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(All events on Oahu, unless noted)

2008

11/21/08
Man Up & Stand Up
(Kickboxing)
(Waipahu Filcom Center)

11/8/08
Aloha State Championship of Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu
(BJJ/Sub Grapping)
(Gym #1, UH Manoa)

10/18/08
Destiny
(MMA)
(Waipahu Filcom Center)


10/12/08
HFL Championships
(MMA)
(Waipahu Filcom)

10/11/08
NAGA
(BJJ & Sub Wrestling)
(Blaisdell)

10/10/08
Man Up & Stand Up
(Kickboxing)
(Waipahu Filcom Center)

10/4/08
The Quest for Champions Martial Arts Tournament
(Sport-Pankration, Submission Grappling and Continuous Sparring)
(Kalani High School Gym)


9/7/08
2008 Samahan Filipino Martial Arts Tournament
(Forms, Fighting, Masters Demonstrations)
(Pearl City High School Gym)

9/6/08
UFC 88: Break Through
(MMA)
(PPV)


9/5/08
Got Skillz Fighter
(Kickboxing & MMA)
(Waipahu Filcom Center)

8/23/08 & 8/24/08
Hawaii Training Ctr Boxing
(Boxing)
(
Waipio Industrial Court)

8/15/08
MMA At The O
(MMA)
(O Lounge Night Club)

8/14/08
Paragon Fighter
(Kickboxing)
(O Lounge)

8/9/08
K-1 Hawaii Grand Prix
(Kickboxing & MMA)
(Stan Sheriff Center, UH at Manoa)

Man Up & Stand Up
(Kickboxing)
(Kalaheo High School)

UFC 87
(MMA)
(PPV)

7/26/08
Maui Jiu-Jitsu BJJ Tournament
(BJJ)
(Maui War Memorial Gym, Wailuku, Maui)

7/19/08
Kawano B.C., Palolo B.C., & USA-Boxing Hawai Amateur Boxing Show
(Boxing)
(Palolo District Park Gym)


Affliction - Fedor vs. Sylvia
(PPV)

7/12/08
Aloha State Mixed Martial Arts Competition
10AM - 7PM
(Kickboxing & MMA)
(Blaisdell Arena)


7/11/08
Hawaii Fighting Championships 10
(MMA)
(Dole Cannery Ballrooms)

7/5/08
UFC 86 - Jackson vs. Griffin
(PPV)

6/27-29/08
OTM Pacific Submission Grappling Tournament
(BJJ/Sub Grappling)
(Blaisdell Exhibition Hall)

MMA Expo
(Blaisdell Convention Center)

6/21/08
Hawaii Xtreme Combat
(MMA)
(Lahaina Civic Center, Lahaina, Maui)


Ultimate Fighter 7 Finale

6/20/08
Paragon
(MMA Hybred)
(O Lounge)

6/15/08
Grapplefest
(Submission Grappling)

Anderson Silva Seminar
Studio 4, UH at Manoa
1-4PM
$100

Mauricio "Shogun" Rua Seminar
Tropic Lightning TKD
Waipahu
5-7PM
$60

6/14/08
EliteXC
(MMA)
(Blaisdell Arena, Honolulu, HI)

6/7/08
UFC 85 - Bedlam
(PPV)

6/6/08
Punishment in Paradise
Pound 4 Pound
(Kickboxing)
(Ahuna Ranch, Maili)

6/5-8/08
World Jiu-Jitsu Championsihps
(BJJ)
(California State University Long Beach, Long Beach, California)

6/1/08
Hawaiian Open of Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu
(BJJ/Sub Grapping)
(Gym #1, UH Manoa)

WEC 33
(Faber vs. Pulver)

(PPV)

5/31/08
CBS EliteXC Saturday Night Fights
(9-11 p.m. ET/PT)
(CBS)


5/25/08
Man Up Stand Up
(Kickboxing)
(Filcom Center, Waipahu)

5/24/08
UFC 84 - Ill Will
BJ Penn vs. Sean Sherk
(PPV)

5/16/08
X-1: Legends
(MMA)
(Blaisdell Arena, Honolulu, HI)

5/9/08
Man Up Stand Up
(Kickboxing)
(Filcom Center, Waipahu)

Hawaii Fighting Championships 9
(MMA)
(Dole Cannery Ballrooms)

5/3/08
Hawaii Fight League
Season 1, Event 3
(MMA)
(Filcom Center, Waipahu)

Full Force 4
(MMA)
(Maui War Memorial Gym, Wailuku, Maui)

Heart-of-a-Cage-Fighter

(
Kauai Veterans Center, Lihue, Kauai)

4/25/08
Punishment in Paradise
(Kickboxing)
(Farrington High School)


4/18/08
Local Pride
Friday, April 18, 2008
(MMA)
(Dole Cannery Ballroom)


4/12/08
Man Up &Stand Up
(Kickboxing)
(Filcom Center, Waipahu)

4/6/08
GrappleFest: Submission Sundays
(Submission Grappling)
(Hawaii Room, Neal Blaisdell Center)

3/29/08
Garden Island Cage Match 7
(MMA)
(Hanapepe Stadium, Hanapepe, Kauai)

Hawaii Fighting Championships 8
(MMA)
(Maui War Memorial)

3/28-30/08
Pan Jiu-Jitsu Championship
(BJJ)
(Californina State University, Dominguez Hills, CA)
Registration ends 3/22/08

3/16/08
Sera's Kajukenbo Open Tournament
(Continuous Sparring, MMA, Submission Grappling)
(Maui High School Gym, Kahului, Maui)

Icon Fitness Gym Tournament
(Submission Wrestling)
(Icon Fitness Gym)


3/15/08
Icon Sport
(MMA)
(Blaisdell Arena)

3/9/08
2008 Pacific Invitational BJJ Tournament
(BJJ )
(Hibiscus Room, Ala Moana Hotel, Honolulu)

3/7/08
Got Skillz Fighter
(Kickboxing/MMA)
(Waipahu Filcom)

3/1/08
USA-Boxing Hawaii, Palolo B.C. & Kawano B.C. Presents Amateur Boxing
(Boxing)
(Palolo District Park)

2/29/08
X-1 at the O-Lounge
Fight Club Meets Nightclub 4
(MMA)
(O-Lounge, Honolulu)

2/24/08
Icon Grappling Tournament
(Sub Grappling)
(Icon Gym)

2/17/08
Hawaiian Championship of Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu
(BJJ/Sub Grapping)
(Gym #1, UH Manoa)

2/15/07
Midwest Invasion: Team Indiana vs. Team Hawaii
(MMA)
(Coyotes Night Club, 935 Dillingham Blvd, Kalihi)

2/8/08
Hawaii Fighting Championships 7
(Kickboxing & MMA)
(Dole Cannery Ballroom)


2/2/08
Man up and Stand up
(Kickboxing)
(Dole Cannery Ballroom)

1/26/08
X1 World Events: Champions
(MMA)
(Blaisdell Arena)

1/20/08
Big Island Open Jiu-Jitsu Tournament
(Konawaena High School)
(BJJ/Sub Grappling)
(POSTPONED)

1/19/08
UFC 80: Rapid Fire
(
BJ Penn vs. Joe Stevenson)
Newcastle, England

1/12/08
Hawaii Fight League
Season 1, Event 2
(MMA)
(Dole Cannery Ballroom)

 News & Rumors
Archives
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Casca Grossa Jiu-Jitsu is now the O2 Martial Arts Academy with 6 days a week training!

We are also offering Escrima (stick fighting) on Monday nights with Ian Beltran and Kickboxing Tuesday and Thursday with Kaleo Kwan!

Click here for info!

Take classes from the Onzuka brothers in a family-like environment!

In Memory of Lars Chase
Rest in peace my brother
March 10, 1979 - April 2, 2008

Looking for a hotel room on Oahu?
Check out this reasonably priced, quality hotel in Waikiki!


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Mention Onzuka.com or the O2 Martial Arts Academy and receive 15% off labor for repairs!








 

Check out the FCTV website!
Fighters' Club TV
The Toughest Show On Teleivision

Tuesdays at 7:00PM
***NEW TIME***

Olelo Channel 52 on Oahu
Also on Akaku on Maui

Fighters' Club TV Radio
The Toughest Show On Radio

Mondays at 9:00-10:00AM
AM1500 The Team
(808) 296-1500
- Call in with questions and comments
with hosts Mark Kurano & Icon Sport's Patrick Freitas

Onzuka.com Hawaii Underground Forum is Online!

Chris, Mark, and I wanted to start an official Onzuka.com forum for a while now. We were searching for the best forum to go with and hit a gold mine! We have known Kirik, who heads the largest and most popular forum on the net, The Underground for years.

He offered us our own forum within the matrix know as MMA.tv. The three of us will be the moderators with of course FCTV808 being the lead since he is on there all day anyway!

We encourage everyone from Hawaii and our many readers around world to contribute to the Hawaii Underground.

If you do not have a login, it's simple and fast to get one.
Click
here to set up an account.

Don't worry about using Pidgin English in the posting. After all it is the Hawaii Underground and what is a Hawaii Underground without some Aloha and some Pidgin?

To go directly to the Onzuka.com Hawaii Underground Forum
click
here!

Want to Advertise on Onzuka.com?

Click here for pricing and more information!
Short term and long term advertising available.

More than 1 million hits and counting!

O2 Martial Arts Academy Day Classes Start May 2!
Women & Kids Kickboxing Class starts May 4!

Click here for pricing and more information!

O2MAA Relson Gracie Jiu-Jitsu Day Classes will be held on Monday, Wednesday, and Fridays from 11:00 am to 1:00 pm and will be taught by one of Relson Gracie's first black belts, Sam Mahi!

We will be starting a Womens and Kids kickboxing class on Sunday afternoons from 5:00 pm to 6:00 pm. The class will be taught by none other than O2's Kaleo Kwan! It will be a non-competitive, fun atmosphere and allow the ladies and kids to get in a quick workout and learn some legitimate kickboxing technique before the long work week starts.



Want to Contact Us? Shoot us an email by Clicking Here!

Sidney Silva Submission & MMA Hawaii Seminar

This seminar MMA,NO GI, SUBMISSION GRAPPLING it is about to show you effective positions, the ones that really work, not the fancy acrobatics ones, the real ones, the most commons attacks, transitions between strikes and grappling, mistakes, combinations and of course the defenses and escapes for all that.

It is all about the details. Every body knows how to do an arm bar, triangle, choke … right? But also a lot of time people miss the positions because they miss the details. A little detail can make the position successful or not, can be the difference between the victory and the defeat.

Also I would like to innovate with a new seminar style, which instead of only showing you the positions and drills, like the traditional types of seminar, you will also be allowed to ask your own questions about specific positions and/or moves that you concern about.

I want you, at the end, to feel that you learned as much as possible and especially had fun.

So I would like to invite you and your friends to learn and have fun on September 07 at ICON gym. The investment is only $ 40 and you can also get a free seminar t-shirt if you are one of the first 10 registrants, if you miss the registration you can buy one over there for only $20.


The seminar will start at 3pm until 6pm and after will have lots of time for free training.
If you want to pre-register send a check or money order to:

SIDNEY SILVA
1503 Punahou Street, #1C
Honolulu, HI 96822

Thank you,
Sidney Silva

8/20/08

Quote of the Day

"The advantage of a bad memory is that one enjoys several times the same good things for the first time."

Friedrich Nietzsche, 1844-1900, German Philosopher

Bigfoot: “Nobody in UFC can beat Nogueira”

Antônio “Bigfoot” Silva’s life couldn’t be better. With no losses for almost two years, the EliteXC heavyweight champion is celebrating his win, but already thinks in his back to defend his belt. “I’m happy, but I’m back on training because I might come back in September to defend my belt. I passed a week with my family and it was great, but I’m back here (ATT) now”, said the athlete, that analyzed Rodrigo Nogueira’s next fight in UFC.

“Frank Mir is an excellent fighter, has a good ground game and is not a fool standing up, but not because I’m a huge Nogueira fan or friend, but nobody in UFC can beat him. Everything can happen in a fight, but I believe nobody can beat him there”, bet the athlete, cheering for his friend to keep his Ultimate belt.

Source: Tatame

Olympics a direct pipeline to MMA

If the past is any indication, the Beijing Olympic competition in wrestling and judo could be the springboard for future mixed martial arts stars.

At least 21 different Olympic medalists from the two sports have gone on to compete in MMA. These days, it seems every member of the U.S. teams in those sports has been asked numerous times about making the jump.

But if you’re looking at the how someone fared in Olympic competition to predict who will and won’t make it in MMA, you’re in for a rude awakening.

Olympic success seems to have little correlation with later MMA success, as many medalists hardly had distinguished careers switching to MMA.

Arguably the most successful mixed martial artist who made the transition, former PRIDE double champion Dan Henderson, only placed 10th in Greco-Roman in 1992 and 12th in 1996.

The three most successful MMA fighters that have come out of the Olympics were merican wrestlers Henderson, Matt Lindland and Mark Coleman.

Henderson (22-7), who turns 38 next week, ended up more feared for his strong right hand than his wrestling ability. But it was the combination of both that led him to becoming the first man in MMA history to simultaneously hold major world championships, the PRIDE belts, at both 183 and 205 pounds, until the company folded last year.

Affliction’s Lindland, 38, is the most successful MMA fighter to boast of an Olympic medal. He captured a silver in Greco-Roman in 2000 at 168 pounds. Lindland is 21-5 in a 12-year MMA career and is still ranked among the top middleweights in the world.

Coleman, 43, who recently signed with UFC and is looking at moving to 205 pounds after suffering an MCL tear prior to a match scheduled for Aug. 9, with Brock Lesnar, is 15-8. The former national champion at Ohio State placed 7th in the 1992 Olympics as a freestyle wrestler at 220 pounds.

After failing to make the 1996 team, he walked into the UFC and became its top star, winning the UFC 10 and UFC 11 tournaments and then capturing the heavyweight title from Dan Severn in his first seven months in the sport.

Coleman looked unbeatable in the early days of the sport as the master of the takedown and ground and pound. In 2000, he captured the PRIDE Open Weight tournament title, at the time the toughest tournament in the game. His career struggled in recent years as Coleman and teammate Kevin Randleman were always criticized for not evolving their games past relying on their wrestling strengths.

Back in 1997, Henderson, Lindland and Randy Couture started experimenting, using their Greco-Roman background to figure out what did and didn’t work in a fight. This new form of fighting was considered more a way for wrestlers to make some money to help continue fund their Olympic dreams that it was considered a career path in and of itself.

With two weeks of preparation and a few training sessions, knowing nothing but wrestling, Henderson made his MMA on June 15, 1997, winning the Brazil Open middleweight tournament in Rio de Janeiro.

“I did submit another wrestler,” said Henderson about his debut. “It was kind of a wrestling move, a front headlock used as a choke. I squeezed like hell, but I didn’t know what I was doing.”

“Now you can’t go in as a wrestler,” he said. “You’ll get beaten up.”

Perhaps the most famous example of this occurred four years ago. Karam Gaber Ibrahim of Egypt, then 24, was the star wrestler in the 2004 Olympics.

Competing at 96 kilograms (211.5 pounds) in Greco-Roman, he was throwing world champions around like they were school children. But just a few months after winning the gold medal, he fought on a New Year’s Eve show in Osaka, Japan, against the larger pro wrestler-turned-fighter, Kazuyuki Fujita, and was knocked out cold from a punch that resembled a clothesline-style manuever in just 1:07.

The Gaber Ibrahim situation is common in Japan, where they look to put their experienced MMA fighters against people in other sports with international credentials, but inexperienced in the fight game.

Still, that doesn’t always work out for the Japanese.

On the same night as the Ibrahim vs. Fujita fight, Rulon Gardner, the 2000 gold medalist and 2004 bronze medalist as a superheavyweight in Greco-Roman wrestling, on a rival show in Saitama, Japan, faced former judo gold medalist Hidehiko Yoshida. Gardner’s balance from wrestling enabled him to keep the fight standing, and he used size and rudimentary boxing to batter Yoshida the entire match to take the decision. But Gardner said he did the fight as a one-time deal, had no interest in it as a career, and never fought again.

Henderson noted that Dremiel Byers, who placed seventh as a superheavyweight in Greco-Roman on Thursday, has talked about training with his camp after the Olympics. The other American superheavyweight, freestyle Steve Mocco, whose competition begins on Thursday, has also talked of trying MMA after the Olympics. Ben Askren, who competed in freestyle starting on Wednesday, has brought it up as well. Ronda Rousey, the bronze medalist at 154 pounds in women’s judo, who trains with former Ultimate Fighter runner-up Manny Gamburyan, talked about the possibility of going MMA after winning her medal.

From Olympic gold to MMA

Mark Schultz : The 1984 Olympic wrestling gold medalist was in Detroit on May 17, 1996, for a UFC show, when a medical exam the day before the show revealed fighter Dave Beneteau had been concealing a broken hand. Schultz, who had studied jiu-jitsu after being submitted in a gym encounter with Rickson Gracie a few years earlier, stepped in for Beneteau and decisioned Gary Goodridge. UFC had high hopes for him, but the UFC’s image in those days was so bad that Brigham Young University, where he was coaching wrestling, told him he’d be fired if he fought again.

Kenny Monday: Gold medalist in 1988 and silver medalist in 1992 at 163 pounds, Monday, considered a U.S. wrestling legend, is the only gold medalist who won a major championship, beating John Lewis for the Extreme Fighting Championship’s welterweight title on March 28, 1997. But after EFC folded, and being caught by Matt Hume in a submissions-only match, Monday never competed again.

Kevin Jackson: Gold medalist in 1992 at 181 pounds, the creation of UFC’s marquee title, the light heavyweight title, originally called the middleweight title, was due to Jackson, who was expected to be the first champion. But Frank Shamrock submitted Jackson with an armbar in 14 seconds in the first middleweight title match. Due to UFC’s negative rep, Jackson, an Olympic team coach, was, like Schultz, told if he continued to fight he would lose his job, so ended his career in 1998 with a 4-2 record.

Hidehiko Yoshida: Gold medalist in 1992 in judo at 172 pounds. Yoshida, 9-6-1, was one of the top stars of the glory days of Japanese MMA, with wins over Don Frye, Royce Gracie, Tank Abbott and Mark Hunt, plus two competitive losses to Wanderlei Silva. His matches with Gracie and Rulon Gardner were two of the highest rated matches in Pride history.

Pawel Nastula: Gold medalist in 1992 in judo at 220 pounds, beating another future MMA fighter, South Korea’s Kim Min-soo, he is 1-3 in MMA, although his losses have been to Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira, Josh Barnett and Aleksander Emelianenko.

Makoto Takimoto: Gold medalist in 2000 in judo at 180 pounds, Takimoto is 4-4, but does have wins over Yoon Dong-Sik and former UFC middleweight champion Murilo Bustamante.

Rulon Gardner: Gold medalist in 2000 in Greco-Roman wrestling beating legendary Aleksander Karelin in one of the biggest upsets in Olympic history as a superheavyweight, his December 31, 2004, win over Yoshida in the only battle of gold medalists in MMA history drew 27 million viewers on Japanese television.

Karam Gaber Ibrahim: The biggest flop of the gold medalists, losing in just 1:07 on December 31, 2004 to Kazuyuki Fujita after destroying Olympic competition at 211.5 pounds in Greco-Roman wrestling months earlier.

Istavan Majoros Gold medalist in 2004 Greco-Roman wrestling at 121 pounds, Majoros was fed to Kid Yamamoto on December 31, 2006, and knocked out in 3:46.

Source: Yahoo Sports

Rankings: Fallout after month of big fights

Never in the yearlong history of the Yahoo! Sports pound-for-pound Top 10 poll has there been a month like the one that just passed.

Three of the last month’s top four fighters competed in high-profile main events, and each looked dominant.

Last month’s No. 1, UFC middleweight champion Anderson Silva, stepped up to light heavyweight on July 19 in Las Vegas and crushed James Irvin with a TKO in just 1:01.

Georges St. Pierre, July’s No. 2 ranked fighter, defended his UFC welterweight title on Aug. 9 against Jon Fitch and put on what, from a scorecard perspective, was the second-most lopsided performance in UFC title history. The combined 19-point margin on the scores (50-43, 50-44, 50-44) was surpassed only by the 23-point differential Rich Franklin laid on David Loiseau in their middleweight title match at UFC 58 (50-43, 50-42, 50-42).

And former No. 4 Fedor Emelianenko didn’t take long in reminding fans why he is the most dominant heavyweight in mixed martial arts history. The Russian’s 36-second tail-kicking of two-time former UFC heavyweight champ Tim Sylvia at Affliction: Banned in Anaheim, Calif., was one of the most efficient displays of skill and striking power ever displayed on these shores.

In the end, though, Emelianenko’s beatdown wasn’t enough to knock Silva off his perch. Silva took 10 first-place votes and finished with 134 points, which keeps him atop the poll for the eighth straight month. Emelianenko jumped from fourth to second with 119 points, including the other four first-place votes.

In addition to his 10 first-place votes, Silva garnered two second-place votes and two thirds. Emelianenko’s other votes broke down to four second-place finishes, three thirds, one fourth and one sixth.

St. Pierre finds himself in the odd position of dropping a spot despite his performance against Fitch. He dropped from second to third with 117 points after taking six seconds, five thirds and three fourths.

For info on the Y! Sports MMA Top 10 panel, go here.

10. Quinton Jackson
Points: 21
Affiliation: UFC
Weight class: Light heavyweight
Hometown: Memphis, Tenn.
Record: 28-7 (lost past one)
Last month’s ranking: 9
Most recent result: lost to Forrest Griffin, unanimous decision, July 5
Analysis: “Rampage” still is ranked, but he faces an uncertain future after his well-publicized escapades in Orange County last month. There have been murmurs of a potential match with Mauricio “Shogun” Rua, but rushing Jackson back in the octagon before his legal situation is cleared up would be a disservice to the fighter and reflect poorly on the UFC.

9. Randy Couture
Points: 23
Affiliation: Under contract to UFC
Weight class: Heavyweight
Hometown: Gresham, Ore.
Record: 16-8 (won past two)
Last month’s ranking: 10
Most recent results: def. Gabriel Gonzaga, Round 3 TKO, Aug. 25
Analysis: The Y! Sports poll has a one-year inactivity clause. Fighters who go 12 months without competing are ineligible for consideration until they next square off. This is the last month of eligibility for the 45-year-old Couture, whose back-and-forth legal issues with his employer continues to creak its way through our nation’s oh-so-efficient court system.

8. Forrest Griffin
Points: 44
Affiliation: UFC
Weight class: Light heavyweight (UFC light heavyweight champion)
Hometown: Las Vegas
Record: 16-4 (won past two)
Last month’s ranking: 8
Most recent result: def. Quinton Jackson, unanimous decision, July 5
Analysis: Griffin is taking a well-deserved break after his title win. The Sept. 6 Chuck Liddell-Rashad Evans match in Atlanta is just step one in a chain of events over the next several months that will determine his next opponent.

7. Miguel Angel Torres
Points: 56
Affiliation: WEC
Weight class: Bantamweight (WEC bantamweight champion)
Hometown: E. Chicago, Ind.
Record: 34-1 (won past 15)
Last month’s ranking: 7
Most recent result: def. Yoshiro Maeda, TKO R3, June 1
Analysis: Not many fighters boast near-flawless, world-class skills in as many aspects of the game as Torres. While he finally has experienced his breakthrough year and gotten his time in the national spotlight, it could be that the bantamweight division’s relatively low profile is the only thing keeping Torres from placing higher on the list.

6. Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira
Points: 57
Affiliation: UFC
Weight class: Heavyweight (UFC interim heavyweight champion)
Hometown: Vitoria da Conquista, Brazil
Record: 31-4-1 (won past 3)
Last month’s ranking: 6
Recent results: def. Tim Sylvia, R3 submission, Feb. 2
Analysis: Sorry, folks, there just isn’t a whole lot to add when a fighter sits out for nearly a year. Frank Mir will be a prohibitive underdog when the two finally meet, and unless the UFC does an about-face and brings Couture or Emelianenko into the fold, it isn’t hard to imagine Big Nog enjoying a long reign as champion.

5. Urijah Faber
Points: 84
Affiliation: WEC
Weight class: Featherweight (WEC featherweight champion)
Hometown: Sacramento, Calif.
Record: 21-1 (won past 13)
Last month’s ranking: 5
2007 results: def. Jens Pulver, unanimous decision, June 1
Analysis: Given the way Faber has torn through the competition, there might be a temptation to dismiss his next foe, Mike Brown, whom Faber meets Sept. 10. But that would be a mistake. While Brown isn’t as well known as Jens Pulver, the American Top Team standout has won 10 of his past 11 fights, including seven in a row, a streak that includes victories over Yves Edwards and Jeff Curran.

4. B.J. Penn
Points: 100
Affiliation: UFC
Weight class: Lightweight (UFC lightweight champion)
Hometown: Hilo, Hawaii
Record: 13-4-1 (won past three)
Last month’s ranking: 3
Most recent result: def. Sean Sherk, R3 TKO, May 24
Analysis: If there were any doubt left that Penn wants a piece of Georges St. Pierre, the UFC lightweight champion made sure everyone noticed him on the floor at UFC 87. Penn was seen at cageside openly rooting for the Quebecker, then jumped into the octagon and grabbed the microphone. While there’s no dispute St. Pierre was the legitimate winner of their first match, there’s also no dispute the match was close enough to merit a rematch. There’s likewise little dispute a rematch would produce one of the UFC’s all-time best buy rates, which is why it probably will get made.

3. Georges St. Pierre
Points: 117
Affiliation: UFC
Weight class: Welterweight (UFC welterweight champion)
Hometown: Saint-Isidore, Quebec
Record: 17-2 (won past four)
Last month’s ranking: 2
Most recent result: def. Jon Fitch, unanimous decision, Aug. 9
Analysis: If you’re looking for any further proof St. Pierre completely has expelled the demons of his upset loss to Matt Serra, just look at the scorecards since the loss. GSP has fought 12 rounds in his past four fights. Two of those rounds ended in stoppage victories. In nine of the remaining 10 rounds, St. Pierre won on all three scorecards, with at least one 10-8 score in three of the nine. He has not lost a round since dropping the second to Josh Koscheck on two judges’ scorecards at UFC 74.

2. Fedor Emelianenko
Points: 119 (4 first-place votes)
Affiliation: Free agent (WAMMA heavyweight champion)
Weight class: Heavyweight
Hometown: Stary Oskol, Russia
Record: 28-1, 1 no-contest (won past nine)
Last month’s ranking: 4
Most recent result: def. Tim Sylvia, R1 submission, July 19.
Analysis: While there’s no disputing the dominance of Fedor’s win last month, it also is clear through the benefit of hindsight that Sylvia, who has lost three of his past four fights, couldn’t hang with the world’s elite heavyweights. Sylvia fell short against Emelianenko, Couture and Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira in the past 18 months. With Fedor sidelined for now with a hand injury, expect his next foe to be whichever freak show Japanese promoters serve up for his annual New Year’s Eve cupcake dinner.

1. Anderson Silva
Points: 134 (10 first-place votes)
Affiliation: UFC
Weight class: Middleweight (UFC middleweight champion)
Hometown: Curitiba, Brazil
Record: 22-4 (won past eight)
Last month’s ranking: 1
Most recent result: def. James Irvin, R1 TKO, July 19
Analysis: If we’re going to criticize Fedor for his caliber of competition, we’ve got to be fair and do the same for Silva. UFC is basically serving up Patrick Cote’s head on a platter for the UFC 90 main event in suburban Chicago in October in what on paper seems the most one-sided title match in quite some time. But then, that’s the downside of cleaning out the division in the manner Silva has.

More

• Votes for others: Lyoto Machida 5; Narofumi Yamamoto 4; Eddie Alvarez 3; Dan Henderson, Chuck Liddell 2; Carlos Condit, Shinya Aoki, Jon Fitch 1.

Source: Yahoo Sports

ATT loses its head trainer

Responsible for the physical preparation at American Top Team, André Benkei called TATAME to announce his leaving from the team. One of the biggest names of the world on the physical preparation at MMA, Benkei is responsible for the preparation of all ATT athletes, but now leaves the team. “I left the team because of some idealogical disagreements with the ATT headcoach, Ricardo Libório. I had no trouble with the Dan Lambert or Conan Silveira”, said Benkei, that will continue working on some ATT athlete’s preparation.

“The main athletes of the team will continue working with me as a freelancer at Prime Time, but now I’m free to work with any athlete of different teams. I don’t fight for a team now, but Thiago Alves, Antônio “Bigfoot”, Thiago Silva, Gesias Cavalcante and Marcus Aurélio confirmed that they’ll continue with me. ATT will continue its life witha new guy and Liborio’s way of working”, told Benkei. For more about the changing at ATT, stay tuned on TATAME.com.

Source: Tatame

Thiago Silva ready for Lyoto Machida

Getting closer to the most important fight of his career, Thiago Silva faces Lyoto Machida on the fight that might define the next contender for the light heavyweight title. Training hard at American Top Team, Thiago still doesn’t have a strategy to face him. “I’m ready to fight. My preparation is good, I’m really focused. I came to now, but I was training in and will go to everything or nothing”, said Silva, that sees both athletes pretty equal at the division. “I think we both came where we are and faced great athletes, and who wins have all right to fight for the belt, and he has even more than me (laughs). But unfortunately I have to face another Brazilian fighter”, said the athlete to TATAME.

Source: Tatame

8/19/08

Quote of the Day

"You cannot create experience. You must undergo it."

Albert Camus, 1913-1960, French Author and Philosopher

Fighters' Club TV Tonight
Channel 52
NEW TIME of 8:00 PM!

A new episode that features the Pac Sub tournament at the MMA Expo.

We talk to the pound for pound best fighter in the world, BJ Penn.

East coast to Guam transplant and technical wizard, Mike Fowler shows off his leopard print hair and explains how he got his BJJ black belt in only 4 years!

K- Team and Relson Gracie competitor supreme, Brad Scott talks shop.

Last, but certainly not the least, the lovely, but fierce Mrs. Bjjtek expounds her roll as the enforcer of the Hawaii Ground better known as the HG.

If you are not on the Onzuka.com Hawaii Ground forum, you are missing the latest news from upcoming events, get to rub elbows with numerous promoters and fighters, and get to voice your opinion on any subject you can dream up. Hit the links above to sign up for a free account and start posting away!

POST INJURY, ANTHONY JOHNSON PLANS RETURN

Fresh off of a knockout victory over Tommy Speer in April, Anthony Johnson seemed to have the upper hand towards a decision victory against Kevin Burns at the July 19 UFC Fight Night. With just 90 seconds left in the fight, however, he suffered an inadvertent poke to the eye that went unnoticed by referee Steve Mazzagatti, but left Johnson on the losing end of a TKO with a detached retina.

Johnson has since undergone surgery to repair the injury. “I had laser surgery to reattach my retina and I got stitches in my eyeball right now,” he recently told MMAWeekly.com. “The laceration on my eye was from one end of my eye to the other.”

Johnson’s manager, Ken Pavia of MMA Agents, has been working on an appeal of the outcome, but Johnson doesn’t seem to let the result faze him all that much.

“I wasn’t really big on the whole appealing the fight anyway,” he commented. “Every single champion has a loss on his record. I’m trying to see myself as the bigger and better guy. If he’s the champion one day, I’ll accept an ‘L’.

“Everybody was hating on Mazzagatti because of the call, but he was on the side I was blocking on, so he actually didn’t see the guy eye gouge me. All he saw was the uppercut… he called what he thought he saw and I respect him.”

Of course he’s not happy with the decision. “I was disappointed because I did lose like that… when it should have been a no contest or a DQ. He saw what he thought he saw, so I’m not hating on him about it.”

But Johnson is already looking to the future instead of dwelling on the past, planning a return to the Octagon before winter comes. “The doctor said I can be cleared in September to fight, but I don’t want to fight in September. I’m just going to wait until October and get my eye right.”

Source: MMA Weekly

SEAN SHERK: "I WANT TO FIGHT THE BEST OF THE BEST"

It has been a year of anguish for Sean Sherk. First, he had to face allegations of using a performance enhancing substance in his UFC lightweight title defense against Hermes Franca, which was upheld by the California State Athletic Commission. He went through months of suspension and the stripping of his championship belt.

Then, in his return to competition in May, Sherk suffered a rare TKO defeat at the hands of current UFC lightweight champion B.J. Penn.

Still, Sherk keeps his head up and looks forward to his next bout, and an eventual return to title contention.

“I have five fights left (on my contract),” he told MMAWeekly.com. “I feel like I have a good, strong future with the UFC still. I feel like I’m a strong part of the organization. Maybe one or two wins will put me back in title contention again.”

Part of his surety of returning to fight for UFC gold is Sherk’s particularity in selecting opponents. He’s not interested in taking on just anyone that happens to show a spark of talent in the lightweight division. He wants to face the toughest competition around, the guys that, if he defeats them, will leave no one doubting that he should be back in the mix, fighting for a UFC championship.

“I’ve been real careful with who I’m going to fight. I want to fight contenders; I want to fight top guys,” Sherk stated to MMMAWeekly.com. “I don’t want to fight up and coming guys… I want to fight the best of the best and that’s what I’m doing with my upcoming fight.”

Though it has yet to be announced by the UFC, sources close to both camps say that Sherk’s next bout has been signed and he will face rising contender Tyson Griffin. The bout is expected to take place in Chicago on Oct. 25 at UFC 90.

The winner will surely be propelled within a fight or two of an eventual title shot, although the lightweight division is currently in flux as champion B.J. Penn lobbies for a move up in weight to rematch UFC welterweight champion Georges St. Pierre, while retaining the crown at 155 pounds.

Source: MMA Weekly

Check Mat takes No-Gi

Recently formed by Leozinho Vieira after leaving Brasa, Check Mat is already celebrating its first great achievement. With the results from all the categories tallied up, the team was shown to be the winner among teams of the 2008 No-Gi Jiu-Jitsu World Championship. The overall result was corrected this morning by the International Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu Federation (IBJJF) and placed Gracie Humaita in second, followed by Alliance. The IBJJF apologizes for the mistake.

The corrected final results are as follows:

Adult

1- Check Mat 52
2- Gracie Humaita 47
3- Alliance 47

Gracie Humaita has 5 champions and Alliance has 4

Master and Senior

1- Alliance 95
2- Gracie Humaitá 94
3- Gracie Barra 55

Source: Gracie Magazine

Caio Terra gets double in USA
Athlete takes both Gi and No-Gi Worlds at super feather

The life of an athlete is no walk in the park. After being crowned champion at the No-Gi Jiu-Jitsu Worlds at super featherweight, Jiu-Jitsu stylist Caio Terra only managed to make it home at 2:30 in the morning, after a 500-mile drive. On his way to his place, though, the black belt was content with the special significance of the medal for his career. It’s that last year Caio participated in the No-Gi Worlds and lost in the final to Samuel Braga (Gracie Barra). This year, however, the story went differently. Caio submitted Rafael Freitas (Gracie Barra) with a foot lock and took super featherweight gold.

“The fight with Rafael Freitas was the toughest I was in, but the only one I got the submission in. I went for the kneebar and he attacked my foot. I was chest down and they didn’t see his foot, but when he attacked my foot, Rafael defended the knee turning his foot inwards and letting the hold sink,” said the fighter.

Still in ecstasy for his victory, the Cesar Gracie athlete tells of how he received many phone calls and 10 emails from his proud mother. “Everyone thinks it’s awesome I won. Mainly because only Cobrinha, Braga Neto and I won both the Gi and No-Gi Worlds in the same year,” said Caio with excitement.

One week before participating in the championship, Caio said in an interview with GRACIEMAG.com that he was not putting much emphasis on physical conditioning because he believed in “technique over strength.” After putting theory to practice in the CSU Dominguez Hills gymnasium, Caio confirmed his theory.

“I don’t usually go in with a strategy for the fight. I feel comfortable in whatever place or situation. I change my game according to how my opponent fights, till he makes a mistake. I was feeling good in the fight, he was moving around a lot, the way I like it. I sunk an armbar and felt it was in real tight, but it slipped and he got out. Already going for the calf crunch, which surprised me, I defended but he swept me, going 2 points ahead. But I didn’t worry about it, if just because anyone who’s seen my fights knows at least 10 points are scored or there’s a submission,” he said. I was more determined than anybody, ever since I signed up for the No-Gi Worlds. I could only think about it. God blessed me once again,” finished confident Caio, who went further in saying his wish now is to be the first two-time roosterweight champion and manage a place in the ADCC next year.

Source: Gracie Magazine

Tussa: twice heavyweight champ
Fighter talks of win over Bruno Bastos

Roberto Tussa (Gracie Barra) managed to take gold once again this year at the No-Gi World Championship, becoming the first two-time champion of the heavyweight division. Tussa, in the final, beat Bruno Bastos (Nova Uniao) by 2 to 0 (takedown).

“I’d been keeping up with Bruno Bastos. He’s a very strategic fighter. I studied his fights. He fought a friend of mine, Alexandre Dante, and it was 2 to 2 and he managed an armbar at the very end. I also knew he was good at flying armbars, so I already knew who I would fight against. I’d never faced him, but I had an idea. In my opinion he’s a guy who doesn’t risk much, so [in the final] I practically just played his game and we just traded grips. At about two minutes he messed up with an armdrag, but ended up going out of the ring and I gained an advantage. Then he tried another armdrag and left the ring again, so I ended up getting two points. When I had 2 points and an advantage, I started administering the fight. I’ll say I didn’t stall, because I don’t like stalling, but I was trying for takedowns and he wasn’t taking any risks, so I didn’t take any risks either. I ended up using his game to beat him,” confirmed Roberto Tussa.

Tussa tried for the absolute, but didn’t get it, stopping in the semifinal to Antonio Braga Neto (Ralph Gracie), the standout of the championship for winning the absolute. Tussa took third, as he did in 2007. “We fought really well and at 6 or 7 minutes he took my back and scored 6 points. Then he managed to put in the hooks and scored another 4, so he ended up beating me. I took third, but it was a learning and growing experience. The next day I competed with my head in the right place and scored 21 points and got the finish with a triangle,” said Tussa, who intends to return to training at full blast with the objective of competing at the No-Gi Pan-American, to take place in the first week of October, in New York.

Source: Gracie Magazine

Minotouro smiling again
MMA star happy about Affliction

Rogerio Minotouro was one of the top MMA fighters to suffer most with Pride FC's demise. Since the end of the Japanese promotion until his return to the ring, nearly 12 months have elapsed. The comeback, held at the already-extinct HCF, was victorious, but the end of the Canadian organization again left his career in limbo. The creation of Affliction, however, opened a new door for the Brazilian standout, and the positive debut against Edwin Deewes, by technical knockout, made it clear he’s still got it.

Currently responsible by Team Nogueira, in Florida, Minotouro welcomed GRACIEMAG.com special collaborator Nalty Jr. for a talk. Check it out:

You went a long time without fighting. What is the importance of Affliction to your career?
I hadn't fought for four or five months. This turned out to be good, because I came back to the U.S., and MMA is strong here. Everybody knows that Affliction is a good promotion, with good fights, and I wanted to be a part of it. Thank God I was able to get into their first card.

What is the focus of your training? What specialty are you working on the most?
In Brazil I’ll be training a lot of wrestling with Jefferson, Rodrigo Artilheiro, Rafael Feijão. I’ll be training muay thai with Anderson Silva and Luis Alves. And of course I’ll continue with my ground training.

And what can you say about your fight?
It went as I expected. The guy came kicking, and when I noticed he was going to kick me, I was able to connect a straight punch on top of a kick, he felt it; then he started backing up a lot, then felt a left punch. Then I saw the chance to get a knockout and seized it.

You’ve fought in the world’s greatest events. With your experience, what did you think about Affliction?
A good show. They’ve been doing a good job, Pride-style. Everything points to their success. They have good investors, a good organization. This was just the first event. It’s great, but it’ll get better.

How’s the new Team Nogueira, the Miami training center coming along?
The academy opened its doors two months ago, we already have a bunch of students, there’s already a group training to become professional. Next month we’ll probably have two athletes fighting in professional MMA. And it looks to get better. We’re doing a serious job, dividing our time between the U.S. and Brazil. The tendency is to find talent in Brazil and bring it here.

Is there a name you can reveal that will be representing the team?
Some time ago we revealed Drago, last year it was Feijao, but now I prefer to wait for these new guys to start fighting before I name someone. We already have some great talent here, but we want to wait for the fights.

What do you think about MMA these days?
A serious, long-term marketing job was done, by the UFC for example, and now the new events are following the line of work. The sport is very strong in the U.S., evolving very fast. So I think this is the right place to be. Here you can get athletes to fight every weekend, and that’s a dream to someone in MMA. That means the marketing work was very well done, people love MMA, it’s one of the biggest sports in America, just like in Japan. And now we hope Brazil catches this fever too.


Talk about the recent success, with mainstream media paying attention to the work of the Nogueira brothers.
This is very gratifying. We have a lot to be thankful for – coaches, training partners. Our work hás been recognized, and we evolve every day. Thank God the fans appreciate what we do. The more the fans like us, the more the media wants to show us, and that’s good not just for us, but for the sport as well.

Source: Gracie Magazine

Nutrition and Training in Cole’s Corner #1
Is a low carb /high protein diet correct for MMA training?

Dear Mike,

While the low carb/high protein diet is all the rage among casual dieters, it is not at all ideal for the MMA athlete. In fact, those who rigorously train MMA (>90 minutes per day) greatly benefit from a diet with a greater percentage of carbs than protein.

One of the major reasons for this has to do with the different roles that protein and carbs play for an athlete. Protein is used to build muscle, bone, skin, tendons, ligaments and other various bodily tissues. Carbohydrates on the other hand (along with fats) are used to supply energy during exercise. If a minimal amount of carbohydrate is available to fuel an athlete, the body compensates by breaking down its own protein stores in muscles to build its own carbohydrates for energy. Carbohydrates provide energy for active muscles either from the blood stream, or from glycogen, the stored form of carbs located in the liver and within muscles themselves.

An excess of protein may in fact cause adverse health effects for the kidneys, and bones.

The nitrogen that is at the heart of every protein can’t be stored or metabolized by our bodies. The kidneys are responsible for excreting all nitrogen from protein in urine. So having large quantities of protein puts extra stress on the kidneys. High levels protein in the diet may also cause dehydration since extra water is needed to flush out the nitrogen in the urine. (Yet another compelling reason to keep hydrated!)

Additionally, a high intake of protein is associated with an increase in the amount of calcium that is normally lost in the urine. Calcium is a mineral that is vital to the integrity of strong bones so obviously unnecessary losses should be avoided. There is also some evidence to suggest that this phenomenon is more common when athletes obtain their protein from purified protein supplements that also contain phosphorus. (Obviously if someone is getting their protein from fatty animal sources this increases the risk of heart disease and atherosclerosis)

So just how many grams of carbohydrates and protein should a fighter aim for?

This question is more precisely answered with reference to body weight as compared to a percentage of total calories.

For active male athletes regularly participating in strength and endurance training (>90 minutes daily)….

Carbohydrates: Maximum of 4.5 grams of carbohydrate per lb of body weight

Protein: Maximum of .77 grams of protein per lb of body weight

To calculate your own needs, simply multiply body weight by amount of grams

Example:
A 165 lb male athlete.
Carbohydrate needs: 165 x 4.5 = 742.5 grams of carbs
Protein needs: 165 x .77 = 127 g of protein

Best of luck with your training!

P.R. Cole
MS, RD Candidate
Program in Nutrition and Applied Physiology
Columbia University
New York, New York

Source: MMA Fighting

8/18/08

Quote of the Day

"If you want to live a happy life, tie it to a goal, not to people or things."

Albert Einstein, 1879-1955, German-born American Physicist

Fighters' Club Radio Mondays!

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Imanari wins bantamweight title at DEEP 37

Putting behind his featherweight title loss in May to Dokonjonosuke Mishima, Masakazu Imanari was victorious Sunday for DEEP bantamweight belt at DEEP 37.

Imanari, arguably the most dangerous MMA fighter when it comes to leglocks, captured the belt in spectacular fashion at the Korakuen Hall with a heel hook in 29 seconds against Hiroshi Umemura, who walked into the ring undefeated in his last eight fights.

Imanari improved to 15-6-1 with his eleventh submission victory. Imanari is also the holder of the Cage Rage featherweight belt.

In a battle with the DEEP women's lightweight belt on the line, Miku Matsumoto retained by knocking out Misaki Takimoto at 4:40 of the second round.

Source: MMA Fighting

Minowa taps out Frye with a kneebar at 'Gladiator'

The eccentric Ikuhisa Minowa submitted UFC 8 champion Don Frye with a kneebar Saturday at "Gladiator" in Okayama, Japan. The two PRIDE veterans were the headliners of the special DEEP and CMA co-promoted event from the Momotaro Arena.

Minowa took down Frye with a double-leg and began to work for a heel hook before finishing with a kneebar at 3 minutes and 56 seconds of the first round.

Frye's last appearance in Japan was in April 2007 at the final PRIDE event, where the 42-year-old from Arizona suffered a devastating loss to James Thompson. Frye took a fight earlier this year at a local event in Dallas and knocked out Bryan Pardoe in 47 seconds.

Minowa split his recent appearances for DREAM, submitting Bum Chan Kang with a kneebar at DREAM 1 and then losing a unanimous decision to Taiei Kin at DREAM 2.

In team action, the South Korea defeated Japan 4 to 1. Shooto, UFC and DEEP veteran Jutaro Nakao notched the Japanese team's only win with a second-round TKO over Yong Fun Lee. Michihiro Omigawa, in his first fight back in Japan after two losses in the UFC, lost to Chul Hyun Jung by unanimous decision.

Source: MMA Fighting

MMAFighting.com UFC Rankings for August 2008

Our UFC top ten rankings have been updated for August 2008 and includes adjustments resulting from UFC Fight Night on July 19 and UFC 87 on August 9.

Georges St. Pierre remains on the top of the welterweight division with his successful title defense against Jon Fitch.

Brock Lesnar might have single-handedly erased the stigma of being a former WWE pro wrestler with a dominant win over Heath Herring. Lesnar lands on the heavyweights list in the number six spot.

Please note, these rankings are for UFC fighters only. Our world MMA rankings can be viewed here.

MMAFighting.com UFC Rankings - August 2008

Champions:

Heavyweights - Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira
Light Heavyweights - Forrest Griffin
Middleweights - Anderson Silva
Welterweights - Georges St. Pierre
Lightweights - BJ Penn

Heavyweights

1: Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira
2: Randy Couture
3: Fabricio Werdum
4: Gabriel Gonzaga
5: Frank Mir
6: Brock Lesnar
7: Heath Herring
8: Cheick Kongo
9: Brandon Vera
10: Cain Velasquez
Notable: E. Sanchez, S. Carwin

Light Heavyweights

1: Forrest Griffin
2: Quinton "Rampage" Jackson
3: Chuck Liddell
4: Wanderlei Silva
5: Lyoto Machida
6: Mauricio "Shogun" Rua
7: Rameau Thierry Sokoudjou
8: Keith Jardine
9: Rashad Evans
10: Thiago Silva
Notable: M. Hamill

Middleweights

1: Anderson Silva
2: Rich Franklin
3: Yushin Okami
4: Dan Henderson
5: Thales Leites
6: Nathan Marquardt
7: Patrick Cote
8: Michael Bisping
9: Demian Maia
10: Ricardo Almeida
Notable: C. Leben

Welterweights

1: Georges St. Pierre
2: Thiago Alves
3: Jon Fitch
4: Matt Hughes
5: Josh Koscheck
6: Diego Sanchez
7: Karo Parisyan
8: Chris Wilson
9: Matt Serra
10: Akihiro Gono
Notable: M. Swick, D. Hyun Kim

Lightweights

1: BJ Penn
2: Sean Sherk
3: Joe Stevenson
4: Kenny Florian
5: Roger Huerta
6: Gray Maynard
7: Frankie Edgar
8: Tyson Griffin
9: Nate Diaz
10: Joe Lauzon
Notable: R. Clementi

Source: MMA Fighting

STRIKEFORCE DENVER EVENT TO AIR LIVE ON HDNET

Over the past two years, Strikeforce has carefully worked to expand its brand outside of its home base of San Jose, Calif.

They first took steps down the street to the Save Mart Center in Fresno and later a little further into Southern California at the Playboy Mansion in Beverly Hills. Earlier this year, Strikeforce ventured north, out of state for the first time, to the Tacoma Dome in the Seattle area of Washington.

The promotion heads back to the Playboy Mansion in September, then again ventures outside The Golden State. On Oct. 3, Strikeforce heads up and over the Rocky Mountains to land at the Broomfield Events Center on the outskirts of Denver.

The main event features a rematch as local hero and UFC veteran Duane “Bang” Ludwig looks to avenge a past loss to Ultimate Fighter alumnus Sammy Morgan. Several other UFC veterans also dot the card with a bout between Frank Trigg and Falaniko Vitale, and the participation of Phil Baroni and Pete Spratt.

Along with taking the live events on the road, Strikeforce has also managed to line up a couple of television deals. One is a weekly series on late Saturday nights on NBC that features fights and highlights from past events. The other is a deal with HDNet to air live events on the Mark Cuban-owned high-definition subscription-based network.

At the time that Strikeforce announced the Oct. 3 event, it was unclear what, if any, television coverage the event would receive outside of highlights being featured on the “Strikeforce on NBC” series.

Company vice president Mike Afromowitz confirmed to MMAWeekly.com, however, that Strikeforce’s “Denver show will be televised live on HDNet.”

Strikeforce’s initial agreement with HDNet calls for the network to air four of the promotion’s events live in 2008. The first such event was the event at the Tacoma Dome in February. The Denver/Broomfield event marks the second event to air live on HDNet.

No other Strikeforce events have been announced for HDNet at this time.

Source: MMA Weekly

HERRING MOVING ON, WANTS REMATCH WITH LESNAR

Heath Herring was convincingly defeated by Brock Lesnar at UFC 87 on Aug. 9 at the Target Center in Minneapolis by unanimous decision. Unhappy with his performance and the outcome, Herring looks to the future and would eventually like a rematch with the Division I collegiate wrestling champion and former World Wrestling Entertainment superstar.

Herring had high expectations heading into the octagon against Lesnar, but was caught by a right hand in the opening moments of the bout that sent him and his expectations crashing to the canvas.

"I think that shot pretty much changed the whole dynamic of the fight," said Herring. "I sure would like to know what would have happened if it hadn't landed."

"Once that right hand landed it was like I was fighting half blind, or pretty much blind at that point. It was all pretty much downhill from there," explained the 30-year-old heavyweight. " I just tried to come back and mount some type of offense. Unfortunately, I was never able to mount anything that significant...After getting rocked with a shot like that, and not being able to see, you're more in survival mode."

"It doesn't sit very well with me. I'll be honest. I mean, you go out there and right at the beginning of the fight get caught with probably the biggest shot ever and you're starting off right away in a negative position."

Lesnar's post-fight antics and conduct in the final seconds of the match have received as much attention as the right hand that nearly finished the fight in round one. When asked his thoughts on Lesnar's actions, Herring responded, "That's kind of what everybody expected. Isn't it? I mean, that's where he comes from. He's got the pro wrestling background. That's kind of what they do."

"If the fans don't like it, the fans need to make their opinions heard on it, but I expected as much," added Herring. "If that's how he's going to behave, that's how he's going to behave. I'd still like another shot at it, but we'll see how that goes later."

During the post-fight press conference, Lesnar commented that there was bad blood between the two camps leading up to the event that resulted in the taunting after the win. "That was for Heath's camp because on the way out to the Octagon there was some things said before the fight," stated Lesnar.

Herring disputes the bad blood claims. "I don't know really where all of that is coming from. I just recently heard any of that to be honest with you," said the UFC and Pride veteran.

Following the fight, rumors swirled about alleged injuries suffered in the loss. Herring assured MMAWeekly.com that the damage is minimal and expects a quick recovery.

"Everything should be all right," said the Texas native. "They thought I had a small orbital problem. But I think that's going to heal up and everything should be okay."</