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November
Pride Bushido 5
(MMA)
(Yokohama Arena, Japan)

September
Ring of Honor 6
( Kickboxing/MMA)
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Tentative

9/18/04
NAGA Hawaii State Grappling Championships
(BJJ & Sub Grappling)

9/11/04
K-1 Hawaii
(Boxing & Kickboxing)
(Aloha Stadium)

9/5/04
Kickin’ It
(Kickboxing)
(Palama Settlement Gym)


August
Ring of Honor 6

( Kickboxing/MMA)
(Maui)
Tentative

8/28/04
Hawaiian Grappling Challenge
(Submission Grappling)
(Oahu)

8/27/04
Punishment in Paradise
(Kickboxing)
(Kapolei High School)

8/21/04 or 8/28/04
Kickin’ It
(Kickboxing)
(Palama Settlement Gym)

8/15/04
Pride Final Conflict

(MMA)
(Saitama Super Arena, Japan)

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August 2004 News Part 1
 

Wednesday night and Sunday classes (w/ a kids' class) now offered!


For the special Onzuka.com price, click on one of these banners above!


Tuesdays at 8:30PM on Olelo Channel 52
New Time!

 8/10/04

Quote of the Day

"The principle goal of education is to create men who are capable of doing new things, not simply of repeating what other generations have done - men who are creative, inventive and discoverers."

Jean Piaget, 1896-1980, Swiss Experimenters and Theorists

Fighters' Club TV Premiere Tonight!


See yesterday's post for details!

Super Brawl Goes National!


A market test is being conducted and the dates and times of some of the airings are below.

FoxE = Fox Sports Espanol (check your local cable provider)
KRCA = Los Angeles
WBXX = Knoxville, TN
WTVK = Ft. Myers, FL
WUHF = Rochester, NY
SPIKE = Yes...Spike TV!

FoxE Mon 8/10 1:00am
KRCA Mon 8/10 4:00am
KRCA Tue 8/11 4:00am
KRCA Wed 8/12 2:00am
WBXX Wed 8/12 4:00am
WTVK Wed 8/12 12:30am
FoxE Wed 8/12 3:00am
KRCA Thur 8/13 2:00am
WUHF Thur 8/13 3:00am
FoxE Thur 8/13 3:00am
SPIKE Fri 8/14 4:00am
WBXX Fri 8/14 5:30am
KRCA Fri 8/14 4:30am
KRCA Sat 8/15 2:00am
WTVK Wed 8/19 12:30am
WUHF Thur 8/20 1:00am
WBXX Thur 8/20 5:00am
WBXX Fri 8/21 5:30am
WUHF Fri 8/21 1:30am

Check www.superbrawl.tv for more information.

Matt "The Law" Lindland Is Back


Matt "The Law" Lindland is back in the UFC and facing off against David Terrell at UFC 49, in just two weeks. Lindland recently appeared on MMAWeekly SoundOff Radio's sixteen fighters in sixteen days and discussed his upcoming match.

Lindland is, of coarse, a Team Quest fighter but when we caught up to him, he was up at The Pit training with John Hackleman and the crew. He has been sparring with Chuck Liddell and Scott Lighty, among others. Matt said, I've been "training with some pretty good kickboxers." Both Liddell and Lighty have matches coming up and the sparring sessions have been intense. Lindland's attitude toward training is, "I'm not in there trying to win every situation. I'm in there trying to get better as a fighter."

It seems like everyone Lindland has been training with are preparing for fights. Randy Couture is getting ready for Vitor Belfort. Dan Henderson thought he was going to fight in Pride and was training as if he were. Matt stated, "If you don't have guys that can pound on you and beat you and push you, you've never got anything to work to get better from." So far, training has been "excellent," according to Lindland.

Matt prepares for each fight essentially the same each time. To Lindland, his opponents are "all the same." Simply put, Lindland said, you "get in shape, work on your technique and then you go out there and fight."

Looking at the fight itself, Matt said, "It's hard to say where this fight is going to go." He added, "I do what it takes to win the fight." Lindland has seen a couple of Terrell's fights and said, "He [Terrell] seems to be real comfortable standing." He continued, "I hope he wants to stand."

Ideally, Lindland said, "I want to knock him out on my feet but I'll probably end up sitting in his guard and pounding him out." When asked if standing was the best game plan with Matt coming from a wrestling background, Lindland commented, "If he's beating me on the stand up, yeah, I'll slip a punch and get inside and take him down." Like he said, he does what ever it takes to win.

Terrell is coming off two nice wins in Pancrase and hopes to show Lindland that there is a new sheriff in town at 185 pounds in the UFC. Lindland is coming off two wins as well and plans on showing David that you can't escape the long arm of "The Law."

Source: MMA Weekly

Ken Shamrock - UFC 48 Fight Week Interview

Boxinginsider.com: What's up Ken, thanks for doing this quick interview with us. Lets start off with... you were on Jimmy Kimmel the other night - how did that go?

Ken Shamrock: It was great. It was pretty interesting to be out there. It was the first time I've been on the Kimmel show on ABC. He's definitely a funny person. He was goofing on Detroit - it was a great experiance - I hope they have me back.

Boxinginsider.com: This interview is being coducted as while you are on the way to tape the "Best Damn Sports Show." Can you tell us about some of the media you have been doing, and about some of the people you were talking to?

Ken Shamrock: Yes. I was on the Mancow Show with Dana White and I went on there for the June 19th show with Kimo and Mancow as crazy as ever. At the same time, I was doing a TV broadcast on Fox at 6pm in San Diego. So I had to do that in between training and the ring and the Mancow Show. It was quite an interesting morning. And now I'm on my way to the Best Damn sports show.

Boxinginsider.com: Can you tell us what you've been working on since your last interview with us? There's been a lot of talk -- you've been training with Leglock master, Erik Paulson and a few other people. If you could just let the fans know about everything you are up to.

Ken Shamrock: I've been training with Erik for about four months now -- and also an Olympic boxer from Italy Vitali Bellamundo. So I've been working with those two guys and they've been working with other guys -- Jay and Fred down in L.A. for my guys -- Vernon White, and a couple of other guys.

So we've got some fresh blood, some new ideas -- and I'm just feeling really good. My conditioning is up, my skills are coming back to me -- I had that injury and things are coming back really strong after that. So I feel good.

Boxinginsider.com: Can you give us a bit more of an in-depth idea of what you have been doing? People like to base their training off what you are doing. If you could tell us what exercises you are doing, etc?

Ken Shamrock: Well, when we first started out, we did a lot of mat-work and a lot of core training using surgical tubing with handles on it -- a lot of twists, a lot of clings, twists, lunges, jumps -- just a lot of different stuff with the surgical tubing. We did that for a while, and, of course, a lot of mat-work and we worked the bag and the kick-pads. We went over different techniques and the leg-locks, escapes -- trying to get my knee back to where it needs to be. In the middle we started sparring. We were going thirteen rounds, three minutes each -- different professional fighters coming in with me. So we did that. MMA, kickboxing and boxing -- a bit of all.

So that was pretty intense. And then there's my diet -- Belmundo has got my diet together -- I'm taking in an extra 200 calories. I'm eating well. bench presses, cleans, PowerSnatchers -- generally, to keep the legs strong and keep myself strong.

Now we've tapered down to where we're just doing two to two and a half hours of training, sometimes three -- and now we've got it down to an hour because it's close to the fight so now we're just going through drills and mat-work.

Boxinginsider.com: So can you tell us how your knee is doing, exactly?

Ken Shamrock: It's really strong. I'm feeling really good. The last two or three weeks, things have really come around for me. I feel a hundred percent. I feel really good.

Boxinginsider.com: There's been a lot of talk recently about a UFC reality show. Can you comment on any of those rumors right now?

Ken Shamrock: I really can't comment on them, because I really don't know the details of them yet. There seems to be some talk about it but I don't know the details yet.

Boxinginsider.com: Will Vernon White be facing Chuck Liddell at UFC 49?

Ken Shamrock: Well, as of right now, that's the card. That's what they've sent out to us. They've gone over the contract and things look good, so if Vernon wants to fight, this is personal -- he and Chuck had a beef a couple of years back -- Vernon said this is a great opportunity for him to go in and not only settle whatever their differences are, but also prove to people that he is a contender, that he should be out there.

Boxinginsider.com: How involved are you in Vernon White's training?

Ken Shamrock: He trains with me every day, so I'm very much involved in his training. So I keep wanting him to have a great fight. I think this should be a great fight for him.

Boxinginsider.com: Could you talk about the future of the Lion's Den?

Ken Shamrock: Right now we're starting to build things back up again. I took some time off, but then I got back into fighting and when I got back into fighting, it took some time. It's going to take some time to get everybody back in line again. The injury kept me out for a while but we're starting to pull the pieces back together. Mikey Burnett talking about coming back; Vernon White's going to be fighting in the UFC against Chuck Liddell -- we see good things happening there; I'm fighting June 19th -- I see good things happening there. So it look to me that things are going to start moving out. We've got a new clothing line out -- shirts and everything have come out. We're going to start to put them back into play. So things are starting to come around again.

Boxinginsider.com: Are you looking to inject any new blood, do you have any new prospects?

Ken Shamrock: Absolutely. There's a bunch of guys right now who are definitely prospects. They've been with us for a while but they've never had the opportunity to fight because of some of the things that happened with me, so we're going to start getting that going again. They've been fighting at shows here and there, so we'll just start sharpening them up and getting them where they need to be.

Boxinginsider.com: How do you see this Kimo fight unfolding? How do you plan to counter his jujitsu?

Ken Shamrock: I don't know. I can't get into that. When the fight happens, I'm going to react -- and that's how I've always fought. I'm not a baby when it comes to the match skills (laughs). I've been there a thousand times. The things that have improved with me would definitely be on the top. Secondly, I've got good hands and good kicks and those things I have improved with my ground game.

Boxinginsider.com: There have been rumors that if you beat Kimo you are fighting Tito Ortiz at UFC 50?

Ken Shamrock: No. There's no truth to that. There's definitely some talk about that -- that's what people want to see and that's what I'd like to have happen -- but it just depends on Tito Ortiz. If he's not going to be a workable person, we won't use him.

Boxinginsider.com: Your website's been buzzing about the fight coming up. A lot of people have inquiring -- are you doing any private training sessions if people wanted to train with you this summer? Will there be Lion's Den training tryouts again this summer? And: what do we tell the people who are reading this who send us emails saying they want to be the next ken Shamrock? They're fifteen years old, they've been training -- will they have an opportunity to train with you over the summer or in the future?

Ken Shamrock: Absolutely. After the Kimo fight, they can get hold of me on my website or through BoxingInsider (editors note contact MMABookings@aol.com)- they can send us emails and we will get back to them and give them information on where to go and how to arrange those things later on this summer.

Boxinginsider.com: Will you be travelling the country and doing private training seminars as well?

Ken Shamrock: Absolutely. After this Kimo fight, I'll be open to doing a lot of different things. I'm looking at doing a movie, and maybe going to seminars and different things of that nature, so my schedule will be open and I will be looking for things to do. So people will just have to get hold of me on the website www.boxinginsider.com or www.kenshamrock.com.

Boxinginsider.com: Do you have any interest in returning to professional wrestling after this fight? I know there are rumors that NWA: TNA might be interested in bringing you back.

Ken Shamrock: Sure. I had a good time wrestling and that's always an option. Right now I know TNA's been talking and they want to do some things but I haven't really been able to sit down and talk because I'm focusing on this fight.

But after this fight's over, if they're interested, I'll be happy to talk and see what we can work out.

Boxinginsider.com: Do you have any final thoughts? June 19th you're fighting Kimo. What do you think?

Ken Shamrock: Don't miss it. If Kimo comes in shape, I think this will be a great fight. And if he doesn't, then don't go to the bathroom.

Boxinginsider.com: We look forward to interviewing you again after the fight. Good luck to you.

Source: Boxing Insider

PRIDE OFFICIAL ODDS

Our good friend Joey Odessa at Sportsbook.com has created the latest odds for the upcoming Pride Grand Prix. Here's the opening odds. Odessa will be Monday's featured guest on MMAWeekly Radio.

2004 - Heavyweight Tournament Matchup
08/15/04 55 Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira -260
03:00 ET Sergei Kharitonov +200

PRIDE Grand Prix 2004 - Heavyweight Tournament Matchup
08/15/04 60 Fedor Emelianenko -280
03:00 ET Naoya Ogawa +220

PRIDE Grand Prix 2004 - Heavyweight Tournament Matchup
08/15/04 65 Kevin Randleman -210
03:00 ET Ron Waterman +170

PRIDE Grand Prix 2004 - Heavyweight Tournament Matchup
08/15/04 70 Wanderlei Silva -500
03:00 ET Yuki Kondo +350

PRIDE Grand Prix 2004 - Heavyweight Tournament Matchup
08/15/04 75 Mirko Filipovic -260
03:00 ET Aleksander Emelianenko +200

PRIDE Grand Prix 2004 - Heavyweight Tournament Matchup
08/15/04 80 Murilo Bustamante -295
03:00 ET Kazuhiro Nakamura +235

Source: MMA Weekly

BLACK AND FISHER WIN THIS WEEKEND

Jason Black won a close decision over Keith Wisniewski to remain undefeated in MMA competition at 17-0-1.

The fight was the co-main event on Xtreme Cage Kombat, held Saturday at the 7 Flags venue in Des Moines, Iowa.

It was the first loss in almost 2 years for Wisniewski, who almost pulled out the win by putting Black on his back and throwing bombs in the final 30 seconds of the third round.

Black's teammate, Spencer Fisher, also won to improve to 11-1. Fisher scored a TKO win over Shawn McCauley in the first round.

Josh Neer scored a TKO win via knees to the head midway through the first round of the other co-main event.

Source: MMA Weekly

UPDATE: RAFIEL TORRE MURDER CASE

Courtesy of LukeBeston.NET:

Rafiel Torre's trial is scheduled to begin on September 15, 2004.

On August 3, he appeared in court with his attorney (paid by Angelina Richards, according to our sources) and pleaded not guilty to murder, but was denied special circumstances allegations (as Gerald Strebendt testified, Torre, who before his arrest had told police that he had no involvement with the murder, is now claiming that he killed Bryan Richards in self defense.)

It will be interesting to see what effect, if any, the D.A.'s decision to not seek the death penalty against Torre will have on whether or not he decides to incriminate Angelina Richards in the murder. Although Torre so far has not told the police that she was involved in the crime, his loyalty could waver the longer he remains in custody.

As we previously revealed on this site, Torre has not had an easy time in jail and has been beaten severely on several occasions. This, along with reports of the Richards widow's affairs with other men during his incarceration (her current lover, a man named Frank, is her third since Torre's arrest) and the increasing unlikelihood that she will ever collect the USD$1 million from her husband's life insurance policy, might motivate Torre to reevaluate his initial strategy.

Keep checking LukeBeston.NET for more on the Rafiel Torre murder trial in the coming months.

A LukeBeston.NET exclusive--Must credit LukeBeston.NET when reposting, rebroadcasting or in any other way reproducing this article in part or in whole.

Source: Fight Sport

Brock Lesnar Speaks On His Transition Between WWE And The NFL

Yeah, yeah, I know. What is this doing on the page? I just thought that it may peak some interest of some of our readers. It did mine and I don't even watch wrestling practically at all.

The following is from NFL.com:

Leaving behind a career as a world champion in the WWE, former pro wrestler Brock Lesnar is trying his hand at pro football. Lesnar, who lives in Minnesota, signed with the Vikings and will be in training camp with the team. Lesnar spoke with NFL Total Access host Rich Eisen about the excitement of trying another sport, his rigorous training to get there, and his wily roommate. NFL Total Access airs Monday through Friday at 7 p.m. ET/PT (aired July 28, 2004).

Rich Eisen: How excited are you? You must be fired up.

Brock Lesnar: I'm very excited, overwhelmed, and I don't know what else to say. I'm just thankful for the opportunity that the Vikings gave me, and looking forward to going into camp. I'm just excited -- don't know what to expect. I'm just glad I'm going there.

Eisen: Well, obviously when you're talking about professional wrestling, in a way, some people might think this is a gag. But, you're leaving serious dollars on the table to try this thing out, Brock. Why are you doing this?

Lesnar: Well, this is a dream of mine that I wanted to fulfill, and I figured you only live once in your life. I climbed to the top in wrestling, and it was time for me to get out of there, so here I am. I'm looking forward to fulfilling this dream, and it was a passion of mine that I wanted to play football.

Eisen: Now you haven't played football since 1995, at Webster High School in your native South Dakota. What have you done to prepare for this?

Lesnar: Well, I don't know what you really can do to prepare for this. I'm just coming into this with an open mind. I'm trying to be in as good a shape as I can be in, and I guess I have a lot of faith in the coaching staff here to kind of mold me along and help me out, and that's all I'm really looking for. I don't know how to really prepare myself, I'm just going in with an open mind.

Eisen: Well, you went to Tempe for a few months at this world-renowned place for players to get into football shape. Tell us about your stay there.

Lesnar: Yeah, I got down to Athletes Performance in April and was there throughout the summer, and those guys worked with me to get me back into shape. In the midst of things, I got into a motorcycle accident, which set me back. So mostly this summer, I've been trying to heal up and get ready and wishing for somebody to give me this opportunity to play football. That's kind of where I'm at right now.

Eisen: Is there anybody who would dare to tell you you're a little nuts for trying to do this?

Lesnar: Well, I guess you've got to be a little nuts to live life in general. You know, I walked away from the WWE, left a lot of money on the table to pursue this. I just want to be happy, play football, be close to my family, and want to be around good people. That's why I live here in Minnesota.

Eisen: Any thoughts in Mankato in trying out the F-5 wrestling maneuver on any of your new teammates?

Lesnar: I don't think that'll win me over at the camp, no. I got that move perfected; I want to try some football things.

Eisen: Let's take a look at the depth chart you'll be joining. Obviously some of these guys have some serious credentials ... are you rooming with Chris Hovan in Mankato?

Lesnar: Yes, I'll be rooming with Chris in Mankato.

Eisen: Oh my God! That should be an interesting room, Brock.

Lesnar: It could be, it could be. I got a good teacher there, so that's my whole plan. I'm going to surround myself with greatness.

Eisen: Have you known Chris for awhile?

Lesnar: Yeah, I've known Chris going on four years now. He was a fan of mine when I was in the wrestling ring and I was a fan of his on the football field.

Eisen: Well, Brock, Mike Tice's plan for you right now is…he thinks that you're a great practice squad player and maybe sending you to NFL Europe. Is that something you would do?

Lesnar: Whatever it takes. Whatever it needs to be, I want to pursue this thing and give it a 110 percent. That's what I want to do.

Eisen: That's terrific. I guess you don't need me to tell you this, but now that training camp starts ... "here comes the pain!"

Lesnar: Exactly! Thank you.

Source: Pro Wrestling.com

 8/9/04

Quote of the Day

"When you have exhausted all possibilities, remember this: "You haven't!""

Thomas Edison, 1847-1931, American Inventor, Entrepreneur, Founder of GE

Fighters' Club TV New Episode Aires Tuesday!


Episode 23 is and and submitted to programming. It will air
August 10, 17, 24, and 31 at our new time slot, 8:30pm, Tuesday nights on Oceanic Channel 52.

This Episode features:

-Highlights from Superbrawl 36 155 lb Tournament—Kolo Koka, Mike Aina, Harris Sarmiento, Deshaun Johnson, Justin James, Bart Palaskewski, Roger Hueta, and Ryan Schultz plus interviews with Ryan "The Lion" Schultz and BJ Penn—Mike Aina’s trainer

-Also from Super Brawl 36, Niko Vitale vs. Yushin Okami with interview with Niko

-Technique of the Week—Shaolin Ribeiro demonstrating a wicked leglock from the half-guard

-Interview with Ronald Jhun on training and his upcoming UFC debut plus his fight w/ Andrew Chapelle in “Ring of Honor 2”

as always with Hawaii’s favorite FCTV heart throbs, Mike and Chris, “the infamous” Onzuka Brothers, and “that other guy” Mark Kurano in their most animated segment yet.

Comments, Questions, Suggestions,
(Girls, wanna be famous? Resumes with pics please) to:
fightersclubtv808@hotmail.com

Don’t miss it!

Punishment In Paradise NEWS!!
Friday August 27.2004
Kapolei High Gym

Here comes the MAN OF STEELE!!

Danny Steele
Vs.
Harris "Hitman" Sarimento (808 Fight Factory)

In an Exhibition match with 3x2 Minute Rounds these two fighters will square of to entertain the fans. We would like to thank Both Mr. Steele and 808 Management for making this happen.

Kickboxing Championship
Kaipo Gonzalez (Eastsidaz, Kailua)
Current Champion
Vs.
Marcus Moreno (Bulls Pin, Kailhi)
Chalenger

MMA Flyweight Bout
Mark Oshiro (Bulls Pin, Kalihi)
Vs.
Jamar (808 Fight Factory, Kaliua)

Light Middleweight Bout
Preston Lee (Animal House, Ewa Beach)
Vs.
Duke Saragosa (808 Fight Factory, Wahiawa)

Light Heavyweight Kickboxing Bout
Alvin (Animal House, Ewa Beach)
Vs.
Leon Spinks (Freelance, Kauai)

**Card Subject To Change**

MORE TO BE ANNOUCED SOON!!
Ticket Information 330-4483

RHADI FERGUSON IN ATHENS: IT FINALLY HIT ME!!

Olympic judoka Rhadi Ferguson of the U.S. has finally arrived in Athens. He is settling into there, ready to begin his competition in the 2004 Olympics. He has also found time to send us his latest message, the first from Greece. Here it is:

It finally hit me!! I woke up this morning - IN THE OLYMPIC VILLAGE!! I just couldn't believe where I was. I looked over at the dresser and saw my credentials and I had to pinch myself. I was looking at my picture and underneath it reads: 'Rhadi Ferguson - ATHLETE - United States of America' and in the right corner is reads 'ATHENS 2004'.

Goodness GRACIOUS!!!! At 6am Grecian time, I had a smile on my face that could have lit up the whole complex! Well, enough about that let me tell you about last night.

I got a little bit hungry so I decided to head over to the cafeteria, which is open 24 hours a day. In the cafeteria, you have you choice of whatever food you would like. There is a McDonalds, an Asian Station (with sushi!!), a cold cut section, a pasta and pizza section, a fruit section and a beverage section. I know I'm leaving stuff out, but the list would be too long otherwise. The cafeteria is awesome. Inside of the cafeteria, you could see athletes from all over the world!! It was just a beautiful sight to just see everybody getting along and shaking hands, bowing and smiling. This is what the world is supposed to be like, this is how we are supposed to govern ourselves as human beings. And to be honest with you, sometimes it takes sports (which tends to bring out the highest levels of diplomacy in individuals) to teach us that.

Well, I'm off. This morning we will finish the credentialing process and receive our Olympic outfitting (hat, shoes, bags, shirts, etc.).

Take care,

Rhadi Ferguson, CSCS
2004 Olympian
USA Judo

P.S. I thank God everyday for this opportunity and I thank you for choosing to experience with me. This is going to be one great virtual ride - so hold on!! :-)

Source: ADCC

All eyes turn to the International Masters and Seniors

Just two weeks past the 2004 Worlds and all BJJ eyes turn to the 2004 International Masters and Seniors. Several new foreign arrivals and many continuing visiting foreign fighters continue to crowd the mats of the Academies in Rio making for a veritable smorgasborg of BJJ. The Masters takes place on August 28th and is 'THE' tournament for the mature BJJ fighter!

For more info check out www.cbjj.com.br

Next week the Brazilian Belt Belt Camp hosts its 2nd stint under the watchfull and friendly eyes of World Champions Rodrigo Comprido, Felipe Costa, Rico Vieira. If you are in Rio and want to attend the camp email rodrigocomprido@hotmail.com or check out www.brazilianblackbelt.com

Source: ADCC

Ronaldo 'Jacare' and Roger Gracie both seen in Barra

The two protagonists of one of the greatest BJJ matches ever are both still cruising Barra da Tijuca in Rio. Jacare has been doing physiotherapy at Jacquie's clinic before returning to Manaus and Roger has been hitting the all you can eat Buffets and the mats in Barra before going back to London!

Gracie Mag and O Tatame have full feature issues on their match and the entire Worlds!

Speaking of Jacare, the current World Absolute champion will be comng to the USA in early September for a seminar series. Anyone interested in hosting a Jacare Seminar should email staff@jiujitsugear.com

Source: ADCC

Come To John Lewis' UFC Post Fight Party - Vegas Style!!!

Hi everyone. John Lewis here. I would personally like to invite each and every one of you, the loyal UFC fans to the after party of after party’s. The pool party of pool party’s, called Palm Beach Sunday’s, located at the one and only Palms Hotel and Casino in Las Vegas, Nevada.

It takes place one Sunday of each month and so happens to be the day after the next UFC August 22nd this month. Expect hundreds upon hundreds of beautiful women; incredible guest DJ’s, BBQ by the pool, hot go-go’s, swimming until night time, incredible entertainment and much, much more. Enjoy a cocktail with some of your favorite MMA superstars like Chuck Liddell and Tito Ortiz as well as quite a few Hollywood Celebrities as well. If you have heard of the $100,000 Palms girl spokes model competition across the U.S., this is that event. Get more palms girl info at www.palmsgirl.com. Unfortunately this is a 21 and over event. Bring your sun glasses, sun screen, and swim short suits. No punks allowed, only love at this party. Doors open at 1:00PM until the evening. If you would like to buy a Cabana it is on a first come first serve basis. You may e-mail me with any Palm Beach Sunday only questions at lewispromo@hotmail.com. I look forward to providing you all with a great experience.

Yours Truly,

John Lewis

Source: ADCC

UFC's SPIKE TV Show: Auditions Next Week!

Producers continue to work on development of The ULTIMATE FIGHTER, the UFC's reality TV show planned for SPIKE TV. Apparently, the show will feature fighters in the 156-170 lb weight class and fighters in the 186-205 lb weight class.

Fighters are being scheduled for an 'audition' week, starting August 15th. Not a lot of fighting or training is expected that week, however fighters will be interviewed and screened extensively. Fighter invitations were still going out as of late Friday evening, however some fighters have had the audition scheduled for several weeks.

Once the fighters are selected, the show will reportedly film from mid September thru early November of this year, with an elimination process evolving over the eight weeks. The TV show should air in the first quarter of 2005.

Source: ADCC

PRIDE Announces New Weight Classes

In a press conference during the first week of August, PRIDE president Mr Sakikabara announced the formation of two new weight classes. The two new weight classes announced are up to 70 KG (lightweight - 154 LBS) and 70.1 KG to 83 KG (Welterweights up to 182.6 KG).

With the matches on the next PRIDE FC event, scheduled for mid-August, centering around heavyweights and established stars, it is not clear when these weight classes will be seen in PRIDE.

Source: ADCC

INOKI BOM BA YE 2003 Promoters Sued

Legal proceedings in Tokyo District Court against the promoters of last year's INOKI BOM BE YE 2003 event held in Kobe, Japan have begun.

The lawsuit claims non payment of fight money for certain fighters contracted by Australian lawyer Miro Mijatovic to appear at INOKI BOM BA YE 2003. This list of fighters includes Stefan Leko, Semmy Schilt and Alistair Overeem.

Ibizcube Japan Ltd is the name of the company suing the BOM BAY YE with Mijatovic. Ibizcube Japan Ltd (now renamed MMP Alchemy Inc) specializes in Japanese consumer marketing consultancy and the management, marketing and promotion of athletes. Ibizcube Japan includes as its clients; the Australian Olympic swimmer, IAN THORPE and also the Australian Government body, Tourism Australia and also the Croatian Football Federation. In addition, Ibizcube represents the following fighters in Japan:- the RED DEVIL fighting team, including current PRIDE HW Champion, Fedor Emelianenko, Alexander Emelianenko, Amar Suloev and also members of the Golden Glory fighting team, Stefan Leko, Semmy Schilt and Alistair Overeem. Ibizcube is also the exclusive representative of the newly formed official CHINA SHAOLIN KUNG FU Team.

Source: ADCC

ADCC 2005 - North American Trials Invitation Process Underway!!!

Vernon, Canada to host ADCC's North American Trials on September 18th, 2004

Check out one of our event sponsors at www.DOGSofWAR.net!

'The official invitations for the North American Trials are on their way' states ADCC spokesperson Miguel Iturrate. 'This has been by far the best year as far as interest is concerned, and we think the field for this series of TRIALS will be the strongest ever'.

More than 20 applicants were received per weight class, with the under 145 lb and the 145 to 169 lb weight classes both receiving over 50 applicants. 'We have issued 8 invitations in each weight class' reveals the spokesperson. 'As people accept, we close the spot. If the invitation is turned down, we move on to the next person on the list, so the process is still ongoing'. Word is that already, several veterans of past World Championships have been accepted in this year's TRIALS.

The North American Trials will be in beautiful Vernon, Canada, and will feature 8 man tournaments in each of the 5 ADCC weight classes. 'The involvement of Canada adds another country where Submission Wrestling is being practiced, plus the level of athletes there has been skyrocketing.' states the spokesman. 'On August 14th, the TORONTO SHOWDOWN will occur, giving a Canadian athlete the chance to win and go to the TRIALS. These are both important events in the development of ADCC Submission Wrestling'.

Much more to come on the ADCC North American TRIALS in the days and weeks to come.

DOGS of WAR on Board as Sponsor!!!

DOGSofWAR.NET, a clothing apparel company has signed on as a sponsor for the ADCC 2005 series of events.

'We expect the World Championships to be a big event, with many people contacting us to sponsor already' explains the ADCC spokesperson. 'We wanted to have a wide array of sponsors, and DOGS of WAR has been a fighter friendly company that has been around for a while. We are happy to have their help in building up the hype for the SUPERFIGHT. Where better to unleash the DOGS of WAR than in the ADCC's Superfight?'

DOGS of WAR features a full line of apparel, as well as other MMA products. More importantly, DOGS of WAR is an active sponsor of MMA & submission competitors, and they deserve support! Check them out at www.DOGSofWAR.net.

Source: ADCC

 8/8/04

Quote of the Day

"The biggest human temptation is to settle for too little."

Thomas Merton, 1915-1968, American Religious Writer, Poet

Eben Kaneshiro Wins in KOTC!

KOTC Complete Results
August 6th, 2004
Soboba Casino, California

COMPLETE RESULTS:

- Larry Landless Vs Manny Rodrigues: Landless by Judges Decision.
- Scott Sepulveda Vs Fernando Gonzales: Gonzales by Strikes, RD 1.
- Jimmy Smith Vs James Wilks: Smith by leglock, RD 1.
- Paki Vs Ron Short: Short by Strikes, RD 1.
- Eben Kaneshiro Vs Jake Hyten: Kaneshiro by arm bar, RD 1.
- Charles 'Krazy Horse' Bennett Vs Takumi Nakayama: Nakayama by Choke, RD 1.
- Julius Askew Vs Scary Jerry : Jerry by Strikes, RD 1.
- Charlie Kohler Vs Steve Ewing: Kohler by Strikes, RD 1.
- Mike Kawamura Vs Greg Dalton: Dalton by verbal tap, RD 1.
- Ruben 'warpath' Villareal Vs Bobby Hoffman: Hoffamn by armlock, RD 1.
- Herb Dean Vs Tim Mendosa: Dean by Strikes, RD 2.
- Nick Davonso Vs Butch Wilkinson: Davonso by choke, RD 1.
- Preston Rawlings Vs Tedd Mcdonald: Rawlings, Mcdonald did not answer bell for round 2.
- Greg Macintyre Vs David Terrell: Terrell by Judges Decision.
- Andy Murad Vs Ray Lazama: Murad by Judges Decision.
- Frankie Bollinger Vs Dave Schultz: Bollinger by Strikes, RD 1.
- Andrew Burley Vs Paul Arras: Arras by Strikes, RD 1.
- Tony Berg Vs Andres Gomez: Gomez by Strikes, RD 1.

Source: ADCC

Akebono loses via decision to Rick Roufus

K-1 USA
Bellagio Hotel, Las Vegas, NV
Saturday, August 7th, 2004

Reports are that Japanese sumo wrestler Akebono did indeed pass his physical exams and was liscensed for his match agaisnt Rick Roufus. Word is that the sumo was immensley popular with the crowd. Go figure...

COMPLETE RESULTS:

K-1 Tournament:
- Brecht Walis defeated Carter Williams by KO in RD 1.
- Jorgen Kruth defeated Rony Sefo by unanimous decision.
- Alex Ustinov defeated Jan Nortje by unanimous decision.
- Mighty Mo defeated Sergei Gur by unanimous decision.

- Ray Sefo defeated Marvin Eastman by Ref Stoppage, RD 1.

K-1 Tournament
- Brecht Walis defeated Jorgen Kruth by unanimous decision.
- Mighty Mo defeated Scott Lighty by KO, RD 1.

- Rick Roufus defeated Akebono by unanimous decision.

K-1 Tournament Finals:
- Mighty Mo defeated Brecht Walis by KO, RD 2.

Source: ADCC

Hawaiian Pro Am Challenge
Submission Grappling 2004


Saturday, August 28th, 2004 / 11:00 a.m.
Saint Louis School Gymnasium
(Open to all competitors regardless of affiliation or style: Jiu-Jitsu, Wrestling, Judo, NHB, etc.)

FORMAT: No Gi; Sport BJJ/ADCC Rules; Single Elimination; Rules & Regulations on back.

WEIGH-IN / All Oahu Residents: Friday, August 27, 2004 / UH Athletic Complex #4 / Noon-1 pm, 6-8 pm
/ Non-Oahu Residents ONLY: August 28, 2004 / St. Louis School Gym / 8-10 a.m.

** Due to the high volume of late weigh-ins, and resulting delays on tourney scheduling and bracketing, all late weigh-ins after specified times, regardless of professional or amateur standing, will be assessed a late fee of $5 (no exceptions given). Organizers of this event also reserve the right to reject any and all late applicants.

PRO PRIZE MONEY:
Indiv. Weight Classes $700/1st & $300/2nd;
Absolute Class Only $1,000/1st & $500/2nd.

** Medals will be awarded to all 1st & 2nd place winners in the amateur ranks.

ENTRANCE FEES: Amateurs $40 / Professionals $80
** Pay at weigh-in (applications will be available on-site)

CONTACTS:
Romolo Barros @ 392-8330/E-Mail @
barroshawaii@hotmail.com;
James Tanaka @ 223-9363

AGE DIVISION: Junior / 17yrs & below & Adults / 18 yrs and over

Amateur/Beginner: Less than 2 years experience.
Amateur/Advanced: More than 2 years experience.
Professional/Expert: Any Adult with more than 2 years experience who wants to compete as a Professional.

Note: Experience level is determined from the date of your initial exposure to grappling/wrestling/bjj in a training setting, regardless of your progress or frequency of training. Please keep in mind that the goal of sportive competition is to test your skills and challenge yourself, and is NOT to guarantee victory by competing against lesser opponents.

WEIGHT DIVISIONS:
143 lbs. and under
144 - 167 lbs.
168 - 191 lbs.
192 - 216 lbs.
Absolute Class - Open to all weights and 217 lbs. and over

RULES & REGULATIONS:

Legal Techniques:
· Any kind of choke (except for using the hand to close the wind pipe) with or without the use of the uniform.
· Any arm bars or shoulder locks.
· Any Leg Lock or Ankle Lock (no heel hooks).

Illegal Techniques :
· No neck cranks or heel hooks
· No striking of any kind
· No eye gouging or fish hooking
· No grabbing the ears
· No hair pulling
· No finger or toe holds
· No thumbing (body slamming)
· No scratching and pinching
· No kicking
· No biting
· No touching groin area
· No hands, knees or elbows on face
· No slippery substances allowed on body or clothing


Securing Points:
· Mount position = 2 points
· Back mount w/hooks = 3 points
· Passing the guard = 3 points
· Knee on stomach = 2 points
· Sweeps = 2 points
· Takedown = 2 points

Ways to Win:
· Submission
· Points
· Referee Decision/Disqualification

Time Limits :
· Amateur = 5 Minutes
· Professional = 10 Minute

Miscellaneous Information:
· All competitors must compete with clean attire.
· All competitors who fail to appear when their name is called will forfeit the match.
· The competition is not liable for any injury and/or accident involving competitors.
· The organizers of the competition reserve the right to consolidate weight divisions if there is a lack of competitors and competition.
· No video cameras allowed at the event.


Source: Event Promoter

UFC 49 Exclusive Odds from Joey Odessa and Sportsbook.com

Joey Odessa gives MMAWeekly the exclusive odds for UFC 49 first. Sportsbook.com is your new leader in MMA odds and they have up the upcoming UFC 49 card.

UFC 49-"Unfinished Business"
August 21, 2004
MGM Grand Garden Arena -Las Vegas, Nevada

Light Heavyweight Title Bout
Randy Couture -185
Vitor Belfort +160
3F-120/-120

Light Heavyweight Bout
Chuck Liddell -340
Vernon "Tiger" White +260
2F-120/-120

Lightweight Bout
Josh Thomson -125
Yves Edwards -105
3o-165/+125 (Over 3 -Fight goes Distance)

Middleweight Bout
Matt Lindland -265
David Terrell +205
3o-170/+130 (Over 3 -Fight goes Distance)

Welterweight Bout
Nick Diaz -135
Karo Parisyan +105
3o-125/-115 (Over 3 -Fight goes Distance)

Heavyweight Bout 10pm
Justin Eilers -130
Mike Kyle +100
2u-260/+200

Middleweight Bout
Joe Doerksen -190
Joe Riggs +160
2u-200/+160

Welterweight Bout
Chris Lytle -325
Ronald Jhun +250
2F-120/-120

Source: MMA Weekly

Hawaii Boys Pepper the Shooto Rankings

World Ranking on July 2004

Bantamweight / -56kg
C Mamoru, Shooto Gym Yokohama, Japan
1 Robson Moura, Nova Uniao, Brazil
2 Yasuhiro Urushitani, RJW Central, Japan - Up (win Ikoma)
3 Junji Ikoma, Chokushinkai, Japan - Down (lose Urushitani)
4 Homare Kuboyama, Shooto Gym K'z Factory, Japan
5 Masatoshi Abe, AACC, Japan
6 Hiroaki Yoshioka, Paraestra Tokyo, Japan
7 Takeyasu Hirono, Keishukai Gods, Japan
8 Ichaku Murata, New Ground, Japan

Featherweight / -60kg
C Ryota Matsune, Paraestra Matsudo, Japan
1 Kentaro Imaizumi, SK Absolute, Japan
2 Masato Shiozawa, Keishukai, Japan
3 Marco Louro, Nova Uniao, Brazil
4 Masahiro Oishi, Shooto Gym K'z Factory, Japan
5 Akitoshi Hokazono, Cobra-kai, Japan
6 Jin Akimoto, Akimoto Dojo Jungle Junction, Japan
7 Kimihito Nonaka, Purebred Omiya, Japan
8 Shuichirou Katsumura, Shooto Gym K'z Factory, Japan
9 Ryan Ackerman, Grappling Works, U.S.A.
10 Hudson Rocha, Brazilian Top Team, Brazil
(all the same)

Lightweight / -65kg
C Alexandre Franca Nogueira, World Fight Center, Brazil
1 Hiroyuki Takaya, Tanaka Juku, Japan
2 Joao Roaque, Nova Uniao, Brazil
3 Jens Pulver, Team Extreme, U.S.A. - Up (win Paling)
4 Stephen Paling, Jesus is Lord, U.S.A. - Down (lose Pulver)
5 Hiroyuki Abe, AACC, Japan - Down (Up Pulver)
6 Naoya Uematsu, Shooto Gym K'z Factory, Japan
7 Makoto Ishikawa, Purebred Omiya, Japan
8 Katsuya Toida, Keishukai Iidabashi Toi-Katsu Dojo, Japan - Up
(Katsuta retire, Yamamoto remove)
9 Rumina Sato, Shooto Gym K'z Factory, Japan - Again (win Quach)
10 Hideki Kadowaki, WKSS, Japan - Again (Katsuta retire, Yamamoto remove)
(I mistake, Toida is 10th ranked last month ranking)

Welterweight / -70kg
C Vitor 'Shaorin' Ribeiro, Nova Uniao, Brazil
1 Joachim Hansen, Team Scandinavia, Norway
2 Tatsuya Kawajiri, Team TOPS, Japan
3 Ryan Bow, Purebred Omiya, U.S.A.
4 Kaoru Uno, Keishukai, Japan
5 Luis 'Buscape' Firminho, Brazilian Top Team, Brazil
6 Marcio 'Cromado' Barbosa, Renovacao Fight Team, Brazil
7 Daisuke 'Amazon' Sugie, Alive, Japan
8 Takaharu Murahama, Gracie Barra VT Team, Japan
9 Kotetsu Boku, Killer Bee, Japan - New (Takumi remove)
10 Mitsuhiro Ishida, Team TOPS, Japan - Down (lose Ribeiro)

Middleweight / -76kg
C Jake Shields, Cesar Gracie Academy, U.S.A. (new champion)
1 Akira Kikuchi, Shooto Gym K'z Factory, Japan - Up (Cooper lose to Shields)
2 Ray Cooper, Jesus is Lord, U.S.A.
3 Jutaro Nakao, Shooto Gym Osaka, Japan - Up (Shields is up to Champ)
4 Ronald Jhun, 808 Fight Factory, U.S.A. - Up (Shields is up to Champ)
5 Chris Lytle, Integrated Fighting Academy, - Up (Shields is up to Champ)
6 Sauli Heilimo, Team Scandinavia, Finland - Up (Shields is up to Champ)
7 Shigetoshi Iwase, Team TOPS, Japan - Up (Shields is up to Champ)
8 Luis Besouro Jr., Renovacao Fight Team, Brazil - Up (Shields is up to Champ)
9 Kuniyoshi Hironaka, Academia Az, Japan - Again (Shields is up to Champ)
10 Manvel Gamburyan, Team Gokor, U.S.A.

Lightheavyweight / -83kg
C Masanori Suda, Club J, Japan
1 Dustin Denes, American Top Team, U.S.A.
2 Egan Inoue, Grappling Unlimited, U.S.A.
3 Martijn de Jong, Tatsujin Dojo, Holland - Up (Yamashita is down)
4 Scott Henze, Freelance, U.S.A. - Up (Yamashita is down)
5 Curtis Stout, American Jiu-Jitsu Academy, U.S.A. - Up (Yamashita is down)
6 Shiko Yamashita, Paraestra Sapporo, Japan - Down
(Cancels an appearance in just before the match)
7 Ryuta Sakurai, R-Gym, Japan - Up (win Bielkheden)
8 Jon Fitch, Americn Kick Boxing Academy, U.S.A. - Down (Sakurai is up)
9 Shonie Carter, Shidokan U.S.A., U.S.A. - Down (Sakurai is up)
10 Jason Black, MFS, U.S.A.

Pacific rim Ranking on July 2004

Featherweight / -60kg
C Vacant
1 Kentaro Imaizumi, SK Absolute, Japan
2 Masato Shiozawa, Keishukai, Japan
3 Masahiro Oishi, Shooto Gym K'z Factory, Japan
4 Akitoshi Hokazono, Cobra-kai, Japan
5 Jin Akimoto, Akimoto Dojo Jungle Junction, Japan
6 Kimihito Nonaka, Purebred Omiya, Japan
7 Shuichirou Katsumura, Shooto Gym K'z Factory, Japan
8 Hisao Ikeda, Purebred Omiya, Japan
9 Akira Komatsu, Cobra-kai, Japan
10 Daniel Lima, Five Rings Dojo, Australia

Lightweight / -65kg
C Vacant
1 Hiroyuki Takaya, Tanaka Juku, Japan
2 Stephen Paling, Jesus is Lord, U.S.A.
3 Naoya Uematsu, Shooto Gym K'z Factory, Japan
4 Hiroyuki Abe, AACC, Japan
5 Makoto Ishikawa, Purebred Omiya, Japan
6 Katsuya Toida, Keishukai Iidabashi Toi-Katsu Dojo, Japan - Up
7 Rumina Sato, Shooto Gym K'z Factory, Japan - Again
8 Hideki Kadowaki, WKSS, Japan - Up
9 Jin Kazeta, Philoktetes Niigata, Japan - Again
10 Bao Quach, Team Oyama, U.S.A.
(Katsuta retire, Yamamoto remove)

Welterweight / -70kg
C Vacant
1 Tatsuya Kawajiri, Team TOPS, Japan
2 Ryan Bow, Purebred Omiya, U.S.A. - Up
3 Kaoru Uno, Keishukai, Japan - Down
4 Takaharu Murahama, Gracie Barra VT Team, Japan
5 Kotetsu Boku, Killer Bee, Japan
6 Yoichi Fukumoto, Keishukai Chiba, Japan - New
7 Takumi, Paraestra Osaka, Japan - Down
8 Kohei Yasumi, Paraestra Tokyo, Japan - Down
9 Mitsuhiro Ishida, Team TOPS, Japan - Down
10 Daisuke 'Amazon' Sugie, Alive, Japan
(Gomi remove)

Middleweight / -76kg
C Vacant
1 Akira Kikuchi, Shooto Gym K'z Factory, Japan - Up
2 Ray Cooper, Jesus is Lord, U.S.A.
3 Jutaro Nakao, Shooto Gym Osaka, Japan - Up
4 Ronald Jhun, 808 Fight Factory, U.S.A. - Up
5 Shigetoshi Iwase, Team TOPS, Japan - Up
6 Kuniyoshi Hironaka, Academia Az, Japan - Up
7 Mark Moreno, Bulls Pen, U.S.A. - New
8 Deshaun Johnson, HMC, U.S.A.
9 Cris Brown, Extreme, Australia
10 Kolo Koka, Grappling Unlimited, U.S.A.
(Shields remove)

Source: ISC

Hermes França goes to BTT
by: Gleidson Venga / Team TATAME

Problems with one of his trainers have caused ATT's Hermes França to leave the American Top Team. Hermes explains:

'I had a problem with one of my trainers at ATT, and I was wrong. The problem has been solved, but I was not able to comeback to ATT and for this I feel sorry. But my relationships with everyone at ATT is still the same'.

The decision to move to the Brazilian Top Team was easy to take:

'It was the first thing that came to my mind. I have some friends there, such as 'Minotauro', 'Minotouro', 'Bomba', Rafael, etc. I talked with master Murilo Bustamante and he made a call to Ricardo Libório. I was waiting because he still had to speak with Zé Mário, Bebeo and the remaining leaders of the BTT team. It was all ok, thank God'.

Hermes will come back to Brazil August 18th, and he expects a good reception from his new friends:

'To tell the truth, I think that I will be received with kicks and punches! I know that in the BTT they are hardcore training, the way I like it!.

In a team with excellent fighters at his weight, including Luiz Buscapé and Milton Vieira, Hermes thinks that he fit right in:

'I think that each one has their spot. I will try to help them in what I can, and vice versa. Surely they will be the first to fight, but I know my place. I am clear and tranquil, because I have a fight already set in the MFC Euphoria, for October'.

The return to Brazil means that Hermes will be leaving America, where he learned to love the country, and become an international fighter:

'I will always keep America in my heart. The best moments that had happened in my life have been hereat ATT, I learned a lot and I grew up. ATT always will be in my heart. I cried , but I am a fighter and thank God I am going to a very good house. The only difference between the ATT and BTT is the first letter, but the professionalism is the same. I hope that God illuminates me in this new house as well'.

Source: ADCC

Matt "The Law" Lindland Is Back

Matt "The Law" Lindland is back in the UFC and facing off against David Terrell at UFC 49, in just two weeks. Lindland recently appeared on MMAWeekly SoundOff Radio's sixteen fighters in sixteen days and discussed his upcoming match.

Lindland is, of coarse, a Team Quest fighter but when we caught up to him, he was up at The Pit training with John Hackleman and the crew. He has been sparring with Chuck Liddell and Scott Lighty, among others. Matt said, I've been "training with some pretty good kickboxers." Both Liddell and Lighty have matches coming up and the sparring sessions have been intense. Lindland's attitude toward training is, "I'm not in there trying to win every situation. I'm in there trying to get better as a fighter."

It seems like everyone Lindland has been training with are preparing for fights. Randy Couture is getting ready for Vitor Belfort. Dan Henderson thought he was going to fight in Pride and was training as if he were. Matt stated, "If you don't have guys that can pound on you and beat you and push you, you've never got anything to work to get better from." So far, training has been "excellent," according to Lindland.

Matt prepares for each fight essentially the same each time. To Lindland, his opponents are "all the same." Simply put, Lindland said, you "get in shape, work on your technique and then you go out there and fight."

Looking at the fight itself, Matt said, "It's hard to say where this fight is going to go." He added, "I do what it takes to win the fight." Lindland has seen a couple of Terrell's fights and said, "He [Terrell] seems to be real comfortable standing." He continued, "I hope he wants to stand."

Ideally, Lindland said, "I want to knock him out on my feet but I'll probably end up sitting in his guard and pounding him out." When asked if standing was the best game plan with Matt coming from a wrestling background, Lindland commented, "If he's beating me on the stand up, yeah, I'll slip a punch and get inside and take him down." Like he said, he does what ever it takes to win.

Terrell is coming off two nice wins in Pancrase and hopes to show Lindland that there is a new sheriff in town at 185 pounds in the UFC. Lindland is coming off two wins as well and plans on showing David that you can't escape the long arm of "The Law."

Source: MMA Weekly

FEDOR TRAINING WITH IGOR

Fedor Emelianenko

Fedor Emelianenko announced on his website that Igor Vovchanchyn recently spent time last month in Russia training with Fedor, his brother Alexander Emelianenko and some other members of the Red Devil team.

Source: Fight Sport

SHOOTO TO START PROMOTION FOR WOMEN

SHOOTO announced the formation of G-SHOOTO Japan, which will be a SHOOTO promotion for women.

The first show will be in November in Tokyo. Future shows will also take place in Sapporo and Osaka.

Source: Fight Sport

 8/7/04

Quote of the Day

"Minds are like parachutes - they only function when open."

Thomas Dewar

Hawaii’s own Eben Kaneshiro Returns to the ring in KOTC
by: MMA Observer

King Of The Cage
Friday, August 6th, 2004
Soboba Casino, California

KING of the CAGE returns to southern California this Friday evening with a full card of 19 mixed martial arts fights. The main events are scheduled for the middle if the card. Charles 'Krazy Horse' Bennett Vs Takumi Nakayama is the main event, as a SHOOTO ranked fighter enters the KOTC cage to take on one of America's most excting fighters. OTher feature bouts are highlighted by Scary Jerry Vrabanowic, Aaron Brink, Charlie Kohler and Bobby Hoffman to name a few.

Also on the card is former UFC referee Larry Landless, who looks to extend his record from 2-0 in MMA. And no, that is not THAT David Terrell on the undercard.

Card Subjet To Change:

- Larry Landless Vs Manny Rodrigues
- Scott Sepulveda Vs Fernando Gonzales
- Jimmy Smith Vs James Wilks
- Paki Vs Ron Short
-
Eben Kaneshiro Vs Jake Hyten
- Charles 'Krazy Horse' Bennett Vs Takumi Nakayama
- Julius Askew Vs Scarry Jerry Vrabanowic
- Bo Cantrell Vs Aaron Brink
- Charlie Kohler Vs Steve Ewing
- Mike Kawamura Vs Greg Dalton
- Ruben 'warpath' Villareal Vs Bobby Hoffman
- Herb Dean Vs Tim Mendosa
- Nick Davonso Vs Butch Wilkinson
- Preston Rawlings Vs Tedd Mcdonald
- Greg Macintyre Vs David Terrell
- Andy Murad Vs Ray Lazama
- Frankie Bollinger Vs Dave Schultz
- Andrew Burley Vs Paul Arras
- Tony Berg Vs Andres Gomez

Source: ADCC

Cesar responds to Frankenroid 9/11

Frank,
After reading your rant on me I came to a conclusion many others had came to before me. Either you are a pathological liar or have become completely delusional. I suspect both to be true. When you stated you would fight "any Gracie at any time for any amount of money" and that "the Gracie's were dead and everyone knows it", I decided to take you up on your offer. That's right Frank, me. The guy that has no cage fights. Which according to you means "he's not a real man". How disappointed will all of our armed forces be, fighting around the world for our freedoms (even your freedom to lie and make a fool of himself) when they learn they aren't "real men" or women because they've never fought in a cage. Frank I guess I'm not a real man. However I will fight you in a cage, in a ring, or even in your backyard. The problem is you simply won't show up. In referring to yourself you stated: "Everyone knows who I am and what I do. I'm a respectable gentleman. If you want to fight me, there's no problem with that." I have some quotes from people that have dealt with you that might find your assertions confusing.

Scott Adams (promoter for the WEC) "The day Frank was supposed to sign the contract he just didn't show up"

Alex (the matchmaker for Rumble on the Rock): "Cesar has been waiting with pen in hand to sign for the fight"

(Pride matchmaker) "Frank wants to keep talking so that people will think he's still alive)

Dana White (UFC promoter) "he won't show up"

Renzo Gracie: "that f@$kin' guy, he won't show up"

Frank I know in your mind you will chalk this all up as a vast conspiracy. That's why extensive psychological therapy is a must. I submit before you some of your more amusing contradictions. I refer to them as Frank's Follies.

Frank- "I'm fighting Sakuraba"
Pride- "What?"

Frank- "I signed a 3 contract deal with Pride"
Frank- "I was going to sign it.... I never signed it at the end of the day"

Frank- "The Nevada State Athletic Commission won't allow Cesar to fight me because he has no record and they just won't allow that"
NSAC- "He never contacted us on the matter...we would have no problems with this fight"

Frank- "I'm a professional Martial Artist. I go to my class every night.."
Frank's students at AKA- "Where's Frank"

Frank- "he's (Cesar) not a real Martial Artist"
Cesar's students and fight team- "LOL"

Frank- "The Gracie's are dead and everyone knows it"
Frank- " I have all the respect in the world for the Gracie's. They are an exceptional family. They are exceptional Martial Artists"

Frank- He (Cesar) can't get a pen in his hand and sign anything"
Alex at ROTR- "Cesar has been waiting with pen in hand to sign for the fight"

Frank even you might notice a pattern here. You've had some good fights, now let it go. It's OK to live off your past glories but please quit wasting other people's time. Even your fans are getting sick of it. You don't want to disappoint your fans, do you Frank?

Sincerely,
Cesar Gracie

Source: Gracie Fighter

UFC 49 IS SET, UFC 50 CLOSE

UFC 49 is just a couple of weeks away from the beautiful MGM Grand Hotel in Las Vegas, Nevada. UFC 50's card is being filled out as we speak. Matchmaker Joe Silva has done a good job filling out both cards.

For UFC 49 we are seeing a lot of new blood. In the battle of the Joe's, it's Riggs vs Doerksen facing off for the first time in both of their careers in the Octagon. Heavyweight Justin Eilers steps into the UFC for his first time against Mike Kyle.

Highly publicized Cesar Gracie Student, David Terrell has a tough debut ahead, against number one ranked Matt Lindland, while Ronald Jhun finally gets to live his dream of walking to the Octagon for his first time against Chris Lytle.

While it's a card of firsts for half the card, we also see some old veterans settling the score in Randy Couture vs Vitor Belfort, who will fight for a third time. Also in a bad blood match, Chuck Liddell squares off against Vernon "Tiger" White in a fight that was supposed to happen years ago. We also see a score settled with who is the number one fighter at 155 in Yves Edwards and Josh Thomson, not to mention the ever so deep 170 pound division sees a big time battle between two young stars in Nick Diaz against Karo Parisyan.

As far as UFC 50 is concerned, the card is continually being worked on, but these are the future matches that have been talked about for the next card. Once again only a few of these matches have actually been signed so far.

UFC 50 - October 22, Atlantic City, New Jersey

Tito Ortiz vs Guy Mezger

Matt Hughes vs Georges St. Pierre

Charuto Verissimo vs Frank Trigg

Patrick Cote vs Marvin Eastman

Evan Tanner vs Robbie Lawler

Rich Franklin vs Jorge Rivera

Phil Baroni vs TBA

Tra Telligman vs Paul Buentello

Source: MMA Weekly

Royler and Pequeno:
How the lighter fighters earn their money!!!

by: R. Nogueira

In the world of MMA today, heavyweight fighters make more money than the competitors from the lighter classes. It is true that the audience usually prefers a confrontation between the bigger athletes, so the salary of the giants gets determined accordingly.

Two of Brazil's lightweight idols, 3xtimes Abu Dhabi champion & multiple JJ champion Royler Gracie (around 65kg) and SHOOTO champion Alexandre ‘Pequeno’ (around 65kg) are exceptions to the rule. 'I just closed a deal, and I think the money is fair' says Royler. 'I’m happy with my current status' says Pequeno.

Both have a few tips on how to make money in the lower weigh classes:

'It’s necessary to be patient to see your salary grow. I started making just one thousand dollars in my first fight in Japan' explains Pequeno.

'But fighters need to be prepared before they sign a small contract, because if they win one thousand dollars, but they break two teeth in the the fight, all the money (maybe much more) will be used to pay the dentist' alerts Royler, who considers himself a lucky guy: 'The fact that I come from a traditional martial arts family increases the value of my contracts' reveals Gracie.

'The fighters in the lower weights need to perform as well' completes Pequeno. 'Look for submissions and KOs. That way, the match gets hot and the public gets excited. Then, your salary goes up' advises Pequeno (which means ‘small’ in portuguese).

Source: ADCC

Korea's GLADIATOR FC - A Financial Bust?
by: MMA Observer

On June 26th and 27th, the eyes of the Mixed Martial Arts world were fixed on South Korea, as an event called Gladiator FIGHTING CHAMPIONSHIP went down. South Korea, with it's large population and strong economy was long hailed as a country that could host a world class MMA event, and despite several cancelled events and false starts, the two day event was seen as the start of Korea's emergence as an MMA venue by some.

Established MMA fighters Dan Severn, Ikuhisa Minowa, Brad Kohler, Antonio Rogerio Nogueira, Alex Stiebling, Paulo Filho, Daijiro Matsui, Anderson Silva and Jeremy Horn all fought on the first Gladiator event last June.

Word is that the roster of higher priced, established stars has cost the promoters dearly, as the two day event was not profitable. Reports state that the Gladiator FC will probably not run another show, and if they do, it will certainly not be of the scale of the inaugural event.

Many observers report that the level of the MMA artists in Korea is low by international standards, so bringing in the highest level of competition may not have been a wise move. It is clear that Korea has a recent MMA movement, as there are several events running on a monthly basis in Seoul, the nation's capital. An event called Spirit has successfully run several shows featuring French Canadian star Denis Kang (who is of Korean descent). Kang has fought in Korea half a dozen times in the past year to little international fanfare.

It will be interesting to see if Gladiator FC returns, or if the SPIRIT event will be the show that is able to run consistently in the Korean market.

Source: ADCC

Darrel Gohlar comments on Antoine Jaoude´s chances in Athens
By: Gleidson Venga \ Team TATAME

Darrel Gohlar, the reknowned American Greco-Roman wrestler recently analyzed Brazilain wrestler Antoine Jaoude's chances at the 2004 Olympic Games, scheduled for this summer in Athens. According to Gholar, Antoine should be confident:

'I think Antoine will have his chances. Since the end of the USSR and it's breakup into many other countries, the level of the wrestlers in eastern europe has dropped. The biggest team there is no longer training together anymore. Nowadays, there are more wrestlers but it´s not like before, when it was way tougher. Antoine is a smart guy, he learns what he has to learn real fast, so I think he can have a good performance in Athens'.

Darrel also stated that he thought it was a very positive thing for Antoine to take a trip to Bulgaria, where he will end his preparation for the Olympic games:

'It´s great for him to be there. Antoine will get to train with a big team of Wrestling that is preparing for the Olympics. He's going to learn a lot there. It will be very good for him.' Gholar reveals that the Bulgarian wrstling program is considered on of the most advanced and deep in the entire world.
Source: ADCC

Eastman Eyes K-1 Victory: Las Vegan Hoping to change His Recent K-1 luck
by Mike Sloan

LAS VEGAS, NEVADA -- The last time the world saw Marvin Eastman competing in the K-1, he was bravely battling former K-1 USA champion Michael McDonald. Eastman, had he landed possibly only one more crushing blow, almost took McDonald out in the first round of their April encounter. McDonald, however, displayed champion-like courage and was able to withstand the early Eastman barrage to eventually dispatch "The Beast Man" in round two. That fight was the first in some time that a losing fighter actually went down swinging.

Eastman has vowed redemption ever since that fatefule April 30th day and boasted that a return to K-1 would be a success. Sporting a 1-1 record in K-1 competition (his win came via third round knockout over highly-respected Duke Roufus), Eastman is positive that his diligent training ethics will pay off. This Saturday, Eastman is scheduled to face Sweden's Jorgen Kruth in the first round of Battle at Bellagio III, but he knows little, if anything, about his foe.

When asked about his upcoming bout, Eastman made it clear that he hasn't the foggiest idea of what his opponent is all about. "All I know is they got a bunch of Europeans, Dewey Cooper and Carter Williams" he said. "We’re the only Americans. Everybody else is European. (Cooper is not in the tournament.)

But Eastman is not just focused on his first round opponent, he's focused on proving that he is one of the world's best. All he needs is a break, but he feels that K-1 has jilted him up to this point.

"[K-1] ain’t never gave me no gifts," he stated. "The first thing they did was put me in against the top dude in the U.S. -- the two-time champ. It was only my second K-1 fight and I almost knocked him out. None of them give me gifts, no tune-ups like other fighters. But I’ll take that because they look at the package. K-1, boxing and King of the Cage -- if they want to do it -- that’s it. I’m going to stay busy. I’m an exciting fighter."

Many fans and possibly some insiders are probably unaware of Eastman's frustration with the fightsports, especially with K-1. Eastman was supposed to compete in a K-1 Japan event almost two months ago, but he was stopped at customs in the Japanese airport and disallowed entry into the Land of the Rising Sun. According to Eastman, K-1 didn't treat him fairly.

"It was the first time me and my team ever went to Japan.," he said. "We flew from Vegas to Detroit, from Detroit to Nagoya and it was the first time for us ever being there. When we got there, K-1 never told us that we had to have visas. If not, we were supposed to tell them (customs) that we were just there for pleasure. When we got there, they (customs) asked us what our nature of business was and we told them we were here to fight. And being that we needed a visa in order to fight and since we didn’t have any, they detained us for 12 hours and wouldn’t allow us to come through. They detained me and my manager and eventually sent us back to the United States. I didn’t know that and I didn’t want to go over there ill prepared.

"But the thing that was terrible was that K-1 put down that I failed my pre-fight physical," he continued. "That sort of thing leads to people speculating whether or not I’m a clean guy, like if I use drugs or this or that. Man, I never touched no drugs. I don’t even drink alcohol. I just don’t want anybody speculating that because I put too much work into this. I don’t drink, I don’t smoke, none of that stuff. If people want to do that, then that’s on them, but I don’t want this to taint my reputation because I work hard at what I do. I have a job where I work 10 hours a day and then I train for five. I don’t have the luxury of some of the big-named fighters who can afford to just train. I couldn’t even imagine what I’d be able to do if I could just train and then fight. But I gotta work 10 hours. I got a family to take care of. So for me, I don’t want anybody to taint my reputation or look at me funny because I have this physique. I’ve always looked like this. I was a 300-pound bench presser as a sophomore in high school.

"Everybody in my family has similar genetics, so I don’t want anybody to speculate about me. And to say that I didn’t pass my physical and not tell the truth where they wouldn’t let me through Customs because we had no visa, and that’s the truth, but somebody always has something to say. I want to set the record straight and to me, that’s an insult to my work ethic and everything that stand for, for somebody to say that. And that was from K-1 and I got word that they said Sherdog.com said it, too. I had my friends contact them with proof to show my notice of denial for me and my manager when they didn’t let us into Japan. I just want to set the record straight."

A livid Eastman explained to Sherdog.com that he never failed a physical and that his career as a jail guard depends on him maintaining purity.

"I took an oath of office, you know, for everything that I do," he explained. "Just because I’m an officer doesn’t mean that people can’t mess up. There are dirty officers and dirty people all the time. But for me, my reputation and my last name means too much to me. For me to do anything -- I’m 210 naturally and when I lift weights I can get up to about 215 to 218; my body fat always stays at four-percent; but if you look, I have four older brothers who are all built the same way; my dad is the same way, too -- so I don’t [have] anybody speculating anything about me because I put in too much damn work."

After all the nonesense and shannagins that ensued after being detained in Japan, it was expected that K-1 would at least try to reimburse Eastman and his team. According to both Eastman and his head trainer, Skipper Kelp, K-1 did nothing.

"[Well] I’m fighting again for K-1 on August 7th. I think they are going to try and take a little bit of care for me as far as money goes, but I still lost $7,000," Eastman revealed. "What was I going to do, go over there and demand my money? It was win or lose and I got $7,000. Why in the hell would I go over there if I had to spend money on visas and miss a lot of time at work to not get anything? I had to work nine days straight to make up for the money that I lost for those four days I was gone. Nine days straight without a break. I lost $7,000 so why in the hell am I going to mess that up?"

Eastman wasnt the only one to lose out on a paycheck when Marvin couldn't fight. Kelp missed a few meal tickets along the way as well.

"They didn’t reimburse me with crap," said Eastman's trainer. "I lost out and Skipper lost out. He lost a lot of money; he makes $100 to $150 and hour doing private boxing lessons. He lost four days of privates and when I don’t get paid, he don’t get paid. It’s terrible and the only thing I gotta try to do to get myself out of debt from this crap is to try and go in there and win the K-1. That’s why I’m staying busy."

Certainly, with everything that happened to Eastman in Japan, he has something to fight for and is out to prove every critic wrong. If Eastman can pull off an upset and become the champion of Battle at Bellagio, who knows what fortunes lay in his wake?

Source: Sherdog

TANNER SIGNS TO FIGHT LAWLER

On Tuesday, MMAWeekly.com's Ryan Bennett broke the story about Robbie Lawler and Evan Tanner most likely facing off against one another at UFC 50.

Yesterday, Tanner made it official, signing on the dotted line to formally agree to face Lawler at UFC 50. "I'm looking forward to it..." Tanner told MMAWeekly last night. "I'm interested to see how Lawler adjusts to 185 and see how competitive he will be."

More importantly for Tanner, he is glad to be fighting regularly in the Octagon. Ever since Tanner made the move to 185, he has found himself fighting frequently, something he didn't know if he would ever see after losing to Rich Franklin in the 205 division.

"I'm really happy to have steady work. If I can win this fight against Lawler, I would love a rematch against Rich. I feel like they stopped that fight way too early the last time we fought. I think people can see that now; especially, the way I've come back in the Baroni fights." Tanner said.

Source: MMA Weekly

Mijatovic Commences Legal Action against INOKI BOM BA YE 2003 Promoter

Mr. Mijatovic and Ibizcube Japan Ltd (now renamed MMP Alchemy Inc) have successfully commenced legal proceedings in the Tokyo District Court against K Confidence and Mr. Seiya Kawamata the promoters of last year’s INOKI BOM BE YE 2003 event held in Kobe, Japan.

Mijatovic is suing K Confidence for non payment of fight money for certain fighters contracted by Mijatovic to appear at INOKI BOM BA YE 2003, including Stefan Leko, Semmy Schilt and Alistair Overeem. In addition to the unpaid fight money; Mijatovic is suing for various other amounts owed to him by K Confidence and Mr. Kawamata resulting from breach of contract.

At this time, Mijatovic has been successful in obtaining a security over the proceeds that may be payable to K Confidence from its legal action against Nippon Television which K Confidence commenced recently.

Mijatovic said “Unfortunately, we have had no choice but to pursue formal legal remedies against K Confidence and Mr. Kawamata for their non payment of fight money and other breaches of contract to us. There are also various other parties who breached their contractual obligations to us and infringed our other legal rights in the lead up to the INOKI BOM BA YE 2003 event and thereafter; including those who made defamatory and libelous statements about myself and Ibizcube Japan. Together with our Japanese lawyers, we are now reviewing our legal position against all such parties and we will aggressively pursue our legal remedies against all parties who have infringed our legal rights.”

ABOUT IBIZCUBE JAPAN LTD. (now MMP ALCHEMY, INC.) Ibizcube Japan Ltd (now renamed MMP Alchemy Inc) specializes in Japanese consumer marketing consultancy and the management, marketing and promotion of athletes. Ibizcube Japan includes as its clients; the Australian Olympic swimmer, IAN THORPE and also the Australian Government body, Tourism Australia and also the Croatian Football Federation In addition, ibizcube represents the following fighters in Japan:- the RED DEVIL fighting team, including current PRIDE HW Champion, Fedor Emelianenko, Alexander Emelianenko, Amar Suloev and also members of the Golden Glory fighting team, Stefan Leko, Semmy Schilt and Alistair Overeem. Ibizcube is also the exclusive representative of the newly formed official CHINA SHAOLIN KUNG FU Team.

Miro Mijatovic is an Australian lawyer who is a 15 year veteran in Japan.

Source: MMA Weekly

 8/6/04

Quote of the Day

"History has demonstrated that the most notable winners usually encountered heartbreaking obstacles before they triumphed. They won because they refused to become discouraged by their defeats."

B. C. Forbes, 1880-1954, American Publisher

Hawaiian Pro Am Challenge
Submission Grappling 2004

Saturday August 28th, 2004 / 11:00 a.m.
Saint Louis School Gymnasium
(Open to all competitors regardless of affiliation or style: Jiu-Jitsu, Wrestling, Judo, NHB, etc.)

FORMAT: No Gi; Sport BJJ/ADCC Rules; Single Elimination; Rules & Regulations on back.

WEIGH-IN / All Oahu Residents: Friday, August 27, 2004 / UH Athletic Complex #4 / Noon-1 pm, 6-8 pm
/ Non-Oahu Residents ONLY: August 28, 2004 / St. Louis School Gym / 8-10 a.m.

** Due to the high volume of late weigh-ins, and resulting delays on tourney scheduling and bracketing, all late weigh-ins after specified times, regardless of professional or amateur standing, will be assessed a late fee of $5 (no exceptions given). Organizers of this event also reserve the right to reject any and all late applicants.

PRO PRIZE MONEY:
Indiv. Weight Classes $700/1st & $300/2nd;
Absolute Class Only $1,000/1st & $500/2nd.

** Medals will be awarded to all 1st & 2nd place winners in the amateur ranks.

ENTRANCE FEES: Amateurs $40 / Professionals $80
** Pay at weigh-in (applications will be available on-site)

CONTACTS:
Romolo Barros @ 392-8330/E-Mail @ barroshawaii.hotmail.com;
James Tanaka @ 223-9363

AGE DIVISION: Junior / 17yrs & below & Adults / 18 yrs and over

Amateur/Beginner: Less than 2 years experience.
Amateur/Advanced: More than 2 years experience.
Professional/Expert: Any Adult with more than 2 years experience who wants to compete as a Professional.

Note: Experience level is determined from the date of your initial exposure to grappling/wrestling/bjj in a training setting, regardless of your progress or frequency of training. Please keep in mind that the goal of sportive competition is to test your skills and challenge yourself, and is NOT to guarantee victory by competing against lesser opponents.

WEIGHT DIVISIONS:
143 lbs. and under
144 - 167 lbs.
168 - 191 lbs.
192 - 216 lbs.
Absolute Class - Open to all weights and 217 lbs. and over

RULES & REGULATIONS:

Legal Techniques:
· Any kind of choke (except for using the hand to close the wind pipe) with or without the use of the uniform.
· Any arm bars or shoulder locks.
· Any Leg Lock or Ankle Lock (no heel hooks).

Illegal Techniques :
· No neck cranks or heel hooks
· No striking of any kind
· No eye gouging or fish hooking
· No grabbing the ears
· No hair pulling
· No finger or toe holds
· No thumbing (body slamming)
· No scratching and pinching
· No kicking
· No biting
· No touching groin area
· No hands, knees or elbows on face
· No slippery substances allowed on body or clothing


Securing Points:
· Mount position = 2 points
· Back mount w/hooks = 3 points
· Passing the guard = 3 points
· Knee on stomach = 2 points
· Sweeps = 2 points
· Takedown = 2 points

Ways to Win:
· Submission
· Points
· Referee Decision/Disqualification

Time Limits :
· Amateur = 5 Minutes
· Professional = 10 Minute

Miscellaneous Information:
· All competitors must compete with clean attire.
· All competitors who fail to appear when their name is called will forfeit the match.
· The competition is not liable for any injury and/or accident involving competitors.
· The organizers of the competition reserve the right to consolidate weight divisions if there is a lack of competitors and competition.
· No video cameras allowed at the event.


Source: Event Promoter

Paul Buentello vs. Tra Telligman

Originally scheduled to face Canadian Ullisses Castro in an upcoming Heavyweight tournament in October, Castro's camp has informed MMA Ring Report that Buentello has opted out of the fight. Buentello will instead be facing Lion's Den fighter Tra Telligman who is a UFC vet and last fought at UFC 43 in a losing effort against Pedro "The Rock" Rizzo. Buentello is the current King of the Cage heavyweight champion having defeated Bobby Hoffman for the title and will be making his UFC debut. He was at one point rumored to be fighting
"Cabbage" Correira in a UFC contest but decided not to take the fight because of his friendship with Correira, so his AKA teammate Mike Kyle stepped in instead. Due to Tim Sylvia's uncertain status with his drug test at the time Kyle's opponent was switched to Wes Sims on late notice. Tra Telligman has been in the UFC octagon against the likes of Vitor Belfort, and Pedro Rizzo. He is also a Pride veteran having faced Carlos Baretto and Igor Vovchanchyn in the Japanese promotion.

Source: MMA Ring Report

'CABBAGE' SUSPENSION WAS OVER AT TIME
OF ROTR 5

Wes "Cabbage" Correira

According to one of the 'Rumble on the Rock promoters, Wes 'Cabbage' Correira's medical suspension by the NSAC (Nevada State Athletic Commission), ended before Cabbage participated on the ROTR 5 show on May 7th.

Here is what the ROTR promoter said on an internet forum:

"Cabbage was only suspended for fifteen days (TKO not KO) by the NSAC. We checked with them before we had him (Cabbage) fight. Interesting!!!"

Source: Fight Sport

Interview: Canada's DENIS KANG
by: Keith Mills

In previous articles we have caught up with Vancouver fighter Denis Kang several times on his rise to stardom. Now this Marcus Soares and Tony Pep trained fighter has a total of close to thirty fights. As Denis explained to us before he is open to fighting anywhere in the world but for the past six months or so has been fighting mostly in Korea where his fanbase has exploded. Recently he fought in K-1 to test himself.

KM: How do you feel about making your debut in K-1? DK: Good. I’m a little disappointed with the outcome itself, I would have rather have won but the same time I take the positive from it. I learned more from that fight about my standup and the mistakes I made and it gives me something to shoot for when I’m back in training which I’m doing right now.

KM: I thought that would be an excellent test of your standup because in K-1 it’s not really MMA so it shouldn’t apply to your record. Do you think you have holes in your standup? DK: Of course I have holes, nobody is perfect. I didn’t really get a chance to test because I got caught pretty early. I don’t think I made a huge mistake, I think the guy I fought was quite good. It just happens to have happened in the first minute. I’ll be back in K-1 again and definitely hope to test it some more.

KM: Wasn’t that one in Korea? DK: Yes it was.

KM: You have been fighting in MMA in Korea and your audience is growing out there. How was the audience perception to this fight? DK: The Korean fans are very very respectful. They understand what the fight game is; you win some you lose some. It doesn’t reflect on your ability that much, it’s just what happens. I got tremendous support from the Korean fans, a lot of e-mails “come back stronger, we don’t care how you lost”. A lot of support, a lot of positive feedback. It’s just amazing to see that kind of relationship I can have with the fans. I feel good inside.

KM: How would you describe that fight? DK: My plan was to counter his kicks. It was working well. I landed some shots, dropped him a couple times more with catching his kicks and tripping him. One minute into it he threw an overhand right and I was throwing a right hand at the same time. His just landed earlier than me on the chin. Actually the funny thing is as I was going down I clinched him and did a bodylock trip takedown. Purely instinctive; I couldn’t control my legs.

KM: So you dropped him a couple times? DK: I didn’t drop him with solid, clean punches. He would kick and I would throw some punches and he would fall back.

KM: But nothing that would count as a knockdown… DK: No.

KM: What is next for you? DK: Next would be September 11th for the Spirit MC Grand Prix which would be a four-man tournament for the championship.

KM: How would you train differently for a tournament format? DK: I train the same for all my fights. I’m always in top shape Basically even the single fights I’m ready to fight in a tournament anyway. The fitness aspect of it is something I really work so I’m always ready to go for a tournament two or three fights. For this one I’m going to be focusing a lot on the mistakes I made in K-1 and the things I learned including the usual amount of jiu-jitsu and wrestling.

KM: We have talked before about your prior involvement in the Extreme Challenge/SuperBrawl tournament series a couple years ago. Was there anything you learned from that to make you prepare? DK: Not really. The things I learned…you just got to be in really great shape. Some of the things are more like what to do in-between fights. You just got to remember to go in chill. I believe in-between fights you don’t really have to warm up again. I warm up before my first fight, go out, come back in and chill until they call me out again, bounce around and get the blood going. That is it. You don’t have to be re-warmed up, you have to save your energy.

KM: Do you have any idea who else is going to be in this Spirit MC tournament? DK: Korean fighters. I don’t think you have herd of them. They are some of the best Korea has to offer. Koreans have really good wrestling and one of the guys who is Min Su Kim was an Olympic team alternate. One of the other guys that will be in it was the Korean in the K-1 tournament, Lee Myon Ju. He is tough, he is good. He gave (his opponent) all he could handle and just gassed a little at the end, he came off a little too early. I don’t think it should have gone that way.

KM: Anything else to get out right now? DK: I thank my sponsors Sprawl and Everlast.

KM: When did you pick up Everlast? DK: In Korea.

Spirit MC’s website in Korean is www.spiritmc.org while http://www.deniskang.com/home.htm is Denis’ home page where you can find his class schedule. Check out the ADCC News archives for more on Denis’ previous fights including live coverage from M-1 in St. Petersburg, Extreme Challenge in Utah, and UCC (now TKO) in Montreal.

Source: ADCC

APEX GENESIS: FOUR FIGHTS ADDED!
by: A Caporicci

(MONTREAL, QC) - APEX Championship Fighting: GENESIS is scheduled for September 5th, 2004 at the Pierre Charbonneau Center in Montreal. GENESIS will be headlined by UFC Veteran and local Montrealer IVAN MENJIVAR in a battle against Wisconsin native RYAN ACKERMAN. Also featured on the card is DENNIS “SUPERMAN” HALLMAN, who will be facing off against Team Miletich member TONY “THE FREAK” FRYKLUND.

APEX is the talk of MMA, as this organization continues to put together the strongest event ever seen in Canada. APEX plans on delivering a world class MMA event that will be hosted by none other than “THE FIGHT PROFESSOR” STEPHEN QUADROS.

Tickets are available via the Admission Network across Canada and the United States. Admission can be contacted via there website at www.admission.com or by telephone at (514) 790-1245 or toll-free at (800) 361-4595 in Canada or (800) 678-5440 in the United States.

ANNOUNCED LINEUP (Subject to Change)

Super Lightweight Single Bout
Ivan Menjivar (Tristar Gym) vs. Ryan Ackerman (Grappling Works)

Middleweight Single Bout
Dennis Hallman (Victory Athletics) vs. Tony Fryklund (Miletich Fighting Systems)

Light Heavyweight Single Bout
Tim McKenzie (Cesar Gracie) vs. Antony Rea (Team Lebanner)

Middleweight Single Bout
Fritz Paul (Charles Nestor) vs. Stéphan Potvin (Club de Boxe 454)

Welterweight Single Bout
Steve Berger (Rodrigo Vaghi Jiu-Jitsu) vs. Keith Wisniewski (Duneland Vale Tudo)

Lightweight Single Bout
Gerald Strebendt (10th Planet Jiu-Jitsu) vs. Santino Defranco (Nuclear Jiu-Jitsu)

Source: ADCC

2004 U.S. OLYMPIC TEAM ROSTERS
FOR COMBAT SPORTS

by: Eddie Goldman/ADCC Wrestling Editor

The 2004 U.S. Olympic Team rosters in some sports, most notably track and field, have had to be revised due to ongoing doping scandals. But the lineups of the athletes who will compete in the four combat sports in Athens have remained the same since their respective Olympic Trials were concluded.

Here are those rosters, as of August 5, including staff and coaching personnel who will accompany the athletes to the 2004 Olympic Games.

The athletes are listed by sport, then name, date of birth, birthplace, hometown, current residence, height, weight, weight class, and for wrestling, style.

BOXING (9)
Men (9)
Rock Allen, 9/5/1981, Philadelphia, Pa., Philadelphia, Pa., Philadelphia, Pa., 5'7', 141 lbs, Light Welterweight
Andre Dirrell, 9/7/1983, Flint, Mich., Flint, Mich., Flint, Mich., 5'11', 165 lbs., Middleweight
Vicente Escobedo, 11/6/1981, Woodland, Calif., Woodland, Calif., Woodland, Calif., 5'7', 132 lbs., Lightweight
Jason Estrada, 11/30/1980, Providence, R.I., Providence, R.I., Providence, R.I., 6'0', 240 lbs., Super Heavyweight
Vanes Martirosyan, 5/1/1986, Abouyan, Armenia, Glendale, Calif., Glendale, Calif., 6'0', 152 lbs., Welterweight
Ron Siler, 4/8/1980, Knoxville, Tenn., Knoxville, Tenn., Cincinnati, Ohio, 5'3', 112 lbs., Flyweight
Devin Vargas, 12/25/1981, Toledo, Ohio, Toledo, Ohio, Toledo, Ohio, 6'2', 201 lbs., Heavyweight
Andre Ward, 2/23/1984, San Francisco, Calif., Oakland, Calif., Oakland, Calif., 6'0', 178 lbs., Light Heavyweight
Rau'Shee Warren, 2/13/1987, Cincinnati, Ohio, Cincinnati, Ohio, Cincinnati, Ohio, 5'1', 106 lbs., Light Flyweight

Staff
Sandy Martinez-Pino, 7/28/1943, Pasadena, Calif., Albuquerque, N.M., Albuquerque, N.M., Team Leader
Basheer Abdullah, 10/12/1962, St. Louis, Mo., Ft. Carson, Colo., Ft. Carson, Colo., Head Coach
Anthony Bradley, 1/1/1955, New York, N.Y., Philadelphia, Pa., Philadelphia, Pa., Assistant Coach
Joe Zanders, 8/13/1946, Tuscaloosa, Ala., Long Beach, Calif., Long Beach, Calif., Assistant Coach

JUDO (12)
Women (5)
Nicole Kubes, 8/22/1986, Fort Worth, Texas, Fort Worth, Texas, Fort Worth, Texas, 6'0', 172 lbs., 78 kg
Charlee Minkin, 11/13/1981, San Francisco, Calif., Halfmoon Bay, Calif., Colorado Springs, Colo., 5'3', 120 lbs., 52 kg
Ronda Rousey, 2/1/1987, Riverside, Calif., Santa Monica, Calif., Santa Monica, Calif., 5'5', 139 lbs., 63 kg
Celita Schutz, 2/17/1968, Houston, Texas, New York, N.Y., New York, N.Y., 5'5', 150 lbs., 70 kg
Ellen Wilson, 1/8/1976, Salinas, Calif., Salinas, Calif., Colorado Springs, Colo., 5'3', 125.5 lbs, 57 kg

Men (7)
Martin Boonzaayer, 11/1/1972, Kalamazoo, Mich., Kalamazoo, Mich., Hoffman Estates, Ill., 6'1', 245 lbs., 100 plus kg
Rhadi Ferguson, 4/3/1975, Columbia, Md., Columbia, Md., Colorado Springs, Colo., 5'9', 220 lbs., 100 kg
Rick Hawn, 9/15/1976, Eugene, Ore., Eugene, Ore., Colorado Springs, Colo., 5'9', 178 lbs., 81 kg
Brian Olson, 3/6/1973, Tallahassee, Fla., Woodville, Fla., Boulder, Colo., 6'3', 198 lbs., 90 kg
Alexander Ottiano, 2/4/1976, Oneco, Conn., Lawrence, Mass., Lawrence, Mass., 5'7', 145 lbs., 66 kg
Jimmy Pedro, 10/30/1970, Danvers, Mass., Lawrence, Mass., Lawrence, Mass., 5'9', 161 lbs., 73 kg
Taraje Williams-Murray, 11/9/1984, Bronx, N.Y., Bronx, N.Y., Bronx, N.Y., 5'7', 132 lbs., 60 kg

Staff
Leonard Wessell, III, 11/22/1963, Seattle, Wash., Boulder, Colo., Team Leader
Eddie Liddie, 7/24/1959, Delones, France, Colorado Springs, Colo., Head Coach
Brett Barron, 9/22/1959, San Francisco, Calif., San Mateo, Calif., Assistant Coach

TAEKWONDO (2)
Women (1)
Nia Abdallah, 1/24/1984, Houston, Texas, Houston, Texas, Colorado Springs, Colo., 5'9', 125 lbs., Olympic Featherweight (49-57kg)

Men (1)
Steven Lopez, 11/9/1978, New York, N.Y., Sugar Land, Texas, Sugar Land, Texas, 6'2', 175 lbs., Olympic Welterweight (68-80kg)

Staff
Jean Lopez, 8/31/1973, TBD, TBD, Sugar Land, Texas, Team Leader/Head Coach

WRESTLING (17)
Women (4)
Sara McMann, 9/24/1980, Tacoma Park, Md., Colorado Springs, Colo., Colorado Springs, Colo., 5'6', 138.75 lbs., 63 kg Freestyle
Patricia Miranda, 6/11/1979, Manteca, Calif., Colorado Springs, Colo., Colorado Springs, Colo., 5'0', 105.5 lbs., 48 kg Freestyle
Toccara Montgomery, 12/30/1982, Cleveland, Ohio, Cleveland, Ohio, Cleveland, Ohio, 5'6', 158.5 lbs., 72 kg Freestyle
Tela O'Donnell, 7/16/1982, Homer, Alaska, Colorado Springs, Colo., Colorado Springs, Colo., 5'4', 121 lbs., 55 kg Freestyle

Men (13)
Stephen Abas, 1/12/1978, Santa Ana, Calif., Fresno, Calif., Fresno, Calif., 5'5', 121 lbs., 55 kg Freestyle
Daniel Cormier, 3/20/1979, Lafayette, La., Stillwater, Okla., Stillwater, Okla., 5'11', 230 lbs., 96 kg Freestyle
Rulon Gardner, 8/16/1971, Afton, Wyo., Afton, Wyo., Cascade, Colo., 6'2', 264.5 lbs., 120 kg Greco-Roman
Jim Gruenwald, 6/9/1970, Milwaukee, Wis., Colorado Springs, Colo., Colorado Springs, Colo., 5'4', 132 lbs., 60 kg Greco-Roman
Eric Guerrero, 5/15/1977, Santa Clara, Calif., Stillwater, Okla., Stillwater, Okla., 5'7', 132 lbs., 60 kg Freestyle
Dennis Hall, 2/5/1971, Milwaukee, Wis., Plover, Wis., Plover, Wis., 5'3', 132 lbs., 55 kg Greco-Roman
Jamill Kelly, 10/25/1977, Atwater, Calif., Stillwater, Okla., Stillwater, Okla., 5'7', 145.5 lbs., 66 kg Freestyle
Garrett Lowney, 10/3/1979, Appleton, Wis., Freedom, Wis., Freedom, Wis., 6'1', 211.5 lbs., 96 kg Greco-Roman
Kerry McCoy, 8/2/1974, Riverhead, N.Y., Bethlehem, Pa., Bethlehem, Pa., 6'2', 264.5 lbs., 120 kg Freestyle
Cael Sanderson, 6/20/1979, Salt Lake City, Utah, Ames, Iowa, Ames, Iowa, 6'0', 185 lbs., 84 kg Freestyle
Brad Vering, 8/21/1977, Schuyler, Neb., Colorado Springs, Colo., Colorado Springs, Colo., 5'9', 185 lbs., 84 kg Greco-Roman
Joe Williams, 11/26/1974, Bue Island, Ill., Iowa City, Iowa, Iowa City, Iowa, 5'8', 163 lbs., 74 kg Freestyle
Oscar Wood, 6/21/1975, Milwaukee, Ore., Ft. Carson, Colo., Ft. Carson, Colo., 5'7', 145.5 lbs., 66 kg Greco-Roman

Staff
Art Martori, 8/27/1942, Phoenix, Ariz., Phoenix, Ariz., Women's Freestyle Team Leader
James Ravannack, 7/23/1960, New Orleans, La., Metairie, La., Men's Freestyle Team Leader
Jeff Levitetz, 5/17/1957, Highland Park, Ill., Boca Raton, Fla., Greco-Roman Team Leader
Terry Steiner, 8/27/1969, Mandan, N.D., Colorado Springs, Colo., Women's Freestyle Head Coach
Kevin Jackson, 11/25/1964, Highland Falls, N.Y., Colorado Springs, Colo., Men's Freestyle Head Coach
Steve Fraser, 3/23/1958, Detroit, Mich., Colorado Springs, Colo., Greco-Roman Head Coach

Source: ADCC

ADDITIONAL MATCH ANNOUNCED FOR FINAL CONFLICT 2004

LOS ANGELES, California – The seventh and final match for FINAL CONFLICT 2004 has been announced and will feature Brazilian Top Team’s Murilo Bustamante versus Kazuhiro Nakamura of the Yoshida Dojo. This is in addition to the semi-finals and finals of the sixteen-man heavyweight tournament and the previously announced non-tournament matches. FINAL CONFLICT will take place from the Saitama Super Arena in Japan and is scheduled to debut on North American pay per view for customers of iNDEMAND, DIRECTV, and TVN on Sunday, August 22nd, 2004 at 9:00pm EST, 6:00pm PST. For customers of DISH Network, the premiere will be Thursday, August 26th, 2004 at 9:00pm EST, 6:00pm PST.

Dream Stage Entertainment also held a press conference in Tokyo to display the newly created Grand Prix championship belt, which will be awarded to the tournament winner at FINAL CONFLICT. The belt was constructed at a cost of US$250,000 and is handcrafted with gold and various types of jewels. Unlike PRIDE FC’s standard championship belts, this Grand Prix belt will become the property of the tournament winner. In addition, besides their fight purse, the winner will take home a bonus cash prize of 20,000,000 Japanese yen, which is approximately US$183,500.

Sixteen fighters started, now four remain … only one will be champion!

FIGHT CARD (Bouts shown in order)

- Murilo Bustamante vs. Kazuhiro Nakamura
- Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira vs. Sergei Kharitonov (semis)
- Fedor Emelianenko vs. Naoya Ogawa (semis)
- Kevin Randleman vs. Ron Waterman (reserve match)
- Mirko “Cro Cop” Filipovic vs. Aleksander Emelianenko
- Wanderlei Silva vs. Yuki Kondo

Tournament Finals: (Same Night)
- Winner Nogueira/Kharitonov vs. Winner Emelianenko/Ogawa

Fight card subject to change.

For more information on PRIDE FC, visit pridefc.com!

Source: Turi Altavilla

Live and Die By the Sword Alex Gong
A Tribute To A Warrior

by Muay Thai Guy, Admin @ www.IronLife.com & Team IronLife.com Writer

RIP Alex “F-14” Gong
Profile
October 14, 1970 - August 1, 2003
Height: 5'11”
Weight: 155 lbs.
Nickname: "F-14"
Fight Record: 27-2, 13 KO's
Team: Fairtex
Hometown: San Francisco, CA
Website: www.fairtex.com
Championship Titles
2001 National Siam Award “Best Fighter of the year”
2001 K-1 Super fight Winner
2000 K-1 Super fight Winner
1999 Light Middleweight World Champion
1998 Light Middleweight North American Champion
1997 Super Welterweight Intercontinental Champion
1996 Super Welterweight North American Champion
1995 Amateur Light Middleweight US Champion

A year has passed since the tragic loss of one of the finest of our time in the Kickboxing and Muay Thai world. Alex “F-14” Gong was the victim of a heinous gun crime as he was leaving the Fairtex Gym in San Francisco, California, when his car was hit by a Jeep Cherokee. Being the True Warrior Alex was, He confronted the offender who cowardly pulled out a gun and shot Alex.

Alex’s life was one of many accomplishments. Not only was he a world title fighter, a top class instructor and business man inside the gym, outside the gym, Alex was an upstanding citizen, family man and role model to his surrogate son, CJ (Son of his girlfriend, Mai Tran)

Alex knew about hard times and emphasized the importance and value of family. Knowing all too well what it felt like growing up without one. After his parents divorce when he was young, Alex was taken to India by his father and put in an orphan’s home. The young and brave Alex Gong managed to find his own way to the American embassy in Kathmandu when he was only 11 years old and managed to make his way back to the USA to be united with his mother, Nita Tomaszewski.

Not only was Alex Gong a role model to his family and to his own students and friends, he will be a role model and inspiration to everyone who has heard of him. In researching the life of Gong for this article, I was moved to find out not only about the fighter, but of the gentle soul that dwelled within an exterior that displayed the hard work Alex put in inside the gym.

Alex Gong did something many of us only dream of. At the age of 23 he decided to train in Muay Thai and realizing his potential, dedicated his life to the pursuit of his goal. Years of hard work, sacrifice and dedication saw him winning a world title 5 years later. On a personal note, this hit home as I often feel frustrated with having started Muay Thai myself at a later period in my life than most. And in having the same dreams as Alex had, he has served to be an inspiration to me in achieving my goals.

Alex Gong truly was a warrior with an indomitable spirit. Akin to a noble samurai who lives and dies by the sword, Alex proved this in his own life. He carried what he had learnt in the gym, what he had experienced in the ring, into his own life and as a true martial artist, used this to benefit himself and those around him.

On one occasion, Alex Gong witnessed a woman being assaulted by a man and no one intervened. Alex took it upon himself to help the woman and used his skill to take down the assailant. The assailant then said to Alex, “You hurt me” to which Alex Gong responded, “And what do you think you were doing to her”.

Living by the sword was a way of life for him, and as a martial artist with a warrior’s spirit, he died by the sword. In the actions that led to his departure from this world, Alex showed his warrior spirit in full light. Using what he had learnt, he confronted the assailant who indeed proved to be a coward.

I would like to imagine that Alex Gong is in a safer place now. Away from the cowardice of this world, away from the hate, prejudice and hardships we face. I can imagine him training and sparring with another warrior who was taken away from us, another Samurai, Andy Hug.

So, on this anniversary of the loss of Alex Gong, Let us focus on what Alex stood for and let us use his life and loss as motivation and encouragement for our own. Whether we wish to be world champion level fighters, better family people or better people within ourselves, Alex Gong’s life has shown us that we can be all we want to be if we persevere and dedicate our lives to what we believe is true.

On this note, I would like to send out love to the family and friends of Alex Gong. May his Warrior Spirit Live in on the lives of us all.

Friends of IronLife.com Take a minute to Remember Alex Gong

Quote:
By Scott Coker, CEO K-1 USA
"Alex paved a bright future for Muay Thai in America by creating an incredible training environment at his Fairtex camps. He was and forever will be looked up to by other fighters and trainers for his contributions and committment to the sport."

Quote:
By Carter Willams and Gene Fields
"Me and My coach knew Alex very well and would see him at all the strikeforce events. we'd talk about fairtex and he'd always ask what was new for me. We miss alex and his friendship alot and will never forget him. As a matter of fact, I wear my fairtex shorts in memory of him".

Quote:
.By John Wayne Parr
“I only had a chance to meet Alex once so I will do my best.

From the first time I heard about Alex Gong I wanted to fight him, there was Black Belt and Kung Fu magazines in the store here in Australia and the name that kept coming up was Alex Gong. I knew if I wanted to make my name in America Alex was the one I had to fight. Back in October 2000 I fought for the ISKA world title only to find out that the title I won actualy was owned by Alex Gong in America giving me another reason way we should fight.

In the year 2002 I moved to America and after a few months of living in Las Vegas, Master Toddy sent a team from his gym to compete against Fairtex. This was the first and only time I got a chance to meet Alex and he seemed like a guy that cared a lot for his fighters and the sport. Jeff Mustille, one of Alex's studnets was living in Australia for a year and was training at my gym. He told me he did many privates with Alex in the mornings and what a great guy he was.

We were all in shock the day we read what had happened to Alex on Ax, it was so shocking and out of the blue that surely someone was playing a sick joke. Over the next few days Jeff was sent emails from home with news clippings and he told me about web sites in San Fransico were I could find out more news about Alex and his killer. Then we read about how his killer had locked him self in a room and shot him self so he wouldn't be arrested by police, a waste of two lives now for no reason.

This would have to be one of the biggest loses in the Muay Thai community losing a great champion so suddernly for no reason expect being in the wrong spot at the wrong time. I hope Fairtex can keep producing many more champions to help keep Alex Gongs spirit alive. “

Quote:
By Lynda Lloyce
"Alex inspired a passion for Muay Thai that was truly infectious. He gave me and many others that same passion and I am thankful for that experience, which has really become a way of life for me. still think about him everyday. As someone who saw him everyday, I encourage those who did not to remember him as the person you saw in the ring because that's when he was at his absolute best.."

Quote:
By Din Thomas
"His loss is a tragedy. He was an inspiration to many and an asset to our sport. Pour it out for the brother who ain't here."

* Article by Muay Thai Guy, Admin @ www.IronLife.com & Team IronLife.com Writer.

Source: Sherdog

Mike Tyson Undergoes Successful Arthroscopic Surgery
Media Report

PHOENIX, AZ (August 2, 2004) – MIKE TYSON underwent successful arthroscopic surgery today to repair the complex lateral meniscus tears he suffered in the first round of his fight against Danny Williams last Friday night in Louisville, KY.

Prominent sports orthopedic surgeon Dr. Richard Emerson, who diagnosed Tyson’s injury over the weekend after evaluating the MRI and examining the knee, performed the surgery in Phoenix.

“We repaired four different torn compartments during the hour-long procedure,” said Dr. Emerson. “The fact that Mike continued boxing for as long as he did after the injury is nothing short of courageous. Under normal circumstances the pain and locking that occurs with this injury would make it impossible for any athlete to continue and he would have to be taken out of the game or the boxing match with assistance. I’m shocked that Mike was able to box for three more rounds after the injury occurred and that he was able to walk away from the ring.

“Mike’s prognosis for a full recovery is great,” continued Dr. Emerson. “He will begin therapy tomorrow, and the goal is for Mike to be over 90% recovered within approximately eight weeks.”

“It explains a lot,” said Shelly Finkel, Tyson’s adviser. “Once he lost the ability to pivot, turn, or move laterally, much less put pressure on his left leg, he lost the ability to throw anymore meaningful right hands which had been so effective up to the point of the injury.”

Source: Dog House Boxing

MR. INTERNATIONAL GETS THE CALL

Mr International just announced on his website that he has signed a three fight deal with Pride Bushido. Here is his post; "I am here to be the first to announce the great news of my acceptance of the three fight deal with DSE Bushido. Mr.International is taking the show on the road to Tokyo.

I want all of you guys to know that I can no longer wait for the american big show to ask for me back. I have been told that I basically was not needed because of the depth of talent. I have no hard feelings but gotta move on..... So guess what now, run for cover you mutha fukkas, chain the gate, lock the door there is a new kingpin in town takin' over. Call me old will ya,we'll see!!" - Shonie Mr. International Carter

Source: MMA Weekly

COFFEE GUY EXCLUSIVE: BARONI VS. RIVERA
By Coffee Guy

Before reading any further, please read our disclaimer first.

The following exclusive report was sent to us by our Zuffa informant called 'Coffee Guy':

A matchup of Phil Baroni vs. Jorge Rivera is being seriously considered for UFC 50, which is tentatively scheduled for October 22nd.

Both fighters are bangers and from the northeast area, and the thinking is that they would both draw a lot of fans to Atlantic City, where UFC 50 is being held.

I'll have more info on this next week.

Source: Fight Sport

COFFEE GUY EXCLUSIVE: TANNER VS. LAWLER
By Coffee Guy

Before reading any further, please read our disclaimer first.

The following exclusive report was sent to us by our Zuffa informant called 'Coffee Guy':

Zuffa has signed the matchup of Evan Tanner vs. Robbie Lawler for UFC 50, which is tentatively scheduled for October 22nd.

Zuffa decided against having Phil Baroni face Lawler. Although it would've been an exciting matchup that most fans would have liked to see, it seems that Dana White doesn't want to risk one of his poster boys having more multiple losses in a row, as both fighters are coming off of losses.

The UFC 50 lineup is starting to look like this:

Official (signed)
Tito Ortiz vs. Guy Mezger
Matt Hughes vs. Georges St-Pierre
Tra Telligman vs. Paul Buentello
Evan Tanner vs. Robbie Lawler

Unofficial (not yet signed)
Phil Baroni vs. TBA
Matt Serra vs. Hermes Franca
Ricco Rodriguez vs. Mike Kyle or Justin Wiezorek
Marvin Eastman vs. Patrick Cote
Renato 'Charuto' Verissimo vs. TBA (possibly Frank Trigg)
Rich Franklin vs. Jorge Rivera

Source: Fight Sport

ATKINS INSIDER: REASON BEHIND BUSTAMANTE VS. NAKAMURA
By Todd Atkins

From what I am hearing, the reason PRIDE is making the Murilo Bustamante vs. Kazuhiro Nakamura matchup is because Nakamura turned down a fight with Dan Henderson.

PRIDE is also not interested in making a rematch between Bustamante and Henderson at this point in time.

Source: Fight Sport

BUSTAMANTE STILL THINKING ABOUT HENDERSON

Murilo Bustamante spoke with Brazilian magazine 'Tatame' and said that while he is scheduled to face Kazuhiro Nakamura next week, he only sees Dan Henderson down the road.

"I had been preparing myself with the belief that I was going to face him (Henderson). It will happen whether it's sooner or later. It's one of my objectives for sure." said Bustamante.

"That fight is still not resolved. I don't consider it a loss. The headbutt, albeit accidental, influenced the result of that fight." added Bustamante, who asked for the fight to be a no-contest to no avail.

When asked about his upcoming opponent Nakamura, Bustamante says, "I talked with Rogerio (Nogueira) and we studied Nakamura's game. I will be better then him (Nakamura) standing and on the ground. To tell you the truth I am not worried. I was already preparing myself for a fight and this will be a good fight. He's a good fighter and very tough. He's a judoka and he'll try many throws, but I will establish my strong pace."

Source: Fight Sport

'MINOTAURO' READY FOR KHARITONOV

Rodrigo "Minotauro" Nogueira

PRIDE GP semifinalist Rodrigo 'Minotauro' Nogueira talked with Brazilian magazine 'Tatame' before leaving to Japan, and had the following to say when asked about his semifinal opponent Sergei Kharitonov:

"I have my strategy ready. He's a guy who likes to kick and trade strikes, and I know how to neutralize his game. I've been training a lot on my boxing and it's sharp right now. I will trade strikes with him, but not to the point where I'm getting too much damage. I want to reach the final in good condition."

Source: Fight Sport

OGAWA SPEAKS

Naoya Ogawa

PRIDE GP semifinalist Naoya Ogawa did the following interview with Playboy Japan (interview by Akira S.):

Playboy: Congratulations on your victory at PRIDE GP.

Ogawa: Thank you very much.

Playboy: At the beginning of the show, quarterfinalists were all in the ring. However, you were the only one who was not there.

Ogawa: No I was not there. I've wasn't in the ring for before my last two fights either...

Playboy: Is that your style to do it that way?

Ogawa: I am a wrestler. I don't show myself before I fight. I am in front of the audience when I first step into the ring to fight. That's the basic stance of professional wrestling.

Playboy: You were doing the Hustle pose in the ring after you finished your fight. The audience was captivated by your presence and routine.

Ogawa: Yes, I did it because that's the pro wrestling way.

Playboy: You had a period of two years out of MMA before you decided to come back...

Ogawa: It was not a period of no MMA for me. I just didn't want to abandon the pride I have for pro wrestling. Maybe some fighters are attracted by money. Well I don't care if they are that way, but for me I'm proud of being a pro wrestler. I had many offers to be in the shows but I didn't want to be influenced by political power. Fans will not follow me if I take the offer while having doubts.

Playboy: But you came to a full understanding with the front office of PRIDE this time?

Ogawa: We did not really have a discussion. PRIDE has a new staff now and they told me I can be in the show as a pro wrestler, so I said O.K. I'll do it. I had a difficult time deciding though.

Playboy: You'd like to advertise pro wrestling and Hustle rather than win the finals right?

Ogawa: Right. I am in PRIDE to advertise Hustle. That's why I keep winning in the tournament, so I can advertise just one minute, even one second longer. This is my joy and also my mission. My purpose is not to win the finals. Other fighters want to win the finals, but sorry, me no. I have to make myself clear on that one.

Playboy: As a result, your victory this time has beena good advertisement for Hustle.

Ogawa: I don't only advertise it in the ring. I do the interviews so that Hustle can be more well known. I keep trying to promote Hustle so they can be recognized. (laughs) I want many people to know about Hustle. I owe my success to the fans. That's why I can do my job.

Playboy: Does it seem increasingly probable that Rodrigo "Minotauro" Nogueira will be your opponent in the semifinals?

Ogawa: I don't know yet. Lots of people nowadays want to know the opponent as soon as possible. They want to draw a conclusion immediately. Just let them wait! They are sort of hasty, like when they see girls and they want to make love right away. (laughs)

Source: Fight Sport

 8/5/04

Quote of the Day

"Never let the fear of striking out get in your way."

Babe Ruth, 1895-1948, American Baseball Player

Punishment In Paradise
Friday, August 27.2004

Middleweight Championship
Cheyenne Padeken (Waianae)
Current Middleweight Champion
Vs.
Mark Moreno (Bulls Pen, Kalihi)
Challenger

Welterweight #1 Contender Match
PJ Dean (Bad Intentions, Waianae)
Vs.
Sean Taylor (Waimanalo)

Super Middleweight Championship
Deshaun Johnson (HMC, Kaimuki)
Current Super Middleweight Champion
Vs.
Wayne Perrin III (Team Bigdogs, Waianae)
Challenger

**CARD SUBJECT TO CHANGE**

MORE TO COME....

Word from Ronaldo Jacare

Kid got a quick word from World Absolute Champion Ronaldo 'Jacare' today. With everyone concerned about his arm condition the question had to be asked and Ronaldo said : 'The arm is doing great. I have been doing some physio and I have a lot of movement and range. I will be back giving people a hard time on the mats real soon!'

Source: ADCC

TRIGG APOLOGIZES TO THE UFC

In another MMAWeekly exclusive, the following letter comes from Frank Trigg himself, as he writes an open letter to the UFC.

"I find myself identifying with the old cliché “Actions speak louder than words” However, when it comes to me it is the reciprocal. I have once again allowed my “character” to the press represents me in a negative light. In other words, I ran my mouth off again.

It is discouraging to know that all of my hard work and dedication for the sport has been tarnished in the eyes of the Zuffa / UFC because of some of my recent interviews. I would like to address the people that I offended directly: Frank Fertitta, Lorenzo Fertitta, Dana White, and Joe Silva, please accept my sincerest apologies.

I understand that the UFC does not want to be recognized as “just another fight organization” Therefore, I need to curtail what I say and allow my actions in the octagon to speak for me. I’m not perfect and sometimes I let my passion for the sport take me over the top a bit, but you have my word that I will do my best to represent myself and the UFC in a more reputable fashion.

I would also like to address the “miscommunication” in reference to my sponsors. I didn’t mean to offend anyone. The last thing I want to do, especially with my big mouth, is to have my sponsors be offensive as well. If I have any sponsors that are questionable, I will be sure to communicate with Dana and get his signature of approval before moving forward with them.

I know at times I can be difficult to work with, but I will be making a conscious effort to be a better representative of the UFC. As well as the type of fighter that they would be proud to have step into their octagon.

Sincerely,

Frank Trigg

Source: MMA Weekly

Latest Pancrase Official Rankings (as of 8/2/2004)

[Open-weight]
the 10th Open-weight K.O.P. Josh Barnett (U.S.A./New Japan Pro-Wrestling)
#1 Yuki Kondo (PANCRASEism)
#2 Semmy Schilt (Holland/Golden Glory)
#3 Yoshiki Takahashi (PANCRASEism)
#4 Sanae Kikuta (Pancrase GRABAKA)
#5 Kiuma Kunioku (PANCRASEism)
#6 Nathan Marquardt (U.S.A./High Altitude)
#7 Ron Waterman (U.S.A./Team Impact)

[Super heavyweight(221lbs. and over)]
the 1st Super heavyweight K.O.P. VACANT
#1 Semmy Schilt (Holland/Golden Glory)
#2 Ron Waterman (U.S.A./Team Impact)
#3 Keigo Takamori (Pancrase MEGATON)
#4 Tim Lajcik (U.S.A./Gladiators Training Academy)
#5 Sehaku (RJW/CENTRAL)
#6 Jun Ishii (Chojin Club)
#7 Jimmy Ambriz (U.S.A./New Japan Pro-Wrestling)
#8 KENGO (PANCRASEism)

[Heavyweight(199lbs.~under 221lbs.)]
the 1st Heavyweight K.O.P. Yoshiki Takahashi (PANCRASEism)
#1 Tsuyoshi Ozawa (Zendokai)
#2 Kobus Huisamen (South Africa./Steve's Gym) *IN!
#3 Shamoji Fujii (freelance) *DOWN from #2
#4 Jason Godsey (U.S.A./I.F. Academy) *DOWN from #3

[Light heavyweight(181lbs.~under 199lbs.)]
the 3rd Light heavyweight K.O.P. Yuki Kondo (PANCRASEism)
#1 Sanae Kikuta (Pancrase GRABAKA)
#2 Akihiro Gono (Pancrase GRABAKA) *UP from #3
#3 Nilson de Castro (Brazil/Chute Boxe Academy) *UP from #4
#4 Daisuke Watanabe (PANCRASEism) *UP from #5
#5 David Terrell (U.S.A./Cesar Gracie Academy) *UP from #6
#6 Fabio Leopoldo (Brazil/Renzo Gracie Jiu Jitsu Academy) *IN!
#7 Yuki Sasaki (Pancrase GRABAKA)
#8 Keiichiro Yamamiya (Pancrase GRABAKA)
#9 Osami Shibuya (PANCRASEism)
#10 Ikuhisa Minowa (freelance)

[Middleweight(165.7lbs.~ under 181lbs.)]
the 5th Middleweight K.O.P. VACANT
#1 Nathan Marquardt (U.S.A./High Altitude)
#2 Izuru Takeuchi (SK Absolute)
#3 Kazuo Misaki (Pancrase GRABAKA)
#4 Eiji Ishikawa (Pancrase GRABAKA)
#5 Crosley Gracie (U.S.A./Ralph Gracie Jiu Jitsu Academy)
#6 Kiuma Kunioku (PANCRASEism)
#7 Yuichi Nakanishi (freelance)
#8 Hidehiko Hasegawa (SK Absolute)
#9 Osami Shibuya (PANCRASEism)
#10 Katsuya Inoue (RJW/CENTRAL)

[Welterweight(152.5lbs.~ under 165.7lbs.)]
the 1st Welterweight K.O.P. Kiuma Kunioku (PANCRASEism)
#1 Koji Oishi (PANCRASEism)
#2 Heath Sims (U.S.A./Team Quest) *UP from #8
#3 Takafumi Ito (PANCRASEism) *DOWN from #2
#4 Satoru Kitaoka (PANCRASEism)
#5 Yuji Hoshino (Wajutsu Keishukai GODS)
#6 Takuya Wada (SK Absolute)
#7 Kenichi Serizawa (Wajutsu Keishukai Suruga Dojo) *DOWN from #3
#8 Hiroki Nagaoka (MMA Dojo DOBUITA) *DOWN from #7

[Lightweight(141.4lbs.~ under 152.5lbs.)] VACANT

[Featherweight(under 141.4lbs.)] VACANT

Source: ADCC

OLYMPIAN RHADI FERGUSON:
'YOU GOTTA BE IN IT - TO WIN IT!!!'

Rhadi Ferguson, who will be representing the United States at the upcoming 2004 Olympics in judo at 100 kg/220 lbs., has been writing an Olympic journal as he prepares to go to Athens. The 29-year-old Ferguson, a graduate of Howard University, is also sending it out as a newsletter. He asked us to relay to everyone, 'If you want to be added to this newsletter you may sign up by sending an email to athens2004@aweber.com and write in the subject line SIGN ME UP!!'

Below is his latest newsletter, which has been sponsored by 'Intensity, Focus, Attention and Arousal: See How the Olympians Do It!!' at: http://www.attentionandarousal.com .

Well, I have one more workout to go!! I am still at the Olympic Training Center in Colorado Springs. The Freestyle and Greco Roman wrestling teams are still banging and everybody is really beat up, tired, irritated, and ready to go.

Everybody is really on edge, kinda like the same way we all get when the Olympic Trials get close. But now it's more serious. Everything is on the line. All the money, all your invested time, all of your pain and inconveniences - everything - it's all on the line.

The Olympic Games is the most exciting sporting event in the world. For about 2 weeks, the whole world tunes in to see the world's best athletes 'get down'.

Folks make their predictions and magazines like Real Judo and Sports Illustrated, give their predictions. Recently, I was in the cafeteria at the OTC and a lot of the wrestlers were pretty pissed off about the predictions made by Sports Illustrated for the Olympics. They were arguing back and forth and they were UPSET!! I had to stop and tell them - 'Hey, you've got to be in it - TO WIN IT!! And you're in it. The editor from Sports Illustrated cannot go out there and win a Gold Medal. Only you can, so damn what they say!! You're in it - so go win it!'

Everybody started laughing, but now when I walk in the cafeteria people say, 'YOU GOTTA BE IN IT - TO WIN IT!!!'

Rhadi Ferguson
2004 Olympian
USA Judo

'I'm in it!!!'
If you want to be added to this newsletter you may sign up by sending an email to
athens2004@aweber.com and write in the subject line SIGN ME UP!!
For more on Rhadi Ferguson, go to:

http://www.nbcolympics.com/athletebios/5019104/detail.html

For the official web page of USA Judo, go to:

http://usajudo.org/


Source: ADCC

AMERICA'S TEAM DOWN WITH MMA

If you caught MMAWeekly Radio yesterday you heard Ryan Bennett and Frank Trigg interview different members of the Dallas Cowboys at their training camp in California.

The funniest part about these interviews was how the national media reacted when in the middle of a question and answer session with running back Eddie George and ESPN, Bennett and Trigg chimed in and would talk ultimate fighting with George, befuddling all the sports reporters wondering who the two "reporters" were asking about MMA. Very funny stuff that you can catch on the radio archive if you missed yesterdays show.

The first Cowboy to be tracked down was none other than this year's first pick for Dallas, Notre Dame standout running back, Julius Jones.

Ryan Bennett: Hey Julius. Want to introduce you....This is Frank Trigg, ultimate fighter. Do you watch the Ultimate Fighting Championships?

Julius Jones: Yeah, I watch that.

Ryan: This guy just beat Dennis Hallman, just knocked him out. Your a great athlete, How would you do against Frank Trigg?

Julius: How would I do?

Ryan: Yeah, just look at this guy up and down. What do you think?

Julius: (sizes him him) I'd keep my pads on, I'll tell you that right now. [laughs]

Ryan: [laughs] You'd leave your pads on?

Julius: I'd leave my pads and helmet on.

Ryan: Would you take him out though? What would you use to finish off ultimate fighter Frank Trigg?

Julius: What would I use to finish him off?

Ryan: Yeah.

Julius: Shoot, I've got to get started first. [laughs] What do I got to do to get started?

Ryan: [laughs]

Julius: That is the question.

Ryan: Alright, appreciate it. Good luck to you.

Julius: Alright, thanks man.

Ryan: Trigg, you just heard from Julius Jones. What do you think? You're taller than he is.

Frank Trigg: I'm a little bit taller but he's a lot wider than I am and he's got cleats and helmets and pads on. It makes me a little nervous.

Ryan: I still like your chances.

Trigg: I do to but we're talking about bigger contracts.

Ryan: He was scared when you looked in his eyes. Did you see that fear?

Trigg: It's because I was winking at him.

Julius Jones wanted to keep on his helmet and pads but what would Eddie George have to say about the UFC? The Heisman trophy winner and, former Tennessee Titan running back turned Cowboy, is used to hard hits and leaving his opponents on their back looking up at him wondering what went wrong. Not that much different than what a fighter feels sometimes.

Ryan Bennett: Eddie, this is ultimate fighter Frank Trigg who wants to say hi to you right here.

Eddie George: (Smiles) What's up man? Nice to meet you.

Ryan: Do you follow the UFC at all man?

Eddie: Yeah, a little bit. Yeah, I've watched it a few times. I would never do it though. (laughs)

Ryan: How come man? You're a big guy.

Eddie: Big has nothing to do with it. Those guys are well trained wrestlers etc.

Frank Trigg: You're quick, you're agile.

Eddie: Yeah but you know how to fight. [everyone laughs]

(This is when the reporters from ESPN and Fox Sports looked perplexed and head coach Bill Parcells is stunned wondering what the hell Bennett and Trigg are doing there)

Ryan: Thank you Eddie. I appreciate it.

Eddie: No problem man.

Ryan: ...Right now, photographers, they think that we are crazy. Imagine this people. Trigg and I are hanging out and there's like, just a cow herd of people and I break out the ultimate fighting question. They looked at me like I had gas, bad gas.

Trigg: At first they kinda look at you like you're crazy but then, all of a sudden, they realize what you're talking about and they're like, Oh yeah I watch that. Oh, I'm into that too and these are, I mean, these are Dallas Cowboys and every guy we've interviewed so far is into the sport. They know what's going on and they are all scared of me, as they should be.

Bennett and Trigg had spoken with two of the Cowboys and they both admitted to watching the UFC and displayed a respect for it's fighters. At the same time, Eddie George understood that the fighters are well trained specialists in the beat down business. What would quarterback Drew Hensen have to say?

Drew Hensen is a rookie to the National Football League but a former Michigan University quarterback that went pro in baseball, to the Yankees, out of college. Drew actually was a starter at Michigan in front of two time Super Bowl champion Tom Brady. What does a guy who is a two sport professional athlete think about MMA?

Ryan Bennett: Hey Drew. This is Frank Trigg from the Ultimate Fighting Championships.

Drew Hensen: Oh yea.....Hi, nice to meet you.

Ryan: Do you ever watch the UFC?

Drew: Yes, I have. On pay-per-view.

Ryan: He just won his last fight. How would you do against a guy like this?

Drew: (Looks at Trigg) Not a chance. I'd have no chance. Maybe basketball or something else but not fighting. (laughs)

Ryan: Trigg, do you have anything you'd like to say to Drew?

Frank Trigg: Wow. He's a lot bigger in person than I thought he was going to be. This is ridiculous.

Drew: Compared to everyone else on the team, I'm decent size in person but not one of the bigger teammates.

Ryan: Drew, nice to meet you and good luck to you this year.

Drew: Thanks, nice to meet you.

Mixed Martial Arts may not be getting the huge contracts that some mainstream professional athletes are getting but they seem to be receiving plenty of respect from those high paid players. Every single guys' face changed the minute they were introduced to Trigg. They smiled and you could tell they wanted to talk about the UFC.

Bank statements and corperate endorsements aside, Mixed Martial Artists are being recognized, and looked up to, by some of the highest salary athletes on the planet.

Source: MMA Weekly

Euphoria MFC - Tournaments Fixed And Date Set!!!

1st Show of the EUPHORIA MFC 'ROAD TO THE TITLES' Moves Sites, Championship Tournament Lineups Remain Fixed!!!!

TROPICANA CASINO
Friday, October 15th, 2004 - Atlantic City, NJ
For Tickets and Information
Tropicana Box Office: 1.800.526.2935

'We will be doing our first event back in Atlantric City at the Tropicana Casino' States matchmaker and spokesman Miguel Iturrate. 'This starts our championship tournaments that will see 3 Euphoria MFC titleholders crowned by April of 2005, in the lightweight (up to 155), lightheavyweight (up to 205) and the heavyweight classes'.

When asked to talk about the reason for the change of date and venue, the matchmaker elaborates 'The UFC will be in Atlantic City on the 22nd, and Kipp Kollar's Reality Fighting event is also playing AC on October 16th, so management felt we might have trouble selling out the TAJ Arena's 5,000 seats. With our first show last March, we got a lot of good reviews, but we have goals to improve the production value and make a great show. The 2500 seat TROPICANA seems like the perfect place to open up the series. The card we have announced remains practically the same!'

One change involves heavyweight Paul Buentello, who has opted for a UFC match against Tre Telligman. 'As a KOTC champion, we knew Paul had other people interested' states the matchmaker. 'I wish him luck against Tra, and I am confident we will fill the spot with someone interesting'.

The entire card appears below, however it is subject to final approval by the New Jersey State Athletic Control Board.

Card Subject to Change:

FIRST ROUND - 8 MAN LIGHTWEIGHT CONTENDERS TOURNAMENT (146 to 155 LBS):

- Jay Ireland (Team TAP or SNAP, Detroit, MI.) v. Kurt Pellegrino (Team Renzo Gracie, NYC, NY)
- Darrell Smith (Animal House, Kokomo, IN.) v. Henry Matamoros (Matamoros JJ, Milwaukee, WI)
- Jorge Gurghel (Team Extreme, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil) v. Keith Wilson (Team AKA, Denver, Colorado)
- Ryan Schultz (Team Quest, Portland, OR) v. David Gaona (SHOOT Spain, Valencia, Spain)

FIRST ROUND - 8 MAN LIGHTWEIGHT CHAMPIONSHIP TOURNAMENT (146 to 155 LBS):

- Joachim Hansen (Team Scandinavia, Oslo, Norway) v. Sergei Golyaev (RED DEVIL, St Petersburg, Russia)
- Hermes Franca (ATT, Ft Lauderdale, FL) v. Phil Johns (Silverbacks, Canton, IL)
- Yves Edwards (Thugjitsu, Houston, TX) v. Naoyuki Kotani (Rodeo Style, Tokyo, Japan)
- Rich Clementi (Team EXTREME, New Orleans, LA) v. Alberto Crane (Santa Fe JJ, Santa Fe, NM)

FIRST ROUND - 8 MAN HEAVYWEIGHT CHAMPIONSHIP TOURNAMENT (206 to 265 LBS):

- Ibragim Magomedov (RED DEVIL, St Petersburg, Russia) v. Travis Wiuff (Team EXTREME, Minneapolis, MN)
- Jeff Monson (ATT, Ft Lauderdale, FL) v. Brian Stromberg (Team Quest, Portland, OR)
- Ulisses Castro (Freelance, Vancouver, Canada) v.TBA
- Roman Zentsov (RED DEVIL, St Petersburg, Russia) v. Antoine Joaude (Ruas VT, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil)

ALT BOUT:
- Ben Rothwell (MFS, Bettendorf, IA.) v. Johnathan Wiezorek (Valdosta Academy, Valdosta, GA)

Euphoria MFC ROAD TO THE TITLES Tournament Series Schedule:

December 11th, 2004 - TRUMP TAJ MAHAL Arena, Atlantic City, NJ
FIRST ROUND (4 matches) - 8 MAN LIGHTHEAVYWEIGHT TOURNAMENT (186 to 205 LBS)
SECOND ROUND (2 matches) - LIGHTWEIGHT TOURNAMENT (146 to 155 LBS)
SECOND ROUND (2 matches) - HEAVYWEIGHT TOURNAMENT (206 to 265 LBS)

February 26th, 2005 - TRUMP TAJ MAHAL Arena, Atlantic City, NJ
SECOND ROUND (2 matches) - LIGHTHEAVYWEIGHT TOURNAMENT (186 to 205 LBS)
FINALS (1 match) - LIGHTWEIGHT TOURNAMENT (146 to 155 LBS)
FINALS (1 match) - HEAVYWEIGHT TOURNAMENT (206 to 265 LBS)

April 16th, 2005 - TRUMP TAJ MAHAL Arena, Atlantic City, NJ
FINALS (1 match) - LIGHTHEAVYWEIGHT TOURNAMENT (186 to 205 LBS)

Source: ADCC

 8/4/04

Quote of the Day

"Dreams are renewable. No matter what our age or condition, there are still untapped possibilities within us and new beauty waiting to be born."

Dale Turner, Author

Tyson in MMA: Even Now, Don't Believe It


While boxing pundits are keeping themselves busy shoveling mounds of dirt on the career coffin of Mike Tyson, an equal number of Bambi-eyed optimists are probably seeing his latest transgression - a fourth round obliteration at the hands of undervalued Danny Williams - as a signpost that a desperate, demoralized Tyson will now succomb to the will of the fringe MMA fan and step into a cage.

Nuh-uh.

True, his boxing career is pretty much over. Losing to Holyfield and Lewis - two of the all-time greats - was palatable to the Tyson diehards and casuals. His effortless handling of Clifford Etienne was some indication that he could at least be bothered to lace up gloves and throw punches. But it was do or die time last night for the newly affable antihero. To put into motion a years-long plan to erase his debt and stockpile a fortune to finance his old age, he needed an explosive performance. He needed to show the world a hint of the old Tyson, someone who knew combinations and could use them to impose those hammerfists. Power, as "they" all say, is the last thing to go.

You know, we heard that about Tank Abbott, too.

With so much riding on Tyson's homecoming, I figured his counsel would spare no effort in finding a sacrificial lamb. Pug Kevin McBride was the first choice, but money matters pushed them in Williams' direction, and I can only imagine the screaming matches now taking place over it. Williams was a good thirty pounds heavier than Tyson, took his best blows, and wound up delivering a series of his own that would've put a PCP-infused Fujita on the canvas.

Oops.

I've always said that the only way we'll ever see a valued boxer in a mixed-styles ring is if they become unemployable in their chosen vocation and they happen to be broke. While Tyson fits that description as of this morning, he fails to measure up to some other glaring standards. 1). He will never want to do it, and 2). He will never even attempt to learn a ground game.

I'm sure the calls will be coming. Seeing Tyson exiled from boxing in the worst possible way might prompt some emergency meetings at any major MMA promotion. He might be affordable. He might be willing to listen.

Does it even matter at this point? Seeing or hearing of Tyson crumbling at the hands of a no-name is sure to suffocate the curiosity of the average Joe who's wondered how Tyson would do against wrestling. He lost his "Baddest Man on the Planet" moniker last night. Hell, he lost it years ago, but some people were still buying it. No more.

With $38 million in debt staring at him, what's a guy with no other skillset to do? The only other place Tyson can be of use is in K-1, where at least he'd only have to worry about kicks and not getting his arm broken. Those contentious negotiations could be back on in light of last night, but it's not something Tyson would want to do. He'd first insist on straight-up boxing matches, which K-1 would happily indulge. Why? Why were they so quick to employ Ray Mercer, Larry Holmes, and Butterbean? Their fascination with American pugilists is in line with the country's overall obsession with American culture.

But let's not forget the nagging law that prevents convicted felons from entering Japan. If Tyson saddles up with K-1, he'd have to do it in the States...where his name is bleeding value. Even worse, the boxing Mecca of Las Vegas remains indifferent to Tyson, which would force K-1 and the UFC to go elsewhere in search of big box office.

So will he even bother? We don't know what Tyson is thinking right now, how much he wants to exert himself for a far smaller incentive, and how despondent he is over a tough, unexpected loss. Boxing should be joining in his misery: there is no one waiting in the wings that has the ability to arrest attention the way Tyson has over the past two decades. And before that, there was Ali. Since the 1960s, the industry has only had to deal with short sabbaticals of their two biggest stars. Now, they're both gone for good.

With some passing time, maybe the sight of Tyson stepping into a UFC or Pride ring would be electric. The problem is, he can no longer afford that dramatic pause. At 38, Tyson had only a few brief bursts of intensity left in him. And after the Williams fight, they may have been permanently extinguished. With diminished capacity and motivation, any speedy heavyweight who has ever donned a singlet would probably put him on his back and smash a few punctuation marks into the end of his career.

Tyson knows it and his handlers know it. Perhaps he'll grab a microphone at HBO or Showtime and show off his ferocious boxing knowledge. Perhaps he'll simply resign himself to the fact that he will die owing money. Perhaps he'll insist on another fight against a smaller man like Tarver or Roy Jones and hope the public has a short-term memory.

Tyson has made headlines for doing as he pleases and reacting visciously to having things forced upon him. Since he would never climb out of the mountain of debt by being a jiu-jitsu infomercial, you can bet that he won't opt for that.

So long, Mike. You were one of a kind.

Source: Maxfighting

BAD BLOOD AT UFC 49

Chuck "The Iceman" Liddell is coming off an enormous knockout victory over Tito Ortiz. He has a title shot with the winner of Vitor Belfort and Randy Couture on the horizon. Most would wait for the chance at the belt but Chuck has stepped up, once again, risking it all, to fight Vernon "Tiger" White at UFC 49 on August 21st.

Liddell was the latest fighter featured on MMAWeekly SoundOff Radio's sixteen fighters in sixteen days. He discussed the fight, his training; as well as, the rift between he and Vernon White.

Vernon gave his account of their bad blood on Wednesday and Chuck gave his on Friday. The two stories have similarity but vary quite a bit at the same time. According to Chuck, the two were supposed to fight in King of the Cage twice but "The money wasn't what they said it was going to be."

White began saying that it wasn't about the money, it was about the KOTC title. Chuck said, after listening to his limit of verbal attacks, that he offered, both times, to fight Vernon for "winner take all." Liddell added, "He [Vernon] wouldn't go for that but he still kept running his mouth that I didn't want to fight him."

"He's talked a lot of trash for a lot of years," said Liddell and "I wanted to get a chance to shut him up for a long time." Well, now Chuck has the chance. He commented that when Dana White told him his opponent would be Vernon, "I think I did a back flip."

Looking at the fight itself, Chuck thinks it will be an exciting fight in which Vernon will stand with him. "I'm going to be in great shape for this fight. He better be ready for me," stated Liddell.

When asked if not liking "Tiger" will aid or hinder him in his efforts, Chuck said that he's not an emotional fighter but if he has animosity towards an opponent, it sure helps him push harder in training. Liddell said he has the same "base crew" of training partners for every fight and added, "some of my best training partners are guys that don't fight at all."

Source: MMA Weekly

MEZGER'S BIG PLANS FOR FUTURE

Guy Mezger and Tito Ortiz will more than likely face off for the third time at UFC 50. Mezger joined MMAWeekly SoundOff Radio on Friday and talked about his new reality television series and the likely possibility of fighting Tito again.

Guy has a new reality fighting television series being shot right now called, "Bad Ass." He described it as, "American Gladiators meets the fighting business." They have already shot three episodes and are in negotiations with networks to air the program.

The whole thing started when Mezger was filming a reality TV segment and a cameraman voiced his opinion that Guy wasn't that big and the UFC wasn't that impressive. The wanna be tough guy explained to Mezger that he had never lost a street fight and the typical banter of an armchair fighter.

At first, Guy tried to be nice to the man but eventually ended up telling the him the reality of that situation, that he would get beat down faster than Mario Andretti can drive. The producer of the show witnessed the exchange and "thought it was hilarious." A show was born.

Guy said, "We're calling out the tough guys. The ones who really thinks he can hammer Mike Tyson," and those, "wanting to see what it's like to step up." Participation is only open to amateurs and each participant has to go through a physical assessment for their own safety before engaging in any part of the show.

The format of the show consists of sixteen fighters that will be broken down to groups of three by a lottery. They go through various contests and the winner by the point system set up for the show, gets the choice of fighting a pro or one of the other contestants. If they choose to fight a pro, they advance to a tournament at the end of the season with a chance to compete for cold hard cash. If they choose to fight another contestant, they must win to even be considered for admission into the tournament.

Participants come from a wide variety of backgrounds. There are some Martial Artists and some straight up brawlers. The fighters will be using a European fighting glove that has more padding than your typical MMA gloves. They are 10-12 ounce MMA style gloves to give the contestants the ability to still be able to work for submission while, at the same time, providing fighter safety.

Mezger confirmed the rumors about him facing Tito Ortiz at UFC 50 for the third time. Back in 1997, at UFC 13, Guy defeated Ortiz. Two years later, at UFC 17, Tito would avenge his loss to Mezger setting up the impending match.

Guy said, "I've kinda been retired for the last couple of years. The UFC called me up and they want me to fight Tito and it looks like it's going to be a go." The 36 year old Mezger commented, "I'm looking to retire soon and I really want to have this fight. I wish I had this fight a couple of years before," but welcomes the opportunity now.

This is exactly the kind of match up that excites Guy. "To be honest, I haven't been this excited about the idea of going through all the gruesome training it's going to require," stated Mezger. He went on to say, "I'm really looking forward to it."

Guy has learned a lot from watching Tito's loses. "My submission game is the best it's ever been. My stand up game is always good so, I'm going to go out there and throw bombs," said Mezger. He continued, "I'd rather go get knocked out and just went for it than being held down."

Guy Mezger is in the twilight of his career, hoping he has at least one more good battle in him. When he eventually does step away from fighting, Guy would like to be remembered as a "warrior that backed down from no one," and gave 100% every time out.

Source: MMA Weekly

THE BOXER AND BRAWLER
By Michael Afromowitz, Muay Thai Times

Dewey “The Black Kobra” Cooper and “Big Daddy” Gary Goodridge prepare for a classic clash of styles at K-1 “Battle at Bellagio III”

One is a refined technician, small in stature for K-1’s
Superheavyweight division, but loaded with skills to compensate. The other has built a career for himself using pure muscle to barrel his opposition. When they meet on Saturday, August 7th during a Pay-Per-View televised K-1 “Battle at Bellagio III” Superfight, Dewey “The Black Kobra” Cooper (39-7-2 (24 KO’s) and “Big Daddy” Gary Goodridge (38-18 (28 KO’s) will serve up answers to a matchup that, on paper, provokes much intrigue and a lot of questions.

“This is absolutely a contrast (of styles). It’s as black and white as it can be and I think that’s a beautiful thing,” said the 29-year-old Cooper. “I like Gary. Gary’s a cool dude. He’s a very aggressive fighter, but I’m ready to fight whenever, whoever, and however. I can assure you that you’re gonna see me at my best.”

On April 30th, Cooper took his stature in the sport to a new level by reaching his first championship round of an eight-man K-tournament. “That empowered me,” said the veteran of three K-1 elimination contests, who decisioned both Japan’s Nobu Hayashi and fellow American “Mighty Mo” during the “Battle at Bellagio II” playoff before falling short on points to Michael McDonald in the event’s final showdown. “I’ve always had doubt in my mind whether or not I could get through three fights. No one in K-1 scares me and I think everyone knows that. But since 2002, when I got busted up by Jean Claude (Leuyer), and then had to fight Rick Roufus, I always wanted to know if I could hold up for three fights. I proved that. Compared to that, one fight is a walk in the park."

While his son put forth a valiant effort in the spring tournament event, Cooper’s father, a veteran of the Vietnam war, lay in a hospital bed fighting his own battle as he lacked almost all mobility. On Monday, July 26th, he passed away. Naturally, it is a tragedy that the fighter is taking very hard and one that could easily harm his psyche in the ring. Cooper doesn’t see it that way.

“This fight’s gonna be therapy for me,” he said. “I’m fighting in honor of my father. I just want to beat somebody up and win a fight.”

In June, Goodridge surprisingly left his home in Barrie Ontario, Canada for Japan, where he linked up with his new mentor, Steve Kalakoda of South Africa. Kalakoda, the longtime trainer of 1996 K-1 World Grand Prix Finals runner-up, Mike Bernardo, as well as scheduled “Battle at Bellagio III” contestant, Jan “The Giant” Nortje, has given his newest student a new outlook on the fight game.

“As long as I can chase down and corner Ben Johnson in the circle square, I believe I’ll have no problems with Dewey Cooper,” said Goodridge, a former amateur Canadian national boxing champion. “I’m gonna have to do a lot of chasing. Anyone who fights Dewey Cooper has to do a lot of chasing. I’ve been working on it, though, and I’m looking forward to the challenge.”

Goodridge claims that, while his roughhouse style has not changed much since he was taken under the wing of Kalakoda, the trainer has instilled in him a certain level of awareness and appreciation of martial arts fighting technique. “I’m adoping Mike Bernardo’s style. I’ve learned a lot about the game and my working knowledge of the sport has grown quite tremendously,” he asserted. “I’m a different fighter and everyone will see that.”

Cooper’s agenda for August 7th extends beyond a win over Goodridge and a possible trip to Japan in the fall. Since he joined the ranks of K-1’s roster in 2001, the 6 foot fighter, who hovers around the 200 pound mark, has been discredited by the masses for lacking the size and strength that many feel is necessary to bang with the sport’s big boys, many of whom outweigh him by forty pounds or more.

One would think that Cooper’s “Battle at Bellagio II” semifinal round matchup with fellow American “Mighty Mo,” which saw Cooper take a lopsided, unanimous decision after three rounds, would act as a wakeup call to his doubters. Instead, Cooper feels the fight only provoked his critics to further downplay his capabilities. “Even after that fight, people still don’t want to respect me,” he insisted. “They’re still talking (expletive) about me on the internet. They started saying I didn’t fight with any bravery and this and that. Come on. Muhammed Ali became the world’s greatest fighting like that. Roy Jones became the
pound-for-pound best fighting like that. I do it and it’s like I’m
being a punk.”

First and foremost on Cooper’s mind, however, is the man that will be standing in front of him next Saturday night. “The longer the fight goes on, the uglier it’s gonna get for him,” said the Kobra.“I’m gonna pick him apart. After this fight, you guys are gonna say ‘Man, Dewey is developing at the speed of light. I’ve got some new techniques for that wild, run at me style and I’ve got a technique that’s gonna surprise the whole world.”

Source: MMA Weekly

SAPP STARTS NEW CHAPTER IN MOVIE CAREER

Bob Sapp still may have a few more MMA fights in him, but his passion is, and always will be, performing in front of the camera. Since talking a break from the fight game, Sapp has concentrated on making a name for himself in Hollywood.

Sapp's latest role is for the upcoming movie called "The Longest Yard" a remake of the old classic.

Along with Bob Sapp in the movie are professional wrestlers Goldberg, Steve Austin and Kevin Nash. The star of the show though is Adam Sandler who is always a box office draw and they hope the trend continues with the new movie.

The picture above is of Bill Goldberg, Kevin Nash, Steve Austin and Bob Sapp from the set of the film.

Source: MMA Weekly

 8/3/04

Quote of the Day

"You cannot shake hands with a clenched fist."

Indira Gandhi, 1917-1984, Indian Prime Minster

Round Up of the JAPANESE Scene!

Note: Some of this data appeared on
http://www.puroresupower.com/, Zach Arnold's incredible website of news from the Japanese scene.

PRIDE GP Heating Up!!!

PRIDE/DSE is now confirming recent reports that say they have sold over 40,000 tickets for the PRIDE GP event to be held August 15th at the Saitama Super Arena. Reports are that the layout of the arena floorplan will allow the promotion to seat more than 45,000 in the building.

The promotion is also hoping for a buyrate of 100,000 buys on SkyPerfecTV PPV. This would shatter the buy rates for the Kazushi Sakuraba/Royce Gracie marathon match from 5/1/00 at the Tokyo Dome.

DSE has also announced a series of closed circuit locations that will broadcast the 8/15 Saitama show. The current list of sites includes viewings in Osaka, Sapporo and Fukuoka among others.

ZST Date Announced...

Japan's ZST group has announced the ZST #6 date for September 12th, 2004. ZST is best known for a unique set of rules, and a high level of talent at the lower weight classes.

4 matches for the event have been announced so far:

- Jeff Curran v. Masahiro Oishi
- Hirotaka Miyakawa v. Remigijus Morkevicus
- Shinya Sato v. Yujiro Kushida
- Naoyuki Kotani v. Hideo Tokoro

Though the english portion of their website is not updated, there are movies and a lot of infomation about the group's history.

Check out www.zst.jp.

More on this event as the announcements develop.

Source: ADCC

Wanderlei Silva: Vitor Belfort’s 'cheerleader'

The PRIDE Champion and superstar of Chute Boxe, Wanderlei Silva recently commented that he will root for Vitor Belfort in his upcoming match at UFC 49, on August 21st. At that time, the 'Phenom' faces Randy Couture for the third time. 'Vitor needs to remain the UFC champion. That’s the only way that I can see a fight against him materializing. If it happens, I will deform that playboy face' promised Wanderlei, who suffered a KO at the hands of Belfort after only 44 seconds of their match at UFC Brazil in 1998.

It is very likely that Wanderlei will see the fight between Belfort and Couture from the front row of the arena. 'I will assit with opening a ChuteBoxe Academy affiliate in Beverly Hills, near the day of the UFC. I’m anxious to see the bout. I hope that the youth of Belfort will win the match' said Wanderlei.

In closing, the fighter from Curitiba has some advise for the UFC promoters: 'Please, don’t ask me to go to the octagon. If I get close to Belfort, it may end in a big mess.'

Source: ADCC

Sky Perfect visits TATAME headquarters in Rio de Janeiro

Japan's SkyPerfect cable channel, the one that airs the Pride show live, recently visited TATAME magazine's office to interview TATAME's editor Marcelo Alonso. This is part of a presentation featuring Pride Heavyweight interim champion Rodrigo Nogueira 'Minotauro' to be aired before the upcoming PRIDE show starts. The Japanese crew of six Japanese was led by former Gong magazine editor Takao Kondo. Alonso was the first journalist to report on Rodrigo 'Minotauro', back in 1998 (TATAME #38) under title 'Robocop Baiano' (Robocop from Bahia).

During the interview, Alonso talked about the final bracket of the Pride GP. Pride chose to set Rodrigo 'Minotauro' up with Russian Sergei Kharitonov leaving Pride Heavyweight Champion Fedor Emelianenko to face Naoya Ogawa. 'I think this bracket is unfair. The four athletes do not have the same level of competition. It's a bracket where the one to face Ogawa has good conditions to be clean in the final. So Fedor will have an advantage. While 'Minotauro' may have a hard time defeating the other Russian, Fedor may reach the final in easier fashion. Even considering this, I believe in 'Minotauro' and I think he can win' stated Alonso.

Meanwhile, 'Minotauro' has been training hard to face anyone, and his only complaint was that the brackets suffered from a delay before they were decided. 'They took so long to define the brackets, but it's okay. When you fight a tournament you have to beat anyone' states Minotauro, who also believes Fedor will defeat Ogawa. 'I am aware I will face a tough fighter during my first fight and things may be more complicated in my final match. However I don't even think about this second bout. I want to defeat Kharitinov' The BTT athlete compliments the other Russian's game. 'He is tough, but so am I. I will exchange punches with Kharitinov and then submit him on the ground' promised Minotauro.

As the Pride transmission starts four hours before the show, all shows recorded by Sky Perfect will be aired at Saitama Super Arena on August 15th. Each fighter will receive a 40 minute expose.

Source: ADCC

BEATEN TYSON UNDERGOES KNEE SURGERY

Less than three days after losing by a fourth-round knockout to Britain's Danny Williams, two-time former heavyweight champ Mike Tyson was scheduled to undergo knee surgery in Phoenix, Arizona. According to the evaluation of an MRI taken right after his fight Friday night in Louisville, Tyson was diagnosed as having suffered a complex lateral meniscus tear.

While Tyson began limping early in this fight, how crucial this injury was to his eventual loss is now the subject of debate, as well as being fodder for the spin doctors hoping to save his seemingly finished boxing career. Tyson is 38, the age at which Lennox Lewis retired, and when Muhammad Ali suffered an 11th-round TKO loss to Larry Holmes in his next-to-last fight. Most of boxing's supposed pundits severely underestimated Williams and expected him to fold early on, which he obviously did not do. And knee injuries, along with the loss of reflexes and conditioning, are the types of things that become increasingly more common with aging.

Meanwhile, Williams is remaining in the U.S. this week, with media appearances in the works. He will be the special guest analyst on this Friday's edition of 'Friday Night Fights' on ESPN2.

Below is the press release issued by Mike Tyson's camp regarding his surgery. Thus far Tyson himself has issued no statement about his future plans.

TYSON TO UNDERGO SURGERY TODAY TO REPAIR TORN KNEE CARTILAGE

PHOENIX, AZ (August 2, 2004) - MIKE TYSON will undergo arthroscopic surgery today to repair the complex lateral meniscus tear he suffered in the first round of his fight against Danny Williams last Friday night in Louisville, KY.

Dr. Richard Emerson, Team Physician Emeritus for the Phoenix Suns, who diagnosed Tyson's injury over the weekend after evaluating the MRI and examining the knee, will perform the surgery in Phoenix.

'Under normal circumstances the pain and locking that occurs with this injury would make it impossible for the athlete to continue and he would have to be taken out of the game or the boxing match on a stretcher or with assistance,' said Dr. Emerson. 'I'm shocked that Mike was able to box for three more rounds after the injury occurred and that he was able to walk away from the ring.'

'It explains a lot,' said Shelly Finkel, Tyson's adviser. 'Once he lost the ability to pivot, turn, or move laterally, much less put pressure on his left leg, he lost the ability to throw anymore meaningful right hands which had been so effective up to the point of the injury.'

Source: ADCC

Interview with Alberto Crane (Part 2)

In part one of our catching up with Alberto Crane he looked back on the show he just put on in Santa Fe, New Mexico. Now he looks forward to his next two events, the ADCC 2005 North American Trials in September and MFC in New Jersey in October.

KM: Is your next fight Rich Clementi? Crane: Yeah, my next fight is Rich Clementi in October at the Euphoria in Atlantic City.

KM: I think it’s interesting that you and Clementi both put on shows this weekend and both of you fought on the cards. And now you are going to face one another in October. What are your initial thoughts on fighting Clementi? Crane: You know, he is a really tough guy. A lot of people underestimate his skills, but I have seen him fight in the past and I saw him fight in the UFC and he is one of the toughest guys out there. I look forward to facing him.

KM: Did you get a chance to see the first MFC show? Crane: I haven’t yet, but I am going to pick that up.

KM: Most people thought that was the fight of the night. It’s interesting to see him switch strategies in the midst of the fight. I really want your feedback on that. You have seen him out in the ZST show? I forget who your opponent was out there. Crane: Takuta Hida (note: armbar 2:05 r1).

KM: And you won that and then Clementi lost the tournament out there. Crane: He made it to the finals (note: loss to Marcus Aurelio TKO 0:40 r1). Actually a lot of people don’t know that he hurt his eye in the previous fight, the one he won (note: Tomomi Iwama by decision). So he went into the finals already kind of hurt.

KM: Did you see the finals? Crane: I did, yes.

KM: So tell me what you thought about that. Crane: What happened was the he got hurt in the previous fight and so he went in there kind of hurt and then he got punched in his eye and it just started bleeding from his nose and I am not sure of all that happened, but that is what happened in the finals.

KM: I know we are still awhile out, but is training for Clementi going to be any different than your previous opponent? Crane: I am going to need to be at my best and I’ll be training hard for it. I am also going to be at the Abu Dhabi trials in September. I am going to be competing in the 145’s there.

KM: Have you heard any word about who else is invited yet? Crane: I’m not sure of the final selection, but I think it’s neat to make it into the 145’s and I am looking forward to it.

KM: And this is the qualifier for the 2005 Worlds? Crane: That’s correct, yes.

KM: You are getting a couple of big breaks coming up this fall. It seems like you are really on the edge. You’ve been through the King of the Cage, you’ve been the 155 champion after you beat Javier. You had to give up your belt, you weren’t beaten for the belt. You’ve picked up one win in the King of the Cage since then and now you have this big upcoming show and invited to the trials. Where do you feel you are in your career? Crane: I do my best to keep going and keep winning.

KM: Considering your success in King of the Cage, and you are now stepping up to the international level, would it be insulting or inaccurate to say that you are breaking out this fall – that you are stepping out into the spotlight? Would that be insulting to your record so far? Crane: I don’t think so. The Javier fight was a big fight. I think he was the best guys out there. The level of competition. Some of the guys have the record, but I think I have fought against some of the tough guys. Rich Clementi is a step above it for sure.

KM: What kind of effect has this had on your gym? Crane: To tell you the truth, I don’t think it is about me or my school, I think it is about the students in it. And as long as they get the attention that’s what is important. It’s good for my ego and my pride, but the bottom line is that they get the best possible service and that they learn and get good.

KM: As your students step up and get more offers, I guess people can read about it on the website. Crane: Absolutely. It’s www.santafebjj.com

KM: Any sponsors to thank? Crane: Isami from Japan. They make the K-1 gloves. It’s the best martial arts equipment manufacturer in Japan.

KM: Are there any other students of yours that you want to mention at this point? Crane: Yeah, look out for Sarah Boyd, Jason Tapia, Don Ortega, Tiat Fletcher.

KM: That reminds me, I wanted to ask you about your own show. I think all the fights were first round submissions, except one that ended in a decision. Crane: Yeah Shannon Ritch, won a fight. One of my guys got sloppy, but I can’t take any credit away from Shannon. He beat a tough guy so I take my hat off to him. People like to talk bad about him, but he got the win, you know.

KM: I’ve seen him a couple times. He has improved. He told me he has a new coach and looked at his record now as 7 and 1 at that point because he basically restarted his career when he started training with this guy and he started to take it more seriously and he started to turn it around. It seems like the total length of the show would have been an hour. How do you look back at that aspect that the fights were so quick? Crane: You know, I can’t explain it. Brad Johnson and Don Ortega went the distance, but that was the only fight of the night. But the guys just dominated. They fought strong guys, but they are just better, better technique so that is how they won.

KM: I’ve talked to fighters about time zone differences. Did you notice a difference in your fighting because of the time zone difference in Japan? Crane: Yeah, it definitely affects you. Your time clock is off, but you have to have the whatever it takes attitude.

KM: You still pulled off a win. Can you compare that jet lag to anything else? Fighters here might be curious about this. Crane: Take some sleeping pills with you so you can sleep whenever you can, when you get a chance. Either that or get there a week ahead of time.

KM: So to prepare for the Abu Dhabi Trials you are going down to Brazil for how long? Crane: A couple of weeks.

KM: Who are you going to be training with down there? Crane: My Jiu-Jitsu instructor Camino, he’s part of the Gracie Baja. That is where I lived when I lived down there for about three years. That is who I trained with.

KM: When will you be coming back from Brazil? Crane: I’ll be back at the end of August right before Sarah’s fight.

For more information check out www.santafebjj.com and be sure to catch the MFC show in Atlantic City this October.

Source: ADCC

'THE REAL OLYMPICS' ON PBS TO FEATURE REENACTMENT OF ANCIENT COMBAT SPORTS

With the opening of the 2004 Olympic Games in Athens, Greece, just around the corner, there is more interest than ever in learning how the ancient Greeks carried out their Olympic Games. And while the modern Olympics started in 1896, the ancient Olympics ran for almost 12 centuries, from 776 BCE to 393 CE in Olympia, Greece.

As is well-known, the combat sports were key events in the ancient Olympics.

The events contested in the ancient Olympics included running, jumping, the discus throw, the javelin throw, equestrian events including horse races and chariot races, and three combat sports: wrestling, boxing, and pankration. Thus the combat sports were a major block in this ancient Olympic program.

Wrestling used a combination of moves similar to what we see today in freestyle wrestling, along with the legal use (at least at times) of chokes. Pankration was the forerunner of no-holds-barred fighting, and its tamer form, mixed martial arts. It combined all techniques allowed in boxing and wrestling, with only eye-gouging and biting prohibited. But it was boxing which was regarded as the most brutal of these ancient Olympic combat sports.

The status of the combat sports was such that in the ancient Olympics, wrestling was part of the pentathlon, along with running, jumping, the discus throw, and the javelin throw.

While numerous books, both popular and scholarly, have been written about the role of the combat sports in the ancient Olympics, now PBS will be airing a two-part series which says it will provide a recreation of these events. This series is entitled 'The Real Olympics' and airs in two, one-hour shows, on Tuesday, August 3, and Wednesday, August 4. As always, check your local listings.

The description of the 'The Real Olympics' in its press materials says the show 'features a reconstruction of the major events of the ancient Olympic Games - from chariot racing to combat sports. Leading experts from universities around the world acted as historical advisors; stunt men, horse wranglers, 40 young athletes and hundreds of extras were involved in the staging.' The show chiefly aims to draw parallels between the ancient and modern Olympics. Among those scholars in the show is UC Riverside professor Thomas Scanlon, whose expertise is the original Olympics.

The PBS materials also discuss the two episodes of the show, 'Death or Glory' and 'Playing to Win.'

They say: 'The first episode, 'Death or Glory,' reveals how the ancient games have been appropriated and reinvented in the modern era by ideologues of all stripes and persuasions, including the Victorian upper classes and the Nazis. The program then uncovers the real story of these games in all the rich detail provided by ancient sources.

'The second episode, 'Playing to Win,' makes the opposite point. Although the ancient and modern games were conceived in different societies, respecting different gods and separated by almost three thousand years of history, there are powerful human connections, linking past and present. The most astonishing discovery of all is that the more the modern games have developed, the closer they have come to the ancient.'

For more information, go to:

http://www.pbs.org/

Source: ADCC

 8/2/04

Quote of the Day

"Success seems to be largely a matter of hanging on after others have let go."

William Feather, 1888-18, American Writer, Businessman

U.S. Open Update

We are happy to announce that this year we will be giving away Bronze Medals for third place at the U.S. Open for the first time.

Also, we would like to remind everyone that online registration for the U.S. Open IX Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu Tournament is now open at www.register4tournament.com. This year, in order to ensure the continued quality of our event, we will limit registration to 600 competitors, so don't lose out on your opportunity to participate in this great event. Register now.

All-Women's Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu Seminar Instructor Confirmed

Due to popular demand, we have asked Luka Tavares back to conduct the All-Women's Seminar and Friday, October 22, at the Lauden Nelson Center in downtown Santa Cruz. She has also confirmed that she will compete in the Women's Pro Challenge II for the $1,000 prize. So ladies, don't miss this opportunity to learn from and watch a high-level instructor and competitor do her thing. You can register for the seminar at the same time you register for the tournament at www.register4tournament.com.

See you all at the U.S. Open!

Source: ADCC

AFC #9 - Quick Results From South Florida!!!
Absolute Fighting Championships #9
War Memorial Coliseum, Ft Lauderdale, FL.
Saturday, July 31st, 2004

COMPLETE RESULTS:

2 RDs / 145 LBS: Rocky Long (Thugjitsu, Houston, TX) v. Jim Bruketta (Silverbacks, Canton, IL): Bruketta by Judges Decision.

2 RDs / 170 LBS: Steve Bruno (ATT, Ft Lauderdale, FL) v. Gino Astudillo (Freelance, Miami, FL): Bruno by ref stoppage.

2 RDs / 190 LBS: Charles Mccarthy (Freestyle Fighting Academy, Miami, FL) v. Pat O'Malley (Strasser's Academy, Kenosha, WI): Mccarthy by rear naked choke, RD 1.

2 RDs / 155 LBS: Edson Berto (Tigers World,Winter Haven, Fl) v. Brian Medlin (Strasser's Academy, Kenosha, WI): Medlin by Judges Decision.

2 RDs / 145 LBS: Renato Tavares (American TOP TEAM, Ft Lauderdale, FL) v. David Love (Animal House, Kokomo, IN): Tavares by arm lock, RD 1.

2 RDs / 185 LBS: Crafton Wallace (Ft. Myers, FL) v. Mark Richard (Freelance, Orlando, FL): Wallace by Ref stoppage, RD 1.

2 RDs / 170 LBS: Justin Weiman (Strassers Freestyle Academy, Racine, WI) v. Wald Bloise (American TOP TEAM, Ft Lauderdale, FL): Bloise by doctor stop (Weiman broke elbow on takedown), RD 1.

3 RDs / 205 LBS: Diego Lionel Vitosky (Freelance, Cordoba, Argentina) v. Rory Singer (Hardcore Gym, Atlanta, GA): Singer by rear naked choke, RD 1.

3 RDs / 155 LBS: Edson Diniz (American TOP TEAM, Ft Lauderdale, FL) v. Tomomi Iwama (TAISHO, Tokyo, Japan): Diniz by Judges Decision.

3 RDs / 185 LBS:: Carl Malenko (Tigers World, Winter Haven, FL) v. Edwin Aguilar (Team Cordeiro, Tijuana, Mexico): Malenko by head and arm choke, RD 1.

Source: ADCC

DANNY WILLIAMS KO'S MIKE TYSON IN FOUR; SHOWTIME REPLAY NEXT SAT., AUG. 7

If you listened to most of boxing's so-called pundits, you would have expected a mismatch and early blowout by Mike Tyson in his fight Friday night with Danny Williams.

If you listened to 'Knockout Radio' and read Doug Fischer's comments on MaxBoxing.com, you would have known not to count out Danny Williams, and that the former British champ planned to take over after an expected brief if furious assault by Tyson to start the fight. In fact, Williams's co-trainer and manager Dwight Yarde, in his interview of 'Knockout Radio,' came the closest of anyone to predicting the outcome, foretelling a fifth-round knockout by Williams.

If you missed this week's edition of 'Knockout Radio.' which previewed this fight, it is still up on MaxBoxing.com. And if you missed the live fight itself, Showtime has announced that it will replay it in the U.S. next Saturday night, August 7, as part of its telecast of what could also be a fight of the year, the 135-pound showdown between Brazil's Acelino Freitas and Diego Corrales.

Here is the Showtime press release about Friday's action and next Saturday's telecast.

Jul 31, 2004 01:03 ET

Showtime to Replay Danny Williams' Stunning KO Victory Over 'Iron' Mike Tyson on Saturday, Aug. 7, at 9 P.M. ET/PT

Replay Will Air as Part of SHOWTIME Championship Boxing Telecast Featuring WBO Lightweight Champ Acelino Freitas vs. WBO Junior Lightweight Champ Diego Corrales

NEW YORK, July 30 /PRNewswire/ -- SHOWTIME CHAMPIONSHIP BOXING will replay Friday's action packed fight that saw World Boxing Union (WBU) International Champion Danny Williams' stunning fourth round knock-out victory over former undisputed heavyweight champion Mike Tyson on Saturday, Aug. 7 at 9 p.m. ET/PT on SHOWTIME.

The Tyson-Williams bout, which aired on SHOWTIME Pay Per View Friday, will be shown as part of the boxing card of the eagerly anticipated WBO lightweight title fight between undefeated defending champion Acelino 'Popo' Freitas (35-0, 31 KOs) and WBO Junior Lightweight Champion Diego Corrales (38-2, 31 KOs) from Foxwoods Resort Casino in Mashantucket, Connecticut.

Making his first start in 17 months, Tyson (50-5, 2 NC, 44 KOs) came out strong and exchanged shots with Williams for three plus rounds at Freedom Hall in Louisville, Ky. where 17,273 fans witnessed the fight card. Tyson took several overhand shots in the fourth round, the last sending him into the ropes and on the canvas, where referee Dennis Alfred of Louisville, KY stopped the bout at 2:51. Tyson, whose last outing came on Feb. 22, 2003, when he scored a devastating first-round knockout over world-ranked Clifford 'The Black Rhino' Etienne Feb. 22, 2003, on SHOWTIME, rocked Williams in the first round, but couldn't finish the London, England heavyweight. Tyson entered the ring ranked No. 8 by the World Boxing Council (WBC) and No. 10 by the World Boxing Association (WBA).

Williams (32-3, 27 KOs), of London, England, scored the biggest win of his career. He won the vacant WBU International heavyweight crown in his last outing by scoring a third-round technical knockout over Augustine N'Gou in Bethnal Green, England, on May 13, 2004. After opening his pro career with 14 consecutive victories, including 12 by KO, Williams won his first pro title, the vacant World Boxing Organization (WBO) Intercontinental heavyweight championship, by registering a 12-round decision over Antoine Palatis on Oct. 10, 1998, in Bethnal Green.

In other bouts on the telecast produced and distributed by SHOWTIME Pay Per View, unbeaten Laila Ali (18-0, 15 KOs) retained her Women's International Boxing Association (WIBA) super middleweight title defense with a ninth-round TKO win over Monica Nunez (9-2, 5 KOs) and Nelson Dieppa (21-1-2. 12 KOs) successfully defended his World Boxing Organization (WBO) junior flyweight title with a majority 12-round decision over previously undefeated Ulises Solis (18-1-1, 13 KOs).

SHOWTIME Pay Per View's Steve Albert and Al Bernstein called Friday's action from ringside with Jim Gray serving as roving reporter. The executive producer of the SHOWTIME PAY PER VIEW telecast was Jay Larkin, with David Dinkins Jr. producing and Bob Dunphy directing.

For information on upcoming SHOWTIME CHAMPIONSHIP BOXING and 'ShoBox: The New Generation' telecasts, including complete fighter bios and records, related stories and more, please go the SHOWTIME website at http://www.sho.com/boxing.

Source: ADCC

K-1 Update!
***For Immediate Release***
For More Information, Contact:
Mike Afromowitz, (917) 566-8754 or mike@k-1usa.net
Geoff Moss, K-1 USA Media & Public Relations, (310) 200-1942 or
geoff@k-1usa.net

Roufus vs. Akebono Superfight Added to K-1 "Battle at Bellagio III"

Six-time world kickboxing champion, Rick "The Jet" Roufus (60-7 (40KO's) has signed to fight 11-time grand sumo wrestling champion, Taro Akebono (87-11), during a K-1 "Battle at Bellagio III" Superfight atLas Vegas Nevada's Bellagio Hotel and Casino on Saturday, August 7th. The three round, headlining contest will be aired during the live broadcast of the event on Pay-Per-View television.

Roufus will suit up for the first time since he announced his retirement following an appearance during last August's K-1 "Battle at Bellagio" tournament. After battling his way to a unanimous judges' decision victory over Jeff Ford during the quarterfinal round of the tournament, Roufus withdrew from the event due to leg injury that he sustained during the bout.

Also a former World Boxing Council (WBC) Continental Americas Cruiserweight champion, Roufus relocated from his home in Milwaukee, Wisconsin six months ago to Arizona where he opened a 5,400 square-foot training center in the city of Tempe. He has since been using the facility, where he serves as mentor to a host of up and coming fighters, to continue his training.

At 6 feet 8 inches tall and 474 pounds, the 35-year-old Akebono is a colossal sight. A legend in the world of sumo wrestling and a native of Hawaii, he became the first foreigner in history to earn the title of "yokozuna," the highest rank of Japanese sumo wrestler, in January 1993. Akebono became a citizen of Japan in 1996 and, later, represented his new home during the opening ceremony of the 1998 Winter Olympics in Nagano, Japan.

Two years after his retirement from sumo wrestling competition in 2001, Akebono decided to try his hand at another sport of Japanese origin - K-1 martial arts fighting. Making his debut in the main
event of K-1's 2003 New Years Eve mega-card, Akebono faced another individual of enormous physical stature in 6 foot 3 inch, 360-pound former NFL lineman, Bob "The Beast" Sapp. The clash of the two giants saw Sapp utilize his muscle and his much improved combat skills to bring about a knockout of the newcomer in the fight's opening round.

Tickets for "Battle at Bellagio III" are available for purchase both online in the K-1 USA website (www.k-1usa.net) store and at the Bellagio Hotel and Casino box office (1-800-963-9634). Tickets are priced at $50, $100, $150, and $250, respectively.

K-1 is a martial arts fighting sport that derives its name from its inclusion of a wide array of combat disciplines, including Karate, Kung-Fu, and Kickboxing ("K"), and its intent to determine one
champion in one ring ("1"). After being staged for the first time in Japan in 1993 under the direction of founder Master Kazuyoshi Ishii, it later evolved into the country's most popular sport and achieved popular culture status there as its athletes turned into larger-than-life celebrities.

Source: Promoter

Ortiz-Mezger III in the Works for UFC 50
By Loretta Hunt


Care for a good ol' rubber match? It's looking highly likely that October 22nd's UFC 50 will be serving one up between light-heavyweight fighters Tito Ortiz and Guy Mezger. Both fighters have confirmed receiving contracts from the UFC for the proposed bout, and although neither has yet to sign and return them, both have expressed their intentions to do so shortly.

Mezger and Ortiz first met in the Octagon seven years ago at UFC 13, where the Lion's Den fighter submitted the young alternate in its tournament finals with a guillotine choke 3:00 in. Ortiz got the opportunity to avenge that loss twenty-two months later at UFC 19 with a TKO referee stoppage via strikes some ten minutes into the match. Following the victory, Ortiz donned what would become one of his calling cards in the sport, a derogatory T-shirt that read, "Gay Mezger is my bitch." The bold move put Ortiz on the fast track to stardom, and he would later go on to become a UFC champion.

While Lion's Den patriarch Ken Shamrock was less than amused by Ortiz's theatrics, Mezger, who made his fighting debut at UFC 4, says he's moved on from those days and is just looking forward to returning to his roots. "To me, this is just a fight between me and a guy who beat me. It's not even personal. What he did with the whole T-shirt thing, that was a stupid thing and I've learned to forgive him about it. It was kind of asinine on his part." Instead, Mezger has placed a wholly different importance on this match-up. Win, lose, or draw- the 36-year old Texan has expressed unequivocally that this will be the very last fight of a relatively fruitful 30-13-2 career spanning ten years.

"Cool, I get to retire him," replied an upbeat Ortiz to the news. It was a mere twenty-four months ago that Ortiz had told FCF pointblank that he had no interest in ever re-matching Mezger again. But, two years and two crucial career losses later, it seems that the Huntington Beach Bad Boy has changed his tune somewhat. "I guess I'm becoming excited now, you know?" the bleached blonde bomber commented. "It's time to get my head back into it. If Guy Mezger's the guy they want me to fight, then eh, he'll be that guy. It's just one of those matches I need to take for the UFC and for some of the fans, and at the same time, I guess they want to kind of build me up again. There's no one else to fight. Either I fight a no name or do I just do the best of three kind of match. This is what they came up with."

More so than his potential opponent, it seems that Ortiz is drawing his inspiration from getting the opportunity to fight again after a six month layoff. "I just want to get back in the Octagon. I'm just sick of waiting. I'm sick of sitting in the stands and watching."

For Mezger, the trailblazer is simply hoping his swan song does not disappoint. "I'll never go down as being the Mohammed Ali of mixed martial arts," he remarked, "but I wanna go down as a true warrior who fought anybody they put in front of him and was scared of no man. Some days he was the champion and some days he wasn't, but he never put up an excuse and he never backed down from a fight. Being known as a consummate competitor and warrior will be satisfying enough for me."

Source: FCF

7 Things to Take Away from Bushido 4
By Joe Hall

1. Either Pride wants action in their fights or they've found a sneaky way to cut costs

Red penalty cards for stalling, which apparently result in a 10% reduction in a fighter's pay, were generously distributed at Bushido 4. Dean Lister and Amar Suloev received two each, sparking speculation that they would've made minimum wage had their fight been scheduled for three rounds instead of two.

Brady Fink also got one, Akira Shoji got one, Paulo Filho got one, Fabio Mello got one, Kazuhiro Nakamura got one, Rogerio Nogueira got one. Even I got one, presumably for falling asleep during the Filho-Shoji fight, which resulted in a lack of action on my behalf that warranted the card.

2. Oyama is a hired punching bag

Shungo Oyama has a death wish, and I'm beginning to think Pride can't grant it. They matched the Japanese fighter, a natural middleweight, against Wanderlei Silva, but the Axe Murderer didn't get the job done. Then they paired him against Dan Henderson, who came fairly close in a bout last year. The grand finale came at Bushido 4, when they lured him into the ring with the most feared striker in the sport, heavyweight Mirko Filipovic.

The odds were fair that Oyama would at least be knocked into a slobbering fit and maybe even suffer some permanent damage. Still, with a 38-pound weight advantage and an infinite skill advantage, "Cro Cop" didn't so much as send Oyama out on a stretcher. The suits at Pride must be dismayed; if Cro Cop can't hammer a nail in Oyama's coffin and Bob Sapp is contracted to K-1, where do they turn next?

In all seriousness, Oyama gets hit and goes down pretty quick, typically limiting his pain and suffering to about a minute or so. Regardless, throwing him in there against Cro Cop is a heinous act. I realize the Croatian's image suffered to some degree in his knockout loss to Randleman and then-when he came back too early and they let him-against Kanehara, who took him the distance.

The reality, however, is that a healthy and recharged Cro Cop is every bit as dangerous as the fighter that kicked Igor Vovchanchyn in the head. If the intention is to reassert his appeal as a lethal striker before his next marquee matchup in August, then at least find another heavyweight for him to stomp. There are plenty of 220-plus-pound opponents that Cro Cop would have mowed down just as quickly and without the level of risk that comes with shoving a grossly undersized and under skilled foe into the fire.

On a similar note, I don't have a problem with Hayato Sakurai being matched against Brady Fink. The match was, I'm assuming, put together on the same principle as Cro Cop-Oyama: to reestablish a fighter. Sakurai could use a few wins, and he was given a young opponent, about his size, who had some decent skills but would very likely lose. I would have rather seen Sakurai against Chris Leben, but I understand why we saw Fink instead. The methods by which Pride chose to rebuild Cro Cop and Sakurai were not entirely different; one way was ethical, however, and legitimate while the other was not.

3. Lister needs more experience

Experience is the key that can unlock Dean Lister's game. He has the tools, but he needs more time in the ring, in real fights against good strikers. At some points during his fight against Amar Suloev his standup looked capable; at others he was stuck in the corner flinching awkwardly.

Some grapplers turned fighters never get over the fear of getting hit, never get comfortable standing with someone better than them on the feet. You have to, though. You have to be able to stand in there long enough to create an opening for a takedown because almost everyone at the level Lister's fighting at can sprawl on a double leg that is shot from a distance. If they see it coming, they'll stop it.

Lister wasn't comfortable on the feet, and that screwed up his ability to control distance and set up takedowns. Suloev's takedown defense was also very good and his hips very quick. If Lister had set up his shots, however, I don't think he would have had such a problem getting him down.

4. Once the Giant is down, he can't get up

Enough said. No sense picking on the friendly Giant after taking another beating.

5. Takanori Gomi has the killer instinct some fighters lack

Gomi was the most impressive fighter at Bushido 4. His wrestling and striking on the ground have always been top-notch, and now his standup game is becoming equally dangerous.

Perhaps most impressive is Gomi's relentlessness. Once he had Fabio Mello hurt, the fight became a sprint to the finish line. Gomi's cardio and killer instinct drove him to plunge knee after knee into Mello's midsection until the Brazilian finally dropped. Mello lasted a few more seconds, but there was no way he was going to survive that round with Gomi.

At this point in his career, I'd take Gomi over any lightweight in the world-except
B.J. Penn.

6. Mishima is tough to submit from your back

Marcus Aurelio stayed on his back too long against Dokonjonosuke Mishima. A couple of relatively near submissions early may have misled him into believing his best chance of winning was on his back.

Mishima's game plan was to defend the submission attempts and then punch through the openings, and he did that very well. He actually took Aurelio down only once; most of the damage he did from the top came after Aurelio had pulled him down into the top position.

Once it became apparent that subbing Mishima from his back wasn't going to happen, Aurelio should have switched his focus to reversing his opponent-which was Mishima's objective when Aurelio was on top of him-or escaping to his feet. Aurelio is world-class on his back and has the ability to submit a great number of lightweights from there. He wasn't going to catch Mishima, though, and he stuck to that goal a little too stubbornly.

7. Quinton Jackson says the things we're thinking … and the things we're not thinking

Love him or hate him, some of the fights at Bushido 4 would have been miserable without Jackson in the booth. Just like us, his mind wonders when a fight grows dull. "What's on that guy's back?" asked Jackson, referring to what looked like tape on Nakamura's back. Then, when the fight turned boring, he instructed Rogerio Nogueira to "rip a piece of tape off" of Nakamura. If only Nogueira had listened.

Source: FCF

R1 THIS WEEKEND

PRESS RELEASE
July 31, 2004
Los Angeles , California

For immediate release…

Last Friday night The Last Draw brought over 300 fans to the newly renamed R1 (formerly rAw Training Center ). Eleven action-packed MMA and Thai Boxing fights featured tough wrestlers, savvy jujitsu players and hard-hitting action from beginning to end.

A quick scan of the crowd revealed solid community support for R1’s first foray into fight promotion. Many MMA celebrities were in attendance and the hottest local dojos were represented. Grappling Magazine's Todd Hester was at R1 taking pictures and documenting the scene.

All eleven fights took place in full view of the appreciative crowd. The raised fight ring provided a rare opportunity to see MMA action up close and personal. “It’s unbelievable how much you can see. It’s a great venue they’ve got here. I’ve been to the UFC and you can’t see a thing with that stupid cage,” said Connie Carpenter, a longtime fight fan.

The fights were kept brisk with expert refereeing by Frank Trigg, Erik Paulson and John Donehue for the MMA bouts and Ed Wedding for the Thai Boxing. Any lull in the action resulted in a quick restart, and most fights ended decisively with a couple of submissions and a few TKOs. In an unusual move, The Last Draw rules dictated that all fights not ending in a KO, TKO or submission would be ruled a draw. This innovative judging criteria eliminated any chance of unfair judging, something that has recently plagued the Southern California sport fighting scene.

The highlight of the evening was when R1 fighter Jake "Baby Shark" Moody took on Victor Rodriquez of the Independent Fight Team ( Long Beach ). Moody came out swinging hard but was almost submitted via guillotine choke before turning the tide in the second round finishing with a guillotine choke of his own.

Below are the complete MMA results:

Luis Figueroa (10th Planet & Street Sport JJ) vs. Musa Tolliver (Team Freedom). Figueroa by triangle in RD 2.

Mike Dytri (R1) vs. Scott Epstein (10th Planet). Draw.

Isamu Horiuchi vs. Jay Favor (Combat Submission Wrestling). Horiuchi by armbar in RD 2.

James Zigmund (Machado JJ) vs. B. Reed (Combat Submission Wrestling). Zigmund by submission in RD 1.

Eric Washington (CJFF) vs. Christian Mantle (Mac D). Mantle by guillotine in RD 1.

Kyle DuBois (CJFF) vs. Kay Maeda (10th Planet). Draw.

Bent Aguilar (Combat Submission Wrestling) vs. Julian Williams (CJFF). Draw.

Jake Moody (R1) vs. Victor Rodriquez (Independent Fighting). Moody by guillotine choke in RD 2.

Adan Aguir (R1) vs. David Rodriquez (Shark Tank). Aguir by TKO in RD 1.

Egor Davidoff (Combat Submission Wrestling) vs. Shane Folger (Shark Tank). Folger by TKO in RD 1.

Kickboxing rules results:

Juan Revis vs. Ryan Ebbets (ISA). Draw

In September, R1 will host a follow-up event called The Last Draw: Second Coming. Please contact R1 for updates and join us for another night of exciting fight sport and entertainment!

Source: MMA Weekly

 8/1/04

Quote of the Day

"Nothing splendid has ever been achieved except by those who dared believe that something inside of them was superior to circumstance."

Bruce Barton, 1886-1967, American Author, Advertising Executive

Well Wishes and a Safe Journey Back for 2 More from the Casca Grossa Team

Chris S. & Marciel "Maddog" join Brian I. deploying to Iraq. We wish you guys all the best, stay safe and we will be waiting for you when you are done representing Casca Grossa and the United States of America.

Our prayers for a safe return go out to you and your families and we are proud to say that we have three heroes coming out of our academy!

Penn vs. Zuffa:
Temporary Fate of UFC Welterweight Title is of First Concern

By Loretta Hunt

BJ Penn
Fans could know in as early as three to four weeks if they will or won't be seeing a UFC welterweight title fight anytime in the near future. That is when BJ Penn's legal counsel anticipates it will get its first hearing in front of the Clark County District Court of Nevada to consider its request for an immediate injunction barring UFC owners Zuffa Sports Entertainment from conducting a welterweight championship bout without its client.

The appeal is the most timely one made in a 21-page civil action lawsuit Penn and his reps filed against Zuffa on June 8, 2004, in response to the fight promotion's decision to strip Penn of the title he had procured on January 31, 2004 following his victory over Matt Hughes, when the Hawaiian took a separate offer to fight in the rival K-1 promotion in May. In Penn's complaint, the fighter claims he was unlawfully stripped of his title since Zuffa's promotional exclusivity over him had run out on September 27, 2003, as per his contract. Penn's attorneys also argue that no extension of exclusivity ever legally kicked in since the fighter was not a UFC champion at the time of the term's expiration, nor could these exclusive rights be legally imported into a separate bout agreement Penn signed thereafter, according Nevada State Athletic Commission Administrative Code. Following NSAC statutes, Penn's attorneys also contest Zuffa's legal right to declare fighter exclusivity in its bout agreements, as well as question the manner in which the fight promotion drafted its own contracts and bout agreements. Current NSAC regulations state that it "shall prepare all forms of contracts between sponsors, licensees, promoters, and contestants."

According to Penn's representation, the fighter is seeking reinstatement of his title, as well as the right to defend it at the earliest possible opportunity. Penn is also seeking monetary judgment for both legal fees and damages; however Nevada protocol dictates that an actual figure can not be named at this time. Zuffa has refrained from commenting on the case with FCF, however, a formal statement released two days ago on their official website declares they will "aggressively defend" their stance.

Of immediate consideration, Penn's lead counsel, Steven Strauss, is asking the courts to consider the request for injunctive relief in regards the UFC welterweight title till such time that this action suit has played itself out. Strauss anticipates a hearing in front of the Nevada court in as early as three to four weeks, where he says a decision could be reached as early as that day. "It depends on the judge," says Strauss. "A judge can rule from the bench, which is at the time of the hearing, or they can take an issue under submission and they can think about it or require additional briefing, and then they can rule sometime later. On injunctive relief matters, they typically rule within a relatively short period of time of it being presented, whether it be on the bench, or within ten days to two weeks afterwards, depending on the urgency on the matter." Although Zuffa had made no official announcements, news sources have reported a proposed match-up between Hughes and Georges St. Pierre for the welterweight title at UFC 50, scheduled for October 22nd in Atlantic City, New Jersey. Strauss is confident that at least a preliminary ruling will be made prior to that time.

Source: FCF

Kimo Contacts Commission on Steroid Charges;
Hearing Is Forthcoming

By Loretta Hunt

Nevada State Athletic Commission (NSAC) Senior Deputy Attorney General Michael Mersch has been contacted by UFC 48 contestant Kimo Leopoldo, regarding a formal complaint the sanctioning body had filed against him for alleged steroid use. "All I can really say is that he indicated that he is willing to cooperate with the Commission fully," Mersch comments of his brief conversation with the veteran fighter this past Tuesday. At this time, Mersch confirms that Leopoldo has not entered any affirmation or denial to the charges presented against him, nor did he offer any type of explanation. "He wanted to have some time to go over the matter with his manager and I encouraged him to do that and have his manager get back in touch with me as soon as possible." Mersch says he has not heard anything from Leopoldo or his management since then.

Leopoldo faces allegations of steroid and stimulant use following his participation at June 19th's UFC 48 in Las Vegas, Nevada, where a post-fight urinalysis revealed the presence of Stanzolol metabolite, as well as three separate stimulants not approved for use by the NSAC. Leopoldo was given a requisite twenty days to file a non-mandatory reply from the date of being served, but failed to make a July 23rd deadline in which to do so. Mersch says, however, that he is still willing to offer the heavyweight fighter a bit of leniency. "Even though the timeline has run for him to do so, I will encourage both he and his manager to try and reduce their position on the matter to writing in some form prior to the hearing. I think that's in their best interest. Whether they choose to do that or not, is up to them. I've never seen the Commission not consider a written reply, even though at this point it is late."

Mersch estimates Leopoldo's formal hearing in front of the five-member board to take place sometime between August 15th and 30th. "Certainly, the Commissioners, at this point, are going to more than likely have questions for him as to what were the circumstances that led to this, why did it happen, how can we be assured it's not going to be a recurring problem- things of that nature. All those will certainly be factors in the level and amount of discipline that is imposed on Mr. Leopoldo."

FCF spoke with Kimo on Monday, prior to his contacting the NSAC, where he expressed his intentions on making a public statement on the matter. FCF has been unable to connect with the fighter since.

Source: FCF

PRIDE GRAND PRIX WILL BE A SELL OUT

MMAWeekly's Scott Petersen reports from Japan that there has been a big buzz in the air regarding the upcoming PRIDE Grand Prix, Final Conflict show.

The showdown of the Finals for August 15th has seen tickets come and go as the show is already sold out within one week of tickets going on sale.

Last night on Japanese tv, Fuji Television talked about how they looked to add more seating for the event and they believe the only way to do it, is make the stage they were going to build smaller, so basically they will cut back how big the stage was orginially going to be to add more seats.. The extra seats will go on sale tomorrow..

The show has been a huge draw, large in part to the popularity of Naoya Ogawa who is a hero of sorts in Japan. He was an olympic medalist who was a big draw as a professional wrestler.

Now of course Ogawa will fight Fedor in the semi-finals of the tournament. The sold out show is expected bring in somewhere of 50,000 people in attendance. If that number is attained and by all accounts it should be with the extra tickets going on sale this weekend, the show would break all-time attendance records as far as Pride/DSE have been putting on shows at the Saitama Super Arena.

Source: MMA Weekly

SILVA VS. MURRAY SUPPOSEDLY STILL ON

Anderson Silva

Sources in the European media are saying that the Lee Murray vs. Anderson Silva matchup will still take place in the UK-based MMA promotion known as Cage Rage on September 11th.

Silva has already told the Brazilian media that the matchup is nothing but a rumor, and that he is only concentrating on his upcoming K-1 debut against Cyril Abidi on August 15th.

Source: Fight Sport

World Extreme Cagefighting 11

August 20th, 2004
Palace Casino, Lemoore, CA

MMA matchups:
Chris Leben vs. Steve Heath
Shonie Carter vs. Jason Braswell
Gil Castillo vs. Brad Mohler
Gilbert Melendez vs. Rich Crunkilton
Richard Montoya vs. Abram Baxter
Olaf Alfonso vs. TBA
John Alessio vs. Bret Bergmark
Jason Jadugui vs. Seth Woodill
Joe Williams vs. Lavar Johnson
Rafael Del Real vs. TBA
Leo Reyes vs. Jason Pratt
Doug Evans vs. Nam Phan
Bill Coffman vs. TBA
Mike Graham vs. Travis Backhaus

Kickboxing matchup:
Tom Jones vs. Yia Mua

Source: Fight Sport

Mezger Looking for the Great American Bad Ass
By Ken Pishna, MMAWeekly.com

After going years without a television deal, mixed martial arts could be on the cusp of a breakthrough. Just last month, the Ultimate Fighting Championship announced that they have signed a deal with Spike TV to run a 13-week series entitled "The Ultimate Fighter™."

And now, Guy Mezger is producing another MMA related television show, "Bad Ass." While The Ultimate Fighter™ will follow young fighters through their development and training, culminating in an appearance in the Octagon. Mezger talked about the show yesterday on MMAWeekly Radio and you can check it out right now on the radio archive.

Bad Ass is a reality series of a whole different sort. "This is not a hardcore MMA show. It's more like a modern day American Gladiators type of show," according to Mezger.

"This is the most extreme reality tv show. This is real, there's no safety net," Mezger asserted. Unlike The Ultimate Fighter™ which uses athletes with at least some mixed martial arts experience, Bad Ass uses only amateur athletes.

Actually, they don't have to be athletes, just tough guys out with something to prove. With 3 episodes already in the bag, the bad asses of Bad Ass already include a rapping cowboy dancer, a hockey enforcer, an extreme motorcycle rider, a delusional tae kwon do competitor, and a jiu-jitsu guy that doesn't like the tae kwon do guy. To break it down into simple terms: Bad Ass wants colorful, entertaining guys that think they can throwdown, no prior experience required.

How does it work? Basically, the participants (a group of twelve) take part in a round of activities that they can score points in. So far, the activities have ranged from dodge ball with the professional fighters on the show (more on them in a minute) to bull riding to measuring the force of their punches. When done, they total up the points that each competitor has scored.

Through a lottery system, three competitors are chosen and of the three, the one with the highest point total is granted his choice of options. He can either choose to fight a professional fighter for one 5-minute round under UFC style rules (minus elbows) for a shot at $25,000 if he wins and an automatic birth into the series finale tournament even if he loses or he can fight one of the other two finalists facing a tougher road to the tournament, but an easier road away from the clutches of a professional fighter.

Who are the professional fighters? Easy, low-level guys you think? Uh, no. According to Mezger, "We've got Pete Spratt, Tra Telligman, Alex Andrade, Travis Lutter, Derek Panza, Chris Bowles, and Hiro Kamikozono."

Also on the roster, though not fighting, are Bas Rutten as the Bad Ass referee, Guy Mezger is the host of the show, and Lion's Den founder and quintessential Bad Ass Ken Shamrock is a commentator and resident tough guy expert.

Mezger's Beat Down Productions has filmed 3 episodes in Dallas to date with plans for 6 more there. They have plans to then move on to New York, Atlanta, and either Miami or Los Angeles.

Though they have been shopping the idea around, no tv contract has been finalized yet. "We've had a few offers to buy the idea of the show, but without bringing us on board. It just wouldn't be the same [show] if we did that. Our producers understand that," said Mezger.

So the plan right now is to move forward and shoot all 22 episodes of the show, with or without a deal in hand. "That's pretty ballsy, but we're doing it," crowed Mezger.

It isn't the MMA show that the UFC is bringing to the table, nor the show that most MMA fans probably wanted, but it wasn't intended to be. In fact, the idea grew from a confrontation that Mezger had with a camera man on the set of a non-related tv show. The guy basically told Mezger that mixed martial arts wasn't that impressive and didn't believe the athletes involved were all that tough.

Of course, Mezger colorfully defended his position. A producer that witnessed the argument later told Mezger that it was hilarious and seemed to find it entertaining. Thus, the idea of taking an average guy like the camera man and putting him in with a professional fighter was born.

If they can work a tv deal, this may not be the "fight night" type of show that MMA fans have been waiting for, but The Ultimate Fighter™ isn't either. Both shows are a step in the right direction though as they should get mixed martial arts and its athletes into the mainstream public's eye. And that can only be a good thing... right?

If you want to be a Bad Ass, check out their web site at
www.americanbadass.tv or call 214-749-7767.

Source: MMA Weekly


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