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(All events on Oahu, unless noted)
11/9/03
Pride: Final Conflict
(MMA)
(Toyko, Japan)
9/27/03
Grappling tournament
(BJJ, Sub Grappling)
(Kauai)
9/26/03
UFC 44: Undisputed
(MMA)
(Las Vegas, NV)
9/13/03
NAGA - Hawaiian Grappling Championships
(Sub Grappling & BJJ)
(Farrington HS?)
8/10/03
Pride: Total Elimination
(MMA)
(Saitama Arena, Japan)
8/9/03
Rumble On The Rock 3
(MMA)
(Hilo, Hawaii)
7/27/03
Kaos Fighting Championships
Maui vs. Oahu
(MMA)
(Wailuku, Hawaii)
7/24-27/03
World BJJ Championship
(BJJ)
(Rio de Janeiro, Brazil)
7/12/03 - Postponed
Pacific Fighting Championships 2
(MMA)
In The Gym,
Monthly Smokers
Giraldi Muay Thai Gym
(Muay Thai, Halawa) |
|
Quote
of the Day
"He who controls others may be powerful but he who has mastered
himself is mightier still."
Lao Tsu, BC 600-?, Chinese Philosopher, Founder of Taois |
Absolute
Fighting Championship 4
Returns To Florida!!!
Saturday, July 19th, 2003 - War Memorial, Ft Lauderdale, FL.
Japanese
star AKIRA SHOJI fights in AFC debut under pressure!
When
Japan's Akira Shoji travels to Florida to face undefeated Dustin
Denes, he carries some pressure with him. Shoji has been living
in Seattle for the last month, training at Matt Hume's AMC Pankration
gym in preparation for the match. Hume states 'he works hard,
and he has dropped down almost 20 pounds already. He will make
the 195 weight in shape. He has been here a while, adjusting.'
Indeed, DSE is rumored to be paying for Shoji's training at AMC,
a sign that they are giving importance to this bout. Having fought
in PRIDE against the best fighters in the world, his list of
opponents includes Igor Vovchanchin, Mark Coleman, Semmy Schilt,
Renzo Gracie among others, and his hard working, emotional style
has made for crowd pleasing matches. However, he is a known fighter
in Japan and he is looking to win in the USA as a start to a
rejuvenated career - if he loses, he may run the risk of falling
off the PRIDE/DSE rotation.
ATT's
Dustin Denes has been fighting at 185 for over a year now, and
he has risen to be ranked #1 by SHOOTO, another Japanese organization.
The challenge of Shoji was enough for Denes to accept the match
at 195 lbs, as Denes looks to add his biggest Japanese name to
a resume that has seen him go 2-0-1 in bouts against fighters
from the land of the Rising Sun.
In
the other main event, Din Thomas fights Steve Berger in a highly
charged matchup of UFC veterans. 'Any time you put two competitors
like that in the ring, with both having a motivation like UFC
- well, that makes for an explosive match' states matchmaker
Miguel Iturrate.
SHAOLIN
bout off after multiple disasters!
'We
really worked very hard to have 'SHAOLIN' Ribeiro on the card,
but it was not meant to be.' states the matchmaker. The first
matchup was against stand out Joachim Hansen but the bout failed
to happen when Hansen was called upon by SHOOTO. Kultar Gil of
Gibson Pankration was the replacement in a match that had explosive
potential, but Gil was forced to pull out with a bad back. UFC
vet Rich Clementi agreed to take the match, but chose to keep
a prior commitment and fought last weekend. Despite a 35 second
win, Clementi broke his toe and was forced to pull out. In between,
several other good names turned the fight down as well. 'Time
just ran out, though I give credit to Ivan Menjivar and 'Crazy
Horse' Bennett for offering to fight on short notice.' finishes
the matchmaker.
COMPLETE
CARD - SUBJECT TO CHANGE:
3
ROUND MAIN EVENTS:
(155 lbs) - DIN THOMAS (American TOP TEAM, Ft Lauderdale, FL.)
vs. STEVE BERGER (Vaghi JJ, St Louis, MO.)
(195
lbs) - DUSTIN DENES (American TOP TEAM, Ft Lauderdale, FL.) vs.
AKIRA SHOJI (Tokyo, Japan)
(155
lbs) - JEFF MONSON (American TOP TEAM, Ft LAuderdale, FL) vs.
MIKE DELANEY (Freestyle Academy,Kenosha, WI.)
2
ROUND BOUTS:
(125 lbs) - SHELBY WALKER (Freelance, Indianapolis, IN.) vs.
BETH WESTOVER (PKO School of MMA, Boise, ID)
(155
lbs) - JORGE MASVIDAL (Freestyle Fighting Academy, Miami, FL.)
vs. BRIAN GERAGHTY (Freestyle Academy, Kenosha, WI.)
(205
lbs) - WILSON GOUVEIA (American Top Team, Ft Lauderdale, FL.)
vs. RON FAIRCLOTH (Freestyle Academy, Kenosha, WI.)
(185
lbs) - CHARLES MCCARTHY (Freestyle Fighting Academy, Miami, FL.)
vs. JAY MASSEY (ANIMAL HOUSE, Indianapolis, IN.)
(170
lbs) - JORGE SANTIAGO (American Top Team, Ft Lauderdale, FL.)
vs. JUSTIN WIEMAN (Freestyle Academy, Kenosha, WI.)
BOXING
BOUTS:
- SHANNON BRIGGS (ATT, Florida) v. JOHN SARGENT (25-2, 18 KOs)
- JORGE 'CABALLO' JIMINEZ v. TBD
- ANDY WATSON v. TBD |
Interview:
JEREMY JACKSON
Fighting
out of Team Freedom and trained by Robert Ferguson, Jeremy Jackson
has made a big impression on fans that have been able to see
him live this past year. Despite already having a reputation
as a strong striker Jackson's manager just hired Adam Flores
to hone his boxing skills even further. IFC Americas Welterweight
Champion Jackson fights in the next IFC on July 19th where he
rematches Nick Diaz, the U.S. Welterweight Champion and now word
around backstage is Jackson is already set to fight Dennis Hallman
in the UFC this fall.
To
most fans the King Of The Cage 'Bad Intentions' show is the easiest
to acquire. We started out talking about that fight, which Jackson
took literally the night before.
KM:
Did you learn anything from that fight? JJ: Yeah, I learned not
to take fights on such short notice.
KM:
That was only about a month or so before IFC last year. Were
you already training for the IFC? JJ: Actually yes I was training
for IFC to fight Eddy Ellis, which is Dennis Hallman's guy. Robert
(Ferguson) gave me a call and said 'hey, do you want to take
a fight?' and I said 'how much?'. He told me how much and said
it was for the title and I said 'sure, why not?'. That's when
Joe Stevenson really changed. His body structure changed, I don't
know what was going on. The old Joe Stevenson I know just a few
months before that fight was he was a little chubby guy with
good wrestling skills and when I saw him coming down the ramp
I saw a different Joe Stevenson. I saw a guy who had been up
at Big Bear training and he was ready to fight Romi Aram. This
guy was ready to go five rounds easy. I was ready to go maybe
a round. He knew not to stand so he shot in and took me down
and passed my guard.
KM:
How did that one end? JJ: My corner guy threw in the towel because
he didn't want to see me get hurt because I was training for
the fight (in IFC). He actually took the mount and started punching
me and dropping bombs and finally the towel got thrown in.
KM:
Before I move on is there anything else you want the fans to
know about how your game has changed besides you take training
more seriously? JJ: I want them to know that night was not Jeremy
Jackson. That was just a guy straight off the streets. I was
training real hard but I wasn't ready for a fight, I wasn't 100%.
I was dead tired. I was a blue belt then, now I'm a purple belt.
My technique is good. People don't think my technique isn't that
good because they saw what happened with Joe Stevenson but I
want my fans to know I have really good ground skills. I'd put
them up there with the best guys out there at 170 and I have
a strong wrestling background. I just never use it because I
want to entertain the people with knockouts.
KM:
I think you showed some of that ground skill with Eddy Ellis
fight in IFC. My perception was you got rocked with a punch and
I think knocked down but then you recovered pretty quickly and
went to an armbar. I recall him slamming out of that and returning
to the feet and then you got that strong kick to the head and
when he went down you pounced. How do you feel that went? JJ:
Whenever I had an armbar I wanted it and I could have finished
it but that ain't what I wanted and my trainers knew that also.
A lot of people see that fight and see how deep I had it and
everyone is wondering why didn't I just come out the back door
and finish it. I wanted to knock him out. I had the armbar and
he was trying to stack me so I just opened up my leg and was
trying to act like I was going for a triangle choke to make him
posture up so he could get out of it so I could push him away
and stand. Most time I'm using my jiu-jitsu skills just to make
them think I'm going for a submission so they'll want to get
their hips up in the air so I can get away. I've had so many
armbars even in my underground fights and I'm winking at the
crowd but I always end up pushing away and getting up and knocking
them out, even with open-hand palm.
KM:
Even in the UA King Of The Mountain in the first round of the
tournament again you were going for an armbar on the bottom.
As far as people not respecting your jiu-jitsu skills those two
in a row prove that wrong, that you do have that comfort, you
just choose not to be there. How do you look back on that King
Of The Mountain tournament? JJ: The first fight I could have
finished Zach Light off in probably thirty seconds also but it
was freezing cold and whenever we were getting warmed up we were
getting warmed up outside. We never got a chance to get warmed
up until my second fight. I had to warm up with my first fight.
KM:
You weren't as typically aggressive as I'm used to seeing you.
Would it be accurate to say it was because you were warming up?
JJ: That's fine. I didn't want to come out throwing too many
punches because I wasn't warmed up and I was real slow. If you
watch the DVD I'm real slow the first round. I was actually out-boxed
by him because he I those heavy gloves. I had IFC gloves and
IFC gloves are huge while they had their little Chuck Norris
KOTC Ouano gloves.
KM:
I didn't notice that. JJ: Watch the second fight. I went up to
the promoter and said 'look, I'm not fighting with these gloves.
They are too heavy and I'm getting out-boxed by wrestlers.' He
said 'okay' so he gave me another guy's gloves and the second
or third fight I had a different pair of gloves.
KM:
Did that being in a ring instead of a cage mean anything to you?JJ:
JJ: Yeah, I like the ring better. The fans can see better.
In
part 2 Jackson starts with his first fight with Nick Diaz, covers
the Shonie fight, the upcoming IFC, and rumors of his entrance
into the UFC.
IFC
holds Warriors Challenge XVIII 'Big Valley Brawl' July 19th at
Konocti Vista Casino near Clear Lake, CA. Tickets are still available
through http://www.highsierratickets.com.
Source: ADCC |
AFC
and UFCF Results!!!
Saturday, July 12th, Lucky Eagle Casino, Rochester, WA.
Matt
Hume's UFCF and Florida's Absolute Fighting Championship combined
for their 2nd corroboration in Washington State. A full house
was treated to an exciting night of kickboxing and MMA.
In
the main event, AMC/s Charlie Pearson mounted a game attempt
at wresting the ABSOLUTE FIGHTING CHAMPIONSHIPS World Title at
155 lbs from current title holder Edson Dinisz. American TOP
TEAM's Diniz, a ground wizard, was defending the title for the
first time - though he made it look easy at times, this match
was packed with pressure for Diniz. Pearson, a local fighter
with a good ollowing, was coming off a string of wins at the
Lucky Eagle, and hew was focused on this match as a retirement
match - this would be the veteran Pearson's last bout, win or
lose as he announced his retirement before the bout. Diniz got
the early takedown, and worked past Pearson's guard, staying
active and getting to the north -south position. Pearson almost
changed the course of the fight, as he hit Diniz with a mind
numbing knee to the head. Diniz stayed in control, gave up top
position as he recovered, and got a sweep to get back in control.
From their, he worked to the mount, and he finished with the
arm triangle for the succesful title defense four minutes into
round 1. Pearson, all class afterwards, gave up his NW title
at 155 lbs to Diniz as well.
In
the night's other MMA bout, Arizona standout Drew Fickett squared
off against local up and comer Langdon Showalter. Fickett came
in and played the match methodical, getting the takedowns and
initiating a ground and pound game that had him up on the cards
for round 1. After his 3rd takedown, Showalter improved his position
and sunk a triangle that was deep,. He controlled Fickett, who
struggled but had to tap. Be on the lookout for both men.
In
a feature Muay Thai bout, Roman Roytberg of Maurice Smith's school
returned to the ring for the first time in a year and a half,
taking on UFC & AFC vet Cain Spaulding. Spaulding made the
match a brawl, with Roytberg shaking off ring rust. Roytberg
resorted to using a brutal succession of brutal low kicks that
took out Spaulding in round 4. Afterwards Royberg commented 'I
wanted to do more, but after being off for so long, I wanted
to win the match. I didn't want to just low kick, but he was
a tough guy'. Look for Roytberg to pick up the pace and become
more active.
In
other kickboxing, Tristin Wit and Ben Greer fought a tough rematch
- the attrition that happens in Muay Thai caught up to Greer.
MMA
fighter Paul Gardner won his kickboxing debut, and young Bryce
Hamilton also went home with a win in kickboxing.
In
attendance were Josh Barnett, with ih lovely girlfriend Shannon
Hooper, Akira Shoji, Ivan Salaverry, Aaron Riley, Maurice Smith
and many other MMA 'celebrities'. A great night overall.
Jeff
Monson versus Bill Mahood did not happen, due to Mahood coming
down with an illness. Also postponed was Chris Van Fleet versus
Jamie Lyn, as Lyn tore her rotator cuff.
Complete
Results:
Absolute
Fighting World Title Defense at 155 lbs (5x5 minute rds):
- Charlie Pearson (AMC Pankration, Seattle, WA.) vs Edson Diniz
(AFC World Champion, American TOP TEAM, Ft Lauderdale, FL.):
Diniz by Submission, RD 1.
170
lb Pankration 3x5 min. rds:
- Drew Fickett (Az Combat Sports) vs. Langdon Showalter (Pearson
Systems, WA): Showwalter by Triangle, RD 2.
Muay
Thai, 5x3 min rds:
- Royman Roytberg (AMC Pankration, Seattle, WA.) vs Cain Spaulding
205 lb: Roytberg by RKO, RD 4.
135
lb Muay Thai 5x 2min. rds:
- Tristen Wit (Pearson Systems, WA) vs Ben Greer: Wit by TKO,
RD 3.
165
lb Kickboxing 3x2 min rds.
- Paul Gardner (AMC, WA) vs Todd Young: Gardner by TKO, RD 3.
205
lb Kickboxing 3x2 min rds.
- Cameron Brown (AMC, WA) vs Bryce Hamilton (Pearson Systems,
WA): Hamilton by TKO, RD 3.
Source: ADCC |
DEEP
11th Impact, results
July 13th at Grand Cube Osaka, Japan
[-68Kg]
2 x 5 minutes rounds
Tomoyuki Fukami def. Masashi Kameda by KO (punch standing) at
3:46, 2r.
[-90Kg]
2 x 5 minutes rounds
Hiroyuki Ito def. Koji Okuyama by decision (3-0)
[-76Kg]
3 x 5 minutes rounds
Seichi Ikemoto def. Kyosuke Sasaki decision (3-0)
[-78Kg]
3 x 5 minutes rounds
Eiji Mitsuoka def. TIBAU by TKO (corner throw in the towel) at
3:41, 2r.
[-82Kg]
3 x 5 minutes rounds
Ryo Chonan def. Yuji Hisamatsu by decision (2-0)
[Ladies:-55Kg]
3 x 5 minutes rounds
Anna Michele Dantes def. Yuka Tsuji by arm bar at 3:55, 1r.
Grappling
match (20 minutes)
Hayato Sakurai & Masanori Suda vs. Kiuma Kunioku & Hideki
Monma Draw
[-69Kg]
3 x 5 minutes rounds
Dokonjonosuke Mishima def. Masakazu Imanari by referee stoppage
(punches in ground position) at 2:58, 2r.
Source: ADCC
|
Minotauro
vs. Cro Cop
Not Happening August 10th
By Eduardo Alonso
After
a lot of spectulation, endless comments and plenty of wait it's
now known that the fight between former PRIDE Heavyweight Champion
Rodrigo "Minotauro" Nogueira against Mirko "Cro
Cop" Filipovic is not going to happen as a superfight on
PRIDE's August 10th card. The Brazilian fighter himself wanted
to take this fight badly, due to his imense desire to come back
strong and erase all the bad feelings left in his last fight
against Emelianenko Fedor, and the former champion was just waiting
on PRIDE's okay for the fight. However, it is now decided that
this fight won't take place, and Cro Cop will likley be facing
another opponent, with rumors suggesting Igor Vovchanchyn's name
as his opponent. For Nogueira this is unfortunate, as he was
hoping a win over Mirko would give him an immediate title shot
after a possible win, and now chances are high that Minotauro
will face none other than former UFC fighter Josh Barnett, although
this hasn't been decided yet by the Japanese fighting organization.
Look for more information to come out soon!
Source: FCF |
Extreme
Force Results
Gaz Roriston def. Mark Day - Rear choke
Neil
McLeod def. Ricky Ninja Salhan - armbar
Tengiz
Tedoradze def. Remco Pardoel - tap out from strikes
Alex
Evans def. James Schiavo - TKO
Cyrille
Diabate def. James Zikic - decision
Jason
Black def. Michael Johnson
Jean
Silva def. Robbie Oliver - Triangle choke
Lee
Murray def. Jose Pele Landi - KO
Source:
FCF |
Quote
of the Day
"The most damaging phrase in the language is: `It's always
been done that way."
Admiral Grace Hopper, American Navy Officer |
Get
Ready for a Totally New Onzuka.com
We are putting on the finishing touches for our totally re-designed
website. This simplistic site will be history very soon. I know
we were probably telling everyone that we were going to release
the site a long time ago. Since we are leaving for Brazil this
Friday night, the site may not be updated for two weeks until
we come back on August 1. We wanted to give all our loyal readers
something to keep them busy for a while. We are excited about
the new site because it basically blows this one out of the water.
Our
tentative relase date is Wednesday, July 16. So keep checking
back. The site will automatically be updated as long as you go
to http://www.onzuka.com. I know some of you probably just bookmark
our news site. We will announce it here as well and give you
a link. If it doesn't look totally new, hit your refresh button.
Marc
Ebalarosa has designed our new site including a flash intro.
More information on Marc's company will be coming soon because
after you see the site, you will want to call him to re-design
your site or create some flash to spice up your site. |
Crosley
Gracie Debuts in MMA
Crosley
Gracie one of the young up and coming stars of the family will
make his MMA debut in Japan against the very experienced Kiuma
Kunioku (PANCRASE Ism). We gave Carley a call and chatted:
KP-
Crosley you are making your debut in Pancrase?
CG- Yes, I am fighting Kiuma Kunioko, he is very experienced
and very tough.
KP-
Where have you been training?
CG- I train at Ralph Gracie's Academy. I spent a few days with
my cousin Rodrigo recently and got a little training there as
well, but Ralph's is my home!
KP-
What do you think about debuting against such an experienced
guy?
CG- When you are a Gracie, you expect that and thrive on it.
I have been training hard and hope to put on a good show! I am
going to concentrate in NHB
KP-
What have you been training?
CG- I have been doing a little of all, Jiu-Jitsu, boxing, wrestling
KP-
Where do you teach?
CG- I teach at one of Ralph's Academies in the Bay area, the
City is called Dublin, the number is (925) 829-8387.
KP-
You haven't fought NHB yet but a while back you did a Gi match
against your cousin Ryron?
CG- Yes I think we fought for over 1 1/2 hours and he came out
the victor as I couldn't continue because of a knee injury. We
were tied at 9 points at that time.
KP-
And the conditioning?
CG- I have been doing a lot of swimming, sprints, and weights.
KP-
Are you prepared to fight 3 x 5-minute rounds?
CG- I hope so! I will be prepared to fight much more!
KP-
Are you going to stay at this weight 180 lbs (82KG)?
CG- No, I plan to go up to my natural weight of 190! I am 5'11
1/2' and I feel good at 190
KP-
Who is going to be cornering you?
CG- Ralph is, but Renzo is supposed to be there as well as Ricardo
'Cachorrao' should be fighting the same event.
Source: ADCC |
SHOOTO
July 13th - Quick Results
SHOOTO
July 13th
Place: Tokyo Koruaken Hall
Class
B 2 x 5 minutes rounds)
Featherweight [-60.0Kg]
Seiji Otsuka (PUREBRED Omiya) def. Luciano Azevedo (RFT) by Judges
Decision
Featherweight
[-60.0Kg]
Akitoshi Hokazono (Cobra Kai) def. Hiroki Kita (PARAESTRA Tokyo)
by TKO, RD 1.
Lightweight
[-65.0Kg] 2003 Rookie Tournament 2nd round
Hiroyuki Takaya (Tanaka Juku) def. Hatsu Hioki (ALIVE) by Judges
Deicison
Featherweight
[-60.0Kg]
Hiroshi Komatsu (Cobra Kai) def. Aritano Barbosa (RFT) by rear
naked choke, RD 1.
Welterweight
[-70.0Kg]
Mitsuhiro Ishida (TOPS) draw Naoki Matsushita (ALIVE)
(Class
A 3 x 5 minutes rounds)
Lightweight [-65.0Kg]
Naoya Uematsu (K'z FACTORY) def. Jin Kazeta (Philoctetes Niigata)
by arm bar, RD 1
Welterweight
[-70.0Kg]
Marcio 'Cromado' (RFT) def. Takaharu Murahama (Wild Phoenix)
by TKO, RD 1.
Middleweight
[-76.0Kg]
Jutaro Nakao (STG Osaka) def. Sauli Heirimo (Team Scandinavian)
by Triangle Choke, RD 2.
Source: ADCC
|
Extreme
Murray - Extreme Force Weigh-ins
Lee Murray and Jose "Pele "Landi Jons stole the show
at today's Extreme Force weigh-ins at Minglings restaurant in
London's trendy Camden Town. The air was electric as the fighters
squared up for pictures but when the promoters called for the
fighters to turn to the cameras, Pele held the glare. Murray,
obviously excited, didn't take too kindly to this and challenged
the Brazilian to go there and then. Murray was ushered away whilst
hurling a torrent of abuse whilst Pele initially responded and
then nonchalantly walked back to his seat accompanied by his
entourage. The rest of the event went without a hitch with more
friendly attitudes prevailing. Jean Silva has had to face more
changes, as Spencer Fisher was unable to make an acceptable weight.
Englishman Robbie Oliver has been drafted in with two days notice
but with a well established record and legitimate skills he should
provide the Brazilian with a tough match. Spencer Fisher may
still fight against Paul "Hands of Stone "Jenkins although
he has not accepted the fight at this time. Jenkins, the epitome
of a hard work ethic, has already fought (and won) twice this
month already.
Fighter
Comments:
Lee
Murray on the action at the weigh-ins "I just want a piece
of him y'know? I want to get it on as soon as possible."
Pele
(translated by Renzo Gracie) on the fight - "Every fight
is different but he (Pele) definitely expects a very good result
on his part."
About the earlier excitement - "He's (Pele) very calm, it's
even good that that happened so he could feel how much fear the
guy (Murray) was feeling, so it was certainly a victory that
he felt today."
Ian Freeman on revenge for his previous match with Overeem -
"Of course it's revenge! 4 years ago I couldn't fight, 4
years on I still can't fight but I'm going to do a bit better
than last time (laughs)."
Jean
Silva on his opponent change to Robbie Oliver - "The guy
is very good but I trained very hard for Jens Pulver ... It's
ok, I feel confident for this guy."
Michael
Johnson on why he's rated by a lot of the top UK fighters - "People
see the way I train, I train with Olympic level wresters, I've
got a great team... Lee Murray, Gaz (Roriston), James Zikic ...I've
got a professional boxing coach."
Jason Black on opponent Michael Johnson - "From what I understand
he's (got) fairly good stand up. He probably won't get a chance
to use it... I figure if he were anybody I would've heard of
him... I feel that I'm the superior fighter and tomorrow night
I'll show him."
James
Zikic on what he's been up to in the last year - "I've been
doing a lot of striking. I've has two professional boxing fights
(Zikic is currently unbeaten in Pro Boxing) and I've also fought
in K1-UK...He's a world class striker so it's going to be fireworks
tomorrow."
Alex Evans on his fight with opponent James Shiavo - "I
don't think he's fought anyone with my aggression and my range
of strikes... I'm gonna win this fight by knocking the guy out
or by smashing him - it doesn't matter what he comes at me with
he's going to get smashed."
Weights:
Ian Freeman (103.7kg) vs. Valentijn Overeem (104.1kg)
Jose Pele Landi (83.1kg) vs. Lee Murray (82.5kg)
Robbie Oliver (70.25kg) vs. Jean Silva (70.6kg)
Michael Johnson (76.4kg) vs. Jason Black (76.4kg)
Tengiz Tedoradze (not weighed in yet) vs. Remco Pardoel (not
weighed in yet)
Ricky Ninja Salhan (63.0kg) vs. Neil McLeod (not weighed in yet)
Alex Evans (81.35kg) vs. James Schiavo (81.6kg)
James Zikic (90.0kg) vs. Cyrille Diabate (91.75kg)
Mark Day (82.5kg) vs. Gaz Roriston (82.9kg)
Source:
FCF
|
MMA
Fighting To Save The Amazon, Belfort Denies Soap Opera, SHOOTO
Takes a Step Further in Brazil, PRIDE GP News and HEAT FC Adding
to the Card
The Brazilian
Beat:
As the month of July develops, plenty of exciting MMA news are
popping up all over the globe, and Brazil could be no exception.
In one of the most surprising piece of news in the past years
in the Brazilian scene, Wallid Ismail and Antonio Inoki are revealing
a breakthrough project for their intriguing Jungle Fight show,
and FCF shares the word with the readers on this edition of this
column, and will continue to unleash details and news about it
in the coming editions. However, on what regards new shows in
Brazil this is not all, the brand new Heat Fighting Championship
is coming strong and continues to work on their first show, in
what is promising to take the country's MMA scene by storm! A
lot of happenings are also taking place on the most famous Brazilian
fighter's careers, as the long awaited PRIDE Middleweight GP
is coming up, making Wanderlei Silva eager again, and Vitor Belfort
is already focusing on his next UFC outing. All in all we have
plenty of other interesting facts going on and news to report,
so let's not wait more time with this introduction text, as this
writer has to go straight out looking for more news, and Full
Contact Fighter stands up for the coming challenges delivering
the usual Brazilian Beat, in Jungle style this time!
In a surprising move Brazilian fighter Wallid Ismail revealed
some interesting and bold plans this week in Brazil. In a partnership
with Japanese legend Antonio Inoki, Ismail is bringing a never
seen before project to his county, holding a unique MMA event
in September. "Jungle Fight" will feature eight Brazilian
fighters facing eight fighting stars from abroad, performing
in front of only 200 special guests, including 100 guests from
Brazil and 100 International guests. The most amazing part about
the concept is that the show will take place in the heart of
the Amazon forest, showcasing one of the most beautiful landscapes
on earth, taking place in an astonishing hotel located in the
middle of the Amazon wild. Amazingly, the project includes a
"floating ring" on a river, creating a unique scene
for any fighting event ever! The show will be broadcast in open
Japanese TV, like UFO in 2002, and Wallid told FCF the objective
of him and Antonio Inkoi with this complex project is to attract
the world's attention to what's taking place with the Amazon
forest "Inoki is very concerned with the situation going
on in the Amazon! Last year the deforestation in the Amazon grew
40%! This is outrageous, and our goal with this event is to attract
the world's attention to this matter, and helping a reforestation
process to begin, as well as a new conscience to be developed"
Also according to Ismail, Inoki is planning to come to Brazil
one month prior to the show, straight from China, to visit some
Indian tribes and check the current situation in the forest.
Among the fights that may take place at Jungle Fight, one will
likely feature the return of "The Baby Face Assassin"
Josh Barnett, facing Jiu-Jitsu veteran Carlos Barreto. Look for
more details about this breakthrough project in FCF soon!
Speaking
of events, Brazil will have its second ever Shooto show this
Saturday, July 12th, at the city of Niteroi, in the state of
Rio de Janeiro. The good news is that this time the show will
not only feature Amateur fights, as well as professional Shooto
fights (Class B) as well! There will be five professional bouts,
consisting of two rounds of two minutes each, and the most interesting
one is the super heavyweight challenge between MECA veteran Walter
Aba against UFC veteran Rafael Carino, who is finally making
his return to MMA competition after years of absence. As always
Shooto scouts will be keeping a close eye on the show to recruit
talents to their Japanese events, and FCF will have the results
soon!
PRIDE
veteran Mario Sperry is having a different task this Saturday
in Rio de Janeiro. Besides all his usual activities, such as
training, teaching classes and managing fighters, "The Zen
Machine" is having surgery on his right hand on this July
12th, because of his long-time broken hand. Sperry originally
broke his hand in his PRIDE 22 win over Andrei Kopylov, and after
recovering ended up braking the same hand again in training.
Although he stated to FCF that he isn't feeling any pain right
now, doctors came to the conclusion that his hand wasn't properly
healed, being necessary to re-arrange the broken bone in proper
place trough surgery, in a quick but annoying procedure. Mario
went on to say that the doctors expect a recovery process of
around one month until he can train again. FCF wishes the best
of luck to Ze Mario and the fastest possible recovery.
Speaking
of PRIDE veterans, another PRIDE talent that hasn't been active
since PRIDE 24 is likely to return to action soon. Word around
Brazil is that Chute Boxe warrior Murilo Ninja Rua is likely
to take part in the MECA World Vale Tudo 9 card, in the first
time the show will take place outside of Curitiba. The event
is said to take place at August 1st, in the city of Teresopolis,
near Rio de Janeiro, and Ninja's likely opponent hasn't been
decided yet. If plans come trough and Murilo ends up fighting
at MECA, this will mark the first time ever that both Ninja and
his brother Shogun fight on the same card.
Former
PRIDE Heavyweight champion Rodrigo "Minotauro" Nogueira
is still training hard hoping for a match against Mirko Cro Cop
Filipovic at PRIDE's August 10th show. This match was considered
certain at some point here in Brazil, but now rumors are flying
around that Cro Cop may end up facing Ukrainian fighter Igor
Vovchanchyn. One thing is certain, Minotauro already accepted
the fight against Mirko and is hoping for a shot, cause he is
eager to get back in action and erase the images of his last
outing against Emelianenko Fedor.
This
past July 3rd, in the city of Fortaleza, also in the Northeast
of Brazil, the 7th edition of the regional MMA show Champions
Night took place. The show had its ups and downs, but manage
to hold a good number of spectators, likely around 2.000, and
had a mix of Muay Thai and MMA fights, as well as a special Submission
Wrestling bout. On the most important MMA bouts of the show,
Bitetti Combat 1 and 2 veteran Carlos Indio won an upset against
Northeastern veteran, and also BC veteran, Rivanio Aranha. Indio
was able to finish the fight with a rear naked choke, much to
everybody's surprise. On the show's main event, another BC veteran
Antonio Samurai, pleased his hometown fans defeating Andre Barbosa.
The
already traditional Black Belt Jiu-Jitsu challenge is planning
to come strong in its third edition, next August 21st in Sao
Paulo. This time the show plans to take place in the huge Ibirapuera
arena, the same that held Abu Dhabi. Among the most interesting
challenges on the works for the show, that only features single
matches with slightly different rules from the usual Jiu-Jitsu
ones, are Fernando Terere facing Fabio Negao, Abu Dhabi champion
Marcelo Garcia against Eduardo Santoro, Bibiano Fernandes matching
Nova Uniao's Robson Moura, UFC veteran Alexandre Cafe Dantas
against Gabriel Napao, and the most intriguing fight of the event
putting former partners Jorge Macaco Patino against Roberto Godoi,
in a match that promises to shake the arena in Sao Paulo.
The
last edition of the Storm Muay Thai event in Curitiba ended up
not seeing the so awaited return of Chute Boxe heavyweight Assuerio
Silva to the rings. Minutes before the match the promoters found
out that his opponent, Edson Drago from the Brazilian Top Team,
simply disappeared from the arena! Needless to say this caused
major disappointment and Assuerio once again was left without
a fight. The cause of the sudden and mysterious withdraw from
Drago is yet to be discovered, as he alleged that he wasn't feeling
well during warm up, but doctors was quick to say he was perfectly
fine after some tests. Edson hasn't been found by his former
teammates since the incident, and needless to say he was expelled
from the Brazilian Top Team because of such unprofessional behavior.
In the other fights of the afternoon, word has that Chute Boxe
fighter Lauro Ramirez, Fabio Tigrao and Rio Grande Do Sul state
fighter Helio Dipp was the standouts of the show.
Ruas
Vale Tudo fighter and UFC veteran Renato Babalu Sobral unfortunatelly
ended up out of the Extreme Force 1 card. After training for
a long time, and withdrawing from the PanAm games in Wrestling
to compete in the Bitish event's debuting card, Babalu's opponent
got injured and sadly enough the promoters didn't find a replacement,
opting to cancel Sobral's participation on the show. However
the young fighter is continuing to train looking for the IFC
tournament in September, and maybe one fight even before that.
If
Brazil didn't only have some talented men fighting in MMA, now
the country is sending also a girl to represent its flag abroad!
Michelle Tavares, out of Kimura/Nova Uniao, will be taking part
of the next DEEP card in Japan, making his MMA debut. Michelle
was BJJ world champion in the brown belt division in 2002, and
is hoping to be the pioneer in what can bring a lot of other
girls to our sport. BC veteran Gleison Tibau is also reported
to be fighting in the same DEEP card.
On
the verge of his third match against Japanese legend Kazushi
Sakuraba, PRIDE Middleweight champion Wanderlei Silva is eager
to get back in action. Silva told FCF he has been training harder
than ever, and currently his shins are swollen from all the kicks
in training, despite the use of shin protection. "The Axe
Murderer" received the news of a third bout with Sakuraba
with a lot of joy, and commented he doesn't care whom he may
face in the second round of the Grand Prix, since he is preparing
himself to face anyone, and will accept no outcome but bringing
the title back to Chute Boxe. Wanderlei also went on to say that
his teammate Mauricio Shogun Rua is preparing himself very hard
for both MECA 9 and the IFC tourney, and he is scared to see
how much development the kid is having on training, his opponents
better watch out.
Vitor
Belfort is back on training in Brazil already focusing on his
next UFC bout in November. "The Phenom" wants to prove
that he is a new person, completely focused now, and decided
to decline even the invitation to participate as a special guest
on a national TV soap opera in Brazil! Vitor commented that he
only cares about fighting now "This would take my focus
away too much, I know how it goes, and all I care now is about
fighting and getting the UFC belt". Belfort also told FCF
he is welcoming a likely fight against up and comer Rich Franklin
at the November UFC card, although he would liked to have a shot
at the title "I would want to fight for the belt, but I
have to face anyone, it doesn't matter who I'll have to fight,
I'll go there and do my job". Vitor Belfort also revealed
to Full Contact Fighter that he is preparing some secret weapons
for his next fight.
The
newest MMA promotion in Brazil is continuing to work hard as
their inaugural show is coming closer. Heat Fighting Championship
is promising a never seen before production in Brazil for their
July 31st debut show, and as works continue to develop PRIDE,
UFC and K-1 veteran Ebenezer Fontes Braga's opponent was finally
announced! Braga's opponent is going to be non-other than KOTC
veteran and young talent from the USA Forrest Griffin, in what
the promoters believe has the potential to be the best fight
of the night, in Griffin's biggest chance of his career so far.
Two more fights are likely to be announced this next week for
HEAT FC 1, and the event's website is reported to be debuting
in the coming week as well. FCF will keep a close eye on what
is promising to be one of the best MMA shows to ever take place
in Brazilian soil!
Source:
FCF |
Brazilian
Movie
Domésticas,
O Filme (Maids)
Doris Duke Theatre,
Honolulu Academy of Arts.
Tickets are $5 general, $3 museum members. 532-8768.
July
16 and 17 at 1:00 and 7:30 p.m.
July 18 at 7:30
p.m.; and July 20 at 4:00 p.m.
In Portuguese with English subtitles.
In
Brazil, there are no less than three million
housemaids, each with her own, yet universal story of
loneliness, ambitions and loss-- but also of mutual
solidarity and love. Based on one of the most popular
modern Brazilian stage plays, this defiant and
original film follows the stories of five maids who
are brought together by the drudgery of their work and
the bus they ride. Set to the rhythm of a samba, the
film is sexy and life affirming.
Synopsis
There is another country within Brazil. The invisible country
of maids. If this invisible Brazil were to disappear, Brazilians
would be left alone with a big, very visible mess. A comedy,
MAIDS isn't so much a film about maids as a maids' film. It's
the story of Cida, Roxanne, Quitéria, Raimunda and Creo.
Typicals maids. Each of them has a dream. One wants to get married
and settle down. A second is already married but would prefer
a better husband. A third would like to quit her maid's job and
become a model or an actress, a celebrity. One maid belives that
her mission in life is to serve God and her boss. They all have
a different idea of paradise, but they share a similar idea of
hell: to be maids. The film interweaves the stories and other
characters, seen from their respective points of view: maids,
chauffeurs, small time criminals, flower delivery boys, motorbike
messengers, etc. They meet or miss each other according to a
peculiarly Brazilian rhythm... With a wit and naturalness that
Ken Loach's BREAD AND ROSES might envy, this bright Brazilian
comedy offers an entertaining view of cleaning ladies working
in the metropolis of São Paulo... Fast and funny, sexy
and sad, the picture jumps from one mood to another, holding
audience interest not just narratively but with sophisticated
film work. -- Deborah Young (Variety)
Director
Fernando
Meirelles, Nando Olival
Nando Olival has directed over 400 commercials since the early
'90s. In 1997 he wrote and directed his first short film Day
Bye Bye Day, which went on to win numerous prizes in Brazilian
festivals. He co-directed his second short with Fernando Meirelles.
MAIDS is his first feature.
|
Quote
of the Day
"A winner is someone who recognizes his God-given talents,
works his tail off to develop them into skills, and uses these
skills to accomplish his goals."
Larry Bird
|
CABBAGE
STILL TRAINING FOR ARLOVSKI
MMAWeekly's John Harnett reports that as far as Cabbage Correira
is concerned he will still be fighting in UFC 44 dispite published
reports.
Cabbage
told Harnett from Los Angeles last night that he hasn't heard
anything from the UFC and believes the internet report that Frank
Mir will fight Arlovski is false as far as he is concerend.
Cabbage
said "I'm training for Arlovski as we speak. I plan on fighting
Arlovksi then turn around and fight Tank Abbott in a stand up
war at UFC 45."
There
have been reports circulating that Frank Mir will step in to
fight against Arlovski at UFC 44 in September, but Cabbage was
told he would be the man to fight in Las Vegas.
Source:
MMA Weekly |
Another
Gracie Enters the MMA World!
Pancrase annouced two match ups of August 31st as follows.
Sammy
Presents PANCRASE 2003 HYBRID TOUR AUGUST 31 , 2003
-10th Anniversary -
Place : Ryogoku Kokugikan (Tokyo, JAPAN)
Open:3:00PM Start:4:00PM
Catch
Wrestling Rule
Minoru Suzuki (PANCRASE MISSION) vs. Takashi Iizuka (New Japan
Prowrestling)
Pancrase
official rule
Kiuma Kunioku (PANCRASE Ism) vs. Crosley Gracie (Ralph Gracie Jiu-Jitsu
Academy)
And,
it is line up of this event as following fighter;
Sanae
Kikuta, Yuki Kondo, Akihiro gono, Kazuo Misaki
Source:
Koichi "Booker K" Kawasaki |
Rising
Sun Report:
A Rundown of Pride, K-1, and Everything Else
By Keith Vargo
What's
going on in Japan? Too much. PRIDE, K-1, SHOOTO, Shootboxing,
Pancrase, DEEP, and other organizations have all run shows since
my last column. Some, like K-1, have even managed to squeeze
in two. What follows is a rundown of the busy June/July fight
scene in Japan.
PRIDE
26
In
my Black Belt magazine story on Pride 26, I called it "The
Revenge of the Japanese." Daiju Takase controlled and then
submitted Anderson Silva, Kazuhiro Hamanaka made good on his
promise to pound Nino Schembri, and Kazuyuki Fujita nearly pulled
off the upset of the year when he came oh-so-close to knocking
out Pride heavyweight champ Emelianenko Fedor. It was the first
time in a long time that all the Japanese fighters on one PRIDE
card turned in strong performances.
Still,
in spite of the exciting matches, there was something poignant
about the show, too. Sakuraba made the comment that it felt like
a changing of the guard and he may be right. (He also said he's
going to retire and sell baked sweet potatoes from a push-cart,
but that's another story.) Quinton Jackson put away a 38-year-old
RINGS fighter, Mikhail Illoukhine, without too much trouble.
Takase was billing himself as "The Return of Saku"
and seemed to prove it by giving fans what they've been denied
for so long, a Silva tapping out.
But
the changing-of-the-guard metaphor seemed especially apt in the
Hamanaka-Schembri bout. After five-minutes of nervous flailing,
the rookie fighter settled down and fed Schembri a steady diet
of punches. The fighter Sakuraba should have easily beaten a
few months ago was beaten by his protégé instead.
The
most poignant of all, though, had to be the Coleman-Frye bout.
It was a fight that looked good on paper, two exciting former
champions with a score to settle. But seven years can really
change a fighter, especially when it's seven years on the wrong
side of 30. Coleman and Frye looked like shadows of their former
selves.
Both
fighters were stiff and slow. Frye in particular seemed uninterested
in fighting. After the first few minutes of the 20-minute bout,
there was no spark in him at all. During the post-fight interview
Frye seemed more like an amiable father than a hungry competitor.
He was dressed in slacks and a polo shirt with his hands in his
pockets, staring at the floor in front of him. In response to
one reporter's question, he forced a smile and replied in his
warm, gravelly voice, "Well, I'd trade my day for just about
anyone else's right now."
Coleman,
for his part, seemed desperate to win. After almost getting caught
in a guillotine choke early in the first, he scored a few takedowns
and spent most of the fight keeping Frye on his back. He tried
some punching but nothing that was going to put a champion fighter
away. But it was enough to get the decision.
After
they raised his hand in victory, Coleman got kind of emotional
on the microphone. His voice was cracking as he gave a rambling
speech, promising to make yet another comeback and be the fighter
he once was. It climaxed with the former heavyweight champ wailing,
"I want that fucking belt back!" But it sounded more
desperate than determined, like the 38-year-old Coleman was shouting
at Father Time instead of the current title-holder.
K-1
Beast II and K-1 Max 2003
Both
of the big K-1 summer shows were entertaining, but for entirely
different reasons. K-1 Max was a stellar middleweight kickboxing
tournament where all the drama came from great fights. The "Beast
II" event was an odd series of single matches pitting super-heavyweight
novices, pro-wrestlers, and seasoned kickboxers against each
other. Toss in a judo guy and Butterbean (yes, that Butterbean)
and you have one of the weirdest cards ever put together.
Masato
won the K-1 Max tournament, and he deserves mad respect for it.
The fighters on this card were all dangerous. Masato won a decision
over impressive (38 wins) kickboxer Michael Zambidis in the first
match. It was a close fight where both fighters were trading
quick punches right up to the final bell. But after getting by
Zambidis, Masato ended his fights decisively. He knocked out
Sakeddaw Kiatputon, a Thai fighter, in the semi-finals and then
floored defending K-1 Max champion, Albert Kraus, to win the
tournament.
There
is something anonymous about Masato. If you see him in street
clothes, he looks like a typical, overly tan, bleached blonde
Japanese college kid. But in the ring, he is an exceptional middleweight.
He's got excellent footwork, quick hands, and, most importantly,
rarely makes a mistake. The only way he could look any better
this year is if he has a rematch with Zambidis and wins by KO.
MMA
fans can also be proud of Duane Ludwig. The UFC star scored an
impressive win over Kozo Takeda, a tough-as-nails, hard-punching
middleweight who is second only to Masato in K-1. Ludwig caught
Takeda right on the button with a left hook and he was down for
the count. But Ludwig came up short against former K-1 Max champion
Albert Kraus, getting chased and knocked down 3 times on his
way to losing by KO.
Weirdness
ruled in the K-1 Beast II show. First of all, Musashi, Japan's
perpetual heavyweight contender was paired up with a total newcomer,
Brazilian giant Montanhya Silva. The seven-foot tall Silva plodded
through the first round throwing extremely slow and heavy jab/cross
combinations. The much quicker and more experienced Musashi easily
dodged and countered most of it. Then, in the second round, Silva
apparently forgot he was in a kickboxing match. He took Musashi
down and pounded him from the mount. A stunned Musashi won by
DQ in the second round.
Another
odd match with an odd ending pitted Butterbean against Yusuke
Fujimoto. Fujimoto is a hard-hitting Japanese heavyweight who
most expected to beat the portly Toughman champion. The match
started predictably, with Butterbean charging forward and Fujimoto
kicking his legs. Then he caught Fujimoto with a sloppy hook
that was actually more of a forearm. When the Japanese fighter
went down early in the first, he messed up his arm and Butterbean
won by KO.
The
ultimate weirdness, though, was reserved for a match of between
New Japan pro-wrestler, Manabu Nakanishi, and another giant newcomer,
New Zealand's Toa. This was the most interesting match for MMA
fans. Nakanishi was a top Japanese freestyle wrestler before
going into pro-wrestling. He made his MMA debut in Inoki's "Ultimate
Crush" show last May against PRIDE veteran Kazuyuki Fujita.
But in that match, which was mostly stand-up, the wrestler Fujita
easily controlled the action with his boxing technique! So why
Nakanishi decided to fight a K-1 match is a bit of a mystery.
Of
course, matchmakers probably thought an experienced fighting
athlete like Nakanishi would do better against a novice like
Toa. But in the sloppy slugfest it turned out to be, the super-heavyweight
from New Zealand clubbed Nakanishi to the canvas with his oversized
fists. Toa by KO halfway through the first.
On
an interesting side note, judo fighter Kazuhiro Nakamura fought
on this card too. MMA fans may remember him as the Yoshida protégé
who lost to Antonio Rogerio Nogueira at PRIDE 25. But the judo
man showed his inexperience by constantly blocking round kicks
by dropping both hands. Predictably, his opponent, Hiraki Hori,
took advantage of the glaring defensive mistake and KO'd Nakamura
in the second round.
Everything
Else
Japan's
smaller shows also had their share of highlights. In SHOOTO,
Rumina Sato got back on the winning track with a heel-hook submission
of Ryan Ackerman. This definitely a rebuilding year for the 30-year-old
Shooto star who has gone 1-3-1 in the past year and a half.
In
DEEP's "10th Impact" show, another former SHOOTO star
got back on the winning track. Hayato "Mach" Sakurai
cut up David Menne's face with a bunch of knees enough to warrant
a doctor's stoppage. That makes two wins for Sakurai this year
to make up for his two losses last year.
Finally,
sneaking in under the MMA radar, Shootboxing put on their third
show of the year "S of the World: Vol. 3". Of interest
here is a match between shootboxer Hideki Sugisawa and Wataru
Takahashi, a lightweight fighter from Takada Dojo. Takahashi
is a good submission wrestler who seemed to be getting tossed
into a kickboxing-with-throws event for the experience. Predictably,
he lost a decision to the experienced Sugisawa. It'll be interesting
to see what happens when he gets a chance to show his submission
game in an MMA match.
Source:
Maxfighting |
Joe
Hall's June Notebook
By Joe Hall
Luminaries
of long ago. Stars of the olden days. Has-beens. Whatever you
choose to call them, the big names of the past (and present)
were in full force this past June. One defied the odds yet again,
but another faltered in a second comeback attempt, allowing his
opponent, also a star of the past, to prosper. Yet another failed
at a bid for redemption, allowing his long-time rival to return
to mixed martial arts successfully. All that and more is included
in this month's notebook, so join me as I take a look at how
June 2003 unfolded.
COUTURE
STILL KICKING (UFC 43 on June 6)
Eyeing
an unfortunate ending to an incredible career, a revitalized
205-pound Randy Couture dismantled heavy favorite Chuck Liddell
in the UFC 43 main event. The 40-year-old controlled each aspect
of the clash for the interim light heavyweight title, beating
Liddell to the punch with the straighter strikes then opportunely
grounding and pounding his baffled opponent. Couture concluded
the performance of a lifetime by raining down punches from the
mount, where John McCarthy stopped the fight 2:47 into the third
round.
Vitor
Belfort thrilled fans with an aggressive devouring of quality
opponent Marvin Eastman on the undercard. Just over a minute
into the bout, Belfort smashed a knee into his foe's head that
opened a gory cut almost large enough to divide Eastman's face
into two sections.
In
other matches, Tank Abbott' s comeback continued down a feeble
path, as he lost quickly and soundly to fellow luminary of past,
Kimo; Yves Edwards dominated but did not finish a gritty Eddie
Ruiz; Vernon White and Ian Freeman fought to a draw; Matt Lindland
knocked himself out in a loss to Niko Vitale; Pedro Rizzo stopped
Tra Telligman in a rousing bout; and Wes Sims blatantly stomped
on Frank Mir's head, warranting a disqualification.
FRYE
UNREDEEMED; 'CRO COP' DOMINATES HERRING (Pride 26 on June 8)
Driven
by revenge for the past seven years, Don Frye finally stepped
into the ring in June for a rematch against the first man to
beat him, Mark Coleman. Despite the buildup and Frye's yearning
for retribution, the second bout became a less violent replay
of the first. Coleman, whose comeback after a lengthy layoff
was successful, controlled the duration of the match with his
superior takedowns to earn a unanimous decision.
Croatian
kickboxer/mixed martial artist Mirko "Cro Cop" Filipovic
provided the most dominant showing of the night, as he easily
thwarted Heath Herring's takedown attempts then disposed of the
"Texas Crazy Horse" with a body shot and follow-up
strikes.
Pride
heavyweight champion Emelianenko Fedor ate a huge right hand
from Kazuyuki Fujita in the main event that sent him stumbling
awkwardly. With his own defeat imminent, however, Fedor, possibly
operating on nothing but instinct, summoned a swift and violent
comeback. After hammering Fujita with strikes, Fedor jumped on
the Japanese heavyweight's back and choked him into submission.
In
the upset of the event, Daiju Takase slyly caught Chute Boxe's
Anderson Silva in a triangle choke and forced him to tap. Quinton
Jackson was also victorious, soundly defeating Mikhail Illoukhine;
Alistair Overeem stopped late replacement Mike Bencic; and Kazuhiro
Hamanaka won a decision over Antonio Schembri.
DOERKSEN'S
GAME COMING TOGETHER (Super Brawl 30 on June 13)
Canadian
middleweight Joe Doerksen impressively ran the table in the Super
Brawl 30 eight-man middleweight tournament. Formerly known for
his submission ability and his Kimura (shoulder) lock, Doerksen
has developed a rounded style over the past year and a half.
At Super Brawl 30, he submitted Desmond Miner with a rear naked
choke in the opening round of the tournament; knocked out Jay
Buck, who won the eight-man qualifier at Extreme Challenge 49,
with a head kick in the semifinals; and stopped Brendan Seguin
via strikes in the finals.
Denis
Kang, another rising Canadian middleweight, armbarred Seguin
in the first round and won a decision over Kaipo Miller in the
semifinals, but had to withdraw. Jason Miller, of Team Oyama,
also had to withdraw after securing a split decision over Jay
Buck.
In
the main event, UFC heavyweight veteran Wes "Cabbage"
Correira won a controversial split decision over Justin Eilers
in a match that many felt should have gone to his opponent.
SAKURAI
STOPS MENNE (DEEP on June 25)
With
both fighters struggling to escape career downswings, Hayato
Sakurai scored a much-need victory over Dave Menne. The win,
which came via stoppage on a cut in the second round, is Sakurai's
second straight after losing consecutive bouts to Matt Hughes
and Jake Shields. Menne had collected a pair of wins in smaller
shows before the loss to Sakurai.
WINS,
LOSSES AND FIGHTS OF NOTE
Chute
Boxe-trained Nilson de Castro was victorious in his Pancrase
debut, as he stopped Kei Yamamiya with punches in the first round
of their June 7 bout.
Before
Joe Doerksen blazed through the Super Brawl 30 middleweight tournament,
he submitted up-and-comer Kyle Jensen with a Kimura (shoulder)
lock on June 7. Add that win to his triumphs later in the month,
and Doerksen completed June 2003 with a record of 4-0, including
finishes in each of his fights, against tough competition.
Igor
Vovchanchyn returned in remarkable shape after a nine-month layoff
on June 8. He used a rear naked choke to submit Bob Schrijber
in Holland.
Before
his fight against Sakurai in Japan, Dave Menne stopped Dennis
Reed on June 14.
Dan
Severn won a split decision over Dan Christiansen at King of
the Cage 24 on June 14. In other fights, Thomas Schulte armbarred
John Mahlow to win the KOTC lightweight title; Joey Villasenor
stopped Joe Merit; and Paul Rodriguez submitted Adam Durant.
Dennis
Hallman , who may be returning to the UFC soon, armbarred Brandon
Olson on June 21.
Welterweight
King of Pancrase Kiuma Kunioku submitted Katsuomi Inagaki on
June 22. Daisuke Watanabe was victorious at the same show, as
he upset Yuki Sasaki.
Rumina
Sato defeated Ryan Ackerman at the June 27 Shooto event. Up-and-comer
Akira Kikuchi armbarred Seichi Ikemoto on the undercard.
Known
for his wars against Robbie Lawler and Yves Edwards, steel-chinned
Aaron Riley beat Nick Gilardi on June 28 in Washington.
Abu
Dhabi champion and KOTC middleweight titleholder Dean Lister
armbarred Brian Sleeman on June 29. On the KOTC 25 undercard,
Gustavo "Ximu" Machado won a decision over Team Quest's
Nate Quarry, and Greg Mayer submitted Jamal Perkins.
AND
THE AWARDS
FIGHTER
OF THE MONTH: Randy Couture
SUBMISSION
OF THE MONTH: Daiju Takase triangle chokes Anderson Silva.
UPSET
OF THE MONTH: Although it wasn't as stunning to some as it was
to others, Daiju Takase gets the nod for his win over Anderson
Silva.
KNOCKOUT
OF THE MONTH: Joe Doerksen knocks out Jay Buck with a head kick.
Honorable mention goes to Nilson de Castro for knocking out Kei
Yamamiya and to Matt Lindland for knocking out himself.
Source:
Maxfighting |
Quote
of the Day
"The most important thing is to be happy, to enjoy your
life.it's all that matters"
Audrey Hepburn, 1907-1993, American Actress, Writer
|
Cabbage
replaced by Mir to meet Arlovski
by: Joseph Cunliffe
Although UFC President Dana White announced on a conference call
(designed for the media) just 1 week ago that Wesley 'Cabbage'
Correira would meet Andrei Arlovski at 'UFC 44: Undisputed,'
more recent talk is that Frank Mir is scheduled to meet Arlovski.
White
answered a question during the conference call and stated 'Cabbage
is fighting Andrei Arlovski in September,' but an unrelated call
to the UFC offices today confirmed Cabbage isn't fighting --
though it wasn't clear whether Cabbage isn't fighting Arlovski
or that Cabbage isn't fighting on the card.
It'll
be 10 months since Arlovski had a fight in the UFC. We last saw
him at 'UFC 40: Vendetta' when he defeated Ian Freeman by TKO
from strikes, while Mir is coming off a DQ win against Wes Sims
at 'UFC 43: Meltdown.'
Source:
ADCC |
Pride
& UFC Pay for Fighters
By: sub wrestler
After releasing Pride's purses for the Grand Prix, a forum
member posted the following purses comparing Pride and UFC purses
for fighters. It does not list Pride fighter's show money, just
the stated money to be placed in the tournament. You can bet
that these guys get very good show money and additional money
for advancing in the tournament. This is unconfirmed, but extremely
interesting none the less. Check it out.
"The purses for the winners of the Grand Prix are as follows.
1st
: 20,000,000 yen
2nd : 5,000,000 yen
3rd : 2,500,000 yen (2 fighters)
20,000,000
Japanese Yen works out to be about $169,707 American dollars
at a recent exchange rate for the winner of the tournament, Not
a bad payday.
Second
place will recieve 5,000,000 yen which works out to be about
$42,426.80 American dollars and the two third place fighters
will recieve half of second place at around $21,213.40"
ZUFFA
pays 100,000 to 150,000 to most big name heavyweight and light
heavyweight fighters. For a big tourney like the GP ... I was
expecting the pay to be a little higher for fighting 3 times.
I guess the pay difference between Pride and ZUFFA for big fights
isn't so great after all, eh?
Name
Purse Bonus To Win
Chuck Liddell 55,000.00 55,000.00
Randy Couture 90,000.00 60,000.00 =150,000
Vitor
Belfort 100,000.00 20,000.00 =120,000
Marvin Eastman 10,000.00 10,000.00
Tank
Abbott 150,000.00 25,000.00 =175,000
Kimo Leopoldo 25,000.00 15,000.00
Vernon
White 4,000.00 4,000.00
Ian Freeman 8,000.00 8,000.00
Frank
Mir 20,000.00 20,000.00
Wes Sims 5,000.00 5,000.00
Matt
Lindland 17,000.00 17,000.00
Falaniko Vitale 4,000.00 4,000.00
Yves
Edwards 5,000.00 5,000.00
Eddie Ruiz 2,000.00 2,000.00
Pedro
Rizzo 175,000.00 30,000.00 =205,000
Tra Telligman 7,000.00 7,000.00
Source:
MMA Ring Report |
"UNDISPUTED"
UFC Press Conference
By Arnold "Sushi Boy" Lim
Mixed Martiai
Arts Media members from around North America had been invited
to join a telephone press conference for the ucoming UFC "Undisputed"
card in Sept. UFC Prez Dana White, Tito Ortiz, Randy Couture,
Danny Sheridan and Tito Ortiz's manager were on hand to field
questions from the media and announce the that the main event
on Sept 26 would indeed be the Tito Ortiz vs Randy Couture fight
that had been speculated over the past week. Here we have ammassed
a rundown of the more interesting questions and answers that
took place that on the call.
Randy Couture: I suppose I should thank Tito for creating this
situation in the first place, and allowing me to come down from
Heavyweight and compete against Chuck I think. “Undisputed”
is a great name for the title of this fight coming up I look
forward to the opportunity to compete against Tito. I don’t
know about calling this championship I hold now, an interim title,
cause I was willing to step up and fight the guy that Tito really
didn’t want to fight, and did so handily. But Tito is a
great fighter, well rounded a lot of great skills, and I think
this once and for all settles the dispute, and unifies this weight
class. I savor the opportunity to get in there.
Tito Ortiz: it is great to be here, you guys are probably going
to see one of the greatest fights in UFC history. Not let alone
Randy being the ex heavyweight champion, now he is going to be
the ex interim champion. I have nothing but respect towards Randy
but once again this belt is mine, and you guys know Tito Ortiz
fills seats and gives always the best fights in UFC history and
this is going to be one of them.
USA Today sports columnist and analyst Danny Sheridan: Right
now I am opening Tito a slight 8 to 5 favorite over Randy, and
it is safe to say Randy has done for his sport then George Foreman
has done for his sport, Randy is an underdog, it is unbelievable
he rarely loses, I am not sure he has lost as an underdog, as
Dana said earlier he was a solid 3 to 1 underdog against Chuck
Liddell and he looked like he should have been a 7 to 1 favorite
so this looks like a pretty good fight, normally someone of Randy’s
age would be much larger underdog but he has proven that he can
more then hold his own and I don’t think that age is a factor
so I am going to open him, Him being Tito an 8 to 5 favorite.
Mojo Radio: Hi Dana did you have to redo Tito Ortiz’s deal
to get him in the Octagon to fight Randy Couture or is he fighting
under the same terms.
Dana White: He is fighting under the same contract he was fighting
under before, we just had to make amendments to it.
Mojo
Radio: And those would be?
Dana
White: I wouldn’t even talk about that in public.
L.A
Times: my question is for Tito I am just wondering where he has
been, Dana you said something about entertainment commitments.
Tito Ortiz: actually I am out in Utah right now, been out in
Utah for the last month and a half we are shooting “The
Crow” Wicked Prayers, with Eddie Furlong, Tara Reid, Dennis
Hopper, and it has been coming out really, really good, this
entertainment stuff I have been doing I am just trying to expand
my horizons, and get and do other things, but at the same time
I have been training and this contract has been signed, this
fight has been signed I am excited, this fight is probably going
to be one of the best fights in UFC History. I think this will
surpass the Ken Shamrock fight just because of what Randy Couture
brings to the table.
Jason Probst Maxfighting.com: Randy were you surprised that it
was 8 to 5 [Odds] against you this time as it always seems to
be?
Randy
Couture: I am not necessarily surprised, Tito has a long standing
run in the weight class. He is the younger athlete, and I don’t
think that a lot of people give me the credit for being the late
bloomer that I am. That suits me fine, I don’t mind being
the underdog I seem to thrive in that situation and this will
be no different.
Mike Sloan, Sherdog.com: (Randy Couture) Say you win you mentioned
in an interview before you fought Liddell that when you win the
title you want to go up to heavyweight and win the title then.
Is that still your number one plan or are you just focusing on
Tito right now.
Randy Couture: It is an idea, and I am certainly not going to
look past Tito. I am going to focus on Tito and take the opportunities
as they come. I think that would be a neat idea but I don’t
mind not playing around with those big buggers anymore either.
Mojo Radio: Dana if you wouldn’t have been able to come
to terms with Tito Ortiz for this show on the 26th, would you
have been prepared to strip of the light heavyweight title? If
no, at which point would you have been prepared to strip Tito
Ortiz?
Dana White: I think that is a non issue. Tito signed the contract.
He is here, he is ready to fight and I couldn’t honestly
answer a question like that. I was never put in that situation,
we have a very good standing relationship with Tito’s management
and everything is good. The Fight is going to be Sept 26 he is
fighting Randy, it is going to be a great fight.
Ivan Trembow MMAweekly : With Tito being able to get, not a new
contract, but at the least a modified contract, haven’t
you set a precedent that any UFC fighter who wants to go back
and change their contract whether it be salary or anything in
the contract, they can get out of it and get a modified contract
if they try hard enough?
Dana White: He doesn’t have a new contract, he has a modified
contract. There were some things we changed. Such is life in
any job around the country, a guy is going to walk into the bosses
office and say “hey listen”, it is going to happen
sometimes and I will give you a perfect example. Marshall Faulk
asked me at the last show “can’t you make Tito Ortiz
fight Chuck Liddell?” I said, “can the NFL Make you
play football?”
Ivan Trembow: You don’t think it is going to open the floodgates
for other UC fighters to get modified contracts if they want
to?
Dana
White: I don’t know it is just one of those things, Tito
is a big star, he has big fights and we got it worked out and
now he is fighting Sept 26th and everyone is happy. We are all
moving forward and we are ready for this show.
Dave Meltzer, Wrestling observer: Is there any kind of talk of
some fighters in Pride fighting in the UFC? And if so who are
you the most interested in?
Dana White: I am interested in a lot of guys over there, Mirko
Cro Cop, and I am interested in Sakuraba and a couple other guys.
Dave
Meltzer: Is there anything on the table as far as some sort of
American television?
Dana
White: Yes…yes there is, I can’t discuss it right now
I really can’t.
Unknown:
Tito one thing I do want you to talk about is the fans, what
would you like to say to them, the ones that stuck by you and
the ones that haven’t.
Tito Ortiz: All my fans out there, I mean, there are people who
are dogging on me, and just dogging on me, and there is fans
out there that are going, “man stick with Tito Stick with
Tito you just don’t understand”, and those are the
true fans. Those are the fans that really realize, and the ones
who aren’t, those are the fans who want to see me get beat
and those are the Randy fans I guess. At the same time I got
to say thanks to all the fans, if it wasn’t for those guys,
those guys wouldn’t be getting the best of Tito Ortiz. Those
are the people that are making me train, each and every day as
hard as I do, put myself through the grueling workouts, and I
gotta say thanks to them.
Unknown: And Randy real quick for you, Here you are Champion
you hold the belt, but 85 percent of the questions are going
towards Tito does that bother you.
Randy Couture: No that doesn’t bother me at all…
Tito
Ortiz: Wait, wait, wait, wait, wait… last time I looked
at my bedroom, I think there was a belt next to my bed. “Yup”,
and it is still there too and does say light heavyweight Champion
on it and the last time I remember, I got through beating up
Ken Shamrock,
Randy Couture: It doesn’t change the fact that you weren’t
willing to fight Chuck for whatever reason and I did.
Tito
Ortiz: I have no problem with that at all, your beating is going
to come soon enough but at the same time, last time I looked
I am still the champ.
Tito’s Manager: This is Glen Mckusker Tito Ortiz’s
management I think Dana White can clear that up as far as who
the Light heavyweight Champion…
Randy Couture: I don’t think Dana needs to clear it up we
will clear it up this September.
Tito
Ortiz: Exactly…
Tito’s
Manager: I think for the record I guess everyone knows who is
the Light heavyweight champion, and who is Interim…
Randy
Couture: Well we know you have your opinion. Again, I think we
will settle it once and for all in the fight they are calling
undisputed in September and the rest is semantics at this point.
Tito’s Manager: I think that is the best way to play it
off but as long as we know.
Josh
Gross Maxfighting.com: My question is for Tito, the last three
months, it seems like everything involving you had to do with
your contract situation. Revolving around Chuck Liddell, revolving
around your injuries revolving around your movie career. All
of a sudden Randy fights Chuck, Randy wins now the contract talk
has gone out the window, why the quick 180 degree turn on that?
Tito Ortiz: Like I said the movies over. We are done this week,
I want to fight, I want to step into the octagon. I want to prove
people, show people what I can really do, if there is Couture,
and if there is Liddell it wouldn’t of mattered. The toughest
fighter is Couture so the people are going to get a better fight
then Chuck because if I would have fought Chuck it would have
been the same thing that Couture would have done, and people
don’t understand that. But I would rather have a better
fight then just fighting Liddell, if the fight happens the fight
happens, but right now Couture earned his right where he is right
now. Like I said, I got nothing but respect for the guy (Couture),
and l like him a whole bunch, and actually he is my wife’s
favorite fighter but at the same time, I mean feel sorry for
her because she will feel sad when I beat him down.
Randy Couture Chuckles
Josh
Gross, Maxfighting: Are you alright in the way everything pulled
out in terms of your negotiations? Are you happy with the modified
contract that you got, is that what enabled you to step in the
ring, if they would have modified the contract and you would
have been fighting Chuck now would you have signed on the dotted
line?
Tito Ortiz: It would have done, done deal, delivered and either
way man, like I said I had my entertainment stuff before and
I am done with it. Now it is time to step back into the Octagon
and do what I do best, and that is stomp peoples asses.
Josh Gross: You have alluded several times today that you feel
that he [Tito Ortiz] avoided Chuck and I think that there is
some consensus among the fans that he avoided Chuck. Is that
going to play into this mentally at all do you think? You have
something hanging over his head that you actually took out Chuck
Liddell and he didn’t?
Randy Couture: I can’t speak for Tito and his reasons for
not fighting Chuck. There is a lot of speculation there, I don’t
know if that is a factor or not, that is for Tito to deal with,
not for me to worry about.
Flattop Fightnews: Tito would you even consider moving up to
the heavyweights at some time in the future,
Tito
Ortiz, I don’t know. I am still growing, I am 28 years old
I am still getting bigger and bigger. My walk around weight is
around 218, that is about what Randy’s walk around weight
is, he sees what he can do at heavyweight. I don’t know…
those guys are really big guys about 6 foot 8, 265 pounds, I
mean that puts a wear on you when it is in the third and forth
round, as Randy has seen when he fought Ricco Rodriguez. It is
just a factor of, I don’t know… it depends on what
my body does, I think I am quicker, faster, stronger at 205 pounds.
I mean I am a ferocity killing machine at 205 and people are
gonna see me and what I can really, really do. I mean like I
said, I am getting better and better I am learning each and every
time as a champion. Not learning? You better get out of the sport.
It seems like I am still learning, I am here to stay for a while
and Randy Couture Sept 26th, he is going to have another loss
on his record, He has to go to Pride with Chuck so you never
know.
Flattop Fightnews: For Dana talking about heavyweights and light
heavyweights, are we going to see a super-heavyweight fight sometime
soon in the UFC?
Dana White: I don’t have anything planned but I would never
say never.
Flattop
Fightnews: UFC took a page out of boxing back when Zuffa took
over the UFC by exclusive contracts with fighters. It just seems
more and more it is becoming a real game of strategy with the
different promotions and all, is there any sort of working relationship
you have now with Pride?
Dana White: No, I have no working relationship with Pride at
all .The whole thing with this…the new president that just
came in was saying some goofy stuff, and I have been trying to
get a fight between Chuck Liddell and Vanderlei Silva for a long
time,and he came in and asked me about, Chuck Liddell to fight,
put him in a tournament. Obviously a tournament isn’t what
I wanted to do but we took it. Chuck doesn’t care, he will
fight so he is in it.
Sherdog.com: My question is for Randy, since beating Chuck, do
you think age is still a factor and do you feel any more confident
in your fight against Tito,
Randy Couture: I don’t think Age is a factor yet. I have
no allusions, I am not getting any younger. Lets face it, at
some point you are going to slow down, at some point your body
is not going to heal and recover the way it used to. Some of
that goes on now, at 40, but I feel just as fast and just as
explosive as I have been in my athletic career. Going down to
205 has helped me out a big deal, so I am confident that I can
compete with Tito and be successful, and that is what I am looking
forward to doing.
Arnold “The Sushiboy”: Lim MMA Ringreport: Hello, my
question is for Tito, it seems like you weren’t really happy
when the UFC made the Interim title, did you feel slighted or
insulted when the UFC made the interim title? You seem a little
upset about it.
Tito Ortiz: Actually I was. I felt really disrespected. It was
a factor of all of a sudden put Tito out of the picture, all
of a sudden to me it seems like I am now the Challenger. Of course
I am the champion, but there is a little feeling of being the
underdog and I love being the underdog. Of course on the lines
I am not the underdog but I got something to prove. Taking out
Randy Couture in a really great fashion is my job and we are
going to see what happens come Sept 26th. I am really excited,
I think this is going to be a great fight. I think that Randy
Couture is going to bring the best out of Tito Ortiz and I’m
going to make another notch in my belt.
Arnold “The Sushiboy” Lim, MMA Ringreport: I have a
few more things to ask of Randy, for Randy it seems like he is
a little insulted to hear that Tito is the True Light heavyweight
champ. Do you feel like you are the true light heavyweight champ,
and Tito is in fact the interim champ because he wouldn’t
fight Chuck Liddell?
Randy Couture: Well I think it was academic, Chuck took a back
seat to Tito for a long time and for whatever reason that fight
didn’t happen. I was willing to come down, step up and fight
Chuck. I demonstrated great skills and earned his spot and earned
his shot at the title, and he didn’t get that opportunity
with Tito. So the situation was created that he was going to
get that title and unfortunately I came out on top that night
and now I am holding that belt. I feel like I have earned the
right to call myself the Light heavyweight champion and I guess
that is why we are having this fight to settle it once and for
all.
Arnold “The Sushiboy” Lim MMA Ringreport: Do you think
that Tito was scared of Chuck Liddell?
Randy
Couture: I can’t say that I don’t know, Tito can answer
that question.
Tito
Ortiz: I am afraid of no man let me tell you that for one, I
am afraid of no man.
Arnold “The Sushiboy” Lim MMA Ringreport: Thank you
very much.
Source:
MMA Ring Report |
Quote
of the Day
"Above all to thine own self be true."
William Shakespeare, 1564-1616, British Poet, Playwright, Actor
|
Kaos
"Island Pride" Updated Fight Card
Maui War Memorial Gymnasium, Wailuku, Maui
July 27, 2003
Main event 3 x 5 minute rounds
Brandon Keen vs. Mike Labuanan
Ku
Ka'ili Moku Team Competiton 3 x 3min rounds
Oahu Maui
Santino Franco vs. Tyson Naho'oikaika
Jim Kikuchi vs. Ed Joy
Tripson Kerisiano vs. Kendall Groves
Kelii Newalu vs. Allan Hinojosa
Dennis Bohner vs. Kaniala Joy
Stephen Paling IV vs. Jr. Baldron
Kickboxing:
Shawn Taylor vs. Kevin Cabrera
Scott Redoble vs. Als Kaiohu
Tani Na'ahealu vs. Malani Recopuerto
Kai Kamaka III vs. Abe Rhinehart
Tristin Kamaka vs James Ramos
Source:
Event Promoter |
Interview:
DENIS KANG
by: Keith Mills
On
September 6th, Denis Kang takes on Stephan Potvin at the next
TKO show in Montreal. Kang recently competed in the Extreme Challenge/SuperBrawl
Middleweight tournament series both in Utah and Hawaii as well
as HOOKnSHOOT in May. In the Hawaii tournament he won his first
two fights but was unable to continue into the finals.
KM:
Here it is about two months before the next UCC/TKO show. I think
this is more time than you usually have to prepare for a fight.
What are your thoughts on that? DK: It's good. It's going to
give me time to rest a little bit. I've had a busy schedule this
year already, four or five fights already. This will give me
time to rest up and start my training again and be fresh for
September. That's kind of what I wanted to do anyway, take the
summer off.
KM:
What is your training schedule going to be like over the next
two months? When does it really kick in? DK: Right now I'm focusing
mainly on the conditioning part, just getting in really great
shape again. In August will be more like the sparring drills
and stuff like that, working with technique and timing. Doing
a lot of roadwork right now.
KM:
Your next opponent is Stephan Potvin. What are your thoughts
on him? DK: He's a tough guy. He has a jiu-jitsu background like
me, he also has a bit of a karate background. I've seen him fight
before and met him a couple times. I think again this is going
to turn into a ground fight and that's what I'm going to be training
for so we'll see what happens.
KM:
I missed the two fights you had in one night in Hawaii at the
Extreme Challenge/SuperBrawl tournament. What can you tell us
about how that went? I understand you got injured after the second
one? DK: Second fight I fought Kaipo Kalama out of Egan Inoue's
school. I beat him by decision but during the whole fight he
was kicking me in the leg and a few of the kicks landed below
the thigh right on the knee joint and my knee swelled up real
bad during the fight. After the fight it was even worse. I couldn't
really stand on it too well.
KM:
Are you ok now? DK: Oh yeah, now I'm fine. It wasn't a serious
injury, it healed up after ten days.
KM:
Maybe I should stop using the term 'injury' then. It wounds more
like a black eye kind of thing that kept you out one night. DK:
Right.
KM:
How did your first fight go that night? DK: First fight was against
Brendan Seguin. That was a good fight; we both came out for a
little shots and then I took him down, caught him in half guard,
he reversed me and I ended up on my back with him in my guard,
and then I think he tried to stand up and punch me so I spun
over for an armbar. Had it in pretty tight. I don't remember
if he tapped out or if Matt (Hughes) stopped it. It was over
pretty quick.
KM:
You had to drop out right before the finals, which would have
been a rematch against Joe Doerkson (note: Kang lost their first
fight in UCC 11 last October by triangle with only 0:10 left
in the 1st round). Somebody that you beat earlier in the night
(Seguin) ends up taking your place in the finals (note: Seguin
lost by TKO at 2:14 of round 1, 0:08 faster than he lost to Kang).
What are your thoughts on that whole situation? DK: They had
to find somebody to fight him, right? It doesn't matter, I couldn't
do it. That was my choice. Jay Buck had just got knocked out
and Jason Miller had a broken thumb so neither of them could
continue so he was the most likely candidate to come up.
KM:
You're not upset you didn't get a chance to rematch Doerkson?
DK: Of course I am. I'd love to rematch him. He's a nice guy,
I know him, and I think we will. Both of us put on a good fight
when we were together and I really wanted to win that tournament
and rematch him. I don't think I could do it on one leg. I felt
like a one-legged man in a ass-kicking contest. (Both laugh).
KM:
I didn't even hear you were in the tournament until a day or
two before hand. How much notice were you given? DK: I was given
about ten days. I was a replacement for Amir who had Mono so
couldn't make it. The few times they announced the final lineup
my name wasn't even in it.
KM:
A month or two before that you beat Middleweight Champ Keith
Rockel in HOOKnSHOOT/Ring Of Fury. How do you look back at that
fight? DK: That was a real good fight for me. I was kind of nervous
going into this one because Keith is a tough guy, he fought in
UFC, he has a lot of experience, this was in his hometown…I
came out a little hesitant and first round he took me down and
I fought off my back. He didn't land too much but because it
was his hometown and he was on top he probably won the first
round. Second round I could tell he was getting tired and a little
frustrated because he couldn't inflict that much damage so that
is when I came alive a little more, I was more warmed up. I think
halfway through the round I caught him with a nice right hand
and dropped him out cold.
KM:
Last time we talked was before that fight and we were talking
about the belt and all that. What is your recollection about
the fight not being for the belt? DK: The reason was the MA Athletic
Commission was making it same day weigh-ins so we decided it
would be too dangerous to have to cut weight the same day, especially
if we were going to be hitting each other in the head, right?
Dehydrating and all that stuff. We just made it at 195 so we
couldn't fight for the 185 title. We both came in at our natural
weight.
KM:
Are you disappointed at all it wasn't for the belt? DK: A little
bit but not much because I put on a good fight. The belt is important
but what I think is more important is fighting a good fight.
KM:
Anything else? Are you doing ok up there between fights? DK:
Oh yeah. I just want the fans to know a Denis Kang is always
an exciting fight. Going to be the fight of the night.
Source:
ADCC |
INTERVIEW:
Monte Cox...
by: Keith Mills
Monte
Cox is the manager of TEAM EXTREME which have three fighters
at Extreme Force: headliner Ian Freeman, former UFC Lightweight
Champion Jens Pulver, and UCC Welterweight Champion Jason Black.
Team Extreme also consists of KOTC Light Heavyweight Champion
Jeremy Horn, UFC Heavyweight Champion Tim Sylvia, UFC Welterweight
Champion Matt Hughes, WFA Middleweight Champion Jermaine Andre,
SuperBrawl/Extreme Challenge Middleweight tournament Champion
Joe Doerkson, HOOKnSHOOT Women's 125 Champion Jennifer Howe…the
list goes on and on.
This
update consists only of highlights to an extensive phone call,
mostly concerning Extreme Force.
KM:
The Extreme Force show in London is a fight Jens Pulver has to
win. What is the background? MC: We had a choice of going straight
to Shooto or I preferred he took another fight to get him mentally
and everything back to where I think he needs to be. We thought
this was an important fight for him so Shooto is waiting. If
he wins we have no problems. If he doesn't win then we probably
lost that deal. I think Jens physically is the same fighter he's
always been but he's got to mentally get focused again like he
used to. If he does that I think he'll go right back to the top.
KM:
Why is Freeman taking this rematch? It's risky. MC: We took this
fight before the UFC fight. It's in his home country, they are
paying him pretty decent, and he still has kind of hard feelings
about the Overeem fight. It's something that stuck with him and
he thinks he should have won that fight. Biggest thing is it's
a payday. You can't make a living fighting for the UFC at his
level because you fight and then you take eight months off. In
the meantime if you are going to fight you need to get paid and
this is not a bad opponent.
KM:
Does Freeman get a chance to train with the rest of the team?
MC: He comes here about once or twice a year for two or three
weeks.
KM:
What do you know about the London Shootfighters Team (note: about
half the fights feature fighters out of London Shootfighters)?
MC: I've been taking fighters to London now for a couple years.
I've seen most of these guys and then Ian Freeman and Lee Murray
comes here. I have a pretty good feel for how they are advancing
and stuff and they are coming along.
KM:
Jason Black was saying you couldn't get tape on his opponent
but you are already familiar? MC: I wasn't able to get a tape
yet. I think we'll get one when we get there. I've seen him.
Very good standup fighter, black kid, fights hard…this is
in a cage so I really expect Jason to be able to ground and pound
him.
KM:
What did you get out of the Extreme Challenge/SuperBrawl tournament?
MC: It was everything we thought it would be. We knew that it
was going to be exciting, it was very evenly matched and anybody
could have come out of there. Injuries kind of hampered it a
little bit but at the same time it had everything: come from
behind long fights like Miller coming from behind and getting
the split decision over Buck, it had fast knockouts like Doerkson
kicking Buck, it had fast submissions like Kang beating Seguin,
it had everything. I couldn't ask for a better tournament. We
were thrilled with it. It's always nice to have Doerkson who
is a Team Extreme fighter come out as the winner. How much more
could you ask for?
KM:
Doerkson himself doesn't have anything else lined up yet? MC:
When we were there Dana told me to call Joe Silva and tell him
to put him in the show.
KM:
What about contract negotiations with Hughes and the UFC? MC:
We came to an agreement so we're waiting for a contract. Dana
and I pretty much made up. When we were in Hawaii we sat down
and talked it out and I think everything is ok. (The conversation
moves to Absolute Fighting Championships)MC: You know Kultar
Gil is out. I'm replacing him. He was fighting (Vitor) Shaolin
(Ribeiro).
KM:
Do we have a word on who it is? MC: (slyly) Yeah.
KM:
Uh-huh…MC: Rich Clementi. He's going to take the shot. It's
a tough deal. He'll be the underdog and all that but he wants
to take the shot.
KM:
I'm going to miss that show. I'll be at the IFC. MC: I'll be
at the IFC too.
KM:
Really. Who do you have in that? MC: The main event. Fryklund.
Rich Franklin. And Laverne Clark.
KM:
What? The one with Jeremy Jackson and Nick Diaz? MC: No, no,
that's not it. Oh, I was talking about the one in Chicago. Is
that the one you're talking about?
KM:
No, the one by Clear Lake. Okay, we are talking about two shows
on the same day. You're talking about the Battleground show that
was postponed from last month. What's going on with that show?
I haven't seen any card on that or heard back from Edward Kim.
MC: It's set. (for more on that show check out http://www.the-battle-ground.com/)
KM:
As far as Horn in KOTC… MC: Back in December. We don't know
who he's fighting or anything. They offered September but he's
in the 8-man tournament (note: IFC in Colorado).
KM:
Let me get this straight, he's fighting on the next Extreme Challenge
card (Aug 2nd) making his debut at 185, he'll be back at 205
in September in IFC, and then he'll be defending his KOTC 205
title in December. I thought you were trying to get him in UFC
at 185? MC: I am but if I can't get him in right away the guy
has got to eat. The goal in the beginning was to get him down
to 195 and let him choose where the openings come. There's some
other stuff but it's not credible yet.
KM:
Black in UCC. Did you guys ever get paid?MC: Nope. Look at his
next show. How many of my guys do you see in there? None. He
keeps saying he's going to send the money, it's not coming yet.
He might have to do a show to pay us. The chances of us continuing
to work with him even after he pays us is slim. It's possible.
KM:
I noticed (UCC fighter managed by Stephan) Mark Hominick is in
the next Extreme Challenge. MC: Yeah. So is Mark Hughes. That's
a pretty good story in itself…he hasn't fought in a couple
years and he's coming back. He was tough.
KM:
Way to change the subject. Good move. MC: You talk about my show…it's
really a good Extreme Challenge.
KM:
You're putting EC on with somebody else? MC: Yeah. Jeff Curran.
He did the undercard. It's hard for me to put on a show by myself
anymore. I did six in one month all by myself but I just don't
have that kind of get up and go right now, too busy.
KM:
What about the rumors of a split between you and Pat Miletich?
MC: There is no split. We've always had two separate functions;
Pat's been the trainer at Miletich Fighting Systems and I've
been the manager. We co-owned the gym. That's what hooked us
together, was that we co-owned the gym and we worked with a lot
of the same guys. The gym has been sold and that is causing him
to go get his own gym. I'm going to continue to do what I've
been doing, Pat's going to work with another manager for his
up-and-coming guys. All that happened is we sold the gym.
The
tape ran out before Monte could discuss Jennifer Howe's plans
but her next fight is August 30th in MN. No solid word on if
she will fight Neff in the IFC or not. Stay tuned for more on
all these fighters in the weeks to come.
Source:
ADCC |
|
Minotauro
Comments on Cro-Cop
Tatame
Editor spoke with Rodrigo "Minotauro" Nogueira today.
According to Minotauro, his match against Mirko "Cro-Cop"
Filipovic at the upcoming PRIDE Grand Prix is almost confirmed.
But,
the brazilian fighter is still waiting for Cro-Cop's response.
"I accepted the fight as soon as PRIDE contacted me, but
Mirko didn't give his "ok" yet. I have being trainning
bigtime for this fight. If he accepts, it will be the confrontation
of Giant Hunters!" said Minotauro in an exclusive interview
to Tatame magazine just a few minutes ago before this news posting.
Minotauro
and Cro-Cop are the only two fighters who have defeated Bob Sapp.
Source:
Sherdog |
Randy
Couture Gearing Up For Fight With Tito Ortiz
Randy Couture appeared on Thursday's MMAWeekly Radio Show and
spent some time talking about UFC 43 and 44. Regarding his fight
with Chuck Liddell at UFC 43, Randy said that it was a lot like
his previous fights with Vitor Belfort and Pedro Rizzo in the
sense that all three fighters were dominant and had knocked some
people out in the past.
Randy
reiterated his previous statements that it was important to press
the fight with Chuck and try to catch him off-guard with stand-up
striking, He added that it was a team effort at Team Quest to
come up with the gameplan for the fight, just as it always is
at Team Quest. When asked about one of his training partners,
Chael Sonnen, and his recent verbal battles with Phil Baroni,
Couture said that Sonnen deserves that fight and is a very aggressive
and talented fighter.
When
asked about Tito Ortiz' trash-talking during the UFC 44 teleconference,
Randy Couture said that it doesn't bother him and it just makes
him smile. Randy said that he is still relaxed and focused on
his upcoming fight with Ortiz, and if anything it makes him more
relaxed and confident to know that, in Randy's words, "Tito
seems to be bothered by the fact that they're calling me the
champ as well." Couture said that he is in training for
the fight right now on a day-to-day basis, and he is about to
start ramping up the training even more in the near future.
Couture
said that he still can't believe how comfortable he feels fighting
at 205 pounds. He loves having so much more speed and mobility
at the lower weight, and he was surprised to find how easily
the weight came off when it was time to cut weight.
Source:
MMA Weekly |
Inoki
and Ismail Team Up for Jungle Fight
It seems that new fight promotions are popping up left and right
these days. Courtesy of our friend Raphael Caria in Brazil and
his translation of some information provided on tatame.com.br,
we have news of another new promotion that will be debuting in
South America in September.
Famous for his pro wrestling days in Japan and his co-promotion
of events like Pride Dynamite and Inoki Bom Ba Ye, Antonio Inoki
is joining forces with first time promoter and veteran Brazilian
fighter Wallid Ismail to create a new, unique fighting event
entitled The Jungle Fight.
Set
to take place on September 14th, Inoki and Ismail have plans
for The Jungle Fight to take place in a ring over the water in
the Amazonic Forest. Their current plans are to match up 8 Brazilian
fighters and 8 American fighters.
They
are currently in negotiations with many fighters trying to solidify
their debut lineup. According to Inoki, "I am negotiating
with Josh Barnett, Frank Trigg, Justin McCully, Nakamura, Kengo,
Fabricio Werdun, Mark Kompayneytts, Ronaldo Jacare, Carlos Barreto,
Lioto Matida, Mauricio Shogun and more...."
Source:
MMA Weekly |
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