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want to list an event on Onzuka.com?
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(All events on Oahu, unless noted)
2012
November
Aloha
State BJJ Championship
(BJJ
& Sub Grappling)
(Kaiser H.S. Gym)
10/20-21/12
NAGA
Hawaii
(BJJ & Sub Grappling)
(Radford 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)
(Island School, Lihue, Kauai)
The Quest For Champions
Martial Arts Tournament 2012
(Sport-Pankration, Submission Grappling, Continuous Sparring)
(St. Louis High School Gym)
5/18/12
Vendetta 4
(Kickboxing)
(Waipahu Filcom Center)
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)
|
|
May
2012 News Part 2
|
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 just started 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?
Click here for pricing and more
information!
Short term and long term advertising available.
More than
1 million hits and counting!
|
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!
|
Want to Contact
Us? Shoot us an email by Clicking Here!
Follow O2 Martial Arts news via Twitter at:
http://www.twitter.com/O2MAA
Scrappler's
Fest Team Results
Kauai's premier BJJ and Submission Grappling tournament.
Scrappler's Fest
Island School, Lihue, Kauai
Saturday, May 19, 2012
We had a great time at Scrappler's Fest yesterday. We met a lot
of new friends and hung out with many old ones. The tournament
tried something new, it actually ran ahead of schedule and the
competitors came out and fought like lions. There were great
matches and great sportsmanship. The Relson Gracie team supported
our brothers on Kauai with Referees; Rhalan Gracie, Kyle Olivares,
Dezmond Thain, Todd Tanaka, us and some of their local talent.
Thanks to some of the other school's instructors for jumping
in too! And don't forget the KTI army of loyal supporters that
did an unbelievable job.
The army of KTI's warriors along with Team Papakolea Jiu-Jitsu's
kids team and a couple of other visiting Relson Gracie school
students helped Team Relson Gracie capture the team title.
Team Title:
1st Place: Relson Gracie
2nd Place: Gracie Barra Powerhouse
3rd Place: Longman Jiu-Jitsu
|
Toughman
Hawaii Presents; King Of The Ring
Edith Kanakaole
Tennis Stadium, Hilo, Hawaii
May 26, 2012
|
Josh
Barnett Believes Strikeforce Grand Prix Will Still Go Down as
One of the Best Ever
by Damon
Martin
Throughout
his career, Josh Barnett has been a part of a great many big
fights including stints in both the UFC and Pride.
But
when the Strikeforce Heavyweight Grand Prix started, Barnett
believes they may have assembled the greatest group of fighters
to ever start for one tournament.
Unfortunately,
a couple of upsets, the fact that Alistair Overeem was removed
from the tournament, and multiple delays left a bit of a black
eye on what was potentially a fantastic tournament put on by
Strikeforce.
Still,
Barnett believes the end game with his fight against Daniel Cormier
will still pay off.
“As
a Grand Prix, this was arguably the greatest collection of heavyweights
that there had ever been put together. This is going to be a
tournament that’s going to be marred with an asterisk here
and there because of the way things turned out,” said Barnett.
“I
think when it’s all said and done if you were to watch it
front to back, you’d be hard pressed to find anybody that
could seriously say, ‘I hated this.’ I think it’s
going to shine in the end; it’s going to deliver.”
Source:
MMA Weekly
|
Voluntary
Anti-Doping Association (VADA) statement regarding Lamont Peterson
drug test disclosure
By Zach
Arnold
Statement
from the Voluntary Anti-Doping Association:
VADA’s
mission is to help protect the health and safety of athletes
who are willing to demonstrate their commitment to clean sport.
As a voluntary organization, we depend on those who share our
vision to help rid boxing and MMA of PEDs. VADA understands and
shares the disappointment that is felt by Golden Boy Promotions,
Amir Khan, the undercard fighters, HBO, and the thousands of
fans who were looking forward to Khan-Peterson II. This unfortunate
situation, however, serves to underscore the need for PED education
and the high-caliber testing procedures that VADA offers.
VADA
has respect for Richard Schaefer, GBP, and their commitment to
clean sport. However, VADA disagrees with Mr. Schaefer’s
characterizations of the contractual relationship between GBP
and VADA. The facts are as follows.
There
was never a final or signed contract between GBP and VADA. When
VADA became involved with the Peterson-Khan fight in March, the
individual athletes signed up for the VADA program and executed
the proper documentation.
VADA
was told that GBP also wanted a contract so that GBP would be
authorized to receive the testing results, including the preliminary
results from an “A” sample analysis. It is important
to understand that “A” sample results are only preliminary,
do not legally stand up by themselves, and under commonly accepted
anti-doping procedures are typically released only to the athlete.
In
order for VADA to release the preliminary “A” sample
results to a third party such as GBP, VADA requires an executed
authorization allowing us to do so. VADA sent GBP a draft contract
for its signature which would have authorized the preliminary
“A” sample results to be released to GBP. This initial
draft (which was never signed) contained a clause pursuant to
which GBP would have represented that it had obtained the necessary
authorization from the fighters. GBP’s legal team rejected
this clause and instead suggested making the fighters signatories
to the contract with their signatures being the necessary authorization.
VADA’s counsel made it clear to GBP that, if GBP wanted
to handle it this way, GBP must take responsibility for obtaining
the athlete’s signatures. Unfortunately, and to VADA’s
dismay, GBP never obtained the signatures.
Various
versions of a draft contract were sent back and forth between
GBP and VADA. The contract was never finalized. Richard Schaefer
may, or may not, have been aware of this situation. The bottom
line is that VADA had no contract with GBP. This is not a mere
technicality. It involves issues of medical ethics. VADA needed
a signed contract in order to deviate from its Results Management
Policy (posted on our website) and release the preliminary and
personal medical information to a third party. VADA still has
never received a signed contract or signed athlete authorization
from GBP.
VADA
would have been happy to inform GBP of the preliminary “A”
results. But we needed a signed authorization allowing us to
do so, which we never received.
It
has also been asked why it took so long to test the “B”
sample after the first positive test result. When VADA notified
Mr. Peterson of the adverse finding on April 13, Mr. Peterson
had one week to challenge the “A” test result and ask
for the “B” sample to be tested. During that time,
Mr. Peterson also had the opportunity to supplement his earlier
written submissions to VADA with regard to drugs and other medications
that he had used prior to the testing. Mr. Peterson’s representatives
waited eight days (until Saturday, April 21) to respond. At that
time, they did not communicate any of the “exculpatory”
material later offered to the Nevada State Athletic Commission.
Instead, they chose to challenge the positive test result, asserted
their right to be present when the “B” sample was tested,
and asked that the “B” sample be tested on Friday,
April 27th. The UCLA laboratory said that Friday was an inappropriate
day to begin testing because four consecutive days are needed
to complete the test. The sample “B” test began on
Monday, April 30th.
VADA
has complied in every way with all signed contracts that we had
and will continue to do so. VADA welcomes the discussion about
the dangers of PEDs to those who use them and to their opponents.
We also reiterate our contention that it is imperative for the
managers, promoters, and friends of these brave athletes to assist
in the education about PEDs. VADA will help in every way we can.
Our hope is that there will come a time when every test is negative.
Source:
Fight Opinion
|
Former
UFC Fighter Paul Kelly Arrested as Part of Drug Sting in England
Former
UFC fighter Paul Kelly was arrested on Monday for allegedly conspiring
to supply Class A and B drugs, according to a report from the
Liverpool Echo.
Kelly
was one of several individuals arrested in a drug-related sting
that included the execution of 14 search warrants. Police found
cannabis plants, what was believed to be heroin, firearms ammunition,
and confiscated large amounts of money in the raids, which included
several locations and other individuals besides Kelly.
Detective
Inspector Mark Kameen, who is the lead on the investigation,
stated, “This operation was part of our ongoing crackdown
on criminals involved in the illegal drugs trade.
“These
arrests demonstrate the importance of the community supplying
us with information so we can take action.”
Kelly
left the UFC following a loss to Donald Cerrone at UFC 126 last
year. He has had only one fight since, losing a unanimous decision
to Ryan Healy at Super Fight League 2 in India last month.
Now
he’ll be fighting an entirely different type of fight.
Source:
MMA WeeklY
|
Japanese
Court Declares FEG Bankrupt
There has been a lot of talk over the last few years of FEG's
financial problems, obviously the biggest being the scandal that
erupted and led to the hiatus and sale of K-1. Caught in the
crossfire of the whole ordeal was Golden Glory's Bas Boon, who
is owed somewhere in the realm of $2 million by FEG and attempted
to outright purchase K-1 before EMCOM purchased the rights to
K-1 and formed K-1 Global Holdings. In a new interview with legendary
Japanese journalist Tadashi Tanaka, Boon discusses the proceedings
in Japan, as well as his suspicions over the current K-1 brand.
"At
5 pm on May 7, the Tokyo District Court issued an order declaring
FEG bankrupt, and commenced proceedings to wind up the company.
The court ruled that FEG is insolvent and has appointed a trustee
to administer all outstanding debts of the company.
We
estimate that FEG’s debts exceed $30 Million; Golden Glory
is owed nearly $2 million, all of which is debts to fighters
and trainers. The real tragedy is for the many incredibly talented
athletes, production companies, venues, and other suppliers who
were making an honest living providing services to K1.
As
a creditor of FEG, Golden Glory hopes that this bankruptcy proceeding
will also lead to an opportunity to shed light on the parties
responsible for the company’s mismanagement and reveal what
is really going on with the K-1 brand. We are especially concerned
that some transactions will drain FEG of its remaining assets
and goodwill and leave the creditors with nothing. It does cost
a lot of money but we are confident that with the administrator
from the court we will find assets from FEG/K-1 which can be
used to pay some of the creditors.
It
is a very long and costly process to file a petition for a foreigner
in Japan."
Source:
Liver Kick
|
Text
of Dana White’s bizarre attack on Dave Meltzer
By Zach
Arnold
“It’s
about the ratings from the last Fox show. You get these reporters
who go out there and say all this [expletive] about the ratings
without knowing all the facts. Well, I’m going to lay out
the facts for you guys who don’t know a lot about television
ratings. Here it is.
“First
of all, Dave Meltzer wrote this huge story, doom and gloom story
on how the UFC and Fox is blowing this things because of the
numbers that came out. First and foremost, DAVE, you know I like
you, I respect you, but you just lost your job at Yahoo…
and you want to give us business advice? I’m actually writing
a story next week that I’m going to put out of all the ways
I think you could have, all the things that I think you could
have done to keep your job at Yahoo. That’s story is coming
out next week, Dave, you might want to read it, OK? And…
what I want to explain to all the fans out there and people who
aren’t fans about what went on, uh, on Fox 3 Cinco de Mayo.
“First
of all, we were the number one program of the night with all
key male demos. Now, I know a lot of don’t understand all
of this but I’m going to break this thing down for you and
explain it to you. During the last Quarter Hour, we ere the number
one program of the night with all adult and male demos. We peaked
at 3 million viewers during the main event, which is the way
a show is supposed to build throughout the night! Now, Kevin
Iole wrote in his story that we got beat by Shark Tank and NCIS
with total viewers. OK? Let me explain to you how that works.
Shark Tank, first of all, is a one hour show. 1.9 million of
those viewers were 50 years old and older! They were 50-plus,
60% of the people that night were 50-plus years old! The median
age on that show was 55 years old.
“And
it gets better!
“NCIS,
again a one-hour show, 3.3 million of their viewers were 55 years
old and older. OK? That’s 75% of the audience, 75% of the
people that were watching that show were over 55 years old. The
median age on that show was 63 years old. UFC on Fox median age
was 39 years old. So, what does this all mean? Oh, and one more
thing. The HUT levels that night. HUT levels that night and HUT
levels mean total viewers watching television that night were
down almost 10 million from the first Fox show that we did, down
almost 10 million viewers. 10 million people weren’t home
watching TV that night. Well, it was Cinco de Mayo. The Avengers
came out, which was you know the biggest opening in movie history.
And one other thing — the NBA Playoffs that night that went
off right around the same time we did, it was the San Antonio/Utah
game, we beat them across the board in every way, shape, and
form you can beat them. Right? Do you see the writers, uh, that
cover the NBA going out there and going, ‘Oh my God, it’s
doom and gloom, what’s going to happen to the NBA?’
Because if we beat them and our situation is so bad, what does
that say for the NBA?
“So,
my point of this whole thing is: 1) guys, do your homework. Seriously,
do your homework before you go out and start shooting your mouth
off in stories about things being a fad and doom and gloom and
all this stuff. You don’t know enough about it to t-t-talk
about it, right? And 2) Dave Meltzer, you just lost your job
at Yahoo, buddy, OK? The last thing anybody needs from you is
business advice.”
Source:
Fight Opinion
|
World
Jiu-Jitsu Expo: Watch and find out who won the supermatches
Carlos
Eduardo Ozório
Nick
Diaz was a no-show for his supermatch against Bráulio
Estima at the World Jiu-Jitsu Expo this Saturday in Long Beach,
California. Nevertheless, the quality of the bouts on the rest
of the card made up for the let-down.
Jeff
Glover surprised Pan 2012 champion Caio Terra, outpointing him
10 to 6. In a sequel to their encounter at this year’s Pan,
this time Kron Gracie managed to outdo Victor Estima. The substitute
for Kayron Gracie, who pulled out due to injury, Pan 2012 champ
Lucas Leite saw his momentum halt at Rafael Lovato by a score
of 2-0. In a showdown between veterans, Bill Cooper saw the nod
from the judges and took the win over Nino Schembri. Now in the
all-female, No-Gi Jiu-Jitsu, match, Kyra Gracie got the upper
hand over Strikeforce fighter Alexis Davis by 5-0.
Source:
Gracie Magazine
|
UFC
TV Partner Comparison (Past and Present)
The
UFC's move to FOX already looks like it's paying off. The promotions
first showing on the network with "UFC Primetime" received
an average of 2 million viewers (1.3 household rating).
I
decided to compare the coverage size of each of the UFC's television
partners, both past and present, based on the total number of
households each network is available in and the percentage of
overall national coverage.
TV
Network
Houesholds
(in million)
Coverage
%
FOX
120.6
96%
SPIKE TV
99.9
86%
FX
99.3
74%
VERSUS
76
65%
FUEL TV
32
27%
It's
no surprise that the major network FOX tops the list, and is
available in just over 120 million homes throughout the U.S.
FOX is in about 10% more homes then SPIKE. The UFC's move to
the FOX family, which includes FX and FUEL, will not only put
the promotion on more channels but they'll also be available
in more homes throughout the United States. This give's the promotion
a larger platform to help promote their Pay-Pay-View events which
remain at the core of their business model. With a decline in
the Pay-Pay-View business throughout 2011, it will be interesting
to see if the new FOX television deal will have a significant
impact in 2012 and aid the UFC's attempt of breaking into the
mainstream.
Source
MMA Metrics
|
Spike
TV pulls a page out of the Antonio Inoki playbook with King Mo
By Zach
Arnold
Yesterday,
Spike TV had a joint presser with Bellator’s Bjorn Rebney
and TNA’s Dixie Carter to announce that King Mo will be
fighting in Bellator and also wrestling in TNA. Spike TV’s
Kevin Kay is the mover-and-shaker here that was more than accommodating
in making this deal happen.
I
reserved comment until today so I could sit and think about the
decision and make a judgment on the decision. 24 hours after
the news was announced, my opinion is still the same as it was
when I initially heard the news.
For
TNA, building around King Mo while he’s doing MMA fights
in Bellator is a high risk, low reward proposition. For Bellator,
building a Light Heavyweight division around King Mo while he’s
wrestling in TNA is a low risk, high reward proposition.
For
Spike TV, I see the move as something that may move the needle
a little bit but likely won’t mean much in the end.
Terry
Funk famously once said that what happens in Japan ends up happening
in the States a decade later. His words have been rather prophetic.
Despite Bjorn Rebney trying to market King Mo’s crossover
as similar to what Bo Jackson did in baseball & football,
the more accurate comparison would be Josh Barnett or Don Frye.
What
Kevin Kay is attempting to pull off here is something that Fuji
TV producer Kunio Kiyohara would have done if PRIDE & New
Japan had been under the Fuji TV umbrella. PRIDE and Hustle existed
but Hustle was not a Fuji TV program. If it had been, Kiyohara
would have pulled the trigger.
If
TV Asahi had PRIDE under its umbrella while owning a piece of
New Japan in the late 90s, their producers would have made the
same decision. Because PRIDE was on Fuji TV & K-1 was on
Fuji TV and Tokyo Broadcasting System, Asahi didn’t really
benefit from the crossover between New Japan wrestlers on the
kakutougi platforms on other networks.
If
you’re a long-time reader of this web site, you know the
history of what happened in Japan a decade ago. After the death
of pseudo-shoot promotion UWF International, the main players
involved in UWF-Inter formulated PRIDE. When Inoki saw the MMA
boom take off, he wanted to get New Japan wrestlers involved
in order to blur the lines. He saw stagnation in the business
numbers of New Japan, so he played off of his old Showa Era booking
tendencies and ended up sending the New Japan boys into shoot
situations. Conversely, he brought MMA players into the fold
on the wrestling side of the equation.
Inoki
rewarded those wrestlers who won in real fights by giving them
title runs in New Japan, the ‘fantasy fight’ promotion.
Those wrestlers who lost in real fights ended up suffering some
real damage to their careers that took years to recover from.
The end result of this policy was that we got major title runs
from “Hollywood” Tadao Yasuda, a former Sumo wrestler
who never made a great transition to wrestling, and Kazuyuki
Fujita — a man who did better in both fields but was a colorless
personality and thus didn’t get over like Inoki thought
he could.
The
end result is that after making such a mess out of New Japan,
Antonio Inoki sold New Japan to Yukes.
What
Spike TV is trying to accomplish with King Mo is an interesting
experiment, one that they probably decided to emulate less on
what happened in Japan and more on what’s happened with
Brock Lesnar & Kurt Angle’s goofy deulsions of wanting
to cross-over between the two industries. Lesnar being the #1
UFC PPV attraction immediately signaled the huge cross-over between
pro-wrestling fans and MMA fans. MMA attracts less ‘real
sports’ fans and more wrestling/entertainment fans. So,
naturally, Spike TV put two and two together to try to pull off
the experiment they are about to attempt here with King Mo.
However,
there are a lot of roadblocks in this upcoming experiment.
King
Mo has health issues. The issue of his body holding up long-term
between the punishment of MMA training and the punishment of
in-ring wrestling performances is a very real challenge. This
has nothing to do with desire but more to do with how much his
body can hold up. Ask Don Frye about this challenge. He turned
out to be one of the most successful cross-over stars ever in
Japan. He grew up as a wrestling fan just like Mo did. If King
Mo is 50% of what Don Frye became as a major heel in Japan, then
Spike TV will have a blockbuster success on their hands.
The
problem for Spike TV & King Mo is TNA. TNA is not New Japan.
New Japan had minds like Riki Choshu, Masa Chono, and Antonio
Inoki who had enough smarts and experience to be able to capitalize
on at least some of the potential that guys like Don Frye demonstrated.
TNA, however, is a promotion with absolutely no successful track
record whatsoever. The brand is permanently damaged, no matter
how many different names you give the operation.
Here’s
the major problem with TNA — no matter how hard the talented
wrestlers work, the least talented wrestlers get rewarded. With
TNA, the matchmaking is consistently atrocious. Even if you do
fix the matchmaking, the problems don’t end there. About
every six months, I watch a TNA show just to see if the product
has changed or evolved in terms of respectability. Every time
I watch a TNA show, there’s always something there that
reminds me why I hate TNA in the first place. If it’s not
the matchmaking, it’s the small-time amusement park atmosphere
that is portrayed on television. It looks like a product where
someone decided to try to recreate RAW in the basement of your
house. Given the expectations that all sports fans have today
in terms of ambiance and crowd size, TNA’s atmosphere comes
across as apathetic and Mickey Mouse in nature.
In
addition to spotty matchmaking and a small-time vibe that screams
out on your TV, the production values of TNA are absolutely terrible.
There is constant cutting back-and-forth between backstage ->
to the ring -> to the entrance way. From one minute to the
next, the fps (frames per second) rate is always changing. One
minute it’s normal, the next minute it’s super-slow,
and another minute there’s some sort of filter applied that
makes watching TNA a downright awful television experience. Anyone
who doesn’t fully comprehend what I am talking about can
get a better understanding if they spend a Thursday night watching
TNA for 2 hours and then watch Bellator’s program on MTV2
on Friday night. The difference between the two operations in
terms of production values is stunningly wide. Bellator is smooth
and professional. TNA is anything but.
The
biggest reason why King Mo’s run in TNA will not move the
needle dramatically for TNA’s PPV business is because TNA
is what I call a treadmill promotion. When you get on a treadmill,
no matter how slow or how fast you run on that machine, you always
end up in the same place you were to begin with. No much how
little or how much energy your expend, the results are always
the same. That is TNA in a nutshell. When it comes to matchmaking,
ambiance, and production, TNA is the same as it’s always
been. Because these constants do not dramatically change, you
get the same damn results every single year. In many ways, TNA
is an anomaly from what we have seen from other notable wrestling
promotions throughout history. Companies like WWE, New Japan,
All Japan, CMLL, and AAA have all had boom-bust cycles. The territories,
including the Memphis-Nashville-Louisville circuit, had a boom-bust
cycle depending on what programs were being promoted. And, yet,
TNA has no such cycle. They draw the same million viewers every
single TV show and the same barely-five-figures ceiling for PPV
buy rates.
So,
on the TNA front, King Mo will have not much of an Impact, pardon
the pun. In Bellator, however, his impact will be much greater
if he can win his fights. Why? Bellator needs star power. If
Mo can draw some TNA fans to Bellator, that’s a win for
Spike TV/Bellator. As Brock Lesnar has demonstrated, there is
a clear cross-over between the two audiences even if the products
are very different. The reason is because pro-wrestling fans
view MMA as a substitute product when the wrestling product stinks.
The minute WWE does something right again, all of a sudden the
wrestling fans start speaking up very quickly when there’s
any sort of ray of hope. Of course, those rays of hope quickly
dash and they go back to watching MMA. Because of the failure
of pro-wrestling to entertain fans, this will be to Bellator’s
benefit if they can infiltrate and get even 10% of TNA’s
audience to watch their product.
Eventually,
Bellator’s going to go to a PPV model. It’s bound to
happen. If they can suck away TNA”s audience just like PRIDE
sucked away the audience from the Japanese pro-wrestling companies
10-15 years ago, then the King Mo experiment will work nicely
for them. For TNA? Don’t expect much of a benefit in the
end. They will be dumbfounded when the experiment benefits Bellator
but not them — and, typically, they won’t get why it
doesn’t help their company’s bottom line.
Source:
Fight Opinion
|
TUF
Live TV Ratings Remain Flat Through Week 10
Even
with two quarterfinal bouts on the same night, The Ultimate Fighter:
Live is still stuck in its TV ratings rut.
Episode
10 of the series pulled in 948,000 viewers, according to MMAWeekly.com’s
industry sources.
That’s
right in line with what the show has been pulling since mid-season.
TUF: Live is currently averaging 1.048 million viewers per episode,
and that’s only because the first four episodes pulled in
slightly over one million per show.
The
quarterfinal round of the season 15 lightweight tournament got
underway on Friday night with Team Faber’s Mike Chiesa and
Team Cruz’s James Vick winning their respective bouts, moving
into the semifinal round.
The
semifinal round takes place on May 25 on FX, followed by the
TUF: Live finale on June 1.
UFC
president Dana White has maintained that they will continue to
tweak the show, as he hasn’t been pleased with the ratings
it has drawn on FX. Fox executives, however, insist that they
are happy with the show’s Friday night performance, particularly
in their key advertising demographics.
Source:
MMA Weekly
|
Scrappler's
Fest Today!
Kauai's premier BJJ and Submission Grappling tournament.
Scrappler's Fest
Island School, Lihue, Kauai
Saturday, May 19, 2012
Kids start at 10AM
Island School (behind Kauai Community College)
Weigh ins - Friday, May 18
Registration fees:
$45 Women and kids
$65 Men
Late registration (registration on Saturday)
$10 extra
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 Today
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
|
Cesar
Gracie Points to Promoter for World Jiu-Jitsu Expo Fiasco; Admits
Diaz Had Faults As Well
by Damon
Martin
Following
a tumultuous weekend at the World Jiu-Jitsu Expo that ended with
UFC competitor Nick Diaz no showing his super fight with multi-time
Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu champion Braulio Estima, the fighter’s
manager has responded with an explanation of the events that
surrounded his exit from the match.
Diaz’s
coach and manager, Cesar Gracie, posted late Monday night on
his personal website GracieFighter.com, a lengthy explanation
as to why the Stockton Bad Boy failed to show up to his match-up
with Estima.
According
to Gracie, the event was mishandled at several points by promoter
Nalty Junior, who organized the event along with Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu
legend Renzo Gracie.
Gracie
states in full his side of the story that unfolded last Saturday
in California:
My
decision to write an account of what happened this weekend is
not to answer to the detractors of myself or my team, as no explanation
is owed them. It is instead based on my acknowledgement and respect
to our fans and supporters. I never thought I would be answering
for something that happened at a grappling tournament, however
with the worldwide popularity of the sport and my team increasing,
I understand that our supporters need answers.
Below
is a compilation of events in chronological order. I included
the behind the scenes problems we had to let you, our supporters,
know how things deteriorated.
Facts
In
the month of February I was contacted by a Brazilian named Junior
asking me if I wanted to participate in an Expo\Jiu-jitsu tournament.
The goal was to put one of our team’s stars in the event
to attract sponsors and ensure it was successful. The event was
not that far away and they desperately needed exposure. Junior
stated that he was working with my uncle Rilion and my cousin
Renzo on this project and they were in fact partners.
Rilion
and Renzo are 2 people that I greatly admire and respect and
I was more than happy to partner up with them.I discussed the
idea with Nick Diaz and he readily agreed to enter in the black
belt gi division. He did not seek any reimbursement. Junior thought
it better for Nick to do a super fight as he thought this would
be more of a spectacle and bring in more attention.
Nick
was not as enthusiastic but agreed on the condition that whoever
was picked to go against him was not an MMA fighter. He knew
even a mediocre MMA fighter would try to use a match and/or victory
over him to further their career in MMA. Nick believes a reputation
as a fighter should only be earned in a ring or cage.
I
relayed this to Junior and he agreed to arrange for a strict
jiu-jitsu competitor.
In
March I received the disturbing news from Rilion that Junior
had broken his agreement with him. Rilion stated to me that Junior
was registering all World Jiu-jitsu Expo names under his name
alone and was no longer taking his phone calls. When contacted
by me, Junior stated that he would no longer honor his financial
obligations to Rilion because “Rilion was doing nothing
and treats me like one of his clerks”.
He
then went on a tirade about Rilion which I interrupted and reminded
him that Rilion was my family member and I would not listen to
someone speaking negatively about him.
This
rift left me in a dilemma. My instinct was to sever ties immediately.
Rilion was my original jiu-jitsu instructor and his reputation
as an honest person was impeccable. On the other hand we had
already committed Diaz and Caio Terra.
Our
removal would destroy an event Renzo provided all of the funding
for.
I consulted with Rilion who advised me to move forward with the
event. He was the one that had brought Renzo into this project
and convinced Renzo to fund it. He also still believed in the
idea of an American tournament that paid the best BJJ guys on
the planet to showcase their skills.
We
agreed to move forward without him since at this stage Junior
had entrenched himself and his removal was impossible. Lastly
Rilion warned me that Junior was not to be trusted and would
undoubtedly try to cheat me and Renzo.
In
early April I got the call from Junior asking what I thought
of a Braulio Estima vs Nick Diaz matchup. I had heard of Braulio
and knew he was a formidable jiu-jitsu practitioner. I was under
the impression that Braulio competed in the close to 200lbs weight
category.
When
I asked Junior he assured me that Braulio could weigh in as little
as 175 lbs right before the match.
I presented his information to Nick who accepted the matchup
and seemed happy to go against the top BJJ player in the world
at that weight. Nick started training for the match and I brought
up several BJJ black belts to compliment his training.
Looking
through some of Estima’s YouTube videos, it was soon discovered
that he had in fact been planning on entering upon a career in
MMA. We wondered if the match with Diaz was a way to create a
buzz around him and get him signed with a prominent organization.
I
called Junior who assured me Estima would not be fighting in
MMA and that he had spoken with him and been assured he had given
up on the idea of ever fighting. Junior reiterated, “Cesar
I spoke with Braulio, the guy is in his 30's, he has a family
and doesn’t want to live that type of life at this stage
in his life…etc”
I
repeated this info to Nick.
A
week or so later it was all over the Internet that Braulio had
joined the “Blackzilians” and was training for an MMA
fight. We had been lied to. Furthermore it was evident that Nick’s
sole condition that he not go against a wanna be MMA guy was
violated and this was in fact an attempt by Braulio to ignite
an MMA career.Nick was to have been accurately portrayed as a
fighter returning to his BJJ roots.
He
had even agreed to give his entire purse to charity; St Jude’s
Children’s Hospital for kids with cancer. If you know the
story of Ralph Gracie’s son you would understand why this
charity was chosen. Nick’s name having been added to this
event had saved it but now it was clear he was to be the patsy,
not respected but used.
Despite
all of this Nick was still going to compete.
He
brought up Kron Gracie and prepared himself. Around this time
I was informed by Junior that Braulio wanted to weigh in the
day before and not right before the match as is the custom in
IBJJ competitions and Abu Dhabi. At the time Nick was about 186lbs
so I consented to both guys weighing in at 180lbs the night before.
Nick
boarded a plane on Friday for Long Beach having cut 6 pounds
for the weigh in that night.
On
his way there I got a call from Junior telling me Braulio would
not be making weight! ”Cesar Braulio is complaining about
the weight cut. Can we have him weigh in tomorrow? He can’t
make the weight tonight how about 185 in the morning?”
Nick
arrives in Long Beach to the news that there will be no weigh
ins that night. As a professional with over 30 fights this was
the final straw. The disrespect and total lack of professionalism
given him convinced him he was at a circus not a professional
event.
At
3:20 in the morning I received a text from Junior that Braulio
would in fact make the 180lbs weight class at 10:00AM. With no
other option available I said fine I’ll check with Nick
in the morning. At 10:00AM Braulio did weigh in at 180lbs but
by that time Nick had already left.
Gracie
then interjects his own opinion on the scenario that led to the
treatment received by the promoter prior to the bout taking place:
Opinion
As
a Brazilian I love Brazil but not all things Brazilian. In the
last decade I have witnessed Brazilian cronies running the IBJJF
and making it impossible for Americans to get a fair shake when
competing against their Brazilian countrymen. These cronies have
instituted rules to where if you miss weight by even half a pound
you are disqualified and not refunded your entry fee.
They
gladly keep your money and treat you like crap in your country
because they can. One of these cronies (Junior) decided to bend
all the rules for Braulio Estima and treat Nick Diaz like crap.
Sorry that didn’t work out here.
As
for Braulio I still respect him as a great BJJ artist. As far
as calling Nick out for a MMA fight, he knows that is impossible
because Nick is signed with the UFC and in MMA you have to make
weight when they want you to. Not when you want to. If Braulio
ever finds success in MMA then he can mention Nick’s name
for a fight. Right now he should respect the man.
In
closing, Gracie didn’t let Diaz off the hook for his misdeeds,
which included cutting off all communication with his team and
manager prior the expo’s final match taking place.
Nick
is not without fault by any means. His lack of communication
with his team and coach was inexcusable. This will be addressed
privately.
Renzo
and I have spoken and we are committed to continuing with this
otherwise awesome event….without the services of Junior.
It
should be noted that Nick paid to St Jude’s Children’s
Hospitable the sum of what would have been his entire purse.
MMAWeekly.com
will have an exclusive interview later this week with World Jiu-Jitsu
Expo promoter Nalty Junior later this week to respond to Gracie’s
claims.
Source:
MMA Weekly
|
Open
mouth, insert foot: Keith Kizer’s attack on Dr. Margaret
Goodman backfires (updated with crash course link)
By Zach
Arnold
We
are working on a primer article for boxing fans in regards to
the testosterone issue that has been raised as a result of the
failed drug test of Lamont Peterson. The purpose of the article
is to inform the boxing media and fans about the testosterone
scam that so many MMA fans have had to put up with for years
now.
What’s
been interesting, at least for me, has been the reaction of boxing
fans to the news of Peterson testing positive for synthetic testosterone.
The negative response from fans, promoters, and media towards
Peterson has been universal. You won’t find many people
defending Lamont Peterson. Contrast that with the response you
get from MMA fans online whenever someone is exposed for using
testosterone or gets a hall pass for Testosterone Replacement
Therapy. The reaction varies wildly in the MMA community based
on who the fighter is and whether or not people support the person
in the first place. It’s hypocritical, but hopefully attitudes
change as more testosterone users get exposed.
One
individual who we have had issues with on the testosterone scam
is Keith Kizer, the Executive Director of the Nevada State Athletic
Commission. This is a man who, less than two months ago, publicly
said that he doesn’t want testosterone usage to become ‘a
scarlet letter’ for fighters. He made this comment in response
to a question during a major interview on the issue by Josh Gross
on ESPN Radio. The question was in relation to the preaching
of testosterone usage by UFC fighter Quinton “Rampage”
Jackson. Take a look at what Keith Kizer said to Josh Gross:
“We
probably had about, maybe, a couple of handful of athletes over
the years ask for it and, like I said, I’ve had three guys
who competed on it, so not much… but I have a feeling, like
I said, from the recent influx of people e-mailing me or calling
me and wanting to know, ‘well, what’s the procedure,
my doctor says I have this issue,’ and, okay, well, if that’s
true, you’re going to have to jump through all these hoops.
I mean, again, we require what WADA requires and then some additional
things. So, I’m not sure how you can get more serious than
that? But on the flip side, too, I don’t want it to be a
scarlet letter, you know. I mean, that seems to be the attitude.
You see some people, even some people that have medical degrees
make comments like, ‘well, they should not allow any TRT
exemptions.’ Really? Really? That’s about the most
ridiculous thing that I’ve ever heard in my life! That’s
one thing.”
As
we pointed out in the article in which I am quoting from here,
Keith Kizer recently has a history of making public comments
that are intended to be verbal jabs at Dr. Margaret Goodman,
who operates the Voluntary Anti-Doping Association.
(A
perfect example of Kizer’s petulant behavior towards Dr.
Goodman can be read here.)
So,
why is he mad at Dr. Goodman? She doesn’t believe in Therapeutic
Use Exemptions for testosterone, he does. He says testosterone
usage shouldn’t be used as a scarlet letter against fighters.
Dr. Goodman believes that the T/E ratio for standard urine tests
with athletic commissions should be on a 4:1 ratio instead of
a 6:1 ratio. While Kizer has softened his stance recently on
this topic, he has been an ardent defender of a 6:1 T/E ratio
in the past.
So,
despite the Nevada State Athletic Commission cooperating with
VADA for supplemental drug testing, there’s clearly a history
here with Kizer and his difference of opinion with Dr. Goodman.
We’ve been consistent in pointing this out when others will
not do so.
Lamont
Peterson failed a VADA drug test due to synthetic testosterone
being revealed in his urine sample. According to Peterson’s
camp, the fighter had been given testosterone pellets by a doctor
due to low testosterone levels. The pellets were allegedly designed
as such so that the levels of testosterone absorbed would be
at lower levels and thus would mean a lower T/E ratio than most
synthetic testosterone users who get caught with high T/E ratios
right after said usage.
Richard
Schaefer of Golden Boy has been furiously blaming both Peterson
and Dr. Goodman/VADA because of how late in the game the disclosure
of the failed A sample was revealed. Schaefer doesn’t really
have a case here, as we’ll explain here in a second.
Schaefer
isn’t the only one who is blaming Dr. Goodman about the
date in which the test result was disclosed. Keith Kizer decided
to take a shot at Dr. Goodman over this with Rick Reeno in an
interview that I suspect, after further scrutiny, Kizer wishes
he had not agreed to in the first place.
The
Executive Director wants the fans to know that they’ve been
punished by Dr. Goodman’s actions. I’m not kidding.
BoxingScene.com:
Would this entire issue have been avoided if VADA, or someone
from Team Peterson, would have informed your commission, or the
other parties, about the positive test back in April?
Keith
Kizer: I don’t know what the deal is. I’ve heard two
different stories. I’ve heard they were supposed to let
Khan and Golden Boy know and they didn’t. I’ve also
heard they didn’t have that obligation to do so, but I don’t
understand why they wouldn’t have built that into the agreement.
As
you know, very similar, we caught Mr. [Alistair] Overeem with
a failed drug test, very similar. It was a urine sample that
was taken in March and a positive result came back in April.
We immediately informed Mr. Dos Santos, we immediately let the
UFC know, we immediately let the MGM know and there will be a
fight for Mr. [Junior] Dos Santos on May 26th and there will
be a card. All of the undercard fighters will get their fights
on May 26th so the fight fans and the clean fighters are not
penalized by this.
Why
VADA would penalize the clean fighters and the fight fans by
not disclosing it is something that you would have to ask Dr.
[Margaret] Goodman, but I do have to give her and her group credit
for catch this positive test. But I do think that they have to
re-look at their reporting procedures.
Let’s
explain why this answer is a bad one by Kizer here.
First
off, the disclosure protocols by VADA in regards to the drug
test result for Lamont Peterson falls in line with the disclosure
process in the biggest professional sports leagues. When an athlete
has a positive test result with their A sample, they can either
accept the finding or they can appeal the result and have their
B sample tested. If the B sample test affirms the A sample test
result, then the test result is revealed. This is exactly the
process in which the result of the synthetic testosterone finding
was disclosed.
Second,
VADA entered into agreements with both Amir Khan and Lamont Peterson.
They are supplementally drug testing the fighters, while the
Nevada State Athletic Commission is supposed to be the main drug
testing regulatory body. Richard Schaefer admitted that he did
not sign a contract with VADA, so he has no leg to stand on here
in regards to why he didn’t find out sooner about Peterson’s
failed test result.
I
sympathize with Richard in terms of looking at this situation
from his shoes as a promoter. The fight has been cancelled for
May 19th and he has to find Khan a new opponent. However, this
is the risk you take if you want a clean sport.
The
reason Kizer took a shot at Dr. Goodman here about the disclosure
date of the test result is because this is not the protocol that
state athletic commissions follow. If a fighter fails a drug
test based on a positive finding in their A sample, that test
result is immediately revealed. If a fighter appeals, it’s
only after the public disclosure of the A sample. This disclosure
process is different than how the disclosure works for major
professional sports leagues.
That’s
difference number one. Difference number two, however, is a sleight-of-hand
comment by Kizer in regards to comparing the failed drug test
results of Alistair Overeem and Lamont Peterson.
The
reason Alistair Overeem got caught by the Nevada State Athletic
Commission is because the T/E ratio came back in the teens on
the T side of the equation. That’s why he got caught. There
was nothing fancy here with the standard urine test that Nevada
used to catch him.
But
what about Lamont Peterson? Would a standard Nevada urine test
have caught his cheating? Comically, Kizer admits the following
and allows his beef with Dr. Goodman to get the best of him:
BoxingScene.com:
If VADA was not involved, a lot of people have asked if this
was something that the Nevada Commission would have caught in
Peterson’s system?
Keith
Kizer: Probably not from the facts that I know. His [testosterone]
level, by his doctor, was kept under 4 to 1, which is the lowest
level used… some use 4 to 1 and some use 6 to 1. Even VADA
uses 4 to 1, but they also use this CIR [carbon isotope ratio]
test to detect synthetic testosterone regardless of your level
and that’s what happened here.
My
understanding is that his level was 3.77 to 1… and I don’t
know if that was a purposeful attempt to conceal [his use] by
keeping it under 4 to 1 or not. That’s a question for someone
else and not for me. But regardless, the CIR was able to catch
it without the level being high.
Kizer
admits that a standard Nevada State Athletic Commission drug
test would not have caught Peterson using synthetic testosterone
because his T/E ratio was below 4:1. He admits that the reason
the VADA test caught Peterson is because they use the Carbon
Isotope Ratio standard for urine testing, which does in fact
catch synthetic testosterone usage.
What
makes this amusing is that when a fighter appeals a positive
drug test result after their A sample is tested in Nevada, the
drug testing standard Nevada uses on appeal for the B sample
is… the Carbon Isotope Ratio standard. If this sounds horribly
backwards to you, that’s because it absolutely is. Kizer
admits here that the CIR standard they use on appeals for the
B sample is not what they use for A sample testing, which is
why Peterson didn’t fail a Nevada drug test in the first
place.
Peterson’s
camp admitted that he was using testosterone pellets last November,
which was before his first fight with Khan. He didn’t get
caught then on a standard drug test, did he?
As
I’ve repeatedly said about Keith Kizer, this is a guy who
desperately wants to be a celebrity commissioner but doesn’t
want any of the media scrutiny that comes with the territory.
In about 98% of the interviews he does, he’s never challenged
on the contradicting statements he makes. When he is challenged,
as he was by Mauro Ranallo over the issue of why Kizer considers
marijuana to be a performance-enhancing drug, he gets hostile
& catty to a point of unbearable whin rhetoric.
Boxing
fans and media scribes may not have a lot in common with MMA
fans, but they can certainly follow the trials & tribulations
of what’s taken place in MMA circles in regards to drug
testing and follow along as to what the future looks like when
you have fighters proclaiming their need for testosterone &
PEDs because of hypogonadism.
We’re
here to help — and happy to do so.
Source:
Fight Opinion
|
VINNY
MAGALHAES CLAIMS $100,000 EBAY SALE OF M-1 CHALLENGE BELT
By Dave
Doyle
Vinny
Magalhaes is done fighting for M-1 Global, but he apparently
still managed to use the company to make a hefty payday.
The
man still recognized by M-1 as light heavyweight champion put
his title belt for sale on EBay. As of Tuesday morning, the page
was gone, as Magalhaes announced over Twitter he had sold the
gold for $100,000.
On Monday's edition of The MMA Hour, Magalhaes, who is waiting
out a period in which M-1 can match contract offers from other
promotions after a bitter parting of the ways, explained his
motivations for putting the belt up for sale.
"Somehow
I cannot fight until September or so, so I may as well just keep
myself relevant by making news," he told MMAFighting.com's
Ariel Helwani.
Most
fans remember Magalhaes for his stint on the "The Ultimate
Fighter 6," where he lost to Ryan Bader in the season finale
card. Since then, Magalhaes, a Rio de Janeiro native and ADCC
gold medalist, has gone 7-1. That includes all five of his victories
in M-1, where he hooked on in 2010, with all of his wins coming
via stoppage.
The marriage between fighter and promotion came went south when
a public war of words ensued between Magalhaes and M-1 representative
Evgeni Kogan. Magalhaes claimed Kogan was openly rooting for
his opponent during Magalhaes' last M-1 fight.
"I've
never had a problem with M-1 as a company," he said. "They
always paid me for the fights they were supposed to. My only
problem is with Evgeni Kogan, which was a personal problem. He
was at in my last fight, he decided to root against me, and since
that day things haven't gone well."
Magalhaes
doesn't regret making his complaints with Kogan public.
"I
mean, when he rooted against me he didn't do it behind the scenes,"
Magalhaes said. "He made it public ... He said I was an
unemployed gigolo fighter, what does that even mean, is he calling
me a prostitute?"
His
contract expired at the end of December, but not without several
hitches.
"I
have no obligations to fight for them." he said. "I
had a contract to fight for them through January. They had a
show in November, they didn't use me, they had a show in December,
they didn't use me, and in January my contract expired."
Because
Magalhaes held the belt, though, the company had a 60-day window
in which they could exclusively negotiate with Magalhaes, followed
by a 120-period in which they could match any offer from another
promotion.
This
means he won't be free to deal with other promoters without M-1's
interference until July. But that's OK with him.
"I've
just decided not to talk to anyone for 120 days," he said.
"So if there's no one to talk to, there's no offer, and
if there's no offer, there's nothing [for M-1] to match. Sometime
in July I can walk away and sign with whoever I want."
In
the interim, the Xtreme Couture fighter is keeping busy by helping
train Chael Sonnen for his July rematch with Anderson Silva.
Magalhaes confirmed to The MMA Hour that he has received death
threats from fellow Brazilians for working with Sonnen, who has
made no secret about his thoughts for the country.
"It might just be some kid trying to be the tough guy on
the Internet," said Magalhaes. "But nothing you think
it actually might happen."
It
would seem inevitable for Magalhaes to return to the UFC. He
welcomes the notion, and he says he would like another chance
to fight Bader, who TKOd him in their bout. He makes it clear,
though, that he's not specifically trying to troll Bader for
a rematch.
"I
fought Ryan Bader, that's the only fight anyone remembers,"
he said. "Everyone says I got a glass jaw, I got dropped,
but in reality, that's the only fight that I ever lost by TKO,
that's the only fight ever. TUF finals, I've never been dropped
or KOd oterh than that fight. Everyone says I have a glass jaw
because of that fight, but that's the only one. I want to give
payback to Bader because he's the one who forced me into that
situation."
"I
won't walk into UFC and call out Bader. He's a top-six fighter
right now. You don't want to walk into a promotion and start
calling out people. But if I get two or three wins, maybe I can
get a fight with him."
Magalhaes,
of course, know the perils of Ebay, so it remains to be seen
whether the high bidder will actually follow through.
"I
don't know if these bidders are for real, if they're going to
really spend $14,000 [the high bid at the time of the interview]
on a belt that isn't worth not even a dollar, so it's up to them
to pay that much. Maybe they're looking to pay that much because
it's my belt not because its an M-1 belt."
Source:
MMA Fighting
|
Dana
White Misses UFC on Fuel TV 3; Heading into Surgery on Wednesday
by Damon
Martin
Eleven
years.
That’s
how long it’s been since UFC president Dana White missed
a live fight card, but Tuesday night’s UFC on Fuel TV 3
event will break that streak.
The
event taking place in Fairfax, Va., on Tuesday that features
a main event pitting Dustin Poirier against “The Korean
Zombie” Chan Sung Jung will be sans Dana White, who has
to undergo surgery in Los Angeles on Tuesday.
White
revealed the news via Twitter prior to the fights.
“First
fight I will miss in 11 years and it is killing me,” White
wrote. “I have to have surgery in L.A. tomorrow or trust
me I would be (there).”
Later
in the Twitter conversation with fans, White revealed that he
is having surgery for Meniere’s disease.
According
to PubMed Health online, Meniere’s disease is a condition
when fluid in the inner ear gets too high, and it can affect
balance and hearing, and also resembles a more severe case of
Vertigo.
Approximately
50,000 to 100,000 develop Meniere’s disease per year.
“I’m
hoping to be in and out quick,” wrote White. “I have
no time for this (expletive), but it has to be done.”
Source:
MMA Weekly
|
Jonathan
Gottschall, the intellectual who embraced MMA and went toe to
toe
Marcelo
Dunlop
A
39-year-old professor of English Literature in Pennsylvania,
USA, Jonathan Gottschall has published six books and a number
of interesting theories. Some of them may even be revolutionary,
like the one about the importance of works of fiction in the
development of the human race, a theses he presented in his latest
book, The Storytelling Animal: How Stories Make Us Human.
In
other words, he’d be a nutty intellectual like all the rest,
were it not for one detail: his fixation for MMA, a sport he
started practicing a year and a half ago, for which his brutal
curiosity led him to… step into the ring and go toe to toe
just a few weeks ago.
“By
practicing MMA I learned, above all, that I’m a man of contradictions.
I didn’t do it for personal reasons, but intellectual ones.
I wanted to understand why men fight in ritual combat and the
reasons that lead a gentle personal like myself to delight in
these spectacles of barbarity,” said the writer.
An
interview with Gottschall was featured in the latest issue of
Brazil’s Veja magazine, more excerpts of which you will
find to come:
WHY
MAN FIGHTS
“Both
literature and social sciences have shown that through combat
man pursues status. It may seem like a vain reason but status
determines where an individual figures in the hierarchies. Being
at the bottom of the hierarchy, both for man and animals, is
a bad place to be—and of course, it’s an obvious risk
to survival.”
UFC,
MMA AND EVOLUTION
“When
I started watching, back in the 1990s, I was impressed by the
violence of the sport. I couldn’t believe such a form of
fighting could be legal. Honestly, the fights turned my stomach.
I still get sickened by some situations. MMA doesn’t impose
limits on aggressiveness. Besides being the utmost expression
of human brutality, it is a very eclectic style, one that accepts
modification and is in constant evolution. Other styles, like
karate and judo, have established rules, don’t incorporate
new moves. I’ll go out on a limb and say that MMA is the
most evolved form of martial art.”
THE
FIGHT AND THE DISAPPOINTMENT
“It
was my first and last fight. I don’t want to do it again.
I was defeated by armbar, but that wasn’t the problem. The
worst part was the ultimate anticlimax. I wasn’t sweaty
or even tired. After a year and a half of training, dieting and
a month of anxiety leading up to my stepping in the cage, I was
disappointed. It all went so quickly. I was hoping for something
more epic, prolonged and brutal. Something like Homer’s
Odyssey or Iliad.”
Source:
Gracie Magazine
|
Braulio
Estima Responds to Cesar Gracie Statement
by Chris
Leslie
Nick
Diaz’s Coach and Manager Cesar Gracie recently released
a statement on his student’s recent no-show for his superfight
at the World BJJ-Expo. The statement placed most of the blame
on the promoter “Junior” and opponent Braulio Estima.
Estima (a 3x world BJJ champion and 2009 ADCC absolute champion)
took offense to parts of the statement, namely the assertions
that he hid his MMA aspirations, his weight, and about Cesar’s
explanation of the night’s events.
Estima
responded over twitter stating (misspellings have been corrected):
Hi
César I was reading your statement. very interesting points..
1st-
When Junior approached me to offer me the fight I was actually
training at the Blackzilians at the time so obviously I was training
MMA. Junior told me about Nick not wanting to fight an MMA fighter.
I never fought before so [Junior] said it was fine & why
[didn't you] cancel the fight before if this was really an issue..??
2nd-
Nobody has ever bended no rules for me. Because there was no
rules set to start off with, it wasn’t going to be a UFC
match but a superfight on a BJJ Expo so the whole point here
was for us to show a fight.. has Nick signed a contract that
stated the date time and weight that we both need to reach? I
didn’t. And since this whole thing was going to be a friendly
event I really don’t see any issue here even if Nick turned
up 10lbs overweight. Still when asked I went and dropped the
weight to meet the requirement. Actually to put things straight
it was myself that called Junior around 10pm Friday to check
if there is going to be a weigh in at all. He kept contacting
you and got back to me saying I need to be 180 that time, of
course I said I can’t for the simple reason I was away in
Irvine and it was already late at night but I said sure no problem
I’ll make it first thing in the morning if needed, even
if it would put me in a bigger disadvantage I didn’t care
I just came to fight. Junior had actually called me back no later
than midnight that he spoke to you and confirmed the weigh in
for 10am.
Besides
when did Nick actually weigh in? And who witnessed that if we
are being so strict and professional?
3rd
– You are saying Nick had left by 10am Saturday morning?
Why you never said anything then? I even asked you I’d like
to see him and his weight and you said he’s not gonna come
down because he ate already and wouldn’t make the weight
anymore. And Lana, after speaking to you, called his room and
said he was actually there sleeping. Nobody at any point had
mentioned he could have left. Leaving me believing we would fight
till the very last minute, now you’re talking about lack
of professionalism in the organisation of the superfight and
this was very professional behaviour right?
There
is many more points here that I don’t agree with but I am
just fed up of this whole situation and don’t agree for
anyone to ever release the blame from Nick for whatever reason,
we were there to fight and that’s what should happen no
excuses, we are both professional athletes and should respect
one another no matter what. And this is inexcusable.
Estima’s
possible MMA career was never a hidden, but his debut has been
delayed multiple times for various reasons. Estima had been set
to face Bellator’s Rick Hawn before their card was scrapped
due to a legal dispute with the Shine Fights headliner, Ricardo
Mayorga.
In
the end, it will likely never be fully known what transpired
prior to Diaz no-showing the match but it appears that informality
of the event combined with the lack of clear communication, between
the promoter and both camps, lead to confusion on all sides.
What is known is that no one informed the promoters of Nick’s
absence and even Cesar Gracie did not acknowledge an issue until
he tweeted before Diaz was supposed to walk onto the mat. What
is unfortunate is that the no-show has overshadowed what was
an amazing display of BJJ from the superfights that did occur.
Source:
MMA Frenzy
|
“Cigano’s
Jiu-Jitsu is better”, says coach
by Guilherme
Cruz
On
the last weeks, Frank Mir set his arsenal up and provokes Junior
“Cigano” dos Santos about his Jiu-Jitsu. Despite being
a BJJ expert, the Brazilian responded saying he knows what to
do in case Mir takes him down.
And
there’s no one better to back up the UFC heavyweight champion’s
Jiu-Jitsu coach: Yuri Carlton.
“I’m
positive that Cigano’s Jiu-Jitsu is better. He trains with
the Best guys in Brazil: Minotauro, Minotouro, Anderson, Demian,
just to name a few... I believe he won’t disappoint people
when it comes to Jiu-Jitsu”, guarantees the coach.
“Frank
Mir trains on the United States with some Brazilians, but we
have the privilege of training in Brazil. When you’re talking
about Jiu-Jitsu, Brazil is the place to be. We have the great
champions and Cigano is not far from being one”, complements.
There
are few days left before the bout and Carlton guarantees the
expectations are high, since it’s Cigano’s first title
defense.
“The
expectations are great. On this first defense we are really excited,
just like on previous bouts. His preparation is complete and
he’s been training for it for years. This speculations about
Mir being better on the ground is bullshit. Cigano is better
on the stand-up ando n the ground. I’m positive about it”.
Carlton
guaranteed that is hard to take the heavyweight down, but, in
case it happens, warns he will handle it quite well.
“It’s
hard to take Cigano down. Until you get him there, there’s
a long way ahead of you. In case he does it, Cigano is very prepared.
He’s always trained Jiu-Jitsu and Wrestling. He’s ready.
We don’t say it much, but there’s a lot of perseverance.
He deserves to be there and he’ll remain the champion after
this fight”.
Source:
Tatame
|
Frank
Mir Says He'll Strike with Junior Dos Santos. He Won't Do It.
By Jeremy
Botter
For
all the talk of Chael Sonnen being the best in the world at building
up fights—and rightly so, because Sonnen certainly is awesome
at that aspect of the business—there's one guy who often
gets overlooked when it comes to the ability to talk up fights.
If
we ranked the top 10 guys in the world when it comes to the ability
to create interest in fights, Frank Mir would be near the top
of the list. He's a highly intelligent and well-read fighter,
and that gives him a different kind of vibe.
Witness
his second bout with Brock Lesnar. Lesnar, ever the WWE-style
showman, did a lot of red-faced promos discussing his desire
to hurt Mir and get revenge for Mir beating him in his UFC debut.
Mir, by contrast, was quiet and thoughtful, giving intelligent
responses to everything Lesnar had to say.
But
Mir did it all with a slight smirk, as if he knew something the
world couldn't fathom. That smirk did one of two things to MMA
fans: It infuriated them, or it made them fall even more in Mir's
corner. In the end, the rematch with Lesnar was the biggest fight
in the history of the UFC, and by a significant margin.
Mir
is making the media rounds to hype his UFC 146 title fight with
champion Junior dos Santos, and he's doing what he does best:
saying things that don't make a ton of sense, but make you all
the more interested in seeing his upcoming fight unfold.
Do
you have to get dos Santos to the ground or can you stand up
with him?
I’m
going to go ahead and strike with him, probably more than Carwin
wanted to and some of these other guys and try to lull him into
lowering his striking defense. If I get him into a rhythm where
it’s a boxing match, it will be easier to shoot or take
him down. If you are shooting right off the bat and are grabbing
a leg and that person’s waiting for it, it’s like any
combat tactic. It’s very easy to stop what you are expecting.
See
what I mean? That's nonsense. And the beauty of the comment is
that we all realize Frank is a very intelligent fighter. He's
one of the smartest guys on the UFC roster.
How
does the UFC 146 main event end?
·Junior
dos Santos by KO/TKO
62.7%
·Junior
dos Santos by submission
1.2%
·Junior
dos Santos by decision
1.9%
·Frank
Mir by KO/TKO
3.6%
·Frank
Mir by submission
28.4%
·Frank
Mir by decision
1.4%
·Draw
0.8%
Total
votes: 2,245
So
of course, it's nonsense, because Mir knows and understands that
every single person who tries to stand up with Dos Santos ends
up being punished in a bad way. Mir's best path to victory goes
through the grappling game, and standing around trading strikes
with Dos Santos is a sure way to get yourself knocked out, even
if you're only planning on doing it to set up a takedown.
I
guarantee you that no part of Mir's game plan involves him testing
Junior's striking game. It just won't happen. But that's the
cool thing about Frank: He'll say things like this to keep Junior
on his toes, to keep him guessing when they're finally in the
cage together.
And
more importantly, he'll create more interest in the fight for
those fans who were wanted to see Alistair Overeem get the title
shot. That's the genius of Frank Mir: He sticks around, always
near the top, and always has a hook to keep you interested in
seeing him fight.
Source:
Bleacher Report
|
Back
in the Saddle, Amir Sadollah Ready to Return
It’s
been nine months since Amir Sadollah last set foot in the Octagon.
That was a losing effort against Duane “Bang” Ludwig
at UFC on Versus 5 last August.
Now,
having re-sharpened his tools, Sadollah will return at UFC on
Fuel TV 3 on Tuesday night to square up with Jorge Lopez in the
co-main event in Fairfax, Va.
Source:
MMA Weekly
|
California
State Athletic Commission investigation: How did (then) 80 year
old scandal-plagued politician John Frierson get an important
job promotion?
By Zach
Arnold
On
Monday, we released an investigative report into the current
ongoing activity of the California State Athletic Commission
and its current Chairman, John Frierson. If you have not read
the report, we strongly warn you that you first read our Monday
item before you read today’s investigative item here. While
the Monday report is lengthy & detailed, it created the building
blocks of the foundation of our current investigation. Once you
have read Monday’s report, it will make today’s investigative
item much clearer in terms of understanding.
We
consider our current, ongoing investigation to be a very serious
news story and one that is worthy of your attention. In the abstract,
it may not initially appear to be a serious story for you if
you are a fight fan. However, as you delve into the details of
our investigation, you will start to a formulate a troubling
picture of what is currently happening in the California political
scene and how it is impacting California’s combat sport
industry.
Introduction
– part two
On
Monday, we posted the first article in our investigation about
the California State Athletic Commission and the CSAC’s
chairman, John Frierson. Our initial investigation was sparked
by our research into labor-backed new MMA amendments proposed
by Assemblyman Luis Alejo for AB2100, which would give the CSAC
sweeping oversight rights to review MMA fighter contracts. In
plain English, AB2100 would give MMA fighters the same rights
that boxers currently have.
During
the course of our investigation into AB2100, we quickly discovered
that the California State Athletic Commission (based on circumstantial
evidence) is not interested in seeing amendments to AB2100 passed
because of the perceived financial costs that would be involved
in not only implementing the new regulations but also in lost
revenue due to promoters such as UFC threatening to no longer
run shows in California.
As
our investigation progressed, we discovered & researched
information that led us down some unusual political roads that
we were not originally pursuing. The goal of our investigation
into the CSAC regarding AB2100 was strictly about finding out
information that fight fans would be interested in. What you
care about is what regulators do that impacts the fights you
see, the promoters who put on events, and the health & safety
of the fighters participating. That is what you care about and
that is what we initially restricted our focus on.
However,
as we went further into our investigation into the California
State Athletic Commission, we noticed some alarming political
information regarding the current state of affairs at the CSAC
and in regard to the current chairman of the CSAC, John Frierson.
Frierson, who has been involved in California Democratic Party
politics since Richard Nixon was President, has been a 40-plus
year long friend of California’s current Governor, Jerry
Brown. Chairman Frierson has developed a lengthy, established
political career in CADEM circles featuring connections to some
of the biggest names in politics. In our Monday report, we demonstrated
the connections that John Frierson & his wife Susie Frierson
have with state leaders such as Curren Price Jr., current Los
Angeles Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa, former Assembly Speakers
Herb Wesson & Karen Bass, along with California Democrats
who are currently in the US House of Representatives (Janice
Hahn, Brad Sherman, and… Karen Bass, member of the Budget
Committee). Frierson, who has been a long-time member of the
New Frontier Democratic Club (African-American political organization)
in Los Angeles, is currently on the NFDC’s executive board
of leadership. It is through these major political connections
that John Frierson has been able to obtain the political power
he currently possesses. What Chairman Frierson has done with
this political power via his spot on the California State Athletic
Commission since 2001 is what we care about.
As
our research into Chairman Frierson and his political connections
both in Los Angeles & Sacramento continued, we discovered
several uncomfortable findings that should be of great concern
to everyone. Pouring through DCA & CSAC Agenda & Minutes
records throughout the past years, we discovered many issues
that the California State Athletic Commission is currently facing.
Besides the on-going political battle over amendments to AB2100,
we discovered that the commission is facing a major dilemma regarding
it’s Neurological Fund. Our Monday report detailed a listing
of agenda information by the commission in regards to the current
financial problems the commission is facing in regards to maintaining
current medical testing procedures as mandated by California
state law. The agenda document noted that the commission, as
currently operating, would be running a deficit of $550,000 if
the commission has to take care of both the costs for standard
medical testing & neurological testing of athletes. The commission
proposed that a change was needed to the state law so that the
CSAC would only pay for neurological test costs and not for standard
medical testing. The end result of such a proposal change was
the concept of raising the amount of money by collecting more
money from ticket sales. The commission said that they are currently
taking $0.60 from each ticket and that in order to fund current
expenses, they would need to take $2.70 from each event ticket
in the State. The situation & its legal consequences are
of serious importance.
What
we wanted to find out in our investigation is what kind of power
Chairman Frierson currently has and how he is wielding it to
make big decisions that impact commission business. Our findings
led us down a trail in which Chairman Frierson was implicated
in a famous ticket/gift scandal in 2009. The scandal was created
by an LA Times newspaper investigation. That investigation led
to then-Governor Schwarzenegger reading the riot act via the
Department of Consumer Affairs (DCA) to the CSAC. Either resign
or straighten up your act. The end result was that some heads
did in fact roll. However, John Frierson didn’t resign.
He didn’t quit. He didn’t lose his job like 80-year
old Dick Lugar did on Tuesday night.
Instead,
politically-speaking, something miraculous happened for Mr. Frierson.
Our Monday report led us down the trail of finding out how John
Frierson became Chairman Frierson and what the rest of the story
was. In addition, we noted that The Senate Business, Professions,
and Economic Development Committee would hold an oversight investigation
into the current activities of the California State Athletic
Commission next Spring (2013). The leader of the Senate’s
Business, Professions, and Economic Development Committee? Curren
Price Jr., a rising Democratic Party star in California who is
a staunch political ally of… CSAC Chairman John Frierson.
Investigation
benchmarks
So,
how did John Frierson pull off his promotion? How did he manage
to politically inoculate himself to a position of being Teflon
when it comes to deflecting away scandal? Why did he fight so
hard to keep his spot on the California State Athletic Commission?
What plans does he have on using the power he currently possesses
to influence the way business is handled in the California combat
sports scene?
For
this report, we wanted to build upon what was written in the
Monday report in regards to the following topics:
Why
the California State Athletic Commission isn’t all that
particularly interested in AB2100 and what clues have we seen
that could demonstrate this, resulting in a political civil war
of sorts between various CADEM factions
A more detailed look at the political web John Frierson has weaved
in regards to the politicians that back him and the politicians
he has backed and why these relationships not only have proven
to be critical but also are relationships others in the CADEM
political machine share as well
Just what happened after the ticket/gift scandal that led to
more job security for John Frierson with the CSAC and why he
wanted/wants that job security so badly
How Chairman Frierson & Governor Jerry Brown have used their
political power to appoint CSAC officials that politically owe
them support
Finalizing a determination as to whether or not Chairman Frierson
can successfully manage & work at solving the major problems
that the California State Athletic Commission is currently facing…
and if the CSAC is even his top political priority in his life
The future of the California State Athletic Commission’s
existence and whether or not the commission would survive scrutiny
from an independent, non-partisan business review of CSAC activities
All of these topics raised for debate & investigation are
of importance. If the California State Athletic Commission is
in political or financial peril, how can anyone be sure that
they can effectively regulate combat sports in the state?
The
battle over AB2100 and its survival
Last
Thursday, we received word that some marking up was being done
to the text of the new MMA amendments being proposed for AB2100.
The amendments on the table, as of April 25th, would have attacked
contract provisions that UFC & other MMA promoters use in
their contracts — such as the Champion’s clause, giving
away ancillary rights for video games for life, so on and so
forth.
Right
after the April 25th Assembly committee hearing on AB2100 amendments,
we heard the rumors that the California State Athletic Commission
was not exactly thrilled with the prospects of these new amendments
to AB2100 being passed. The commission is struggling to balance
the books and the UFC’s threat of never promoting again
in California would be a swift kick to the nuts for them. Money
talks.
After
discussion about some of the new amendment provisions being marked
through became public, another tidbit about Assemblyman Alejo
also started spreading — he wanted a meeting with the CSAC
to go over the new AB2100 amendments. The meeting would take
place in San Diego in early June. The commission will have a
medical advisory meeting on the 3rd and a standard hearing on
the 4th.
However,
there’s one big roadblock in the political process –
Appropriations. In order for whatever remains of AB2100 to see
the day of light, the marked-up amendments will have to go through
the Assembly’s Appropriations committee. If the bill can’t
survive committee, it’s basically toast. However, if the
amendments survive like a zombie through Appropriations, then
perhaps a meeting with the CSAC could happen.
The
big question is whether or not AB2100 would get an Appropriations
hearing date this month. The answer? According to a well-connected
source, there will be a hearing on the bill set for May 16th
in Appropriations. That will be decision-day for Assemblyman
Alejo on whether or not the bill will survive and if he’ll
throw himself a little celebration on the Assembly floor, just
like he did when he proposed to his long-time girlfriend on the
Floor earlier this week. He got a ‘yes’ vote for his
engagement and he’s hoping for a ‘yes’ vote from
Appropriations on the 16th for AB2100.
However,
even if the smooth operator can get AB2100 to survive Appropriations,
he’s got a hell of a task on his hands with the California
State Athletic Commission and Chairman Frierson, the man dubbed
“Mr. We Want Business.” Business does mean tickets
& gifts, too!
How
will the CSAC react to being presented with MMA-related amendments
to AB2100? Evidence suggests the reception could be cold.
In
the February 6th, 2012 agenda for that particular California
State Athletic Committee hearing, a curious item appeared on
Page 73.
Promoter’s
Promotional Contracts Update
Background:
On January 9, 2012, the Commission held a meeting with four major
California promoters concerning the requirement of Title 4, Rule
222 Boxer-Promoter Promotional Contracts with Professional Fighters.
In its current form, the California contract is titled “Addendum”
and the contract between the promoter and the boxer is the primary.
Accordingly, the initial discussion concerned changing the California
contract to be the primary contract. This led to a productive
discussion concerning some of the major disadvantages this contract
imposes on professional promoters in California.
Disadvantages
identified were:
1)
Requiring the presence of all parties in one place for a contract
signing imposes a logistical as well as competitive disadvantage.
2) Having the contract on file with the Commission’s office
exposes the provision of an individual’s contract to competitors.
3) Requiring the parties to submit to arbitration as a prerequisite
to litigation is unduly burdensome.
4) This contract is unique to California, no other commission
requires it, particularly Nevada, Texas, New York, and Florida;
states somewhat similar to California.
It
was the general consensus of the promoters present that if the
Boxer-Promoter contract was no longer required, they would in
fact promote more events in California.
If
the Commission wants to consider changes or elimination to the
Boxer-Promoter contract, staff will research the pros and cons,
considering whether elimination is consistent with the Commission’s
mission of public protection, and if the absence of the California
Boxer-Promoter contract would in any way be an disadvantage to
boxers.
Two
months later, on April 9th, this agenda item indicated that change
would be discussed:
Promoter’s
Promotional Contract Update
Mr.
Dodd reported that he, several promoters, and Ms. Chappelle met
and discussed provisions of promotional contracts and found that
changes to the contract may be necessary.
Eric
Gomez, Golden Boy Promotions; Roy Engelbrecht; and Dan Goossen,
Goossen Tutor Promotions, commented on the logistical difficulties
that exist since the contract must be signed in the presence
of commission staff and also that having the contract filed with
the commission exposes, to the inquiring public, items in the
contract that should remain confidential between the parties.
It
was M/S/C (motion/seconded/confirmed) to direct the DCA Legal
Office to prepare a proposal and then discussion options at an
interested parties meeting.
Let
me translate this for you in plain English:
Boxing
promoters think current California state regulations (e.g. AB2100)
are a pain in the ass and are telling the commission they’ll
run more shows if they don’t have to go through so many
hoops.
The Commission is receptive to what the promoters are telling
them. This is all about Executive Director George Dodd and Chairman
John Frierson. As Roy Engelbrecht commented at a recent CSAC
meeting, he praised the Executive Director for being more open-minded
and considerate of both fighters & promoters when compared
to the behavior of past ED’s.
The UFC made a similar argument to these boxer promoters on the
issue of ‘trade secrets’ in regards to contracts being
made public. After all, Zuffa has sued people in court over exposing
such trade secrets.
However, the most interesting political takeaway from the April
9th item is that Karen Chappelle’s name is mentioned. She’s
a long-time big wig with the DCA/CSAC. Her name is an important
one to remember. Later in this article, we’ll tell you why
she’s a name you don’t want to forget.
One
more note — when the Commission says that the DCA Legal
Office will take suggestions under consideration, it is critical
to note that Governor Jerry Brown controls the Department of
Consumer Affairs. If Governor Brown wants something to be done,
it will get done. Because the Governor can influence/control
the DCA, this power can be combined with the power of Governor
Brown’s long-time political ally John Frierson as Chairman
of the CSAC to produce true CADEM Establishment power on a major
scale.
This
is what Assemblyman Luis Alejo & the unions are up against
when it comes to the new amendments to AB2100. If the unions
press the issue during the 2012 Election cycle, you could see
political chaos between strongly influential CADEM political
factions. This is pure political insider baseball on display.
When
in doubt, put your money on the CADEM Establishment. John Frierson’s
political existence over four decades is proof positive of the
CADEM’s political machine, for better or for worse.
John
Frierson, the politician, and how he’s consolidated political
power
In
our Monday report, we detailed how difficult it is for a person
appointed to the California State Athletic Commission to remain
on the political board. The Governor can make political appointments
between two and four years. One Senate appointment lasts four
years. The Assembly Speaker can appoint someone for four years.
John
Frierson has managed to politically survive as a member of the
California State Athletic Commission, despite various commission
scandals, since 2001.
In
order for this to happen, one has to be extremely powerful in
terms of political connections and also must be thought of a
person that politicians must kiss the ring of. Given John Frierson’s
role in Los Angeles politics, it’s easy to see why he’s
maintained his standing for so long.
We
noted that Chairman Frierson, since his stint on the CSAC board,
has used his position as a tagline for countless political endorsements
of CADEM politicians aspiring for higher office. One of those
candidates is Janice Hahn, who happened to win her election.
If the last name Hahn sounds familiar to you in California political
circles, it should. Her brother was the former Mayor of Los Angeles,
James Hahn. James Hahn happened to be the first mayor to appoint
John Frierson to the LA Department of Transportation board. After
Antonio Villaraigosa took over as Mayor of Los Angeles he, too,
backed John Frierson for a political position with the city.
As
we’ve further investigated the political career of John
Frierson, it’s easy to see just how much public service
and the perks of political power mean to the current CSAC Chairman.
Since his appointment to the CSAC in 2001, he has been a perpetual
election machine. Not only is he a kingmaker through his various
club connections, political endorsements, and political friendships,
he’s also someone who constantly runs for political office.
Despite
being a member of the California State Athletic Commission, he
has listed his main ‘occupation’ on political papers
as working for the (LA) Democratic Party County Central Committee.
In 2002, 2004, 2006, and 2008, he ran for office in the 53rd
District of California for this specific political position.
He’s a busy man, isn’t he?
One
of the items we noted in our Monday report about John Frierson
is that he has campaigned for various insider baseball issues
in California such as political redistricting. The reason we
took care to note this for you is because Mr. Frierson is running
for office again, this time for the same position in a different
district.
Click
the image to look up Chairman Frierson’s filing with the
Los Angeles County Registrar-Recorder/County Clerk
An
important note about Chairman Frierson’s political career
running for the County Central Committee is that one of the backers
he has publicly touted on his behalf is Steve Westly, a money
man and mover-and-shaker in California politics. Westly has backed
plenty of candidates. However, what’s interesting about
the candidates he’s backed is the connection they have to
each other. More about Steve Westly’s political backing
in a minute.
While
Steve Westly’s political backing is worth some public recognition
in California political circles, one of the most powerful backers
of John Frierson is former California Assembly Speaker Karen
Bass. Her backing of Mr. Frierson in Los Angeles meant a lot
to him.
However,
her biggest display of support for John Frierson was his re-appointment
to the California State Athletic Commission in 2010. It turned
out to be one of her final moves as Assembly Leader in California
before she moved on to the US House of Representatives and the
reverberations from this move are being felt today.
(If
you don’t know who Karen Bass is or what her political background
is, a lot of national voters learned about her yesterday when
she inspired a debate between Republicans & Democrats in
Washington D.C. over comments she made about food stamps.)
We
previously detailed the gift & ticket scandal that rocked
the California State Athletic Commission in 2009 when Michael
Rothfeld of The Los Angeles investigated CSAC records to find
out what kinds of goodies those associated with the commission
were receiving. The scandal was a stain on Governor Schwarzenegger’s
political record and he cleaned house as a result. A month later,
the CSAC voted 5-0 to stop accepting free gifts & tickets.
One of those who voted on having a change of heart about free
tickets & gifts was John Frierson.
After
Frierson was named by the LA Times for getting tickets/gifts
for himself, his wife, his pastor, and friends, he managed to
stay in power. While others were resigning and/or fired, Mr.
Frierson kept his seat with the CSAC. When Dr. Christopher Giza
received a strong warning letter from the Fair Political Practices
Commission, Frierson got a slap on a wrist and was told that
the file on this matter was closed for him.
After
the LA Times investigation, something happened. While others
were quickly becoming an endangered species politically-speaking,
Frierson managed to keep his political career alive. Before leaving
the Assembly Leader’s chair, she re-appointed John Frierson
to the California State Athletic Commission. This appointment
means that his tenure on the commission doesn’t expire until
January 1st, 2015.
Keep
in mind that in addition to John Frierson being named in the
LA Times gift/ticket scandal, he also developed a mixed track
record in terms of attendance at CSAC meetings (based on the
agenda & meeting documents we’ve poured through on the
DCA site). There was plenty of reason, on the surface, to let
his tenure on the California State Athletic Commission expire.
So,
the question then becomes the following — what was said
to Karen Bass and by whom in order for her to make this move?
Was the move purely out of friendship? Was the move a call from
CADEM HQ? Who said what and why was this decision made?
To
add a further layer of intrigue to the Assembly Leader’s
re-appointment of John Frierson to the California State Athletic
Commission, take a look at an uncomfortable fact that stands
out like an elephant in the room:
Click
The Boston Globe image of DNC 2004 delegate listings
At
the 2004 DNC convention in Boston, John Frierson was a delegate
from California. Notice who else he is listed next to? Linda
Forster, who just got appointed to the California State Athletic
Commission by Governor Jerry Brown last year! More on that in
a minute (along with the Steve Westly connection).
John
Frierson is listed as age 74 in 2004. That means he is 82 years
old today. At the time he was re-appointed by Karen Bass in 2010,
he was 80 years old. This online posting by Mr. Frierson seems
to verify his age (by his own account).
In
order to be an 80 year old scandal-tainted politician and maintain
your political power, you have to have one hell of a track record
in terms of political connections, political power, and overall
influence. There are very few politicians in their 80s who can
survive a political scandal in these current times.
The
only recent example that comes to mind is Charlie Rangel, who
got a slap on the wrist over his tax & ethic escapades. Because
he’s well-liked on Capitol Hill and he’s a senior figure
of politics, he’s maintained his job security. Unless you’re
John Frierson or Charlie Rangel, politicians in their 80s who
find themselves in political trouble are shown the door.
The
difference between Charlie Rangel and John Frierson, however,
is the following: one saved his job and the other one got a job
promotion. Why did this happen? We know who made it happen, but
why?
Since
Chairman Frierson has been given his promotion, we have a couple
of prime examples of how his political connections have come
into play.
Chairman
Frierson’s business & political interests manifest into
some curious decision making
The
California State Athletic (Crony) Commission.
On
June 27th, 2011, Governor Jerry Brown made three appointments
to the California State Athletic Commission — Linda Forster,
Brian Edwards, and Michael Munoz. Mrs. Forster & Mr. Edwards
are from Southern California.
In
our Monday report, we noted the following bio for Mrs. Forster:
Linda
Forster, 42, of Los Angeles, has been appointed to the California
State Athletic Commission. She has served as the president of
Forster Construction Company since 1994. Forster served as the
administrator for the Parents of Watts from 1993 to 2006 and
as the director of the Dianne Feinstein Home for Young Mothers
from 1991 to 1993. She also worked as a clinical social worker
at the Martin Luther King Jr./Drew Medical Center in 1996. Forster
served as a commissioner for the City of Los Angeles Department
of Animal Services Board from 2001 to 2004. She was a member
of the U.S. Junior Olympics Basketball team in 1987.
When
Linda Forster was previously running for political office, she
had famous a famous California Democratic treasurer named Kinde
Durkee who filed Friends for Linda Harris-Forster on behalf.
Durkee would later be charged by authorities for fraud in a very
high-profile case that impacted Senator Dianne Feinstein. One
item we caught wind of was this description of the money marks
backing Forster:
First
of all, Linda is the daughter of Sweet Alice Harris and is the
front-runner in terms of fundraising. She has the financial support
of the biggest of the state’s big wigs, including my beloved
sugar daddy, former Controller Steve Westly.
There’s
the magical name of Steve Westly. In addition to Steve Westly
backing both Linda Forster & John Frierson in their political
endeavors, our research discovered that John’s wife, Susie,
donated to The Friends for Linda Harris-Forster.
In
other words, Linda Forster’s appointment to the CSAC has
some big-time political juice. Let us connect the dots for you
so the picture is clearer:
Jerry
Brown and CSAC Chairman John Frierson have been friends/political
allies for over four decades.
Steve Westly, a famous money man in California politics, has
backed both Linda Forster & John Frierson.
John Frierson’s wife, Susie, donated to Linda Forster’s
campaign.
Jerry Brown appointed Linda Forster to the CSAC board, which
is currently lead by Chairman John Frierson.
Linda Forster nominated John Frierson as Chairman of of the CSAC
at a recent meetng.
See how the political machine works? If your head isn’t
spinning from that summary, this next summary might get your
gander up.
The
other Governor Brown appointee from Southern California is a
man named Brian Edwards. Let’s take a look at his bio from
the CSAC web site:
Brian
Edwards, 48, of Los Angeles, has been appointed to the California
State Athletic Commission. Edwards is the chief operating officer
of Relativity Media. Previously, he was the chief operating officer
and general counsel of Mark Burnett Productions from 2009 to
May 2011 and the president and chief operating officer at Overnight
Productions from 2007 to 2009. Edwards was the chief operating
officer and general counsel at DreamWorks, LLC from 2004 to 2007
after serving as the head of legal affairs from 1999 to 2004.
Edwards worked at Greenberg, Glusker, Fields, Claman & Machtinger,
serving as a partner from 1996 to 1999 after serving as an associate
from 1989 to 1996. Edwards was a co-executive producer of the
TV series, “The Contender.”
On
the surface, it sounds like the prototypical political appointee.
A fight fan, a lawyer, Hollywood, big business. However, when
it comes to the actions of Governor Jerry Brown & Chairman
John Frierson, it always pays to dig deeper.
The
LA Times published an explosive article on August 25th, 2004,
detailing business dealings between the California State Athletic
Commission and producers from two reality TV boxing shows, “The
Next Great Champ” and “The Contender.” Because
the two shows ended up in a legal battle, some very scandalous
details were revealed about the way business was handled in regards
to the producers dealings with the CSAC.
What’s
more, both the “Champ” and “Contender” producers
negotiated lower-than-normal state taxes on the license-fee payments
mandated for boxing broadcasts. Representatives of both shows
successfully argued that they should pay tax only on the portion
of their shows actually devoted to boxing matches — typically
just a few minutes in each episode. Other promoters described
this arrangement as highly unusual. In the case of “Champ,”
the amount and timing of the tax payments was sharply questioned
by the then-chairman of the California Athletic Commission, which
regulates boxing.
While
the media initially focused on the CSAC softening standards about
immediately reporting fight results for matches that were taped
for television, the real scandal involved tax breaks the producers
of the shows received. In the LA Times article, a commissioner
is quoted as saying they softened their stance about the result
reporting due to fear that the reality TV shows would be taped
elsewhere. Money talks.
Take
note of the following from the Times article. Hint: Big-wig name
Karen Chappelle appears:
Commissioner
John Frierson referred calls to the commission’s general
counsel; other commissioners could not be reached. … “Our
official comment is ‘no comment,’ ” said Karen
Chappelle, the deputy attorney general who signed off on the
disclosure deal. Spokesman Tom Dresslar of the attorney general’s
office in Sacramento also declined requests for comment.
At
the time the deals were made by the CSAC with the reality TV
shows, there were four members on the commission due to vacancies.
In the LA Times article, take a look at the eye-popping numbers
that the producers got in terms of tax breaks.
So,
how does newly-appointed Governor Brown CSAC appointee Brian
Edwards fit into this picture? Go back to his bio for the answer:
Edwards
was the chief operating officer and general counsel at DreamWorks,
LLC from 2004 to 2007 after serving as the head of legal affairs
from 1999 to 2004. … Edwards was a co-executive producer
of the TV series, “The Contender.”
So,
here we have Brian Edwards, who did business with John Frierson
when he was with the California State Athletic Commission in
2004 on behalf of Mark Burnett for the reality TV show “The
Contender” in order to reportedly get tax breaks from the
state, now getting appointed by Governor Brown to the same regulatory
body that Frierson is now Chairman of.
The
consolidation of power between the political axis of Governor
Jerry Brown, his four-decade old ally John Frierson, and rising
political star Curren Price Jr. in the state Senate is an absolute
result of the symbiotic relationship shared by all of them and
the CADEM Establishment. There is no avoiding this fact.
What
matters now is how this power is put to use. The conflicts of
interest are vastly numerous and disturbing. Will it lead to
a more disciplined regulatory authority? History says no and
that chaos is ready to be ignited based on the actions of the
players involved.
Need
a example of this principle? Two years after publicly voting
to approve a no-more-gifts-or-tickets policy for the California
State Athletic Commission due to an LA Times investigation, Chairman
John Frierson on his accord brought up and proposed a revision
to the commission’s gift policy. The end result is that
he’s opened the door up once again for tickets and/or gifts
for certain members of the commission.
These
are the individuals in charge of a Neurological Fund that is
threatening to run a huge deficit due to laws mandating that
the commission pay for medical testing costs and neurological
exams.
These
are the individuals in charge of implementing a Therapeutic Use
Exemption program to allow fighters to get hall passes for testosterone
usage. With an increasing amount of high-profile names in Mixed
Martial Arts proclaiming hypogonadism and a need to use testosterone,
California is now sending a message with open arms to accept
fighters who might have been scared off from fighting in the
state. Scaring off big name UFC fighters would be bad for business
and that’s not what Chairman Frierson wants.
The
clock is financially ticking for the California State Athletic
Commission. With 82-year old Chairman John Frierson at the helm
with Governor Jerry Brown & Curren Price Jr. in his corner,
can the commission solve the impending problems that are mounting
on top of each other?
The
sunset political provision for the California State Athletic
Commission
On
Monday, we made sure to mention about the political connections
between Governor Jerry Brown, Chairman John Frierson, and Curren
Price Jr. Governor Brown’s Department of Consumer Affairs
(DCA) oversees the California State Athletic Commission. Given
that Governor Brown runs the DCA and his ally is the Chairman
of the CSAC, it’s hard to see how Chairman Frierson will
be any sort of fall guy. If anything, his political power (as
we’ve demonstrated in this article) is consolidation and
getting bigger.
Curren
Price Jr. is the Chair of the Senate Business, Professions, and
Economic Development Committee. This committee has oversight
power in regards to examining the future of the California State
Athletic Commission. As we outlined on Monday, the Senate committee
receives a report from the CSAC on the health of the commission
and the financial issues the regulatory body faces. There is
a sunset provision that, should the Senate choose to enforce,
could shut down the CSAC if problems get out of control.
Given
the political relationship between Curren Price Jr. and Chairman
John Frierson, it’s hard to see any scenario in which the
CSAC gets shut down. I can see a scenario, however, where if
the financial problems are grave for the CSAC that everyone but
Frierson is ousted and that the CADEM machine puts new blood
in to buy some time.
However,
what would the future of the California State Athletic Commission
look like if a non-partisan, independent investigator examined
the problems the CSAC is currently facing? Would that investigator
recommend the commission be shut down? It’s hard to say
what an independent examination would reveal, but I would imagine
it would likely be a very mixed bag.
If
a major scandal breaks out for the California State Athletic
Commission in the coming years, it’s going to be a huge
political mess for California Democrats. As our two investigative
reports (on Monday and today) have revealed, the political fingerprints
of the CADEM machine are all over the California State Athletic
Commission. There’s no escaping this reality.
The
truth is that the problems the CSAC is facing right now require
a full-time effort. Given that Chairman Frierson is habitually
running for various political offices, it’s very difficult
(in our opinion) to come up with a rationale indicating that
he is tackling the major problems of the CSAC full-steam ahead.
A
question we would love to ask the commissioner: If the problems
the CSAC are facing require you to take a leave of absence from
Los Angeles to Sacramento to manage the situation on a full-time
basis, would you be willing to give up all of your other political
activities in order to ensure that you’re giving a 100%
effort to help out the California State Athletic Commission?
The
bottom line about the future of the California State Athletic
Commission is what the outcome of their success or failure means
for combat sports in California. If the state Senate one day
decided to use a sunset provision to phase out the commission
as an active body, would that mean that the CSAC would simply
be a tax/revenue collector and nothing more for promoters? Would
it mean an end to big boxing & MMA fights in the State? As
big and as challenging as these questions are, they are very
valid questions to ask given the commission’s history of
scandals and what their regulatory future looks like — especially
if an all-out political battle ensues between factions of the
CADEM machine over AB2100.
Chairman
Frierson has built one hell of a political career and is now
in a high profile political position that impacts the health
& safety of fighters. Given the financial situation that
is on his hands with the California State Athletic Commission,
it’s time for the Chairman and his political backers to
put up or shut up.
Amusingly,
the silence from certain quarters in regards to our investigation
has been deafening.
Source:
Fight Opinion
|
Vendetta 4
Friday May 18
Waipahu Filcom Center
Doors Open at 6:00
Laita Tyrell is back on VENDETTA getting ready to battle Matt
Tuilesu in the
main event. Two of these big boys favor the stand up and only
went to the
ground until their previous opponents took them down because
their stand up
is major. Laita is well known for leaving his opponent bloody
or snoring.
But don't count Matt out because this big boy is really aggressive.
Especially when he gets hit. Its gonna be madness at the filcom
on may 18.
Big arms + small gloves + bad intentions = severe consequences
Another
fight to lookout for is newcomer Donald Peters vs newcomer Arnold
Azimov. These lightweights are sure to impress the crowd with
their
lightning quick striking and sneaky takedowns. Donald is comfortable
on his
feet but Vendetta fans will see how Donald feels when he's on
the ground for
Arnold coming out of VanHess mma should feel more in control
on the ground.
Where this fight will end up? Only one way to find out. May 18
at the
Filcom. Be there.
Another
exciting fight will be Chivas Antoque against Marley Tau. Both
of
these guys like to bang with the speed going to Chevez and the
power going
to Marley. They will be fighting for the 185# triple threat amateur
title.
It's up in the air on who will walk out with the bling. Both
same height,
both same goals but both with different strategies. Let the games
begin
baby.
MARLEY
TAU 185 CHIVAS ANTOQUE
DONALD
PETERS 140 ARNOLD AZUMOR
HEAVEN
SOOGA 140 GREG
DALLAS
CABE 145 DAVE ULIBIS
LAITA
TYRELL SHW MATT TUILESU
KEANU
REYNOLDS 135 NALU ONTIVEROS
TANNER
210 ALA MIYASHIRO
DARRYL
DANO 145 CODY FABINAL
KEONI
ANDERSON 170 MARLON CALVENTAS
LAWRENCE
HINOHOSA 170 TONY IRVINE
JESSICA
FAAMAI 150 SABRINA NISHIHARA
LEHUA
AGUNO 145 ALICE TOMOI
KENNY
ANGLEMEYER 205 ELIJAH
BRONSON
YASUE 125 CAMERON TANIKIYOKANE
JOSIAH
135 BRADA KAOWILI
BEN
BOYCE 220 GINO DOANE
ALBERT
CAMBRA 190 SPENCER QUELL
MICHAEL
ULIBIS 145 RYAN LEONG
NICK
CORREA 170 SHAISON LAUPOLA
ALL
MATCHES AND PARTICIPANTS MAY BE SUBJECT TO CHANGE
Source: Derrick Bright
|
UFC
of Fuel TV 3: Korean Zombie vs. Poirier Results
Main
Card (on Fuel TV):
-Chan Sung Jung def. Dustin Poirier by submission (d’arce
choke) at 1:05, R4
-Amir Sadollah def. Jorge Lopez by split decision (29-28, 28-29,
29-28)
-Donald Cerrone def. Jeremy Stephens by unanimous decision (30-27,
30-27, 30-27)
-Yves Jabouin def. Jeff Hougland by unanimous decision (30-27,
30-26, 30-27)
-Igor Pokrajac def. Fabio Maldonado by unanimous decision (29-28,
30-27, 29-28)
-Tom Lawlor def. Jason MacDonald by KO at :50, R1
Preliminary
Bouts (on Facebook):
-Brad Tavares def. Dongi Yang by
unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 29-28)
-Codie McKenzie def. Marcus LeVesseur by submission (guillotine
choke) at 3:05, R1
-TJ Grant def. Carlo Prater by unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27,
30-27)
-Rafael Dos Anjos def. Kamal Shalorus by submission (rear naked
choke) at 1:40, R1
-Johnny Eduardo def. Jeff Curran by unanimous decision (29-28,
29-28, 29-28)
-Francisco Rivera def. Alex Soto by unanimous decision (30-27,
30-27, 3-27)
Source: MMA Weekly
|
The
cold, hard truth about passing NY MMA legislation
By Zach
Arnold
This
won’t win over me with many fans, but sometimes you have
to call it like you see it. I remained amazed at the reaction
of online MMA fans in regards to why New York Assembly boss Sheldon
Silver won’t pass MMA legislation.
Every
year, we get the same circus online from fans who one minute
love NY politicians and the next minute are cursing them out
for being grizzled senior citizens who have no perspective on
what their constituents want because they spend their lives in
smoke-filled rooms (or something to that effect).
Yesterday
proved to be a perfect example when Sheldon Silver tabled MMA
legislation in 2012. Maybe it’ll happen in another year,
junior.
Or
maybe not. But you know why this year wasn’t the time to
bank on MMA legislation passing in New York?
2012
is a terrible year to try to get Democratic politicians to go
against the wishes on the unions. Wrong year 2 try.
You
don’t say. And, of course, UFC reacted with the kind of
natural political tone-deafness that has utterly defined their
clueless approach to winning over hearts & minds in New York.
#UFC
VP Marc Ratner on NYS Assembly decision not to take up MMA bil
this year: ‘Not to get a vote is un-American.”
A
part of you almost feels for the boys in Las Vegas. On second
thought… not really.
What’s
happening in New York is a pretty simple matter. However, it
requires fans to strip out the emotion and look at the political
logic involved for Sheldon Silver. This is not the year to go
against unions.
(It’s
why the battle over AB2100 in California with pro-AB2100 proponents
vs. the UFC & CSAC is so fascinating due to the internecine
nature of the Democratic Party battle.)
In
future years, maybe MMA legislation gets passed. Maybe. But what
if it doesn’t? There’s no reason to believe that if
Sheldon Silver continued killing off potential MMA legislation
that he would somehow get hurt politically for it. Why? Because
the approval numbers are in his favor.
Last
month, we nicely warned you about the importance of the latest
Siena Poll results about how much support there is for MMA legislation
amongst the general New York state populace. And, once again,
NY MMA legislation boosters continued burying their heads in
the sand by ignoring the polling data that Sheldon Silver is
looking at.
Outside
of a specific demographic with a profile of a male between the
ages of 18-to-34 with questionable employment status, there is
no other demographic that exists in New York that backs MMA legislation.
The numbers are especially staggering when you consider that
women consistently oppose MMA legislation on a 26/60 split. The
overall support level of 38% for both men & women has remained
consistent for several years now. In fact, the polling data suggests
that the more undecided voters hear about MMA legislation in
New York, they less they want it.
I
don’t care who you are, a consistent year-in, year-out 38%
approval rate for any piece of legislation spells doom and rightfully
so. However, when this inconvenient truth is mentioned to boosters,
look out. All of a sudden, the constituents that the backers
want to win over so bad suddenly become evil people who are ignorant,
stupid, and don’t deserve MMA shows.
“Fine,
screw off!”
This
attitude has permeated in the press throughout the yearly attempts
of MMA legislation in New York. MMA is a sport I truly love,
but I also recognize that it’s not for everyone and you
can’t force people to eat the proverbial dog food if they
don’t want to eat it. It doesn’t make them bad human
beings.
Instead
of looking at trying to win over constituency groups who are
not into passing MMA legislation, Zuffa has chosen the traditional
top-down, pro-lobbyist, politician-only approach to getting business
done in the State Capitol. It has been a costly mistake for the
organization, both in wasting their time and especially their
money. Instead of building up support the right way by funding
grassroots organizations & creating a real, on-the-ground
voter demand, Zuffa basically went for a traditional lobbying
model that only works when you have voters who support you in
the first place and are willing to be active in a big way in
contacting their local politicians.
It
also hasn’t helped that Zuffa has vastly overrated its charm
offensive strategy. Their quasi PR circuit tour in both New York
& California based around pushing Ronda Rousey resulted in
zero political success. It may have played well with local newspaper
writers who were happy to have someone to do an easy profile
article on but it meant nothing in actually moving the ball forward
in regards to MMA legislation or in terms of getting an Assembly
committee to vote against AB2100 amendments, despite the fact
that said committee members admitted they hadn’t even read
the new amendments before voting yea or nay.
There
is time for UFC to alter its political strategy and start making
some grassroots in-roads that can match their traditional lobbying
efforts. The question is not whether they have the resources
to pull it off but rather if they have the will & desire
to do so. Right now, Sheldon Silver has the will & desire
to keep MMA legislation from passing in New York because his
constituents don’t have the will nor the desire to see such
legislation get implemented in the first place.
Don’t
put the cart before the horse.
Speaking
of putting the cart before the horse, here’s Dana White
proclaiming to The Wall Street Journal that the UFC is bigger
than the NFL globally and ‘neck-and-neck with soccer.’
There’s
a fine line between grandiosity and delusion, a line which can
be easily crossed.
Source:
Fight Opinion
|
AHEAD
OF STRIKEFORCE GP FINALS, JOSH BARNETT EXAMINES HIS OPTIONS
By Ben
Fowlkes - Senior Writer
There’s
a lot at stake for former UFC heavyweight champion Josh Barnett
on Saturday night. When he takes on Daniel Cormier in the finals
of the Strikeforce heavyweight Grand Prix in San Jose, Calif.,
the outcome may decide whether he’s UFC-bound in the near
future or left in limbo yet again. While we know that the winner
of the tournament will stick around for at least one more bout
in Strikeforce, what’s far less certain is what will become
of the loser, especially if it’s Barnett, who has had a
tricky relationship with the UFC brass at times.
But
as Barnett told Ariel Helwani on Monday’d episode of The
MMA Hour, he’s not ready to beg for a place at the UFC table
just yet, regardless of how his fight with Cormier turns out.
"For me, it’s not always about whether I can get in
there. It’s also about whether we are amenable to the offer,"
Barnett told Helwani. "It takes two to make these things
work. Sometimes you just don’t find that common ground.
That’s difficult, but that is just something that happens
in any aspect of business. But I’d love to be in the UFC,
beating up all their guys and being the best heavyweight in the
world, which I believe I am. So why wouldn’t I want to be
there?"
Of
course, while the winner of the Grand Prix should find himself
in a strong negotiating position, the same might not be true
for the loser. Barnett’s a minor favorite according to oddsmakers,
and he does have more than three times as many MMA bouts as the
former U.S. Olympic wrestling team captain. Though Barnett described
Cormier as "a good dude" with an impeccable wrestling
pedigree, he isn’t quite sure that his counterpart in the
Grand Prix finals is truly ready for the big time in MMA just
yet, he said.
"I
think it’s too early to say that about him. I think, give
him some more time. Plus, I think he’s fast-tracking. With
his inherent athletic ability and his wrestling background, it
allows him to do that. In the current MMA landscape, being a
good athlete -- or, I should say, being a great athlete, because
he was an Olympian -- with an extensive wrestling background,
that can take you very far, very quickly. I don’t believe
that that alone has enough staying power to it at the top, but
he’s got time to acquire all the things that will be necessary
to be a long-standing figure at the top of the heavyweight heap.
With just the skills that he has now, he’s proven that he
can take just about anybody out when given the opportunity to
get in the cage with them."
And
while we all know by now that Cormier is an excellent wrestler
with heavy hands, Barnett added, "I also know that he’s
smart. I know he’s working on his submission game. I know
he’s working on his hands and his feet and becoming a more
complete fighter. But he hasn’t really had the great luxury
to open up his skills all the way and go into the areas that
are likely the most difficult for him."
Barnett
also pointed out that he’s leaned down for Saturday’s
bout with Cormier, dropping from about 262 pounds down to 252,
in order to better deal with the smaller man’s quickness
over the course of a five-round fight. And the secret to shedding
those pounds? It wasn’t too difficult, Barnett said. He
just "started loving a lot more ladies."
What
he has yet to figure out is how he’ll follow up on his memorable
open workout performance during the opening round of the Strikeforce
Grand Prix. He called upon his pro wrestling experience to entertain
reporters the last time around, but how can he possibly top that
now that he’s in the finals?
Even
Barnett doesn’t seem to know just yet. But, he told Helwani,
"I always will have something to say. That’s for sure."
Source:
MMA Fighting
|
Jon
Fitch Will Be Aaron Simpson’s First Test at 170
The
UFC’s summer fight cards continue to fill out. A welterweight
bout between Jon Fitch and Aaron Simpson has been added to the
July 11 UFC on Fuel TV 4 fight card, according to Simpson, who
tweeted and talked about the fight at Tuesday’s question
and answers session in Virginia.
Simpson
(11-3) told MMAWeekly.com after a middleweight loss to Ronny
Markes at UFC on Fuel TV 1 in February that he felt it might
be time for him to consider a drop to 170 pounds.
“I
just don’t cut for this weight class. I look at a guy like
Frankie Edgar, thinking I can do the same thing, but I’m
dealing with a lot of size,” Simpson said then, adding,
“Maybe it means a move down to 170, I don’t know. Right
now it hurts to lose.”
He
has made the move and he’ll draw no easy task in his UFC
welterweight debut.
Fitch
(23-4-1) hasn’t tasted defeat often in his career, but when
he does, he typically bounces back with a vengeance. Following
his last loss, to Georges St-Pierre, Fitch reeled off five consecutive
victories before drawing with B.J. Penn.
He’s
now coming off of a knockout loss to Johny Hendricks at UFC 141,
so he’ll be looking to Simpson as the first step to get
back on track.
Mark
Munoz vs. Chris Weidman heads the UFC on Fuel TV 4 fight card
on July 11 at the HP Pavilion in San Jose, Calif.
Source:
MMA Weekly
|
1001
lessons of Alan Belcher vs. Palhares in UFC, by “drummer”
Eddie Bravo
As Renzo Gracie taught us one time, way back in GRACIEMAG issue
3, the secret to progress in training is to make it so everything
is Jiu-Jitsu and Jiu-Jitsu is everything.
That
is, you shouldn’t think about Jiu-Jitsu, or like a Jiu-Jitsu
practitioner, only when you’re within the academy walls.
The thing is to think Jiu-Jitsu when you’re at work, home,
the doctor’s office—or during a rehearsal, as off-hours
musician Eddie Bravo did the other day.
Charged
up on Alan Belcher’s win over Rousimar Toquinho at last
Saturday’s UFC, Bravo decided to put down his drumsticks
and immerse himself in Jiu-Jitsu studies. To the delight of his
band and us, practitioners.
Eddie
demonstrates a few options for executing the twister, which Belcher
came close to pulling off in his fight at UFC on Fox. To boot,
he demonstrates his favorite wrist grip for the maneuver—the
baseball-bat grip.
“IT
WOULD HAVE BEEN THE UFC SUBMISSION OF THE YEAR”
“There was a moment where he could have sunk the calf crunch,
but suddenly he decided to do something better: finish with the
banana-split or twister and drive the crowd wild with what would
have been the UFC submission of the year,” commented Bravo.
Source:
Gracie Magazine
|
Guto
Inocente wants to be world's best Light Heavyweight
By Guilherme Cruz
Carlos
Augusto Filho, better known as Guto Inocente, will have his so
awaited Strikeforce debut next Saturday (19th), against Virgil
Zwicker, and guarantees he is in great shape.
“The training was the best possible, I had high level training
partners and the best coaches in the world”, warns the athlete,
who trained in Brasilia before moving to the United States.
“In Brasilia there of excellent training level, but here
in America I have first class structure, sparrings at my weight
class and heavier, all high level fighters”, completes.
Opponent on his debut fight, Zwicker is debuting on the light
heavyweight division after winning 10 out of 12 heavyweight fights,
but Guto couldn’t collect much info on his fighting style.
“I don’t know much about Virgil. I know he likes to
strike and trains at Team Quest, but I’m focused on my game”,
confesses Inocente. “I hope he wants to strike. It’ll
make things easier on me”.
The catch is that he hasn’t fought since September 2010
due to a series of injuries. “I haven’t fought for
over a year, but I’m recovered, thank God”, explains.
“I’m ready for a long time and willing to show my work”.
Former Shooto champion, Guto has a perfect MMA record of five
wins, three via submissions and one via knockout and dreams about
adding titles to his personal collection.
“My dream is to be the best of the world”, said, claiming
to be prepared to fight in big events like Strikeforce and UFC.
“I’m focused on this fight, but, if everything goes
well, I’ll ask them to match me up soon. I’m not in
a hurry, but I know sooner or later I’ll get there (in the
UFC)”.
Source:
Tatame
|
DONALD
CERRONE LOOKS BACK ON WEC DAYS, SETS SIGHTS ON NATE DIAZ AFTER
STEPHENS
By Shaun
Al-Shatti - Staff Writer
Donald
Cerrone is a simple guy. He likes to fight, and he likes to get
paid. And he just so happens to be very good at both.
So good, in fact, that these days Cowboy is a regular patron
on the Zuffa Bonus Express, with four '(Blank) of the Night'
checks in just five UFC appearances. With a résumé
like that, it shouldn't surprise that ahead of his UFC on FUEL
3 clash against Jeremy Stephens, Cerrone's focus is on making
it five out of six.
"You name it, the post-fight bonuses, I'm going for it,"
he thickly declared in an interview with MMAFighting.com. "I've
got s**t to buy. I'm thinking (of getting) 10 or 12 girls to
come out on a pontoon boat."
For
Cerrone, this mindset is nothing new. Any MMA fan worth their
salt remembers the brash, young lightweight jumpstarting his
aspirations with five ‘Fight of the Night' marks in the
WEC.
Back then excitement was the hallmark of the fledging promotion,
and with monster names like Cerrone, Ben Henderson, and Anthony
Pettis, fans always knew what they were getting with the bright
blue gloves. "You'd never go to a WEC event that was boring
or lame," Cerrone explained.
"All the WEC guys were throwing down, making interesting
fights. Sometimes in the UFC, you'd be like ‘come on you
fat bastard, do something.'"
The
man has a point. Looking back through the history of mixed martial
arts, the WEC likely held one of the highest good-fight-to-bad-fight
ratios out there. Though the blue cage never carried the brand
recognition of its Zuffa counterpart, so it became commonplace
for WEC fighters to see their names tumble down the lightweight
rankings without provocation.
Obviously,
considering the current state of the 155-pound division, that
fact becomes somewhat ironic in retrospect. But like many of
his contemporaries, Cerrone harnessed the slights as motivation
to fuel his UFC barnstorming tour. "I knew the whole time,"
he chuckled. "We were the top of the WEC guys, and everyone
said that we weren't s**t. We were the little brothers of the
UFC. And now look. We're here, making a statement, so it feels
good to be a part of that."
With
the exception of Henderson, no one's statement has been as loud
as Cerrone's.
From
February to October, Cowboy bulldozed his way through a wildly
entertaining run of four-straight victories -- three of which
came as a short-notice replacement -- to kick off his UFC career
with miles of highlight-reel material and a stack of bonus paper
so thick it would make Chris Lytle blush. Suddenly whispers of
a UFC title shot were reaching Cerrone's ear, and a coveted co-main
event slot on a Brock Lesnar pay-per-view was his for the taking.
But the fight game is an unpredictable one, and no one, least
of all Cerrone, could have imagined the ferocity with which Nate
Diaz showed up at UFC 141, or how quickly and decisively ten
months of work could come crashing down. "Man, I haven't
even watched that fight," Cerrone bitterly recollected.
"I'm so disgusted with myself about that performance and
what went on.
"It was definitely an off night, and he got in my head.
He did exactly what he had to do. I came out and was f***ed from
the beginning."
For
what it's worth, Cerrone's upcoming opponent, Stephens, pretty
much agreed with that depiction, saying Cowboy mentally "broke"
during the third round, and "gave up and took his ass-whooping."
Those are strong words, and after suffering such a back-to-earth
loss, Cerrone is in no mood to start hearing other fighters question
his toughness.
"Last year it was my rookie year in the UFC, s*** was coming
at me so fast," Cerrone admitted wryly. "Talk of the
title in one year was big, big news to me. So I've stepped back,
reconsidered, and now it's time to make some money. 2012 is the
year. I feel great. I'm going to f***ing take some names, beat
some ass and get that belt."
Of
course, it all starts on Tuesday night with Stephens. Only after
that fight is in the books, and a bonus check is nestled safely
in his pocket, will Cerrone turn his sights to his new target
-- Diaz.
He
may never be able to erase the memory of that cold December night,
but with Diaz cresting into the upper-echelon of the division,
Cerrone knows deep down there'll be a day the two men meet again.
And to that, Cowboy has just one thing to say.
"Don't
be scared, homie."
Source:
MMA Fighting
|
TUF
9 Winner James Wilks Retires from MMA
by Damon
Martin
Injuries
claim a lot of athletes before their prime is finished, and now
you can count Ultimate Fighter season 9 winner James Wilks amongst
those casualties.
The
British born fighter announced via Twitter over the weekend that
he has retired from active MMA competition after injury sidelined
him for good.
“A
few of you have been asking when my next fight is. Unfortunately,
I had to retire due to injury,” wrote Wilks.
During
his time with the UFC, Wilks compiled a 2-2 record overall including
his win over DeMarques Johnson to claim the season 9 title where
he was coached by fellow countryman Michael Bisping.
Wilks
last appearance in the Octagon came in Oct 2010 in a decision
loss to Canadian Claude Patrick at UFC 120.
Even
while the show was filming, Wilks was already living and residing
in the United States, and despite his fighting career being over
the former TUF champion is still teaching and training at his
own academy in California, Lightning MMA.
For
his career, Wilks held a 7-4 record overall.
Source:
MMA Weekly
|
Investigation:
The future of combat sports in California
By Zach
Arnold
Last
Friday morning, we posted an article discussing the neutering
of AB2100, the proposed legislation (amendments) by Assemblyman
Luis Alejo that would give the California State Athletic Commission
sweeping authority to review & regulate fighter contracts
in Mixed Martial Arts. The current power that the CSAC has to
oversee boxing contracts would be given to the commission for
MMA as well.
However,
as we noted on Friday, AB2100 is headed towards a path of no
return. Despite Assemblyman Alejo feeling that he can convince
the CSAC to back AB2100, the truth is that the bill continues
to get marked through and watered down. A week after a public
hearing in Sacramento to go over AB2100 amendments, changes were
made to the bill. If the amendments do not see the day of light
in the Appropriations committee by the end of the month, whatever
is left of AB2100 is essentially crippled. This does not mean
that all changes would be terminated but certainly the bulk of
what was being proposed would be eliminated.
There
were a lot of interested parties in getting AB2100 amendments
up & running. For many organized labor unions, this was an
interesting test to see how much UFC would sweat over the CSAC
being granted authority to review & regulate standard Zuffa
contracts. Despite what is a likely end for AB2100, organized
labor now has a test case to go to other states to pursue similar
type of legislation. Furthermore, they may take their case and
try to get legislation passed on a Federal level (to have the
Ali Act apply to MMA).
The
political problem Assemblyman Alejo faces is that while he is
backed by labor unions, his bosses in California are all Democrats
in higher authority. As we detailed last Friday, one of the biggest
players in the process of AB2100 likely being neutered for good
is CSAC Chairman John Frierson. Frierson, who proudly boasts
being a friend of Governor Jerry Brown for over 40 years, is
a man who recently said in approving Josh Barnett for a fighter’s
license that he wants to see business in California. This stance
is consistent in various votes that Chairman Frierson has issued
in the past. He voted to re-license Antonio Margarito. He tried
to motion for Cris Cyborg’s steroid suspension to be cut
in half from one year to six months. He voted to halve the suspension
of Chael Sonnen and cleared the way for Sonnen to get back to
action.
As
UFC lobbyist Tim Lynch noted at the April 25th Sacramento hearing
for AB2100, the California State Athletic Commission would need
to pay to hire lawyers to review hundreds of fighter contracts
if AB2100 was passed. Given the current economic situation facing
Chairman Frierson and Executive Director George Dodd, this is
politically untenable. In order for AB2100 to survive, Assemblyman
Alejo would have to craft the amendments in such a way that,
on paper, it would cost the AC $0. It’s hard to see how
the Assemblyman will be able to pull this off, let alone confront
Chairman Frierson’s attitude of ‘we want business.’
You know what wouldn’t be good for CSAC business? UFC and
Bellator no longer running shows in California. UFC stated that
if the AB2100 amendments passed that they would no longer run
California. Chairman Frierson is not going to accept this. This
is why AB2100 is headed down a path of no return.
The
current political stance of the California State Athletic Commission
is simple — any change that is proposed must cost $0 for
implementation (on paper). A perfect example of how this policy
is reflective upon current regulation involves amateur boxing
& amateur MMA. USA Boxing currently works with the CSAC for
regulating amateur boxing. Jeremy Lappen’s CAMO (California
Mixed Martial Arts Organization) non-profile 501(c)(3) oversees
regulation of amateur MMA. Chairman Frierson is a big supporter
of Lappen & CAMO. So, for anyone who thinks that they are
going to change the way CAMO currently acts in terms of business
protocol, think again. No change is happening in the foreseeable
future. Lappen was able to get CAMO into the role as amateur
MMA regulator by pushing his operation as non-profit, even though
he stated on 2011 CAMO tax filing that he paid himself $75,000
in salary. Tax returns for CAMO in 2012 could show another potential
increase in salary.
By
designating responsibility of amateur boxing & amateur MMA
to USA Boxing & CAMO, it allows Chairman Frierson & the
CSAC to basically take a hands-off approach, financially-speaking,
to regulating such activity. After all, amateur boxing &
amateur MMA is not the profit center they care about. This is
just one demonstration of how Chairman Frierson is currently
impacting the combat sports landscape in California.
Using
the standard of adding regulatory authority to the CSAC without
costing any money on paper are the recent guidelines proposed
to allow Therapeutic Use Exemptions, including TUEs for testosterone.
In language that is clearly spelled out, the regulations being
written for TUEs state that since the athlete applying for a
TUE has to pay for all medical testing costs this means that
it will cost the commission $0. Of course, such legislation cannot
track down whether or not fight promoters actually are the ones
who are picking up the tab for fighters to get their exemptions
to use testosterone. Given that this legislation will allow many
big-name MMA fighters who are pleading their case for testosterone
usage to get an exemption, this opens the door for those big-name
MMA fighters in question to have their fights in California.
We want business, indeed.
Everyone
understands the seriousness of the debt crisis in California
and the position that the California Democratic Party is in.
Because California is a one-party political state, a lot of power
is consolidated in certain geographic areas – most of it
in the big cities west of I-5. John Frierson happens to be a
very old-school player in California Democratic Party circles.
Frierson has been a member of the CSAC since 2001. To understand
how uncommon the length of Frierson’s tenure on the Commission
is, you have to look at the rules for membership appointment.
You can be appointed to the CSAC via one of three avenues –
1) by the Governor, 2) by the Assembly Speaker, or 3) by the
Senate Rules Committee.
The
Governor can give an appointee a length of anywhere from 2 to
4 years.
The Senate can give an appointee a length of 4 years.
The Assembly Speaker can give an appointee a length of 4 years.
The reason we point this out for your consideration is because
in order for Chairman Frierson to be kept on the CSAC board for
as long as he has been, he must be someone of substantial political
value. Given his 40+ year political relationship with Governor
Jerry Brown, it’s easy to see why John Frierson will remain
Chairman of the CSAC for years to come. Although his term expires
on January 1st, 2015, the safe bet is that Chairman Frierson
will stick around as long as he is in good health.
Introduction
As
we have been reporting on the developments surrounding AB2100,
we started to investigate the role of Chairman Frierson and just
what kind of influence he has on regulatory decisions with the
California State Athletic Commission. Our investigation led us
down many different roads that we were not initially expecting
to travel. However, our initial search for background information
on Chairman Frierson led us to discover some rather remarkable
political connections. These political relationships that we
are about to reveal will demonstrate how John Frierson has obtained
the political clout that he currently enjoys and how it is being
used to regulate the fight scene in California.
It
is important for us to frame our investigation in a way that
connects many dots but does so in a simple, yet detailed manner
so that you can understand how the political landscape works
in California and how decisions made by the Chairman impact the
fans, the fighters, and event promoters.
Chairman
John Frierson is an important name to remember and a name to
keep a close eye on. What we are about to lay out for you is
the following:
A
political profile of how John Frierson built his career and how
his political connections have put him in the spot he is currently
at
How John Frierson’s membership on the California State Athletic
Commission has not only benefitted him but the many political
leaders that he has backed
How John Frierson has used his political influence to make a
difference in setting the agenda for the California State Athletic
Commission
How John Frierson, now the CSAC Chairman, will impact the political
decision making for the CSAC in the future and what it means
for the future of regulating combat sports in California
In order to understand how we’ve reached the point where
are at now, we have to take a closer look at the political career
Chairman Frierson has built.
The
man with all the right connections
John
Frierson has been a mainstay in Los Angeles Democratic Party
politics since Richard Nixon was President. In addition to being
a delegate for the Democratic National Committee for three decades,
he & his wife Susie Frierson (also an activist) have been
members of the New Frontier Democratic Club, a very high-profile
African-American political organization with a storied history.
Frierson is on the Executive Board of the NFDC, a club that is
very active in Los Angeles County Democratic Party circles. Naturally,
the club is very involved in promoting key initiatives of President
Obama such as United We Serve.
Because
of the affiliations that John & Susie Frierson are connected
to, they have spent many years making connections with the biggest
names in the California Democratic Party and, conversely, have
returned the favor in backing & promoting many African-American
state Assembly & state Senate candidates. Plus, they are
also backers of many CA Democratic Party heavyweights in Congress,
including Brad Sherman.
While
the digital, online footprint of John Frierson is rather small
in terms of information, there is a treasure trove of political
information in newspapers about key endorsements Mr. Frierson
has made & activities that he has been involved in. While
some of the candidates Chairman Frierson have backed turned out
to be stinkers (he was a booster in California for the John Edwards
ill-fated 2004 Democratic Party primary campaign), many of Frierson’s
choices — especially on the state level — have been
huge winners. He backed Janice Hahn, who went to win a seat in
Congress. The couple has backed candidates in local Los Angeles
political races as well as the candidacy of a rising political
star, Curren Price Jr. Mr. Price started out his career as an
Assembly representative in the 51st district in 2006 and was
re-elected in 2008. In 2009, Price ran for state Senate in a
special election and won the seat. John & Susie Frierson
were big backers for Price’s campaign. In his three years
of service in the state Senate, Price has risen all the way to
the position of Chairman of the Senate Business, Professions,
and Economic Development Committee.
That
last item of information will become of great importance later
on in this article.
In
exchange for continued support of major Southern California Democrats
who have obtained positions of high power in Sacramento, John
Frierson has received a very large amount of political support
of his own. Governor Jerry Brown is a close friend and big backer.
Former and current LA City Councilmembers are Frierson boosters.
Los Angeles mayor Antonio Villaraigosa has been a long-time supporter
of Frierson, putting him on a Los Angeles Transportation Commission.
Here’s how LA Observed categorized the support:
John
W. Frierson has been involved in community and political activities
for over 40 years. He has held positions in numerous organizations,
including Deputy Director of Community Relations for the 2000
Democratic National Convention, Senior Field Deputy for Councilman
Nate Holden, Senior Traffic Supervisor for both the Los Angeles
Police Department and the Department of Transportation, and Deputy
Sheriff of the Los Angeles Sheriff Department. He was also a
member of the United States Navy. Frierson attended UCLA and
the City College of New York, and received a Certificate in Training
from the FBI.
In
addition to being on the LA Transportation Commission, Frierson
has also been an activist for various propositions including
measures involving political redistricting in California.
A
cursory look at who has backed John Frierson should give you
a clue about how valued he is in CADEM circles. Governor Jerry
Brown. LA Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa. Former Assembly Speakers
Herb Wesson & Karen Bass. Currently Assembly Speaker John
Lopez. Curren Price Jr. If you’re a California Democrat
and your political territory is in Southern California, you know
who John & Susie Frierson are.
The
relationship between Price and Frierson is one of importance.
As we mentioned earlier, the NFDC is involved in President Obama’s
United We Serve project, a project that the Friersons back. Price
was a guest speaker in August of 2010 for the United We Serve
fair promoted at the LA Sports Arena.
Given
that the African-American constituency means so much to the Democratic
Party’s level of success, John & Susie Frierson are
visible players. Since John’s appointment to the California
State Athletic Commission in 2001, John has endorsed numerous
political heavyweights and, in those political endorsements,
his standing as a member of the CSAC is prominently mentioned.
There’s a benefit for him to have the CSAC tag line by his
name in terms of image & power.
The
‘gift’ scandal
There’s
an old adage that with great power comes great responsibility.
The LA Times wanted to make sure that John Frierson found this
out the hard way.
Michael
Rothfeld, who worked at The LA Times and currently writes for
The Wall Street Journal, wrote a famous article on September
18th, 2009 in which he detailed how the California State Athletic
Commission was giving out comp tickets left & right to friends,
family members, and politicians.
State
officials who regulate boxing have used their positions to gain
admission to big-ticket events for friends — actor Sylvester
Stallone among them — relatives and other associates who
sit ringside for free, records show.
One
member of the California State Athletic Commission directed state
employees to obtain free passes for his wife and pastor. Gov.
Arnold Schwarzenegger, who appointed all but one of the commissioners,
attended an event gratis, as did one of his high-ranking aides.
…
On Thursday, as The Times was preparing to publish information
on the free admissions, Schwarzenegger sent a letter to the commissioners
reiterating that “appointees do not accept gifts” and
directing them to follow his policy or resign.
…
Frierson obtained credentials for his pastor for one fight and
invited a guest from New Jersey. He regularly placed his wife,
Susie, on the free-entry list along with state employees.
…
Before a weekend of three matches in January, William Douglas,
the assistant executive officer, sent out a mass e-mail with
a chart that commissioners could use to check their desired events
and the number of guests they wanted. They requested at least
18 credentials that weekend.
The
Governor at the time, Arnold Schwarzenegger, was facing big political
trouble with the DCA (Department of Consumer Affairs). The DCA
oversees regulatory bodies like the nursing board (big scandal
there in 2009) and the California State Athletic Commission.
As
a result of The LA Times article, an investigation was opened
the next day by the Fair Political Practices Commission, an ethics
board. A week after the LA Times article was published, heads
started to roll. The DCA flexed its muscle and rejected the appointment
of Pat Russell as Executive Director. He was ready to replace
Armando Garcia, who left the CSAC.
State
Senate leader Darrell Steinberg put it this way:
Steinberg
said he hopes that Schwarzenegger “looks for new members
whose priority is protecting the health and safety of the athletes
they regulate rather than arranging for free admission to boxing
and [mixed martial arts] events.”
A
month after the LA Times article, the CSAC voted 5-0 to amend
their free ticket policy.
The
California State Athletic Commission voted unanimously Monday
to stop itself from accepting more than one free pass to a fight,
a policy change that followed a Times investigation last month
documenting commissioner handouts to friends of free ringside
passes to big fights.
“I
was encouraged it was adopted,” said Brian Stiger, director
of the Department of Consumer Affairs, which oversees the athletic
commission.
During
public comment before the 5-0 vote was made by commissioners
John Frierson, Peter Lopez, Dr. Van Lemon, Dr. Christopher Giza
and Mario Rodriguez, one individual urged the commissioners to
operate with “transparency” and only attend fights
when “on official business, not because it’s a nice
thing to do on a Friday night.”
The
fallout from the ‘gift’ scandal
After
the ticket scandal broke, Governor Schwarzenegger read the riot
act (through the DCA) to the CSAC members about what was going
on. While some members resigned, others were furious and fought
to maintain their power.
The
Fair Political Practices Commission, which oversaw the ethics
investigation into the ticket giveaways, has three levels for
letters they send out in terms of punishment. The warning letter
is the strongest grade, followed by advisory letters and then
no violation letters. Advisory letters are essentially a slap
on the wrist.
Dr.
Christopher Giza received a warning letter in January of 2010.
Here’s some text from said letter:
I
have completed my investigation of the facts in this case. Specifically,
I have found that you accepted a gift of a ticket from Golden
Boy Promotions to attend a boxing match held on May 3, 2008.
The value of this ticket was $400, which exceeded the applicable
gift limit of $390 for calendar year 2008.
Your
acceptance of a gjft over the applicable limit is a violation
of the Act. (Section 895m, subdivision (c).) Although you had
a non-delegable duty to understand and abide by the provisions
of the Act, we are not moving forward with this matter based
on the specific facts of this case. These include the tact that
you contacted the Technical Assistance Division, made a good
to the value of gift, and paid down the amount over the limit
before being contacted by the Enforcement Divison.
John
Frierson, however, curiously received an advisory letter telling
him that the file on his matter was closed.
This
wouldn’t be the only curious development. As the Our Weekly
publication noted, while heads were rolling at the CSAC over
the ticket scandal… John Frierson got a promotion.
For
the first time in its long history, the California State Athletic
Commission (CSAC) welcomed an African-American as its chairperson.
John
Frierson, the new chair, was recently elected chairman by his
peers, after serving on the commission since 2002.
“I
am overjoyed with this position,” said Frierson, who was
re-appointed to the commission in the fall of 2009 by former
California Speaker of the House, Karen Bass.
Instead
of being removed from the California State Athletic Commission,
Frierson was promoted to Chairman despite being named by the
LA Times in the ticket scandal. On top of that, a cursory search
of previous CSAC meetings shows that the attendance record of
John Frierson was rather inconsistent.
As
Our Weekly pointed out, it was the now former Assembly Speaker
Karen Bass who re-appointed Frierson to the CSAC despite the
ticket scandal. This is the highest of California Democratic
Party authority giving the green light to make the move. What
happened after the ticket scandal story that resulted in John
Frierson’s re-appointment to the CSAC?
This
re-appointment eventually led Frierson to become the Chairman
of the CSAC, with his term not ending until 2015. Chairman Frierson’s
influence is palpable.
Friends
in high places
In
June of 2011, Governor Jerry Brown made an interesting appointment
to the California State Athletic Commission board.
Linda
Forster, 42, of Los Angeles, has been appointed to the California
State Athletic Commission. She has served as the president of
Forster Construction Company since 1994. Forster served as the
administrator for the Parents of Watts from 1993 to 2006 and
as the director of the Dianne Feinstein Home for Young Mothers
from 1991 to 1993. She also worked as a clinical social worker
at the Martin Luther King Jr./Drew Medical Center in 1996. Forster
served as a commissioner for the City of Los Angeles Department
of Animal Services Board from 2001 to 2004. She was a member
of the U.S. Junior Olympics Basketball team in 1987. This position
requires Senate confirmation and the compensation is $100 per
diem. Forster is a Democrat.
In
2004, Forster was a delegate for the Democratic National Convention.
This is mentioned here because of an item about The Friends of
Linda Harris-Forster and who made a political donation to her
— Susie Frierson.
Here’s
an item that will shine a brighter spotlight on the political
connections. Kinde Durkee, a high-profile Democratic treasurer
in Burbank who got charged for fraud by authorities, reportedly
helped file Friends of Linda Harris-Forster with the State. As
the LA Times noted in this 2008 article, Forster has had plenty
of political aspirations. Here’s a 2007 article detailing
Forster’s political connections:
First
of all, Linda is the daughter of Sweet Alice Harris and is the
front-runner in terms of fundraising. She has the financial support
of the biggest of the state’s big wigs, including my beloved
sugar daddy, former Controller Steve Westly.
If
you don’t live in California, you probably don’t recognize
most of these names. If you live in California, you know some
of these political heavyweight names.
At
the April 9th CSAC hearing, Forster nominated Frierson to be
Chairman of the CSAC once again.
Oversight
of the CSAC & its troubles
California
is dealing with major financial issues right now and the California
State Athletic Commission has plenty of problems of their own
to manage. Chairman Frierson & Executive Director George
Dodd are in a tough spot.
For
instance, take a look at this item from the February 6th, 2012
agenda regarding the commission’s Neurological Fund.
As
directed by the Commission at the December 13, 2011 meeting,
staff met to analyze costs and funding associated with the neurological
fund and neurological examinations (neuro exams) in order to
draft regulations that would establish a protocol to pay for
neuro exams as required by section 18711 of the Business and
Professions Code. The Commission directed staff to move quickly
on implementation to ensure complance with the law.
Staff
conducted a close analysis of the law and found that not only
does the law require payment for neuro exams, it requires payment
of all exams required in the medical exam process pertaining
to licensure.
Given
this realization and knowing the Commission’s strong committment
to complying with the law, staff reviewed the budget of the Boxer’s
Neurological Examination Account (Account) and the costs associated
with all medical exams required for licensure to assess the feasibility
of paying for all such exam costs. We found that an increase
in the assessment would be required — an increase from $0.60
to approximately $2.70 per ticket. In addition to the fee increase,
a legislative change would be required to increase the yearly
spending cap to allow for the required payments. See below.
Average
Annual Revenue – $150,000
Average Annual Cap – $121,000
Current Operation/Salary Expenditures – $74,000
Amount remaining for exam costs – $47,000
Annual medical exam costs – $596,000
Deficit – (in the red) $549,000
Currently,
with an annual $121,000 spending cap, the Commission could pay
only $56 towards the costs of each medical exam work up. The
minimum cost we found for a medical workup for licensing purposes
is $745.
Given
this information, staff began exploring options:
1)
Comply with existing law by raising the assessment to $2.70 and
seeking new legislation to change the spending authority so that
the Commission may pay for all exams required in the medical
exam process.
2)
Seek new legislation to remove the requirement that the Commission
pay for all medical exams required in the medical exam process
and only pay for the neuro exam. The Commission would still have
to seek legislation to increase its spending authority to pay
for the costs of the neuro exams and eventually have to increase
the assessment. See below representing the costs related specifically
to the neuro exam.
Average
Annual Revenue – $150,000
Average Annual Cap – $121,000
Current operation/salary expenditures – $74,000
Amount remaining for exam costs – $47,000
Annual Neuro exam costs – $80,000
Deficit – (in the red) $33,000
3)
Seek legislation to remove the Commission completely from collecting
and paying for any medical exams, including neuro exams. The
advantages to this idea include, reduced assessment fees, reduced
staff workload and operating expenses, and possibly providing
the Commission with an opportunity to use existing funds to more
directly benefit licensees by redirecting the funds toward the
creation and administration of medical database, a long time
goal of the Commission and the Advisory Committee on Medical
Safety Standards (MAC).
A
medical database could allow for greater protection of the health
and safety of fighters by 1) tracking injuries; 2) assist in
determining when a fighter is safe to return to play after sustaining
an injury; 3) identifying medical trends; and 4) assist in preventing
further injury by identifying individuals who may be at greater
risk. The benefits of a medical database have the potential to
far out weight that of merely paying for a neurological examination.
An
endeavor such as this would require legislation (see attached
proposed draft language) to remove the requirement to pay exam
costs and add the authority to create and maintain a database
for medical research as permitted by section 18711 subdivision
(a)(3). This would ensure that the Commission continues to receive
all necessary medical data.
Finally,
if the Commission were to pursue this avenue, it may want to
consider reducing the current $0.60 assessment fee to $0.01,
(the minimum amount possible) until the legislation becomes effective,
a database is in place, and a determination is made regarding
the amount needed to operate and maintain the database; including
the review and study of the information collected by qualified
personnel.
I
want you to read that passage… and then re-read it. These
are the kinds of serious issues that the CSAC is facing with
John Frierson as the Chairman. The commission is facing a major
money crunch. With Chairman Frierson & Executive Director
Dodd as the two key figures on the CSAC, the question is whether
or not either man can fix the bind that the CSAC is in. If they
can’t find the money to finance Commission regulations as
they are required to do so by law, what will that mean for the
Commission? Will the Commission approve of less fights and go
on furlough (at the request of politicians above them) or will
we see the CSAC lower their standards of regulation in order
to go ‘on the cheap’ and try to skate by?
These
are serious & major questions.
As
the CSAC is dealing with major issues like neurological exams,
Chairman Frierson also has something else of interest that he
felt needed a change… the Commission’s ticket/gift
policy.
Last
December, the ticket/gift issue magically re-appeared. Wait,
didn’t the CSAC vote after the gift scandal on a 5-0 vote
(including John Frierson) to not do freebies any more?
Last
February, we saw a proposal to revise the gift policy. At the
April 9th hearing, change Chairman Frierson can believe in:
**************
CALIFORNIA
STATE ATHLETIC COMMISSION GIFT POLICY
Since
the receipt of gifts may give rise to the appearance of impropriety,
the California State Athletic Commission hereby adopts this gift
policy. Even in those circumstances where applicable laws and
policies permit the acceptance of gifts, there remains the possibility
that the public may perceive such gifts as an attempt to influence
or reward official government action and thus as creating a conflict
of interest. The Commission therefore strongly urges its members
and staff to avoid even the appearance of a conflict of interest
or impropriety and to demonstrate the Commission’s commitment
to impartiality, equal treatment and the highest standards of
conduct in its interactions with all licensees and potential
licensees of the Commission.
All
applicants and licensees shall be notified of the Commission’s
policy on gifts.
For
purposes of this policy, the word ‘gift’ means any
item having any cost or financial value, including tickets, food
or beverages, entertainment, or travel, as well as licensee-sponsored
meals, parties, or events.
Effective
immediately, the gift policy dated October 26, 2009 is abolished
and the following gift policy applies.
A.
Commission Members and Staff who are required to file a Form
700
Commission
members, the executive officer, assistant executive officer,
and chief and assistance chief athletic inspectors are required
pursuant to Title 16 Cal. Code Regs 3830 (Appendix) to file annually
a Form 700. Members and the staff designated above shall comply
with all applicable laws and rules related to conflicts of interest,
including the Department of Consumer Affairs’ Incompatible
Activities Policy dated April 8, 2010, and shall thoroughly disclose
on their Form 700s all items required to be disclosed by law.
Commission members and staff designated above are also expected
to comply with the biennial requirement to take and complete
the ethics course offered online by the Office of the Attorney
General.
B.
Commission Staff
No
gifts of any kind, of any value, shall be accepted, on or off
the work site, by any Commission employee from any applicant
or license or any person acting on behalf of an applicant or
licensee. As used in this policy, the term ‘employee’
includes all athletic inspectors except the chief and assistant
chief athletic inspector. This policy is intended to supersede
any law that conflicts with this policy, but all other laws and
policies of the state of California shall continue to apply fully.
Any
gift received by a commission staff member shall be returned
within 30 calendar days to the give whenever feasible. When return
of a gift is not feasible, the employee shall deliver the gift
to the Commission’s executive office,r who shall promptly
donate the gift to a non-profit entity.
*******
Let
me translate the change for you — the ‘no gift’
vote by Chairman Frierson on October 26, 2009, a month after
the LA Times scandal article, is done. While the language of
this revised gift policy sounds stern and tough, it’s opening
the door again for gifts & tickets.
Because
that’s really important.
Who’s
the watch dog?
A
lot is at stake for the California State Athletic Commission.
Governor Jerry Brown cannot afford to have a Commission scandal
because it would hurt him politically. The DCA, which overses
the CSAC, is under his control. Money is tight. Big decisions
will have to made soon.
The
bottom line is that all of the circumstances laid out in this
article should give you a good idea as to why the Commission
wants no part of a strongly-Amended AB2100 bill.
“We
want business.”
Chairman
Frierson wants business and he wants shows. The political pressure
is on. If money troubles continue to plague the CSAC and a political
decision has to be made as to whom the fall guy is (Chairman
Frierson or Executive Director Dodd), let us state our personal
opinion clearly:
George
Dodd will get the ax if conditions don’t rapidly improve
for the California State Athletic Commission.
Chairman
Frierson is not going to be an easy ‘fall guy’ by any
stretch. Too many politicians have put too much political capital
into backing him to just run away from him. Conversely, Chairman
Frierson has a close relationship with Governor Brown and it’s
hard to imagine a scenario where the Chairman would put the Governor
in a compromising position.
So,
who exactly is the watch dog outside of the DCA that is analyzing
what is going on with the CSAC?
The
Senate Business, Professions, and Economic Development Committee.
The
CSAC will have to develop a self-assessment report about how
the regulatory body is functioning and the problems they are
facing. Once that report is created, the Senate committee will
have a meeting next Spring to make any determinations about the
future of the CSAC.
If
there are major financial or mismanagement problems with the
CSAC, I like the chances of survival for Chairman Frierson but
not as much for Executive Director Dodd.
Why?
The
Chairman of the Senate Business, Professions, and Economic Development
Committee is… Cullen Price Jr., friend of the Governor and
Chairman Frierson’s political ally.
And
now you know… the rest of the story.
Source:
Fight Opinion
|
Scrappler's
Fest is Set for This
Saturday May 19!
Kauai's premier BJJ and Submission Grappling tournament.
Scrappler's Fest
Island School, Lihue, Kauai
Saturday, May 19, 2012
Kids start at 10AM
Island School (behind Kauai Community College)
Weigh ins - Friday, May 18
Registration fees:
$45 Women and kids
$65 Men
Late registration (registration on Saturday)
$10 extra
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
This 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
|
Vendetta 4
Friday May 18
Waipahu Filcom Center
Doors Open at 6:00
Laita Tyrell is back on VENDETTA getting ready to battle Matt
Tuilesu in the
main event. Two of these big boys favor the stand up and only
went to the
ground until their previous opponents took them down because
their stand up
is major. Laita is well known for leaving his opponent bloody
or snoring.
But don't count Matt out because this big boy is really aggressive.
Especially when he gets hit. Its gonna be madness at the filcom
on may 18.
Big arms + small gloves + bad intentions = severe consequences
Another
fight to lookout for is newcomer Donald Peters vs newcomer Arnold
Azimov. These lightweights are sure to impress the crowd with
their
lightning quick striking and sneaky takedowns. Donald is comfortable
on his
feet but Vendetta fans will see how Donald feels when he's on
the ground for
Arnold coming out of VanHess mma should feel more in control
on the ground.
Where this fight will end up? Only one way to find out. May 18
at the
Filcom. Be there.
Another
exciting fight will be Chivas Antoque against Marley Tau. Both
of
these guys like to bang with the speed going to Chevez and the
power going
to Marley. They will be fighting for the 185# triple threat amateur
title.
It's up in the air on who will walk out with the bling. Both
same height,
both same goals but both with different strategies. Let the games
begin
baby.
MARLEY
TAU 185 CHIVAS ANTOQUE
DONALD
PETERS 140 ARNOLD AZUMOR
HEAVEN
SOOGA 140 GREG
DALLAS
CABE 145 DAVE ULIBIS
LAITA
TYRELL SHW MATT TUILESU
KEANU
REYNOLDS 135 NALU ONTIVEROS
TANNER
210 ALA MIYASHIRO
DARRYL
DANO 145 CODY FABINAL
KEONI
ANDERSON 170 MARLON CALVENTAS
LAWRENCE
HINOHOSA 170 TONY IRVINE
JESSICA
FAAMAI 150 SABRINA NISHIHARA
LEHUA
AGUNO 145 ALICE TOMOI
KENNY
ANGLEMEYER 205 ELIJAH
BRONSON
YASUE 125 CAMERON TANIKIYOKANE
JOSIAH
135 BRADA KAOWILI
BEN
BOYCE 220 GINO DOANE
ALBERT
CAMBRA 190 SPENCER QUELL
MICHAEL
ULIBIS 145 RYAN LEONG
NICK
CORREA 170 SHAISON LAUPOLA
ALL
MATCHES AND PARTICIPANTS MAY BE SUBJECT TO CHANGE
Source: Derrick Bright
|
Toughman
Hawaii Presents; King Of The Ring
Edith Kanakaole
Tennis Stadium, Hilo, Hawaii
May 26, 2012
|
Bob
Sapp Tour of Surrender Continues With Another Quick Loss
May
13, 2012 - At some point, you have to wonder what exactly a promoter
gets out of booking Bob Sapp to fight. For many of us, that point
has long passed. Sapp seems to no have no prayer of victory any
longer. He hasn't won in two years. He hasn't even been competitive
in the same amount of time, his longest fight since then going
just 3:04.
His
latest display came on Saturday, against the strongman turned
fighter Mariusz Pudzianowski in Poland, and this time, Sapp lasted
all of 40 seconds before being finished at KSW 19.
You
may recall that just a few weeks ago, Sapp was in Slovenia, losing
a kickboxing match to someone named Rok Strucl, a result which
Wikipedia aptly describes as "KO (Invisible Punch)."
That was hot on the heels of his Super Fight League MMA fight
with James Thompson, another fight which he lost in short order.
Again, for a fair description we go to Wikipedia, where the result
is recorded as "Submission (Takedown)."
Against
Pudzianowski, Sapp didn't land a single punch.
About
25 seconds into the fight, you can see him touch his face near
his right eye, see blood, and then cover up as Pudzianowski takes
him down and wails away for the finish.
He's
not taking a dive, but it hardly seems like an honest effort,
either. This from the man who once, many moons ago, had Antonio
Rodrigo Nogueira in trouble.
For
the record, we should note that KSW 19 did feature a solid co-main
event, with Mamed Khalidov knocking out former UFC fighter Rodney
Wallace in just 1:55 of the first round.
But
back to Sapp, since the start of 2009, the 38-year-old has lost
nine of his 10 recorded MMA fights, and eight of his nine recorded
kickboxing fights. Everyone deserves a chance to make a living,
but there's got to be a better way for all parties involved.
Sometime,
this farcical ride will end, but there will be at least one more
stop. Later this week, his international tour of surrender continues
with a scheduled fight against Soa Palelei in Australia. Given
Palelei's pedigree in the sport -- he's 16-3 with 6 straight
knockouts -- don't expect that one to last much longer than this
sentence.
Source: MMA Fighting
|
Chan
Sung Jung Talks Dustin Poirier, Growing Popularity, and Arianny
Celeste
May
12, 2012 - You'll be hard-pressed to find anyone who has anything
negative to say about Chan Sung Jung, aka "The Korean Zombie."
Heck, UFC president Dana White, who rarely wears fighter T-Shirts,
has worn the famous "Korean Zombie" T-shirt on numerous
occasions. That's a nice feather in his cap.
On
Tuesday, he'll meet Dustin Poirier in the main event of UFC on
FUEL TV 3 in Fairfax, Va. MMAFighting.com spoke to Jung recently
about the upcoming fight, what's at stake, his thoughts on Poirier,
his growing popularity in Korea and his thoughts on UFC Octagon
Girl Arianny Celeste.
Ariel
Helwani: Does it feel any different knowing you're preparing
for your first UFC main event fight?
Chan Sung Jung: Definitely. I'm motivated to work that much harder
knowing that it's for a main event. Not that I don't work hard
for other fights, but the fight being a main event makes it special.
Do you think a win over Dustin Poirier should make you the No.
1 contender at 145?
Yes, I think so. I think right now Dustin and I are the main
contenders for a fight against Aldo, for a number of reasons,
so it makes sense that the winner of our fight would be the next
in line for Aldo.
Do
you feel as though not enough people talk about you as one of
the current top contenders in the weight class?
A lot of people count me out as a top contender in at 145. I
still have a lot to prove in the minds of the fans and in my
own mind, as well. I want to fight, and beat, the best competition.
Once I've done that, people will have no doubt about my standing
in the division. I want to prove it to myself and to everyone
else. Shouldn't that be the goal of every fighter? To fight the
toughest guys, the best guys and show that you're better than
them?
Have
you brought in anyone in particular to help you to train for
Poirier?
I've been working with our team captain, Jang Yong Kim, because
he most closely resembles Poirier skill-wise. Other than that,
I've been working my all around game, because Dustin is such
a well-rounded fighter. Ben Henderson stopped by and trained
with KTT a few times, too. He is a great guy and a beast in training,
so working with a guy like that is only going to help.
Have
you been impressed with what he has been doing lately in the
UFC?
Yes, he's been having a good run lately. That said, I still think
I have the upper hand on him in standing and on the ground.
What
do you think is his biggest strength and biggest weakness as
a fighter?
His biggest strengths are that he's tough and he's very composed,
especially for a relatively young guy. I think that his weakness
is that while he's well-rounded, he doesn't stand out in one
particular area.
In
February, you tweeted "Dustin Poirier? 6 seconds."
Does that mean you are predicting a six-second KO on May 15?
It would probably be tough to knock him out in 6 seconds. We
all try get interest in the fights on social media, but I am
confident in my ability to get a KO in any fight. This fight
is no exception.
He
recently released a parody video of him about to slay a bunch
of zombies. What did you make of that?
I thought it was pretty good. Since it didn't actually show what
happened in the fight, I like to think the zombies won. But,
it's definitely savvy marketing and it's the sort of thing that
fans like to see.
You
have been gaining a lot of popularity in Korea recently, why
do you think that is?
I think because of the "Twister" victory against Leonard
Garcia and the seven-second win over (Mark) Hominick. It's the
first time a Korean fighter has had big wins like that in the
UFC, so the Korean fans have responded to that. I'm really thankful
for all my fans, here in Korea, in the US and all around the
world. I can't thank the fans enough.
How
popular is MMA in Korea these days? And has the rise of Benson
Henderson helped at all?
These days MMA in Korea is probably more popular than it is in
Japan. Korean fighters are getting better and better, and it
shows in the UFC and other organizations. Ben's success, in light
of the fact that his mother is Korean, and his love of his Korean
heritage, has been a boost to the popularity of the UFC and MMA
in Korea. He's a very likeable guy and people can see that. Ben
could be a huge star in Korea, so I hope he stays champion for
a long time.
You
were on a variety show with Arianny Celeste last year. What did
you think of her?
Obviously, Arianny is very attractive and a beautiful. It's tough
for me to approach her though, because my English isn't great
and I've heard that American women aren't into Asian men. But,
yeah, I like her. (laughs)
Your
manager, Brian Rhee, recently said that Tri-Coasta, the maker
of your famous Korean Zombie T-shirt, is "screwing"
you. Can you explain what is going on between you and the brand
right now?
We're pursuing legal action at the moment, so my lawyer has advised
me not to comment on the matter. As much as I'd like to talk
about it, I can't really say anything about it. I will, however,
say that they do owe me money. And, no, I am no longer affiliated
with them. Also, TrauMMA Combat has released a new Korean Zombie
shirt. So, if anyone is interested in supporting me in that way,
definitely but the new shirt from TrauMMA Combat.
Why
do you think people like you so much as a fighter?
Honestly, I think I've been lucky. Whether it's the "Twister",
or the seven-second KO, I've been lucky enough to be in some
great fights that the fans seem to have really enjoyed it. I
don't know if I can really take credit or that I did something
special to make those things happen.
Finally,
you were recently featured in GQ Magazine. How did that come
about?
GQ in Korea contacted me directly. There were only a couple of
pictures, so I don't know if a lot of people saw it, to be honest
with you. A little while back, I was on the cover of the Maxim
here in Korea and that definitely had more of an impact, because
it was the cover.
Also,
I heard that there are lots of Korean Americans in Virginia,
so hopefully, there will be a lot of Korean flags in the arena
for my fight with Dustin Poirier.
Source: MMA Fighting
|
A
Diamond, Rough No More
A
little more than a year ago, Dustin Poirier was an unproven commodity
in the Ultimate Fighting Championship -- a diamond in the rough,
so to speak.
Now,
four victories and 16 months later, Poirier is regarded as one
of the Top 10 featherweights in the world, as he prepares for
his first main event fight in the Octagon: a high-stakes showdown
with Chan Sung Jung in the UFC on Fuel TV 3 headliner on Tuesday
in Fairfax, Va.
“Training
camp has gone really well,” said Poirier, who has won five
straight fights since August 2010. “I’m in the best
shape I’ve ever been in and I’ve had the chance to
have a good, long camp. Plus, there’s been no change in
my opponent. In my first four fights in the UFC, I’ve never
fought the guy I was originally scheduled to fight, so I’ve
been able to prepare for [Jung] the entire time. I’m excited
and I’m ready to put on a good performance.”
Poirier
started his hot streak with a first-round knockout of Zachary
Micklewright at WEC 52 in November 2010 and followed that with
an eye-catching unanimous decision over Josh Grispi at UFC 125
two months later. Another unanimous decision over Jason Young
at UFC 131, a second-round tapout of Pablo Garza at UFC on Fox
1 and a first-round submission of Max Holloway at UFC 143 have
brought Poirier to a 12-1 record that includes 10 finishes, five
of them knockouts, five of them submissions.
Now,
he finds himself in a UFC main event for the first time.
“It’s
amazing,” said Poirier, who trains with UFC veteran Tim
Credeur at the Gladiators Training Academy in Lafayette, La.
“It feels incredible. It’s the fruits of all my labor
and shows I’ve been putting in the work. I feel lucky to
be where I’m at. I feel like I’m exactly where I’m
supposed to be, and I’m going to take advantage of it.”
Poirier
entered the mixed martial arts field in 2007 and holds the rank
of purple belt in Brazilian jiu-jitsu under Credeur, who believes
his protégés strongest assets are those that cannot
be measured.
Jung
has developed a following.
“I think some of the things that are his best attributes
are intangibles, not necessarily things like striking or grappling,”
said Credeur, who has posted three wins of his own inside the
Octagon. “With Dustin, it’s things you can’t see
that make him great. I’ve been around this business for
15-16 years and I’ve seen a lot of talented guys. I just
tried to work hard because I didn’t have a lot of talent.
Dustin works hard and is talented, focused and disciplined and
wants to improve himself. He’s a phenomenal student who
dedicates himself to improving every single day in every part
of the process.”
Part
of what makes the Jung-Poirier matchup so interesting is that
fact that the two fighters asked to face each other. Poirier
claims his desire to fight Jung arose from a need to up his level
of opposition while at the same time putting on an exciting bout
for fans.
“He
is an exciting fighter and has a high-profile name,” said
Poirier. “I knew my next fight would be in the spotlight
since I’ve won four straight, and I wanted it to be against
a good fighter. He’s fun to watch and it should be a fun
fight. I want this to be a ‘Fight of the Night’ and
for it to be a war.”
Jung
will enter the cage on the strength of the most significant win
of his career, as he knocked out former featherweight title challenger
Mark Hominick in just seven seconds in December. The victory
marked the second straight finish for Jung, who submitted Leonard
Garcia with a twister in March 2011. Known for his aggressive
style, the Korean Top Team member has been stopped just once
in four years as a professional and has knocked out or submitted
all but two of his fallen foes.
“He
has a kickboxing background, and you see flashes of that in his
brawls,” said Poirier. “He’s got a good chin,
but he fights emotionally sometimes and I might be able to take
advantage of that. Still, he's got a good ground game and is
well-rounded. I’m going to have to go in ready for a battle
and beat him to the punch. I have to fight like a professional
and not rush things and that will be a big key for me. I don’t
want it to be a brawl. I want to stay calm.”
Jung’s
standup ability, along with his submission skills, have Credeur
preparing Poirier for a fight that could take place anywhere
in the Octagon.
“We’re
in the sport of mixed martial arts and our game plan is to win
the fight wherever the fight goes,” said Credeur. “Whether
it’s in the standup, in the clinch or if a takedown happens,
we’re planning for it. If the fight goes to the ground,
we’re working on ways to submit him. It’d be foolhardy
to go in without a game plan that has everything covered. Our
job is to win the fight everywhere the fight goes. If they stand
up, we want a KO. If it goes to the ground, we want to submit
him. Our game plan is to beat him anywhere the fight goes, and
that’s how you approach the MMA problem.”
Beating
Jung would give Poirier five straight wins in the UFC and six
overall dating back to his days in the WEC, but he is not beating
down the doors asking for a shot at 145-pound champion Jose Aldo.
In fact, he does not sound like a man opposed to waiting for
such an opportunity. Poirier will not turn 24 until January.
“I
feel like if I beat Jung I’ll be maybe one more win away,”
he said. “I’m not sure, and it really depends on other
people. I’ve only been in the UFC for a year, but I feel
like I’d be really close. Still, I’m growing every
day. After this fight, I want to go back and do some gi training
and have some fun. Whenever I take a fight, I get tunnel vision.
I’m needing to take some time between my fights.”
“
I feel lucky to be where
I’m at. I feel like I’m exactly
where I’m supposed to be,
and I’m going to take
advantage of it.”
-- Dustin Poirier, featherweight contender
Credeur
is not worried about a title shot for his fighter. His concern
centers on defeating the man they call “The Korean Zombie.”
“To
be honest, we don’t talk about [a title shot] or concern
ourselves with it,” said Credeur. “That’s Sean
Shelby’s job. He’s the one who makes the matches for
the lighter weight guys [in the UFC]. If we win and our next
fight is Aldo, it’s Aldo. If it’s someone else, then
it’s someone else.
“Dustin
is dedicated to the process of being the best he can be,”
he added. “Our focus is 100 percent on Jung. We’re
dedicating ourselves to everything he does and doing what we
need to do to beat him. What we do after that is out of our control.
We focus on the things that matter and where our focus is at
is on ‘The Korean Zombie.’ It’s not useful or
worth anything to worry about title shots and things when other
challenges are still ahead.”
Source: Sherdog
|
The
Doggy Bag: The Worrywart Edition
Everyone
answers to somebody, so we, the staff at Sherdog.com, have decided
to defer to our readers.
“The
Doggy Bag” gives you the opportunity to speak about what
is on your mind from time to time. Our reporters, columnists,
radio hosts and editors will chime in with their answers and
thoughts, so keep the emails coming.
This
week, fans are trying to make sense of major recent MMA happenings,
and, quite frankly, they do not like what they see in their crystal
balls.
How
has an athlete as talented as Muhammed Lawal decided that Bellator’s
barren light heavyweight division and professional wrestling
is the best step forward for his career? What happens if Josh
Barnett wins the Strikeforce heavyweight grand prix and has another
issue with steroids? What if bantamweight ruler Dominick Cruz
never really recovers from his knee injury? Has Zuffa already
blown the chance to make its mark on Fox?
Not
everybody is a Nervous Nelly, though. Nate Diaz’s sensational
performance against Jim Miller at UFC on Fox 3 simply has some
people anxious in the best way possible, eager to see how the
sterling Stocktonian matches up against either Benson Henderson
or Frankie Edgar. As so often tends to be the case in this sport,
155 pounds has the cure for what ails you.
Muhammed
Lawal signing with Bellator and TNA Wrestling just makes no sense
to me. I seriously need some help or guidance to understand why
a legitimate, real amateur wrestler not only wants to sign with
an MMA promotion that has no one for him to fight but to involve
himself in pro-wrestling. Lawal has already had several wrestling
and MMA injuries, too. What if he gets hurt again diving off
the top rope? I get the fact he was put in a corner after his
positive test and being released from Strikeforce, but how is
this idea the solution to his problems? Maybe we Finnish people
just don’t "get" pro-wrestling. -- Lasse from
Tampere
Jordan
Breen, administrative editor: It is relatively shocking any time
a well-respected MMA fighter wants to divert significant time,
effort and resources to do something different from fighting
in the cage. However, at this point in time, people should well
accept the fact that the “mixed” part of “mixed
martial arts” often leads to bizarre, kissing-cousins-type
relationships with other sports that often have an incredible
attraction.
Just
as dancers want to sing, singers want to act, actors want to
direct and directors want to be astronauts, MMA’s close
association with its component parts makes for weird situations.
It’s nothing new for MMA fighters to want to box, and certainly
in the heyday of Japanese MMA, pro-wrestling stints of various
levels of seriousness were nothing strange for MMA fighters.
This relationship is even more obvious in the instance of Lawal,
who not only is a lifelong pro-wrestling fan but signed on with
a company in Bellator that is in bed with Viacom and Spike TV,
who want to try to fortify their product by cross promoting and
intermingling their Bellator and TNA properties, for better or
for worse.
It
isn’t enough to just say Lawal is a “pro-wrestling
fan,” either. Lawal is some sort of self-styled combat renaissance
man. He was one of the first amateur wrestlers to jump at a chance
to do the ill-fated Real Pro-Wrestling when it was conceived.
He’s also a lifelong boxing fan. He spends large amounts
of time on YouTube checking out everything from Saenchai Sor
Kingstar fights to savate techniques. This is a man gripped by
the peripheral elements of MMA much more than your average fighter.
Being a unique athlete often affords you the chances to try out
different things. This isn’t as extreme as say, Brock Lesnar
-- or, more successfully, Stephen Neal and Carlton Haselrig --
embarking on an MMA career or Sonny Bill Williams -- or, more
historically, Anthony Mundine -- leaving rugby behind, but we
must acknowledge the existence of certain athletes who are psychologically
driven to these kinds of challenges and physically capable of
doing so.
It
would’ve been great to see Lawal perhaps take a few fights
in some of his old stomping grounds in Texas, Oklahoma, Tennessee
and so forth and try to get into the good graces of Zuffa to
allow for a UFC contract at 205. It definitely would’ve
been my preferred career arc for him. However, apart from Zuffa,
no one in MMA is paying what Bellator is right now, and whether
or not it is dreadful to think of him tearing Christian M’Pumbu
limb-from-limb, we are talking about an athlete whose personal
motto is “get dat paper.” The fact that TNA ponied
up additional funds for him to do something that he’s probably
been dreaming about since he was a child likely made the decision
for Lawal a no-brainer.
It’d
be disingenuous for me to act like I’m excited to see Lawal
fight Travis Wiuff again or plow through a 205-pound tournament
that he could probably win in a single night if he wished. However,
I can’t begrudge an athlete entirely for doing something
he is honestly excited about and getting solid financial compensation
for. Hell, maybe Lawal can step up to heavyweight to make it
interesting and battle a former compatriot in Bellator heavyweight
champ Cole Konrad, who he jokingly and lovingly calls “Queen
Cole.” At the very least, it’d be one of the starkest
contrasts in personality we’ve seen in some time.
That’s
the most explaining I can do; that’s the rationale, even
if I don’t necessarily think it’s prudent. However,
Lawal likely doesn’t give a damn what any of us think. The
ink on his knuckles spell it out, clear as day: “F--K YALL”.
Source: Sherdog
|
Pro
Wrestling emulating MMA – flattery or forgery?
Martial
arts has always been a small part of Pro Wrestling. However,
it’s been a growing trend for some time now. The entertainment
of pro wrestling has gone from exaggerated elbow drop finishes,
to submission moves originally seen on UFC pay-per-views.
After
watching a video online of Brock Lesnar pulling off a bone snapping
kimura on his foe, Triple H, I couldn’t help but see it
as a reenactment of the real snapping of Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira’s
shoulder at the hands of Frank Mir recently. This was not the
first occurrence I’ve noticed of pro wrestlers incorporating
MMA either. I remember tuning into Spike for a UFC event once
and catching the end of TNA. The wrestlers went back and forth
in submissions, to standing in muay thai stances. This was a
huge difference from my childhood memories of the WWF with Razor
Ramon and Shawn Michaels fighting on a ladder to reach a hanging
belt.
Maybe
I caught random instances of this I thought. Maybe. But after
hearing Bellator CEO, Bjorn Rebney and TNA president, Dixie Carter
on MMA Uncensored speaking on King Mo’s new MMA and pro
wrestling contract including an intervening storyline between
the two groups – it’s obviously here to stay.
As
the saying goes, imitation is the biggest form of flattery. To
some however, it looks as if the industry is emulating the attraction
that is MMA, simply because of its popularity. Either way, legally
there is no issue at this point.
Source: Caged Insider |
Details
of Brock Lesnar’s WWE contract
Brock
Lesnar made his explosive return to pro wrestling on WWE’s
‘Monday Night Raw‘ earlier this week. What was originally
thought to be an April fools rumor was actually right on the
money. All speculation of Lesnar’s WWE return was cemented
as the former UFC heavyweight champ jumped into the WWE ring
and performed his WWE special, the “F5" on fellow superstar
John Cena.
According
to sPyWareInsider, Lesnar’s return came with a one-year
contract signing with the WWE organization for a whopping $5
million dollars. The final details and signing is said to have
been finalized during Sunday’s Wrestlemania 28 pay-per-view
as numerous media outlets reported sightings of the large Lesnar
in Miami for the event.
Lesnar
is said to be making more appearances than some of his counter-parts
like say “The Rock,” but it will not be as grueling
as his original WWE appearance schedule as he is said to only
be making around two appearances a month per his contract. Part
of what is said to drive Lesnar out of the organization was the
non-stop travel which is expected to be now cut in half.
Source: Caged Insider
|
Sold
Out: Calgary Gobbles Up UFC 149 Tickets
UFC
149 CalgaryDespite a shifting line-up over the past few weeks,
UFC 149: Aldo vs. Koch in Calgary is already sold out, according
to UFC officials.
UFC
149 tickets went on sale to UFC Fight Club members on Thursday,
newsletter subscribers on Friday, and the general public on Saturday.
All the tickets to the July 21 event at the ScotiaBank Saddledome
were quickly gobbled up.
Leading
up to the on-sale date, there was some back and forth over what
would happen with the headlining bout. When UFC 149 was announced
several months ago, UFC president Dana White said featherweight
champion Jose Aldo would likely headline the show.
When
Anderson Silva and Chael Sonnen’s rematch was moved from
UFC 147 in Brazil to UFC 148 in Las Vegas, however, there was
some consideration given to moving Aldo to UFC 147 to headline
the card on his home turf.
When
all was said and done, Aldo remained on the UFC 149 card, matched
up with Erik Koch, a light heavyweight scrap between Mauricio
“Shogun” Rua and Thiago Silva was added, and Michael
Bisping vs. Tim Boetsch slid over from the UFC 148 fight card
to give fans in Calgary a strong line-up for their first taste
of a live UFC event.
Source: MMA Weekly |
World
Jiu-Jitsu Expo Notes: Renzo Gracie Hints at Return; 'Babalu'
Sobral Is Back
May
13, 2012 - LONG BEACH, Calif. -- At 45, the legendary Renzo Gracie
has no real reason left to fight. His reputation as one of mixed
martial arts' founding fathers is secure. He has well-earned
status as jiu-jitsu's ever-smiling ambassador, and his various
business concerns, his famed Manhattan gym chief among them,
keep him busy and active.
But
Gracie is, at heart, still a fighter. And in between posing for
pictures with fans out on the floor of the Long Beach Convention
Center at the World Jiu-Jitsu Expo on Saturday, Gracie said he
won't rule out a return to MMA competition.
"Of
course," Gracie said. "I'm just waiting for the right
opportunity."
Gracie,
who began as a Vale Tudo fighter before modern MMA came into
existence, has a documented MMA record of 13-7-1. He's two years
removed from his last fight, a TKO loss to Matt Hughes at UFC
112. But when pressed for specifics on whom he might like to
meet, Gracie was coy.
"I'm
just waiting to see what comes," Gracie said. "Whatever
is yours is coming your way."
It's
been a long road from MMA's primitive days to the juggernaut
the sport has become, with jiu-jitsu as its soul for the nearly
two-decade journey. As the masses fanned across the convention
center floor, checking out sponsor booths, participating in seminars,
or watching the day's grappling tournament, even Gracie himself
seemed in a bit of disbelief at how big it's become.
"The
turnout here's incredible," Gracie said. "Look around,
look at all the people. I didn't expect this, but it's like they
say, it's a big family, jiu-jitsu's a big family, we're all brothers
in a community."
‘Babalu'
resurfaces after year out of limelight
It's
been awhile since we've heard from one of MMA's most enduring
characters. But with an upcoming fight and a coaching role on
"The Ultimate Fighter: Brazil," Renato "Babalu"
Sobral is back and ready for action.
The
36-year-old Sobral (36-9), who is from Rio de Janeiro, Brazil,
but now lives in Southern California, last fought in Dec. 2010,
when he lost to Dan Henderson. He was also sidelined for a spell
after a snowboarding accident.
"It
was kind of rough for awhile," Sobral said. "I wasn't
able to train, that's not a good thing. But now things are better,
I'm healthy and I can't wait for my chance to fight again."
Sobral
returns to action in the main event of OneFC 4 on June 23. He'll
meet Tatsuya Mizuno as the Singapore-based promotion puts on
an event in Kalua Lampur, Malaysia. Mizuno, a submission specialist,
is 11-7, a former DREAM light heavyweight Grand Prix finalist,
and has won his past two fights.
"I
think this is a good fight for me," Sobral said. "Don't
go by his record. He made it to the Grand Prix finals and he
has fought some strong fighters. I'm looking forward to a challenging
fight."
The
bout with Mizuno isn't the only thing "Babalu" has
on his plate. He also served as a coach on Wanderlei Silva's
team during "TUF: Brazil," alongside Andre Amade, Rafael
Cordeiro, and Fabricio Werdum.
The
first thing that struck Sobral, as he returned to Brazil to shoot
the show, was how big MMA has become in his homeland.
"It's
as big as everyone says," Sobral said. "Not me personally,
I'm not some big star, but the sport of MMA is bigger than it
ever has been in Brazil. I'm very happy to see how big the sport
has grown."
And
he's not afraid to predict what those MMA fans in Brazil will
see when Silva meets Vitor Belfort in Rio on June 23.
"Wanderlei
looks great," Sobral said. "He'll win. First-round
knockout. Believe me."
Source: MMA Fighting
|
A
Year Ago He Wasn’t Ready, But Now Daniel Cormier Confident
in Facing Josh Barnett
Daniel
Cormier and Antonio Silva StrikeforceIt’s crazy to think
that less than three years ago Daniel Cormier hadn’t even
had his first professional MMA fight yet.
Now
on May 19, he’ll fight Josh Barnett to crown the first and
only Strikeforce Heavyweight Grand Prix Champion.
Admittedly,
Cormier will point out that time and experience are the great
factors that led him to the belief that he can go toe-to-toe
with former UFC heavyweight champion Josh Barnett and come away
with the win.
“I
told this to Bob (Cook) the other day, I go, if I have to fight
Josh last year, I would have been so nervous, like I’m not
ready. But now I’m ready. Your career progresses, and there’s
no way to control that. The way to control that is by winning
fights,” said Cormier.
Source: MMA Weekly |
Ever
the showman, 'Filthy' Tom Lawlor is keeping his next ring entrance
a secret
Tom
Lawlor takes no issue with any of his peers who walked stone-faced
to the cage, seemingly oblivious to what is happening around
them. Music will be blasting, the crowd will be roaring and some
men are outwardly emotionless in the final moments before they
fight.
That
will never be Tom Lawlor. He is an entertainer and, from the
minute he comes into public view until he's in the locker room,
he views himself as a performer as much as an athlete.
"It's
a sport, yes," Lawlor said of mixed martial arts, "but
sports are meant to be entertaining in one form or another. At
an NBA basketball game, they announce the players and when they're
running through the team, they're jumping around pumped up and
they have their own entrance music and what not.
"A
lot of people get lost in the aspect of, 'Aw, man, I'm a fighter.
I'm really tough. I'm not going to show any emotion or have a
sense of humor.' That's just not my style. I'd rather have a
good time and go out there and lose than hate my life and go
out there and win."
Lawlor,
who fights Jason MacDonald on Tuesday at the Patriot Center in
Fairfax, Va., on UFC on Fuel 3, is heavily influenced during
his entrances by professional wrestling.
He
grew up "a huge, diehard pro wrestling fan," and one
of his most talked-about entrances in the UFC was when he emulated
Hulk Hogan's walkout.
He
walked to the cage for his Ultimate Fight Night bout against
Aaron Simpson to the strains of Rick Derringer's "I am a
Real American," which became Hogan's anthem when he arrived
in the WWF (now known as the WWE) in the mid-1980s.
Lawlor
strutted to the cage the way Hogan did, putting his hand to his
ear in an effort to make the crowd cheer. When it was time to
actually walk to the cage and fight, Lawlor ripped his t-shirt
off his body and flung it to the crowd the way Hogan once did.
Lawlor,
though, faced a problem that never confronted Hogan: Most MMA
fighters are highly dependent upon their sponsors, who pay money
so that their logo is seen on the fighter during the TV broadcast
as often as possible.
Ripping
a shirt to shreds doesn't do much to give visibility to a sponsor's
logo.
"The
one people comment on the most is probably my Hulk Hogan entrance,
but that's probably my least favorite one," Lawlor said.
"I'm handcuffed a little by the walkout shirts that I get
and the gear I have to wear because I have to make some extra
money somehow. I'll take what I can get. It left me without being
able to do a full Hulk Hogan entrance the way I would have done
had I not had that issue."
He's
fond of his entrance at UFC 139 in November, when he walked to
the cage wearing 1980s workout gear as Olivia Newton John's "Let's
Get Physical" played in the arena.
And
now he vows to have a special entrance set for Tuesday's match
against MacDonald, though he concedes most folks may not totally
get it.
"This
is probably going to be the most obscure entrance yet,"
said Lawlor, who would give no clues. "I pretty much expect
no laughter except from the really, really hardcore fans. If
you have been watching since 2000, OK, you might get it, but
that's going to be about it, though I personally think it's great."
He's
hoping to get back on track after a loss to Chris Weidman at
UFC 139 and losses in three of his last four fights. He's 3-3
in the UFC, including a win over C.B. Dollaway at UFC 100 in
which his training partner, Seth Petruzelli, got down on all
fours and was "walked" to the ring on a leash by Lawlor
as "Who Let the Dogs Out" blared.
As
much as he wants to have a good time, Lawlor knows that it's
important to win to keep his job. He said he's looking for a
strike-heavy performance against MacDonald.
"MacDonald's
a hard guy to submit," Lawlor said. "Joe Doerksen caught
him in a Kimura and had his arm all the way back behind his head,
and MacDonald was able to tough through it. So, you might not
see a lot of submission attempts from me, but I've been working
on my striking for this fight a lot.
"I
think we have a great game plan for this fight, and I say that
even though I talk about the fact that I usually don't game plan
much. But his strengths fall pretty well in line into what I'm
looking to do in this fight."
What
he'll be looking to do most of all, though, is to have fun. When
he's long retired from the UFC, it won't be the wins and the
losses that he remembers so much as the smiles he created and
the laughs he got.
Cyndi
Lauper might sing that "Girls Just Wanna Have Fun,"
but Tom Lawlor is living proof that boys do, too.
Source: Yahoo Sports
|
Nick
Diaz no shows for grappling superfight, Facebook post blames
‘shady promoter’
Suspended
UFC fighter Nick Diaz was supposed to take on BJJ star Braulio
Estima in a grappling supermatch in California Saturday. Diaz
was supposed to show his grappling chops off in a match against
one of the world's best jiu-jitsu players. He was supposed to
donate his entire purse to St. Jude's Children Hospital.
Most
importantly, he was supposed to show up for his first competitive
match-up since being suspended by the Nevada Athletic Commission
for a positive marijuana test after losing to Carlos Condit in
February. He didn't.
Diaz
never showed up to the World Jiu-Jitsu Expo in Long Beach, where
the bout was scheduled to take place. Estima was reasonably steamed
for the no-show.
"I
know he's supposed to be the big MMA bad guy and he's all tough,
he's supposed to be showbiz, but what is this?" said Estima.
"When you make an announcement that you're going to fight
for charity and you don't show up, what the hell is going on?
It's not about showbiz. It's about being a good person. I don't
know what is going on."
The
Facebook page that purports to represent the Diaz brothers had
this post on it early Sunday morning:
Promoter
fails to donate the money to charity as agreed. (shady) Promoter
changes rules for weigh ins to accommodate fellow Brazilian
Match ain't happening
When
Estima communicated with the WJJE organizers that he couldn't
get down to the agreed-upon 180-lb. weight limit, they renegotiated
the weight to 185 lbs. Diaz's camp agreed to the weight change
ahead of time. As for the donation, could Diaz not have deposited
his purse into his account and then write a check to St. Jude's?
Taking five minutes to make the donation himself surely would
have been better than depriving the hospital completely.
And
if he really made the decision not to show up because of the
promoters, he should have communicated it to his fans well before
they spent $12.95 on the live stream of the event. That decision
would have truly hurt the "shady" promoters in their
wallets.
Instead,
Diaz again decided not to show up for a commitment. In October,
he skipped out on several media opportunities before his planned
title fight and was removed from the bout. Again, he bizarrely
blamed everyone but himself.
At
this point, Diaz not following through on his commitments is
par for the course. The MMA world shouldn't expect anything else.
Source: Yahoo Sports
|
Don
Frye Talks Dana White Feud, Mustaches, Pansies, and His Disdain
for Steven Seagal
May
13, 2012 - Don Frye has never been shy about speaking his mind.
And after such an illustriously mustachioed career, why should
he? You ask him a question, you're going to get an answer. Of
course, whether or not you like that answer, he doesn't really
care too much about that part.
So
when Frye appeared on last Monday's edition of The MMA Hour,
it wasn't surprising that the sound bytes starting pouring like
cheap bourbon at an old country saloon. Really, it was a classic
Don Frye performance, with the discussion veering from relatively
ordinary topics like how retirement has been treating him and
his recent feud with UFC President Dana White, to more interesting
Frye-isms on his growing contempt for Steven Seagal, the intricacies
of mustache upkeep, and why we've all turned into a bunch of
pansies.
The
following are excerpts from what predictably became quite an
entertaining conversation.
On
his fabled mustache and his longer hair:
"Every
couple hours my mustache does something on its own, and I ain't
responsible for it. I try and shave it off but it just ends up
eating the razors."
"(The
hair) does look good, don't it? I got this hippie thing going.
I'm out here in Hollywood doing stunts and crap like that. Grow
your hair, grow your facial hair, and it's a lot easier to cut
it off than to wear a wig or glue it on. I ain't much of one
for wigs or makeup. Look at this now. This is hair baby. This
is hair. I look like Kenny F***ing Powers, baby."
On
his feud with Dana White:
"I
got caught up in all this internet stuff, squabbles and all that,
but my generation don't really do that. I'm not doing it anymore,
so as far as I'm concerned, Dana who? I'm done with it. If we
want to talk, then we can sit down over a beer and talk face-to-face
because I'm not playing this bulls**t game anymore."
"Look,
it's the Fertitta's checkbooks. It's Joe Silva doing the booking.
Okay? That's all there is to it, and those three guys are very
respectful. You don't hear any of them cussing or calling anybody
foul (names). Those three guys are good guys, and they run the
organization. ... If (White) doesn't respect what I've done for
the sport, why the hell should I respect that he's using someone
else's money, somebody else's booking intelligence, and wasting
everybody's time on the goddamn TV. ... I know (he doesn't respect
me.) Look at the way he talks about me. If he did, he wouldn't
say that. And if he does respect me, well then I'll never say
anything bad about him again. I'm trying not to right now."
On
fighter pay, and the way the world has changed:
"The
goddamn gate at the fights pays for the whole payroll for the
show. So everything pay-per-view is just icing on the cake for
the promoters. I mean, I can't sit here and badmouth them. It's
a good gig if you can get it. But, s***, I ain't got it, and
I don't want it."
"Promoters
(are) out to make money. Back when I was in college, you know,
a hundred years ago, we had a guest speaker come in from the
insurance company. He said the first three rules of the insurance
company is ‘make money, make money, make money.' And it
seems like it's been working for them. Hell, those guys run the
goddamn country. You can't buy a roll of toilet paper without
going through an insurance company. You can't drive your car.
You can't swim in a pool. You've got to wear a helmet to ride
a freaking bicycle? We've lost our freaking minds. We're pansies.
This is the greatest country in the world, and it's turned into
a bunch of pansies."
On
retirement:
"Nah,
I'm not looking for a fight. I'm just looking to make a living.
Anything that pays my bills. I don't care if I have to sweep
the floor, wash dishes, there's no job beneath anybody. What's
beneath a person is just sitting on your a** and getting a welfare
check. Get out there and earn your keep on this planet, and there's
nothing below you."
"Eventually
you've got to grow a set of balls and you've got to leave the
house. You've got to take care of yourself. That's what's wrong
with society today. Everybody's a goddamn victim, and everybody's
blaming everybody else. Pick yourself up by your bootstraps and
make your own way on the planet."
On
his next move:
"What
the hell am I doing? Whatever Molly tells me to do it what I
do, pardner. Molly's my wife, she's the boss of the organization."
On
the sport's evolution:
"Sure
there's a lot of work to be done, but it's some tremendous turnaround
from when I was fighting, last century. We were illegal. We were
kicked out of cities because of that piece of s*** John McCain.
One of the dirtiest people in congress. Or the Senate. Whatever
that tard is."
"The
sport has evolved tremendously and the performance of the athletes
is tremendous. I think it's fantastic. You know, the athletes
maybe (need to) get paid more, but it's none of my business according
to Mr. White, so I'll go my own way."
On
helping out up-and-coming fighters:
"You
know what, pardner? I've given unsolicited advice several times
in my life, and when I do I end up getting knocked on my a**,
so I quit giving unsolicited advice. Any of the young fighters
who want it, they know how to contact me. And so far none of
them have. They're all experts in their fields, so good luck
to you ladies."
On
Chael Sonnen:
"I
enjoy Chael immensely. ... He understands the name of the game.
He understands half of fighting is selling the show. Anderson
Silva should've wrote Chael Sonnen a check for a million dollars
for all the P.R. he's done. I mean, goddamn. Anderson Silva is
a great fighter, but that's it, he's a great fighter. He can't
talk long enough to tell you how to get across the street. And
he's got that big fata** Steven Seagal eating potato chips in
his corner. I'd be afraid if I fell down in front of Seagal he'd
start chewing on my toes!"
More
on Sensei Seagal:
"I'll
tell you what, the last month or so I was standing there in the
grocery aisle or somewhere, the airport, I don't know, and I
read something about Steven Seagal saying he was the first mixed
martial arts fighter on the planet. My ass! I guarantee you,
back in 1993 or '96, he was one of them karate idiots who was
bad-mouthing the mixed martial arts and telling everybody that
they were bastardizing the art of karate and it would go nowhere.
It was just a meaningless sign of the times and next year everybody
will forget about the ground game, and everything would go back
to the traditional hooky-pooky."
Source: MMA Weekly |
First
Two TUF Live Quarterfinals in the Books, Next Week’s Fights
Set
The
Ultimate Fighter Live (TUF Live)Friday night’s The Ultimate
Fighter: Live Episode 10 hosted the first two quarterfinal bouts
of this season’s lightweight tournament.
Team
Faber’s Mike Chiesa pounded out Justin Lawrence, while Team
Cruz’s James Vick won a decision over Joe Proctor to move
into the semifinal round.
Shortly
after their fights ended, the pairings were made for next week’s
quarterfinal brackets.
While
the first two quarterfinal bouts paired up fighters from opposing
teams in both, the final two bouts have one match-up between
teammates.
Andy
Ogle and Al Iaquinta, both of Team Faber, square up in one of
the quarterfinal bouts, while Vinc Pichel of Team Cruz faces
Chris Saunders in the other.
The
two semifinal bouts will take place on Episode 12 on May 25.
The winner will be crowned at the TUF: Live Finale on June 1
in Las Vegas.
Source: MMA Weekly |
Edson
Barboza goes for a war against Jamie Varner at UFC 146
Edson
Barboza Junior was supposed to fight Evan Dunham at UFC 146,
but an injury forced the organization to replace his opponent.
Now he’s fightin Jamie Varner, former WEC champion, but
it doesn’t worry the Brazilian. “The guy is a former
WEC champion, so there’s a reason he’s there. Is he’s
back (in the UFC), he’s gotta bring it. This fight is oin
to be a war and I’m prepared for it”, warns the Brazilian,
who analyzed the ranking of his devision, with names like Ben
Henderson, Frankie Edgar, Nate Diaz and Anthony Pettis on its
top. Check it:
What
changed now you had your opponent replaced?
They
changed my opponent but I’m still focused. It doesn’t
matter if
he’s
shorter, taller, a goor wrestler or boxer. To me, what matters
is
doing
a good job. I’m focused on my game and m stategy. I wanna
go
there
and fight, it doesn’t matter who I’m fighting with.
Varner
is returning to the UFC after two quick wins. Do you believe
it’s
now a not so important fight because he was not doing so great
at
WEC
or UFC?
I
don’t think so, even because if he’s back in the UFC
it’s a proof
he’s
a tough one. If they hired him back it’s because he’s
done ood.
We’re
talkin about the biggest event and there’re only good fighters
in
it. The guy is a former WEC champion, so there’s a reason
he’s
there.
Is he’s back (in the UFC), he’s gotta bring it. This
fight is
oin
to be a war and I’m prepared for it.
The
lightweight division is very busy nowadays. Nate Diaz has been
waiting
for a chance at the title for a long time and you’re on
your
on
track, like Anthony Pettis. Do you believe you’ll only get
a title
shot
in 2013?
I
don’t know. I hop so, but I’m not worried about it
now. I’m focused
on
my next battle. I have to do my job, I gotta make some space
to
make
my next move. I love what I do, I love fighting and that’s
what I
wanna
do: work and the fight the bests. This is a touh division,
there’re
only tough guys, you na see it on his fights, he has great
fights,
but I’m moving a step by step. Knowin there’re only
tough guys
makes
me more motivated to work and train more.
Pettis
might be the next contender to the title in case you win. What
are
your thoughts about him?
I’m
focused on my next fight, so I don’t think about it and
don’t even
know
what people say about my next opponent. Pettis is super tough,
has
great fights in his career and has defeated the current champion.
It
would be a great fight, a war. Like I said before, I want to
fight
the
bests in my division, it doesn’t matter who they are.
How
do you see a rematch Henderson-Edgar?
Look,
man, it’s a tough fight like you could see last time. Things
are
tight
in there. I don’t have any bets, i uess the real winner
will be
the
fans, who’s watch an exciting battle.
And
then, the duel between the winner of this bout and Nick Diaz?
It
would be a great fight between him and any of those guys. Nate
Diaz
has
been proving to be a tough guy and can defeat any of these guys.
Source: Tatame |
Clay
Guida Believes Conditioning, Hustle Will Be Key to Beating Gray
Maynard on June 22
Clay
Guida bounced around in his corner, eager to get back to work
for what he thought would be the fourth round against Josh Thomson
in their Strikeforce title fight. A corner man tried to tell
Clay something, but it wasn't strategy or advice for the championship
rounds.
His
corner's words were hard to make out at first, through the noise
made by the record-breaking HP Pavilion San Jose crowd, but eventually
they sunk in with Clay. "They were telling me that the fight
was over," Guida remembers with a chuckle.
Guida
had just dominated one of the top-ranked lightweights in the
world for five consecutive rounds, almost without realizing it,
and wasn't even breathing heavily. Guida was a huge underdog
in the fight with Thomson but was able to take and keep control
over the course of five rounds, largely on the strength of a
conditioning advantage.
Clay Guida's last win came against lightweight contender Anthony
Pettis. (Getty)
That
was six years ago. Guida has never had the chance to fight for
five rounds in the UFC since, but that will change June 22nd
when he and Gray Maynard square off in the main event of the
UFC on FX card in Atlantic City. Just as against Thomson, Guida
will be a heavy underdog against a higher-ranked opponent who
has a stronger pedigree in the area of his own base skill-set,
wrestling.
But
Guida believes that his superior conditioning will help him get
the upset once again. "This is something that we've been
waiting for, for years now," Guida tells Yahoo!.
"We've
always believed that if I could get to a title fight in the UFC,
my conditioning would be a huge advantage for me. I haven't gotten
there yet and was real excited once they announced that all main
events would be five rounds from now on."
Guida
stops short of saying that Maynard has suspect conditioning,
but can't deny that in his title fights against Frankie Edgar
, Maynard appeared to go hardest in the opening round and then
lost a little pep in his step with each passing round. Both Guida
and Maynard are coming off of losses - Maynard to then-champion
Edgar last October and Guida to the man that has since gone on
to beat Edgar and become the champ, Benson Henderson, in November.
It
is the type of fight that, at once, is a must-win for each fighter,
and one that keeps Guida and Maynard in title consideration.
In a word, it's huge.
We're
with Clay as he drives from his Northern Illinois home-town,
southwest to New Mexico where he will set up training camp for
Maynard with Greg Jackson and Mike Winkeljohn's vaunted MMA team.
Guida is big on DIY travel, and typically drives his RV cross-country
to New Mexico for training camps himself. As gregarious and sociable
as he is, Guida enjoys the quiet and solitude of the road before
the storm of training camps and circuses of big fights.
Once
Clay hits New Mexico he will find some space, perhaps on an Indian
Reservation, park his RV and live there for the duration of his
camp. When he fought Shannon Gugerty at a UFC event in Colorado,
Guida went so far as to give up his company-issued plane ticket
to a teammate and drove himself to the event from New Mexico.
And,
oh yeah, Guida also gave up his hotel room so his corner men
could be more comfortable, and slept in his RV during the week
of the fight - a week that most fighters consider the most stressful
and trying, considering that they have to cut weight then.
Guida
certainly lives to the beat of a very unique drummer. But it's
the rhythm he keeps in the Octagon that makes him confident he
will beat Maynard in June.
Clay
discusses an exchange he says was crucial in Maynard's last fight
against Edgar. Just as he did in their second fight, Edgar had
withstood a heavy onslaught from Maynard in the first round of
that bout, steadied himself, and began landing his own shots.
It
became conceivable that Edgar could once more even things out
on the judges' scorecards or even edge out Maynard, but nothing
more. Edgar, like Guida, is not considered to have any where
near the punching power of Maynard.
But
sometimes, Guida says, hustle can equal power. In that third
fight, Maynard began stalking Edgar, right hand cocked, looking
for a big punch. What he did not do was mix in shot attempts.
Edgar did, and though he was not successful in taking Maynard
down, his unpredictable attack paid dividends.
Edgar
shot, got caught underneath Maynard for a moment, but scrambled
out and, before Maynard could stand back upright and face him,
"The Answer" fired a rapid uppercut from behind that
hit Maynard on the button and dropped him. After that, it was
academic.
By
out-hustling Maynard and catching him with a blind punch, Edgar
had created his own fight-ending opportunity. Guida says he can
create similar opportunities for himself to sting the larger
and more powerful Maynard.
"That
was a turning point in that fight," Guida says. "I'm
going to stay moving constantly against Gray. We're going to
make him fight our pace."
Guida's
game plan and confidence are typical of him. So is his position
right now in the lightweight division. Guida has compiled impressive
win streaks and gotten within one or two fights of a UFC title
shot several times before in the past four years, only to fall
short. The last time was his close decision loss to Benson Henderson
last fall.
Guida
is once more in a position of having to claw his way back to
the top of the division. But instead of being discouraged, he
says he feels like he's in a better place than he has been before.
"You
can look at it as a situation where a guy you had a close fight
with [Henderson] is now the champion and you're coming off of
a loss. But I look at it like I'm better positioned to win the
UFC belt than I ever have been before," Guida says.
"The
guy who just beat me in a tough fight is now the champion. I
believe I can get better, make adjustments and win against him.
And right now I've got another top guy I get to fight, in a main
event. I'm a better fighter than I was in the past when I got
close to a title shot. This is a good time. This is the right
moment for us."
Source: Yahoo Sports |
Kimbo
Slice Knocks Out Jesse Porter in Fifth Career Boxing Match
May
13, 2012 - One wonders if Gary and Jared Shaw actually believe
they're fooling the public.
Last
night at the Lucky Star Casino in Concho, Oklahoma, Kevin 'Kimbo
Slice' Ferguson continued his sojourn into the world of boxing
as he faced and defeated Jesse Porter in the first round of their
scheduled four-round bout (it should be noted there is some dispute
as to whether Slice's opponent was Porter or Richard Dawson,
which is another hilariously sad angle to Slice's boxing foray).
If Slice keeps this up, he'll soon replace Butterbean as the
'King of the Four Rounders', which is, well, signifying of nothing
even approximating an accolade.
If
Slice wishes to or needs to feed his family this way, one can
think of worse ways to do so (although one can think of better
ways, too). Slice's participation in this charade is regrettable
and one wonders how much he's financially taking home after his
handlers get their cut, but he's hardly a villain.
The
question is how long it will be before Slice crosses the tipping
point. He's not demonstrably getting any better and presumably
needs double-digit wins to even begin tantalizing someone with
a scintilla of a name to face him in what will surely be unregulated
territory. Until then, I suppose they'll keep feeding Slice pre-diabetic
gas station attendants to render unconscious.
Source: MMA Fighting
|
Bellator
68 Results: Daniel Straus Wins Featherweight Tournament, Secures
Title Shot
Daniel
Straus Bellator 68The Bellator featherweight title has a new
challenger as Daniel Straus became the Bellator Season 6 Featherweight
Tournament Champion with a dominating victory over Marlon Sandro.
In additional tournament action, Marcos Galvao will move on to
the finals of the Bellator Season 6 Bantamweight Tournament,
while Marius Zaromskis and Marcin Held picked up victories at
Bellator 68 from Caesars Atlantic City in New Jersey on Friday
night.
“Daniel
Straus was able to break through with a huge win in a loaded
featherweight tournament and earn his shot at the world title,”
Bellator Chairman & CEO Bjorn Rebney said. “Marcin Held
was able to continue his assault on the legs of his opponents
with another submission victory and Marcos Galvao continues to
impress with another close fought victory over Travis Marx.”
Two
of the top featherweights in the world met inside the Bellator
cage as Marlon Sandro and Daniel Straus fought with the winner
claiming the Bellator Season 6 Featherweight Tournament Championship
and a $100,000 payday.
Known
for his aggressive striking and exceptional cardio, Straus showed
early on why he made it to the finals of the Featherweight Tournament.
While Sandro appeared hesitant at times, Straus was constantly
moving forward and pushing the action for the duration of the
fight. Landing the crisper strikes, Straus found a way to control
Sandro while both striking and in the clinch. After three entertaining
rounds, a new tournament champion was crowned as Daniel Straus
walked away with the unanimous decision victory.
“I’m
going to keep improving, I’m going to get better,”
said Straus. “I have to go back to the drawing board and
prepare for my title shot.”
With
the unanimous decision win, Daniel Straus becomes the Bellator
Season 6 Featherweight Tournament Champion and earns the biggest
victory of his career. His record improves to 20-4, while Marlon
Sandro loses for just the fourth time in 26 contests.
For
Marcos Galvao and Travis Marx, a victory in the semifinals of
the Bellator Season 6 Bantamweight Tournament would bring them
one step closer to an opportunity to face Bellator bantamweight
world champion Eduardo “Dudu” Dantas.
Marx
showed occasional moments of dominance, however, Galvao appeared
to be in control for most of the fight. Galvao, who clearly had
the advantage in the stand-up, landed combinations of punches,
kicks to the body and knees. Although Marx attempted to press
Galvao against the cage and secure a takedown, Galvao was able
to stuff all but one. After three intense, action-packed rounds,
the cageside judges scored the fight in favor of Marcos Galvao.
“It’s
been my dream since I was a kid,” said Galvao. “I know
I’m going to win this tournament.”
With
the victory, Marcos Galvao will now move to the final round of
the Bellator Season 6 Bantamweight Tournament and face the winner
of the Luis Nogueira vs. Hiroshi Nakamura later this year. His
record improves to 12-5. Travis Marx loses for just the fourth
time in his professional career as his record falls to 19-4.
Following
his last fight inside the Bellator cage, a split decision victory
over Phillipe Nover at Bellator 59, 20-year-old Polish lightweight
Marcin Held looked to make a greater impression Friday night
against New Jersey’s own Derrick Kennington. The fight started
with Kennington moving forward, looking to keep the fight standing.
After landing a kick to the body of Held, Kennington was forced
to defend a takedown, but Held quickly latched on to Kennington’s
leg and secured a leg lock. Kennington was forced to tap at 2:08
of the first round.
“I
wanted to fight standing up, but my opponent was better than
me there,” said Held. “I tried my strength, which was
the leg lock, and it worked.”
With
the submission win, Marcin Held earned his second straight victory
in the Bellator cage and improved his record to 13-2 in his emerging
career. Kennington, dropped to 6-3 in his Bellator debut.
In
the first televised fight of the evening, Lithuanian welterweight
Marius Zaromskis made his highly anticipated Bellator debut opposite
hard-hitting Bellator veteran Waachiim Spiritwolf.
In
the first round, Spiritwolf was able to utilize the clinch as
he pinned Zaromskis against the cage. A Zaromskis elbow opened
a deep cut near the right eye of Spiritwolf that would later
prove to be pivotal. The second round appeared more one-sided
for Spiritwolf than the first. After landing a series of punches
to the jaw of Zaromskis, Spiritwolf began to unload on his hurt
opponent but was unable to put him away. However, between the
second and third round, the ringside physician stopped the fight,
citing the cut near the eye of Spiritwolf.
With
the doctor stoppage victory, Marius Zaromskis earned his first
win under the Bellator banner and improved to 17-6 overall. Waachim
Spiritwolf fell to 9-10-1 in a hard-fought performance.
A
bout between Carmelo Marrero and Seth Petruzelli was nixed at
the last minute when a doctor examining Petruzelli prior to the
fight would not clear him for competition.
“Guys,
I have unbelievable news. The doc wouldn’t clear me to fight,”
Petruzelli wrote on his Twitter account. “I have been feeling
sick for past week, but haven’t told anyone. When the doc
checked me he said he heard wheezing and fluid in my lungs. Got
a 2nd doc for another opinion and he said same thing. I am so
sorry…I feel like I’m in a nightmare.”
Bellator
69 takes place next Friday, May 18, in Lake Charles, La., with
a highly anticipated women’s bout between Megumi Fujii and
Jessica Aguilar.
Source: MMA Weekly |
The
Ultimate Fighter: Live Episode 10 Recap: Two Semifinalists Emerge
TUF
Live Coaches Logo Dominick Cruz and Urijah FaberOn the tenth
episode of The Ultimate Fighter: Live, two fighters advanced
to the semifinals and the teams were informed of Dominick Cruz’
knee injury that will prevent him from facing rival Urijah Faber
as scheduled.
With
two fights showcased on the episode, there wasn’t much room
for recorded content. The bulk of it focused around UFC president
Dana White visiting the gym to inform the teams of Cruz’
knee injury, a torn ACL. White estimated that Cruz will be sidelined
for up to nine months. Cruz expects a quicker recovery and return.
Faber
was disappointed when told the news. “It sucks,” he
said. Faber’s new opponent is expected to be announced in
the coming days.
Team
Cruz’ James Vick and Team Faber’s Joe Proctor were
the first quarterfinal fight of the episode. The two prepared.
Vick’s game plan was to keep it standing and strike from
the outside. Proctor wanted to close the distance and land strikes
and set up a takedown.
In
the opening round, Vick moved forward utilizing his jab. He stuffed
a takedown attempt and the entire round played out standing.
In the middle stages of the round, Proctor began to find his
range. It was a very closely contested five minutes of action.
Proctor
came out aggressive in the second round. He briefly took Vick’s
back standing and went for a choke. Vick defended the submission
and found himself in top position on the ground. He decided to
stand and let Proctor back to his feet. They slugged it out for
the remainder of the round with Vick moving forward and Proctor
landing some solid counters late in the round.
The
judges rendered their decision, declaring Vick the winner with
all three judges scoring the fight 20-18. James Vick is the first
semifinalist of the season.
Vick
was asked about the choke attempt by Proctor following the fight.
“It
was tight, but I would have went to sleep before I tapped,”
he said. “It was deep but I knew if I kept fighting that
I was going to get out of it.”
Team
Cruz’ Justin Lawrence and Team Faber’s Mike Chiesa
faced off in the second quarterfinal match of the week. It was
the classic striker against grappler match up. Lawrence wanted
to keep the fight standing while Chiesa planned to get the fight
to the ground and finish with a submission.
Early
in the first round, Lawrence slipped while attempting a kick
and Chiesa seized the opportunity to get the fight to the canvas
where he wanted it. On the ground, Chiesa went from a few kimura’s
and a triangle choke. Lawrence wasn’t able to do much on
the ground. Chiesa landed elbows and punches form the bottom.
The first round clearly went to Chiesa.
The
second round went more Lawrence’s way. He began to land
strikes regularly. Lawrence landed a body shot that hurt Chiesa
and another that dropped him. Lawrence followed him to the ground
looking to finish. Chiesa recovered but Lawrence won the round
sending the fight into a “sudden victory” round.
Lawrence
looked fatigued at the end of the second round. He caught a knee
by Chiesa early in the third round and took the fight to the
ground. It was his undoing. Chiesa revered him into the mount
position and unleashed a flurry of strikes. The referee stepped
in at the 1:02 mark of the round stopping the action.
Chiesa
called the fight with Lawrence the hardest fight of his career
after the win.
“He
pushed me too my limits, man. He hurt me real bad in the second
(round). I had to dig deep in my heart to get myself back up
and fight that third round,” he said. “That was the
toughest fight I’ve ever had in my life.”
Next
week’s episode will feature the two remaining quarterfinal
bouts. Team Cruz’ Vinc Pichel will take on Team Faber’s
Chris Saunders and teammates Andy Ogle and Al Iaquinta will fight
to determine the final semifinalist.
Source: MMA Weekly |
Hawaii's
Brad Tavares
Wants an Impressive Finish to Launch Him into Main Card Status
Brad
Tavares may be the last featured fight on Facebook before the
UFC on Fuel TV 3 show hits the network airwaves, but that’s
not where he wants to be.
The
former Ultimate Fighter competitor, who will return to action
Tuesday in Virginia after almost a 10-month layoff, is happy
to be back, but he makes no bones about it, he wants to be on
the main card.
Tavares
prides himself on being a fighter that fans want to see compete,
but after his last bout in July 2011 against Aaron Simpson, he
can understand why people weren’t cheering much.
“I
felt a lot of my fans were robbed my last fight as far as expecting
a good fight, and it was pretty boring,” Tavares said when
speaking to MMAWeekly Radio. “I went back and I watched
the fight and it’s not something I would have enjoyed watching.
I know Dongi is going to want to put on a good show and so am
I.
“When
I think about it like that, the pressure’s off. This guy
wants to put on a good show. I’m not going to go fight a
tree hugger or something like that.”
There
is a certain anger in Tavares’ voice because he wants to
show the UFC exactly what he’s all about as a fighter, like
he did in his bout in early 2011 where he knocked out Phil Baroni.
Not
every fight will be Fight of the Night material, but Tavares
wants to approach every match-up like it could be.
“I
want to be a main card fighter and eventually a main event fighter,”
said Tavares. “I want to get off of these Facebook (fights).
I want to get at least a televised prelim, the Fuel card itself
or whatever it is.”
For
his return to action next week, Tavares faces Korean fighter
Dongi Yang, who has gone 1-2 thus far in his UFC career, but
both losses were closely contested fights.
Tavares
doesn’t want his bout with Yang to be close. He doesn’t
even want it to be a dog fight. He wants to be the first person
to finish Yang, collect his paycheck, maybe even a bonus, and
then show the UFC that the next time he fights he belongs on
the main card.
“I
know Dongi is tough, but I still want to put him away,”
Tavares stated. “I want to be the first person to stop him,
the first person to finish him.
“That’s
what I’m going to be looking for.”
Source: MMA Weekly |
Three
New Fights Added to UFC on Fuel TV 4
Three
new bouts have been added to the upcoming UFC on Fuel TV 4 card
on July 11, including one featuring Ultimate Fighter 14 runner-up
T.J. Dillashaw.
Coming
off an impressive win in his last fight over Walel Watson, Dillashaw
will get back in action in July against British fighter Vaughan
Lee.
Lee
made quite a debut in his first fight in the Octagon as he put
away former top bantamweight star Norifumi “Kid” Yamamoto
at UFC 144 in Japan.
Also
added to the card is bantamweight Raphael Assuncao, who faces
Issei Tamura on the July 11 show. Assuncao picked up a win in
his last fight in his bantamweight debut against Johnny Eduardo,
while Tamura returns to action after defeating Tiequan Zhang
in his first fight in the Octagon.
The
final fight announced on Friday is a flyweight fight between
Octagon veteran Chris Cariaso, who makes his move down to his
natural weight of 125 pounds. He faces former Ultimate Fighter
competitor Josh Ferguson.
All
three fights will be added to the July 11 card for UFC on Fuel
TV 4.
Source: MMA Weekly |
Bigfoot
says good things about Cigano’s Jiu-Jitsu skills
The
title fight between Junior “Cigano” dos Santos and
Frank Mir is getting closer and many people involved are talking
about it. Antonio “Bigfoot” Silva, who’s also
on the fighting card of May 26th fighting former champion Cain
Velasquez, reminds the rivalry between Mir and Antonio Rodrigo
Nogueira and believes Junior may surprise many.
“It’s
complicated. (Nogueira and Mir) fought twice and unfortunately
Mir won them both, but he shouldn’t take it personally because
when you put your emotions in there it’s when you get off
track. I’m sure he’s not taking this personally”,
said Silva. “After two, three rounds Mir will get frustrated
and won’t handle it well”.
Also
commenting on Cigano’s ground game, Bigfoot guaranteed his
friend is prepared for it in case things happen on the floor.
“I’d
say Cigano’s a brown or black belt at Jiu-Jitsu, absolutely.
He’s very good, fast, versatile and doesn’t get stuck
on the positions, he can move fast and stand-up quickly. He’s
on a good moment of his career. Every time he’s in Rio he
trains much Jiu-Jitsu. Because he knocks many guys out people
start thinking he’s just good at that”.
Source: Tatame |
Otávio
Sousa and Rômulo Barral dominate Spring Open
Competing
for attention with the ballyhooed supermatch card at the World
Jiu-Jitsu Expo this Saturday in California, the inaugural Spring
Open, a tournament promoted by the IBJJF, brought its own fair
share of excitement. And after having secured top spot at weight
and open weight at the NY Open last April, Otávio Sousa
repeated the feat on the mats in Long Beach, California.
Sousa
swept the middleweight division alongside his Gracie Barra teammate
Claudio Mattos, then doing the same in the open class in tandem
with his buddy Rômulo Barral. Barral put on a show all
his own in the medium heavyweight division, where he took his
spot at the highest perch on the podium.
Further
standouts from the event were Milton Carlos at light featherweight,
Samir Chantre at featherweight, Zack Maxwell at lightweight,
Gustavo Pires at heavyweight and Gustavo Elias at ultraheavyweight.
Source: Gracie Magazine |
Upset
by Nick Diaz's Grappling Match No-Show? You've Got Only Yourself
to Blame
May
13, 2012 - When it comes to the art of the no-show, Nick Diaz
is a master. He’s the Picasso of blowing stuff off, the
Rembrandt of staying home. He may have started small, with conference
calls and interviews, but his greatness in this arena simply
could not be contained. Soon he had moved on to no-showing entire
press conferences, even when it cost him a UFC title shot and
a boatload of money. Like all the greats, he suffered for his
art. Also like the greats, he did his suffering in private, in
part because no one can ever seem to locate the guy at the most
critical moments.
Now,
after sitting out his submission grappling match with Braulio
Estima at the World Jiu-Jitsu Expo in Long Beach on Saturday,
Diaz may have completed his masterpiece. By no-showing an event
that was supposed to benefit charity, and by offering his fans
no prior notice before skipping out on something they had paid
$12.95 to watch on a live internet stream, Diaz may have set
the irresponsibility bar so high that even he can’t clear
it.
Final
frontier: conquered. With this triumph, Diaz has carved his name
into the permanent record of flaking out. Generations from now,
when our space descendants decline to show up for their space
commitments, their peers will utter that they have ‘Diaz’d
out’ of their obligations. By then, the man himself will
be long forgotten. Only the legend of his deeds will live on.
It’s
not that I’m surprised by Diaz’s latest no-show. Sure,
it’s impressive that he found a way to disappoint fight
fans even while serving a suspension from fighting, but it’s
still not exactly shocking, is it? From the minute you plan an
event around the assumption that Diaz will be at an appointed
place at an appointed time, your plan is flawed. You have to
know that. Like snake-handlers who get a face full of fangs,
the organizers behind the World Jiu-Jitsu Expo courted this particular
brand of letdown. We all did, in fact, and it’s time we
took responsibility for that.
You’re
upset that you paid good money to sit home on a Saturday and
watch a grappling match that didn’t happen? Sorry, but I
have no sympathy for you. If you’re enough of a Diaz fan
to pay to watch him grapple, then you’re enough of a Diaz
fan to understand the risks. Complaining about the no-show is
like buying a ticket for a Guns N’ Roses show in the early
‘90s, then whining when Axl Rose jumps off the stage and
punches you in the face. You had to know this was a possibility,
if not a likely outcome. You just got Diaz’d. Deal with
it.
Same
goes for you, St. Jude Children’s Hospital. You thought
Diaz was going to participate in a paid competition benefitting
your charity? Should have done your homework first. Then you
would have known that there was a good chance he’d blow
the whole thing off before maybe, possibly offering an unconvincing
explanation that, not surprisingly, blames anyone but himself.
You’ve now been Diaz’d in the first degree.
And
you, Braulio Estima, who flew in from overseas just to meet Diaz
on the mats? Don’t even get me started. In the world of
rational people, sure, you made a good point when you said that
showing up for a grappling match to benefit a charity is "not
about showbiz; it's about being a good person." But we’re
not talking about rational people, are we? We’re talking
about Diaz, who does whatever he wants and accepts zero responsibility
for it. You knew that when you got on the plane, or at least
you should have. That's why the stewardesses were shaking their
heads at you. 'Look at that poor guy,' one imagines them whispering
to one another. 'He's off to get Diaz'd.'
It’s
a little bit ironic that, after all his shenanigans in MMA, it
would be something as innocuous as a missed grappling match that
would deal such a blow to Diaz’s reputation. On Twitter
and on internet messageboards today, I see even hardcore Diaz
supporters -- the ones who took his side when he blamed the UFC
and Georges St-Pierre for his squandered title shot -- renouncing
their faith in the church of the 209. As much as MMA fans love
to watch Nick Diaz the fighter, Nick Diaz the person makes that
activity increasingly difficult.
If
he weren’t so talented, maybe it wouldn’t be so frustrating.
Maybe he’d just be one more flaky, irresponsible person
in world teeming with them, and we’d all have stopped caring
about whether he thinks it’s worth the effort to keep his
word. Clearly, that’s not how it is. The enigma of Diaz
is such that we can’t bring ourselves to look away, even
when we know we should. Just like that sad sack Charlie Brown,
we put our well-founded misgivings aside to take one more run
at kicking that football. When it’s pulled away at the last
minute, we’re reminded that we have only ourselves to blame.
It’s
not like we didn’t know this was a possibility. It‘s
not like it’s some new development. We put our faith in
a person who’s trampled on it without apology several times
before, and we got what we deserved. We got Diaz’d. Now
it’s up to us to decide how many more times we’re willing
to go through it again.
Source: MMA Fighting
|
MMA
Mind Power: Goal Setting is Your Road Map to Achieving Success
MMA
Mind PowerAs promised last week, Luca Senatore, founder of and
head mind coach at MMA Mind Power, will be sharing with us practical
tips to achieve top mental fitness and win the mind game in MMA.
This week’s article is about the importance of Goal Setting
in MMA.
Many
have overlooked the importance of goal setting and paid the price
for doing so. Now it is becoming more and more evident that this
process is an important part of any MMA athlete’s training.
Not
knowing what you want specifically is like travelling without
knowing where you are going and if you don’t know where
you are going you will end up just “somewhere.” You
need to have clear goals that fire up a burning desire to achieve
them. In this article, I will give you some pointers on how to
set your goals in such way to create motivation, desire, and
vision.
The
very first thing you must do is to write down your goals. Here
I will illustrate how to set a goal using both long-term and
short-term examples, however, in order to maximize your chances
of success, you need to go through this process for both your
long-term goals (like being the champion of Promotion ABC) and
also for each of your fights. If you want to achieve the greatest
possible motivation and vision, your goals must be set in a very
specific way.
Here
is how:
Stated
in the positive
This
means having or doing something you want as opposed to not having
or not doing something you don’t want. Examples are: “I
am the middleweight champion of ABCD promotion” or “I
won the fight after three minutes of the second round by ground
and pound” or “I am about to enter the cage and I feel
calm and focused.” These are all stated in the positive
instead of saying something like “I am about to enter the
cage and I am not feeling stressed.” Even if you are stating
that you are not feeling stressed, you might end up feeling stressed
because your mind does not process negative information. If you
try not to think of a pink house, you may notice that a pink
house comes to mind and this is because you must think about
it first in order to choose to no longer think about it.
Measurable
You
need to know exactly how to measure your goal. When do you know
you have achieved your goal? For example, if you state that you
want to be a good fighter, when will you know that you are a
good fighter? Mauricio Rua looked amazing when he fought Lyoto
Machida, but he looked like an amateur against Jon Jones. Then
again, he looked incredible against Dan Henderson. So was Rua
good, then not so good, and then good again? Not at all, Rua
was good all the time; it was his performance that changed. Whether
you are good or not is not necessarily determined by your performance
as performances vary. So make sure that you set your goal in
a specific and measurable manner.
Realistic
Your
goal must be realistic and yet ambitious. For example, if you
stated that you want to be the UFC champion by next summer and
you have not yet had a single fight in MMA, then you might need
to change your goal, as chances are that you will be disappointed.
At the same time, you must be aiming high. Use your common sense
and ask your coaches to give you realistic feedback as to where
you are.
Time
You
need to put an exact date on it, as this makes it all more clear
and tangible. Have you ever heard people saying things like:
“I will do it next month,” “I will do it later,”
“I will get it soon”? Every month there is a “next
month.” There is always a “later” and “soon”
is never soon enough. A goal stated well is: It is the 20th of
April, 2013, and I have just won the middleweight title at Promotion
ABC.
What
will happen when you achieve your goal?
What
will change in your life? Your circle of friends and family?
Be specific, as this process will help you realize whether you
are happy with the changes that will occur and whether you really
want those changes to happen.
What
will happen if you don’t achieve it?
Will
you be ready to get up and try again? Or will you give up? You
need to have an idea of what you are prepared to do if things
don’t go your way from the beginning. Don’t focus on
this too long, just take it into account once and then forget
about it.
Goal
Vision
Now
go ahead and draw your Goal Vision. This could be a picture,
a collage of pictures, or even just a word printed on a piece
of paper that reminds you strongly of your goal. It is important
that you create something that when you look at it clearly reminds
you of your goals and the feelings that you will feel once you
achieved it. This could be a picture of your opponent, a picture
of the belt, a holiday place where you will go after the fight,
or whatever else works for you. Then stick that Goal Vision everywhere
you can. The more you see it, the better.
This
is the basic structure of goal setting. In our Mind Coaching
audio program, “The Warrior in You,” we have included
one track that helps you set your goal and make it part of your
unconscious awareness using elements of Neuro Linguistic Programming,
Hypnosis, and Time Line Therapy. The audio will help you set
your goals quickly and in a very powerful way, but if you do
not have the program, this article is a great way to start working
on your goals in a more proactive and efficient way.
Luca
Senatore
Head Mind Coach
Source: MMA Weekly |
Toughman
Hawaii Presents; King Of The Ring
Edith Kanakaole
Tennis Stadium, Hilo, Hawaii
May 26, 2012
|
Lawler
vs. Larkin, Gracie vs. Jardine Confirmed for Strikeforce July
14 Show
by Damon
Martin
The
next major Strikeforce card will be headed to the Rose Garden
in Portland, Ore., on July 14, and two more fights have been
confirmed for the show.
In
addition the main event pitting Luke Rockhold against Tim Kennedy
with the Strikeforce middleweight title on the line, two more
middleweight bouts will also don the card.
First
up, heavy hitter Robbie Lawler will get back in action as he
faces former light heavyweight contender Lorenz Larkin.
Lawler
returns to action coming off a spectacular knockout over Adlan
Amagov in his last fight in January. Lawler KO’d the young
prospect with a flying knee followed up by punches, which put
the former UFC competitor back in the win column after two losses
in a row.
Larkin
will fight Lawler on July 14 in his first fight in the middleweight
division after starting his Strikeforce career at light heavyweight.
Larkin
last fought in January on the same card as Lawler, and lost by
TKO to former champion Muhammed “King Mo” Lawal, but
the decision was overturned to a no-contest after Lawal tested
positive for a banned substance.
Now
Larkin looks to make his impact felt at 185 pounds and starts
with a true veteran of the sport as his first test.
The
other fight confirmed for the July 14 card is a middleweight
showdown between Keith Jardine and Roger Gracie. MMAWeekly.com
previously reported the fight, and now the bout is official for
the upcoming Strikeforce show in Oregon.
More
fights are expected to be announced in the coming weeks.
Source:
MMA Weekly
|
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: Jamie Varner vs. Edson Barboza
Main card
Heavyweights:
Stipe Miocic? vs. Shane Del Rosario
Heavyweights: Roy Nelson vs. Dave Herman
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
|
ERIK
KOCH EMBRACES OPPORTUNITY TO FIGHT JOSE ALDO
By Mike
Chiappetta - Senior Writer
When
Erik Koch got the call offering him a chance to fight Jose Aldo
for the UFC featherweight championship, he ran to his living
room, fell to his knees and screamed at the top of his lungs.
That was a decidedly difficult reaction from Hatsu Hioki. Truth
be told, the Japanese fighter was the promotion's first choice
as a challenger, but he asked for one more fight before competing
for the belt.
So
despite the fact that the call came as a bit of a surprise to
the 23-year-old Koch, he wasn't about to turn down the opportunity.
"It's awesome," he said at a Wednesday press conference
in Calgary, the site of July 21's UFC 149. "This is 23 years
in the making. I've been doing this since I was a little kid.
Just to be here and to get a chance, especially against a dominant
champion who's an awesome champion, it's an awesome test. I'm
just really excited."
If
Koch wins, he will become the second youngest champion in UFC
history, just behind current light-heavyweight kingpin Jon Jones,
who at the time of his title win was about one month younger
than Koch will be when he faces Aldo at July 21's UFC 149.
If
there is one asterisk to that "youngest champion" clause,
it's Aldo, who was just 23 years, 2 months, 10 days old when
he beat Mike Brown to capture the belt back in 2009, about six
months younger than Jones was when he won the belt. Of course,
at the time, Zuffa only promoted a featherweight division in
UFC sister company WEC. He was later promoted to UFC champ when
the brands merged, and he's never relinquished his grip on the
belt, mostly by demolishing whoever has been placed before him.
For
his part, Aldo wasn't surprised about Koch getting the call.
"I
think it was actually a well-deserved nomination," Aldo
said through his interpreter. "Erik has a good rank and
I wasn't actually so surprised even though there were some other
interesting names. I'm up for the challenge. I think it's fair
he's going up for the title because he's been going through a
long list of fights previously with the WEC."
Koch
(13-1) has won four straight since his only career loss, which
consequently came against Aldo's last challenger, Chad Mendes.
Since then, he's rattled off victories against Jonathan Brookins,
Raphael Assuncao, Francisco Rivera and Bendy Casimir, with three
of the four coming via stoppage.
Still,
it will be a long leap from that to facing the likes of Aldo
(21-1), who hasn't lost a fight since 2005 in fashioning a 14-fight
win streak.
It
may be a challenge, but it's one he's embracing.
"There's
a lot more exposure and a lot of things I've got to do, but to
me, a fight's a fight," Koch said. "I've never really
gotten super nervous before a fight. It's something I just love
to do. So I don't think there will be really any jitters. To
be on top of my game, I know I have to be mentally sound. I have
to be in the right place, and I'm always good at getting there.
So, I don't think I'll have a problem with it."
Source:
MMA Fighting
|
TUF
International Round Two: Australia vs. the U.K.
The
Ultimate Fighting Championship has confirmed it will film an
Australian edition of its hit reality television series The Ultimate
Fighter, giving Aussie and British mixed martial artists the
opportunity to secure a lucrative contract with the world’s
preeminent mixed martial arts (MMA) organization.
Registration
is now open to all aspiring UFC fighters from Australia and the
UK. Prospective competitors should visit www.au.ufc.com/TUFForm
(Aus) or www.uk.ufc.com/TUFForm (UK) for registration forms,
rules and qualification criteria. The live tryouts, scheduled
for June 12 in Sydney and June 15 in London, will be open to
fighters ranging in weight from 61 to 77 kilograms (135 to 170
pounds). Participants must be between 21 and 35 years of age
and have had at least three verified professional fights (having
won two).
The
Australian series, dubbed The Smashes – a play on the 130
year-old cricket rivalry – will see undiscovered professional
MMA fighters from Australia and the United Kingdom live together
in The Ultimate Fighter House in Australia and compete against
each other for a prized UFC contract. This is only the second
time in TUF’s seven-year history that teams will represent
their country of origin, the first taking place in 2009, during
the ninth series, as Team USA took on Team UK.
“Australia
and the UK have a fierce, long-standing rivalry, and where better
to settle the score than in the UFC’s Octagon,” said
Marshall Zelaznik, UFC’s Managing Director of International
Development. “The popularity of MMA has exploded in Australia
and the UK, with gyms opening all over the respective countries.
There is an athlete in one of those gyms who hasn’t had
the chance to show the world what he can do – The Ultimate
Fighter is going give to him that opportunity. We’re going
to discover the UFC’s future stars, you can bet on it.”
The
Smashes marks the second international edition of The Ultimate
Fighter franchise. The first, currently airing in Brazil, brought
in record viewership numbers, recording 12 million viewers for
the premiere episode and attesting to the successful global expansion
of the series. With its continued worldwide success, the UFC
hopes to one day host several tournaments in different countries,
crowning one unanimous winner across an international format.
Source:
MMA Weekly
|
California
State Athletic Commission investigation: How did (then) 80 year
old scandal-plagued politician John Frierson get an important
job promotion?
By Zach
Arnold
On
Monday, we released an investigative report into the current
ongoing activity of the California State Athletic Commission
and its current Chairman, John Frierson. If you have not read
the report, we strongly warn you that you first read our Monday
item before you read today’s investigative item here. While
the Monday report is lengthy & detailed, it created the building
blocks of the foundation of our current investigation. Once you
have read Monday’s report, it will make today’s investigative
item much clearer in terms of understanding.
We
consider our current, ongoing investigation to be a very serious
news story and one that is worthy of your attention. In the abstract,
it may not initially appear to be a serious story for you if
you are a fight fan. However, as you delve into the details of
our investigation, you will start to a formulate a troubling
picture of what is currently happening in the California political
scene and how it is impacting California’s combat sport
industry.
Introduction
– part two
On
Monday, we posted the first article in our investigation about
the California State Athletic Commission and the CSAC’s
chairman, John Frierson. Our initial investigation was sparked
by our research into labor-backed new MMA amendments proposed
by Assemblyman Luis Alejo for AB2100, which would give the CSAC
sweeping oversight rights to review MMA fighter contracts. In
plain English, AB2100 would give MMA fighters the same rights
that boxers currently have.
During
the course of our investigation into AB2100, we quickly discovered
that the California State Athletic Commission (based on circumstantial
evidence) is not interested in seeing amendments to AB2100 passed
because of the perceived financial costs that would be involved
in not only implementing the new regulations but also in lost
revenue due to promoters such as UFC threatening to no longer
run shows in California.
As
our investigation progressed, we discovered & researched
information that led us down some unusual political roads that
we were not originally pursuing. The goal of our investigation
into the CSAC regarding AB2100 was strictly about finding out
information that fight fans would be interested in. What you
care about is what regulators do that impacts the fights you
see, the promoters who put on events, and the health & safety
of the fighters participating. That is what you care about and
that is what we initially restricted our focus on.
However,
as we went further into our investigation into the California
State Athletic Commission, we noticed some alarming political
information regarding the current state of affairs at the CSAC
and in regard to the current chairman of the CSAC, John Frierson.
Frierson, who has been involved in California Democratic Party
politics since Richard Nixon was President, has been a 40-plus
year long friend of California’s current Governor, Jerry
Brown. Chairman Frierson has developed a lengthy, established
political career in CADEM circles featuring connections to some
of the biggest names in politics. In our Monday report, we demonstrated
the connections that John Frierson & his wife Susie Frierson
have with state leaders such as Curren Price Jr., current Los
Angeles Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa, former Assembly Speakers
Herb Wesson & Karen Bass, along with California Democrats
who are currently in the US House of Representatives (Janice
Hahn, Brad Sherman, and… Karen Bass, member of the Budget
Committee). Frierson, who has been a long-time member of the
New Frontier Democratic Club (African-American political organization)
in Los Angeles, is currently on the NFDC’s executive board
of leadership. It is through these major political connections
that John Frierson has been able to obtain the political power
he currently possesses. What Chairman Frierson has done with
this political power via his spot on the California State Athletic
Commission since 2001 is what we care about.
As
our research into Chairman Frierson and his political connections
both in Los Angeles & Sacramento continued, we discovered
several uncomfortable findings that should be of great concern
to everyone. Pouring through DCA & CSAC Agenda & Minutes
records throughout the past years, we discovered many issues
that the California State Athletic Commission is currently facing.
Besides the on-going political battle over amendments to AB2100,
we discovered that the commission is facing a major dilemma regarding
it’s Neurological Fund. Our Monday report detailed a listing
of agenda information by the commission in regards to the current
financial problems the commission is facing in regards to maintaining
current medical testing procedures as mandated by California
state law. The agenda document noted that the commission, as
currently operating, would be running a deficit of $550,000 if
the commission has to take care of both the costs for standard
medical testing & neurological testing of athletes. The commission
proposed that a change was needed to the state law so that the
CSAC would only pay for neurological test costs and not for standard
medical testing. The end result of such a proposal change was
the concept of raising the amount of money by collecting more
money from ticket sales. The commission said that they are currently
taking $0.60 from each ticket and that in order to fund current
expenses, they would need to take $2.70 from each event ticket
in the State. The situation & its legal consequences are
of serious importance.
What
we wanted to find out in our investigation is what kind of power
Chairman Frierson currently has and how he is wielding it to
make big decisions that impact commission business. Our findings
led us down a trail in which Chairman Frierson was implicated
in a famous ticket/gift scandal in 2009. The scandal was created
by an LA Times newspaper investigation. That investigation led
to then-Governor Schwarzenegger reading the riot act via the
Department of Consumer Affairs (DCA) to the CSAC. Either resign
or straighten up your act. The end result was that some heads
did in fact roll. However, John Frierson didn’t resign.
He didn’t quit. He didn’t lose his job like 80-year
old Dick Lugar did on Tuesday night.
Instead,
politically-speaking, something miraculous happened for Mr. Frierson.
Our Monday report led us down the trail of finding out how John
Frierson became Chairman Frierson and what the rest of the story
was. In addition, we noted that The Senate Business, Professions,
and Economic Development Committee would hold an oversight investigation
into the current activities of the California State Athletic
Commission next Spring (2013). The leader of the Senate’s
Business, Professions, and Economic Development Committee? Curren
Price Jr., a rising Democratic Party star in California who is
a staunch political ally of… CSAC Chairman John Frierson.
Investigation
benchmarks
So,
how did John Frierson pull off his promotion? How did he manage
to politically inoculate himself to a position of being Teflon
when it comes to deflecting away scandal? Why did he fight so
hard to keep his spot on the California State Athletic Commission?
What plans does he have on using the power he currently possesses
to influence the way business is handled in the California combat
sports scene?
For
this report, we wanted to build upon what was written in the
Monday report in regards to the following topics:
Why
the California State Athletic Commission isn’t all that
particularly interested in AB2100 and what clues have we seen
that could demonstrate this, resulting in a political civil war
of sorts between various CADEM factions
A more detailed look at the political web John Frierson has weaved
in regards to the politicians that back him and the politicians
he has backed and why these relationships not only have proven
to be critical but also are relationships others in the CADEM
political machine share as well
Just what happened after the ticket/gift scandal that led to
more job security for John Frierson with the CSAC and why he
wanted/wants that job security so badly
How Chairman Frierson & Governor Jerry Brown have used their
political power to appoint CSAC officials that politically owe
them support
Finalizing a determination as to whether or not Chairman Frierson
can successfully manage & work at solving the major problems
that the California State Athletic Commission is currently facing…
and if the CSAC is even his top political priority in his life
The future of the California State Athletic Commission’s
existence and whether or not the commission would survive scrutiny
from an independent, non-partisan business review of CSAC activities
All of these topics raised for debate & investigation are
of importance. If the California State Athletic Commission is
in political or financial peril, how can anyone be sure that
they can effectively regulate combat sports in the state?
The
battle over AB2100 and its survival
Last
Thursday, we received word that some marking up was being done
to the text of the new MMA amendments being proposed for AB2100.
The amendments on the table, as of April 25th, would have attacked
contract provisions that UFC & other MMA promoters use in
their contracts — such as the Champion’s clause, giving
away ancillary rights for video games for life, so on and so
forth.
Right
after the April 25th Assembly committee hearing on AB2100 amendments,
we heard the rumors that the California State Athletic Commission
was not exactly thrilled with the prospects of these new amendments
to AB2100 being passed. The commission is struggling to balance
the books and the UFC’s threat of never promoting again
in California would be a swift kick to the nuts for them. Money
talks.
After
discussion about some of the new amendment provisions being marked
through became public, another tidbit about Assemblyman Alejo
also started spreading — he wanted a meeting with the CSAC
to go over the new AB2100 amendments. The meeting would take
place in San Diego in early June. The commission will have a
medical advisory meeting on the 3rd and a standard hearing on
the 4th.
However,
there’s one big roadblock in the political process –
Appropriations. In order for whatever remains of AB2100 to see
the day of light, the marked-up amendments will have to go through
the Assembly’s Appropriations committee. If the bill can’t
survive committee, it’s basically toast. However, if the
amendments survive like a zombie through Appropriations, then
perhaps a meeting with the CSAC could happen.
The
big question is whether or not AB2100 would get an Appropriations
hearing date this month. The answer? According to a well-connected
source, there will be a hearing on the bill set for May 16th
in Appropriations. That will be decision-day for Assemblyman
Alejo on whether or not the bill will survive and if he’ll
throw himself a little celebration on the Assembly floor, just
like he did when he proposed to his long-time girlfriend on the
Floor earlier this week. He got a ‘yes’ vote for his
engagement and he’s hoping for a ‘yes’ vote from
Appropriations on the 16th for AB2100.
However,
even if the smooth operator can get AB2100 to survive Appropriations,
he’s got a hell of a task on his hands with the California
State Athletic Commission and Chairman Frierson, the man dubbed
“Mr. We Want Business.” Business does mean tickets
& gifts, too!
How
will the CSAC react to being presented with MMA-related amendments
to AB2100? Evidence suggests the reception could be cold.
In
the February 6th, 2012 agenda for that particular California
State Athletic Committee hearing, a curious item appeared on
Page 73.
Promoter’s
Promotional Contracts Update
Background:
On January 9, 2012, the Commission held a meeting with four major
California promoters concerning the requirement of Title 4, Rule
222 Boxer-Promoter Promotional Contracts with Professional Fighters.
In its current form, the California contract is titled “Addendum”
and the contract between the promoter and the boxer is the primary.
Accordingly, the initial discussion concerned changing the California
contract to be the primary contract. This led to a productive
discussion concerning some of the major disadvantages this contract
imposes on professional promoters in California.
Disadvantages
identified were:
1)
Requiring the presence of all parties in one place for a contract
signing imposes a logistical as well as competitive disadvantage.
2) Having the contract on file with the Commission’s office
exposes the provision of an individual’s contract to competitors.
3) Requiring the parties to submit to arbitration as a prerequisite
to litigation is unduly burdensome.
4) This contract is unique to California, no other commission
requires it, particularly Nevada, Texas, New York, and Florida;
states somewhat similar to California.
It
was the general consensus of the promoters present that if the
Boxer-Promoter contract was no longer required, they would in
fact promote more events in California.
If
the Commission wants to consider changes or elimination to the
Boxer-Promoter contract, staff will research the pros and cons,
considering whether elimination is consistent with the Commission’s
mission of public protection, and if the absence of the California
Boxer-Promoter contract would in any way be an disadvantage to
boxers.
Two
months later, on April 9th, this agenda item indicated that change
would be discussed:
Promoter’s
Promotional Contract Update
Mr.
Dodd reported that he, several promoters, and Ms. Chappelle met
and discussed provisions of promotional contracts and found that
changes to the contract may be necessary.
Eric
Gomez, Golden Boy Promotions; Roy Engelbrecht; and Dan Goossen,
Goossen Tutor Promotions, commented on the logistical difficulties
that exist since the contract must be signed in the presence
of commission staff and also that having the contract filed with
the commission exposes, to the inquiring public, items in the
contract that should remain confidential between the parties.
It
was M/S/C (motion/seconded/confirmed) to direct the DCA Legal
Office to prepare a proposal and then discussion options at an
interested parties meeting.
Let
me translate this for you in plain English:
Boxing
promoters think current California state regulations (e.g. AB2100)
are a pain in the ass and are telling the commission they’ll
run more shows if they don’t have to go through so many
hoops.
The Commission is receptive to what the promoters are telling
them. This is all about Executive Director George Dodd and Chairman
John Frierson. As Roy Engelbrecht commented at a recent CSAC
meeting, he praised the Executive Director for being more open-minded
and considerate of both fighters & promoters when compared
to the behavior of past ED’s.
The UFC made a similar argument to these boxer promoters on the
issue of ‘trade secrets’ in regards to contracts being
made public. After all, Zuffa has sued people in court over exposing
such trade secrets.
However, the most interesting political takeaway from the April
9th item is that Karen Chappelle’s name is mentioned. She’s
a long-time big wig with the DCA/CSAC. Her name is an important
one to remember. Later in this article, we’ll tell you why
she’s a name you don’t want to forget.
One
more note — when the Commission says that the DCA Legal
Office will take suggestions under consideration, it is critical
to note that Governor Jerry Brown controls the Department of
Consumer Affairs. If Governor Brown wants something to be done,
it will get done. Because the Governor can influence/control
the DCA, this power can be combined with the power of Governor
Brown’s long-time political ally John Frierson as Chairman
of the CSAC to produce true CADEM Establishment power on a major
scale.
This
is what Assemblyman Luis Alejo & the unions are up against
when it comes to the new amendments to AB2100. If the unions
press the issue during the 2012 Election cycle, you could see
political chaos between strongly influential CADEM political
factions. This is pure political insider baseball on display.
When
in doubt, put your money on the CADEM Establishment. John Frierson’s
political existence over four decades is proof positive of the
CADEM’s political machine, for better or for worse.
John
Frierson, the politician, and how he’s consolidated political
power
In
our Monday report, we detailed how difficult it is for a person
appointed to the California State Athletic Commission to remain
on the political board. The Governor can make political appointments
between two and four years. One Senate appointment lasts four
years. The Assembly Speaker can appoint someone for four years.
John
Frierson has managed to politically survive as a member of the
California State Athletic Commission, despite various commission
scandals, since 2001.
In
order for this to happen, one has to be extremely powerful in
terms of political connections and also must be thought of a
person that politicians must kiss the ring of. Given John Frierson’s
role in Los Angeles politics, it’s easy to see why he’s
maintained his standing for so long.
We
noted that Chairman Frierson, since his stint on the CSAC board,
has used his position as a tagline for countless political endorsements
of CADEM politicians aspiring for higher office. One of those
candidates is Janice Hahn, who happened to win her election.
If the last name Hahn sounds familiar to you in California political
circles, it should. Her brother was the former Mayor of Los Angeles,
James Hahn. James Hahn happened to be the first mayor to appoint
John Frierson to the LA Department of Transportation board. After
Antonio Villaraigosa took over as Mayor of Los Angeles he, too,
backed John Frierson for a political position with the city.
As
we’ve further investigated the political career of John
Frierson, it’s easy to see just how much public service
and the perks of political power mean to the current CSAC Chairman.
Since his appointment to the CSAC in 2001, he has been a perpetual
election machine. Not only is he a kingmaker through his various
club connections, political endorsements, and political friendships,
he’s also someone who constantly runs for political office.
Despite
being a member of the California State Athletic Commission, he
has listed his main ‘occupation’ on political papers
as working for the (LA) Democratic Party County Central Committee.
In 2002, 2004, 2006, and 2008, he ran for office in the 53rd
District of California for this specific political position.
He’s a busy man, isn’t he?
One
of the items we noted in our Monday report about John Frierson
is that he has campaigned for various insider baseball issues
in California such as political redistricting. The reason we
took care to note this for you is because Mr. Frierson is running
for office again, this time for the same position in a different
district.
Source:
Fight Opinion
|
Bigfoot
gets help on preparation for Velasquez
by Guilherme
Cruz
After
Alistair Overeem was caught on the doping test for steroids use,
UFC was obligated to make some changed on May 26th card, on the
United States. Heavyweight champion, Junior “Cigano”
dos Santos is now fighting Frank Mir, while Antonio “Bigfoot”
Silva, initially paired up against Roy Nelson, is fighting Cain
Velasquez.
On
an interview with TATAME, the heavyweight commented about the
replacement and how it affected his preparation for the bout.
“I
was really glad about the opportunity. It’s my UFC debut
and they are giving me a chance to fight one of the top two guys
of the division, a former champion. I have two and a half weeks
ahead of me and I guarantee it’s going to be a good fight”,
said the heavyweight fighter.
Questioned
about the changes on his trainings with his opponent replaced,
the Brazilian affirmed he needed to bring two wrestlers to help
him out, besides some strikers.
“I
brought a couple of wrestlers to help me out. One of them (Steve
Mocco) fought Cain Velasquez three times in high school and defeated
him every single one. He’s spending a couple of weeks here
to give me tips and tell me why I should worry about Cain Velasquez”,
said.
“He’s
a good guy. He’s very strong, about the same height as Cain
and has a lot of experience for having fought him before. It’s
a great thing for me. There’re some strikers coming to support
me too, like Mark Hunt, who’s being really helpful. There’s
Thiago Silva, who’s a great helping hand at this point”.
Besides
fighting for the first time in the UFC, Bigfoot might be close
to a title shot on the organization. “I’m focused on
Cain Velasquez”, dodges Antonio, whom is friends with the
current champion of the division, Junior dos Santos.
“I
guess there’re many people ahead of me on the line. It’s
my UFC debut. Fighting for the title is the consequence of a
long-term work. Just like the champion had to do like four or
five fights, knocked out everybody who crossed his way and got
his chance at the title and earned it. It’s a longer way,
but I guess that, in the end of the day, it pays off”.
Source:
Tatame
|
FORMER
UFC LIGHTWEIGHT CHAMP SEAN SHERK WANTS 'RIGHT FIGHT'
By Dave
Doyle
The
last we saw of Sean Sherk, the former UFC lightweight champion
took a hotly contested split decision from Evan Dunham at UFC
119.
That bout, which earned Fight of the Night honors, was conducted
more than a year and a half ago. Since then, "The Muscle
Shark" has been all but invisible on the MMA scene.
But
Sherk recently told "The MMA Hour" that just because
he's been out of sight, it doesn't mean you should put him forever
out of your mind.
"I'm
not ready to walk away," said Sherk. "I consider myself
still one of the top fighters in the world, I just want to get
the right fight, get the right fight for my legacy."
The
38-year old Sherk has been competing in combat sports since age
seven, with a decorated career as an amateur wrestler before
making his mixed martial arts debut in the pre-Unified Rules
era in 1999. And while he's been lucky enough to go as long as
he has without suffering a serious injury, the cumulative effect
from three decades of scrapping was his reason for taking an
extended break.
"It's
just normal wear and tear," said Sherk (36-4-1). "I've
been competing in wrestling since I was seven years old, for
13 years, and I've been fighting professionally for 12 years.
My first fight was in ‘99, so, you know, it's been a long
road. I've always trained hard, my goal was work hard in the
gym so I wouldn't have to suffer defeat, wouldn't ever have to
get tired, wouldn't have to watch my opponent get his hand raised.
Obviously over time, that stuff adds up."
Sherk
first excelled in the UFC as an undersized welterweight during
the era in which the company had no lightweight champion. He
took then-champion Matt Hughes the full 25 minutes the middle
of a period when Hughes was steamrolling most of his competition.
When
the company restored the lightweight championship in 2006, he
made the drop to 155 pounds and defeated Kenny Florian to claim
the gold. While he was stripped of the title a year later for
a positive steroid test, he remained a formidable force in the
division.
So
with a career resume that includes wins ranging from Karo Parisyan
to Nick Diaz to Kenny Florian to Hermes Franca to Tyson Griffin
and Dunham, Sherk doesn't want to come back and take a fight
for the sake of taking a fight.
"I
don't want to fight up and comers," said Sherk, who has
two bouts left on his UFC contract. "I don't want to fight
guys trying to make a name for themselves, I want to fight guys
who have been there and done that, guys who I feel like have
something to offer me just as much as I have to offer them. It's
big fights, is what I want."
But
Sherk isn't ready to call out anyone by name.
"A
rematch would be nice, one of my losses," Sherk said. "I'm
always game for trying to avenge a loss, or maybe just another
contender, someone who's exciting, someone who's fast-paced.
Off the top of my head, take your pick, the lightweight division
is stacked with so many great fighters out there."
Sherk
made his UFC debut at UFC 30 on Feb. 23, 2001, which just happened
to be the first card under the Zuffa regime. Sherk, though, isn't
going to pretend like he knew t the time what the new ownership
group would achieve over the next decade.
"Well,
back then I think I had maybe 12 fights under my belt and really
new in the industry and really kind of starstruck, just being
in the organization," said Sherk, who defeated Tiki Ghosn
that evening. "I had watched UFC going back to UFC 2, had
always been a huge fan. I watched every PPV, knew all the fighters,
was a total fanboy.
I was a little starstruck, I didn't know who Dana [White] was,
who Lorenzo and Frank [Fertitta] were. I didn't really know the
UFC was in jeopardy. I thought the UFC was making tons of money.
I've
been saying since 10 years ago this is the sport of future. I
didn't think it would happen as fast as it did, and didn't think
I'd be part of it. I always thought it would be by the time I
had kids and they were in their 20s, maybe it would be big then.
This thing blew up fast."
And
if he has his way, Sherk will contribute more to the sport before
his fighting days are through.
"I
was tentatively thinking I'd like to fight this summer,"
he said. "That would be fun, if I get a phone call and they
say they've got a great fight, or a great card, I'm in."
Source:
MMA Fighting
|
King
Mo Had a Dream… and Now It’s Come True
by Ken
Pishna
Just
a few short weeks ago, Muhammed “King Mo” Lawal was
living a nightmare.
Following
his victory over Lorenz Larkin in January, Lawal tested positive
for Drostanolone (an anabolic steroid) metabolites. Months later,
the Nevada State Athletic Commission fined him $39,000 and put
him on a nine-month suspension.
To
make matters worse, Lawal then exploded on Twitter in regards
to commissioner Pat Lundvall’s line of questioning during
his disciplinary hearing.
“I
honestly feel like Lundvall was a racist (expletive) asking me
if I can read or speak English. Go on somewhere with that bull
(expletive),” he wrote.
That
led to Lawal’s immediate release by Strikeforce and Zuffa
officials.
In
six short weeks, however, his fortunes have changed dramatically
for the better.
Lawal
signed contracts with Bellator Fighting Championships and TNA’s
Impact Wrestling to appear as part of both promotions, with the
promise of synergistic cross-promotion that hasn’t really
been done before in the mixed martial arts and professional wrestling
realms.
Lawal
will perform on Impact Wrestling, beginning as soon as this summer,
and then will also fight concurrently for Bellator on Spike TV,
when the promotion moves over to the network in 2013.
Impact
and Bellator will utilize his services at the same time, Lawal
floating back and forth between wrestling matches and MMA bouts.
He will receive the benefit of promoting his wrestling career
on Bellator, as well as his fight career on Impact, along with
various other opportunities that Spike TV has to offer.
“He’s
the first guy that’s gonna look to conquer both of these
realms in the sports entertainment arena simultaneously,”
said Bellator CEO Bjorn Rebney on Thursday.
“It’s
not for everyone. Mo is that very, very unique fit. In terms
of a guy to really be able to live in both realms, and to potentially
be able to rule both realms, this is the guy.”
For
Lawal, it represents the realization of a dream.
King
Mo has always been one of the more colorful characters in the
mixed martial arts world. So much so that he was courted by pro
wrestling’s top dog, the WWE, in the past, but he passed
on that opportunity, instead focusing on his MMA career.
“It’s
a dream come true. It was a big dream. I thought I lost it when
I turned down the WWE contract,” said Lawal. “And now,
it circled back around. I’m excited and I had to jump on
it.”
Whether
he can pull it off remains to be seen. With TNA and Bellator
working closely with Spike TV, once Bellator hits the network
in January, all the parts are there for an amazing level of synergistic
brand building.
Lawal,
however, is the one that has to find a way to put the pieces
of his career in place to take full advantage. He’s gung
ho to hit take both Bellator and Impact by storm, but juggling
two extremely demanding and physically taxing professions simultaneously
promises no guarantees.
An
injured knee has already slowed down the beginning of his stint
with TNA. Lawal certainly has the will, the want, and most definitely
the desire to realize his dream; now he’s just got to hope
that his body responds.
If
it does, King Mo will be living the dream.
“I’m
pretty much speechless. I came to the realization that I’m
here to knock people out in the cage and hit people with chairs
in the ring. So both ways, I’m winning.”
Source:
MMA Weekly
|
Investigation:
The future of combat sports in California
By Zach
Arnold
Last
Friday morning, we posted an article discussing the neutering
of AB2100, the proposed legislation (amendments) by Assemblyman
Luis Alejo that would give the California State Athletic Commission
sweeping authority to review & regulate fighter contracts
in Mixed Martial Arts. The current power that the CSAC has to
oversee boxing contracts would be given to the commission for
MMA as well.
However,
as we noted on Friday, AB2100 is headed towards a path of no
return. Despite Assemblyman Alejo feeling that he can convince
the CSAC to back AB2100, the truth is that the bill continues
to get marked through and watered down. A week after a public
hearing in Sacramento to go over AB2100 amendments, changes were
made to the bill. If the amendments do not see the day of light
in the Appropriations committee by the end of the month, whatever
is left of AB2100 is essentially crippled. This does not mean
that all changes would be terminated but certainly the bulk of
what was being proposed would be eliminated.
There
were a lot of interested parties in getting AB2100 amendments
up & running. For many organized labor unions, this was an
interesting test to see how much UFC would sweat over the CSAC
being granted authority to review & regulate standard Zuffa
contracts. Despite what is a likely end for AB2100, organized
labor now has a test case to go to other states to pursue similar
type of legislation. Furthermore, they may take their case and
try to get legislation passed on a Federal level (to have the
Ali Act apply to MMA).
The
political problem Assemblyman Alejo faces is that while he is
backed by labor unions, his bosses in California are all Democrats
in higher authority. As we detailed last Friday, one of the biggest
players in the process of AB2100 likely being neutered for good
is CSAC Chairman John Frierson. Frierson, who proudly boasts
being a friend of Governor Jerry Brown for over 40 years, is
a man who recently said in approving Josh Barnett for a fighter’s
license that he wants to see business in California. This stance
is consistent in various votes that Chairman Frierson has issued
in the past. He voted to re-license Antonio Margarito. He tried
to motion for Cris Cyborg’s steroid suspension to be cut
in half from one year to six months. He voted to halve the suspension
of Chael Sonnen and cleared the way for Sonnen to get back to
action.
As
UFC lobbyist Tim Lynch noted at the April 25th Sacramento hearing
for AB2100, the California State Athletic Commission would need
to pay to hire lawyers to review hundreds of fighter contracts
if AB2100 was passed. Given the current economic situation facing
Chairman Frierson and Executive Director George Dodd, this is
politically untenable. In order for AB2100 to survive, Assemblyman
Alejo would have to craft the amendments in such a way that,
on paper, it would cost the AC $0. It’s hard to see how
the Assemblyman will be able to pull this off, let alone confront
Chairman Frierson’s attitude of ‘we want business.’
You know what wouldn’t be good for CSAC business? UFC and
Bellator no longer running shows in California. UFC stated that
if the AB2100 amendments passed that they would no longer run
California. Chairman Frierson is not going to accept this. This
is why AB2100 is headed down a path of no return.
The
current political stance of the California State Athletic Commission
is simple — any change that is proposed must cost $0 for
implementation (on paper). A perfect example of how this policy
is reflective upon current regulation involves amateur boxing
& amateur MMA. USA Boxing currently works with the CSAC for
regulating amateur boxing. Jeremy Lappen’s CAMO (California
Mixed Martial Arts Organization) non-profile 501(c)(3) oversees
regulation of amateur MMA. Chairman Frierson is a big supporter
of Lappen & CAMO. So, for anyone who thinks that they are
going to change the way CAMO currently acts in terms of business
protocol, think again. No change is happening in the foreseeable
future. Lappen was able to get CAMO into the role as amateur
MMA regulator by pushing his operation as non-profit, even though
he stated on 2011 CAMO tax filing that he paid himself $75,000
in salary. Tax returns for CAMO in 2012 could show another potential
increase in salary.
By
designating responsibility of amateur boxing & amateur MMA
to USA Boxing & CAMO, it allows Chairman Frierson & the
CSAC to basically take a hands-off approach, financially-speaking,
to regulating such activity. After all, amateur boxing &
amateur MMA is not the profit center they care about. This is
just one demonstration of how Chairman Frierson is currently
impacting the combat sports landscape in California.
Using
the standard of adding regulatory authority to the CSAC without
costing any money on paper are the recent guidelines proposed
to allow Therapeutic Use Exemptions, including TUEs for testosterone.
In language that is clearly spelled out, the regulations being
written for TUEs state that since the athlete applying for a
TUE has to pay for all medical testing costs this means that
it will cost the commission $0. Of course, such legislation cannot
track down whether or not fight promoters actually are the ones
who are picking up the tab for fighters to get their exemptions
to use testosterone. Given that this legislation will allow many
big-name MMA fighters who are pleading their case for testosterone
usage to get an exemption, this opens the door for those big-name
MMA fighters in question to have their fights in California.
We want business, indeed.
Everyone
understands the seriousness of the debt crisis in California
and the position that the California Democratic Party is in.
Because California is a one-party political state, a lot of power
is consolidated in certain geographic areas – most of it
in the big cities west of I-5. John Frierson happens to be a
very old-school player in California Democratic Party circles.
Frierson has been a member of the CSAC since 2001. To understand
how uncommon the length of Frierson’s tenure on the Commission
is, you have to look at the rules for membership appointment.
You can be appointed to the CSAC via one of three avenues –
1) by the Governor, 2) by the Assembly Speaker, or 3) by the
Senate Rules Committee.
The
Governor can give an appointee a length of anywhere from 2 to
4 years.
The Senate can give an appointee a length of 4 years.
The Assembly Speaker can give an appointee a length of 4 years.
The reason we point this out for your consideration is because
in order for Chairman Frierson to be kept on the CSAC board for
as long as he has been, he must be someone of substantial political
value. Given his 40+ year political relationship with Governor
Jerry Brown, it’s easy to see why John Frierson will remain
Chairman of the CSAC for years to come. Although his term expires
on January 1st, 2015, the safe bet is that Chairman Frierson
will stick around as long as he is in good health.
Introduction
As
we have been reporting on the developments surrounding AB2100,
we started to investigate the role of Chairman Frierson and just
what kind of influence he has on regulatory decisions with the
California State Athletic Commission. Our investigation led us
down many different roads that we were not initially expecting
to travel. However, our initial search for background information
on Chairman Frierson led us to discover some rather remarkable
political connections. These political relationships that we
are about to reveal will demonstrate how John Frierson has obtained
the political clout that he currently enjoys and how it is being
used to regulate the fight scene in California.
It
is important for us to frame our investigation in a way that
connects many dots but does so in a simple, yet detailed manner
so that you can understand how the political landscape works
in California and how decisions made by the Chairman impact the
fans, the fighters, and event promoters.
Chairman
John Frierson is an important name to remember and a name to
keep a close eye on. What we are about to lay out for you is
the following:
A
political profile of how John Frierson built his career and how
his political connections have put him in the spot he is currently
at
How John Frierson’s membership on the California State Athletic
Commission has not only benefitted him but the many political
leaders that he has backed
How John Frierson has used his political influence to make a
difference in setting the agenda for the California State Athletic
Commission
How John Frierson, now the CSAC Chairman, will impact the political
decision making for the CSAC in the future and what it means
for the future of regulating combat sports in California
In order to understand how we’ve reached the point where
are at now, we have to take a closer look at the political career
Chairman Frierson has built.
The
man with all the right connections
John
Frierson has been a mainstay in Los Angeles Democratic Party
politics since Richard Nixon was President. In addition to being
a delegate for the Democratic National Committee for three decades,
he & his wife Susie Frierson (also an activist) have been
members of the New Frontier Democratic Club, a very high-profile
African-American political organization with a storied history.
Frierson is on the Executive Board of the NFDC, a club that is
very active in Los Angeles County Democratic Party circles. Naturally,
the club is very involved in promoting key initiatives of President
Obama such as United We Serve.
Because
of the affiliations that John & Susie Frierson are connected
to, they have spent many years making connections with the biggest
names in the California Democratic Party and, conversely, have
returned the favor in backing & promoting many African-American
state Assembly & state Senate candidates. Plus, they are
also backers of many CA Democratic Party heavyweights in Congress,
including Brad Sherman.
While
the digital, online footprint of John Frierson is rather small
in terms of information, there is a treasure trove of political
information in newspapers about key endorsements Mr. Frierson
has made & activities that he has been involved in. While
some of the candidates Chairman Frierson have backed turned out
to be stinkers (he was a booster in California for the John Edwards
ill-fated 2004 Democratic Party primary campaign), many of Frierson’s
choices — especially on the state level — have been
huge winners. He backed Janice Hahn, who went to win a seat in
Congress. The couple has backed candidates in local Los Angeles
political races as well as the candidacy of a rising political
star, Curren Price Jr. Mr. Price started out his career as an
Assembly representative in the 51st district in 2006 and was
re-elected in 2008. In 2009, Price ran for state Senate in a
special election and won the seat. John & Susie Frierson
were big backers for Price’s campaign. In his three years
of service in the state Senate, Price has risen all the way to
the position of Chairman of the Senate Business, Professions,
and Economic Development Committee.
That
last item of information will become of great importance later
on in this article.
In
exchange for continued support of major Southern California Democrats
who have obtained positions of high power in Sacramento, John
Frierson has received a very large amount of political support
of his own. Governor Jerry Brown is a close friend and big backer.
Former and current LA City Councilmembers are Frierson boosters.
Los Angeles mayor Antonio Villaraigosa has been a long-time supporter
of Frierson, putting him on a Los Angeles Transportation Commission.
Here’s how LA Observed categorized the support:
John
W. Frierson has been involved in community and political activities
for over 40 years. He has held positions in numerous organizations,
including Deputy Director of Community Relations for the 2000
Democratic National Convention, Senior Field Deputy for Councilman
Nate Holden, Senior Traffic Supervisor for both the Los Angeles
Police Department and the Department of Transportation, and Deputy
Sheriff of the Los Angeles Sheriff Department. He was also a
member of the United States Navy. Frierson attended UCLA and
the City College of New York, and received a Certificate in Training
from the FBI.
In
addition to being on the LA Transportation Commission, Frierson
has also been an activist for various propositions including
measures involving political redistricting in California.
A
cursory look at who has backed John Frierson should give you
a clue about how valued he is in CADEM circles. Governor Jerry
Brown. LA Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa. Former Assembly Speakers
Herb Wesson & Karen Bass. Currently Assembly Speaker John
Lopez. Curren Price Jr. If you’re a California Democrat
and your political territory is in Southern California, you know
who John & Susie Frierson are.
The
relationship between Price and Frierson is one of importance.
As we mentioned earlier, the NFDC is involved in President Obama’s
United We Serve project, a project that the Friersons back. Price
was a guest speaker in August of 2010 for the United We Serve
fair promoted at the LA Sports Arena.
Given
that the African-American constituency means so much to the Democratic
Party’s level of success, John & Susie Frierson are
visible players. Since John’s appointment to the California
State Athletic Commission in 2001, John has endorsed numerous
political heavyweights and, in those political endorsements,
his standing as a member of the CSAC is prominently mentioned.
There’s a benefit for him to have the CSAC tag line by his
name in terms of image & power.
The
‘gift’ scandal
There’s
an old adage that with great power comes great responsibility.
The LA Times wanted to make sure that John Frierson found this
out the hard way.
Michael
Rothfeld, who worked at The LA Times and currently writes for
The Wall Street Journal, wrote a famous article on September
18th, 2009 in which he detailed how the California State Athletic
Commission was giving out comp tickets left & right to friends,
family members, and politicians.
State
officials who regulate boxing have used their positions to gain
admission to big-ticket events for friends — actor Sylvester
Stallone among them — relatives and other associates who
sit ringside for free, records show.
One
member of the California State Athletic Commission directed state
employees to obtain free passes for his wife and pastor. Gov.
Arnold Schwarzenegger, who appointed all but one of the commissioners,
attended an event gratis, as did one of his high-ranking aides.
…
On Thursday, as The Times was preparing to publish information
on the free admissions, Schwarzenegger sent a letter to the commissioners
reiterating that “appointees do not accept gifts” and
directing them to follow his policy or resign.
…
Frierson obtained credentials for his pastor for one fight and
invited a guest from New Jersey. He regularly placed his wife,
Susie, on the free-entry list along with state employees.
…
Before a weekend of three matches in January, William Douglas,
the assistant executive officer, sent out a mass e-mail with
a chart that commissioners could use to check their desired events
and the number of guests they wanted. They requested at least
18 credentials that weekend.
The
Governor at the time, Arnold Schwarzenegger, was facing big political
trouble with the DCA (Department of Consumer Affairs). The DCA
oversees regulatory bodies like the nursing board (big scandal
there in 2009) and the California State Athletic Commission.
As
a result of The LA Times article, an investigation was opened
the next day by the Fair Political Practices Commission, an ethics
board. A week after the LA Times article was published, heads
started to roll. The DCA flexed its muscle and rejected the appointment
of Pat Russell as Executive Director. He was ready to replace
Armando Garcia, who left the CSAC.
State
Senate leader Darrell Steinberg put it this way:
Steinberg
said he hopes that Schwarzenegger “looks for new members
whose priority is protecting the health and safety of the athletes
they regulate rather than arranging for free admission to boxing
and [mixed martial arts] events.”
A
month after the LA Times article, the CSAC voted 5-0 to amend
their free ticket policy.
The
California State Athletic Commission voted unanimously Monday
to stop itself from accepting more than one free pass to a fight,
a policy change that followed a Times investigation last month
documenting commissioner handouts to friends of free ringside
passes to big fights.
“I
was encouraged it was adopted,” said Brian Stiger, director
of the Department of Consumer Affairs, which oversees the athletic
commission.
During
public comment before the 5-0 vote was made by commissioners
John Frierson, Peter Lopez, Dr. Van Lemon, Dr. Christopher Giza
and Mario Rodriguez, one individual urged the commissioners to
operate with “transparency” and only attend fights
when “on official business, not because it’s a nice
thing to do on a Friday night.”
The
fallout from the ‘gift’ scandal
After
the ticket scandal broke, Governor Schwarzenegger read the riot
act (through the DCA) to the CSAC members about what was going
on. While some members resigned, others were furious and fought
to maintain their power.
The
Fair Political Practices Commission, which oversaw the ethics
investigation into the ticket giveaways, has three levels for
letters they send out in terms of punishment. The warning letter
is the strongest grade, followed by advisory letters and then
no violation letters. Advisory letters are essentially a slap
on the wrist.
Dr.
Christopher Giza received a warning letter in January of 2010.
Here’s some text from said letter:
I
have completed my investigation of the facts in this case. Specifically,
I have found that you accepted a gift of a ticket from Golden
Boy Promotions to attend a boxing match held on May 3, 2008.
The value of this ticket was $400, which exceeded the applicable
gift limit of $390 for calendar year 2008.
Your
acceptance of a gjft over the applicable limit is a violation
of the Act. (Section 895m, subdivision (c).) Although you had
a non-delegable duty to understand and abide by the provisions
of the Act, we are not moving forward with this matter based
on the specific facts of this case. These include the tact that
you contacted the Technical Assistance Division, made a good
to the value of gift, and paid down the amount over the limit
before being contacted by the Enforcement Divison.
John
Frierson, however, curiously received an advisory letter telling
him that the file on his matter was closed.
This
wouldn’t be the only curious development. As the Our Weekly
publication noted, while heads were rolling at the CSAC over
the ticket scandal… John Frierson got a promotion.
For
the first time in its long history, the California State Athletic
Commission (CSAC) welcomed an African-American as its chairperson.
John
Frierson, the new chair, was recently elected chairman by his
peers, after serving on the commission since 2002.
“I
am overjoyed with this position,” said Frierson, who was
re-appointed to the commission in the fall of 2009 by former
California Speaker of the House, Karen Bass.
Instead
of being removed from the California State Athletic Commission,
Frierson was promoted to Chairman despite being named by the
LA Times in the ticket scandal. On top of that, a cursory search
of previous CSAC meetings shows that the attendance record of
John Frierson was rather inconsistent.
As
Our Weekly pointed out, it was the now former Assembly Speaker
Karen Bass who re-appointed Frierson to the CSAC despite the
ticket scandal. This is the highest of California Democratic
Party authority giving the green light to make the move. What
happened after the ticket scandal story that resulted in John
Frierson’s re-appointment to the CSAC?
This
re-appointment eventually led Frierson to become the Chairman
of the CSAC, with his term not ending until 2015. Chairman Frierson’s
influence is palpable.
Friends
in high places
In
June of 2011, Governor Jerry Brown made an interesting appointment
to the California State Athletic Commission board.
Linda
Forster, 42, of Los Angeles, has been appointed to the California
State Athletic Commission. She has served as the president of
Forster Construction Company since 1994. Forster served as the
administrator for the Parents of Watts from 1993 to 2006 and
as the director of the Dianne Feinstein Home for Young Mothers
from 1991 to 1993. She also worked as a clinical social worker
at the Martin Luther King Jr./Drew Medical Center in 1996. Forster
served as a commissioner for the City of Los Angeles Department
of Animal Services Board from 2001 to 2004. She was a member
of the U.S. Junior Olympics Basketball team in 1987. This position
requires Senate confirmation and the compensation is $100 per
diem. Forster is a Democrat.
In
2004, Forster was a delegate for the Democratic National Convention.
This is mentioned here because of an item about The Friends of
Linda Harris-Forster and who made a political donation to her
— Susie Frierson.
Here’s
an item that will shine a brighter spotlight on the political
connections. Kinde Durkee, a high-profile Democratic treasurer
in Burbank who got charged for fraud by authorities, reportedly
helped file Friends of Linda Harris-Forster with the State. As
the LA Times noted in this 2008 article, Forster has had plenty
of political aspirations. Here’s a 2007 article detailing
Forster’s political connections:
First
of all, Linda is the daughter of Sweet Alice Harris and is the
front-runner in terms of fundraising. She has the financial support
of the biggest of the state’s big wigs, including my beloved
sugar daddy, former Controller Steve Westly.
If
you don’t live in California, you probably don’t recognize
most of these names. If you live in California, you know some
of these political heavyweight names.
At
the April 9th CSAC hearing, Forster nominated Frierson to be
Chairman of the CSAC once again.
Oversight
of the CSAC & its troubles
California
is dealing with major financial issues right now and the California
State Athletic Commission has plenty of problems of their own
to manage. Chairman Frierson & Executive Director George
Dodd are in a tough spot.
For
instance, take a look at this item from the February 6th, 2012
agenda regarding the commission’s Neurological Fund.
As
directed by the Commission at the December 13, 2011 meeting,
staff met to analyze costs and funding associated with the neurological
fund and neurological examinations (neuro exams) in order to
draft regulations that would establish a protocol to pay for
neuro exams as required by section 18711 of the Business and
Professions Code. The Commission directed staff to move quickly
on implementation to ensure complance with the law.
Staff
conducted a close analysis of the law and found that not only
does the law require payment for neuro exams, it requires payment
of all exams required in the medical exam process pertaining
to licensure.
Given
this realization and knowing the Commission’s strong committment
to complying with the law, staff reviewed the budget of the Boxer’s
Neurological Examination Account (Account) and the costs associated
with all medical exams required for licensure to assess the feasibility
of paying for all such exam costs. We found that an increase
in the assessment would be required — an increase from $0.60
to approximately $2.70 per ticket. In addition to the fee increase,
a legislative change would be required to increase the yearly
spending cap to allow for the required payments. See below.
Average
Annual Revenue – $150,000
Average Annual Cap – $121,000
Current Operation/Salary Expenditures – $74,000
Amount remaining for exam costs – $47,000
Annual medical exam costs – $596,000
Deficit – (in the red) $549,000
Currently,
with an annual $121,000 spending cap, the Commission could pay
only $56 towards the costs of each medical exam work up. The
minimum cost we found for a medical workup for licensing purposes
is $745.
Given
this information, staff began exploring options:
1)
Comply with existing law by raising the assessment to $2.70 and
seeking new legislation to change the spending authority so that
the Commission may pay for all exams required in the medical
exam process.
2)
Seek new legislation to remove the requirement that the Commission
pay for all medical exams required in the medical exam process
and only pay for the neuro exam. The Commission would still have
to seek legislation to increase its spending authority to pay
for the costs of the neuro exams and eventually have to increase
the assessment. See below representing the costs related specifically
to the neuro exam.
Average
Annual Revenue – $150,000
Average Annual Cap – $121,000
Current operation/salary expenditures – $74,000
Amount remaining for exam costs – $47,000
Annual Neuro exam costs – $80,000
Deficit – (in the red) $33,000
3)
Seek legislation to remove the Commission completely from collecting
and paying for any medical exams, including neuro exams. The
advantages to this idea include, reduced assessment fees, reduced
staff workload and operating expenses, and possibly providing
the Commission with an opportunity to use existing funds to more
directly benefit licensees by redirecting the funds toward the
creation and administration of medical database, a long time
goal of the Commission and the Advisory Committee on Medical
Safety Standards (MAC).
A
medical database could allow for greater protection of the health
and safety of fighters by 1) tracking injuries; 2) assist in
determining when a fighter is safe to return to play after sustaining
an injury; 3) identifying medical trends; and 4) assist in preventing
further injury by identifying individuals who may be at greater
risk. The benefits of a medical database have the potential to
far out weight that of merely paying for a neurological examination.
An
endeavor such as this would require legislation (see attached
proposed draft language) to remove the requirement to pay exam
costs and add the authority to create and maintain a database
for medical research as permitted by section 18711 subdivision
(a)(3). This would ensure that the Commission continues to receive
all necessary medical data.
Finally,
if the Commission were to pursue this avenue, it may want to
consider reducing the current $0.60 assessment fee to $0.01,
(the minimum amount possible) until the legislation becomes effective,
a database is in place, and a determination is made regarding
the amount needed to operate and maintain the database; including
the review and study of the information collected by qualified
personnel.
I
want you to read that passage… and then re-read it. These
are the kinds of serious issues that the CSAC is facing with
John Frierson as the Chairman. The commission is facing a major
money crunch. With Chairman Frierson & Executive Director
Dodd as the two key figures on the CSAC, the question is whether
or not either man can fix the bind that the CSAC is in. If they
can’t find the money to finance Commission regulations as
they are required to do so by law, what will that mean for the
Commission? Will the Commission approve of less fights and go
on furlough (at the request of politicians above them) or will
we see the CSAC lower their standards of regulation in order
to go ‘on the cheap’ and try to skate by?
These
are serious & major questions.
As
the CSAC is dealing with major issues like neurological exams,
Chairman Frierson also has something else of interest that he
felt needed a change… the Commission’s ticket/gift
policy.
Last
December, the ticket/gift issue magically re-appeared. Wait,
didn’t the CSAC vote after the gift scandal on a 5-0 vote
(including John Frierson) to not do freebies any more?
Last
February, we saw a proposal to revise the gift policy. At the
April 9th hearing, change Chairman Frierson can believe in:
**************
CALIFORNIA
STATE ATHLETIC COMMISSION GIFT POLICY
Since
the receipt of gifts may give rise to the appearance of impropriety,
the California State Athletic Commission hereby adopts this gift
policy. Even in those circumstances where applicable laws and
policies permit the acceptance of gifts, there remains the possibility
that the public may perceive such gifts as an attempt to influence
or reward official government action and thus as creating a conflict
of interest. The Commission therefore strongly urges its members
and staff to avoid even the appearance of a conflict of interest
or impropriety and to demonstrate the Commission’s commitment
to impartiality, equal treatment and the highest standards of
conduct in its interactions with all licensees and potential
licensees of the Commission.
All
applicants and licensees shall be notified of the Commission’s
policy on gifts.
For
purposes of this policy, the word ‘gift’ means any
item having any cost or financial value, including tickets, food
or beverages, entertainment, or travel, as well as licensee-sponsored
meals, parties, or events.
Effective
immediately, the gift policy dated October 26, 2009 is abolished
and the following gift policy applies.
A.
Commission Members and Staff who are required to file a Form
700
Commission
members, the executive officer, assistant executive officer,
and chief and assistance chief athletic inspectors are required
pursuant to Title 16 Cal. Code Regs 3830 (Appendix) to file annually
a Form 700. Members and the staff designated above shall comply
with all applicable laws and rules related to conflicts of interest,
including the Department of Consumer Affairs’ Incompatible
Activities Policy dated April 8, 2010, and shall thoroughly disclose
on their Form 700s all items required to be disclosed by law.
Commission members and staff designated above are also expected
to comply with the biennial requirement to take and complete
the ethics course offered online by the Office of the Attorney
General.
B.
Commission Staff
No
gifts of any kind, of any value, shall be accepted, on or off
the work site, by any Commission employee from any applicant
or license or any person acting on behalf of an applicant or
licensee. As used in this policy, the term ‘employee’
includes all athletic inspectors except the chief and assistant
chief athletic inspector. This policy is intended to supersede
any law that conflicts with this policy, but all other laws and
policies of the state of California shall continue to apply fully.
Any
gift received by a commission staff member shall be returned
within 30 calendar days to the give whenever feasible. When return
of a gift is not feasible, the employee shall deliver the gift
to the Commission’s executive office,r who shall promptly
donate the gift to a non-profit entity.
*******
Let
me translate the change for you — the ‘no gift’
vote by Chairman Frierson on October 26, 2009, a month after
the LA Times scandal article, is done. While the language of
this revised gift policy sounds stern and tough, it’s opening
the door again for gifts & tickets.
Because
that’s really important.
Who’s
the watch dog?
A
lot is at stake for the California State Athletic Commission.
Governor Jerry Brown cannot afford to have a Commission scandal
because it would hurt him politically. The DCA, which overses
the CSAC, is under his control. Money is tight. Big decisions
will have to made soon.
The
bottom line is that all of the circumstances laid out in this
article should give you a good idea as to why the Commission
wants no part of a strongly-Amended AB2100 bill.
“We
want business.”
Chairman
Frierson wants business and he wants shows. The political pressure
is on. If money troubles continue to plague the CSAC and a political
decision has to be made as to whom the fall guy is (Chairman
Frierson or Executive Director Dodd), let us state our personal
opinion clearly:
George
Dodd will get the ax if conditions don’t rapidly improve
for the California State Athletic Commission.
Chairman
Frierson is not going to be an easy ‘fall guy’ by any
stretch. Too many politicians have put too much political capital
into backing him to just run away from him. Conversely, Chairman
Frierson has a close relationship with Governor Brown and it’s
hard to imagine a scenario where the Chairman would put the Governor
in a compromising position.
So,
who exactly is the watch dog outside of the DCA that is analyzing
what is going on with the CSAC?
The
Senate Business, Professions, and Economic Development Committee.
The
CSAC will have to develop a self-assessment report about how
the regulatory body is functioning and the problems they are
facing. Once that report is created, the Senate committee will
have a meeting next Spring to make any determinations about the
future of the CSAC.
If
there are major financial or mismanagement problems with the
CSAC, I like the chances of survival for Chairman Frierson but
not as much for Executive Director Dodd.
Why?
The
Chairman of the Senate Business, Professions, and Economic Development
Committee is… Cullen Price Jr., friend of the Governor and
Chairman Frierson’s political ally.
And
now you know… the rest of the story.
Source:
Fight Opinion
|
King
Mo Signs with Bellator… and TNA Wrestling
by Ken
Pishna
Former
Strikeforce light heavyweight champion Muhammed “King Mo”
Lawal has found a new home; err, make that new homes.
The
longstanding speculation was that Lawal was headed to Bellator
Fighting Championships. While that is accurate, MMAWeekly.com
sources close to the situation confirmed that Lawal is not only
headed to Bellator for mixed martial arts, but he’s also
signing to perform for TNA, the WWE’s major professional
wrestling rival.
It’s
not surprising – following his Strikeforce release –
that Lawal would sign on with Bellator, but it is out of the
norm that Bellator would allow him to also sign with TNA. Most
MMA promoters won’t mix their business with the world of
professional wrestling for fear of consumer confusion over mixing
the reality of their sport with the scripted story lines of wrestling.
Lawal’s
availability stems from a positive drug test following his fight
with Lorenz Larkin at Strikeforce: Rockhold vs. Jardine in January
in Las Vegas. He was suspended for nine months after he tested
positive for Drostanolone (an anabolic steroid) metabolites,
but was only released from his Strikeforce contract following
a Twitter outburst over his treatment by Nevada Athletic Commissioner
Pat Lundvall.
Then
the wheels began rolling in on the potential deals with Bellator
and TNA.
Lawal
will be unable to fight for Bellator until his suspension in
Nevada is over in September, but that shouldn’t affect his
availability to perform on TNA’s Total Impact as soon as
he is prepared to do so, which would likely require a stint training
for the action of the professional wrestling ring.
His
signing with both promotions does open the gate to several cross-promotional
possibilities. While Bellator is currently on MTV2, in 2013 the
promotion will move over to sister network Spike TV, the same
network that airs TNA.
There
has also been talk that with the move to Spike TV, Bellator could
move from its Friday night weekly slot to a Thursday night slot
alongside TNA.
Many
fans and other promoters are likely to cry fowl if Lawal does
appear for both promotions, and especially if they do cross promote
their brands, but the possibility is there.
Source:
MMA Weekly
|
How
will combat sports handle concussions in the future?
By Zach
Arnold
For
more information on The Lou Ruvo Cleveland Clinic Center in Las
Vegas, click here to read.
When
I watched Ron Kruck’s piece on HDNet about The Lou Ruvo
center last December, it was a segment that reminded me just
how little we know about the issue of concussions in combat sports.
Despite technological advances with MRIs & CT scans, that
technology also has a ways to develop from what experts say is
currently a ‘black & white’ standard of determining
just how much damage a person’s brain has suffered. Eventually,
technology will give us a clearer picture of how the brain works,
how much damage a concussion really causes, and the full-ranging
effects of CTE. Anyone who has had the chance to watch Charlie
Rose’s Understanding the Brain TV series knows that we have
quite a ways to go.
It
is this hunger for knowledge that both excites and scares athletes
across all major contact-based sports. American football is the
highest profile American sport to deal with the concussion issue
— more out of necessity than out of desire. Concussions
in soccer is also a growing concern, but the legal stakes have
been raised to enormous levels for the National Football League.
They are dealing with massive lawsuits from over 1,500 former
players who are suing the league on the claim that the league
knew about the potential damage of concussions but hid such information
from the players. Whether the lawsuits are successful or not,
they have certainly proven to be effective in raising awareness
about concussions in sports. Roger Goodell, the Godfather of
the NFL, is a lawyer. He understands just how much of a liability
concern the NFL is facing here. There’s no doubt that concussions,
under the umbrella term of ‘player safety,’ will continue
to change American football for decades to come.
The
suicide of former Chicago Bears player Dave Duerson and the revelation
that he suffered from CTE came as little surprise. However, Wednesday’s
death of American football player Junior Seau shook up the entire
football fraternity. Seau, since retirement, faced various personal
issues. In the Fall of 2010, Seau drove his car off the road
and it immediately led to speculation about the former football
great suffering from the effects of brain damage suffered during
his illustrious career.
Seau’s
death on Wednesday led to an immediate & swift reaction from
former football greats, who sought out medical diagnosis about
whether or not they, too, are suffering from brain damage and
if they are going to suffer the same fate as Duerson & Seau.
Read the Daily News article.
Dan
Wetzel of Yahoo Sports:
Already
received pathetic PR emails offering doctors to discuss concussions
and Seau’s death, like anyone knows anything at this point.
Randy
Cross issued this warning to the press:
“Members
of the media that cover FB, on all levels, need to educate themselves
on concussions or TBI, MTBI and their lasting effects. Whether
Seau death had anything to do with depression etc the head trauma
issue is a giant ticking time bomb for Football. Be educated.”
Jim
Trotter, currently a writer at Sports Illustrated and former
San Diego Union-Tribute writer, proposed an idea of a national
database of concussions throughout various levels of American
football (high school, college, and NFL/CFL).
The
news of Seau’s death, along with Dave Duerson’s death,
reminded me about the recent efforts of The Lou Ruvo Cleveland
Clinic center to give free testing to fighters in order to study
the impact of brain damage in combat sports. The efforts are
to be commended and applauded.
It
also reminded me of a former colleague of mine, Ivan Trembow,
whom I knew well for many years. He quit writing about MMA because
of growing concerns he had over the issue of concussions in combat
sports. When Ivan announced his decision, he was met with some
cheers but mostly jeers. Hey, fighters are punching each other
in the face, so why should they complain about brain damage once
they’re retired? They know the inherent risks of being a
fighter, right?
On
Wednesday night, I brought up the death of Junior Seau and wondered
whether or not some of the issues his death highlights (medical
testing advances, lawsuits, suicide, behavioral changes) would
soon become issues down the road in combat sports, especially
Mixed Martial Arts. The response I received for bringing this
topic up was nothing short of nasty & vulgar.
“Why
are concussions a bigger deal now than they were 10 years ago?
Concussions happened in the past and they’re going to happen
in the future, so why should people care?”
What
I think is illustrative about the negative reaction when one
brings up the issue of concussions in MMA is that it reveals
the fault lines between the fans, promoters, doctors, and fighters.
Fans don’t care how the sausage is made, they just want
the sausage. Many didn’t care that PRIDE was engulfed with
a yakuza scandal, they just wanted to see PRIDE. The initial
reaction many fans first had about the drug usage crisis in MMA
was less about health & safety and more about, ‘whatever
it takes for fighters to fight, let them do it.’ That perception
has changed somewhat but is still prevalent.
The
difference now versus the past is that those who are actually
making the sausage, the fighters, are starting to find out more
about the side effects of the sausage making and their range
of emotions extends from concerned to scared. For some, they
are pursuing a legal remedy. For others, they simply want better
medical testing & health care.
There
are a lot of issues to be raised in the near future for major
sports organizations like the NFL and for fight promoters in
regards to liability. I can’t see how there won’t be
future concussion lawsuits filed by former athletes. Whether
those lawsuits are successful or not, they will impact the way
sports are played for decades to come.
When
I addressed this issue (briefly) on Wednesday night, the standard
boilerplate response was the same one I always got when I was
covering PRIDE’s implosion.
“Do
you even like MMA? Are you so cynical about everything MMA? Do
you like the fighters? Are you just saying this to be part of
the ‘me first’ crowd?”
The
answers, of course, are simplistic. I’m not the first person
to raise the issue of concussions nor will I be the last. I am
a fan of combat sports and will always be a fan. However, I am
a believer in everyone knowing more than just what takes place
inside a ring or cage. You can be a supporter of the fight game
and still gain knowledge of what the pros and cons are for the
promoters & the participants. When it comes to discussing
concussions & drug usage in MMA, I think it’s a sign
of maturity to be open & candid about everything related
to medical issues that impacts the health & safety of fighters.
Discussing these issues doesn’t make a person morally superior…
but it does make them better-informed. I have great respect for
those who put their health at risk and compete in the combat
sports arena. Don’t those competitors deserve to know what
the potential risks are for competition? There should be no fear
to learn and discuss uncomfortable truths here. Let the chips
fall where they may.
However,
let’s not hide in a cocoon and pretend that the issue of
concussions in combat sports is going to fade away. With a wave
of MMA fighters retiring, we will have a better understanding
in the decades to come in regards to what kind of brain damage
fighters are having to live with. We will also have a better
understanding of what kind of impact these health issues will
have on the way MMA is promoted & any future rule modifications.
MMA is still a young sport and changing the way the sport is
regulated is not out of the question. There is a big picture
here and it is a good discussion to have. It is not a discussion
to be afraid of nor is it a discussion that should be mocked
based on intellectual laziness. Discussing the quality of life
for retired fighters is no joke.
Source:
Fight Opinion
|
UFC
ON FOX 4 FIGHT CARD: LAUZON VS. ETIM HEADLINES TRIO OF ADDITIONS
By Shaun
Al-Shatti - Staff Writer
A
lightweight clash pitting fan-favorite Joe Lauzon against English
submission ace Terry Etim has been added to the fight card of
UFC on FOX 4, currently slated for August 4, 2012 at the Staples
Center in Los Angeles, CA.
Lauzon announced the match-up via his personal website on Wednesday,
but didn't specify if it would take place on the preliminary
card or the FOX broadcast.
Both men head into the bout looking to rebound from brutal highlight-reel
knockout losses. Lauzon (21-7) recently saw his two-fight win
streak come to an end after dropping from a head kick just 81
seconds into his tilt against former WEC champion Anthony Pettis.
Likewise, Eitm (15-4) found himself on the mother-of-all-highlights
after being floored from a Edson Barboza spinning wheel kick
deep into their January contest.
Previously, Lauzon and Eitm were slated to meet at UFC 118, however
Eitm was forced to pull out of the fight with a broken rib, leaving
Lauzon to fight Gabe Ruediger.
"For both of us, this is kind of like deja vu because we
have already trained for one another," Lauzon wrote on his
website. "I liked the fight the first time around, but I
really like the fight this time around as I have grown tremendously
as an athlete and fighter."
Additionally,
UFC officials announced a pair of heavyweight match-ups for the
California card.
TUF
10 veteran Matt Mitrione (5-1), who looks to right the ship after
suffering the first loss of his career in a listless unanimous
decision to Cheick Kongo, is slated to meet British bruiser Rob
Broughton (15-7-1), who heads into the contest fresh from back-to-back
losses to Travis Browne and Phil De Fries.
Also, English brawlers Oli Thompson (9-3) and De Fries (8-1)
hope to get back into the win column after falling to Shawn Jordan
and Stipe Miocic in their last outings, respectively.
Source:
MMA Fighting
|
Luke
Rockhold to Defend Title Against Tim Kennedy at Strikeforce on
July 14
by Damon
Martin
Tim
Kennedy will finally get another chance to capture the Strikeforce
middleweight title as he faces champion Luke Rockhold in July.
Strikeforce
CEO Scott Coker confirmed the fight for the July 14 card that
is headed to Portland, Ore.
It
will have been nearly a year since Kennedy last stepped into
the cage when he meets Rockhold in July.
The
Army Ranger has been out of action for several months after having
to pass on a title shot against Rockhold in January when he suffered
an elbow injury prior to the fight taking place.
Now
Kennedy will finally get his chance to face Rockhold when the
two meet in July.
It
may have surprised some when Rockhold defeated Ronald “Jacare”
Souza to capture the Strikeforce middleweight crown last September,
but don’t count the longtime American Kickboxing Academy
fighter among them.
Rockhold
had supreme confidence in his ability to capture the belt, and
then defend it as he blasted through former UFC fighter Keith
Jardine in Jaunary.
Now
Rockhold will face his toughest test to date in Kennedy.
Rockhold
vs. Kennedy will headline the July 14 card along with several
other match-ups, including the expected welterweight showdown
between Nate Marquardt and Tyron Woodley.
Source:
MMA Weekly
|
The
cold, hard truth about passing NY MMA legislation
By Zach
Arnold
This
won’t win over me with many fans, but sometimes you have
to call it like you see it. I remained amazed at the reaction
of online MMA fans in regards to why New York Assembly boss Sheldon
Silver won’t pass MMA legislation.
Every
year, we get the same circus online from fans who one minute
love NY politicians and the next minute are cursing them out
for being grizzled senior citizens who have no perspective on
what their constituents want because they spend their lives in
smoke-filled rooms (or something to that effect).
Yesterday
proved to be a perfect example when Sheldon Silver tabled MMA
legislation in 2012. Maybe it’ll happen in another year,
junior.
Or
maybe not. But you know why this year wasn’t the time to
bank on MMA legislation passing in New York?
2012
is a terrible year to try to get Democratic politicians to go
against the wishes on the unions. Wrong year 2 try.
You
don’t say. And, of course, UFC reacted with the kind of
natural political tone-deafness that has utterly defined their
clueless approach to winning over hearts & minds in New York.
#UFC
VP Marc Ratner on NYS Assembly decision not to take up MMA bil
this year: ‘Not to get a vote is un-American.”
A
part of you almost feels for the boys in Las Vegas. On second
thought… not really.
What’s
happening in New York is a pretty simple matter. However, it
requires fans to strip out the emotion and look at the political
logic involved for Sheldon Silver. This is not the year to go
against unions.
(It’s
why the battle over AB2100 in California with pro-AB2100 proponents
vs. the UFC & CSAC is so fascinating due to the internecine
nature of the Democratic Party battle.)
In
future years, maybe MMA legislation gets passed. Maybe. But what
if it doesn’t? There’s no reason to believe that if
Sheldon Silver continued killing off potential MMA legislation
that he would somehow get hurt politically for it. Why? Because
the approval numbers are in his favor.
Last
month, we nicely warned you about the importance of the latest
Siena Poll results about how much support there is for MMA legislation
amongst the general New York state populace. And, once again,
NY MMA legislation boosters continued burying their heads in
the sand by ignoring the polling data that Sheldon Silver is
looking at.
Outside
of a specific demographic with a profile of a male between the
ages of 18-to-34 with questionable employment status, there is
no other demographic that exists in New York that backs MMA legislation.
The numbers are especially staggering when you consider that
women consistently oppose MMA legislation on a 26/60 split. The
overall support level of 38% for both men & women has remained
consistent for several years now. In fact, the polling data suggests
that the more undecided voters hear about MMA legislation in
New York, they less they want it.
I
don’t care who you are, a consistent year-in, year-out 38%
approval rate for any piece of legislation spells doom and rightfully
so. However, when this inconvenient truth is mentioned to boosters,
look out. All of a sudden, the constituents that the backers
want to win over so bad suddenly become evil people who are ignorant,
stupid, and don’t deserve MMA shows.
“Fine,
screw off!”
This
attitude has permeated in the press throughout the yearly attempts
of MMA legislation in New York. MMA is a sport I truly love,
but I also recognize that it’s not for everyone and you
can’t force people to eat the proverbial dog food if they
don’t want to eat it. It doesn’t make them bad human
beings.
Instead
of looking at trying to win over constituency groups who are
not into passing MMA legislation, Zuffa has chosen the traditional
top-down, pro-lobbyist, politician-only approach to getting business
done in the State Capitol. It has been a costly mistake for the
organization, both in wasting their time and especially their
money. Instead of building up support the right way by funding
grassroots organizations & creating a real, on-the-ground
voter demand, Zuffa basically went for a traditional lobbying
model that only works when you have voters who support you in
the first place and are willing to be active in a big way in
contacting their local politicians.
It
also hasn’t helped that Zuffa has vastly overrated its charm
offensive strategy. Their quasi PR circuit tour in both New York
& California based around pushing Ronda Rousey resulted in
zero political success. It may have played well with local newspaper
writers who were happy to have someone to do an easy profile
article on but it meant nothing in actually moving the ball forward
in regards to MMA legislation or in terms of getting an Assembly
committee to vote against AB2100 amendments, despite the fact
that said committee members admitted they hadn’t even read
the new amendments before voting yea or nay.
There
is time for UFC to alter its political strategy and start making
some grassroots in-roads that can match their traditional lobbying
efforts. The question is not whether they have the resources
to pull it off but rather if they have the will & desire
to do so. Right now, Sheldon Silver has the will & desire
to keep MMA legislation from passing in New York because his
constituents don’t have the will nor the desire to see such
legislation get implemented in the first place.
Don’t
put the cart before the horse.
Speaking
of putting the cart before the horse, here’s Dana White
proclaiming to The Wall Street Journal that the UFC is bigger
than the NFL globally and ‘neck-and-neck with soccer.’
There’s
a fine line between grandiosity and delusion, a line which can
be easily crossed.
Source:
Fight Opinion
|
Barao
gets excited about the possibility of fighting Faber
By Carlos
Antunes
After announced Dominick Cruz’s injury there’s a vacancy
open for a duel with Urijah Faber on July 7th, in Las Vegas,
at UFC 148. In that scenario, Renan Barao’s name came up
as a possibility to replace the American champion.
The Brazilian was already slated for this fighting card, where
would confront Ivan Menjivar. On an exclusive talk to TATAME,
the bantamweight commented about the possibility of fighting
Faber.
“It would be great. Actually, I fight any guy UFC tells
me to. I’m prepared and I can fight anyone”, said Barao.
Renan was more excited when heard UFC president Dana White confirmed
that Faber is fighting for the interim title of the division.
When questioned about his preparation, in case he really has
his opponent replaced, Barao guaranteed it won’t be a problem
and doesn’t trust the rumors, keeping his eye on Menjivar.
“I started my preparation and I’ll fight anyone they
tell me to. I’ll be prepared to go there and do a good jog
and a good fight. My focus in on Menjivar. It’s all speculations,
bets. I’m slated to fight Menjivar”.
Renan Barao, who’s coming from an impressive sequence of
29 wins, three of which in the UFC, revealed the organization
hasn’t talked to him about any changes.
“It’s a fans thing. They want it to happen. People
on Facebook and Twitter want me to be in this fight and Faber
himself pointed me out. The champion got injured and Faber is
fighting. I’d be really glad to confront him. That’s
all. They haven’t say anything to me”.
COMPLETE CARD (it can be changed):
UFC 148
Las Vegas, United Stated
Saturday, July 7th of 2012
- Anderson Silva VS. Chael Sonnen;
- Urijah Faber VS. adversário a ser definido;
- Rich Franklin VS. Cung Le;
- Dong Hyun Kim VS. Demian Maia;
- Khabib Nurmagomedov VS. Gleison Tibau;
- Melvim Guillard VS. Fabricio Camoes;
- Constantinos Philippou VS. Riki Fukuda;
- Renan Barao VS. Ivan Menjivar.
Source:
Tatame
|
LIGHTWEIGHT
RANKINGS: WHERE DOES GILBERT MELENDEZ REALLY RATE?
By Dave
Doyle
It
will be hard to tell where Gilbert Melendez truly ranks as long
as he's in Strikeforce.
When
Nate Diaz was interviewed in the Octagon following his tour-de-force
win over Jim Miller at last weekend's UFC on FOX 3 card in New
Jersey, he left no doubt who he considered the number-one lightweight
in the world: Strikeforce champion Gilbert Melendez.
You'd expect him to say this, of course, since the two are training
partners. But figuring out where Melendez should rank, exactly,
isn't so cut and dried.
With
six straight wins, the 20-2 Melendez has the second-longest current
win streak of any top-10 lightweight, trailing only unbeaten
Bellator champ Michael Chandler (10). During that run, "El
Nino" avenged his only two career losses, to Josh Thomson
and Mitsuhiro Ishida.
But can Strikeforce provide the quality of competition necessary
to make a case for Melendez as No. 1?
Strikeforce
has put together Melendez and Thomson in San Jose on May 19 in
what might be the least-anticipated trilogy fight of recent times.
If
Melendez wins that matchup, as most expect, then what? Strikeforce's
155-pound division is running pretty thin these days.
As
is its stable of bankable headline talent, with Nick Diaz, Jake
Shields and Dan Henderson all back in the UFC; Cristiane "Cyborg"
Santos suspended due to steroids, and the seemingly interminable
heavyweight tournament finally winding down next week.
Showtime isn't about to let go of one of the few remaining television
draws it has at its disposal, which means Melendez might fritter
away his prime against less-than-elite competition.
Diaz
could very well be correct in calling Melendez the best in the
world. But as long as Melendez is in Strikeforce, we'll never
find out.
(Note:
The fighter's rankings the last time we ranked the lightweights
are in parentheses.)
1. Benson Henderson (4) If you want to find something to nitpick
about the champion, he hasn't finished an opponent since submitting
Donald Cerrone back in 2010. Beyond that, there's not much to
criticize about the current king of the hill.
2. Gilbert Melendez (2) It's probably not fair that Melendez
is being judged for a situation that's out of his control. But
at the same time, the situation puts more pressure on the champ
to look impressive in each outing, beginning with his bout against
Thomson.
3.
Frankie Edgar (1) When undersized fighters who take a lot of
damage hit their career turning point, it happens in the blink
of an eye. I'm not saying Edgar is there yet, but he's taken
beatings in his past several fights and he's only won one of
his past three.
4. Nate Diaz (10) The hottest fighter at 155 pounds not wearing
major-promotion gold at the moment. Will a long wait for the
winner of the Henderson-Edgar rematch serve to cool him off.
5.
Gray Maynard (3) Yes, I'm aware Maynard beat Diaz on a split
decision two-and-a-half years ago and that I'm ranking Diaz ahead
of Maynard anyway. But Maynard hasn't won a fight in 21 months,
while Diaz has blazed his way through the weight class. The good
news for "The Bully" is that he can rectify this next
month when he meets the next fighter on the list.
6, Clay Guida (5) The only loss on his record in this decade
was his Fight of the Year-candidate decision against Ben Henderson
in November. But he's hardly the only one to lose to Bendo, and
a win over Maynard would put him right back into the Top 5.
7. Anthony Pettis (6) Still nothing on the docket for "Showtime,"
who has won seven of his past eight fights. Highly unlikely it
will be a UFC title shot, though.
8. Jim Miller (7) Miller had a strong run in winning seven consecutive
UFC fights form 2009-11. But he's also 0-4 against guys ranked
ahead of him on this list. He will need a strong win in his next
outing to stay ranked.
9.
Michael Chandler (NR) The unbeaten Bellator champ KOd Japanese
legend Akihiro Gono directly into retirement.
10. Eddie Alvarez (NR) The Philly phenom rebounded from his Bellator
title loss to Chandler with a convincing TKO of Shinya Aoki,
avenging a previous loss.
Source:
MMA Fighting
|
NASCAR’s
Kevin Harvick to Corner Donald ‘Cowboy’ Cerrone at
UFC on Fuel 3
by Damon
Martin
The
world of MMA and NASCAR have run into each other on a few occasions
in the past.
Just
recently UFC welterweight Johny Hendricks got to spend a day
at the track with some of NASCAR’s best, and even took a
few laps around the course in a car.
But
now one of NASCAR’s stars will be making the move into MMA…sort
of.
Kevin
Harvick, who races on the NASCAR circuit in his No. 29 Chevrolet,
will actually be in the corner of Donald ‘Cowboy’ Cerrone
next week when he fights at UFC on Fuel 3 in Virginia.
Cerrone’s
management team at VFD Sports secured a long-term deal with Harvick,
whose Twitter and Facebook handles will also be featured on the
fighter’s banner during his fight with Jeremy Stephens on
May 15.
“I’m
pumped to have Kevin as my sponsor and part of my fight team,”
Cerrone said. “We are big fans of each other. I love going
to his races and am honored that he will be helping me in my
fight.”
Harvick
will escort Cerrone to the cage during his fight next Tuesday
as well as assist as an official corner man for the New Mexico
based lightweight.
Cerrone
and Harvick will also support one another in other ventures and
the UFC lightweight will attend races with the driver in the
future as well.
Cerrone
faces Jeremy Stephens in the co-main event of the upcoming UFC
on Fuel TV 3 show next Tuesday from Fairfax, VA.
Source:
MMA Weekly
|
California’s
heavyweight politicians & neutering of AB2100
By Zach
Arnold
We
have extensively covered the back-and-forth action that has resulted
from amendments initially proposed by California Assemblyman
Luis Alejo. The changes he proposed would give the California
State Athletic Commission sweeping authority to review all MMA
fighter contracts for fighters based in California. This push
by Assemblyman Alejo was backed by numerous labor unions in the
State.
When
the UFC came to Sacramento on April 25th to talk to an Assembly
committee about the bill, their presentation was shockingly tepid
sans the sound bytes lobbyist Tim Lynch produced. Despite members
of the Assembly panel admitting that they had not read the latest
amendments that Assemblyman Alejo had prepared, the committee
voted 5-3 to move the bill to the Appropriations committee.
Yesterday
(Thursday), the Assemblyman continued amending the proposed provisions
to AB2100 regarding MMA fighter contracts & CSAC oversight.
According
to multiple sources overnight, both pro-AB2100 and anti-AB2100,
the originally proposed amendments to AB2100 have been “gutted.”
One source indicated to us last week that the California State
Athletic Commission, which I previously stated wanted no part
of what was being proposed with AB2100, would find a way to…
alert… politicians over the cost of the bill implementation.
For
all intents and purposes, what was proposed last week in regards
to dramatic changes to AB2100 is essentially crippled.
California
politics
There
is a lot going on behind the scenes in regards to the various
entanglement of political connections that are influencing the
events that are currently ongoing with the California State Athletic
Commission.
Governor
Jerry Brown, the Democratic Governor of California, has been
around politics forever. He essentially is the man in charge
and can sway how events happen in both the state Senate and the
Assembly. Outside of states like Vermont, New York, and Illinois,
no state is more pro-Democrat than California. The consolidation
of political power is substantial when you combine the political
machine with support from unionized labor.
One
of Governor Brown’s staunchest allies has been John Frierson,
who is currently chairman of the California State Athletic Commission.
To demonstrate the connections Mr. Frierson has with the Democratic
Party on a state level, take a look at his old bio posted on
the CSAC web site:
Chairman
John Frierson has been a member of the Athletic Commission since
2001. A 26 year veteran of the Los Angeles Police and Sheriff’s
Departments, he served as Senior Traffic Supervisor for the Police
Department for 17 years. He’s been a member of the Los Angeles
Transportation Commission since 2001, and is currently its Vice
President. Chairman Frierson is an Executive Board Member of
the California Democratic Party and was a delegate to the Democratic
National Convention from 1976 through 2000. He’s also the
recipient of numerous Community Services Awards from both the
City of Los Angeles and the California State Assembly.
To
our knowledge, the Chairman is no longer with the LATC. However,
it should be fully noted that in order to be appointed for the
LATC, the mayor’s office in Los Angeles has to offer the
appointment and then get the approval of the local city council.
So, in other words, Mr. Frierson has plenty of clout.
This
article has some insight on the Governor Brown/Chairman Frierson
relationship:
“John
Frierson, another church member and long time South Los Angeles
community and political activist, shook his head. “I’ve
known Brown for 40 years. He’s not the kind of guy who would
like a red carpet.”
Chairman
Frierson is currently a memeber of the California Democratic
Party standing committee and has backed numerous Southern California
politicians, including Congressman Brad Sherman of Los Angeles.
Congressman Sherman recently gained media attention for his adept
skills at financial investment.
The
reason we are focusing on Chairman Frierson and his political
clout here is because he’s got power. He has the ear of
Governor Brown. It’s hard to imagine that the Chairman would
do anything without the approval of the Governor because he would
not want to embarrass him or bring negative political attention.
Politically-speaking, there is a symbiotic relationship here.
The
politics of MMA in California
Chairman
Frierson raised some eyebrows when he was the only one on the
CSAC to vote in favor of re-licensing boxer Antonio Margarito
after Margarito got caught in a hand wrap scandal. Margarito’s
attorney made sure to highlight Chairman Frierson’s vote
in public comment:
“We
are very disappointed in the ruling,” Petrocelli told ESPN.com.
“We thought the evidence was indisputable and that the license
should have been granted. Almost to a person, the commission
expressed the view that Tony was honest and sincere and the chairman
[John Frierson] voted to grant the license, and [Frierson] is
only one of two commissioners who were on the commission for
the revocation hearing.”
When
Cris Cyborg asked the CSAC to reduce her steroid suspension,
MMA Weekly categorized Chairman Frierson’s behavior in this
manner:
“While
Chairman John Frierson seemed like he was leaning towards granting
Santos the reduction in her sentence, Dr. VanBuren Ross Lemons
was having none of it.”
The
Chairman voted in favor of licensing Josh Barnett to fight Daniel
Cormier in a couple of weeks at HP Pavilion in San Jose.
“We
need fights here in California,” said John Frierson, commission
chairman. “We need good fighters and we need good people.”
“We
need fights here in California.”
Does
that sound like a man who is going to go along and politically
support AB2100 as it was constituted last week? The UFC has stated
that they won’t run shows in California if AB2100 passed
with provisions mandating the CSAC review fighter contracts for
items such as a champion’s clause regarding titleholders.
The
Chairman said he wants fights. Governor Brown is in charge of
a state that desperately needs revenue & good publicity.
There
are other examples of the Chairman flexing his muscle. For starters,
the CSAC recently voted in favor of Therapeutic Use Exemptions
which would include TUEs for testosterone. I wrote a letter in
opposition to TUEs for testosterone and, summarily, the commission
voted in favor of setting up TUE guidelines. The DCA oversees
the CSAC. In my opinion, it’s hard to imagine how the symbiotic
political relationship between the Governor and the Chairman
would not come into play in regards to how the DCA acts in the
political decisions they make regarding the CSAC. In other words,
I can’t see the DCA waging a political war against Governor
Brown.
Chairman
Frierson has also demonstrated his political power in a big way
in regards to how amateur MMA is regulated in California. He
supported the creation of Jeremy Lappen’s CAMO (California
Mixed Martial Arts Organization) non-profit 501(c)(3) outfit
(financial info here), which essentially has overtaken the regulation
of Amateur MMA in the state — for better or for worse. Given
the reaction from fighters like Nam Phan, many would argue for
the worse. Phan recently stated his desire to petition for major
changes to the way CAMO regulates amateur MMA.
If
you’re looking for a negative read about CAMO from the ISCF
(International Sport Combat Federation), there’s the link.
The ISCF discusses Chairman Frierson’s attitude about CAMO.
A
tax return for CAMO regarding their 2011 business will be filed
& on record by next month. In 2009, Jeremy Lappen & JT
Steele (formerly of Pro Elite) took in $5,000 salaries for 40-hour
work weeks. Lappen gave CAMO a personal loan of $25,000 to start
up and claimed he still was owed $10,000. Rent for the CAMO office
was $20,632. In their 2010 filing, Lappen reported giving himself
a salary of $75,000 and JT Steele a salary of $35,000 with rent
costs of $32,488 and insurance costs around $42,000.
What
makes Chairman Frierson’s backing of Jeremy Lappen’s
CAMO operation intriguing is that Lappen has been an agent of
fighters under the Triumph Entertainment banner. He’s been
in multiple roles before as a power player in MMA. Why Chairman
Frierson chose to back Lappen for regulatory duties and shift
amateur MMA responsibilities away from the CSAC is a story that
continues to develop. The bottom line is that the Chairman made
the decision and has continued to stick with Lappen despite a
chorus of public disapproval in various MMA circles.
Bottom
line
Chairman
Frierson has a rather interesting track record for discussion
with recent CSAC votes, but no one can deny his close political
relationship with the California Governor. Governor Brown is
the top Democrat in California and Frierson remains a figure
in the California Democratic Party. The CSAC voted to pass regulation
to implement Therapeutic Use Exemptions, which means we could
see more fighters who were afraid to fight in California come
to the state and ask for a hall pass under the guise of hypogonadism.
The Chairman is a backer of Jeremy Lappen. He voted for Antonio
Margarito to get re-licensed in California. He considered giving
Cris Cyborg a reduced suspension. He voted in favor of Josh Barnett
getting a conditional license because he wants more fights in
the state of California.
Public
& private sector unions back the Democrat Party in a huge
way in California. When Assemblyman Alejo proposed amendments
for AB2100, his efforts were backed by union & labor political
power. These efforts concerned the UFC enough to send the likes
of Chuck Liddell, Matt Hughes, Ronda Rousey, Tim Lynch, Marc
Ratner, and Larry Epstein to Sacramento. In this regard, the
union forces that are anti-UFC raised the stakes a little bit.
However,
Governor Brown & Chairman Frierson are two incredibly powerful
Democrats in California and they want business. It’s hard
to imagine that organized labor would want to get into a political
showdown with the Governor over legislation like AB2100. As soon
as AB2100 moved out of one committee and into Appropriations,
changes to gut the proposed amendments last week were made. Assemblyman
Alejo has spent the last week doing the media rounds on various
platforms (Eddie Goldman’s radio show, Josh Gross’s
ESPN Radio show, Inside MMA with Kenny Rice) to make various
proclamations. Yesterday’s amendment changes to AB2100 are
an about-face from those previous proclamations.
Source:
Fight Opinion
|
Vendetta 4
Friday May 18
Waipahu Filcom Center
Doors Open at 6:00
Laita Tyrell is back on VENDETTA getting ready to battle Matt
Tuilesu in the
main event. Two of these big boys favor the stand up and only
went to the
ground until their previous opponents took them down because
their stand up
is major. Laita is well known for leaving his opponent bloody
or snoring.
But don't count Matt out because this big boy is really aggressive.
Especially when he gets hit. Its gonna be madness at the filcom
on may 18.
Big arms + small gloves + bad intentions = severe consequences
Another
fight to lookout for is newcomer Donald Peters vs newcomer Arnold
Azimov. These lightweights are sure to impress the crowd with
their
lightning quick striking and sneaky takedowns. Donald is comfortable
on his
feet but Vendetta fans will see how Donald feels when he's on
the ground for
Arnold coming out of VanHess mma should feel more in control
on the ground.
Where this fight will end up? Only one way to find out. May 18
at the
Filcom. Be there.
Another
exciting fight will be Chivas Antoque against Marley Tau. Both
of
these guys like to bang with the speed going to Chevez and the
power going
to Marley. They will be fighting for the 185# triple threat amateur
title.
It's up in the air on who will walk out with the bling. Both
same height,
both same goals but both with different strategies. Let the games
begin
baby.
MARLEY
TAU 185 CHIVAS ANTOQUE
DONALD
PETERS 140 ARNOLD AZUMOR
HEAVEN
SOOGA 140 GREG
DALLAS
CABE 145 DAVE ULIBIS
LAITA
TYRELL SHW MATT TUILESU
KEANU
REYNOLDS 135 NALU ONTIVEROS
TANNER
210 ALA MIYASHIRO
DARRYL
DANO 145 CODY FABINAL
KEONI
ANDERSON 170 MARLON CALVENTAS
LAWRENCE
HINOHOSA 170 TONY IRVINE
JESSICA
FAAMAI 150 SABRINA NISHIHARA
LEHUA
AGUNO 145 ALICE TOMOI
KENNY
ANGLEMEYER 205 ELIJAH
BRONSON
YASUE 125 CAMERON TANIKIYOKANE
JOSIAH
135 BRADA KAOWILI
BEN
BOYCE 220 GINO DOANE
ALBERT
CAMBRA 190 SPENCER QUELL
MICHAEL
ULIBIS 145 RYAN LEONG
NICK
CORREA 170 SHAISON LAUPOLA
ALL
MATCHES AND PARTICIPANTS MAY BE SUBJECT TO CHANGE
Source: Derrick Bright
|
Jon
Jones vs. Dan Henderson Set for UFC 151
by Damon
Martin
UFC
151 now has a date, location and a main event and it’s a
big one.
UFC
light heavyweight champion Jon “Bones” Jones will next
defend his title against top contender Dan Henderson on Sept.
1 in Las Vegas as the main event for UFC 151.
UFC
president Dana White confirmed the news via Twitter on Wednesday.
The
fight between Jones and Henderson was booked literally after
the UFC’s top 205-pounder defeated Rashad Evans at UFC 145
in April.
Jones
won a unanimous decision over Evans, and it was announced later
that same night that Dan Henderson would be the next challenger
to his belt.
Henderson
comes into the fight on quite a tear over his last several fights.
Outside of a drop to 185 pounds and a loss to Jake Shields in
his Strikeforce debut, Henderson has looked quite unstoppable
since then.
Henderson
moved back up to 205 pounds, where he knocked out former champions
Rafael “Feijao” Cavalcante and Renato “Babalu”
Sobral, before taking a super fight at heavyweight where he finished
former Pride king Fedor Emelianenko.
After
moving back over to the UFC, Henderson then put on a “Fight
of the Year” performance against former champion Mauricio
“Shogun” Rua to earn a shot at the light heavyweight
title. Now he’ll get his chance at UFC 151 in September.
The
Labor Day weekend show will land in Las Vegas on Sept. 1 with
Jones vs. Henderson as the headliner. More fights and details
about the card will be released in the coming days.
Source:
MMA Weekly
|
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
|
URIJAH
FABER WILL FIGHT FOR INTERIM TITLE AT UFC 148; DOMINICK CRUZ
TO REMAIN AS COACH ON TUF: LIVE
By Ariel
Helwani - Video Reporter and Writer
Urijah
Faber will still fight for a title at UFC 148 after all.
UFC
president Dana White said on Tuesday's episode of UFC Tonight
on Fuel TV that Faber will meet a yet-to-be determined opponent
at UFC 148 for the interim bantamweight title after champion
Dominick Cruz tore his ACL earlier this week.
"I'm
looking for the right opponent," White said. "The guy
who deserves this shot at Urijah Faber."
White
didn't know exactly how long Cruz would be out for, but he said
he didn't expect him to return for at least nine months. According
to White, Cruz will remain as a coach on TUF: Live despite the
injury.
UFC
148, headlined by Anderson Silva vs. Chael Sonnen 2, airs live
on pay-per-view on July 7.
Source:
MMA Fighting
|
Josh
Barnett Believes He’s the Best Heavyweight in the World,
Ready to Prove It
by Damon
Martin
When
the Strikeforce Heavyweight Grand Prix started many people believed
it was a collection of eight of the greatest big men ever assembled
into one tournament.
With
names like Alistair Overeem, Fedor Emelianenko, Fabricio Werdum,
and Josh Barnett all sitting in the brackets, it had the potential
to be one of the best tournaments of all time.
That
was until a few upsets happened, including former pound-for-pound
king Fedor Emelianenko losing to Antonio “Bigfoot”
Silva, then Alistair Overeem was removed from the tournament
altogether, and who could have accounted for Strikeforce actually
being purchased by Zuffa and all of the company’s heavyweights
shifting over to the UFC?
That
leaves Josh Barnett and finals opponent Daniel Cormier as the
only heavyweights under the Strikeforce banner, and they will
end the tournament on May 19 with the Grand Prix title up for
grabs.
If
there is more of a down side to this story, however, it’s
the fact that while Barnett and Cormier are both cemented in
the top ten of the heavyweight division, fighters they’ve
defeated or fighters that didn’t even make it into the tournament
are now flourishing in the UFC.
Lavar
Johnson has gone 2-0 and just got the opportunity to fight on
Fox. He wasn’t even included in the original Grand Prix
line-up. Bigfoot Silva will face former UFC heavyweight champion
Cain Velasquez in the co-main event of UFC 146, while undefeated
prospect Shane Del Rosario gets a main card slot on the same
show.
Somehow
lost in the shuffle are Barnett and Cormier, who by tournament
standards were the top two heavyweights left in Strikeforce,
and now the question they are asked most often is when will they
end up in the UFC?
“It’s
really unimportant. I think all the speculation is good for the
people that enjoy the sport and they want to watch, and they
want to be a part of that guessing game ‘what’s next,”‘
Barnett said about the UFC questions when speaking to MMAWeekly
Radio.
“You
read a comic book and you’re always waiting for the next
issue, but you’re always thinking about what happens if
some of the X-Men end up fighting The Avengers, or if Iron Man
left the team. That part is unavoidable.”
Has
some of the luster of this great heavyweight fight been tarnished
because of the perpetual UFC question looming around both Barnett
and Cormier?
Well,
for Barnett, he admits that the UFC question coming up constantly
does get under his skin a little bit, but at the same time even
he wants to know the answer.
Barnett
is a former UFC heavyweight champion, and would love the chance
to go over and face names like Junior dos Santos or Frank Mir.
“For
me, it’s actually starting to become annoying, but I understand
the reason to ask it because who wouldn’t want to fight
in the UFC?” Barnett questioned.
“I’d
love to go over there and beat everybody up and sit on top of
that pile too. I believe I’m the best heavyweight out there
in the world, so what better way to prove it than to punch everybody
else in the face first.”
The
first priority, however, before anymore UFC talk can happen,
is Barnett needs to go out and put away former Olympian and undefeated
heavyweight Daniel Cormier.
If
that happens, Barnett could surely ride a big wave of momentum
forward if he is headed to the UFC at some point in 2012.
Source:
MMA Weekly
|
‘He’s
putting his hands on him’, warns Hendo’s coach
By Guilherme
Cruz
Jon Jones’s next appointment if on the 151st edition of
UFC, which probably will happen on September 1st, against North
American Dan Henderson.
Since 2011, his schedule is tight. From February to December
of that year, the North American defeated Ryan Bader, Mauricio
“Shogun” Rua, Rampage Jackson and Lyoto Machida, all
via submission of knockout. On April, 2012, Bones Jones beat
Rashad Evans by points.
The forty’s rhythm is not bad either. After leaving the
UFC, Henderson has fought in three different weight classes (middleweight,
light heavyweight and heavyweight), knocking out “Babalu”
Sobral, Rafael Feijao and Fedor Emelianenko.
Hendo’s return to Ultimate happened on a historical fight,
on which he got the win by points on an epic bout against “Shogun”
Rua, last December. The triumph lead him to a chance at the title
against the winner between Jon Jones VS.Rashad Evans.
Boxing coach of the former Pride champ, the Brazilian Gustavo
Pugliesi is confident about the veteran’s performance on
another title fight in the UFC.
“I don’t hope for anything less than a knockout, but
it’s not easy on Hendo. He’s putting his hands on him,
buddy”, guarantees the coach on an interview with TATAME.
One factor that might be a big deal for Dan is the champ’s
big reach, but his team is already getting him prepared for facing
difficulties like this one.
“If he didn’t have this advantage things would be much
simpler, even because he has many flaws on his defensive system.
But there’s no unbeatable reach you can’t win with
patience and calm”, said the coach, explaining what Henderson
will try to do.
“We’re having him doing sparrings with guys the same
size as Jones so that Dan get used to it. It’s important
not to rush things and want to punch him right away. We have
to cut well the octagon, putting pressure but not rushing into
things. We have to try to make the octagon small, leaving no
space out for Jones to escape Henderson. We have to use a lot
of flow, combine kicks, move the head and work on the reach”.
In Pugliesi’s eyes, the best game plan for Jones is escape
from striking and try to work on the ground and pound or try
a submission on the ground using his Jiu-Jitsu skills.
“I guess he’s going to surprise and will want to take
him down right away but Dan is aware of it and has been working
to avoid Jon’s advantage on that aspect too”.
This is Henderson’s third chance at the UFC title, and the
fight happens exactly a week after he turns 42. When questioned
about the age gap, the Boxing coach doesn’t leave many questions
unanswered.
Source:
Tatame
|
FORMER
UFC FIGHTER CHRIS LYTLE LOSES INDIANA STATE SENATE PRIMARY
By Mike
Chiappetta - Senior Writer
Popular
former UFC star Chris Lytle lost in his bid for the Republican
nomination for state senator in his hometown Indiana district.
The former welterweight announced his intention to enter the
race around the time of his final fight last August. In the 28th
district primary, he had a respectable showing, but finished
second in a three-man race.
According
to official Indiana results, the winner, Mike Crider, finished
with 7,200 votes, Lytle received 5,271 votes, while John Merlau
had the support of 5,069.
Lytle
was born and raised in Indiana, and currently lives in New Palestine.
He also serves as a full-time firefighter in Indianapolis.
In
the UFC, Lytle gained a reputation as one of the sport's fiercest
competitors, retiring with a 31-18-5 record last year after submitting
Dan Hardy in his last match, which happened to be a main event.
In his typical understated fashion, Lytle held off announcing
his retirement until as late as possible, handing an envelope
to UFC president Dana White during the event's weigh-ins that
confirmed the next night's fight would be his last.
For his efforts in the octagon, Lytle won 10 nightly bonus awards,
still the most of all time. He was 10-9 in his 19 career UFC
fights, but retired after winning five of his final six.
Source:
MMA Fighting
|
Bellator
Signs Olympic Alternate Shannon Slack
Bellator
Fighting Championships on Wednesday announced the addition of
former U.S. Olympic wrestling alternate and featherweight fighter
Shannon Slack.
“The
Bellator featherweight division is tough as hell, and it was
a huge reason why I decided to join Bellator,” Slack said.
“The tournament format is something that really stood out
to me as well. There aren’t any politics involved, and like
any fighter, I want my title shot. Any fighter can say they want
to take things one fight at a time, but if you aren’t in
this to become a champion, then you’re in the wrong sport.”
Armed
with a wrestling base that earned him a spot as a U.S. Olympic
alternate in 2008, Slack has trained with some of the biggest
names in the sport and is currently a member of the world renowned
Blackhouse fight team. Slack already boasts a spotless record
of 3-0, but knows the sky is the limit with Bellator.
“I’ve
been around for a while, and now I feel like I’m on a stage
where I can showcase my skillset, and everything I bring to the
table,” Slack said. “After talking to everyone with
Bellator, the organization really seemed like the best fit for
me, and I can’t wait to get into the cage.”
Slack
won’t have to wait long, as the former Old Dominion standout
is currently slated to take on Booker Arthur at Bellator 69 on
May 18 from L’Auberge Casino Resort in Louisiana.
“When
you look at the roster, you’ve seen former wrestlers have
an incredible amount of success with Bellator,” said Bellator
Chairman & CEO Bjorn Rebney. “Michael Chandler, Ben
Askren, and Cole Konrad have all earned titles with a core wrestling
base, and Shanon brings that same pedigree into the organization.”
Source:
MMA Weekly
|
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
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Scrappler's
Fest is Set for May 19!
Kauai's premier BJJ and Submission Grappling tournament.
Scrappler's Fest
Island School, Lihue, Kauai
Saturday, May 19, 2012
Kids start at 10AM
Island School (behind Kauai Community College)
Weigh ins - Friday, May 18
Registration fees:
$45 Women and kids
$65 Men
Late registration (registration on Saturday)
$10 extra
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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Toughman
Hawaii Presents; King Of The Ring
Edith Kanakaole
Tennis Stadium, Hilo, Hawaii
May 26, 2012
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