’m still very young. One
thing I lack is experience. This is what I love to do.”
Source:
MMA Weekly
|
Belfort
welcomes rematch with Silva anywhere, says UFC plans 15 events
in Brazil at 2013
The
change of places of the next Brazilian edition of UFC from Rio
de Janeiro to Belo Horizonte, revealed this Friday morning, was
gladly heard by Vitor Belfort, who’s now one of the stars
of the main event.
“To
me it’s a good thing mainly because I have family in Belo
Horizonte. I love this city”, celebrates Belfort, who read
it on TATAME.
“I
feel at home anywhere I am in Brazil. I love Brazil, I love Brazilian
people. Each state has a special charm and value. Belo Horizonte
deserves it”.
Born
in Rio de Janeiro, Vitor watched his sons being born in Minas
Gerais, and celebrates.
“I’m
glad they believed in Brazil… I’m happy to know we’re
moving to Belo Horizonte. I love people there, my folks are from
there, I have one of my sponsors there (BMG)”.
Belfort
says that, besides being a fighter, now he’s one of the
UFC executives in Brazil, and that his biggest suggestion to
the organization is to expand their domains in other cities,
and not only Rio de Janeiro.
“As
an executive (of UFC in Brazil), I told them that UFC needs to
go other states too. They told me they’re up to more than
15 events next year, they’re reaching all Brazilian states”.
Source:
Tatame
|
Michael
McDonald has a promising future but insists fighting isn't what
defines him
ATLANTA
– Michael McDonald was bouncing on his toes, grinning, soaking
in the moment. Surrounded by reporters and cameras, he breezed
through a workout as if nothing he could be doing would be more
fun.
Soaked
in sweat, facing the biggest fight of his life Saturday when
he takes on former World Extreme Cagefighting bantamweight champion
Miguel Torres in the pay-per-view opener at UFC 145, McDonald
glanced at the reporters crowded around him and beamed.
"I
love this," he said, wiping sweat from his brow.
Michael
McDonald works out in front of media members. (Getty Images)
Torres
is a dangerous opponent and, by far, the biggest name he's faced
to date, but McDonald shrugged. His countenance remains the same.
At 21, nothing bothers him much.
McDonald
is the second-youngest fighter in the UFC and is on an express
run toward a title shot. He's 14-1 overall, 3-0 in the UFC and
looking like a burgeoning star.
The
UFC, though, isn't making accommodations to his age. In Torres,
McDonald will face an elite opponent who turned professional
when McDonald was just 9. Torres is 39-4 overall and has more
than twice as many finishes (32) as McDonald has fights (15).
Still,
McDonald is unfazed.
"I
think he's good, and I think I'm better," McDonald said.
"I think I match up stylistically well to him. I've never
looked at him and said, 'If I customize myself to him and his
style, I think I could beat him.' I've always said, 'Me being
me, I think I can beat him as him.' I haven't watched a minute
of footage because I've studied him and I already know that I
can beat him, and that's all I need – just me being me."
McDonald
has an instinctive knack for knowing what to do in the cage,
understanding the unfolding of a sequence of events started by
a single move. As a result, he's supremely relaxed when he fights
because nothing is foreign or unexpected.
"I
really think the best fighter a fighter can be is when they're
at their calmest state," McDonald said. "Think about
training in the gym. You see some people who, in the gym, would
beat anyone in the world. But when you get them in a cage, they
freak out and it doesn't happen for them.
"I
feel like emotions cloud judgment. First and foremost, fighting
is a chess match with your body. I feel emotion clouds that good
judgment of where I should go, where I should move, what I should
do, so I like being calm because I'm a thinker."
And
as a thinker he's pondered life beyond fighting, even as his
fighting career is just taking off. He's the rare 21-year-old
who is making plans for the future that don't include a visit
to the hottest night club.
Fighting
is a part of his life, but it's not his life – It's a means
to an end and he won't let being a fighter define him.
"A
lot of people who are in this sport, their goal is to be champion
and to stay champion," he said. "I'm going to go into
psychology a little bit, but that's often to make them feel good,
to make them feel special. They need some purpose to live and
they feel like a fighter is who they are, not what they do. "I'm
not the same. I don't feel this is who I am. This is just something
I do and something I enjoy. I love fighting. It's not what I
do, and my main goal is not just to be champion. My goal is,
this is my job and I want to provide a life for me and my future
family.
"I
want this to go into other avenues. I'm not going to be able
to fight forever. I want this to supplement the things that I
want later. I'm here in this sport because I love it; no other
reason besides this is my job and I love it. I'm not looking
forward to just saying, 'When am I getting that title? When am
I getting that title?' I want to stay in this company. I want
to [get] paid. I want to create a platform for my ministries,
my carpentry and teaching. That's what I want to do. I want to
create a platform for all of the other cool things I want to
do in my life."
McDonald
built a wood shop behind his parents' home in Modesto, Calif.,
funding the project with the $70,000 Knockout of the Night bonus
he got for a win over Alex Soto at UFC 139.
His
only loss so far is to Cole Escovedo in 2009. "I felt my
world was over," McDonald said of the defeat. But the loss
turned out positively for him because it changed his approach
and allowed him to focus on the things in life he loves.
"It
took me getting beaten up to separate myself from who I am and
what I do … Fighting was all I knew and it was all I did,"
McDonald said. "I felt like I was put on this Earth to fight.
It was all I knew, but after I got beaten up I had to go back
and get a reality check. What makes me me is not fighting. Fighting
is something I do. I don't have to do this and it doesn't define
me."
He
makes furniture and cabinetry in his shop and said, "It
is something that I really, really love."
Working
with saws and hammers is dangerous for a man who, at least for
now, makes his living with his hands. McDonald's already had
some close calls. He was working with a table saw not long ago
when the saw hit a scrap piece of metal. The force of the blade
flung the metal directly at him, like a projectile.
It
tore a hole through his shirt, but he was saved by the metal
in his belt buckle.
"I'm
just glad it didn't hit me in the crotch or the stomach,"
he said, chuckling.
[
Related: Five questions that'll be answered at UFC 145 ]
McDonald
acknowledges the risk in his hobby; carpentry is just something
he loves doing.
"My
Dad's always telling me, 'The thumb! Watch your left thumb!'
" McDonald said. "He's so worried about my left thumb.
I do try to take proper safety measures. The table saw is probably
the worst one. … There is a very low risk of cutting something
off."
That's
a good thing for fight fans, because with his youth talent and
outlook, there are a lot of big bouts in his future.
Source:
Yahoo Sports
|
Cain
Velasquez to Meet Antonio 'Bigfoot' Silva at UFC 146
Apr
22, 2012 - The UFC 146 dominoes continue to fall following Friday
night's announcement that Frank Mir, not Alistair Overeem, would
fight Junior dos Santos for the heavyweight title at UFC 146.
On
Sunday, UFC president Dana White announced via Twitter that Cain
Velasquez, Frank Mir's original opponent, will now meet Antonio
"Bigfoot" Silva on May 26. White did not say who Roy
Nelson, Silva's original opponent, will now face, but "Big
Country" is expected to remain on the Memorial Day card.
This
fight will mark Silva's UFC debut and his first fight since getting
knocked out by Daniel Cormier in Strikeforce last September.
Velasquez hasn't fought since losing his heavyweight title to
Junior dos Santos last November at UFC on FOX 1.
A
candidate that has been talked about as a potential opponent
for Nelson has been Ben Rothwell, who knocked out Brendan Schaub
Saturday night at UFC 145, however his manager Monte Cox told
MMAFighting.com Sunday night that they have not been offered
a fight against Nelson.
As
for Overeem, he has yet to fully address why his testosterone
to epitestosterone ratio came back at an above-limit 14:1 following
a March 27 drug test in Las Vegas. and he hasn't said anything
since Friday's announcement that he would not be fighting dos
Santos after all. According to a source close to Overeem's camp,
the heavyweight is expected to release a written statement tomorrow
morning at approximately 9 a.m. ET. to explain the situation
from his perspective.
As
of Sunday night, Overeem is still scheduled to meet with the
Nevada State Athletic Commission on Tuesday to explain his side
of the story. He can choose to withdraw his license application
now that he isn't scheduled to fight anymore, however, the NSAC
would have to accept his withdrawal. Overeem could be sidelined
for a year if the NSAC decides against granting him a license
on Tuesday.
UFC
146's main card will air live on pay-per-view from the MGM Grand
Garden Arena in Las Vegas.
Source:
MMA Fighting
|
UFC
145 Sells Out, Drawing Over $2 Million at Gate
UFC 145 Poster BlueUFC 145: Jones vs. Evans delivered in several
ways at the Philips Arena in Atlanta on Saturday night.
Not
only did Rashad Evans stretch light heavyweight champion Jon
Jones farther than he’s ever had to go – Evans took
him the full five rounds; a first in Jones’ career –
but the event itself was a sellout, delivering at the box office.
Fans
in Atlanta turned out for UFC 145 to the tune of 15,545. That
was strong enough for a gate of just under $2.3 million, according
to UFC president Dana White.
Aside
from a six-bout main card on pay-per-view, headlined by the Jon
Jones vs. Rashad Evans title bout, UFC 145 also featured a four-bout
preliminary card on FX and two fights streamed live on Facebook.
The
promotion’s last time through Atlanta, also at Philips Arena,
was for UFC 88. Evans knocked out Chuck Liddell in that night’s
main event in front of 14,736 fans. UFC 88 drew a live gate of
$2.6 million.
Source:
MMA Weekly
|
Alistair
Overeem's UFC Future in Limbo; White Not Optimistic About Upcoming
Hearing
Former K-1, Strikeforce and Dream champion Alistair Overeem is
in an uphill battle after having a drug test come back indicating
how his testosterone-to-epitestosterone ratio was at 14:1, well
above the 6:1 limit the Nevada State Athletic Commission allows
athletes.
Overeem’s
unusually high t/e ratio has produced much controversy in the
media and has angered UFC president Dana White immensely. The
day that Overeem drug test result was made public, White was
livid.
His
anger hasn’t seemed to fade. Following Saturday night’s
UFC 145 post-fight press conference, White said, “I have
not and I will not (talk to Overeem about the drug test),”
after last week saying he didn’t want to talk about it even
with reporters, presumably for fear of not being able to keep
his emotions in check.
On
Friday this week, White announced on twitter that former UFC
heavyweight champion Frank Mir would replace Overeem. The boss
has a business to run and wasn’t about to wait around when
he wasn’t too confident in Overeem’s chances of pleading
his case before the athletic commission on Tuesday.
“We
were right up on deadlines for a lot of things we needed to do
to promote a pay-per-view and I’m not very optimistic on
Tuesday,” White said.
Overeem’s
chances of being licensed by the commission don’t look promising,
and losing his title shot is another fatal blow to his career
right now, but White isn’t going to risk a title fight on
the outcome of his hearing.
While
White said, “I do business with Tito; I think I can do business
with Alistair,” he wasn’t definitive about Overeem’s
future with the UFC.
When
asked if the statement about Tito Ortiz meant that Overeem was
not in danger of being cut from the roster, White would only
say, “I don’t know. We’ll see what happens man.”
Source:
Yahoo Sports
|
Don’t
Count UFC Boss Dana White Among the Brock Lesnar or WWE Detractors
Love him or hate him, Brock Lesnar gets you to pay attention
to him.
Now
that Lesnar has returned to his old stomping grounds in professional
wrestling, the haters are back out in full force.
Coming
from a background in professional wrestling with the WWE prior
to his mixed martial arts career, Lesnar had detractors from
the first day that he put on a pair of MMA gloves.
The
uproar grew to a fever-pitch when it was revealed that he would
fight in the UFC. Most everyone thought he was being thrown to
the wolves, UFC president Dana White among them.
“The
guy came over here at thirty-whatever-years-old. When he came
over here the guy was 1-0 in MMA and I was like, you’re
crazy. You’re gonna get smashed over here, and he didn’t,”
recounted White.
“We
threw all the toughest guys at him, and he accomplished what
he accomplished.”
White
also respects something about Lesnar and his camp that is a rare
commodity in the mixed martial arts world… secrecy.
The
UFC doesn’t mind its fighters talking about their upcoming
fights, promoting themselves and their sponsors; they just want
it done in a certain manner. But somehow, it always seems that
nearly every fight that anyone cares about leaks about to John
Q. Public before UFC officials are ready.
That’s
one thing that White says he never had to worry about with Lesnar.
“When
he did the deal with the WWE, all the rumblings started with
you guys. He never called me. He never told me. He didn’t
have to. It was always up front and said in his deal, he could
do the WWE,” said White.
“One
of the things I love about Brock is, everything we did with that
guy, nothing ever leaked out of that camp.”
Lesnar’s
star in the world of MMA was perhaps of the shooting variety,
fighting only eight times in his career. But having defeated
the likes of Randy Couture, Frank Mir, and Shane Carwin, and
capturing the UFC heavyweight title are no small feats.
He
did lose back-to-back bouts to Cain Velasquez and Alistair Overeem,
sending him packing out of the Octagon, but don’t every
expect to hear White ever again join the chorus of those who
discredit what Lesnar did, or his return home to the WWE.
“I’m
happy for him. To do what he did in the WWE, came here and did
what he did, now he’s back over there. Good for him; good
for them.”
Source:
MMA Weekly
|
Alistair
Overeem’s UFC Future in Limbo; White Not Optimistic About
Upcoming Hearing
Alistair
Overeem UFC 146 press conferenceFormer K-1, Strikeforce and Dream
champion Alistair Overeem is in an uphill battle after having
a drug test come back indicating how his testosterone-to-epitestosterone
ratio was at 14:1, well above the 6:1 limit the Nevada State
Athletic Commission allows athletes.
Overeem’s
unusually high t/e ratio has produced much controversy in the
media and has angered UFC president Dana White immensely. The
day that Overeem drug test result was made public, White was
livid.
His
anger hasn’t seemed to fade. Following Saturday night’s
UFC 145 post-fight press conference, White said, “I have
not and I will not (talk to Overeem about the drug test),”
after last week saying he didn’t want to talk about it even
with reporters, presumably for fear of not being able to keep
his emotions in check.
On
Friday this week, White announced on twitter that former UFC
heavyweight champion Frank Mir would replace Overeem. The boss
has a business to run and wasn’t about to wait around when
he wasn’t too confident in Overeem’s chances of pleading
his case before the athletic commission on Tuesday.
“We
were right up on deadlines for a lot of things we needed to do
to promote a pay-per-view and I’m not very optimistic on
Tuesday,” White said.
Overeem’s
chances of being licensed by the commission don’t look promising,
and losing his title shot is another fatal blow to his career
right now, but White isn’t going to risk a title fight on
the outcome of his hearing.
While
White said, “I do business with Tito; I think I can do business
with Alistair,” he wasn’t definitive about Overeem’s
future with the UFC.
When
asked if the statement about Tito Ortiz meant that Overeem was
not in danger of being cut from the roster, White would only
say, “I don’t know. We’ll see what happens man.”
Source:
MMA Weekly
|
UFC:
Ramon: “Anderson can win anywhere”
As
Anderson Silva-Chael Sonnen fight was relocated to Las Vegas,
the MMA backstage brings many expectations about the repercussions
for the bout itself.
To
comment on this issue, Jiu-Jitsu coach of Spider, Ramon Lemos,
affirmed that the Brazilian will not have any problems with that,
and guarantees he will remain as the middleweight champ.
“They
guys talked to me about that, asked me what changed, but from
the where I’m standing as a coach, having Anderson fighting
in Las Vegas, Rio de Janeiro, Sao Paulo, Curitiba, Alaska, Zimbabwe,
Tibet (laughs)… It doesn’t matter. He’s ready.
The place doesn’t matter to us. We’re going for war
and, God bless us, to raise the Brazilian banner”.
After
Sonnen’s attacks on the media, criticizing the Brazilian
and poking him in all ways possible, Anderson invited the American
to come and fight him in Brazil.
Ramon
dodged from it, but guaranteed there’s nothing to be changed
on training, even if it takes place on the United States.
“Nothing
has changed in his mind. I believe he would really like to fight
in his home country, but I believe it doesn’t change one
bit”.
Source:
Tatame
|
Andre
Galvao’s four qualities you may identify with
What
did Galvao teach us in his 2012 Abu Dhabi tour?
The
winner of his weight division last weekend at the World Professional
Jiu-Jitsu Championship, and runner-up in the prestigious absolute
class, Andre Galvao is spending another week here in Abu Dhabi,
teaching His Highness Sheikh Tahnoon bin Zayed. Thus I had the
opportunity to get to know him a bit better, and pass on to you,
loyal GRACIEMAG reader, four characteristics you may identify
with:
1) Be confident, trust yourself
Rodolfo
Vieira is unquestionably the man to be beat in Jiu-Jitsu these
days. Galvao lost to him in the absolute final by 2-4 but he
is not convinced that it will happen again. Every day he recalls
exactly what happened during the fight, move by move, and points
to where his mistakes came and what needs to be done. He says
he’s ready for the next meeting, potentially at the Worlds
in early June.
2) Faith drives you through difficult times
Andre
is a very religious man. He even leads a Bible study class in
San Diego, where he lives, and really believes there’s an
invisible hand helping him no matter what:
“There
was a point in my life that I was full-time dedicated to MMA,
and so I invested in my training to such an extent that all my
money was gone. I remember opening my freezer and all there was
was an onion,” he remembers. “Then I decided to move
to the United States and suddenly I got my own school, was able
to have to structure my training better, and won the ADCC absolute
title, the most important championship a grappler may conquer.
God knows what He is doing.”
3) Continuously practice to better your Jiu-Jitsu
It’s
no news that Andre loves to drill. He even published a book and
released a DVD about it. This week, he not only taught but learned
some new moves, and he will practice them the way he’s been
doing since he put on a gi for the first time, as a kid, to help
his friend Claudio Calasans perfect his takedowns.
“He
was very young but already a judo brown belt. We used to play
soccer in his backyard, and then, every day after the game, we
would go to his dojo to execute a thousand takedowns each,”
Andre says. And then, the other day, when he learned a new choke
with Renzo Gracie, he affirmed, “I will practice it every
day until I have it sharp for the Worlds.” “How many
times, a thousand?” I asked. He answered: “For each
side”.
4) Be nice, but not a fool
Andre
is always smiling, and laughing, even during the training sessions.
That doesn’t mean he is too nice. There was one day last
week that Braulio Estima was also on the mats. Braulio is the
current ADCC superfight title holder, and Galvao is the challenger.
Their bout is scheduled for 2013. Braulio invited him to train.
“After the tournament,” he said. Braulio pondered:
“Yes, indeed. You are going to compete this week and don’t
want to risk getting hurt, that makes sense.” Braulio was
referring to the WPJJC event. Andre wasn’t. “No, I
was meaning after our fight next year”, he said, laughing,
probably with a game plan in mind for usurping Estima’s
belt.
Source:
Gracie Magazine
|
UFC
145 Fighter Bonuses Handed Out to the Tune of $65,000 Each
Hawaii's
Eddie Yagin wins Fight of the Night!
UFC
president Dana White handed out the usual post-fight awards to
four fighters at the UFC 145 post-fight press conference in Atlanta.
The award winners each lined their pockets with an additional
$65,000 for their performances.
Ben
Rothwell scored the Knockout of the Night honors. His fight with
Brendan Schaub was short, but chalk full of action. The two went
back and forth, Schaub looking like he might be taking honors
for Knockout of the Night, putting Rothwell on his heels. But
Rothwell, on wobbly legs, caught Schaub with a left hook that
floored him, making Rothwell the winner 1:10 into the fight.
With
only one to choose from, handing out Submission of the Night
honors at UFC 145 was easy, if not surprising. Undefeated heavyweight
Travis Browne took home the honors, securing an arm triangle
choke on UFC newcomer Chad Griggs to top off the preliminary
bout broadcast on FX.
Having
shown his knockout power in past fights, the submission victory
showed another side of Browne, undoubtedly one of the top rising
stars in the heavyweight division.
Eddie
Yagin may
have taken split decision honors over Mark Hominick in their
featherweight battle, but both fighters should be proud of the
performance they put on.
Yagin
and Hominick threw everything they had at each other, landing
numerous blows on each other that, by all rights, should have
left each of them on the floor several times over. But neither
one would relent, both of them bloodied and bruised at the end
of the night.
They
scored the Fight of the Night honors for their efforts. So even
though Hominick ended up on the short end in Atlanta, both he
and Yagin walked away with an additional $65,000.
Source:
MMA Weekly
|
Jon
Jones may have to get heavy to get bigger
ATLANTA
– Alexander the Great wept when he had no more worlds to
conquer. Jon Jones might just have to put on a few pounds.
At
UFC 145 on Saturday night, Jones scored the biggest win of his
career by taking down Rashad Evans in a unanimous decision. Jones
now stands astride the light heavyweight division like a colossus,
with nobody at his weight class able to match his speed or UFC-record
reach. So what's next?
A
move to heavyweight is the easy answer, but is it the right one?
That's the question Jones and his team will soon need to answer,
and it's a question that's not as easy to answer as it might
initially appear.
Jon
Jones has the longest reach in the UFC at 84 1/2 inches. (Tracy
Lee for Y! Sports …
Certainly,
the move to the heavyweight division would carry cachet and unlimited
potential. Back in the days when boxing owned the fight game,
"Heavyweight Champion of the World" was the most prized
honor in sports. And if Jones is serious about ascending to Ali/Tyson
heights in the public eye, conquering the most prolific division
in the UFC is one surefire way to do exactly that.
Jones
already has the heavyweight division in his sights. Earlier this
year, he told the "MMA Hour" podcast that he hoped
to be competing at the heavyweight level as soon as this year.
"I
actually asked Dana [White, UFC president] and Lorenzo [Fertitta,
UFC co-owner], could I take a fight for the fans at the end of
2012," Jones said. "I figured beating [Dan] Henderson
and Rashad [Evans], there would be a period where we'd figure
out who I'm going to fight next, and during that period, at the
end of 2012, I asked to fight a heavyweight, a Top 10 heavyweight."
No
dice, said the UFC brass. "I wouldn't be too itchy to move
up to heavyweight," White said in the small hours of Sunday
morning after UFC 145. "It's not like, 'Oh, he's a big guy,
he should move up to heavyweight. It's not going to be that fun
at heavyweight."
Moving
up to the heavyweight division isn't just a matter of bulking
up. There are questions both logistical and competitive to consider.
For starters, the size of Jones' legs is an issue. While he's
able to clinch and stand up against someone of his own weight,
he'd have a lot more trouble holding back a locomotive heavyweight.
He'll need to put on more muscle to avoid getting bulldozed;
there's only so much speed can do against brute force. And even
if you can stand your ground, the punches hit a lot harder when
they're coming from a 265-pound fighter than a 205-pounder.
"Jon
Jones is a physical specimen at 205 pounds, and not only is he
a big guy, he's super athletic," White said. "He was
throwing elbows like hands tonight. You move up to heavyweight?
You've got [champion] Junior Dos Santos up there. That guy's
got bombs in his hands. You've got some big, serious dudes up
there."
And
if an attraction as big as Jones moves to the heavyweight division,
he won't be facing scrubs. Jones will headline every fight in
which he appears for the foreseeable future, and setting him
up against a chump won't bring the kind of pay-per-view and gate
numbers he now commands. No, if Jones is to jump into the heavyweight
pool, he'll have to jump in the deep end … with weights
on his ankles … and some of the best in the sport trying
to take his head off every time he surfaces.
Plus,
as assured as he appears now, Jones is still relatively young,
and at times during Saturday night's fight evinced the kind of
nervous energy that would get him knocked out in the heavyweight
division.
"I
felt gangly and uncoordinated at some points," Jones said.
"That came from slight insecurity in my attacks."
Evans
also noted that Jones looked "loose" in the early going,
but acknowledged he couldn't take advantage of Jones' trepidation.
For
now, Jones is so far ahead of his weight class that he's got
a reasonable margin for error. Against the level of heavyweights
he'd face, he couldn't afford a single moment's lapse.
In
the long run, though, this is a moot issue. Jones is so large
that he'll naturally gravitate toward heavyweight status. In
the meantime, though, why rush it?
"He's
24 years old, and as he gets older, it's going to be harder to
cut that weight" from his walking-around weight of about
225 pounds, White said. "If I was him, and I'm not his coach
or adviser or anything else, I'd wait 'til that naturally happens.
He needs to get a lot of experience at that 205 division before
he moves up."
Source:
Yahoo Sports
|
Bigfoot
Silva Now Faces Cain Velasquez at UFC 146
One
piece of the UFC 146 puzzle has been revealed after shuffling
on the card was promised by UFC President Dana White on Saturday
night.
Following
the removal of Alistair Overeem from the card, and moving former
champion Frank Mir into his slot to face Junior Dos Santos, there
was a vacancy to face Cain Velasquez on the same show.
Now
it appears that former Strikeforce Heavyweight Grand Prix fighter
Antonio ‘Bigfoot’ Silva has been tabbed as the replacement
to step in and face Velasquez on May 26.
UFC
President Dana White revealed the news via Twitter on Sunday.
“Don’t
believe any of the BS you read on the internet,” wrote White.
“Cain (Velasquez) is fighting Bigfoot Silva May 26th in
Vegas.”
Silva
was originally set to face former Ultimate Fighter winner Roy
Nelson on the all heavyweight main card, but instead he’ll
get the chance to face Velasquez in a pivotal fight in the UFC’s
biggest division.
Silva
enters the fight coming off a loss to Daniel Cormier in the Strikeforce
Grand Prix semifinals. Prior to that loss, Silva had dismantled
former heavyweight and pound-for-pound king Fedor Emelianenko
to mark the biggest win of his career.
The
giant Brazilian has also returned to his roots as he mended fences
and headed back to American Top Team after exiting the camp in
2011.
With
Silva stepping in to face Velasquez, the vacancy on the show
now shifts over to Roy Nelson who sits on the UFC 146 main card
without an opponent.
White
stated on Saturday that they hoped to have the final card put
together in the coming days.
Source:
MMA Weekly
|
Junior
Dos Santos Still Looking for a Knockout Against Frank Mir at
UFC 146
UFC heavyweight champion Junior Dos Santos will still defend
his title at UFC 146, but he will be facing a much different
opponent that originally scheduled.
Dos
Santos was slated to face Alistair Overeem with the belt on the
line, but the former K-1 Grand Prix champion had a drug test
returned with elevated levels of testosterone that could put
his place in the fight in jeopardy.
With
pay-per-view deadlines looming in regards to tickets and marketing,
the UFC opted to pull Overeem from the fight and replace him
with former champion Frank Mir.
While
the change is somewhat drastic in terms of going from a Dutch
kickboxer to a Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu black belt who also happens
to be a southpaw, Dos Santos is still ready for whatever challenge
lies ahead for him at UFC 146.
“I
have to change a little bit my camp, but that’s it, I’m
a fighter. I will be looking for the knockout. Doesn’t matter
who my opponent is,” Dos Santos said.
Check
out the full video below to hear what Junior Dos Santos had to
say about the change of opponents for UFC 146:
Source:
MMA Weekly
|
Jones
defeats Rashad at UFC 145, meets Henderson next
The
main event of UFC 145 was all Jon Jones against Rashad Evans.
The light heavyweight champion was caught by surprise on the
first round as hit with a high kick by his opponent. But, despite
the challenger’s braveness, “Bones” was never
actually threatened.
Famous
for having a big variety of blows, Jones, who used his shoulders,
showed many different kinds of elbows, which made Rashad dizzy
on the second round. On the following round it was flying knees
that he landed on the contender for the title.
Next,
things got warm. Rashad tried to take the champion down once,
but it was successfully defended. With great conditioning, both
athletes made it to the last round. On the final seconds, with
the win assured already, Jones didn’t put himself in rist
and held his opponent on the guard until the bell rang.
Following
the show, Dana White announced Dan Henderson will get the next
shot at the 205lbs title.
Ruthless,
Rory MacDonald runs over Che Mills
The
co-main event was a monologue. Rory MacDonald wrote his 13th
win as he defeated Che Mills by TKO. The Canadian proved to be
better than his opponent and smashed him on the two first rounds.
Perfect, MacDonald, 22, didn’t give Mills a chance and obligated
the Brazilian referee Mario Yamasaki to stop as he punched the
English guy nonstop.
On
a great turnaround, Rothwell knocks out Brendan Schaub
On
the heavyweight the chances of one being knocked out are big.
And that’s exactly what happened. Ben Rothwell and Brendan
Schaub dueled at UFC 145. Schaub punched his opponent, making
him dizzy. On a great turnaround, Rothwell didn’t give it
up and responded to the punches. After a strong punch, Schaub
felt unconscious and the referee stopped the contest, giving
the win to Rothwell.
Michael
McDonald knocks out experienced Miguel Torres
The
first knockout of the night only came on the ninth fight, and
it came in great style. Michael McDonald proved why he was on
a 7-win streak. He went for it against Miguel Torres, former
WEC champion, of 31 years old, and knocked out on the first round.
After a good sequence of punches, the young guy of 21 years old
used an upper to knock him opponent out. Torres has not been
knocked out since 2009.
Yagin
wins exciting duel against Hominick
The
expectations was for Eddie Yagin took Mark “The Machine”
Hominick to the ground, since the Canadian has striking as his
strongest point, but it never happened. The American threw nice
left-handed jabs and never found his opponent’s face. As
he finally found him, Yagin punished him on the ground, but couldn’t
knock him out. On the second round, the Hawaiian knocked him
down again, giving him bruises. On the finals minutes, Hominick
gained confidence and ‘found’ his opponent. On the
last round, the duel heated up on the second half of the round,
with an exciting trade of punches. Yagin got the win on a unanimous
decision.
COMPLETE
RESULTS:
UFC
145
Philips
Arena, Atlanta, United States
Saturday,
April 21st of 2012
Main
card:
-
Jon Jones defeated Rashad Evans by unanimous decision;
-
Rory MacDonald defeated Che Mills by TKO at R2;
-
Ben Rothwell defeated Brendan Schaub by TKO at R1;
-
Michael McDonald knocked Miguel Angel Torres out on R1;
-
Eddie Yagin defeated Mark Hominick by split decision;
-
Mark Bocek defeated John Alessio by unanimous decision;
Preliminary
card:
-
Travis Browne submitted Chad Griggs with a arm-triangle choke
on R1;
-
Matt Brown defeated Stephen Thompson by unanimous decision;
-
Anthony Njokuani defeated John Makdessi by unanimous decision;
-
Mac Danzig defeated Efrain Escudero by unanimous decision;
-
Chris Clements defeated Keith Wisniewski by split decision;
-
Marcus Brimage defeated Maximo Blanco by split decision.
Source:
Tatame
|
Cesar
Gracie on superfight with Bráulio: “If Nick wins,
it’ll be huge”
To
UFC welterweight Nick Diaz everybody knows. He’s that skillful
fighter with scowl permanently stamped on his face with no set
date for his return to the octagon, for testing positive for
marijuana. Now Bráulio Estima, a teacher at Gracie Barra
and the ADCC 2011 superchampion, is a major name in the Jiu-Jitsu
world. As the gang at MiddleEasy.com
MiddleEasy.com
have already suggested, if Carcará were a Playstation
character, Sony would have to create new buttons for his console,
so diverse is the array of moves at his disposal.
And
it was precisely MiddleEasy reporter LayzieTheSavate who caught
up with Diaz’s coach and master, Cesar Gracie, to pick his
brains about the under-180 lb supermatch on the coming 12 of
May at the inaugural World Jiu-Jitsu Expo in Long Beach.
We
sorted some of the highlights from the conversation with Cesar
Gracie.
NICK DIAZ’S CHANCES AGAINST BRÁULIO ESTIMA
“I
feel Nick is being underestimated by the fans. He’s not
a pugilist who learned Jiu-Jitsu; he’s a Jiu-Jitsu fighter
who learned boxing. He knows plenty about Jiu-Jitsu, an art he’s
been doing since he was young, and can stand his own. I feel
it will be a great fight, Bráulio Estima is the best there
is right now. And he’s a cool guy, trains with my cousin
Roger, and despite the distance between us we all come from the
same roots, the same team, the same origins. I have a lot of
respect for those guys.
NEGOTIATIONS
WITH JIU-JITSU EXPO
“Nick
really wanted to take part in the tournament at the expo, and
the promoters of the fair thought it would be cool if he were
in a superfight. Nick said he’d be down to face anyone;
he just wanted to test himself against the best. First it was
going to be in the gi, then they came up with the opponent, so
they called asking if it could be under No-Gi Jiu-Jitsu rules.
Nick initially wanted to test himself in the gi, but he wasn’t
opposed to it at all. Even while under suspension from the athletic
commission, he’s been training MMA every day is in shape.
WHAT THE OUTCOME WILL MEAN TO NICK DIAZ
“If
he loses, he loses. Nick’s not worried about it. Now I feel
that if he wins it will be huge, historic. Though he does have
top-notch Jiu-Jitsu, Nick does other things on a day-to-day basis;
he’s an MMA fighter and trains other aspects of fighting
and doesn’t dedicate his time to Jiu-Jitsu the way Bráulio
does. But none of that scares him. If Nick wins, it will be historic;
it would be like that hockey team that in 1984 beat the Russian
professionals.”
What
do you think, gentle reader, will Bráulio get the finish?
With the UFC star surprise and win? What’s your prediction
for the coming 12th?
Source:
Gracie Magazine
|
UFC
145 ‘JONES VS. EVANS’ LIVE RESULTS AND PLAY-BY-PLAY
Philips
Arena, Atlanta, GA
April 21, 2012
Marcus
Brimage vs. Maximo Blanco
Round
1
Blanco lands a chopping leg kick, misses when he goes high on
the shorter man. Brimage tests the range and tries to stick a
straight punch through the guard of his fellow southpaw, but
Blanco wheels away. Brimage catches a kick from Blanco and grazes
with a countershot. The American comes inside and throws a combo,
catching Blanco off-balance with a left hook. Another left hand
scores for Brimage as he rushes Blanco into the fence, then backs
out. Blanco ducks the next punch and pulls Brimage to the ground,
but Brimage pops right back to his feet. Two minutes to go in
the round and the featherweights are still looking hesitant to
engage. They trade leg kicks, Blanco getting the better. Brimage
comes inside with another combo and touches the Venezuelan again.
Jordan
Breen scores the round 10-9 Brimage
TJ De Santis scores the round 10-9 Brimage
Chris Nelson scores the round 10-9 Brimage
Round
2
Blanco begins to find his range early in the second stanza, scoring
with more low kicks and a pair of solid front kicks. They go
back to circling and looking for openings, Brimage still rushing
forward to throw hands while Blanco keeps his range, flicking
out leg kicks and trying to keep out of range. Blanco gets zapped
by another left hand, but he quickly responds with a front kick
to the face. Brimage lands a left hook and Blanco counters with
a right. Brimage slips on a kick but gets right back up and keeps
the pressure on Blanco for the final 20 seconds.
Jordan
Breen scores the round 10-9 Blanco
TJ De Santis scores the round 10-9 Blanco
Chris Nelson scores the round 10-9 Blanco
Round
3
Brimage is circling the outside now, keeping Blanco on his toes
as he moves around the perimeter while mixing in punching combinations
and leg kicks. One kick takes the base out from underneath Blanco,
but Brimage doesn’t give chase. Blanco tries to tie up and
take down Brimage, but Brimage denies it and stays vertical to
rush his man with another combo. Midway through the final frame
now and the Atlanta crowd is getting restless. Brimage lands
another big left hook; Blanco tries to counter with a high kick
which misses, and Brimage comes in behind it with more punches.
Down to the final minute now and neither man is fighting with
any real urgency, instead exchanging slapping leg kicks as the
circle. Blanco tries to clinch up again and this time gets a
combination for his troubles. The fight ends without any further
significant offense, but both men try to put on a show after
the bell with an impromptu backflip competition.
Jordan
Breen scores the round 10-9 Brimage (29-28 Brimage)
TJ De Santis scores the round 10-9 Brimage (29-28 Brimage)
Chris Nelson scores the round 10-9 Brimage (29-28 Brimage)
Official
result: One judge scores the bout 29-28 for Blanco, while another
has it 30-27 for Brimage. The final judge sees it 29-28 for the
winner by split decision, Marcus Brimage.
Keith
Wisniewski vs. Chris Clements
Round
1
Clements tries some right-handed haymakers that miss, but he
tags Wisniewski with the follow-up left. Wisniewski clinches
up and drags Clements to the ground, where he passes to side
control on the left and then easily moves to full mount. Clements
gives up his back and Wisniewski tries to secure the position,
but the Canadian gets his back to the ground again. Wisniewski
is bleeding from the corner of his right eye as he works from
half-guard, dropping some hard shots. Referee Fernando Yamasaki
issues a baffling stand-up order with just under two minutes
remaining and Clements goes back to lobbing right-handed bombs.
Clements is getting inside on the taller man with punches now,
and he drops Wisniewski with a turning kick to the gut. Clements
tries to pounce and nearly gets caught in a triangle, but he
pops out. They stand back up and Clements grazes with a spinning
back fist, then gets clinched into the cage for the final few
seconds.
Jordan
Breen scores the round 10-9 Wisniewski
TJ De Santis scores the round 10-9 Clements
Chris Nelson scores the round 10-9 Clements
Round
2
Wisniewski walks down Clements, sticking him with a combination
before tripping him to the ground at the base of the fence. Wisniewski
tries to take his back again, but Clements uses the cage to work
back to his feet. Clements disengages with a spinning back fist
which just misses, then tries the same spinning kick which hurt
Wisniewski in the first round. Clements throws a hard right hand
to Wisniewski’s ribs as Wisniewski continues to back away
from the power shots and flashy kicks. Clements puts another
kick in Wisniewski’s breadbasket and goes for a takedown
of his own. They wind up clinching on the cage with Clements
on the outside. Wisniewski turns him around and gets a takedown
with just over 90 seconds left. He takes full mount again and
Clements gives up his back again. Wisniewski is much more stable
on his back this time as he works to cinch up a rear-naked choke.
Clements defends well, but Wisniewski has a body triangle and
is controlling Clements’ left arm. Clements uses his free
right arm to throw some vicious elbows over his shoulder, momentarily
dazing Wisniewski. The round ends with Wisniewski still on Clements’
back.
Jordan
Breen scores the round 10-9 Clements
TJ De Santis scores the round 10-9 Wisniewski
Chris Nelson scores the round 10-9 Clements
Round
3 The welterweights start the final round with a hug and then
immediately begin throwing hands. Clements gets dragged down
along the fence again but Wisniewski doesn’t hold him there
long this time. Clements is looking tired as he measures up Wisniewski
for more power punches, throwing inside leg kicks in the meantime.
Clements snaps back Wisniewski’s head with some hard hooks,
lands another spinning back kick to the body, misses with a spinning
back fist. Clements goes to the body with a left hook, then high
with the right hand. Wisniewski moves forward now, getting lit
up as he tries to strike back and eventually resorting to another
clinch. Wisniewski can’t get the takedown this time and
gets backed off with a nasty close-quarters elbow from Clements.
Big right hands from Clements have Wisniewski in trouble, and
he puts him down with a knee. Clements stands over his prone
opponent and closes out the bout with some strong ground-and-pound.
Jordan
Breen scores the round 10-9 Clements (29-28 Clements)
TJ De Santis scores the round 10-9 Clements (29-28 Clements)
Chris Nelson scores the round 10-9 Clements (30-27 Clements)
Official
result: One judge sees the bout 29-28 for Clements, while a second
scores it 29-28 for Wisniewski. The final judge has it 30-27
for the winner by split decision, Chris Clements.
Mac
Danzig vs. Efrain Escudero
Round
1
Danzig quickly closes the gap and muscles Escudero into the fence,
where the lightweights trade knees up the middle. Escudero reverses
the position while Danzig keeps a Thai plum. Danzig gets the
outside position again, eats a short elbow and takes Escudero
down. They land awkwardly and Escudero goes for a heel hook.
It’s deep, but Danzig twists free and tries to spin to take
Escudero’s back, going for a rear-naked choke in one motion.
Escudero denies it and scrambles back to his feet, where he lands
an outside leg kick, a front kick, a left hook. Danzig walks
Escudero into the cage and sticks him with some stiff left straights.
Escudero is ducking his head as he throws left hooks, allowing
Danzig to walk into the pocket and secure a waist lock. Danzig
takes his back standing and tries a suplex, but Escudero keeps
his balance. Danzig puts Escudero’s back on the fence and
throws knees and uppercuts from the clinch. Escudero goes low
for a single-leg with 40 seconds left, can’t get it and
instead digs an underhook to put Danzig on the fence. Escudero
changes levels for a double-leg, giving it up just before the
horn.
Jordan
Breen scores the round 10-9 Danzig
TJ De Santis scores the round 10-9 Danzig
Chris Nelson scores the round 10-9 Danzig
Round
2
Escudero lands some solid counters as he waits for Danzig to
come inside, but once Danzig gets there, he locks Escudero up
and lands more knees in the clinch as he works on the fence.
Danzig comes over the top with a left hand, a right to the ribs
and a right uppercut. Danzig is starting to rack up leg kicks
now as the bout reaches the halfway mark and the Atlanta crowd
begins to boo again. Danzig comes in behind another stiff leg
kicks, clinches for a moment and exits. Another clinch from Danzig
and Escudero gets off some knees to the body as he’s shoved
into the cage. Danzig gives him a few in return before Escudero
reverses and goes for a takedown of his own, which is denied.
Jordan
Breen scores the round 10-9 Danzig
TJ De Santis scores the round 10-9 Danzig
Chris Nelson scores the round 10-9 Danzig
Round
3
The lightweights are quickly back in the clinch, where Escudero
goes for knees before quickly disengaging. Danzig walks Escudero
into the cage again and they exchange slapping leg kicks. An
underhook for Danzig gets him the advantageous position on the
fence; he throws left hands to Escudero’s ribs while Escudero
responds with knees. Danzig puts in a hook standing and tries
to take Escudero’s back but can’t get there. They separate
momentarily but Danzig is soon back to clinching and trying to
take the back standing. Again it fails and they jockey for position
on the fence until ref Blake Grice splits them up with just under
two minutes to go. Escudero stands with his back to the fence,
as he has for much of the round, allowing Danzig to score with
more leg kicks and then clinch up again. Danzig gets the last
word with a knee to Escudero’s body.
Jordan
Breen scores the round 10-9 Danzig (30-27 Danzig)
TJ De Santis scores the round 10-9 Danzig (30-27 Danzig)
Chris Nelson scores the round 10-9 Danzig (30-27 Danzig)
Official
result: The judges have it 30-27, 30-27 and 29-28, all for the
winner by unanimous decision, Mac Danzig.
John
Makdessi vs. Anthony Njokuani
Round
1
From the southpaw stance, Njokuani misses with his first low
kick while Makdessi lands one to the body. Njokuani gives him
one back and they start circling, with Makdessi taking the center
while Njokuani goes clockwise around the cage. It’s a pure
kicking contest through the first two minutes until Njokuani
rushes with a straight punch combo, finishing off with a kick.
Makdessi clips him with a counterpunch the next time and they
resume circling. Njokuani seems to hurt Makdessi with a short
punch as “The Bull” begins moving backward. Njokuani
tries to capitalize but Makdessi regains his wits. The high kicks
of Njokuani are grazing now while the shorter Makdessi is pulling
up short. Solid left kick to the body from Njokuani and Makdessi
throws more side-kicks at his rangy opponent. Makdessi lands
a kick to the body but Njokuani was already moving backward.
Jordan
Breen scores the round 10-9 Njokuani
TJ De Santis scores the round 10-9 Njokuani
Chris Nelson scores the round 10-9 Njokuani
Round
2
Njokuani resumes circling, alternating stances while the orthodox
Makdessi gives chase with kicks to the head and body. Njokuani
stops circling to let off a series of sharp leg kicks, has a
body kick blocked. Catching a kick, Njokuani tries to sweep the
back leg of Makdessi but can’t get him down. Makdessi walks
into range and scores with punches, steps away and grazes with
a head kick. Njokuani retaliates with more inside leg kicks.
Makdessi goes to the body but misses with a flashy wheel kick.
Njokuani comes forward to throw hands and gets backed up by a
Makdessi left. Makdessi misses with an axe kick; Njokuani ducks
inside after the attempt, digs a right hand to the body and moves
out. He catches a kick from Makdessi and connects with a combination
as he chases the Canadian. Makdessi shoots and grabs waist lock
at the horn.
Jordan
Breen scores the round 10-9 Njokuani
TJ De Santis scores the round 10-9 Njokuani
Chris Nelson scores the round 10-9 Njokuani
Round
3
It’s back to the familiar position with Njokuani on the
outside and Makdessi kicking from the middle. Makdessi is looking
for a big overhand right now, too, but Njokuani is too far out
of range and answers with more leg kicks. Makdessi lands a nice
leg kick of his own and Njokuani puts another on his reddened
left thigh. Makdessi hits a spinning back fist, though Njokuani
was ducking and may have partially blocked it. A grazing hook
kick scrapes Njokuani’s face and he gives back a one-two-leg
kick combination. Njokuani snaps off a left high kick, a right
hand and another left high kick in quick succession. Makdessi
is still moving forward with a minute to go, firing the overhand
right when he gets close enough to Njokuani but still unable
to land it. Njokuani lands a pair of body kicks and circles out,
prompting Makdessi to shrug as he gives chase. The crowd boos
at the horn and Makdessi shrugs again.
Jordan
Breen scores the round 10-9 Njokuani (30-27 Njokuani)
TJ De Santis scores the round 10-9 Makdessi (29-28 Njokuani)
Chris Nelson scores the round 10-9 Njokuani (30-27 Njokuani)
Official
result: All three judges score the bout 30-27 for the winner
by unanimous decision, Anthony Njokuani.
Matt
Brown vs. Stephen Thompson
Round
1
Thompson touches gloves high, stands back and immediately goes
high with a side kick. He switches stances with his hands at
his waist, throwing kicks as Brown chases him around the outside.
Brown goes for an awkward shot, tries to pick the ankle, but
Thompson slips away. Brown comes inside again and goes for a
high single on the fence. He takes a moment to adjust, lets Thompson
try to hop out and sweeps the leg. Brown lands a couple shots
and Thompson closes up his guard. Brown stacks him up and tries
to pass as he dives back down, but only lands a solid right hand.
Thompson maintains half-guard and works to control Brown’s
wrist as he tries to create space and stand. Thompson scrambles
to his feet but gets pinned to the cage by Brown, who has an
underhook with his left arm and throws short, hard shots with
his right. Thompson reverses the position but Brown has a waist
lock and he drags the striker down. Brown stays glued to Thompson’s
back as they stand, and even a somersault from Thompson can’t
shake him. Thompson is turtling now with 70 seconds on the clock.
Brown has one hook in, trapping Thompson’s leg, and he rolls
underneath for a calf slicer. Thompson pulls his leg out, gets
on top briefly, but Brown finishes the round in his half-guard
with some thudding punches.
Jordan
Breen scores the round 10-9 Brown
TJ De Santis scores the round 10-9 Brown
Chris Nelson scores the round 10-9 Brown
Round
2
Brown weathers a few kicks from Thompson to get inside and work
for another takedown. Thompson defends well on the fence this
time and connects with knees up the middle before they break
off. He plunks Brown with a left hand before Brown shoots a long
shot and plants Thompson on his rear. Thompson quickly works
back up and separates. He lands a leg kick, misses on a head
kick and follows up with a flurry of punches which daze Brown.
“The Immortal” is moving backward and Thompson comes
after him. Thompson drills Brown with a kick to the midsection
and Brown is looking in bad shape. Thompson is pouring on the
punches, hooks and uppercuts, while Brown covers up and circles
away. Brown charges forward now, throwing huge right hands which
miss. He rushes in for a weak shot and gets shoved aside by Thompson.
Brown is in trouble, missing by a mile with arm punches, but
he gets in close to Thompson and drops him with an elbow. Thompson
falls to his back and the equally wiped Brown follows him. A
series of elbows and right hands cut Thompson wide open along
the hairline. Brown unloads with more elbows at the 10-second
mark and the Ohio native has turned this second frame around
in a big way.
Jordan
Breen scores the round 10-9 Thompson
TJ De Santis scores the round 10-9 Brown
Chris Nelson scores the round 10-9 Brown
Round
3
Brown looks momentarily refreshed as he rushes Thompson into
the fence, but it soon becomes obvious that both men are spent
from two rounds of hard going. Thompson slips on a kick but pops
back up and Brown resumes stalking him around the perimeter.
Thompson comes off the fence with a hard right hand and Brown
covers up, his right eye looked banged up. Now it’s Brown
moving forward with a combo, but Thompson reverses the momentum
again with some hard shots of his own. Brown gets a takedown,
can’t hold Thompson there. He trips him down again in the
middle of the cage, splits the legs and stacks Thompson up to
pass to half-guard on the right side. Brown has his man flattened
out as he works to isolate the right arm. He drills elbows into
Thompson’s body, even grabbing at a one-handed toe hold.
Brown gets the crucifix with 55 seconds left; Thompson nearly
extracts the arm, but instead gets caught in a mounted triangle.
Brown is unloading with left hands and Thompson is just gushing
blood from his forehead. Brown goes after the left arm with seconds
left and the horn sounds.
Jordan
Breen scores the round 10-9 Brown (29-28 Brown)
TJ De Santis scores the round 10-9 Brown (30-27 Brown)
Chris Nelson scores the round 10-9 Brown (30-27 Brown)
Official
result: The judges score the bout 30-27, 29-27 and 30-27, all
for the winner by unanimous decision, Matt Brown.
Travis
Browne vs. Chad Griggs
Round
1
The taller Browne takes the center of the cage, feinting on the
counter-clockwise circling Griggs, who lands first with an inside
leg kick. Griggs lunges forward with punches, misses. Browne
leaps in with a knee and dazes Griggs, then follows up with a
few more in the clinch. “Hapa” hurls Griggs to the
ground and gets to work from half-guard on Griggs’ right
side, his left side to the fence. Griggs struggles underneath
the larger Browne, who steps into mount and lands some left hands
before setting up an arm-triangle. Griggs doesn’t see it
coming and Browne hops off to the left side to tighten the choke.
Griggs throws a few desperate punches, flails his legs and taps
out. Travis Browne gets the first finish of the night via arm-triangle
choke at 2:29 of the opening round.
Mark
Bocek vs. John Alessio
Round
1
Bocek is first to come forward, swinging punches on Alessio which
don’t connect, and Alessio returning the favor. Bocek grabs
a single-leg, goes to a double as he’s sprawled on and punched
a few times by “The Natural.” He keeps after it but
the takedown doesn’t come, so he shoves Alessio into the
cage and takes his back, where Bocek throws knees to the back
of Alessio’s left thigh. Bocek gets his takedown and passes
to side control, then dropping elbows from half-guard. Alessio
is clasped onto Bocek’s left leg, trying to avoid the hard
elbows from Bocek. Still in half-guard, Bocek continues to pound
with elbows and occasional punches. Alessio keeps trying to escape
but Bocek is with him every step of the way. When Alessio turtles,
Bocek is instantly on his back with one hook in. Bocek punches
the body of Alessio until he can roll through and secure the
back. That’s where he finishes the round, still trying to
soften up Alessio with punches.
Jordan
Breen scores the round 10-9 Bocek
TJ De Santis scores the round 10-9 Bocek
Chris Nelson scores the round 10-9 Bocek
Round
2
Alessio charges to meet Bocek in the middle of the cage, but
Bocek backs off and Alessio doesn’t throw. Bocek scores
with a pair of low kicks and one to the body; Alessio lands his
best strikes of the bout so far with some snappy punches. The
left-right cross goes again for Alessio and Bocek shoots immediately
after, double-legging Alessio into the fence. Bocek works from
Alessio’s open guard while Alessio peppers his fellow Canadian
with palm strikes to the sides of the head. Bocek has an arm-triangle
framed up as he tries to extract his right leg from half-guard
but Alessio has it defended. More elbows come from Bocek in half-guard
and Alessio scrambles back up, meeting Bocek on the feet with
a left hook. Bocek has a head kick blocked and Alessio gives
him a front kick in the gut. Alessio strings together a solid
combination with 30 seconds left but it only causes Bocek to
wrap him up on the cage and prevent any more offense. Alessio
manages to land a knee up the middle before the round expires.
Jordan
Breen scores the round 10-9 Bocek
TJ De Santis scores the round 10-9 Bocek
Chris Nelson scores the round 10-9 Bocek
Round
3
Alessio comes out throwing hands while Bocek tries to keep him
at bay with outside thigh kicks. Alessio denies a shot from Bocek
and lands a hard left hook in the process, followed by some nice
low kicks. The next kick from Alessio is caught by Bocek, though,
and Alessio is soon turtling on the ground while Bocek works
to secure his back. Bocek has a body triangle off his back and
he keeps the punches coming with more than half the round left.
With 2:15 remaining, Alessio twists free and springs to his feet.
When they get back up, Bocek is leaking blood. Alessio is only
able to throw a few shots before Bocek has him down and defending
the back-mount again. Alessio slips out the backdoor and attacks
in the clinch on the fence, but Bocek turns him around and digs
for a high single-leg. Alessio tries a guillotine which causes
Bocek to circle out with only seconds left. Alessio lands the
last hard punches of the fight, but it’s likely too little,
too late.
Jordan
Breen scores the round 10-9 Alessio (29-28 Bocek)
TJ De Santis scores the round 10-9 Alessio (29-28 Bocek)
Chris Nelson scores the round 10-9 Alessio (29-28 Bocek)
Official
result: The judges have it 30-27, 29-28 and 30-27, all for the
winner by unanimous decision, Mark Bocek.
Mark
Hominick vs. Eddie
Yagin
Round
1
Yagin throws his left jab consistently while mixing in the occasional
hook. He attacks the lead leg of Hominick with low kicks. Yagin
drops Hominick with a massive right uppercut-left hook and gives
chase on the ground. Hominick is bleeding badly from his left
eye as Yagin tries to pound him out. The Canadian recovers, though,
and springs back to his feet. He resumes moving forward and sticking
his jab in the shorter man’s face while Yagin swings haymakers
and chops away with leg kicks.
Jordan
Breen scores the round 10-9 Yagin
TJ De Santis scores the round 10-9 Yagin
Chris Nelson scores the round 10-9 Yagin
Round
2
Despite the first-round knockdown, Hominick emerges looking the
fresher fighter. He keeps after Yagin, mixing jabs and hooks
while Yagin lands some leg kicks and looks for the big overhand
right. With 3:00 left on the clock, Yagin finds Hominick’s
chin again. This time, he’s landing hard shots on the ground
and Hominick looks in serious trouble. Again, Hominick recovers,
though he’s now sporting damage underneath both eyes. Hominick
works back to his feet and starts sticking both hands in Yagin’s
face, bloodying the veteran’s nose with straight shots.
Yagin is still sniping with quick, heavy hands but now Hominick
is staying out of the way. Hominick digs a left hand into Yagin’s
ribs. Yagin’s nose is a mess now but he comes forward with
a wide left hook. Hominick isn’t looking too hot himself.
Jordan
Breen scores the round 10-9 Yagin
TJ De Santis scores the round 10-9 Yagin
Chris Nelson scores the round 10-9 Yagin
Round
3
It’s more of the same at the start of the third: Hominick
using hooks and jabs to the face and boy while Yagin just looks
to crush his opponent with power shots. Yagin sticks a jab, misses
wide with the follow-up right hook. Hominick lands a right hand,
sticks a left straight and takes a hard outside leg kick. More
leg kicks land for Yagin, who looks an absolute mess with the
blood spewing out of his nose. Hominick is just walking Yagin
down now, sniping with straight punches and stepping out of the
way of Yagin’s blows. Yagin loses his mouthguard after one
punch but replaces it as he backpedals. Hominick keeps the pressure
on and lights him up on the fence. Yagin gets off the cage and
goes for broke with spinning punches and kicks, big right hands
and uppercuts, most of which miss. Hominick keeps picking his
shots to the horn and does some pushups at the end of the bout
to show he’s still fresh.
Jordan
Breen scores the round 10-9 Hominick (29-28 Yagin)
TJ De Santis scores the round 10-9 Hominick (29-28 Yagin)
Chris Nelson scores the round 10-9 Hominick (29-28 Yagin)
Official
result: The first judge scores the bout 29-28 for Yagin, while
the second has the same score for Hominick. The final judge scores it 29-28 in
favor of the winner by split decision, Eddie Yagin.
Miguel
Torres vs. Michael McDonald
Round
1
Not much action through the first minute as Torres stalks just
out of range of McDonald, who tries to find the range with a
few kicks and right hands. McDonald starts throwing combinations,
not landing at first, but then zapping Torres with a nice series
which includes a right uppercut. A left hook and a right hand
from McDonald, followed by a body kick. McDonald is getting his
range now and Torres’ mouthpiece goes flying. After ref
Herb Dean gives it back to Torres, McDonald launches into a vicious
assault. A right uppercut does the damage and the subsequent
punches from McDonald only plunge Torres into further unconsciousness.
Michael McDonald scores a sizzling knockout win at 3:18 of the
first round.
Brendan
Schaub vs. Ben Rothwell
Round
1
The heavyweights touch gloves tentatively circle one another
in the orthodox stance. Rothwell lands a punch to the body and
Schaub wants to clinch. Rothwell gets the Thai plum and lands
a knee, but Schaub breaks away. Schaub charges Rothwell against
the cage and connects with a couple shots, but Rothwell snipes
back with a left hook which turns Schaub’s head around.
Schaub falls to his back, Rothwell lands a brutal right hand,
and the lights are on but nobody’s home. Schaub is grabbing
for a Rothwell who isn’t there and referee Herb Dean steps
in to save Schaub from any more damage. Ben Rothwell gets the
knockout win just 70 seconds into the opening round.
Rory
MacDonald vs. Che Mills
Round
1
Mills flicks out a low kick from the outside and MacDonald misses
one up high. More hard kicks outside from Mills as he looks to
find a home for his hands. He slugs MacDonald with an uppercut
against the cage and lays a forearm across the Canadian’s
throat. MacDonald reverses but Mills pushes forward, rocking
MacDonald with another uppercut and forcing “Ares”
to go for a takedown. He gets it and Mills tries to strike from
his back while MacDonald keeps tight on his chest to avoid damage
and possibly recover. MacDonald scores with hard elbows, stands,
dodges an upkick and crashes back down. He busts through Mills’
guard and into side control, where he lands right hands to the
now-bloodied face of Mills. MacDonald traps Mills’ left
arm between his legs and leans across to straighten out the right.
He get in a half-dozen good punches until Mills frees his limbs
and tries to wrap him from the bottom. MacDonald is all over
Mills as he takes mount, then secures back mount and smashes
away with punches. Mount again for MacDonald, more punches, then
back control again. A choke finish looks imminent but MacDonald
runs out of time.
Jordan
Breen scores the round 10-8 MacDonald
TJ De Santis scores the round 10-8 MacDonald
Chris Nelson scores the round 10-8 MacDonald
Round
2
MacDonald ducks under a straight punch from Mills and spins him
to the ground with a single-leg. It’s side-control for MacDonald
on Mills’ left side as the young Canadian looks to secure
another crucifix. Instead, MacDonald moves to a high full mount,
then assumes Mills’ back when the Englishman gives it up.
MacDonald has both hooks in as he drills Mills with elbows, raising
a hand to threaten a punch but not unloading. Seconds later,
MacDonald does unload from mount, and the barrage has Mills crumbling.
Mills goes belly-down and covers up, clearly done with the fight,
and referee Mario Yamasaki intervenes. Rory MacDonald gets the
TKO win at 2:20 of the second round.
UFC
Light Heavyweight Championship
Jon Jones vs. Rashad Evans
Round
1
Herb Dean is the third man in the cage for tonight’s main
event, with judges Richard Bertrand, Derek Cleary and Chris Lee
scoring at cageside. The champion Jones is greeted with boos
from the crowd when he enters and gets more as he’s introduced.
Jones puts his gloves up to touch and Evans obliges after a pause.
Both men crouch in their corners before the bell but stand up
to begin the bout. Jones lunges in and slips, but stands right
back up. He throws a front kick at Evans’ knee, goes up
high, then to the body. Evans looks to tie up and takes a knee
to the body. Jones throws a front kick to the body and slaps
Evan’s face with a left high kick. Jones fakes a shot, misses
with another head kick. Evans feints as he dodges more head kicks
from the champ. Evans hits an outside thigh kick and Jones throws
a side-kick to the leg, then a leaping kick to the body. Jones
tries to come over the top with a right, lands a left to the
breadbasket. Evans connects with a head kick with only 30 seconds
left in the round and throws a cluster of punches behind it.
Jones backs up momentarily but finishes the round moving forward
on the challenger.
Jordan
Breen scores the round 10-9 Jones
TJ De Santis scores the round 10-9 Jones
Chris Nelson scores the round 10-9 Jones
Round
2
Jones comes in to clinch and Evans gives him some knees up the
middle. They break off and Jones goes to outside leg kicks while
Evans sticks his jab. Evans comes over the top with a right behind
one of the jabs but Jones isn’t fazed. Jones throws a right
kick that misses straight up the middle and Evans dodges the
lunging punches that follow. Evans tries to wrap Jones up after
a kick but can’t hang on. Both men sticking their jabs now
midway through the round and Evans digs one to the body. Jones
connects with an elbow in close quarters and walks Evans toward
the fence. Another short elbow, and another has Evans dazed.
Evans wobbles but stays up and gets bullied into the fence by
Jones, who drills knees to Evans’ legs before breaking off.
Head kick misses for Jones and Evans goes back to punching the
body. The fighters are locking hands as they move along the outside,
and that’s when Jones is leaning in with the hard elbows.
Jones goes for a flying knee, gets inside and slugs Evans with
a big left hook just before the end of the round.
Jordan
Breen scores the round 10-9 Jones
TJ De Santis scores the round 10-9 Jones
Chris Nelson scores the round 10-9 Jones
Round
3
Jones misses a high kick and Evans backs him off with a double
jab. Right hook scores for Evans, backing Jones away, but the
champ jumps back at him with a superman punch. Good inside leg
kick from Evans and both men miss with big overhand rights. Jones
slaps Evans on the face with a left high kick but Evans doesn’t
show it. Evans narrowly avoids a front kick to the face as Jones
walks him toward the fence again. Now Evans gets away from the
cage, pops Jones with a jab and throws a leg kick inside. Jones
leaps in with a knee and connects with an elbow behind it. He’s
got Evans’ back to the cage again and gets him with another
flying knee, but Evans strikes back with a right hand and gets
out of the bad spot. Evans gets inside to land punches for a
moment, but Jones quickly shows him out with his longer strikes.
Evans telegraphs a double-leg with 50 seconds left and gets stuffed
by Jones. As the round winds down, Evans slugs Jones in the body
and Jones misses with a spinning kick.
Jordan
Breen scores the round 10-9 Jones
TJ De Santis scores the round 10-9 Evans
Chris Nelson scores the round 10-9 Jones
Round
4
Jones keeps Evans at the end of his jab for the first minute
of the fourth period, with Evans throwing little and landing
less. Evans wants to clinch and Jones turns him away. Jones catches
an outside leg kick and slugs Evans with a straight right. Switch
kick from Jones, then a left hook. Evans rips a right hand to
the champ’s body, his first significant offense of the round
at the midway point. Jones kicks to the outside thigh, snaps
off a jab and keeps walking down, now leaping at Evans. He grabs
Evans in a front headlock when Evans shoots, and punishes him
with an elbow as they break. They clinch up again and Jones drives
hard knees up the middle before leaping to drive his shoulder
into Evans’ face. Jones shoots just before the horn and
is sprawled on.
Jordan
Breen scores the round 10-9 Jones
TJ De Santis scores the round 10-9 Jones
Chris Nelson scores the round 10-9 Jones
Round
5
Jones continues to keep Evans at bay, moving him around the outside
of the cage and plunking him with hard right hands. Evans whiffs
on a spinning back fist and Jones gets inside to work some knees,
first walking Evans away from the cage and then back to it. Evans
misses with a high knee of his own as they disengage and now
it’s back to Jones’ long jabs and kicks. Jones throws
Evans down and tries to pounce with punches. Evans stands back
up and is greeted with knees to the body and legs. Evans charges
forward as the bout ends but Jones jumps guard before Evans can
get in on him. That’s where it ends.
Jordan
Breen scores the round 10-9 Jones (50-45 Jones)
TJ De Santis scores the round 10-9 Jones (49-46 Jones)
Chris Nelson scores the round 10-9 Jones (50-45 Jones)
Official
result: Judge Richard Bertrand scores the bout 50-45, while judges
Derek Cleary and Chris Lee have it 49-46, all in favor of the
winner by unanimous decision and still UFC light heavyweight
champion, Jon “Bones” Jones.
Source:
Sherdog
|
USA-BOXING
HAWAII, KAWANO B.C., & PALOLO B.C.
PRESENTS
AMATEUR BOXING MATCH EVENT
SATURDAY, APRIL 21, 2012.
AT THE PALOLO DISTRICT GYM,
Subject to Change
RED CORNER WEIGHTS BLUE CORNER
CLUB Age 3 ROUNDS AGE CLUB
1).
Moni Pita Fuiava 8/68 (0) 65 8/65 (0) Isael Morales
Ohana B.C. 11/30/03 1 min. 08/23/03 Kailua-Kona B.C.
2). Jerry Vallejos 11/76 (3) 75 10/73 (9) Jordan Manangan
Waipahu B.C. 1 min. 9/29/01 Molokai B.C.
3). Kaimana Gahan 12/82 (5) 80 11/80 (3) Matai Suitonu
TNT B.C. 3/29/00 1 min. 03/12/01 Palolo B.C.
4). Jesse Cardenes 12/90 (9) 95 12/90 (5) Sage Richardson
Kauai PAL B.C.f 1 min. TNT B.C.
5). Sebastian Vallejos 12/71 (0) 75 11/74 (3) Pati Pita Fuiava
Waipahu B.C. 1 min. 3/1/01 Ohana B.C.
6). Damien Natividad 12/115 (2) 115 14/115 (3) Fred Domingo
Southside Maui B.C. 7/10/99 1 min. 2/1/98 Kawano B.C.
7). Bryer Nagahama 13/135 (5) 135 14/137 (2) Micaiah Soares
Club Discipline B.C. 1 ½ min. 4/22/97 Molokai B.C.
8). Keinui Mundon 17/170 (0) 165 18/163 (0) Ryan Silva
Fighters Unlimited B.C. 2 min. Southside Maui B.C.
---------------10 MINUTES---------------INTERMISSION---------------10
MINUTES---------------
9). Romeo Villadones 21/142 (2) 140 20/140 (1) Noah Abdil
Kalakaua B.C. 2 min. Southside Maui B.C.
10). Boxfit808 15/165 (0) 170 16/170 (0) Leitu Taua
Boxfit808 B.C. 1 ½ min. Kawano B.C.
11). Daniel Strickland 21/178 (5) 185 20/190 (0) Makana Pierce
Palolo B.C. 2 min. Southside Maui B.C.
12). Kekoa Balasi 14/138 (10+) 140 15/140 (4) Hunter Manaba
Waipahu B.C. 1 ½ min. Molokai B.C.
13). Joshua McShane 125 125 20/123 Steven Wada
Five-O B.C. 2 min. Southside Maui B.C.
*Means
match is confirmed
Thank
You to Sponsors Chris Leben’s Ultimate Fight School, MAAC
Center Palolo, The Edge Tattoo & Coach Henry Hori, Gentlemen
Club, and Rock Bottom Sports Bar. Special Thanks to Officer Al
Dela Cruz, Dr. Stacy Kanayama- Trivedi, Dr.Yash Trivedi, and
Dr. Myles Suehiro. Thank You Always for our Volunteers, Boxers,
Coaches, Officials, Announcer, Door Workers, Concession workers,
Boxing Commissioners, Chief of Officials Eiichi Jumawan and Vice
President Robyn Jumawan, Joe Kim Palolo Coach, Jen Siegal Registration
Chairman, and “YOU” our Boxing Fans!!
Next Show Pearlside Boxing Club at Momilani Rec. Center on May
5, 2012.
All Boxers will receive gold medals since they are all winners
for stepping in the ring. They are all donated by our Sponsors.
Thank You Again!!
Source:
Bruce Kawano
|
Ratner:
All 8 UFC 144 Drug Tests Clean; Results Pending for UFC on Fuel
TV 2
By Mike
Whitman
All
eight drug tests conducted at UFC 144 came back negative, according
to UFC Vice President of Regulatory Affairs Marc Ratner.
Sherdog.com
confirmed the results Tuesday with Ratner, who verified that
headliners Benson Henderson and Frankie Edgar tested negative
for both performance enhancing drugs and drugs of abuse. Six
randomly selected competitors also produced negative tests at
the event, which took place Feb. 26 at Saitama Super Arena in
Saitama, Japan.
When
holding events in the United States, the UFC defers to state
athletic commissions to conduct drug testing of its fighters.
However, when promoting shows in countries that lack such regulatory
bodies, Ratner oversees the process, hiring independent agents
to conduct the tests.
Former
World Extreme Cagefighting champion Henderson wrested away Edgar’s
UFC lightweight title in the main event, besting the New Jersey
native in a five-round unanimous decision. Edgar was granted
an immediate rematch, and the pair will fight over the gold once
again later this year.
Also
of note, Sherdog confirmed with Ratner that all 24 competitors
were tested at Saturday’s UFC on Fuel TV 2 in Stockholm,
which was overseen by the Swedish Mixed Martial Arts Federation.
Test results should be available sometime next week.
Source:
Sherdog
|
Two
plausible paths for Alistair Overeem to get licensed in Nevada
By Zach
Arnold
Karim
Zidan (@theflyingkneeto) of The Flying Knee MMA noted on his
site last Sunday (item here), Alistair Overeem will in fact attend
a scheduled April 24th hearing in Las Vegas in front of the Nevada
State Athletic Commission to apply for a fighter’s license.
In addition, so far, he is not asking for his B urine sample
to be tested in order to nullify the initial drug testing result
of his A urine sample.
So, what’s going on here?
Everyone is guessing about what his strategy will be if it’s
not predicated on getting the B sample tested with a Carbon Isotope
Ratio test. When the news broke on Sunday, there was plenty of
mockery and plenty of ‘horse meat’ reasons being dished
online.
What makes this situation fascinating is that UFC reportedly
is the party that set up the licensing request for Overeem with
Nevada for the April 24th hearing. Either UFC is confident that
Overeem has a plausible reason to get licensed or they are basically
putting the pressure on Overeem in a ‘OK, you made this
mess, now go clean it up’ kind of way.
In the embedded Inside MMA video clip at the top of this post,
Kenny Rice & Bas Rutten had one hell of a panel on their
show to discuss the issue of drug usage in MMA — Michael
Schiavello (happy birthday), Joe Rogan, and Josh Barnett. If
you had told me ahead of time that Schiavello would have the
most controversial comments about PED usage out of those three
names, I would have never believed you.
Schiavello says that, off the record, fighters tell him that
the rate of PED usage in MMA is ‘about 99%.’ He went
on to present some reasons to use to defend Overeem. His two
arguments:
How can you randomly drug test someone who isn’t licensed?
“He hasn’t technically cheated” because it’s
two months away from his fight against Junior dos Santos, saying
he’s 14:1 now but isn’t allowed to get down to a 6:1
T/E ratio by fight time?
Even Joe Rogan pointed out the obvious in saying that there’s
a reason why random drug testing is used. I was taken aback by
the assertion that basically it’s OK to use testosterone
or whatever you want to use as long as by fight time you are
down to a 6:1 T/E ratio. It’s an assumption that basically
relies upon a premise that everyone is using, why fight it, and
just recognize it for what it is. It’s also an argument
that nullifies the point of drug testing in the first place,
which is to try to catch guys who are using banned substances
in order for a performance-enhancing benefit in preparation of
a fight.
The last point is a salient one given that there are recent articles
published quoting Swedish scientists as claiming that once someone
uses steroids, they gain whatever benefits from steroid usage
long after they stop using steroids.
So, given how everyone is playing the guessing game as to what
Overeem will say on April 24th, there are two plausible paths
that I could see UFC & Overeem arguing at the Nevada hearing.
Michael Schiavello hinted at the first path.
Door #1 – How can you randomly drug test someone who isn’t
‘officially’ licensed?
Last week during a radio interview featuring Keith Kizer &
Mauro Ranallo, this issue became a contentious one because a
lot of people are totally confused about the way Nevada has handled
the licensing procedures for Overeem. Let’s summarize what
has happened so far:
Overeem was supposed to take a drug test in order to get approved
for a fighter’s license to fight Brock Lesnar on 12/30/11.
Overeem missed the drug test, claiming he had to fly to Holland
to attend to his sick mother.
The Nevada commission granted Overeem a ‘temporary’
conditional license to fight Lesnar on December 30th based on
the premise that he would be subjected to random urine drug testing
and that he would have to go to London to take a drug test immediately
so that Quest Diagnostics could examine the sample.
Overeem fights Lesnar and wins. He passed the pre-fight and post-fight
urine drug tests. His ‘temporary’ license expires after
December 31st, 2011.
Overeem is still stuck in ‘conditional’ limbo for licensing
and has to continue passing drug tests in order to fight Junior
dos Santos on May 26th even though Overeem isn’t truly ‘officially’
licensed. Overeem fails the ‘random’ urine drug test
due to elevated levels of testosterone at an estimated 14:1 T/E
ratio. Because he’s not ‘officially’ licensed,
he can’t be suspended by Nevada but he can’t be officially
licensed until he applies for a license on April 24th.
If this process sounds absurd to you, that’s because it
is. Nevada got their money for the Overeem/Lesnar fight while
Overeem was fighting on a conditional temporary license. Now
that he failed a drug test, he’s caught in the same limbo
that Josh Barnett found himself caught in with the California
State Athletic Commission.
PR-wise, attacking Nevada over this licensing process is probably
better than the other plausible path Overeem has to pursue for
licensing but it’s also a lot riskier & is likely going
to really anger the commission.
The other path is a not-so PR friendly one these days.
Door #2 – Hypogonadism (testosterone replacement therapy)
A couple of weeks ago, Mike Chiappetta of MMAFighting.com wrote
an article in which he stated that Keith Kizer had told him that
the process for getting a Theurapeutic Use Exemption in Nevada
for testosterone takes 20 days. I kid you not, 20 days.
You can see where this is going. Damon Martin:
Keith Kizer confirms with me today that a fighter can apply for
TRT exemption either before or with their application for a license.
Overeem’s T/E ratio was reportedly 14:1. When Chael Sonnen
tested positive in California, his T/E ratio was nearly 17:1.
Sonnen then came out and had his appeals hearing where he said
that Dr. Mark Czarnecki, a general practitioner, wrote his prescription
for testosterone. In Sonnen’s case, he was already licensed
and got suspended. In Overeem’s case, he is nebulously not
‘officially’ licensed to fight in Nevada. They have
him classified for a ‘conditional’ license even though
he’s already fought once (the Brock Lesnar fight) and the
commission got paid because of the box office that bout did.
So, let’s say Overeem does claim hypogonadism and goes the
TRT route. Keith Kizer has left the door open for Overeem to
claim hypogonadism and the need for testosterone. If Nevada gives
him his Exemption, the fight with Junior dos Santos is on.
If Nevada rejects Overeem, he could easily go to another state
where Therapeutic Use Exemptions are issued with less scrutiny
and fight there. Or… he could simply fight for the UFC on
shows that they regulate under the auspices of using a TUE for
testosterone and that Dr. Jeff Davidson would manage the situation.
So, Overeem’s options for fighting still exist no matter
what happens in Nevada.
What would make Overeem applying for TRT so interesting is whether
or not any testimony he would give on April 24th would conflict
with the testimony he gave under oath to Nevada a few months
ago. After all, UFC President Dana White has readily admitted
that many MMA fighters who are applying for TRT are previously
anabolic steroid users.
The Province: Testosterone issue is prime ammunition for those
wanting to take MMA down
Outside of applying for a TUE for testosterone or aggressively
attacking the ambiguity of Nevada’s licensing process, I
don’t see why Overeem would even bother attending the April
24th hearing if he’s not having the B sample tested with
CIR. It’s hard to see what other angle he could come up
with here. He’s stuck in a very tenuous position. He split
off from Golden Glory, so that bridge is burned and they are
going after him for cash. UFC is his only big meal ticket. DREAM
is dormant and not active. There’s no major player in Japanese
MMA any longer on a national level. One FC likely isn’t
going to be able to afford him. He got stiffed (allegedly) by
K-1 on a lot of money and Ishii is back with K-1 Global Holdings
and is supposed to be working with Simon Rutz of Its Showtime,
a mortal enemy of Bas Boon & Golden Glory. I suppose there’s
that route… but it’s simply not UFC money.
If Overeem presents a case that doesn’t revolve around the
need of testosterone to function, what angle does he possess?
Is it simply to say, yeah, I screwed up, I’ll wait a year
and then get licensed after that time period in hopes of getting
a second chance with UFC? It’s hard to say.
Source: Fight Opinion
|
SIYAR
BAHADURZADA READY TO FIGHT AGAIN AFTER ‘DREAM' UFC DEBUT
By Shaun
Al-Shatti - Staff Writer
Sometimes,
in the brief moments of reflection that only pushing your body
past its limits can provide, Siyar Bahadurzada would catch himself
daydreaming about what it would be like to fight on the biggest
stage. For a longtime veteran who was driven away from his native
Afghanistan at a young age, another transplant of bloodshed,
the fantasy seemed so far away.
But he was determined. Knockout after knockout, victim after
victim, Bahadurzada would build a resume that could not be ignored.
Finally, after ten long years, the moment had arrived. Slated
to make his big league debut at UFC on FUEL 2 this past Saturday,
Bahadurzada wasting no time unleashing a decade of desire on
Paulo Thiago, stunning the fight world by knocking the Brazilian
out cold in 42 seconds flat. Really, it couldn't have been any
more perfect.
"This is really huge for me," Bahadurzada sheepishly
admitted on Monday's edition of The MMA Hour.
"To
knockout Paulo Thiago in my UFC debut, that was the greatest
debut I could ever wish. It happened and it was a dream."
As
the first Afghan fighter in UFC history, Bahadurzada's debut
was already a remarkable footnote one way or the other. But no
one could have expected this. Seemingly overnight, in a country
halfway across the world, with only the faintest glimmer of an
MMA scene, the sport had arrived on its national stage.
"Wow,
(in) Afghanistan I have been all over the news the last two days,"
Bahadurzada gushed. "All the TV channels have reported the
news that I won my fight in the UFC. Afghanistan is going crazy
right now.
"I
always believed in myself, that one day I would fight in the
big league and I would prove myself. This is exactly what's happening
right now and it's a kind of relief for me."
Though
Bahadurzada's debut not was not without its own minor controversy.
Immediately after crushing Thiago to the mat, Bahadurzada briefly
stood over his unconscious fallen foe, an action that several
viewers took exception to, believing it to be a unnecessary display
of poor sportsmanship.
Bahadurzada
understands the criticism, though according to him, there was
absolutely no ill will involved in his actions. Rather, it was
just a past in-fight experience getting the better of him at
the most inopportune moment.
"I
knocked somebody out one time (and it was) exactly the opposite,"
Bahadurzada remorsefully explained. "He came in like Paulo
Thiago came, but he didn't (fall) face down, he went back. I
turned around and I walked to celebrate my fight, and the guy
stood back up. And then I had to fight him again and he did this
turning kick, he almost knocked me out.
"That's
exactly what happened to my Paulo Thiago fight. If you see me,
first when I knocked him out, I looked at him, I walked away,
and all of a sudden I turned back. I was like, ‘I don't
want Paulo Thiago to stand back up,' so I went back to him with
my hands raised, ready to attack him again if he gets up. But
then I saw that he was lying on the ground still, so I sat on
my knees to pay respect and get up with him at the same time."
Realistically
the fuss was simply a minor blip in the greatest night of Bahadurzada's
professional life. Plus, the good news was far from over, as
the UFC rookie soon received a $50,000 ‘Knockout of the
Night' check for his handiwork. That, along with a massive outpouring
of love from fight fans on Twitter and Facebook, completed a
wild "Siyar Saturday" that carried on late into the
Stockholm night.
Of
course, now that Bahadurzada has had a taste of the big leagues,
he's ready to make it a regular affair. Luckily his injured right
hand is not as severe as previously suspected, so after a short
two-to-three weeks of rest, "The Great" will be ready
to jump headfirst into training, and, he hopes, back under the
bright lights of the Octagon as soon as possible.
"I
wish to fight another top-10 fighter," Bahadurzada finished
with a grin.
"I
want to get to the title as fast as possible. I'm ready for this."
Source:
MMA Fighting
|
Black
belts in Montreal hold one-of-a-kind charity seminar this weekend
Deb Blyth
This
Saturday, April 21, from 3:00 – 6:00 pm, a one-of-a-kind
seminar is taking place at the University Du Quebec A Montreal.
A foundation called the Montreal Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu Association
(MBJJA) is putting the event on to benefit the Cystic Fibrosis
Foundation and Seana Rossi, a grappler from Toronto BJJ who is
currently fighting cancer.
The
MBJJA was started about a year ago by Jiu-Jitsu students from
different academies around the Montreal area. Their plan was
to have at least one member from each school on board to help
unify all the academies to support charitable events like this
one. So far, they’ve raised over $5,000 with their first
two events for the Red Cross and the Montreal Children’s
Hospital.
The
MBJJA votes before each event to decide which charity they will
be donating the proceeds of their seminar to and they decided
to give the money from the April 21 seminar to two charities.
The first is the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation. Marie-Josee Caron,
wife of BJJ Revolution’s black belt Nobuya Shimamoto, recently
passed away from Cystic Fibrosis, so the group felt it would
be fitting to donate half the funds in her name. The other half
will be going to the Seana Rossi Foundation. Seana trains in
BJJ at Toronto BJJ and is currently battling cancer. Her medication
costs each month are over $3,500 and they’re not covered
by insurance.
The
MBJJA is offering a discounted rate to all university students
to encourage them to participate in this inspiring event. The
cost for the seminar is: $15 for students and $30 for non-students.
Of course, 100% of all the proceeds taken in will go to the designated
charities. The MBJJA will also be auctioning off some amazing
prizes at the event that will also be donated to the charities
as well.
One
reason why this seminar is so unique is because of the number
of black belt who will be teaching there. They have over 10 black
belts signed up including, Bruno Fernandes (Gracie Barra), Mark
Colangelo (Renzo Gracie/Gracie Barra), Mike Lee (H20), Dan and
Sylvain Moroney (Bravado BJJ), Koji Murakami and Nobuya Shimamoto(BJJ
Revolution), Ron Pattyn (West Island Jiu Jitsu), and Louis Ho
(10th Planet Montreal) to name a few. Each black belt will show
one Jiu-Jitsu based self defense technique for the beginners
and one advanced technique for the advanced grapplers.
The
MBJJA says they are truly humbled to have the support of all
these great black belts at this charitable event, because without
them there wouldn’t be a seminar. Each black belt asked
to participate said, “Yes” without hesitation, which
is one of the reasons why they are so respected in and around
the Jiu-Jitsu community.
For
more information on this great, inspiring event or to help with
the cause, please contact Seana Rossi’s facebook page. They’ve
already received well over $7,000 in donations before the seminar
has even begun!
Source:
Gracie Magazine
|
Bellator
66 Weigh-in Results; Alvarez vs. Aoki II Set
The
Bellator 66 weigh-ins have been completed from Cleveland, Ohio
in preparation for Bellator’s Friday night event at the
I-X Center, which features the rematch between Former Bellator
Lightweight Champion Eddie Alvarez and opponent Shinya Aoki.
Also, the Bellator Season Six Middleweight and Lightweight Tournament
semifinal fights will take place as Brian Rogers meets Andreas
Spang, Maiquel Falcao faces Vyacheslav Vasilevsky, Lloyd Woodard
takes on Rick Hawn and Brent Weedman squares off against Thiago
Michel.
Bellator
66 will be broadcast LIVE on Friday, April 20 at 8:00 pm ET/7:00
pm CT on MTV2 and in commercial-free HD on EPIX. The undercard
will begin at 6:00 pm ET/ 5:00 pm CT and streamed LIVE and FREE
around the world on MMAWeekly.com.
The
full results for Bellator 66 are below:
MAIN
CARD:
Eddie Alvarez (154.5lbs) vs. Shinya Aoki (154.5lbs)
Brian Rogers (185lbs) vs. Andreas Spang (185lbs)
Maiquel Falcao (185lbs) vs. Vyacheslav Vasilevsky (185.5lbs)
Lloyd Woodard (154.5lbs) vs. Rick Hawn (155lbs)
Thiago Michel (154.5lbs) vs. Brent Weedman (155lbs)
UNDERCARD:
Jessica Eye (130lbs) vs. Anita Rodriguez (130.5lbs)
Frank Caraballo (145lbs) vs. Donny Walker (144lbs)
Atilla Vegh (200lbs) vs. Dan Spohn (204lbs)
Marcus Vanttinen (205lbs) vs. John Hawk (203.5lbs)
Julian Lane (155lbs) vs. Joe Heiland (155lbs)
Source: MMA Weekly
|
California
Assembly Bill could give fighters new rights, challenge UFC contracts
By Zach
Arnold
Our friend Rob Maysey pointed out recent developments in California
that deserve your attention.
Luis A. Alejo, California Assemblymember (Democrat, 28th district
– Salinas), is proposing big changes to Assembly Bill 2100.
The bill, which is a Bill of Rights for both professional boxers
& Mixed Martial Arts fighters, currently is laid out as the
following according to this AB 2100 fact sheet.
CALIFORNIA LEGISLATURE
LUIS A. ALEJO, Assemblymember, 28th District
STATE CAPITOL
Room 2137
Sacramento, CA 95814
(916) 319-2028 Phone
(916) 319-2128 Fax
DISTRICT OFFICE
100 West Alisal Street
Suite 134
Salinas, CA 93901
(831) 759-8676 Phone
(831) 759-2961 Fax
AB 2100: Professional Bill of Rights for MMA Athletes Fact Sheet
Summary
AB 2100 authorizes the State Athletic Commission to revoke or
refuse to renew the license of any mixed martial arts (MMA) promoter
in California that participates in coercive and unfair contracting
practices. This bill also extends the scope of the Boxers’
Pension Plan to include professional MMA fighters licensed in
California.
Purpose
The purpose of the bill is to prevent the mistreatment of MMA
fighters in California by banning certain exploitative contracting
practices that violate athletes’ freedom to work and their
ability to support their families. Many California MMA fighters
have retired after suffering multiple concussions, bone fractures,
muscle tears, nerve damage and spine injuries, which threaten
their ability to earn a living and support their families as
they grow older. AB 2100 enables MMA fighters to benefit from
the pension fund that has been available to boxers in the state
since 1981.
Background
Mixed martial arts, also known as MMA, is one of the fastest
growing sports in the world. Many of the most talented and well-known
professional fighters in the sport live in California and are
licensed to compete in events held in this state. Since 2006,
California has hosted more than 60 professional MMA events, making
California a center of the mixed-martial arts world.
Fighters licensed in California who compete in these contests
often undergo years of demanding training, and risk serious injury.
Despite these physical risks, California MMA fighters have no
pension benefits and limited protection against exploitation.
Promoters often require that MMA fighters in California agree
to coercive and oppressive contract terms that can include exclusivity
clauses, unlimited merchandise rights agreements and legal waivers
among other things.
This bill will protect professional MMA fighters from unethical
business practices and would extend legal protection currently
afforded to professional boxers by the Boxers’ Pension Plan
and the Muhammad Ali Boxing Reform Act of 2000.
For more information on this bill, please contact Erika Bustamante
at (916) 319-2028, e-mail erika.bustamante@asm.ca.gov.
*************
Now that you’ve seen the fact sheet for AB 2100, you have
a sense of what the legislation is about. However, this week
new changes were proposed by Assemblyman Alejo to AB 2100 that
would change the landscape in a significant way. The proposed
changes could give California MMA fighters a significant boost
in terms of contractual rights and would take away some legitimate
power from the major player(s) in MMA.
Let’s just say that Zuffa (UFC) will not be very happy about
the proposed contractual changes. The proposed changes in this
bill could spark a legal battle given that UFC contracts establish
jurisdiction in Las Vegas, so how would a Zuffa fighter based
in California be able to legally challenge the terms of the Zuffa
contracts?
Here is the amended Assembly Bill 2100 text, which displays what
the changes would look like to the bill:
AMENDED IN ASSEMBLY APRIL 9, 2012
AMENDED IN ASSEMBLY MARCH 29, 2012
ASSEMBLY BILL No. 2100
Introduced by Assembly Member Alejo
February 23, 2012
An act to amend Sections 18849, 18880, 18881, 18882, 18884, and
18887 of, and to add Section 18649 to, the Business and Professions
Code, relating to athletes, and making an appropriation therefor.
AB 2100, as amended, Alejo. Athletes: mixed martial arts fighters.
Existing law, the State Athletic Commission Act, creates the
State Athletic Commission and makes it responsible for licensing
and regulating boxing, kickboxing, and martial arts matches and
wrestling exhibitions. Existing law prohibits a promoter from
having a proprietary interest in a boxer or mixed martial arts
fighter without the approval of the commission. Existing law
creates the continuously appropriated Boxers’ Pension Fund
and requires the commission to establish a pension plan for boxers
and to deposit the moneys collected by the pension plan into
the fund.
This bill would require a promoter to provide specified written
and sworn statements regarding his or her financial interests
to the commission before the promoter can receive compensation
from a boxing or mixed martial arts contest. By requiring a statement
to be made under penalty of perjury, the bill would expand that
crime and would thereby impose a state-mandated local program.
The bill would also require the commission to revoke or refuse
to renew the license of a mixed martial arts promoter who enters
into a coercive contract, as defined, with a mixed martial arts
fighter, who has been convicted of a felony or a gross misdemeanor,
or who has been subject to specified law enforcement actions,
investigations, or allegations. This bill would require the commission
to establish a professional code of conduct for licensees. This
bill would also extend the scope of the Boxers’ Pension
Plan to include professional mixed martial arts fighters and
would
rename the fund as the Boxers’ and Mixed Martial Arts Fighters’
Pension Fund. By providing for new moneys to be deposited in
a continuously appropriated fund, the bill would make an appropriation.
The California Constitution requires the state to reimburse local
agencies and school districts for certain costs mandated by the
state. Statutory provisions establish procedures for making that
reimbursement.
This bill would provide that no reimbursement is required by
this act for a specified reason.
Vote: majority. Appropriation: yes. Fiscal committee: yes. State-mandated
local program: yes.
The people of the State of California do enact as follows:
SECTION 1. Section 18649 is added to the Business and Professions
Code, to read:
18649. (a) The commission shall revoke or refuse to renew the
license of any mixed martial arts promoter that enters into a
contract with a mixed martial arts fighter in the state of California
if the contract contains one or more coercive provisions. A contract
provision shall be considered coercive to the extent that it
does any of the following:
(1) Assigns any future merchandising rights to a promoter beyond
the term of the promotional contract.
(2) Automatically renews the contract or extends the term without
good faith, arms-length negotiation.
(3) Grants the promoter a right to match the terms of a competing
offer or contract.
(4) Grants the promoter a right to enter into exclusive negotiations
with a mixed martial arts fighter.
(5) Restricts a mixed martial arts fighter from sponsoring another
firm, product, or individual.
(6) Requires a mixed martial arts fighter to relinquish any legal
claims for negligence that the fighter has, or may acquire in
the future, against the promoter.
(7) Restricts a mixed martial arts fighter from contracting with
another promoter.
(8) Requires a mixed martial arts fighter to forfeit any rights
as a condition precedent to the fighter’s participation
in a contest.
(b) The commission shall revoke or refuse to renew the license
of any promoter if it finds that the promoter, or any person
or entity that is a partner, agent, employee, stockholder, or
associate of the promoter, has been convicted of a felony or
a misdemeanor involving moral turpitude in any jurisdiction;
is currently the subject of a state or federal criminal investigation;
has been subject to a state or federal tax lien within the past
five years; has failed to respond to a subpoena issued by any
government agency; has been found to have violated any local,
state, or federal law; has been sanctioned by a local, state,
or federal judge; or has been credibly alleged to have violated
international human rights standards.
(c) To ensure that individuals and entities licensed under this
act observe common standards of decency, the commission shall,
in consultation with the Association of Boxing Commissioners,
establish a professional code of ethical conduct. Notwithstanding
any other provision of this code, the commission shall enforce
the code of ethical conduct.
SEC. 2. Section 18849 of the Business and Professions Code is
amended to read:
18849. No promoter, nor any person having a proprietary interest
in the promoter, shall have, either directly or indirectly, any
proprietary interest in a boxer or martial arts fighter competing
on the premises owned, leased, or rented by the promoter without
written approval from the commission. No promoter shall be entitled
to receive any compensation directly or indirectly in connection
with a contest until the promoter provides to the commission
the following:
(a) A copy of any agreement in writing to which the promoter
is a party with any professional athlete or contestant licensed
under this act.
(b) A statement made under penalty of perjury that there are
no other agreements, written or oral, between the promoter and
the athlete with respect to that contest.
(c) All fees, charges, and expenses that will be assessed by
or through the promoter on the athlete participating in the event,
including any portion of the athlete’s purse that the promoter
will receive.
(d) Any reduction in the athlete’s purse contrary to a previous
agreement between the promoter and the athlete.
SEC. 3. Section 18880 of the Business and Professions Code is
amended to read:
18880. (a) The Legislature finds and declares all of the following:
(1) That professional athletes licensed under this chapter, as
a group, for many reasons, do not retain their earnings, and
are often injured or destitute, or both, and unable to take proper
care of themselves, whether financially or otherwise, and that
the enactment of this article is to serve a public purpose by
making provisions for a needy group to insure a modicum of financial
security for professional athletes.
(2) Athletes licensed under this chapter may suffer extraordinary
disabilities in the normal course of their trade. These may include
acute and chronic traumatic brain injuries, resulting from multiple
concussions as well as from repeated exposure to a large number
of subconcussive punches, eye injuries, including retinal tears,
holes, and detachments, and other neurological impairments.
(3) The pension plan of the commission is part of the state’s
health and safety regulatory scheme, designed to protect boxers
and mixed martial arts fighters licensed under this chapter from
the health-related hazards of their trade. The pension plan addresses
those health and safety needs, recognizing the disability and
health maintenance expenses those needs may require.
(4) The regulatory system of California is interrelated with
the conduct of the trade in every jurisdiction. Athletes licensed
under this chapter participate in contests in other states and
many athletes who are based in those other jurisdictions may
participate in California on a single-event basis.
(5) The outcomes and natures of fights in other jurisdictions
are relevant to California regulatory jurisdiction and are routinely
monitored for health and safety reasons, so that, for example,
a knockout of an athlete licensed under this chapter in another
jurisdiction is paid appropriate heed with respect to establishing
a waiting period before that athlete may commence fighting in
California.
(6) The monitoring of other jurisdictions is an integral part
of the health and safety of California athletes licensed under
this chapter due to the interstate nature of the trade, and therefore
the regulatory scheme for contests and athletes under this chapter
should reflect this accordingly.
(7) Some mixed martial arts promoters licensed under this chapter
engage in certain exploitative, oppressive, and coercive contractual
practices that violate athletes’ freedom to work and their
ability to support themselves and their families as professional
athletes.
(8) It is necessary and appropriate to establish standards to
protect the rights and welfare of mixed martial arts fighters
licensed under this chapter from unscrupulous promoters and coercive
contractual practices.
(b) The provisions of this article pertain only to professional
boxers and mixed martial arts fighters licensed under this chapter.
SEC. 4. Section 18881 of the Business and Professions Code is
amended to read:
18881. (a) The commission shall, consistent with the purposes
of this article, establish a pension plan for professional boxers
and professional mixed martial arts fighters who engage in boxing
or mixed martial arts contests in this state.
(b) The commission shall, consistent with the purposes of this
article, establish the method by which the pension plan will
be financed, including those who shall contribute to the financing
of the pension plan. The method of financing the pension plan
may include, but is not limited to, assessments on tickets and
contributions by boxers, mixed martial arts fighters, managers,
promoters, or any one or more of these persons, in an amount
sufficient to finance the pension plan. Any promoter that receives
a fee for televising a boxing or mixed martial arts contest performed
in the State of California on a pay-per-view or network telecast
shall pay 5 percent of the gross receipts from the telecast,
exclusive of federal, state, or local taxes, into the Boxers’
and Mixed Martial Arts Fighters’ Pension Fund. For purposes
of this section, the term “sufficient” means that the
annual contributions shall be calculated to achieve no less than
the average level of annual aggregate pension plan contributions
from all sources for the period from July 1, 1981, through December
31, 1994, and adjusted thereafter to reflect changes in the Consumer
Price Index for California as set forth by the Bureau of Labor
Statistics.
(c) Any pension plan established by the commission shall be actuarially
sound.
SEC. 5. Section 18882 of the Business and Professions Code is
amended to read:
18882. (a) At the time of payment of the fee required by Section
18824, a promoter shall pay to the commission all amounts scheduled
for contribution to the pension plan. If the commission, in its
discretion, requires pursuant to Section 18881, that contributions
to the pension plan be made by the boxer or mixed martial arts
fighter and his or her manager, those contributions shall be
made at the time and in the manner prescribed by the commission.
(b) The Boxers’ Pension Fund is hereby continued in existence
and renamed as the Boxers’ and Mixed Marital Arts Fighters’
Pension Fund. All contributions to finance the pension plan shall
be deposited in the State Treasury and credited to the Boxers’
and Mixed Martial Arts Fighters’ Pension Fund. Notwithstanding
the provisions of Section 13340 of the Government Code, all moneys
in the Boxers’ and Mixed Martial Arts Fighters’ Pension
Fund are hereby continuously appropriated to be used exclusively
for the purposes and administration of the pension plan.
(c) The Boxers’ and Mixed Martial Arts Fighters’ Pension
Fund is a retirement fund, and no moneys within it shall be deposited
or transferred to the General Fund.
(d) The commission has exclusive control of all funds in the
Boxers’ and Mixed Martial Arts Fighters’ Pension Fund.
No transfer or disbursement in any amount from this fund shall
be made except upon the authorization of the commission and for
the purpose and administration of the pension plan.
(e) Except as otherwise provided in this subdivision, the commission
or its designee shall invest the money contained in the Boxers’
and Mixed Martial Arts Fighters’ Pension Fund according
to the same standard of care as provided in Section 16040 of
the Probate Code. The commission has exclusive control over the
investment of all moneys in the Boxers’ and Mixed Martial
Arts Fighters’ Pension Fund. Except as otherwise prohibited
or restricted by law, the commission may invest the moneys in
the fund through the purchase, holding, or sale of any investment,
financial instrument, or financial transaction that the commission
in its informed opinion determines is prudent.
(f) The administrative costs associated with investing, managing,
and distributing the Boxers’ and Mixed Martial Arts Fighters’
Pension Fund shall be limited to no more than 20 percent of the
average annual contribution made to the fund in the previous
two years, not including any investment income derived from the
corpus of the fund. Diligence shall be exercised by administrators
in order to lower the fund’s expense ratio as far below
20 percent as feasible and appropriate. The commission shall
report to the Joint Committee on Boards, Commissions, and Consumer
Protection on the impact of this provision during the next regularly
scheduled sunset review after January 1, 2007.
SEC. 6. Section 18884 of the Business and Professions Code is
amended to read:
18884. (a) A promoter may, but is not required to, add to the
price of each ticket sold for a professional boxing or professional
mixed martial arts contest, an amount specifically designated
on the ticket for contribution as a donation, either or both,
to the pension plan established pursuant to Section 18881. The
additional amount shall not be subject to the admissions tax
required by Section 18824 or any other deductions. Nothing in
this section shall authorize the addition of such amounts to
less than all the tickets sold for the professional boxing or
professional mixed martial arts contest involved. The promoter
shall pay additional contributions collected in accordance with
Section 18881.
(b) Any additional contributions received pursuant to this section
shall not be considered to offset any of the contributions required
by the commission under Section 18881.
SEC. 7. Section 18887 of the Business and Professions Code is
amended to read:
18887. In addition to any other form in which retirement benefits
may be distributed under the pension plan, the commission may,
in its discretion, award to a covered boxer or a covered mixed
martial arts fighter, a medical early retirement benefit in the
amount contained in the covered boxer’s or covered mixed
martial arts fighter’s pension plan account at the time
the commission makes this award and in the manner provided in
the regulations governing the boxers’ and mixed martial
arts fighters’ pension plan. This benefit shall be in lieu
of a pension.
SEC. 8. No reimbursement is required by this act pursuant to
Section 6 of Article XIII B of the California Constitution because
the only costs that may be incurred by a local agency or school
district will be incurred because this act creates a new crime
or infraction, eliminates a crime or infraction, or changes the
penalty for a crime or infraction, within the meaning of Section
17556 of the Government Code, or changes the definition of a
crime within the meaning of Section 6 of Article XIII B of the
California Constitution.
Source: Fight Opinion
|
New
York State Senate Passes MMA Bill for Third Time
by Mark
Wayne
Once more, with feeling.
The
New York State Senate has voted to pass bill S.1707-A, which
proposes the legalization and regulation of mixed martial arts
competition in the state. It is the third time that a bill containing
provisions for MMA regulation has been passed by the senate.
So far, these bills have not been passed by the Assembly, largely
due to Assembly Speaker Sheldon Silver’s hesitance to regulate
MMA (though, he may be softening his stance).
Having
pledged a ton of resources to the cause of MMA legalization in
New York over recent years, the UFC sent out a press release
thanking the NY State Senate for passing another mixed martial
arts bill.
“We
would like to thank the New York State Senate for passing the
bill to legalize and regulate MMA for the third time in the last
three years,” UFC CEO Lorenzo Fertitta said in the release.
“We are hopeful the third time will be the charm with the
State Assembly. The bill received overwhelming and bipartisan
support and we would especially like to recognize the leadership
of the Senate sponsor Joseph Griffo.
“Over
the next two months, we will focus our efforts on convincing
Assembly leadership that this bill, now sponsored by Assemblyman
Joe Morelle – who is a Monroe County native just like UFC
light heavyweight champion Jon Jones – should be brought
to the floor of the Assembly for a vote, where we are convinced
it will have strong bipartisan support.”
Now,
the fate of MMA in New York once again rests on Mr. Silver.
Source: MMA Frenzy
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Mayweather
measures up with best
By Igor
Guryashkin
"Hit
and don't get hit," goes the old adage in boxing. And from
a statistical perspective, at least, it seems no one is better
at living up to that credo than Floyd Mayweather Jr.
According
to Bob Canobbio, owner and founder of CompuBox -- a computerized
scoring system that counts every punch a boxer throws and lands
-- Mayweather's average connect rate of 46 percent, compiled
during his past nine fights (a "prime" designated by
CompuBox), ranks as the best among current active fighters.
Source: Compubox
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Rematch
Paulo Filho-Murilo Ninja slated for June
By Carlos
Antunes
The
duel between Paulo Filho and Murilo “Ninja” Rua brought
light to Pride’s ring in 2006, and they will meet again.
PVT confirmed the rematch for Iron Man of June 7th, and Fred
Fondes, Paulo’s manager, confirmed it to TATAME.
“Our
contract is already signed. Now it’s about Murilo, but I
guess everything is already settled”, reveals Filho.
For
this bout, Fred also affirmed Paulo is very excited about fighting
Rua and might be assisted by Josuel Distak on his preparation,
same coach he had when fought at Pride and WEC.
“Paulo
is very excited and has been training a lot. He like these fights
and gets excited about the opportunity. He also said he will
have Distak’s support for this fight”.
Paulo
Filho and Murilo Ninja fought in 2006, on the extinct Pride Bushido.
Paulo got the win and years later he became a WEC champion.
Source: Tatame
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MMA
Market Research
I stumbled across ProElite's Investor Overview slideshow which
has released on the net about a couple months back. Included
was a most interesting slide which breaks down the "MMA
Fan/Audience Profile". A couple interesting things of note,
the "Average Household Income" of MMA fans is $65,000,
with 57% of the demographic having a College education. 72% of
the Physiographic purchase Martial Arts equipment/supplies, 82%
have attended an MMA event and 68% watch 2 or more hours of MMA
related programming weekly.
In
June 2011, Stratus Media Group secured a 95% ownership of ProElite.
The group confirmed their intention to return to promoting mixed
martial arts with former ICON owner T. Jay Thompson and former
Strikeforce matchmaker Rich Chou brought on board to run the
show.
The
promotion has indicated plans to run 6-8 events in 2012 with
Live TV and a possible PPV.
Source: MMA Metrics
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Bitterness
Aside, It’s Time for Jon Jones and Rashad Evans to Play
the Game
by Ken
Pishna
The
showdown between former friends and teammates Jon Jones and Rashad
Evans, the main event at Saturday’s UFC 145 in Atlanta,
has been shaping up as one of the most heated grudge matches
in UFC history.
But
the flames of the fire between the two aren’t reaching as
high as they once did.
Both
men seem to be tiring of all the talk of their fallout and friction.
They just want to get in the Octagon and prove who the better
fighter is.
In
what was expected to be a blistering verbal sparring match between
Jones and Evans at the UFC 145 pre-fight press conference on
Wednesday, the two were more reserved than they’ve ever
been since their split as teammates. They were event quite complimentary
of one another.
“I
had a year to kind of deal with the situation. I’ve made
my piece in a lot of ways with the situation,” said Evans.
“I’m not really that emotionally invested into it any
more.”
For
sure, the story of their fallout, and that of Evans’ fallout
with his former coaches at Jackson’s Martial Arts and Fitness,
has been covered to the ends of the Earth and back.
And
at the level of sport that these two are fighting at, both considered
among the best fighters ever in mixed martial arts, wasting precious
resources on daily squabbles and trash talk is counterproductive.
It’s
getting to the point where all that can be said, has been. There’s
just one final step in the conflict… resolution.
“I
think it’s funny because the more you hear the story, the
more we all go at it and talk about the coaches and try to figure
out who is telling the truth, it’s almost therapeutic for
everybody,” said Jones. “So I think this fight will
be like the last counseling session for the whole situation.”
Both
men are tired of talking. With days dwindling down to mere hours
before these two athletes have to step into a cage and play a
game of human chess, neither wants to waist more energy on the
pettiness of who did what to whom, or who said this about that.
They
need to conserver their energy for what really matters, the competition
in the cage on Saturday night.
“When
you talk about something over and over again it kind of loses
a little bit of the emotion behind it, and you can kind of make
piece with a lot of things,” said Evans. “We’ve
been going back and forth and it’s just been a long process
and we are both just tired.”
“At
the end of the day, me and Rashad are both winners,” added
Jones. “Rashad has a lot of haters, which I actually think
is undeserved. I think he actually is a good person. But he’s
a winner. He’s always come out with a win. He’s one
of those guys on the team, who maybe he’s not the most popular,
but he’s reliable, he’s durable. I know that that’s
what I’m against.
“In
my end, it’s time to play the game. As far as a friendship
afterward, who knows what God wants for us in the future.”
Source:
MMA Weekly
|
UFC
145 Preview: The Main Card
By Tristen
Critchfield
Preliminary
Bouts
Heavyweights
Travis
Browne (12-0-1, 3-0-1 UFC) vs. Chad Griggs (11-1, 0-0 UFC)
In 2010, Griggs was expected to be little more than a stepping-stone
for the much-hyped Bobby Lashley at Strikeforce “Houston.”
Somebody forget to tell “The Grave Digger,” and he
now brings a six-fight winning streak into his bout with Browne.
The Hawaiian should benefit from a second full camp with Jackson’s
MMA as he looks to bounce back from a tepid showing against Rob
Broughton at UFC 135. Browne ends Griggs’ run by TKO in
round one.
Welterweights
Matt
Brown (13-11, 6-5 UFC) vs. Stephen Thompson (6-0, 1-0 UFC)
Ten fights’ Octagon experience separates these two, but
Thompson has the look of a future star. The South Carolina native
didn’t do anything to dispel the idea that he is the American
version of Lyoto Machida with his head-kick knockout of Daniel
Stittgen in his UFC debut. Brown never backs down from a slugfest,
but he has the ability to test Thompson on the ground if necessary.
Brown won’t be able to resist trading with Thompson, however,
and he falls via unanimous decision.
Lightweights
John
Makdessi (9-1, 2-1 UFC) vs. Anthony Njokuani (14-6, 1-2 UFC)
Makdessi struggled mightily against Dennis Hallman at UFC 140,
as Hallman never allowed “The Bull” to use his diverse
striking arsenal. Njoukani is a much friendlier matchup because
he favors the standup game as well. This will come down to which
striker can impose his will. Look for Makdessi to rebound and
get the decision.
Lightweights
Mac
Danzig (20-9, 4-5 UFC) vs. Efrain Escudero (18-4, 3-3 UFC)
A pair of “TUF” alums who have experienced mixed results
in the UFC could be fighting for their jobs here. Danzig can
land combinations and is comfortable on the ground, as he showed
in a heartbreaking loss to Matt Wiman at UFC Live 6. Escudero
is skilled on the mat as well, and whoever can win in the scrambles
and transitions will have the edge. Danzig outworks Escudero
to earn a late submission or decision.
Welterweights
Chris
Clements (10-4, 0-0 UFC) vs. Keith Wisniewski (28-13-1, 0-2 UFC)
Clements, a pupil of the late Shawn Tompkins, has earned all
10 of his victories by knockout or technical knockout, including
recent finishes of UFC veterans Jonathan Goulet and Rich Clementi.
Wisniewski is a durable veteran who would prefer to contest the
fight at close range. Wisniewski takes advantage of his aggressive
foe and forces a tapout in round one.
Featherweights
Marcus
Brimage (4-1, 1-0 UFC) vs. Maximo Blanco (8-3-1, 1 NC, 0-0 UFC)
“TUF 14” competitor Brimage showed solid combinations
and good takedown defense in a victory over Stephen Bass this
past December. Blanco, meanwhile, succumbed to a rear-naked choke
against cagey veteran Pat Healy in his last outing. The former
lightweight King of Pancrase is capable of delivering tremendous
action in the cage, and he will not disappoint in earning a second-round
knockout of Brimage.
Source:
Sherdog
|
UFC,
FOX CONTENT SHARING SPOTLIGHT WITH FLOYD MAYWEATHER ON MAY 5
By Ariel
Helwani - Video Reporter and Writer
FOX
will televise its third UFC card in less than a year on May 5,
and for a second time they'll compete for headlines with one
of boxing's biggest matches of the year.
UFC
on FOX 3, headlined by Jim Miller vs. Nate Diaz, takes place
on the same night as Floyd Mayweather vs. Miguel Cotto on pay-per-view.
The UFC faced a similar scenario when UFC on FOX 1 aired on the
same night as Manny Pacquaio vs. Juan Manuel Marquez last November.
Much
like last November, the UFC event will be over before the boxing
main events kicks off, and according to UFC CEO Lorenzo Fertitta,
FOX doesn't mind sharing the national spotlight with boxing's
best.
"That's
kind of FOX's deal," he recently said. "They do all
the research; they're really smart guys. They like that fact
that we're going to go on at the same night, but the window is
different. Meaning, we'll be done before Floyd fights Cotto.
And the last time that that happened was when Junior dos Santos
and Cain Velasquez fought on the same night as Pacquaio and we
peaked at over 9.9 or whatever million viewers (ed. note: the
ratings actually peaked at 8.8 million viewers, a North American
MMA record). The theory is that people are home. It's a great
fight night; you're going to watch Pacquiao or whatever; you
can turn on FOX, you can watch our fight; you'll have a great
night.
"The
reality is, not to piss any boxing guys off, but nobody watches
those undercards anyway at the end of the day. So you can watch
the UFC and switch over when it's done. But we do suffer from
a press standpoint. He'll (Mayweather) hog the press."
Ironically,
it appears as though boxing is starting to learn from its UFC
counterparts, because familiar names like Shane Mosley, Canelo
Alvarez and Carlos Quintana have been added to the Mayweather-Cotto
undercard. Still, from a promotional standpoint, all the focus
has been on the Mayweather-Cotto tilt.
Boxing
purists have long argued that there is no connection between
MMA and boxing fans, however, Fertitta, a long-time boxing fan
himself, thinks otherwise.
"I
think that they are pretty similar," he said. "I think
if you like boxing, for the most part, you like mixed martial
arts. I think that there is a bit of an age difference in the
demographic, I think boxing generally skews older, but my personal
belief, I think HBO always comes out and says, 'Oh, we did research.
There's no correlation.' Really? That's interesting. When we
have DirecTV and In Demand do research, they see a lot of correlation
between who buys boxing and who buys the UFC. There's definitely
a correlation there."
And
that may be precisely why the UFC won't look to compete against
Mayweather or Pacquiao on pay-per-view anytime soon, as they
did three years ago when they aired UFC 103 on PPV on the same
night as Mayweather vs. Marquez.
"Now,
if you would ask me, I would never go head-to-head (with Mayweather
or Pacquiao) in a pay-per-view. We tried that once and we got
killed. But it's on free TV and people are already home."
Major
boxing matches only garner national attention a few times a year
when either Mayweather or Pacquaio fight. Of course, the fight
everyone wants to see is Mayweather vs. Pacquaio, but Fertitta
thinks the promoters involved are doing everything they can to
not deliver that mega-fight for the fans.
"It's
one of those things where they're fighting one or two times a
year and people do care at the end of the day because they're
all looking forward and hoping at one point they actually fight
each other. Unfortunately for that sport, from a business standpoint
based on the way it's structured, it makes more sense for guys
like Mayweather and Mayweather Promotions and Bob Arum to keep
milking the public over and over again because once they fight
it's over, right? Unless they keep doing rematches. I mean, how
many times are they going to resell Cotto and Mosley and all
these guys? I think I bought that pay-per-view like three or
four times, (and) it wasn't that good of a fight. Just get on
with it. Make the fight. C'mon."
So
while annual pay-per-view estimates suggest the UFC isn’t
playing second fiddle to boxing anymore, on May 5, they’ll
be content serving as the free appetizer to Mayweather's latest
high-profile sparring match. Consider it one of the rare times
the perpetual rivals compliment each other.
Source:
MMA Fighting
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Following
Loss of Longtime Mentor, Mark Hominick Trying to Fight Back into
Contention
by Mick
Hammond
The
past couple years have been like an emotional roller coaster
for UFC bantamweight Mark Hominick.
After
a five-fight winning streak was snapped with back-to-back losses
inside the cage, Hominick dealt with tragedy outside it when
longtime mentor Shawn Tompkins passed away, only to run the opposite
side of the emotional spectrum when his daughter was born.
With
everything that’s happened, Hominick told MMAWeekly.com
that it’s imperative to him to place his feelings aside
and focus on fighting’s endgame.
“Yeah,
it’s definitely been a mix of emotions this year, but I’ve
always tried to use winning as my motivator,” said Hominick.
“I
think with the ‘Korean Zombie’ (Chan Sung Jung) fight,
I wanted to win too badly. I fought really out of character by
really wanting to make a statement and fought aggressively and
paid the price. It’s weird, even after 10 years, you learn
from every mistake, and that’s what happened in that fight.”
Hominick
is seeking to get out of his professional funk at UFC 145 on
April 21 in Atlanta, against an opponent that oddly enough he’s
had to had to convince others is a dangerous fighter.
“The
thing is, with Eddie Yagan, I’ve had to sell his creditability,”
said Hominick. “He’s a longstanding veteran and has
had more years in the fight game than myself. He’s fought
a lot of tough guys who have been at the top at one point or
another and is finally getting his shot at the UFC.
“The
thing with him, he’s got a dangerous overhand right, a dangerous
guillotine as well, and he comes to fight, which I love. He’s
one of those guys who’s in there to scrap. I find those
kinds of fights exciting.”
After
last year’s setbacks, Hominick knows he’s got to toe
the line for a bit and earn his way back into contender status,
starting with UFC 145.
“Right
now I’m not thinking of next in line or anything like that,”
he said. “I’m going out there to get back on the horse
and get back on the winning streak.
“Before
the fight with Aldo, I had a five-fight winning streak, and I
want to carry that kind of momentum – that kind of steamrolling
effect – and get a string of wins and build my spot as that
number one guy. I’ve got that opportunity in front of me
for a lot of eyes to be on the fight and for me to make a statement
of where I’m at and where I’m going.”
Should
Hominick get back on track, the bigger aspiration is as it’s
always been, to claim a UFC title.
“I’ve
always just had the goal of being world champion and never really
strayed from that,” he concluded. “When I’ve come
off a loss, I’ve wanted to win the next fight. When I come
off a win, I want to win the next fight as well. I’ve always
been hungry for that and never lost focus towards that same goal.”
Source:
MMA Weekly
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UFC
in debate: can the “world’s best” be missing self-defense
moves?
As
Grandmaster Helio Gracie would say time and time again, “Can
a black belt ignore how to escape a guillotine choke? Can a champion
not know basic self-defense?” This line of questioning surfaced
again when the all-powerful Jon Jones, the young UFC champion,
paid a visit to the New York Police Department.
The
dominant owner of the light heavyweight division, historically
the most revered (and closely matched) of world MMA, took part
in a police training course and made some, shall we say, deadly
mistakes when it comes to self-defense for the armed forces and
police.
Check
out how Jon Jones did in trying his hand at police work, in an
entertaining and instructive video released last February.
Although
“Bones” Jones was clearly having a lark, it’s
also apparent that the UFC champion doesn’t have much experience
when it comes to self-defense. As a professional athlete and
model of efficiency in the octagon, do you feel Jon Jones needs
to set an example and become better versed in self-defense in
the street? Does mixed martial arts need to be complete martial
arts, or is it just entertainment?
As
the debate plays out, keep in mind two or three Jiu-Jitsu and
self-defense tricks for you to not make the same mistakes the
UFC champion made. In the first video, at the two-minute mark,
there are some ways Jiu-Jitsu helps to disarm an assailant, as
taught by black belt Ronaldo Cardoso.
Source:
Gracie Magazine
|
Bellator
CEO Rebney: Hector Lombard Offered UFC Deal, Contract Decision
Soon to Come
By Mike
Whitman
Bellator
Fighting Championships CEO Bjorn Rebney now knows what he is
up against regarding the UFC’s courtship of Hector Lombard.
The
Chicago-based promotion’s founder told Sherdog.com on Wednesday
that he recently received a copy of the UFC’s proposed contract
to Lombard and will soon make a determination on whether to re-sign
the heavy-handed southpaw.
“We’ve
received the final proposed UFC agreement from Hector’s
attorney, and right now we are in the process of reviewing it
to determine whether we’re going to match the agreement,”
Rebney told Sherdog.com on Wednesday morning. “We’ve
got the 60 pages of UFC contract that were forwarded to us by
Hector’s counsel. We’ve been waiting on the actual
contract itself to see all of the specifics and every conceivable
detail and know exactly what is being offered. Now we have something
really specific to look at.”
Bellator’s
reigning 185-pound champion, Lombard has looked unstoppable during
his three years with Rebney’s organization, winning the
company’s inaugural middleweight tournament and posting
a perfect 8-0 promotional record since his 2009 debut. Lombard’s
contract expired earlier this year and the fighter is currently
in a period where he may openly negotiate with rival promotions.
However, Lombard is not an unrestricted free agent, as Bellator
still has the right to match any competing offer.
“The
reality is that Hector is going to do extremely well whether
he is fighting in the Octagon or the Bellator circle, and I think
everybody knew that. He’s one of the best middleweights
on the face of the earth,” Rebney said. “He hasn’t
fought in a long time, and he had to wait through these periods
contractually to get to a point where he could go out and seek
an offer from a competing organization.”
While
Bellator still has a period to match the UFC’s offer, Rebney
has no desire to drag out the negotiations. Instead, he says
that the promotion will make a determination soon to avoid stringing
the fighter along.
“Out
of respect for Hector, I think we will turn [the UFC contract]
around very quickly,” said Rebney. “Obviously, we have
a huge event coming up Friday [Bellator 66]. As soon as that
is over, we will sit down with our partners and go through the
UFC contract line-for-line and make a strategic decision whether
we’re going to match it or pass. [If we pass, we will] wish
him the best and let him go knock out everybody in the UFC.”
Source
Sherdog
|
Bellator
71 First in Promotion’s Summer Series
Bellator
Fighting Championships will make its 2012 Summer Series debut
from The Mountain State when the promotion brings Bellator 71
to The Mountaineer Casino Racetrack & Resort in Chester,
West Virginia on June 22. Bellator 71 will feature the quarterfinals
of the Bellator Summer Series Light Heavyweight Tournament, along
with a host of preliminary fights.
Tickets
for the event are now on sale and can be purchased online at
Etix.com or by visiting The Mountaineer Casino Players Club.
Tickets are priced from $25-$200. The event will also be broadcast
LIVE starting at 8 p.m. EST on MTV2 and in commercial-free HD
on EPIX. Doors open at 6 p.m. EST, and the preliminary card,
featuring some of the area’s top local talent will be streamed
LIVE and FREE around the world on Spike.com starting at 7 p.m.
EST.
“We’ve
been in discussions with the team at Mountaineer Resort for quite
some time, looking to bring a major nationally and internationally
televised event to this spectacular Casino Resort” Bellator
Chairman & CEO Bjorn Rebney said. “When the chance came
to host the opener of our Summer Series, we jumped at the chance.”
Canadian
native Roger “The Hulk” Hollett will get his first
taste of tournament action when he locks horns with explosive
Slovakian finisher Attila Vegh. A 14-time Hungarian Kempo karate
champion, Vegh brings an impressive resume into the tournament
and should be a force to be reckoned with.
“I
came here to Bellator with one goal, and that’s to be the
next Bellator light heavyweight champion,” said Vegh. “Becoming
a Bellator champion is my main mission in my career. I want to
be recognized as the best light heavyweight in the world, and
after that my mission will be complete.”
Former
Bellator Light Heavyweight Tournament Finalist Rich Hale is back
for another run and will be looking to top his incredible inverted
triangle finish that earned headlines when he takes on Beau Tribolet
in opening-round action.
After
compiling a 2-0 record within the Bellator cage, longtime MMA
veteran Travis “Diesel” Wiuff will get his shot in
the Light Heavyweight Tournament in this tournament debut. Wiuff
has amassed an incredible 66 wins during his incredible MMA run,
and has his sights set on a Bellator Tournament Championship.
Finnish
submission ace Marcus Vanttinen is looking to lock up a semifinal
appearance when he battles promising Brazilian striker Philipe
Lins. Both 205-pound fighters are regarded as two of the top
light heavyweight prospects in the world, and will have their
talent on display at Bellator 71.
Source:
MMA Weekly
|
The
Quest For Champions Martial Arts Tournament 2012
Featuring:
Sport-Pankration * Submission Grappling * Continuous Sparring
Saturday, May 19, 2012
St. Louis High School Gym
9:00am
For more Information, please contact Kempo Unlimited Hawaii
kunltd@hotmail.com or 808-778-3601
Source:
Tommy Lam
|
Scrappler's
Fest is Set for May 19!
Kauai's premier BJJ and Submission Grappling tournament has secured
a date for its next event.
Scrappler's Fest
Kauai
Saturday, May 19, 2012
Start preparing your team and start saving up for the trip to
compete against Kauai's best grapplers from Kauai Technical Institute
(KTI), Powerhouse, Longman, New Breed, Kamole, amongst others.
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