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(All events on Oahu, unless noted)
November
Pride
Bushido 5
(MMA)
(Yokohama Arena, Japan)
10/22/04
UFC 50: 'The War of '04'
(MMA)
(Boardwalk Hall
Atlantic City, NJ)
September
Ring
of Honor 6
( Kickboxing/MMA)
(Kauai)
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 6
(Kickboxing)
(Naniikapono Elementary)
9/3/04
Stand Up Martial Arts (SUMA)
(Kickboxing)
(Hyatt, Waikiki)
August
Ring of Honor 6
( Kickboxing/MMA)
(Maui)
Tentative
8/28/04
Hawaiian Grappling Challenge
(Submission Grappling)
(St. Louis School, Oahu)
So You Think You Tough 5
(MMA)
(Kona Gym, Kona)
8/27/04
Punishment in Paradise
(Kickboxing)
(Kapolei High School)
|
|
August 2004 News
Part 3
Wednesday
night and Sunday classes (w/ a kids' class) now offered!
 
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price, click on one of these banners above! |
Tuesdays at 8:30PM on
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New Time! |
Quote
of the Day
"Always dream and shoot higher than you know you can do.
Don't bother just to be better than your contemporaries or predecessors.
Try to be better than yourself."
William Faulkner,1897-1962, American Novelist
|
|
Dog
Chapman TV Show debuts this Tuesday!
Bounty
Hunter, Dog Chapman’s new reality TV show debuts on A&E
this Tuesday, August 31st at 7:00PM & 11:00PM.
Check
out the owner of Da Kine Bail Bonds, an avid supporter of MMA
events on the Big Island. |
K-1
MMA PUT ON HOLD INDEFINITELY
How the Ship Came Crashing Down and Where the Fighters Go from
Here
K-1
has confirmed what many in the mixed martial arts world already
suspected: K-1 has put its MMA division on hold indefinitely.
The second K-1 MMA event was originally scheduled to take place
in late September, but before the event was ever officially booked,
doubts began to surface about whether K-1 would ever put on a
second MMA show. Now K-1 matchmaker Sadaharu Tanigawa has told
a Japanese newspaper (as reported by Puroresu Power) that there
are no plans for any further K-1 MMA shows in the forseeable
future.
The
idea of having MMA-only shows started developing internally in
K-1 towards the end of 2003 after Bob Sapp's lackluster performances
under K-1 rules against Kimo and Remy Bonjasky (where Sapp got
himself intentionally disqualified to avoid being KO'ed or TKO'ed).
K-1 realized that Sapp was no longer going to be able to beat
top names in their traditional kickboxing-rules matches, but
there was a feeling within K-1 that Sapp would do much better
under MMA rules. Having an MMA division would also allow K-1
to sign away more top stars in their ongoing war with Pride in
Japan. So, the IWGP pro wrestling title was to be put on the
line for the first time in a shoot fight between Bob Sapp and
Kazuyuki Fujita scheduled for May 22 of this year, after which
Sapp would be able to fight on numerous shows defending the prestigious
belt.
To
put it lightly, it didn't work out as K-1 hoped. Sapp was demolished
by Fujita, and after losing another K-1 rules bout to Ray Sefo,
Sapp was all-but-gone from K-1. He is now filming his role in
"The Longest Yard" starring Adam Sandler, and is expected
to be back in K-1 next year at the earliest (or never). The loss
of Sapp as the anchor of the MMA division, combined with the
broader issue of K-1's huge financial losses due to overpaying
fighters and not drawing enough fans into arenas, spelled the
death of K-1 MMA for the forseeable future.
The
question now becomes, "What will happen to all of the fighters
under K-1 MMA contracts?" This includes fighters who previously
fought in the UFC like BJ Penn and Genki Sudo; as well as, fighters signed
away from possible Pride deals like Don Frye, Royler Gracie,
Rodrigo Gracie, Alistair Overeem, and Sylvester "The Predator"
Terkay (who hadn't even debuted for Pride yet). According to
K-1's Tanigawa, fighters who are under contract to K-1 MMA will
not be allowed out of their contracts, but they will be able
to fight for other organizations just as long as K-1 acts as
the go-between (and thus gets a cut of the fighters' purses).
Of
all the fighters listed above, BJ Penn is undoubtedly the one who is most damaged by
his decision to sign with K-1. Penn won the UFC Welterweight
Title by defeating Matt Hughes in January of this year, then
turned down the UFC's requests for him to defend the belt against
Hughes or one other welterweight fighter. As with all championship
bout agreements, the UFC 46 bout agreement that Penn signed stipulated
that Penn would be an exclusive UFC fighter for a period of one
year if he won the belt. Nonetheless, Penn chose to take a higher
financial offer from K-1 MMA to fight on their May 22 card, and
as a result of violating his exclusive UFC contract, he was immediately
outcast from the UFC and stripped of the Welterweight Title.
Where
does BJ Penn go from here, you ask? As far as big-money offers
go, the answer is more than likely nowhere. The UFC is not going
to re-hire someone who violated an exclusive UFC contract. K-1
does not have an MMA division anymore, and it is very unlikely
that Penn would agree to start fighting in K-1 under kickboxing
rules. Pride may or may not be interested in adding Penn to their
smaller Bushido line of shows, but they wouldn't be offering
anywhere near the amount of money that K-1 offered, or even necessarily
the amount that Penn was making in the UFC. Penn may be limited
to fighting for his family's own Hawaii-based promotion, Rumble
on the Rock.
As
for the other fighters who signed K-1 MMA contracts:
-Several
of the fighters in question have fought under K-1's kickboxing
rules in the past and/or would have no problem doing so in the
future (Gary Goodridge, Duane Ludwig, Alistair Overeem, Sylvester
Terkay).
-Rodrigo
and Royler Gracie will be able to get MMA bookings in Pride if
they choose to, provided that they don't set their asking price
too high.
-Don
Frye makes most of his money in pro wrestling anyway, and is
very limited in what he can do physically at this point due to
spinal injuries which he has still not had surgery on. (You can
add Frye to Pat Miletich and Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira on the
list of fighters who have had back or spinal injuries for a couple
of years but have not had corrective surgery.)
-Kazuyuki
Fujita is under contract to New Japan Pro Wrestling and is loyal
to Antonio Inoki, who is one of the lead money backers behind
New Japan and K-1. This makes any future Pride appearances for
Fujita very unlikely given the intense nature between K-1 and
Pride, with Inoki firmly entrenched on the K-1 side of the battle.
Source: MMA Weekly |
UFC
Japan Card Developing Nicely from Top to Bottom, but Ortiz Remains
a Question Mark
Scheduled
to take place on December 12 in Japan, UFC 51's card is developing
nicely and is going to be well-stocked with Japanese fighters.
The UFC has been in negotiations with Caol Uno, Genki Sudo, and
Tsuyoshi Kosaka to compete on the show, and UFC president Dana
White confirmed the Uno and Sudo negotiations in an interview
with Full
Contact Fighter.
In
addition, Pancrase President Mr. Ozaki recently announced that
several Pancrase fighters will be appearing on the card, as reported
by Puroresu Power. The Pancrase representatives at UFC 51 could
include Yuki Kondo, Yoshiki Takahashi, Ikushi Minowa, Sanae Kikuta,
or any number of other Pancrase fighters. Pancrase frequently
loans out its contracted fighters to other organizations for
a fee, with the most recent example being Yuki Kondo going to
Pride to fight Vanderlei Silva.
The
only title fight on the show will be Frank Mir vs. Andrei Arlovski
for the UFC Heavyweight Title, provided that both fighters are
healthy and ready to compete in the proper timeframe. As reported
last week on MMAWeekly, Tim Sylvia also hopes to be ready to
go by December as he continues to recover from the broken forearm
bones he suffered in his loss to Frank Mir at UFC 48.
Additionally,
any pretense of Vitor Belfort vs. Tito Ortiz being a secret is
out the window, not only due to Belfort's comments after UFC
49, but also because Dana White confirmed in a few recent interviews
the plan was for Ortiz to fight Belfort regardless of who wins
the UFC 49 match between Ortiz and Guy Mezger. Why the UFC thinks
that Tito Ortiz can be depended upon to fight two times in less
than two months is beyond the comprehension of any person who
looks at the situation objectively and considers Tito's track
record.
Besides
the fact that Ortiz recently tried to hold up the UFC for yet
another pay raise (as first reported by the Wrestling Observer
Newsletter and Dave Meltzer), all one has to do is look at Tito's
history over the past several years to see why he can't be counted
on to fight twice in less than eight weeks.
The
norm for a UFC fighter who is working the maximum schedule (ie,
Matt Hughes) to fight once every four months. Dating back to
2001, Tito went 14 months between his fight with Vladimir Matyushenko
and his fight with Ken Shamrock. Another ten months passed before
Ortiz fought Randy Couture, followed by six months before the
fight Chuck Liddell. By the time the Ortiz-Mezger fight happens,
six months will have passed from the time of Ortiz-Liddell.
So,
the length of time that Tito goes between fights on the last
four occasions has been 14 months, ten months, six months, and
six months... and now the UFC would have him fight twice in less
than eight weeks? This situation could end up hurting the UFC
badly, not only when it comes to fan disappointment over not
seeing Ortiz vs. Belfort, but also due to pay-per-view advertising
deadlines. The advertising deadline for a pay-per-view event
scheduled for mid-December is only a few weeks away. This puts
the UFC in a tough spot from an advertising standpoint, a fact
that will only give Ortiz more leverage in any future "contract
restructuring discussions." Stay tuned to MMAWeekly for
the latest on the UFC 51 card as it continues to develop and
you can check out the "Rumors" section for the latest
on the card.
Source: MMA Weekly |
WILL
WE SEE DIESEL VS LIGHTNING IN THE FUTURE?
Joe "Diesel" Riggs had a pretty impressive UFC debut
forcing Joe Doerksen to tapout due to punishment. He left Doerksen
a bloody mess in the Octagon. To fight and win in the UFC was
a dream come true for Riggs on August 21st at UFC 49.
About
making his UFC debut, Joe said, "I was pretty damn nervous."
It wasn't the bright lights, the cameras, or the large crowd
on hand that made him feel that way. Riggs was more concerned
with what a loss would do to his fighting career. When it was
all said and done, Joe said he can't explain the feeling of joy
he had after winning.
He
wasn't surprised by the outcome of the fight by any means. Riggs
actually thought it would be easier than it was. He told MMAWeekly,
"I thought I was going to end him on his feet rather quick."
He added, "I thought he was going to stand up and bang and
then he wouldn't do that at all." Joe wasn't impressed by
the fight. He said Doerksen, "tried to make the fight as
boring as possible and I hate boring fights."
When
asked when he knew that the fight was pretty much over. Riggs
replied, "I had side mount. It was probably about two minutes
left in the second round. I had side mount and was landing a
couple of shots. This one shot, I faked back for an ankle lock
and caught him right above the eye. Then he wiped his face and
looked at his blood. His eyes looked and he turned white and
I was like, he's done. I just kept bombing. It was a matter of
time." He added, "When I see blood, I'm like a shark."
Riggs
said it doesn't matter to him who he fights next but he had someone
in mind that he'd love to fight. Joe said, "I hate Lee Murray.
I want to fight that guy." He wasn't just calling Murray
out for no reason. The two were going to fight at UFC 48 but
Lee said Riggs wasn't a big enough name. Joe wasn't happy about
that and said, "I just beat the hell out of the guy, the
only guy that's ever beaten him." When asked if he wanted
to say anything to Lee Murray, Riggs only had two words for him;
"F@%k you."
Source: MMA Weekly |
Jens
Pulver Boxing Results!
Jens
Pulver moved to 3-0 in pro boxing with a first-round KO of Leonard
Lewis last Friday night, August 27th in Chicago.
Lewis
came out wild and Pulver nearly dropped him with his first punch
of the night... a straight left. Then, only 41 seconds into the
first round, Pulver landed a left hook on the button that dropped
Lewis... a count was not necessary.
Next
for Pulver is the ShootBox Grand Prix on Sept. 19 in Yokohama,
Japan.
Source: ADCC |
APEX
Preview: STEVE BERGER (part 1)
Steve
Berger returns to the ring in APEX’s first show, going on
September 5th in Montreal. This show is packed with top names
like Dennis Hallman, Tony Fryklund, Ivan Menjivar, and Gerald
Strebendt…and those are only the UFC vets on this card!
Berger himself is returning to Welterweight after an unsuccessful
two-fight drop to Lightweight. APEX’s website still lists
Berger’s opponent as Keith Wisniewski but more on that later.
KM:
Your next fight is in APEX in Canada. It’s a pretty packed
card. How do you feel about fighting on that show? SB: I’m
looking forward to it. It sounds like it will be a really good
card and I’ve never been to Canada so I’ll see a little
bit of Canada too.
KM:
Even though this is the first APEX show this guy has been around
for a while… SB: He’s knowledgeable. Alex Caporicci
I think has worked for a couple of the major organizations up
there, just got together with a couple other partners.
KM:
How did you get involved in this? SB: Alex is actually my manager.
He’s done wonders for me. No sooner had I signed with him
he had me a fight in Hawaii and unfortunately my opponent was
in a car accident before I was supposed to go out there. It was
Rumble On The Rock. I wasn’t able to fight but they still
said ‘we still got you a ticket, we can’t find you
an opponent so come out to Hawaii, corner your teammate, and
enjoy the show’. I did exactly that. Ex) has hooked me up
with this show too and I’m excited about that as well.
KM:
So how did you get hooked up with Alex? SB: He called me last
year I guess when he was working for TKO to set up a fight and
I accepted. I started to train for it and I guess a month and
a week he called up and said ‘I’m sorry but your opponent
pulled out but I’m going to try to find you another fight’.
With that he started calling me up and e-mailing me different
events and just doing all this stiff for me and finally I just
said ‘I feel bad, why don’t you just be my manager.
You are doing everything a manager does’. He said he had
been thinking about doing that so that is how it all started.
It worked out good. I hooked him up with my teammates Mike Rogers
and Dustin Severs and I think he found Santino DiFranco on his
own.
KM:
And when did that start, you being managed by him? SB: Probably
back in March.
KM:
One of the points I’m getting at is when you look on the
web it looks like you have had one fight in the past year and
have had no MMA activity since January but you really have, it
just hasn’t worked out like TKO and Rumble On The Rock.
SB: Almost a good year off. I forget when I fought Din Thomas
but then I stepped back and took a lot of time off. I got some
crazy idea to drop to 155 and that was just the wrong weight
for me. I had a good fight with Din so I figured I’d try
it again and I almost killed myself in January. That is when
Alex called me, shortly after that. Yes, I’m going back
to 169. I kept training loosely and waiting for the next fight
and here I am now.
KM:
Glad you brought up the dropping to 155 experience. I remember
talking to you right before the fight with Din wondering this
was your first at 155 against the #5 ranked fighter! SB: I guess
this is why I need a manager because I always wanted to fight
the best out there and it didn’t matter to me what weight
it was at. That probably was a bad decision. He is very skilled
and that was my first time making 155. I really just needed somebody
to tell me ‘don’t make 155, it’s not your weight’.
I’m almost six feet tall…it’s just too much for
me.
KM:
One thing I have always admired your career for is look who you
fought against and how you did. Even when you dropped to 155
you went for Din Thomas. On the other hand it doesn’t make
your win/loss record look all that good. How do you feel about
that perspective? I don’t mean that insulting. SB: Sure,
sure. I know that. I’m not worried about records. I’ll
tell you something my boxing coach told me a long time ago; don’t
be afraid of the guy who is 15-0, be afraid of the guy who is
15-10 because that is a guy who has been through the fire. Sometimes
they get the name ‘journeymen’, guys who have been
there, is able to deal with nerves before a fight, and usually
has fought tougher opponents. A lot of times if you look at some
records who are 15-0 they haven’t fought anybody, they knocked
off a lot of tomato cans.
KM:
Even though 155 wasn’t you weight and you had two losses
they were both by decision. You made it to the end in a weight
that wasn’t appropriate for you. How do you feel about not
being ‘beaten’ at that weight, that they went to decision?
It’s kind of like my dad told me a long time ago. If a guy
shows up to fight hurt or injured or at a different weight then
he feels hurt injured or at the wrong weight he can beat you.
I knew I was cutting a lot of weight but I felt I could beat
Din and I felt I could beat Phil even though I was cutting all
that weight and it didn’t work out that way. They were the
better men that night. That’s that.
KM:
A lot of people look at the fight of you against Aaron Riley
(HOOKnSHOOT August 19th 2000) as one of your best. SB: That was
a great fight. One of my favorites.
KM:
it gets back to the perspective of not whether you win or lose
but who you fought and how you fought. In that sense is there
any particular landmark in your career you’d want to be
known most for? SB: I want to say that is still to come. I want
to make it back to the UFC. I made it there three times and fallen
flat on my face. I’m upset with myself and want to make
it back there to prove I’m one of the best fighters at 169.
KM:
The Ring Of Fury 2 video is now out, your fight against Nuri
Shakir. For fans who haven’t seen you since UFC would that
fight be what to expect? SB: That was a good fight but I think
my hands, my boxing has gotten a lot better since then. Nuri
is a hell of a talented fighter and was knocking me into queer
street before I was able to sink the choke. I believe my hands
have gotten better. The fight game is a sport you are always
learning, you always have room to improve. Every time I fight
I learn something and go back to the drawing board and capitalize
on it, win lose or draw.
KM:
Can you tell me more about your boxing improving? SB: I got a
guy, Brian Jones. Back in his day he was probably about eight
fights away from the championship fight. I started training with
him back in February and he’s been helping me a lot with
my hands. On top of that I have Rodrigo Vaghi for the ground.
I’m in shape and ready for this fight.
KM:
My only disappointment hearing that is you haven’t had any
fights since training in boxing so we can’t see how you
have changed or what to expect. SB: This is the first one. I
think I’m a little smoother fighter right now, not as stiff.
You never can tell, a fight is a fight, how you will walk out
there and fight.
Steve
walks out there and fights this weekend at APEX. For more information
check out http://www.apexfighting.com/.
Source: ADCC |
Quote
of the Day
"Resentment is like taking poison and waiting for the other
person to die."
Malachy McCourt, Writer, Author
|
So
You Think You Tough 5
Extreme Fighting & Kickboxing
Kona Kekuaokalani Gymnasium, Kona, Hawaii
August 28, 2004
By Chris Onzuka - Chris@Onzuka.com
The only MMA event in Kona is back with its trademark mix of
boxing, kickboxing and mixed martial arts. Kona fight fans packed
into the Kona gym for another hot summer night of fights. JP
Penn and crew brought some young fighters from the other side
of the island to match up against some of the Kona fighters.
Penn's fighters fought some game opponents and came out 3-0,
winning all their matches by submission, making their drive from
the other side of the island worthwhile. In one of the dual main
events, Kaleo Padilla was scheduled to face fellow heavy hitter
Cheyenne Padekan, but that fight fell through at the last moment.
That match up was highly anticipated and hopefully it can be
rescheduled in the future, the time could be a better due to
the fact that Padekan had just fought a kickboxing match the
night before. Through some promoter magic, Dustin Rubin was found
and came in to fill the void. Padilla started off the match with
a few hard leg kicks. Both fighters exchanged big punches, which
wobbled Rubin and Padilla took the top position. Padilla's recent
work on his ground grappling paid off. He mounted Rubin and punched
him to expose his arm, which he took for his first victory by
way of submission. Promoter Sonny Westbrook has been trying to
plan this for a while and has finally organized it, a 4-man MMA
match. This was not a tag-team match, but four fighters would
be in the ring at one time. Two teams consisting of two fighters
would fight it out all at the same time. Due to this match and
other safety concerns, Westbrook decided to construct a cage
at the last moment. And like a lot of last minute projects, there
were some items that were not completed in time, like using rubber
coated fencing and a lot more padding for the cage. Luckily not
one fighter was cut or hurt from the cage, but more than a few
tested its strength. The whole gym was on its feet for the final
match, which was the 4-man fight. The fighters broke up into
two pairs, one at each corner and started brawling. For the most
of the match, it seemed as though there would be two pairs fighting
individually until the pair of fighters that were standing and
fighting, stood on opposite sides of the pair that was fighting
on the ground. One fighter looked down and saw that his partner
was on the bottom, so he stepped up and kicked the top fighter
in the head. The other stand up fighter saw this and kicked the
other fighter on the ground in the body. This happened two more
times before the referee could warn the fighter that kicks to
the head of a downed opponent are illegal. Right after that,
one of the fighters jumped on his opponent on the ground and
started punching him. The other standing fighter jumped on him
and the two scrambled and resumed fighting on their feet. This
also caused a scramble among the two ground fighters and one
of them was able to secure a rear naked choke for the submission.
The submitted fighter's partner was given the option of continuing
to fight or give up. Needless to say, he made the right decision.
This was the first time that this kind of match has been held,
at least to my knowledge, and it could have had disastrous results,
fortunately it turned out okay and was an extremely exciting
match. By no means am I abdicating this type of match and I have
told the promoter my feelings about this kind of a match. He
said that he would take my comments under consideration.
Exhibition
Boxing: 3 Round X 1.5 Minutes
Daeton Haase (Kona Boxing Club) drew Michael Goodmann (A.P. Boxing
Club)
Exhibition
Boxing: 3 Round X 1.5 Minutes
Russell Ariola (Kona Boxing Club) drew Dayton Timbresa (A.P.
Boxing Club)
Exhibition
Boxing: 3 Round X 1.5 Minutes
Devin Botelho (Kona Boxing Club) drew Josiah Cabang (A.P. Boxing
Club)
Exhibition
Kickboxing: 3 Round X 1.5 Minutes
Nick Gersaba (Kona Boxing Club) drew Ikaika Martin (A.P. Boxing
Club)
MMA:
2 Rounds X 3 Minutes
Albert Manners def. Mark Gersaba (Kona Boxing Gym)
Submission via arm bar from the mount at 2:47 minutes in Round
1.
MMA:
2 Rounds X 3 Minutes
Lorin Torre def. Kyle Araki
Verbal submission after Round 1.
MMA:
2 Rounds X 3 Minutes
Mike Justo (BJ Penn's MMA, Hilo) def. Brandon Kiser
Submission via rear naked choke at 2:58 minutes in Round 1.
MMA:
2 Rounds X 3 Minutes
Shane Nelson (BJ Penn's MMA, Hilo) def. Wayne Salazar
Submission via guillotine choke at 2:29 minutes in Round 1.
MMA:
2 Rounds X 3 Minutes
Alika Ricon def. Mika Salazar
Majority decision after 2 rounds.
Semi-Main
Events
MMA: 2 Rounds X 3 Minutes
Corey Daniels (MMAD, Kaneohe) def. Xavier Alvarez
Unanimous decision after 2 rounds.
MMA:
2 Rounds X 3 Minutes
Jay Carter (BJ Penn's MMA, Hilo) def. Tony Espitia (Kona Boxing
Club)
Submission via tap out due to strikes from the back at 2:16 minutes
in Round 1.
Main
Events
MMA: 2 Rounds X 5 Minutes
Kaleo Padilla (Kona Boxing Club) def. Dustin Rubin
Submission via arm bar from the mount at 2:32 minutes in Round
1
MMA:
1 Round X 4 Minutes
4-Man Brawl
Pama Fuga & Pat Fuga def. Pat McDraun & Adrian Gilmoy
Submission via rear naked choke & verbal submission at 2:30
minutes of Round 1.
|
CONVERSATIONAL
BRAZILIAN PORTUGUESE START ON SEPTEMBER 18 AT 8:30 AM
September
18 at 8:30 AM
Farrington High School
Cost: around $20 + books
NUTSHELL
COURSE DESCRIPTION
With concentration on everyday, modern Brazilian usage, special
attention is paid to quickly gain understanding of polite, informal
and colloquial language, verb conjugations, past & present
tenses, masculine-feminine nouns & adjectives (big obstacles
in Romance language-learning) with goals of attaining native
pronunciation and fluency of speech. Brazilian regional variations
in pronunciation and vocabulary are recognized.
This
class is ideal for:
1) Those interested in travel to Brazil
2) English speakers with Brazilian friends/spouses/partners
3) Practitioners of Brazilian martial arts (Capoeira, Jiu Jitsu)
4) Speakers/students of other Latin-derived languages.
ABOUT
THE INSTRUCTOR:
Sandy
Tsukiyama de Oliveira, a Honolulu native, was drawn to the musical
culture of Brazil while studying for her BA in Ethnomusicology
at UH Manoa in the 1970s.
Portuguese language studies were at UH-Manoa with Dr. Stefan
Baciu, and at Windward Commnunity School for Adults with Cecy
de Souza Browne. Sandy worked as a Spanish & Portuguese-speaking
tour escort for over 10 years, receiving hands-on experience
in the language locally while promoting the Hawaii visitor industry.
She
lived in Rio de Janeiro, from 1980-83; spending the first year
at the Universidade Federal do Rio de Janeiro Escola de Música
on Rotary International Post-Graduate Fellowship for International
Understanding, afterward working as a vocalist in upscale restaurant/bars
and teaching English.
Performing
in Brazilian music groups (The Rio Trio, Mistura, Banda Carioca)
after her return to Hawaii, Sandy maintained her contact with
Brazilian culture in the community while pursuing education in
simultaneous conference interpretation at UH Manoa Center for
Interpretation and Translation Studies. She then continued in
the field of Secondary Education, receiving certification for
Spanish and Special Education.
Sandy
has worked freelance as an English/Spanish/Portuguese interpreter/translator,
as well as in Federal and State courts, for the Honolulu Police
Dept., US Immigration and Naturalization Service, various international
conferences, is on staff for the Bilingual Access Line of Helping
Hands Hawaii and is a member of the Hawaii Interpreters and Translators
Assn.
Currently a Special Education teacher at Roosevelt High School,
she has been teaching Portuguese at FCSA for the past four years.
TEXTBOOK:
Fala Brazil! Português Para Estrangeiros
by Pierre Coudry & Elizabeth Fontão (Pontes Editores)
Accompanying cassettes/CD available
RECOMMENDED
SUPPLEMENTAL BOOKS:
501
Portuguese verbs
by John J. Nitti & Michael J. Ferreira (Barron's)
Portuguese
Verbs and Essentials of Grammar
by Sue Tyson-Ward (Passport Books)
For
information on registration, location, dates, fees & class
times, please visit the Farrington Community School for Adults
website:
http://fcsa.k12.hi.us
or
call: (808)832-3595
|
2004
International Masters and Seniors quick report
The
event was again a huge success with many of the top fighters
from yesteryear and recent years competiting in a great atmosphere.
Some of the standouts winners were Renato Barreto, 'Magrao' Gurgel,
'Gigi', Juquinha, 'Macaco' Patino, Crolin Gacie, Pedro Bataglin,
Marcos Norat, 'Cabelinho'. Gracie Humaita repeats as Champion
going away in points. Other standouts were Megaton, DC Maxwell,
Vini Aieta and new Swedish Black Belt Peter Blackwell.
Team
Results:
1-
Gracie Humaita 215
2-
Alliance - Integracao 110
3-
Gracie Barra 105
Source: ADCC
|
UFC
49 report –
Unfinished Business pays off for Zuffa
The
winning strategy for Blackjack is a strange thing really –
you just play the cards the “right way” and hope they
fall in your favour more often than not. You can’t control
the way the cards fall though – sometimes your 20 is beaten
by the dealer’s 21, and sometimes you can win even though
things looked really bad from the outset. Over time and many
hands, things should work out pretty well if you just keep playing
each hand as best you can, but it’s a rough ride. Philosophically,
this is a good analogy for life as a whole, but something about
Mixed Martial Arts makes it fit our sport particularly well.
Zuffa
in particular has felt the unforgiving kiss of plain bad luck
several times when they have done their very best to set everything
up as well as they can. From the unpredictable snoozefest that
was UFC 33 through to the freakish eyelid-slicing incident of
Belfort – Couture 2, things have gone wrong for them in
ways that just amount to the most frustrating bad luck. Some
days, Dana White and the Zuffa crew must just wonder why fate
has it in for them.
Sometimes
though, things are set up well and they go even better than hoped,
and UFC 49 – Unfinished Business surely followed that part
of the pattern. Let’s make this much clear – 49 was
an incredible show, ranking right up there with the most exciting
and dramatic shows the promotion has put on. Only one fight went
the distance (and that was one of the best fights of the night),
no less than four clean KOs jockeyed for highlight-reel space,
and both new faces and veterans impressed with skilled and gutsy
performances. Of the 8 fights, arguably the least exciting in
terms of pure action was edge-of-seat material in dramatic terms.
There were no significant bad ref or judge calls, and the production
generally went very well. Given all this, it’s hard to see
how the show could have gone better.
UFC
49 was a definite hit – but now let’s look at how each
fight went, and who the real winners and losers amongst the fighters
were.
Yves
Edwards vs Josh Thomson
One
of many fights on the card that was too close to call on paper,
this amounted to a conflict between two very well-rounded fighters,
one of whom likes to come forward aggressively, and one who is
exceptionally good at neutralizing aggressive opponents.
The
fight started with Thomson predictably pushing the action, securing
a solid takedown and getting the better of the early part of
the round, particularly in terms of his tenacious wrestling ability.
Edwards reminded us of his impressive ability to stand using
the cage; however, and slowly but surely the tide of the fight
began to turn, as Edwards began to neutralize Thomson’s
offense and slowly begin to open up with his own.
After
several minutes of non-stop action, Edwards took his opponent’s
back in the standing position off a scramble, and as Thomson
broke free and spun with a wild backfist, Yves successfully landed
what will go down in the history books as one of the finest head
kicks seen in MMA. Thomson was felled like a tree, clearly in
some state only remotely resembling consciousness, and it’s
curious that referee Steve Mazzagatti didn’t jump in at
that point, but rather forced Yves to pummel Thomson with multiple
unanswered follow-up strikes before stopping the action. To his
credit, Edwards clearly wasn’t putting much behind those
strikes, saving Thomson unnecessary punishment.
In
an emotional post-fight speech, an exultant Edwards declared
himself to be the peoples’ champion in the lightweight division,
and this certainly met with the approval of the attending crowd,
who rewarded him with a standing ovation. Edwards is now in the
rather curious position of being the uncrowned champion of a
UFC division – the same position that Matt Lindland has
occupied, in an uncomfortable and erratic way, since his second
victory over Phil Baroni.
Just
as with Lindland, it’s not clear what Zuffa has to lose
by giving Edwards the big gold strap. For the first time in several
years, the UFC has a lightweight who has recently defeated most
of the convincing contenders in his division, and followed a
clear progression to the top. It’s not clear what will happen
with the lightweights now – whilst in the past the lightweight
division has been plagued with slow fights and unexciting decisions,
the currently active lightweights seem to be super-skilled sluggers
and submission artists. Zuffa do not seem to want to abandon
the division entirely, but further matchups at the top of the
division are going to be very uncomfortable without that strap
around someone’s waist, and the best and fairest opportunity
to crown a champion has just passed by.
Nonetheless,
this is a crowning achievement for Edwards, the well-deserved
culmination of an exhausting struggle to the top that has lasted
for several years. He has banished recent accusations of being
a purely defensive fighter with a single well-placed kick, he
is clearly the number one fighter in his division, and based
off crowd reaction is well-loved by the fans. There’s no
time for the young Texan to rest on his laurels however –
for now that he’s at the top, the gruelling process of keeping
his “peoples champion” title and solidifying his legacy
begins. Whether or not Zuffa ever gives him a real belt to replace
his de facto one remains to be seen.
As
for Thomson, it’s simply a case of sticking to his guns
and keeping up the good work – although he was beaten at
UFC 49, he looked good and fought well, and his stock should
not have dropped far in this loss.
Karo
Parisyan vs Nick Diaz
There’s
always the concern that a matchup between grappling specialists
might turn into a slow and stale hugging match, causing half
the casual fans to turn over to something “more interesting”.
Fortunately, Karo and Nick don’t even seem to know what
“stall” means, let alone having any intention of actually
doing it.
One
of the fights of the night, this match was a combination of a
striking battle of reach vs aggression and an epic grappling
battle of gi-less Judo vs Jiu-Jitsu. On the feet, Diaz attempted
to use his superior reach and a stiff jab to frustrate Parisyan,
whilst Parisyan continually attempted to slip inside and land
a solid strike of his own. Meanwhile, the grappling match consisted
of the superior and elegant takedowns of the Judo master against
the myriad submissions a Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu stylist has in his
arsenal. And all of this at full speed, with solid aggression
on the part of both fighters.
The
first round in particular is one of the most exciting UFC rounds
ever, and is a good one to have at hand to demonstrate exciting
MMA grappling to your friends (alongside Sakuraba vs Newton,
Parisyan vs Strasser and other classics). This round cannot be
done justice by description – if you haven’t seen it
yet, do everything you can to make sure you do. The constant
transition of positions and submission attempts showed no clear
victor, but the numerous takedowns and Emalianenko-like diving
punches of Parisyan won the first round for him.
It
seemed incredible at the end of the first round that such a blistering
pace could be maintained, and indeed the second round saw both
competitors digging deep into their reserves to keep up a much
slower battle. Nonetheless, it was a spirited round, and a very
close one, edged out by Diaz with more precise striking and more
aggression.
A
quieter second phase is all Parisyan seemed to need in order
to recover some of his strength however, whilst Diaz continued
to wane, and the third saw Karo take over with more dominating
takedowns and a scrappy striking style that suits his aggression
well.
After
three rounds, Parisyan was awarded a split decision victory over
Diaz, in an eyebrow-raising moment of judging. This writer scored
the bout 29-28 for Parisyan, and it’s hard to see how one
of the judges scored more than the second round for Diaz under
UFC rules. In Pride, with their strong positive scoring for submission
attempts, there might have been more of an argument for a Diaz
decision, but under UFC criteria, Parisyan was the clear victor.
Nonetheless,
Nick Diaz has nothing to be ashamed of, and we can expect to
see him back soon in the UFC, especially with the memory of his
KO of Robbie Lawler still fresh. Karo Parisyan, having vindicated
an earlier loss to Georges St Pierre, is destined for competition
in the upper half of the welterweight division – a division
made both stronger and more exciting by the presence of both
Parisyan and Diaz.
Chris
Lytle vs Ronald
Jhun
The
final preliminary match saw another battle of extremely well-rounded
fighters, in the form of the veteran Chris Lytle and Ronald Jhun, in his
long-awaited debut.
A very hard fight to pick on paper, it looked to be a battle
of more polished striking on the part of pro-boxer Lytle against
the strength and tenacity of Jhun.
On
the night, Lytle seemed to have raised the bar on his skills,
scoring an early knockdown on Jhun and displaying excellent Jiu
Jitsu transitions. Both men fought brought an active and aggressive
game to the table, but going into the second round Lytle was
clearly ahead on the scorecards. Jhun opened the second hoping
to turn the tables on his opponent, taking an opportunity to
drop for a double leg early in the round. Unfortunately on the
way down Lytle managed to sink a dangerously deep guillotine
choke, using excellent legwork to keep Jhun from escaping. A
desperate positional struggle ensued, with Jhun rolling to and
fro in an attempt to break the vice-like choke, but finally he
was forced to tap at 1:17 of the second.
This
must be a hard loss for Ronald Jhun, who has been aiming at a
UFC shot for years, and must be hoping that the decent battle
he had with Lytle will secure him another go what may well be
the most stacked division in the UFC. Perhaps we can look forward to a Diaz
– Jhun match in the near future? As for Lytle, he now has the dubious
honor of being considered one of the top contenders in the division,
and can look forward to a very tough matchup for his next battle.
Justin
Eilers vs Mike Kyle
The
live show kicked off, predictably, with a crowd-pleaser in the
form of a heavyweight sluggers match. Eilers and Kyle are old
friends, but this didn’t seem to hinder their intent to
behead each other with huge bombs. Unfortunately for Mike Kyle,
Eilers just appeared on the night to be the better fighter in
all areas – better conditioned, more accurate, more aggressive.
It didn’t take long for one of the powerful punches to find
it’s mark, and Kyle was dropped by a short left hook from
the clinch at just 1:14 of the first round.
Eilers
seems like a more promising version of Kyle, and Zuffa must be
glad to have another credible heavyweight brawler on their roster.
If they’re sensible, they’ll resist the urge to throw
him against one of the top names of this ironically anorexic
division, and build Eilers with another fight against an up-and-comer.
This loss is bad news for Kyle, who still has the shadow of the
alleged Wes Sims biting incident hanging over his head, and compounded
his unpopularity with a bitter post-fight speech and flipping
off the crowd. It seems likely that, barring a rematch with Sims,
we won’t see Kyle in the UFC any time soon. Stranger things
have happened in the heavyweight division, however.
David
Terrell vs Matt Lindland
Matt Lindland, the eternal workhorse of the Middleweight division,
came into this fight with the carrot of finally “earning”
a title shot being dangled in front of him, despite two years
of dominating his division. Unfortunately, 24 seconds is all
it took for that carrot to be snatched away from him as UFC newcomer
Dave Terrell outboxed Lindland and planted a clean left hook
into his jaw, sending him crashing to the canvas. A flurry of
power punches to an unconscious Lindland on the floor formed
a brutal and crowd-pleasing ending to the shortest fight of the
night.
Despite
the clear and quick outcome, this fight raises more questions
than any other on the card. Did Lindland really intend to slug
it out with the more physically powerful Terrell, or was his
statement to that effect just a ruse to setup a wrestling-based
offensive? Would a rematch go differently, or is Terrell just
that good? Can we expect Terrell to see an immediate title match
with a top contender – possibly the winner of the rumored
Tanner – Lawler match at UFC 50? What happens now for Matt
Lindland – will the UFC do the right thing and give him
the opportunity to fight his way up again soon, or will they
use this as an opportunity to replace the veteran with more “exciting”
fighters?
The
Middleweight division has seen many upheavals recently, and in
the past three events has gone from being one of the least promising
weight categories to being an exciting and drama-filled division.
The abrupt arrival of Terrell adds yet another dominating UFC
newcomer to the middleweight roster, and it looks like the next
few events will see an explosion of 185lb violence before the
dust settles and the rankings are clearly formed. Whether Matt
Lindland will emerge at the top or be lost in the shuffle has
to be one of the biggest question marks over the future of this
division, but one thing’s for certain – if he’s
not there, it won’t be through lack of effort.
Chuck
Liddell vs Vernon White
Of
all the listed fights, this was the one that the oddsmakers had
listed as the most certain outcome, with Chuck Liddell going
into the match as a –270 favourite at the MGM Grand sportsbook.
His opponent, Vernon “Tiger” White, is a crafty veteran
from the early days of MMA, and a member of Ken Shamrock’s
Lions Den team. White has been campaigning for years both to
fight Chuck Liddell and to fight in the UFC, and this was clearly
a huge opportunity for him to place his name firmly in the A-list
of 205 pound fighters.
Unfortunately,
to get there, he had to get through Chuck Liddell, and when Chuck’s
on form, that’s a very tall order. A powerful striker with
a dangerously unorthodox style, Liddell has lost only to the
top names of the Light-heavyweight division and has a list of
victims that any fighter would be proud of. It took four minutes
and five seconds for Chuck Liddell to add White’s name to
that list, but it was four minutes and five seconds of non-stop
action wherein Tiger was able demonstrate serious skills and
even more heart.
The
fight opened up with White coming in aggressive, presumably attempting
to get Liddell on the defensive where in the past he has been
defeated. As an additional ploy to outfox Liddell, White came
in with a switched stance – a natural southpaw fighting
in an orthodox stance. These tactics seemed to serve him well
in the opening exchanges, with both fighters landing stiff strikes
that rocked their opponent. Unfortunately, White is not graced
with as much power as Liddell, who in turn has a rock for a head,
and is famed for the power of his strikes. Within the first half
of the round it was more than clear that this equation did not
favour White at all, as Liddell came within a hair’s breadth
of finishing him. To his credit, White defended intelligently
and managed to come back aggressively. The scenario of Liddell
knocking White down with a punch and White demonstrating immense
toughness in coming back replayed twice more before the two men
exchanged straight punches and Tiger collapsed senseless to the
floor.
This
dramatic fight was really good news all round – the fans
were on their feet for almost the entire exchange, Zuffa delivered
on another exciting co-main event and built one of their favorites,
Chuck Liddell has now convincingly earned another title shot
and even Tiger White impressed with his skill and immense heart.
Given the two-tiered structure of the 205lb division, with the
“big four” and the rest, it would make a lot of sense
for Zuffa to bring White back against a new face in the division
at a future date. Meanwhile, expect Zuffa to strike while the
iron is hot and schedule Liddell vs Couture II as early as UFC
51.
Joe
Riggs vs Joe Doerksen
“The
battle of the Joes” saw the immensely strong power-puncher
Riggs collide with the dominant Canadian 185lb submission artist
in Doerksen. Riggs, who used to fight at almost twice his current
weight, is now a ripped and imposing tower of muscle, and during
this gruelling match demonstrated both extreme power and the
skill to use it effectively. Although Doerksen pulled some impressive
moves on the ground, and worked diligently for submissions, Riggs
had an answer to every attempt to force him into a bad position
or submit him. Every now and again, Riggs would free his arms
enough to deliver a frighteningly powerful punch from inside
the guard of Doerksen, delivering significant attrition damage.
Although Doerksen survived the first round without major damage,
the barrage intensified early in the second, with Riggs pinning
Doerksen and landing repeated and powerful forearm shots. At
2:39 of the second, with a nose broken by one of the forearm
shots, Doerksen decided he’d had enough and tapped out.
An
impressive debut for Riggs, this match may set up a fight with
the British 185lb powerhouse Lee Murray, coming off an equally
impressive debut victory over the durable Jorge Rivera. Murray
had previously refused a match with Riggs, citing that Riggs
didn’t have a significantly notable reputation to be worth
fighting, but now that Riggs has proven himself, a matchup between
the two makes a great deal of sense and would almost certainly
be fight of the night material.
As
for Doerksen, he unfortunately did not get a chance do demonstrate
just how good his game can be, and it’s not certain whether
the UFC will bring him back again soon or require him to accrue
a few more wins in smaller shows in order to earn another shot.
Given that he doesn’t fit the apparent criteria for being
an instant fan favorite, we might guess the latter approach to
be more likely.
Randy
Couture vs Vitor Belfort
Given
the controversy that surrounded the end to their second meeting,
it was prudent of the UFC to set up a third bout between Couture
and Belfort at their earliest opportunity. A huge amount of speculation
as to the venerable Couture’s ability to conquer Father
Time, the legitimacy of Belfort’s title, glove design, comparative
fighting styles and any number of other factors loaned a huge
anticipation to this match, and the atmosphere in the arena was
positively electric as the fighters entered the stadium.
Couture
managed somehow to seem in even better shape than his last match,
and entered the stadium looking as relaxed and focussed as ever.
Belfort, in mild contrast, seemed quiet and withdrawn, though
not intimidated. The fight began almost identically to their
previous meeting, with Couture coming in aggressive and forcing
an early clinch against the fence. The one significant missing
factor, fortunately, was the lack of a freak cut, as Belfort
failed to connect with his counter-punch. The two exchanged close
strikes in the clinch, and surprisingly Belfort resisted every
attempt of Couture to ground him for several minutes, the longest
any fighter has done so at 205lbs. Eventually, with a huge cheer
from the crowd, Couture lifted Belfort and slammed him firmly
to the canvas, straight into side control, and from there the
rest of the round played out with Couture working short shots
to Belfort’s face, leaving him battered, if not badly hurt
at the closing bell. And yet, something about Belfort’s
manner as he sat on the floor between rounds betrayed a crumbling
of his mental game, something that he has previously been prone
to when a fight does not go his way – something the Natural
is perfectly aware of and was probably working intentionally
to trigger.
The
second round began with Couture coming forward aggressively again,
using impeccable timing and a tight defense to get inside and
secure a clinch and then a takedown. In a manner strikingly reminiscent
of the Ortiz fight, as the fight went on, the takedowns became
easier for Couture to obtain, and once the fight was grounded,
Couture did not relent for a second. By pacing himself with only
short, chopping attacks, Couture was able to keep up a continual
barrage and simultaneously foil all his opponent’s attempts
to recover a neutral position. Sitting inside Belfort’s
guard against the fence, Couture landed elbows and punches to
Belfort’s face without pause, until midway through the round
referee John McCarthy interrupted the fight for a cut check on
Belfort. Although Belfort was permitted to continue, the fight
resumed as per the latest rules update in the same position as
immediately prior to the stoppage, and Belfort was allowed no
escape from the ground. He did use the opportunity to make his
best attempt of the match at a submission from the guard, with
a decent attempt at an armbar that Couture was forced to stand
and pull out of. All to no avail, as Randy resumed his slow destruction
of the champion until the bell.
Round
three made it clear that Vitor’s mental game had collapsed,
as other than a couple of weak submission attempts, he was on
the defensive for the entire round. Randy got the predictable
clinch and takedown with seeming ease and went to work. Belfort
absorbed a phenomenal amount of damage over the five minutes,
and by the end of the round his face was almost unrecognisable,
with both fighters slick with Belfort’s blood and Couture’s
white shorts stained pink. Although Vitor survived the third,
he looked to be in bad shape and any chance of the fight turning
around seemed extremely remote. Just as the fourth round was
about to start, an end was abruptly called to the match, on the
grounds of a referee stoppage on the advice of the doctor, with
Couture the clear victor. Although Vitor was willing to fight
on, he made no protest at the stoppage, which had almost certainly
saved him several more miserable minutes of punishment.
A
jubilant Couture, now the two-time Light-heavyweight champion,
issued a challenge to Pride champion Wanderlei Silva in his post-fight
interview, in a move to unify the UFC and Pride belts. Silva
was on hand to accept this challenge, although it’s hard
to see Pride and the UFC coming to an agreement as to how such
a fight might take place. For Couture, who has solidified his
legacy as the greatest champion to ever grace the octagon, this
is the only remaining viable challenge to him in his weight category,
and if somehow the miracle occurs and this fight takes place,
it would be a fitting note to retire on. Otherwise, he has a
rematch with Chuck Liddell to prepare for, and given the immense
popularity of both fighters and the power of the storyline, it’s
sure to make an attractive headliner for Zuffa, for whom the
205lb division remains the most consistently marketable.
Vitor
is, along with Lindland, the other fighter who has lost a lot
at UFC 49. Although he may well be able to defeat most or all
other fighters in the division, Randy simply made him look bad.
Although Couture seems to do this to everyone he fights at 205,
there’s a big question mark as to whether Belfort’s
mental game is resilient enough to withstand such a loss. Belfort
remains intensely popular in Brazil, and always seems to have
offers of high profile television work on the table. Will now
be the time he decides to hang up the gloves and focus on his
other options, or will he bounce back and make another run for
the title? Only time, and Vitor Belfort, will tell.
Source: MMA Weekly |
Pedro
ends legendary career with judo bronze
By Ted Brock, NBCOlympics.com
POSTED: Monday, August 16, 1:18 p.m.
UPDATED: Monday, August 16, 3:39 p.m.
Jimmy
Pedro of the United States defeated France's Daniel Fernandes
by ippon Monday afternoon to win a bronze medal in men's lightweight
(73kg/161 lbs) judo at Ano Liossia Olympic Hall.
American
Ellen Wilson lost two matches in the morning session of the women's
lightweight (57kg/ 125 lbs) division to drop from medal contention.
Franck
Fife/Getty Images
After placing fifth at the 2000 Olympics, American Jimmy Pedro
won bronze in Athens.
Inside
the two-minute mark of his repechage bronze medal match, Pedro
dropped Fernandes to the safety zone, then moved him back onto
the center square.
Once
there, Fernandes soon tapped out, giving Pedro the bronze with
1:22 remaining.
The
33-year-old from Methuen, Mass., retired after finishing fifth
at Sydney in 2000. He retired, but said he drew inspiration for
a comeback after watching Derek Parra win gold in speed skating
at Salt Lake.
"I
was sitting in the stadium that night, telling my wife on the
phone that I needed to go to the Olympics again," Pedro
said.
"Since
then it's been the most enjoyable two years of my life."
A
reporter asked whether Pedro would be wearing his medal and laurel
wreath when he returned home.
"Darn
straight," he said. "When I get off the plane in Boston
I'll still be wearing both, along with a huge smile."
Pedro
won both his matches in the main draw, both by ippon.
In
the third round, he lost to eventual gold medalist Lee Won-Hee,
falling behind when Hee scored an early waza-ari. Pedro couldn't
recover despite two knockdowns.
Hee
still was a point ahead in waza-ari scoring.
So
with 44 seconds remaining, Pedro turned to a strategy of desperation,
advancing aggressively toward Hee. But the Korean executed a
shoulder throw to end the match.
Pedro
defeated Gennadiy Bilodid of Ukraine in sudden death overtime
to advance to the semifinal.
His
conditioning helped him win that match when Belarus' Anatoly
Larukov drew three penalties for passivity.
Pedro
reached the bronze medal match when he defeated Portugal's Joao
Neto by ippon with 33 seconds left in their semifinal.
On
the women's side, Wilson drew a first-round bye before losing
by ippon to Deborah Gravenstijn of the Netherlands.
"She
just caught me," Wilson said after falling to Gravenstijn.
"I don't think I did anything wrong. She was just as strong
as an ox."
In
her consolation round match, the Colorado Springs judoka lost
to Italy's Cinzia Cavazutti by a score of yuko.
Yvonne
Boenisch of Germany defeated Kye Sun Hui of (Korea) to win the
women's lightweight gold medal.
For
the two bronze medals, Yurisleydey Lupeytey of Cuba defeated
Isabel Fernandez of Spain, and Gravenstijn beat Barbara Harel
of France.
In
the men's lightweight gold medal match, Korea's Hee defeated
Russia's Vitaliy Makarov by ippon.
In
the main draw's bronze medal match, Leandro Guilheiro of Brazil
defeated Moldova's Victor Bivoly by sogo-gachi.
Source: NBC Olympics
|
Sanderson
wins first U.S. gold;
Abas, Kelly claim silvers
By Jon Ackerman, NBCOlympics.com
UPDATED: 5:06 PM EDT August 28, 2004
ATHENS
-- Ever since he left Iowa State in 2001 without losing a single
wrestling match in four years, everyone wanted to know how Cael
Sanderson could do on the international stage.
After
two days of competing in his first Olympics, also without losing
a single match, the 25-year-old earned the first gold medal for
the U.S. wrestling contingent in Athens. On Saturday night at
Ano Liossia Olympic Hall, Sanderson defeated 2000 silver medalist
Moon Eui-Jae of South Korea in the 84kg (185 lbs) final.
Sanderson (center) lived up to his expectations by winning gold
in his first Olympics.
"It feels great," said Sanderson, a 2003 World Championship
silver medalist. "What a relief, after all the expectations
I've put on myself, to finally get it done."
But
it was the only gold medal the U.S. wrestlers earned Saturday,
despite having two other competitors in gold-medal matches of
their own. Stephen Abas (55kg/121 lbs) and Jamill Kelly (66kg/145.5
lbs) will return home with silver medals.
The
three medals on Saturday equal the number earned by both the
U.S. women's freestyle and men's Greco-Roman teams, and capped
another impressive day for the U.S. men's freestyle team.
Also
Saturday night, American Joe Williams (74kg/163 lbs) qualified
for his weight's quarterfinals, and Daniel Cormier (86kg/211.5
lbs) of the U.S. advanced to his class's semifinals. Their next
matches are Sunday.
But
even before the recent retirement of two-time Olympic medalist
Rulon Gardner, Sanderson was pegged to be the new face of U.S.
wrestling. On Saturday, he showed why.
U.S. freestylers impress again
Against
Moon, Sanderson needed to come back from a 1-0 deficit to get
the win. They ended the first period scoreless, but Moon first
jumped on the board when Sanderson broke the clinch to start
the second period in an attempt to execute his patent ankle move.
Though he missed that time, Sanderson soon nailed Moon for a
two-point back exposure, and later took Moon down for the match-ending
third point.
In
his semifinal, Sanderson defeated Cuban nemesis Yoel Romero,
the silver medalist from 2000. Romero lost to reigning world
champion Sazhid Sazhidov of Russia in the bronze-medal match.
Abas
and Kelly, however, weren't as successful as Sanderson.
Abas
was up first in the 55kg (121 lbs) final against Russia's Mavlet
Batirov, a 2001 Worlds silver medalist, and the American never
led. After ending the first period up 3-1, the Russian sealed
the gold with a 9-1 victory.
But
for Abas, whose best previous major international finish was
fifth at the 2003 Worlds, a silver in his first Olympics is nothing
to sulk about.
NBC
Image
Abas, who
needed a cut over his eye taped, earned a silver in his first
Olympics.
"I'm not ashamed of what I did today. I had a great tournament,"
he said.
In
the semifinals, Abas shut out Japan's Chikara Tanabe, who would
go on to take bronze.
In
his 66kg (145.5 lbs) final, Kelly faced the Ukraine's Elbrus
Tedeyev, a 1996 bronze medalist and 2002 world champ. Tedeyev
grabbed the lead first, using an effective ankle twist to score
his five first-period points. Kelly managed a one-point takedown
for himself with 30 seconds to go, but Tedeyev would get a 5-1
win for the gold.
"I
knew he was good with the (ankle) lace," said Kelly, who
never won as much as a high school or college championship before
taking his first major title at the 2004 Nationals. "I got
lazy, and he got me twice. That's four points and the final was
5-1."
Kelly
reached the final after judges had to replay the final seconds
of his semifinal match with Russia's Makhach Murtazaliev. After
one video replay, the judges declared the Russian the winner.
But Kelly demanded another replay, and after judges reviewed
the video a second time, they awarded Kelly the two points needed
for the win. Murtazaliev would go on to earn bronze.
For
the heavyweight (120kg/264.5) gold medal, Uzbekistan's Artur
Taymazov defeated Iran's Alireza Rezaei, 4-0. Turkey's Aydin
Polatci won bronze. The U.S. heavyweight, Kerry McCoy, was the
lone American not to advance from Friday's preliminary matches,
and also the only American with previous Olympic freestyle experience.
In
pool elimination matches, Williams defeated Georgia's Gela Saghirashvili,
6-1, in the morning, and took out Iran's Mehdi Hajizadeh, the
2002 World champ, in his evening match, 3-0. He'll face Kazakhstan's
Gennadiy Laliyev in the quarterfinals.
Cormier
shut out Austria's Radovan Valach, 9-0, in his early match, and
then dominated Poland's Bartlomiej Bartnicki for a 10-1 win Saturday
evening. By virtue of a lucky draw, Cormier goes straight to
the semifinals at 96kg (211 1/5 pounds), and will face the winner
of Russia's Khadjimourat Gatsalov and Belarus' Aleksandr Shemarov.
Eric
Guerrero, at 60kg (132 lbs), was the only American not to win
a match in these Olympics, as he ended his day with a 3-1 loss
to Georgia's David Pogosian. In his morning match, he fell to
Mongolia's Purevbaatar Oyunbileg by the same score.
Source: NBC Olympics
|
Jungle
Fight returns to the Amazon
October 23 in Manaus!
Antonio
Inoki and Wallid Ismail Present Jungle Fight Championship III!
Ronaldo
“Jacare” Souza, Vladimir Matyushenko, Shinsuke Nakamura,
Carlos Baretto, Jorge “Macaco” Patino, Katsuyori Shibata,
Thomas “Wildman” Denny, Mark “The Bear” Smith,
Bobby Hoffman, Bibiano Fernandes, Ebeneezer Braga, Assuerio Silva
and other top stars are set to square off in the greatest international
MMA event in the Western Hemisphere!
“Never
before has Brazilian jiu-jitsu had such a great mixed martial
arts card,” says Wallid Ismail, co producer with Antonio
Inoki of Jungle Fight Championship. “Every fighter is going
to plant a tree to symbolize the need to protect the Amazon rainforest.
Every guest will also plant a tree. This is the goal of Mr. Inoki.
He has a love of nature and wants to raise public awareness of
this very beautiful yet endangered region. He has plans to hold
Jungle Fight Championship fights all over the world, and have
an Amazon rainforest exhibition at each event to teach people
what they can do to help preserve it. Mr. Inoki has been involved
in many worthy causes over the years. For example, he went to
Africa to take food to the children there. He also went to Iraq
during the first Gulf war, personally talked to Saddam Hussein,
and helped win the release of hostages. Saving the Amazon rainforest
is his latest worthy cause. In order to make people more aware
of this, we have put together a great fight card that will attract
fans from all over the world. Because of his extensive charitable
work, Mr. Inoki is the perfect spokesman for the Amazon rainforest
and was asked by Brazil to be a worldwide ambassador for Amazon
rainforest preservation and conservation.”
The
entire city of Mauaus is behind the show and it has attracted
nearly 5,000 people. “The Jungle Fight Championship broke
the record for MMA pay-per-view events in Brazil, and this includes
Pride and UFC,” says Ismail, “Jungle Fight Championship
III will have press coverage in 65 countries and will again have
live pay-per-view coverage throughout Brazil, Japan and Portugal.
Any fighter who competes in Jungle Fight will gain instant worldwide
recognition.”
The Jungle Fight Championship III is being held at the Tropical
Eco Resort in Manaus, Brazil and is fully supported and endorsed
by the local, state and national governments. The Tropical Resort
is between the Amazon river, the rainforest and the city. It
is a five-star resort in every sense of the word. Not only will
spectators be able to see the fight, but there is also a zoo
inside the hotel, a huge swimming pool, trips to the jungle,
river sports, and countless other activities available. There
are also trips to explore the native Amazon Indian culture. The
Amazon one of the most unique places on Earth and an incredible
place to visit. People could plan their entire vacation around
the Jungle Fight Championship, come back every year for ten years,
and still not see even one tenth of all the sights. There are
very affordable package deals to see the Jungle Fight Championship
which includes airfare, hotel, and tickets - its an incredible
experience.
There
will also be a jiu-jitsu seminar after each event, with the world’s
top submission fighters. Jungle Fight Championship III’s
special guest instructor will be Ronaldo “Jacare” Souza
and coach Henrique Machado. Jacare recently won the Pan Ams,
the World Cup, and the Mundials in both his weight and Absolute
class without having a single point scored on him. This is the
first time in history this has ever been done. Antonio Inoki
and Wallid Ismail have made Jungle Fight Championship one of
the most important events in the world. Not only will you be
seeing a great no-holds-barred show and be able to personally
meet and talk to many top stars, but you’ll also be helping
out the worthy cause of saving the Amazon rainforest. Now that’s
an offer that you can’t refuse!
For
more information on traveling to or competing in the Jungle Fight
Championship visit. www.junglefightchampionship.com
Source: ADCC
|
WES
SIMS, EXCITED ABOUT FIGHTING IN APEX CHAMPIONSHIP FIGHTING
Fryklund
and Ackerman talk about their September 5th “Genesis”
Opponents
“I’m
excited. I’ve been to Canada but I have never been to Montreal.
I’m excited to go up there and get it on!” says UFC
veteran heavyweight WES “THE PROJECT” SIMS, when asked
about his thoughts on fighting in the upcoming APEX CHAMPIONSHIP
FIGHTING: GENESIS event on Sunday, September 5th at the Pierre
Charbonneau Center in Montreal, Quebec, Canada.
In
a conversation over the weekend, APEX host and play-by-play commentator
STEPHEN “THE FIGHT PROFESSOR” QUADROS told Sims that
Montreal had a very high ranking with MAXIM magazine, for all
the right reasons. Wes busted up and responded, “That’s
a beautiful thing.”
On
his opponent, Canadian RICARDEAU FRANCOIS, who at 6’ 6”
is still three inches shorter that Wes and sports a very respectable
mixed martial arts record of 8-2 record, Sims said, “It
doesn’t matter who he is. I’m coming in and I’m
ready. Everything else will just take over in the ring. I’ve
been working on my standup (fighting). I’m coming to bring
the excitement!”
When
Quadros asked Sims if he had anything new that he was going to
spring on MMA fans around the world when he fights in APEX, the
big man didn’t miss a beat.
“This
is SWAT, and I ain’t talkin’ about the special unit
in the police department! This is the ‘SIMS WHOOP ASS TOUR
of ’04’! APEX is the first stop of the Sims Whoop Ass
Tour! First Montreal, then Ohio, then all over the country!”
Then
Sims went on the offensive with his own question, “If this
is the first APEX show, how did they manage to get ‘Twinkle
Toes’ (FRANK TRIGG) and ‘The Fight Professor’
as the announcers?” At which a laughing Quadros answered,
“It’s a secret”.
Sims
will be cornered by former UFC and PRIDE heavyweight champion
MARK “THE HAMMER” COLEMAN during the APEX show.
APEX:
GENESIS will also feature an outstanding clash between middleweights
DENNIS “SUPERMAN” HALLMAN against Team Miletich protégé
TONY “THE FREAK” FRYKLUND. Tony was in Las Vegas training
with KEN HAHN from Striking Unlimited, which for all intents
and purposes has become an extension of Miletich Martial Arts.
Tony spoke about the situation like this, “Ken is a certified
Fairtex instructor under ALEX GONG. He works with (former UFC
champions) JENS PULVER, TIM SYLVIA and myself. He is our Muay
Thai liaison for Miletich Fighting Systems. I’m healthier
this time. I’m usually almost always banged up going into
a fight.”
When
the inquiry was made as to how Tony was going to deal with the
well-known submissions of Dennis Hallman, he seemed not the least
bit worried. “I have more submission wins than I do knockouts.
Although I consider myself a striker, my ground game has come
a long ways training with guys like JEREMY HORN and PAT MILETICH.
I really feel think my submissions are probably going to be a
little more versatile than Hallman’s, only in the sense
that I have been studying combat jiu-jitsu for years. That’s
where Brazilian jiu-jitsu came from.”
And
finally there’s the main event of Mukwonago, Wisconsin native
RYAN “THE THREAT” ACKERMAN against “The Pride
of El Salvador” IVAN MENJIVAR.
Ackerman
sized up Menjivar with respect, “He’s tough as hell,
a great fighter, he’s all around: standup, ground, submissions,
everything. He fought a lot of good guys and is undefeated at
145.”
Ryan’s
favorite fighter is MATT HUGHES, “I like how powerful he
is. And I like the fact that he’s not cocky, he’s confident.
That’s the great thing about the sport, there are guys who
run their mouths and there are the guys who do their talking
in the ring. You’ve got to have a balance.”
Tickets
for this star filled event are available via the Admission Network
across Canada and the United States. The Admission Network can
be contacted via their 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.
Source: ADCC
|
Quote
of the Day
"Resentment is like taking poison and waiting for the other
person to die."
Malachy McCourt, Writer, Author
|
Hawaiian
Pro Am Challenge
Submission Grappling 2004
A low turnout today did not help future grappling tournaments.
People always talk about wanting more tournaments to compete
in, but when people throw the tournaments, not many show up.
This was the case at the Hawaiian Pro Am Challenge, but the competitors
that did show up gave the fans some great fights.
The
Pro division had some great matches including the return of Baret
"the Finisher" Yoshida to local mats where he submitted
all three of his opponents to claim the lightweight (under 175).
Relson Gracie team member Sandro showed that he is technical
as well in his two wins in this same division.
I
apologize, but I didn't catch the name of the guy who won the
over 175, but he was very impressive and beat some great talent.
We
will post the results when we get them from the tournament director.
On
a side note, I did not see this, but I heard that outside Charuto
Verissimo and Mark Jackson came to blows outside the gym. We
have to get word from one or both of the guys for more details
because I heard of this by a second person. Luckily, this is
not attract the attention of the people inside and did not disrupt
the tournament.
I
would like to congratulate the competitors and the promoters
on providing another well run tournament for the opportunity
for our local grapplers to hone their skills.
Source: ADCC
|
UFC
49 hits big, hard and fast
As
events rate, UFC 49 came off as a solid show, marked with a healthy
dose of impressive performances, and more importantly, good storylines
built up for future cards.
And
I'm not just saying that because Bettor's Korner went 6 for 7,
though certainly it helps. The matchups at UFC were designed
to streamline and codify the muddled lineage in the 185 and 155
lb. divisions, and they did just that. Here's the look at the
winners, losers, and extant plot twists off Saturday night's
fights.
Randy
Couture TKO 3 Vitor Belfort
Good pitching usually beats good hitting in baseball, and the
same holds true with grappling vs. striking. Couture shut down
Belfort in every aspect, spending virtually the entire fight
with Belfort on his back and pinned against the cage.
It
was a dominant performance that suggests Couture will continue
to be an extremely tough guy to beat at 205, unless pepper spray
is allowed in the Octagon.
In
an attempt to build up a possible PRIDE-UFC unification match,
Vanderlei Silva was present, and some noise is being made about
PRIDE sending Silva to meet Couture.
Who
knows if it happens, but the guess here is that Quinton Jackson
would have a better style to match up with Couture than Silva.
"Rampage" can slug and wrestle, and take a heck of
a lot of punishment. The only area where he is outmatched is
in the wrestling pedigree, but his incredible strength might
be the one factor to plant Couture on his back.
He
might be the only guy at 205 to do it, barring a fluke. If Silva
is taken down, he will probably face the same fate as Belfort
and everyone else Couture has dominated at 205. It's going to
take someone superhuman and wired for Extreme Violence to defeat
this man, and Jackson may be the only one to do it.
As
for the cage vs. ropes debate, remember that PRIDE rules allow
for knees to the head, too.
Chuck
Liddell KO 2 Vernon White
A barroom brawl, with White surviving Liddell's early onslaught,
only to land a few big shots and rally from the brink of defeat
several times before getting hammered out with a pinpoint right
cross.
Liddell's
build-up toward a rematch with Couture was helped hugely by this
win. Now healthy (he was bothered by an injured quad during losses
to Couture and Jackson), he and Randy could be the biggest MMA
fight of 2005 if they stay on track to meet.
David
Terrell KO 1 Matt Lindland
The shocker of the night, two ground specialists come out swinging,
and Terrell's nice counter left cross drops Lindland. His follow-up
was ruthless, and suddenly "David Terrell Submission Academy"
t-shirts look especially cool when you're out on the town. Now
that Terrell has arrived on the big stage, maybe he can work
toward meeting some of the other 185-lb. stars to solidify the
belt situation that's been a virtual black hole since Murillo
Bustamante and the UFC parted ways two years ago.
It's
not likely, but a meeting between Jeremy Horn and Terrell would
be a great match if the UFC will get Horn on board. The problem
is the UFC's recalcitrance to sign guys that fight for other
organizations, especially if they lose.
"Jeremy
makes $150,000 to $200,000 a year fighting," said manager
Monte Cox. "He makes more money not fighting in the UFC.
Sometimes he'll just go somewhere he's never been- say, Guam
- if they'll fly him out there to fight."
However,
the match between these two that never came off in the IFC would
be a natural. Talk about settling the score.
Karo
Parisyan Split Decision over Nick Diaz
Technique-wise, this was the match of the night. A clinic of
beautifully executed reversals, takedowns, submission attempts,
and recoveries, along with some scrappy standup. Both men showed
serious heart and no doubt impressed one another with their dueling
sub attempts.
Diaz'
loss shows how hard it is to win three in a row in the UFC. Matched
tough against Jeremy Jackson and Robbie Lawler, Diaz faced a
Parisyan in dire need of a win, and the decision truly could've
gone either way. Both men should be back in future UFCs, as they've
produced good fights win or lose. That division - with Matt Hughes,
Frank Trigg, Georges St. Pierre, Parisyan, Diaz, and Chris Lytle
- is stacked from top to bottom, and there just aren't any easy
fights.
Plus
throw in Renato Verissimo and Sean Sherk, as both will probably
continue to win outside the UFC, and you've got a crowded field.
Joe
Riggs KO 2 Joe Doerksen
Vicious ground and pound by Riggs, who showed intensity and a
taxing workrate against Doerksen, an accomplished fighter who
simply couldn't fend off the onslaught. Riggs vs. Terrell vs.
Lee Murray vs. Evan Tanner vs. Rich Franklin…..my oh my….suddenly,
185 is alive again, if they could find a champion, that'd be
even better.
Justin
Eilers KO 1 Mike Kyle
Note on heavyweight fights lately - bet the under. Both come
out banging, and Eilers lands a thumping left hook to collapse
Kyle, then issues a postage-paid follow up.
In
fact, a look at the last nine UFCs shows 20 heavyweight fights,
14 ending inside the first round.
Eilers
KO 1 Kyle - UFC 49
Ken Shamrock KO1 Kimo - UFC 48
Frank Mir ref stop 1 Sylvia - UFC 48
Andrei Arlovksi KO 2 Cabbage Correira - UFC 47
Mike Kyle KO 1 Wes Sims - UFC 47
Jonathan Wiezorek KO 1 Wade Shipp - UFC 47
Frank Mir KO 2 Wes Sims - UFC 46
Andrei Arlovski KO 1 Vladimir Matyushenko - UFC 45
Pedro Rizzo UD 3 Ricco Rodriguez - UFC 45
Cabbage Correira KO 1 Tank Abbott - UFC 45
Tim Sylvia KO 1 Gan McGee UFC 44
Kimo sub 1 Tank Abbott - UFC 43
Pedro Rizzo KO 2 Tra Telligman - UFC 43
Frank Mir DQ 1 Wes Sims - UFC 43
Cabbage Corriera KO 2 Sean Alvarez UFC 42
Tim Sylvia KO 1 Ricco Rodriguez UFC 41
Vladimir Matyushenko UD Pedro Rizzo UFC 41
Gan McGee KO 1 Café Dantas UFC 41
Vladimir Matyushenko KO 1 Travis Wiuff - UFC 40
Andrei Arlovksi KO 1 Ian Freeman - UFC 40
Take
out Pedro Rizzo's three fights, and the ratio for one-rounders
is even higher - 11 out of 17. Whatever the reason, the big guys
are coming out banging lately, and improved striking has the
made the lay-and-pray big man matches a thing of the past.
Chris
Lytle submission 2nd round Ronald Jhun
Well-rounded Lytle continues his march in the 170-lb. division.
He boxes and wrestles equally well, and showed slick guard passes
and ground work against Jhun. Though Lytle's 15-10-4 record is
modest by MMA standards, his losses are always via the distance,
often by small margins. It'd be interesting to see him take on
a Frank Trigg or someone who could plant him on his back and
at least try to keep him there. If you can't, he'll give you
fits.
In
a very deep division, Lytle might be the UFC's resident gatekeeper,
but don't be surprised if they match him tough in his next time,
and he surprises somebody. There are better strikers and grapplers,
but Lytle does everything so well, and fights effectively from
all positions, and sometimes that's the difference when things
aren't equal on paper.
Yves
Edwards KO 2 Josh Thomson
The kind of fight nobody will forget, with Thomson's aggression
and high-powered takedowns pushing the pace early, only to fall
pray the Edwards' big guns and veteran savvy. Yves is one of
the eminent "high wire" artists in MMA these days.
Catch him in a bad position, near-submission, or a big blow,
and he consistently manages to survive thin ice and come back
fighting.
Edwards
ended the match with a vicious shin kick to the jaw as Thomson
attempted a spinning back fist coming out of a tie-up. These
two could definitely fight again - and Edwards should be considered
the champ despite the UFC not awarding him the belt.
My
favorite online threads spawned by this weekend's UFC
Judo
beats Brazilian jiu-jitsu, and when the tail wags the dog….
Always entertaining when somebody thinks that one discipline
comprises MMA and is somehow responsible for a victory. Somebody
also started a discussion on how Liddell's right hand that finished
White was a "Kenpo" technique. Alleged ownership of
basic moves is so damn funny, I guess the next time I kick my
shoes off to get into bed, that's a Wing Chun move (or maybe
Thai is the kick is low).
Get
a life, guys. We are all unique snowflakes, but under the warming
tent of MMA we are one people. There no "discipline-specific"
techniques anymore. Some folks call it a sling blade, but ah
calls it a Kaiser Blade….
Couture
effective in cage, not in ring
This is like saying Shaquille O'Neal isn't an offensive force
just because he dunks. Hey, to dunk, you have to take it to the
hole, and power your way through. Couture is the Shaquille O'Neal
of the Octagon. Nobody can stop him from doing what he wants
to do, even though you know darn well what he's aiming for.
In
the PRIDE rules, Couture wouldn't have the cage, but he'd be
able to knee to the head. That's scary to think about, especially
in the corner with his opponent pinned against the turnbuckle
(think Mark Coleman-Igor Vovchanchin).
Liddell-White
was a work
Some wag on the UG actually posited the theory that the fight
was staged because of how White went down from the Liddell finisher.
Right. If you're going to throw a fight, why take all those shots
before hand? The ending blow actually struck White on the right
side of the face, which took his last shred of equilibrium flying
out the window. It was one hell of a fight, but threads like
this never cease to amaze.
The
Storylines that Emerge
185 is a very hot division. I almost forget Bustamante ever lived
here and ruled with an iron hand…
With
Randy Couture as champ again, look for more mainstream coverage
of the sport, as he's the perfect vehicle for it because he's
a human story that transcends MMA. Belfort is a very good fighter,
but Couture is a lot easier pitch to potential editors in the
mainstream press…………
Joe
Riggs and David Terrell should be made immediately.
UFC
50 might not be as good a card as this one, but if Matt Hughes
gets by Georges St. Pierre, he's going to have a lot of tough
defenses awaiting him. However, between Trigg, Parisyan, Diaz,
Lytle and Co., it's hard to see any of them going unbeaten for
too long while they wait for a shot.
If
Couture runs through a few more wins, and exhausts every rematch
possible (Liddell, Ortiz, and maybe a win over the PRIDE champ)
does this mean he might move back up to heavyweight? Would've
sounded presumptuous in 2002 after his losses to Ricco and Josh
Barnett, but if by 2006 he's cleaned out the division, that might
be one hell of a career-ending fight. He'll always have a tough
time with big grapplers like Ricco Rodriguez, but he matches
up with Frank Mir pretty good.
Source: Maxfighting
|
VITOR
WANTS IMMEDIATE REMATCH WITH COUTURE DO TO HEADBUTT
COUTURE
RESPONDS TO MMAWEEKLY
Our friends over at Tatame magazine caught up with Vitor Belfort
about his fight with Randy Couture. These were the words from
Vitor and later we have Couture's response exclusively at MMAWeekly.com
Taken
directly off of Tatame's website.....
Tatame:
Indignated on UFC decision, Vitor Belfort expects, at least,
a rematch against Randy Couture at one of the upcoming editions
of the American event. The Brazilian considers the headbutt was
fundamental for his loss and thinks that the referee had taken
too much time to call the doctor. "The referee didn't even
realize that I had gotten a headbutt. When I argued at him, he
said he thought that the cut has been caused by a punch. There
was no way a jab like that would do that damage", complains
Belfort.
According
to Vitor, the fight should be called a "no contest".
"For the UFC rules, a fight must be declared no contest
when a headbutt brings any damage for the opponent. And that
is what happened! At the last fight, I cut his eyebrow with a
stroke. But this time, it was completely different!". Asked
about a possible fight against Tito Ortiz in December, Vitor
says,"What I want is to fight Couture. When he asked, I
immediately granted him a rematch. I wanna see if he's gonna
do the same thing now".
Randy
Couture told MMAWeekly this morning, "If Vitor wants a rematch
I will give it to him tomorrow. It's not up to me it's up to
the UFC. As far as the headbutt, I didn't see one and didn't
feel one. I believe it was a left hook that split him open not
a headbutt. I think it's ridiculous that was the reason he lost
the fight if that is what he said. I thought it was the 50 unanswered
blows, I think that had something to do with it. Those unanswered
blows that I connected with were the reason, not a headbutt.
Don't know why he wants to say that, but if he wants a rematch
I would be more than happy to give him a rematch.
Source: MMA Weekly
|
VITOR
VS. TITO POSSIBLE FOR UFC 51
Sportsnavi
is reporting that UFC president Dana White announced that a Vitor
Belfort vs. Tito Ortiz matchup will take place on the UFC 51
card in Japan, which is tentatively scheduled for December 12th.
Source: Fight Sport
|
BJJ
International Master today in Rio
It happens today, at the Tijuca Tênis Club, the VI BJJ
International Master tournament. Lots of graduated Master and
Seniors will be stepping inside the mats to prove their value.
Among the confirmed teams, one in special attempts gold medals.
The Brasa Sweden comes with 9 athletes plus 32 Brazilians. Kee
tuned at TATAME.com to know the results of the VI BJJ International
Master. For more information about Brasa team, visit www.vieirabros.com.
Source: Tatame
|
Flávio
Canto receives a tribute in RJ
Back in Brazil, after conquering the Judo bronze medal at the
Summer Olympic Games in Athens, Flávio Canto has been
living celebrity's days in Brazil. After many interview and TV
shows, Judo fighter receives a tribute today (28) during the
4th phase of Judo Championship in Rio de Janeiro. The other fighter
to receive a tribute is Daniela Polzin. Canto talked about the
medal conquer: "I am so happy because of it. In fact it
could be Sebástian Pereira, Frederico Flexa or Carlos
Hespanha, among others. All of them showed always lots of determination
on the mat," said Flávio.
Source: Tatame
|
Quote
of the Day
"Most of our obstacles would melt away if, instead of cowering
before them, we should make up our minds to walk boldly through
them."
Orison Swett Marden, 1850-1924, Founder of Success Magazine
|
Punishment
In Paradise 6: Pound For Pound Results
Kapolei High School Gym
August 27, 2004
By Chris Onzuka - Chris@Onzuka.com
PIP
6 changed venues and tried out the brand new Kapolei High School
gym. The fights brought together a few fighters with no experience
and a few fighters that were looking to take their game to the
next level. The event coupled MMA matches with kickboxing matches,
cumulating in two championship kickboxing matches. The first
two MMA matches were short as both competitors capitalized on
the guillotine choke and got the submission. The MMA fight of
the night was arguably the Kaleo Kwon vs. Kevin Delima match.
Kwon capitalized on Delima's weakness and played out a sprawl
and brawl game and took the fight to Delima. Kwon sprawled or
stuffed every shot attempt and pounded Delima's body from above.
Kwon's coup de gras was a low fake and firing off a left round
house kick that landed flush on Delima's face. Delima was knocked
to the canvas and he was not going to get up any time soon. When
he did, his nose poured out a lot of blood. The kickboxing fight
of the night was the Bryson Kamaka vs. Alan Ulip. Kamaka came
in and landed some very quick punching combinations and Ulip
fired back. The fight turned when Ulip landed consecutive left
hooks and a left round house kick that found its mark. Kamaka
(formerly Monterde) bounced back and survived the onslaught to
come back and fire off more of his quick punching combinations.
In the judges' eyes, Ulip's power was offset with Kamaka's combinations
and the referee ruled it a draw. The final match took an interesting
twist when Mark Moreno's trainer, Jon Navavrez Sr. came out of
retirement to replace Moreno and fight one of the best kickboxers
in the state in Cheyenne Padekan. Navavrez threw a few kicks
that got Padekan's attention, but Padekan's calm calculating
style found an opening and he landed a hard shot that sent Navavrez
to the canvas. Navavrez showed a lot of heart by getting up and
beating the count, but he was on shaky ground. Navavrez fired
back with a few more kicks that Padekan stayed just out of range
and Padekan ended the fight by planting another hard blow that
sent Navavrez to the mat. The referee saw enough and stopped
the fight for Navavrez' safety. The next Punishment in Paradise
is slated to be a large show held in November of this year.
MMA
Match
2 Rounds - 3 Minutes
Joe Palimo'o (Freelance) def. Lee Peneku (808 Fight Factory)
Submission via guillotine choke at 54 seconds in Round 1.
MMA
Match
2 Rounds - 3 Minutes
Mark Oshiro (Bulls Pen) def. Jamal (808 Fight Factory)
Submission via guillotine choke at 1:30 minutes in Round 1.
Kickboxing
Match
3 Rounds - 1.5 Minutes
Duke Saragosa (808 Fight Factory) def. Preston Lee (Animal House)
Split decision [(30-29), (28-29), (29-28)] after 3 rounds.
MMA
Match
2 Rounds - 3 Minutes
Kaleo Kwon (Eastsidaz) def. Kevin Delima (Bulls Pen)
TKO via referee stoppage due to kick to the head at 2:45 minutes
of Round 2
Kickboxing
Match
3 Rounds - 1.5 Minutes
Marcus Moreno (Bulls Pen) def. Dyson Domen (Team Bigdogs)
Split decision [(30-30), (28-29), (29-28)] after 3 rounds.
Light
Heavyweight Kickboxing Championship
3 Rounds - 1.5 Minutes
Bryson Kamaka (808 Fight Factory) drew Alan Ulip (Animal House)
Draw [(30-30), (28-28), (28-28)] after 3 rounds.
Middleweight
Championship
Cheyenne Padeken (Waianae, Current Middleweight Champion) def.
Jon Navavrez Sr. (Bulls Pen, Kalihi)
TKO via referee stoppage at 58 seconds in Round 1.
|
Hawaiian
Pro Am Challenge
Submission Grappling 2004 Today
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 |
So
You Think You Tough 5 is Back!
Kona, Hawaii
August 28, 2004
Tonight!
Onzuka.com will be in Kona for the action. Cheyenne will fight
two times in two days. After coming off a TKO win at Punishment
in Paradise on Friday, he will fight Kaleo Padilla on Saturday.
Source: Event Promoter
|
Vitor
Belfort
By Alexandre Lobo
'I want another shot!'
After
re-watching his third fight against Randy Couture at Ultimate
Fighting Championship, Vitor Belfort has no doubt to say he was
fucked up. According to Belfort, Couture's head-butt would have
been decisive to the American's victory. Besides open a huge
cut over the Brazilian eye, Vitor says the incidental head-butt
obliged him to change his plans. In an exclusive to TATAME.com,
Vitor Belfort talks about what happened on his training camp
in Big Bear during the days before the fight, explains his plans
to defeat Randy Couture and protests saying UFC producers don't
follow UFC rules.
What's
up, Vitor... How are you right after the fight?
Man,
I'm pissed off. I can't accept what happened inside that octagon.
It's unbelievable! I suffered a huge head-butt and I was dizzy.
I recovered myself, but I bleed a lot, falling blood inside my
ear... In addition to the cut over my eye, that head-butt ruined
all my strategy.
Why
do you say this?
I
intended to take advantage of our age difference (Randy is 41
and Vitor, 29). I wanted to make him get tired on the first three
rounds to, then, make my game. And I was doing well, making him
trying to take me down near the fence and spending power during
the whole round. The only problem was at the end of the five
minutes, but I didn't have much trouble. At the second round,
that head-butt turned the things easier for him. He put me against
the fence and spent the rest of the fight blowing on my cut.
You
claim referee Big John McCarthy might interrupted the fight right
after the head-butt...
Of
course! I suffered a huge head-butt and the referee just stopped
the combat long time after it. And when I was returning on to
do my fight, the doctors decided I wasn't able to keep fighting.
It's an absurd! If they wanted to stop it due to the cut, they
had to do it still at the second round. Not during the break
between the third and the forth ones, when I had recovered myself.
It seemed they didn't want me winning the fight... Later, Big
John came to me and said he hasn't figured out that the cut was
due to he head-butt... No way a jab can do something like that
on me!
A
week before, Pride's producers stopped GP's final bout between
Rodrigo Minotauro Nogueira and Emelianenko Fedor due to an accidental
head-butt, that opened a huge cut over the Russian's eye. Do
you think UFC had to do the same?
Sure!
It's on UFC rules. If a cut happens due to an accidental head-butt,
the fight must be declared no contest. And they didn't do it.
Though, UFC doesn't respect the rules as Pride does.
Anyway,
I felt you very defensive during the fight, just stepping back
and didn't throwing your blows, like you do usually. Didn't you
respect Couture too much?
That
was not the problem... I also had some difficulties during my
last week of practice in Big Bear. My Muay Thai trainer caused
a lot of trouble and this brought a bad energy to the team. During
the fight, my corner was really a mess, with everyone saying
different things at the same time. The more important now is
to detect the mistakes and fix them.
And
how about the future? During the press-conference after the show
you said you return on December, against Tito (Ortiz). Don't
you want another chance against Randy?
Right
after the fight, UFC didn't give me a choice. Of course I want
to face Couture again. I asked him for it after doctor's decision,
but he said he faces who UFC want to. On the last time, when
he asked me for another fight, I did it sooner. I wanna see if
he'll do the same now! About Tito, I do want to face him, because
I don't like his attitude.
Source:
Tatame |
Vitor
Belfort: ‘It was not a punch, but a headbutt’
by: Luca Atalla with R.N.
Now back in Brazil, Vitor Belfort watched carefully the tape
of his last fight against Randy ‘The Natural’ Couture,
the main event of the UFC 49.
'It
was not a punch, but a headbutt' said the brazilian athlete,
referring to the stroke that opened a cut on the right side of
his face. Despite the Phenom's protests that he could continue,
the doctor declared an end to the combat between the third and
fourth rounds.
Now
without the UFC light heavyweight belt, Belfort declared: 'The
same way that Couture suffered a cut in our second fight last
January; I suffered a cut in the last combat and I deserve a
rematch' .
With
12 stitches above the right eyebrow, Belfort also said: 'I was
ready to recover in the two last rounds. My strategy was to make
him tired' explained the BJJ black-belt.
Source:
ADCC |
2004
International Masters & Seniors Brackets are up
Another
big name popped out when checking the brackets for the 2004 International
Masters & Seniors; the name . . . none other than Crolin
Gracie. Crolin, one of Grandmaster Carlos Gracie's sons, has
been living in Southern Brazil for the last few years and has
been away from competition for some time but stories from insiders
have him as a feared man on the mats!
Check
out the entire line-up and brackets at: http://www.cbjj.com.br/cgi-bin/montachaves.asp
Darrel
Gholar Update
Good news from Scotty @ Onthemat.com
We
got some good news finally on Darrell. I have not posted anything
since I had not talked to his Dr. Now we got some good news that
the latest round of tests shows that the blood and fluid is going
down in his head. We are waiting for one more good test to come
in and he can go home! No surgery. Darrell is in a good mood
but out of it. Thanks for all the help. Scotty
More
Gholar Benefits
ART
SAVES LIVES - LOS ANGELES, CALIF.
EMAIL: ARTSAVESLIVES@ATT.NET
>From
: Joey Krebs To : Darrell Gholar
Re: Darrell Gholar benefit 082504
Greetings
Fellows Wrestlers and Athletes:
It
is wonderful to know individuals like yourself who are assisting
in Darrell’s cause. Please allow me to take a moment to
share with you a little of my artist and combative wrestling
background. I have been a student of wrestling for over 27 years.
My first coach was Lou Gianni of Huntington High school. My mentors
have been John Azevedo, Joe Gonzales and Joe Seay. I have worked
personally with many industry bands like Rage Against The Machine,
having been commissioned to do the cover art for their latest
release, 'The Battle of Los Angeles' as well as their recent
Concert Backdrop, CD inside cover, Logo and Promotional and Productive
Development i.e. T-shirts and Stickers.
The
work that I have intentionally created in the Media and on the
Streets, under the pseudonym, 'The Street Phantom,' invokes a
simple visual spray painted icon silhouette in order to provoke
social discussion through urban myth, gossip and ritual. As a
result of my competence in what I call 'image brokering, 'my
work has achieved a world-renowned MTV Pop Icon status.
I
have always felt that being a Radical Subversive Guerilla Performance
Artist is not necessarily specific, but a diverse composition
that leads to a distinction comprised of many infused expressions.
My creative concepts are derived from the blurred boundaries
of wrestling and performance art. I have also creatively directed
Rage Against the Machine in several music videos, including the
MTV award-winning 'Bulls on Parade', the MTV award-nominated
'Sleep Now In The Fire,' as well as 'Renegades of Funk' which
is currently receiving heavy airplay. 'The Battle of Los Angeles',
'Bulls on Parade', and 'Renegades of Funk' all feature the silhouette
or Shadow, which serves as the archetype for the Public Everyman
and the various social, and political struggles that our people
and youth face today as a disenfranchised culture.
I
would like to announce my interest in Darrell Gholars cause and
affiliation. I would be happy to create a benefit portrait of
a wrestler and sold to the highest bidder at an auction.
Anyone
conducting an official Benefit for Darrel please email with details
With
Gratitude,
Joey
The Street Phantom
Source:
ADCC
|
In
the current issue of FCF...
Bushido 4: "Team Japan vs. The Brazilian Top Team"
- get all of the action from Rainbow Hall in Nagoya, Japan.
One
on One with Quinton Jackson: Rampage speaks out in his own unique
fashion. This is one interview you don't want to miss!
Underdog?
David Terrell brings a highly touted rep to his UFC debut, but
is he good enough to beat the UFC's best at 185?.
Final
Conflict 2004: we preview Pride's star-studded heavyweight Grand
Prix.
Real
Fight: Carlson Gracie's new MMA event comes to Rio.
2004
Midyear Review: The best and the infamous of 2004 thus far.
AFC
9 brings the action back to War Memorial Coliseum in Ft. Lauderdale,
Florida.
Shooto
returns to Hawaii with Soljah Fight Night.
World
Freestyle Fighting Championships 7.
Penn
vs. Zuffa: from the fighter's perspective. A look inside the
suit former UFC Welterweight Champ has brought against the UFC
promoters
Setbacks,
Strides and Strategies: Revisiting MMA Officiating.
Reggie
Cardiel bluffs, calls his way to the top: MMA fighter on the
World Series of Poker Tour.
In
this month's Shooto Report, we bring you some of the best action
from Shooto fights at Kitazawa Town Hall and Korakuen Hall in
Tokyo, Japan.
Former
AMC Pankration strength & conditioning coach Mark Ginther
discusses Injury Prevention & Rehab Part 4: Alternative Therapy.
Vernon
"Tiger" White BioFile.
Fight
fans give their predictions and thoughts on UFC 49 and Pride
Final Conflict 2004.
In
our monthly columns...
In Matt Hume's techniques, Matt Hume & Brad Kerston demonstrate
Omoplata Reverse Armbar; and in the Punchers Corner, champion
kickboxer Derek Panza discusses Working up the Body.
Every
issue of Full Contact Fighter is jam-packed with fight news from
the U.S. to Brazil to Japan. FCF travels the globe to bring the
fights to you. Get yours today! Available at Tower Records stores
around the world or by subscription...
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
For
FASTEST service call in your credit card order
(516)676-0033
Or
Click
here to order securely online with your credit card
or print off the order form & mail it in with your payment
Source:
FCF |
Joe
Doerksen Injury Update
By Joe Hall
It was not the performance he expected. Joe Doerksen's long awaited
UFC debut brought a painful defeat, but the Canadian middleweight
was in good spirits when reached by FCF Wednesday night.
Doerksen
attributed the loss to a sudden lack of confidence in his striking
and a game opponent who took advantage of his reluctance. "Joe
Riggs did a great job," Doerksen said. "His career
is going to take off. Despite the fact that he beat me up, I'm
happy for him."
Once
he returned home to New Bothwell, Canada, Doerksen watched footage
of his UFC 49 defeat to Riggs. In reflection, he said, his hesitation
to strike on the feet foiled his all around game. It threw off
his timing, his takedowns and his submissions and caused him
to second-guess himself throughout the fight, says Doerksen.
Riggs
capitalized. He cut Doerksen badly over the eye with an elbow
and then broke his nose with another elbow. The cuts needed nine
stitches, and his nose was reset in a Las Vegas hospital. A CAT
Scan came back normal, and Doerksen said the doctor told him
he could fight again in as early as four weeks, though his commission-mandated
medical suspension will likely keep him out of the cage for at
least eight weeks.
"My
nose is a little crooked," he said, "but it's not the
first time it's been broken and I'm pretty sure it's not the
last. It's part of the job, and I'm learning to accept it."
Doerksen
is hungry to get back in the ring. He'll have a few Canadian
beers on Saturday night, relax on Sunday and be back in the gym
on Monday. "I just want to get back in the ring and start
throwing some punches," he said. "Either for MMA, boxing,
kickboxing-anything that will get me back in the ring. I want
to get back in there and fight a little bit more aggressively,
a little harder. My goal for my next fight is to take my opponent's
head and knock it into the 17th row."
Source:
FCF |
Liddell's
Trainer Responds To White Allegations
By Loretta Hunt
In light of Vernon "Tiger" White's contention that
opponent Chuck Liddell poked his eye at the conclusion of their
fight last Saturday night at UFC 49, Liddell's head trainer John
Hackleman has contacted FCF on his student's behalf to make the
following statement:
"Speaking
for The Pit and all my fighters, including Chuck, we think Vernon
had a great fight. He showed tons of heart, tons of skill, and
I think he comes from a real classy gym. He has one of the best
trainers/MMA icons in the world, Ken Shamrock, as his mentor
and I don't think you can get any better than that. During the
fight, Vernon showed a lot of class, but I watched that tape
150 times and I didn't see an eye poke. I hope Vernon's eye is
okay. I hope he's not hurt at all. Chuck and I both hope Vernon
is okay, but I don't believe there was an eye poke, a thumb gouge
or anything-- intentional or unintentional. We think he just
got a whuppin'. He fought like a champ--kept coming and coming
and made it tough for Chuck, but Chuck was never in trouble.
Chuck was never, never about to lose or losing that fight. It
was just a matter of time and it came quicker than later. We
hope Vernon makes a speedy recovery and gets back into the ring
because he is a great fighter, competitor, and athlete."
Hackleman
says Liddell has been made aware of White's allegations, but
currently on the road completing press relations for the UFC,
he is unable to respond himself at this time.
Source:
FCF
|
Stalking
Dana White:
Reality Show, Japan, and Ax Murderer Details Revealed
By Loretta Hunt
Dana White has been uncharacteristically quiet these days. The
voice for America's number one mixed martial arts promotion,
you'd think the UFC president would be singing its praises with
the recent news that they've secured a television reality show
on Spike TV. But, despite White's announcement last Saturday
night that the show is scheduled to begin shooting on September
15th and air starting January 15th in the Monday night slot following
pro-wrestling juggernaut WWE, The Ultimate Fighter has enjoyed
virtual anonymity. White says there is good reason for that.
"It's a reality show," he whispers for dramatic effect.
"It's a secret." Admitting that he, too, has to answer
to the show's producers striving to kept every little detail
in the dark for as long as possible, White pleads the 5th for
once.
But
FCF is a persistent lady, literally cornering the spokesman at
the post-fight conference following UFC 49's plentiful night
of KO action. Here's what we got on the show, as well as the
UFC's eminent return to Japan and talk of a Couture-Silva face-off:
Originally
planned to include four weight classes, the reality show will
now focus on middleweight and light-heavyweight fighters only.
Besides the obvious factor that the heavyweight division has
remained relatively "light" for some time, White cites
the complex screening process (which included personality evaluation,
medical and drug testing, and background checks) as another reason
why the two weight classes were eventually dropped. "It's
only 185 and 205," White says. "God willing, this will
be a good season and we'll have a second season and do 170 and
the heavyweights."
Come January 15th's first episode, viewers will be introduced
to 20 candidates, split between two competitive teams led by
UFC veterans Randy Couture and Chuck Liddell. Although White
would not confirm, FCF has deducted these teams will consist
of five middleweights and five light-heavyweights each.
Due to their involvement with the series, Randy Couture will
not defend his light-heavyweight title to Chuck Liddell on the
usual UFC timetable. "They're out for a while," is
all White would comment, but if the two fight again after the
show's premiere to optimize on maximum exposure, it could be
five months at least.
And onto the UFC's return to the Land Of The Rising Sun, Vitor
Belfort already let the cat out of the bag with his seemingly
impromptu announcement at the podium that he will face Tito Ortiz
come December 12th in Japan. White confirmed this headliner for
the tentatively-titled UFC 51 whether Ortiz loses to Mezger at
UFC 50 or not, and shared this regarding the proposed card. "It's
gonna have a lot of our stars so we can make a big impact on
Japan." Catering to the local audience, White says he also
hopes to use past UFC fighters such as Genki Sudo and Caol Uno,
mentioning that Sudo might square-off against UFC 49 victor Yves
Edwards.
Regarding
venue, White says he is remaining reasonable. "I'm not gonna
go over there and go crazy, but I can't imagine that I could
do less than I do here. So, we're going to go for 13 to 15 thousand."
As
for a certain Brazilian fellow who made many an MMA fan's year
with his gracious appearance at UFC 49, FCF spoke with both sides
regarding a potential UFC-PRIDE crossover involving their respective
stars Couture and Vanderlai Silva.
Without
knowing the victor of Couture-Belfort the night before, PRIDE
officials suggested a "two fight" scenario that sent
the UFC's rep to Japan for a rumble in the ring under their rules,
and then a follow-up meeting of the pair in the caged Octagon
under its regulations. When asked about this scenario, White
seemed a little less optimistic about it coming to fruition,
but says he is game nonetheless. "I don't care. I'll do
anything. I'll do anything that's exciting and that I think will
be a good fight. I've been doing this a long time. I've been
asking for these fights. I've been pushing these guys. Their
always talking and nothing ever happens. I've been talking to
them the last couple of months trying to make a fight and they
don't want to do it."
A
TV show on the horizon, Japan in its sights, and some signs of
life for a crossover event with PRIDE -- FCF is on the case.
Source:
FCF |
Ryron
Gracie faces Travis Lutter in US
The founder of the Ultimate Fighting Championship, Rorion Gracie,
has officially named his International Gracie Jiu Jitsu Federation
tournament, this weekend in Lynwood, California, part of the
World Grappling Ratings. The super-fight of the event will be
between Ryron Gracie and Travis Lutter. The event happens this
weekend at the Lynwood High School (4050 Imperial Highway Lynwood,
CA United States). For more information about it, please visit
http://www.igjjf.com/eventInfo.html . All competitors participating
this weekend will be receiving valuable World Grappling Ratings
points.
Source:
Tatame |
Anderson
& Urutum fight for title in UK
Members of Muay Thai Dream Team, Anderson Silva and Urutum will
be fighting for titles inside the Cage Rage 8 octagon, which
happens on next september 11, at the Wembley Conference Center,
in England. Silva will face the middleweight title holder, Lee
Murray. Even without knowing so much about the fighter who submitted
Jorge Rivera at UFC, Anderson Silva promises to impose his game
in the cage.
"I
don't have a certain strategy. But I will do my game, I will
echange punches and might take the fight to the ground,"
said the fighter, that in last fight, defeated American fighter
Jeremy Horn at Gladiatior FC, held in South Korea. Silvio Urutum
will fight for the light heavyweight against Mike Bisping. Both
fighters depart to England on next September 5. Also in the card,
Brazilian Budokan fighter Johil de Oliveira will take on Mark
Weir.
COMPLETE
CARD (subject to change):
-
Ryan Robinson Vs Kuljit Kegum;
- Mike Bisping Vs Silvio de Souza;
- James Zikic Vs Matthias Riccio;
- Lee Murray Vs Anderson Silva;
- Mark Weir Vs Johil de Oliveira;
- Matt Ewin Vs Damien Ricco;
- Sol Gilbert Vs Jean-Francoise Lenogue;
- Paul Daley Vs Suley Mamoud;
- Gerard Strebentd Vs Jess Liaudin;
- Bad Boy Bailey Vs Phil Gildea;
- Ian Butlin Vs Peter Tairks;
- Leigh Remedios Vs Ricky Salhan.
Source:
Tatame |
BJJ
Master: Macaco wants Givanildo
Still not conformed with the loss suffered by black belt Givalnildo
at BJJ Master Worlds 2003, Jorge Patino Macaco wants revenge.
"The only reason I am going to fight is to face Givanildo.
He did not do a thing last year and the referee gave him the
victory. I still feel awful with this loss. I will do my best
now!," promises the Macaco Gold Team black belt, which will
count with another nine fighters over the tournament.
Another
team confirmed at the event, which happens next Saturday (28)
at the Tijuca Tênis Clube gymnasium (Rio de Janeiro) is
the Alliance. The team is featuring 50 athletes, but his leader
was not be able to fight. "I got my rib hurt during the
BJJ Worlds and unfortunately I will not be able to fight this
time. In fact its gonna be the first time I'm gonna be out,"
lamented Fábio Gurgel.
Source:
Tatame
|
|
SYLVIA
COULD BE READY BY DECEMBER
After
breaking his forearm in a couple of different places, Tim Sylvia
could be ready as soon as December in Japan. Sylvia is a guy
who won't sit back and watch on the sidelines and constantly
likes to train.
At
UFC 48 when his arm was broken by Frank Mir on Saturday, Sylvia
was back in the gym on the following Tuesday riding an exercise
bike. "I just can't stay away from the gym" Sylvia
told MMAWeekly Radio the following week. "I can't just sit
there, I have to be doing something."
A
week after surgery back then, he was sparring with one hand.
Monte Cox, his manager said "It was pretty funny watching
him spar with all the guys as he was doing a lot of damage with
just one arm."
Sylvia
has done everything the doctors have told him. There is some
talk that he might be ready to go by December. Sylvia told MMAWeekly
last weekend in Las Vegas "I think I can be ready to go,
but I have to wait and see what the UFC wants me to do."
What Tim Sylvia wants to do is get back in the heavyweight title
picture and he hopes to take a step closer in his next fight,
which very well could be in Japan in December.
Source:
MMA Weekly |
BENNETT
BREAKDOWN:
AMERICAN SPORTS FANS HATE JIU-JITSU
After watching this past UFC with my sports friends, NOT mma
fans this is the conclusion I have come to in regards to the
average joe and MMA. American fans don't care about jiu-jitsu.
I know it's not words you or I don't want to hear, but as I've
toured around the sellout arenas of 12,000 fans and hearing the
booing at EVERY UFC when a fight goes to the ground, (especially
back east) it's a fact, people don't get one of the greatest
weapons in MMA.
It's
for that reason alone Zuffa got it right with the way the UFC
49 main card was created to the chagrin of many on pay per view
last weekend. The guys that I brought over to my house last weekend
loved UFC 49 because of the great knockouts. As Mike Goldberg
said "This should be called Ultimate Knockouts 4."
The
reason why the card was so great was because of the amazing knockouts
all night long. And I quote my boy Zito who is a diehard Seattle
Seahawks and New York Yankees fan....(yes he has problems...)
"Those knockouts were awesome and even that grappling crap
was o.k." The grappling crap known as jiu-jitsu for the
average couch potato just won't catch on very quickly with the
American people which is unfortunate and not fair to the great
fighters in the world today....however it is a fact. The average
sports fan doesn't like that ""grappling crap".
When
the UFC put Justin Eilers vs Mike Kyle and Joe Riggs vs Joe Doerksen
on the main card, the hardcore fan was pissed because they felt
both fights should be prelims. How Yves Edwards, who had been
on 7 pay per views, taking on Josh Thomson for basically the
unofficial 155 title, how those guys weren't on the main card
was flat out embarrassing to the hard core fan.
Here's
the interesting part though.....it WAS the correct call for the
audience the UFC is trying to appeal to or cater to in 2004.
Josh Thomson vs Yves Edwards on paper had a chance to go all
three rounds and that was the way the fight was headed, until
Yves pulled out "The Matrix" kick, landing that kick
from some crazy angle. If you look at UFC history, the big 155
fights over the past year have gone to a decision. Uno vs Penn,
Serra vs Penn, Yves vs Hermes Franca, Uno vs Edwards, etc. The
fight was in the clinch for the first 3of the 4 minutes, as both
guys were doing a nice job of neutralizing one another. Then
after battling for position it was Yves landing the sickest kick
from the most improbable place I've ever seen.
Having
Nick Diaz and Karo Parisyan on the prelim dark match, was another
fight that all fans were pissed about when they found out it
was a prelim, present company included. When both fighters, who
are contenders at 170, weren't put on the main card, didn't set
well with any of us. That was the fight I NEEDED to see but it
wasn't scheduled for pay per view. Why?
Here's
the interesting part. For the UFC, they had to figure, both fighters
are so good, that they could neutralize each other for three
rounds. If your matchmaker Joe Silva, what do you do. You know
Mike Kyle vs Justin Eilers would be fireworks. You KNEW that
fight would not get out of the first round. Do you make the hardcore
MMA fans happy and show Diaz vs Karo, knowing it could go to
a decision and it could frustrate the 12,000 in attendance and
the 100,000 on ppv or do you just show a guaranteed knockout
with the two big boys. UFC made the right call and the mainstream
fan or average joe, who knows nothing about fighting on the ground,
loved the KO by Eilers.
The
other match they put in, Riggs vs Doerksen was also the right
call. Riggs is known as a KO guy and Doerksen, who can not only
KO anybody at anytime, has the skills to beat you standing or
on the ground. (Doerksen's only problem was the fact that he
froze a bit, under the bright lights of the UFC. That was not
him in the cage.) Basically Doerksen and Riggs would not go the
full distance either, thus the UFC could put up two matches that
had guarantee finishing possibilities or take two other ones,
who may go to the distance and thus we wouldn't see the other
fights on pay per view. Remember folks we never did see the third
round of Karo vs Nick Diaz on pay per view. Would we have seen
the other fights if they showed that fight on the main card?
The answer is NO, because remember we didn't see the fighters
walk out for EITHER fight which takes forever. Yves vs Thomson
or Diaz vs Parisyan was edited to when the bell started, not
when both guys walked from the back of the arena, which saved
at least 10-15 minutes each on the broadcast, thus we saw all
the matches. The UFC did the right thing in both accounts and
get used to seeing some of the better fights the hardcore fan
follows on the prelim card.
One
other thing real quick. I get a ton of emails this week, So what
is next for Randy Couture? Looks like it will indeed be fighting
Chuck Liddell, not Vanderlei Silva and it won't be anytime soon
from what I hear. The UFC has made it clear the past week, they
have tried time and time again to sign a Couture vs Silva fight.
UFC President, Dana White came on MMAWeekly Radio on Friday live
from Las Vegas and said that he has tried "numerous"
times to work out a deal with DSE in Japan, but Pride won't work
out a deal with Zuffa to have Vanderlei fight in the Octagon.
Thus don't expect to see Couture vs Silva anytime soon, or basically,
EVER.... in my opinion. I don't want to never say never, but
it's never going to happen unless one of the two fighters leaves
their respective organizations.
Look
for Couture's next fight to be a rematch against Chuck Liddell,
but it won't be at UFC 51 in Japan. I'm hearing rumors that the
UFC wants to hype up this fight on the Spike Reality TV show
and what better way to hype it up that have your two instructors
on the show, Liddell and Couture to have "their students"
to battle one another, then later the instructors to battle,
ala Karate Kid style.
For
those who don't know Couture and Liddell are the two instructors
on the tv show where young fighters will be tutored by them on
the upcoming "Ultimate Fighter" television show debuting
on January 13th. Talking briefly with the producers of the show
in Las Vegas, it looks like the idea is to capitalize on the
"free" tv exposure that the show will provide on a
weekly basis on national t.v., then a natural progression would
be for the instructor vs instructor, to battle each other on
pay per view, since the fight is already being planned anyway.
Good for them to capitalize on this upcoming match on free t.v.,
not just the internet websites and pay per view ads.
Source:
MMA Weekly |
May
2005 Abu Dhabi Tournament
The 2005 World Championships of Submission Wrestling will be
held in Long Beach, California. Initial plans to hold the tournament
in Ft. Lauderdale, Florida have been nixed and Long Beach has
been chosen to host the venue for the prestigious tournament.
The Long Beach Sherrif's Department has been blocking final approval
but it seems as if a personal letter from California's Governor,
Arnold Schwarzenegger, will open the door for the event.
Source:
Gracie Fighter |
ATKINS
INSIDER: UFC 49 NOTES
By Todd Atkins
Matt Lindland's latest loss will prove to be costly. Lindland
was on a one-fight contract, and most likely won't be resigned
unless he wants to take a huge paycut. Even then, Zuffa doesn't
really have any plans to use him in the near future.
The
UFC brass are ecstatic over the debut of David Terrell, and want
him back in the ring as soon as possible. Don't be surprised
to see him back as early as UFC 51. Word is that if David Terrell
wins impressively again at UFC 51, he will be given the star
treatment.
UFC
was very happy with the way the fights turned out for the most
part. They are developing the 185-pound division, added a new
player to the heavyweight division in Justin Eilers, and are
were able to trim Matt Lindland from future budgets.
The
170-pound class is already deep but Chris Lytle and Karo Parisyan
kept themselves in the mix with their wins. Nick Diaz lost a
close fight but he is expected to be kept as well.
UFC
president Dana White thinks that UFC needs to develop a few more
heavyweights, and also work a bit more on the 205-pound division.
The thought is that Randy Couture, Chuck Liddell, Tito Ortiz,
and Vitor Belfort can only face each other so many times.
As
in recent shows, the UFC will continue to trim fighters that
demand or command a lot of dollars, and put in young exciting
talent that will fight within their budget and sign their contracs
without question. That strategy, along with having a big name
or two headline a card, is the business model they will keep
pursuing.
We
will see if Tito Ortiz can 'carry' the UFC 50 show on his own.
Fans are not real excited about the Tito Ortiz vs. Guy Mezger
matchup, but Zuffa thinks it will be an easy fight for Tito in
order to get him back on track.
Marvin
Eastman may not be able to fight because of his K-1 injuries,
so it would not be a surprise to see someone else in there against
Canadian fighter Patrick Cote. The Zuffa offices are also not
convinced that Tim Sylvia will be ready to fight by December.
More
post UFC 49 notes:
Zuffa
claims over 12,000 fans attended, and that the gate made over
<B<>.
The
UFC-Spike reality show will supposedly start shooting September
15th and supposedly air on January 15th.
Spike
TV gave them the best time slot, which is right after WWE 'Raw'.
The
two coaches for the reality show will supposedly be Chuck Liddell
and Randy Couture.
Source:
Fight Sport |
PULVER
TO FIGHT ON SHOOTBOX CARD
Todd Atkins reports the following from Japan:
This
has kind of flown under the radar but Jens Pulver will be competing
on the Shootbox show in Japan on September 19th.
Source: Fight Sport
|
YOSHIDA
VS. OGAWA
 
The Japanese media is reporting that a main event of Hidehiko
Yoshida vs. Naoya Ogawa will most likely take place on the PRIDE
show that is scheduled for December 31st.
Source:
Fight Sport |
FEDOR
RECIEVES NINE STITCHES
Sankei Sports reports that Fedor Emelianenko recieved nine stiches
for the cut he sustained in last week's fight against Rodrigo
'Minotauro' Nogueira.
Fedor
got the cut stiched up at a local hospital in St. Petersburg,
Russia, and is expected to be healed up in one month.
'MINOTAURO'
INJURY
Sankei Sports reports that Rodrigo 'Minotauro' Nogueira sustained
a fracture in his elbow during his fight against Fedor Emelianenko
on August 15th, and will need surgery to repair the injury.
According
to Sankei Sports, Minotauro is scheduled for surgery in early
September, and will face Fedor for a third time on December 31st.
Source: Fight Sport |
Quote
of the Day
"Most great men and women are not perfectly rounded in their
personalities, but are instead people whose one driving enthusiasm
is so great it makes their faults seem insignificant."
Charles A. Cerami,Author
|
Punishment
In Paradise Weigh-ins Tomorrow
PIP's weigh-ins will be held at:
808
Fight Factory
94-143 Leokane Street
Waipahu, Hawaii 96797
August 26, 2004
7:00PM
The event will take place at:
Kapolei High School Gym
August 27, 2004
Fights start at 7:00PM
|
LIDDELL
KOs TIGER IN ACTION PACKED FIGHT
In what had to be considered the most exciting fight of the night,
Vernon "Tiger" White took everything Chuck Liddell
had... and then some. In the end however, it would be the Iceman
getting to White and getting a KO victory over Vernon Tiger White
at 4:05 of the first round.
In
an amazing stand up battle, Liddell had Vernon on the ropes three
different times, but inexplicably White would find his second
and third wind and even come back to land some great shots on
Chuck's chin.
Liddell
at one point looked like he had punched himself out of the fight
midway through the first round as White took every shot that
Chuck threw. The turning point was when Liddell took a quick
glance at his corner, with a minute left in the round and landed
a short powerful right that ended the night of a very game Vernon
White.
White
had absorbed many heavy blows from the Iceman and was still standing
in front of Chuck. "He can take a punch" Liddell said.
"I was surprised he was still standing in front of me."
White,
in defeat, gained a lot of new fans. That's the beauty of this
sport of MMA that if fighters come to fight, win or lose, they
gain the respect of the fans. "He was spectacular in defeat.
He took Chuck's best and for the most part continued to exchange"
said one member of the Lion's Den. "He will be back"
said Ken Shamrock.
For
Liddell he gets the rematch he wanted so badly. Another meeting
with Randy Couture. It's a fight that probably won't happen until
the beginning of the new year. The UFC may put this fight together
in Japan, but others believe it won't happen until the beginning
of the new year when the UFC makes it's way back to Las Vegas.
Stay tuned.
Source: MMA Weekly
|
EDWARDS
THE UNCROWNED CHAMPION AT 155
"PEOPLE'S CHAMPION"
Josh Thomson fought very well in the first round. The fight started
out fast and furious. "The Punk" as he is known, threw
kicks and used great clinch work early on. Thomson picked up
his opponent Yves Edwards and executed a perfect body slam.
Midway
through the first round, Thomson would later drop Edwards on
his head with a judo type throw. Edwards however bounced right
back up and after being tossed on his head and would later reverse
Thomson and land a suplex on the man known as "The Punk"
being very composed
When
the fighters stood up, it was Edwards using an amazing flying
kick from an unbelievable angle that ended the night at 4:32
of the first round. The kick caught Thomson flush on the side
of his head for a violent KO, then landed 10 quick short punches
before the referee jumped in.
The
fight should've been for the 155 Lightweight Title, but as Edwards
appropriately put it "I wish it would have been for the
title, but I guess that makes me the peoples champion".
Yves Edwards your winner in Las Vegas this weekend.
Source: MMA Weekly
|
185
DIVISION JUST GOT A LOT DEEPER:
DAVID TERRELL AND DIESEL RIGGS
In the biggest upset of the night, David Terrell of the Cesar
Gracie Fight Team knocked out the number one fighter in the world,
Matt Lindland in just :25 seconds.
If
you got up to get something to eat, then you missed the fight.
Terrell landed a wicked left hand that sent Lindland to the canvas.
David Terrell had big credentials in Japan, but he hadn't fought
the competition that Matt Lindland had in the UFC. Terrell didn't
care. He let his hands do the talking.
Terrell
knocked Lindland down with a left, then pounced on Lindland,
sensing his chance and used a left right combination to KO Lindland.
Terrell actually landed five consecutive shots before referee
Herb Dean could jump in to stop the fight.
Terrell
known for world class jiujitsu skills, showed he has power in
both hands and is a pretty good striker to boot against the man
regarded as the best fighter in the world in his weight class.
In
another impressive debut at the 185 division, Joe "Diesel"
Riggs made his Octagon debut and used his strength and heavy
handed power to stop Joe Doerksen in the first round. Riggs used
wicked forearm combinations to split open Doerksen.
Every
punch had a purpose and Riggs, the former heavyweight, looked
extremely strong in his new weight class of 185.
Source: MMA Weekly
|
LYTLE
NOW IN THE HUNT AT 170
Chris "Lights Out" Lytle has won his second consecutive
fight in the UFC by submission. Lytle was able to secure a rear
naked choke over Ronald
Jhun to
win another fight and secure himself as a contender in the 170
division.
Lytle,
a professional boxer who has a record of 10-1-1 in boxing, improved
his MMA record to 30-10 and continues to gain confidence in the
Octagon. "Ronald Jhun is a great veteran and it was an honor
to be able to fight him." Lytle said. "I wasn't sure
what to expect, whether we were going to stand up or go to the
ground, but I was able to get in a good position and finish the
fight."
Now
if you look at the 170 pound division in the UFC, it is truly
loaded. The names Matt Hughes, Frank Trigg, Georges St. Pierre,
Karo Parisyan, Chris Lytle, Nick Diaz, Charuto Verissimo, and
now Ronald
Jhun are
just a few of the names in the division and with more on the
horizon, the matchups in this division are endless. Chris Lytle
hopes to have solidified himself as a contender at the top of
the list and with another win, he definitely has a shot at getting
himself in position for a future title shot.
Source: MMA Weekly
|
EILERS
MAKES IMPRESSION IN HEAVYWEIGHT DIVISION
They went as friends, they banged liked enemies. The fight between
Mike Kyle and Justin Eilers didn't last long and the fight wasn't
confused as a tactical or technical battle by any means, but
the sold out crowd at the MGM Grand watched two big heavyweights
bang .
The
fight opened in the clinch as Mike Kyle tried to utilize knees
in a Muay Thai clinch but they were deemed as low and Big John
McCarthy took away a point.
That
seemed to infuriate Justin Eilers who landed an over hand right
and followed it up with a wicked left hook that knocked out Mike
Kyle at just 1:14 into the first round. The UFC is looking for
some new blood in the division and judging from the debut of
Eilers, they found a heavyweight with a lot of power who can
make some noise in the heavyweight division.
Source: MMA Weekly
|
ANOTHER
TV SHOW FOR UFC
This weekend was packed full of news and for those of you who
jumped on the greatest thread in MMA, on our Soundoff Forum,
then you saw the news.
Not
only is the UFC going back to Japan, but on January 15th, the
reality TV show called Ultimate Fighter will be on Spike TV.
UFC President Dana White said "we just locked down the contestants
and we look forward to this show." White continued with
an even bigger announcement. "We are working on another
TV show that he can't talk about because the contracts aren't
signed." But, White continued, "We will be on another
television network soon however."
That
was the news that many fans have been waiting for is a weekly
fighting show. So while speculation runs rampant, this is what
we do know about the upcoming show on Spike TV. The former producer
of the hit show "Survivor" is behind the project and
is well respected in the television industry.
MMAWeekly.com
has learned that the two instructors of the show, will be Randy
Couture and Chuck Liddell. Liddell and Couture have already worked
on getting the upcoming fighters ready for the show.
The
actual fighters look to be current stars on the small show circuit
of MMA. Some of the names include Team Quest fighters Chris Leben,
Ed Herman, and Nate Quarry. Cesar Gracie's Team has a few representatives
including Tim McKenzie, while The Pit and John Hackelman's group
has "Irish" Abe Baxter among others.
It's
unknown how many participants have actually applied to be on
the show, the producers would like to cut it over the next few
weeks to 40 fighters and eventually narrow it down to 10. In
either case the exposure on Spike TV should be huge, not to mention
with another potential TV network on board, things seem to look
bright for the sport of MMA.
Source: MMA Weekly
|
PARISYAN'S
BACK IN UFC...
DIAZ IMPRESSIVE IN TOUGH LOSS
Karo Parisyan was upset when he lost to Georges St. Pierre. He
knew it would be awhile before he could return to the UFC. Parisyan
who spent time working his way back in organizations like the
WEC, came back with a wild close match vs Nick Diaz.
Diaz
versus Parisyan was a masterpiece of technical submission fighting.
Diaz looked like he may pull off a kimura in the first round,
but somehow Karo would get himself out of trouble and actually
finish the round strong.
The
two fighters kept their amazing pace through the second round
as there was transition after transition after transition between
the two fighters. One fighter would seem to be in trouble, the
other would roll out of it and then put their opponent in a bad
position.
In
the end, it was Parisyan scoring a split decision over Diaz for
the win. MMAWeekly had the fight 29-28 for Parisyan, while the
judges in Las Vegas saw a different fight. One judge inexplicably
had it 30-27 for Parisyan, which meant that Karo won every single
round in that judges eyes which was absolutely incorrect.
While
the other two judges were split. One judge had it 29-28 for Parisyan,
while the other had it 29-28 for Diaz. While Diaz lost, he was
extremely impressive in defeat and you know both of these fighters
just made the 170 division that much deeper.
Source: MMA Weekly
|
Quote
of the Day
"Fear does not have any special power unless you empower
it by submitting to it."
Les Brown, Author and Speaker
|
WILL
WE EVER SEE COUTURE VS SILVA?
DON'T BET ON IT....
If front of a crowd of just over 12,000 fans, there they were.
Something most MMA fans thought they would never see. The super
champions of both organizations in the Octagon. I never like
to use the word "special" when talking about an MMA
moment, but there they were. UFC Champion Randy Couture, Pride
Champion Wanderlei Silva and UFC's President, Dana White and
Pride's Hideki Yamamoto all standing there, showing a true respect
for one another as the best at 205 where in the OCTAGON of all
places talking about a unification of the 205 pound title.
The
one thing the UFC has done in the past is try to hook up the
fantasy matches. Last year we saw the latest edition of your
MMA Fantasy League, when former UFC Champion Ricco Rodriguez
battled Pride Heavyweight Champion Minotauro Nogueira in a hard
fought close decision.
Only
problem both heavyweights were "former" champions and
both guys were dominated in their previous fights by Tim Sylvia
and Fedor Emelianenko respectively.
This
weekend we saw two CHAMPIONS at the same time in the same Octagon.
It was exciting, it was amazing and it.....it......it isn't happening
anytime soon. When you have the two most powerful companies in
the world in MMA, there are too many politics, there are too
many variables and basically I don't see it happening anytime
soon.
UFC
President went on MMAWeekly Radio this weekend and said he has
tried on "many occasions" to have a superfight between
Wanderlei Silva and his top guys at 205, but "Pride said
no" to all of those requests. White also made the announcement
that the UFC will fight in Japan on December 14th.
Talk
about a perfect time for Wanderlei Silva and Randy Couture to
match up. In the Octagon, in Silva's adopted home away from home
in Japan, and tell me Pride couldn't sell out a 50,000 seat arena
with a supercard, Pride vs UFC mega event.
I've
always dreamed of a super MMA event. Having the King of the Cage
Champion, TKO Champion, WEC Champion, IFC Champion, UFC Champion
and Pride Champion, have a World Cup of MMA in a fighting festival
for a weekend. It would be thee tournament of all time. You could
even have a "legends" tournament with Royce Gracie
vs Ken Shamrock in the tourney. It would be absolutely spectacular
but it would also be absolutely far fetched.
The
money you would have to generate for the salaries, what would
each promotion make as far as pay per view rights go, too many
egos, too many lawyers, it ain't gonna happen boys and girls.
For
now I would take Wanderlei Silva and Randy Couture. The two most
dominant fighters in the world at 205. Silva hasn't lost in 4
years, never lost in Pride and is approaching 20 straight wins.
Randy
Couture hasn't just defeated Tito Ortiz, Chuck Liddell and now
Vitor Belfort. He DESTROYED all three. Let me repeat that. 41
year old Randy Couture just DESTROYED the three biggest names
in 205, Belfort, Ortiz and Liddell. No one on the planet, Wanderlei
included, couldn't destroy those three mighty guys. Could Silva
defeat Randy? Most likely we will never know and I don't see
that question being answered before the greatest MMA fighter
of all time, Randy Couture retires.
Source: MMA Weekly
|
WHERE
DOES BELFORT GO FROM HERE?
It was a scene we've all seen before. A young lion, in the prime
of his career, being man handled by a 40-something year old fighter
who looks like he is just starting the prime of his fighting
career.
Randy
Couture had just demoralized another victim, this time in Vitor
Belfort. Belfort had the same fate as other fighters in their
prime in Tito Ortiz and Chuck Liddell. Now the UFC has a big
question....what to do with their 205 weight class, now that
Randy Couture has single-handedly cleaned out the division.
The
other question is what now becomes of Vitor Belfort. The Phenom,
never had a chance in this fight and you never got the impression
he would ever mount any type of offense, even though he is the
most explosive, well rounded fighter in the sport today.
Belfort
stood there dejected and when his corner looked at him between
the third and fourth round, they knew their fighter was a beaten
man and didn't want him to continue with the abuse he suffered
at the hands of Couture.
Now
Vitor will ask the same questions that Chuck Liddell and Tito
Ortiz had to answer after being dominated by the champ...what's
next? The best scenario that I think most fight fans would like
to see is the fight that was put together two different times
that never happened. That was a fight with Tito Ortiz. Ortiz
would have to get by Guy Mezger at UFC 50 first however, but
maybe Belfort let the cat out of the bag at the Post Fight Press
Conference when he said that he was fighting Ortiz in UFC's December
show that will take place in Japan (watch the press conference
on MMAWeekly TV).
MMAWeekly's
Ryan Bennett talked briefly with Belfort's camp. Vitor had to
get stitches above his eye. They believe the cut started due
to an accidental head butt which they feel changed the fight.
As far as what's next for Vitor, his camp said that Vitor has
one more fight left on his UFC deal and he would LOVE to fight
Tito Ortiz. Hoping that will take place for Vitor's last fight
on the deal.
Source: MMA Weekly |
"THE
NATURAL" IS ONCE AGAIN THE UFC CHAMP!
His legacy grows. His determination is unparalleled in the sport.
He is the greatest MMA fighter in the history of the game and
Randy "The Natural" Couture left no doubt in anyone's
mind who the best fighter is at 205 in the UFC Light Heavyweight
Division.
From
the opening bell, the 41 year old Couture, overpowered, man handled,
and imposed his will on the young Brazilian Belfort, by negating
any offense Vitor wanted to show in this fight. After three brutal
rounds it was Vitor Belfort who could not continue into a 4th
round.
"This
is the way a fight should be... two guys in here battling and
we settle it here." Couture said. "I think Vitor Belfort
showed he is a true champion for jumping in here and settling
it. He will always be a champion" Couture said after his
fight.
Randy
becomes the champion once again. The former UFC Heavyweight and
Light Heavyweight is the champion again at 205 and in one of
the moments for the ages, Wanderlei Silva, the Pride Fighting
Champion, stepped into the Octagon and said through a translator
"It would be a honor to fight Randy Couture. I will fight
him anytime he wants..." Silva said. Now both organizations
will have to find a way to make it happen. How about December
13th in Japan. Any takers?
Source: MMA Weekly
|
U.S.
OLYMPIC GRECO COACH STEVE FRASER: 'WE CAN WIN THIS THING'
Steve
Fraser knows a thing or two about wrestling in the Olympics.
He won a gold medal at 90 kg/198 lbs., at the 1984 Los Angeles
Olympics, the first U.S. wrestler ever to do so in Greco-Roman
wrestling. He has been USA Wrestling's National Greco-Roman Coach
since October 1995. And now he is convinced that the six Greco-Roman
wrestlers who are on the 2004 U.S. Olympic Team can have the
most successful outcome of any team competing in Greco-Roman
wrestling at the 2004 Athens Olympics.
That
U.S. Greco-Roman wrestling team, with their major career highlights,
includes:
55
kg/121 lbs. -- Dennis Hall -- 1995 world champion and 1996 Olympic
silver medalist at 57 kg/125.5 lbs.
60
kg/132 lbs. -- Jim Gruenwald -- fourth in 2003 World Championships
at 60 kg/132 lbs., sixth in 2000 Olympics at 58 kg/127.75
66
kg/145.5 lbs. -- Oscar Wood -- 1996 and 1998 NCAA Div. I All-American
at Oregon State
84
kg/185 lbs. -- Brad Vering -- fifth at 2002 and 2003 World Championships
at 84 kg/185 lbs., 2000 NCAA Div. I champion at Nebraska
96
kg/211.5 lbs. -- Garrett Lowney -- 2000 Olympic bronze medalist
at 97 kg/213.75 lbs.
120
kg/264.5 lbs. -- Rulon Gardner -- 2000 Olympic gold medalist
and 2001 world champion at 130 kg/286 lbs.
(The
U.S. did not qualify a wrestler at 74 kg/163 lbs. in Greco this
year.)
Thus
the U.S. Greco team includes three wrestlers who have won Olympic
medals, including one Olympic gold as well as two world championships,
making it one of the most experienced teams in the world.
'We've
got a very experienced team,' said Coach Fraser shortly after
the conclusion of the 2004 U.S. Olympic Trials in May in Indianapolis.
'We've got a couple of young guys. So I think it really makes
a nice balance for us. A couple of guys that no one in the world
has seen too much of, with Oscar Wood and Vering. They're starting
to get to know him, of course. But we've got a good, experienced
team. We just got to prepare, and we've got a good chance on
winning the Olympics as a team.'
And,
he stressed, 'If everybody wrestles their heart out and gives
it everything they have and we don't make mistakes, we can win
this thing.'
While
there was no official award for outstanding wrestler at the Olympic
Trials, many felt that had there been one it would have gone
in Greco to Oscar Wood. He defeated 2000 Olympian Kevin Bracken
to capture his spot on the Olympic Team.
Fraser
called Wood, the former Oregon State All-American, a 'fighter'
and noted how he ended up 'banged up and bruised' from the Olympic
Trials. 'He's a great competitor, very fierce competitor, one
of the toughest kids I know,' said Coach Fraser. 'He's got a
couple of very, very strong techniques: His front headlock, his
gut wrench, and he's just a great fighter. To have a young guy
on the team, he'd be the one new guy that I'd have.'
He
went on, 'I think this is actually his first major Greco event
that he's won. But that doesn't mean he can't go out there and
win a medal for us. That's what we're going to plan for.' He
also discussed how Wood actually choked out Bracken in their
first match, which officially ended as a pin.
'It's
a tough front headlock,' explained Coach Fraser. 'That front
headlock, the harder you fight it, the more you choke yourself.
Wood is very good in that position. Kevin, I'm sure just through
toughness, tried everything he could to fight it, and that particular
move is a tough move to fight once he gets it locked.'
Of
course, the most famous wrestler on this team is Rulon Gardner.
The man whom he conquered for the gold medal in 2000 in Sydney,
Alexander Kareline, has since retired. But Gardner's improbable
series of injuries, plus the emergence of fellow American Dremiel
Byers as the 2002 world champion at heavyweight in Greco, had
placed other obstacles on his road to repeating as Olympic champion.
Gardner beat Byers at the 2004 Olympic Trials, and Coach Fraser
is convinced that Gardner will emerge victorious in Athens.
'Rulon
is on a mission,' he stated. 'And he's overcome a lot of adversity
to get to where he's at. Beating Dremiel Byers, our other world
champion at that weight, was huge and was very, very difficult,
especially with some of that adversity with his accident that
he had and his hand injury, and all the other things.'
Coach
Fraser then advised, 'You just watch. Rulon Gardner in this Olympics
is going to be on it. He's in better condition than any heavyweight
wrestler in the world by far. And if he uses that conditioning
to his advantage, he's going to win the gold medal.'
Another
remarkable story is that of Dennis Hall. He had been wrestling
at 60 kg/132 lbs., but had lost his top spot on the U.S. team
to long-time rival Jim Gruenwald. Hall had been an Olympian in
1992 and 1996, but had missed out on making the 2000 team. After
skipping an Olympics, the 33-year-old Hall took the almost unprecedented
step of moving down a weight. And at the 2004 Olympic Trials,
he knocked off a fellow 1996 Olympic silver medalist, Brandon
Paulson, in a thrilling series of matches.
'It's
an amazing feat for Dennis to have decided to continue this long
and then to have put it together and actually made the team,'
said Coach Fraser. 'It shows what kind of spirit and drive he
has. And obviously he's one of our most experienced wrestlers.
I think down at that weight class he can do very well in the
Olympics.'
When
Garrett Lowney was just 20 years old, he unexpectedly knocked
off four-time U.S. national champ Randy Couture en route to making
the 2000 Olympic Team and capturing a bronze medal. But since
then he has been repeatedly plagued by injuries.
'His
neck is good to go as far as I know,' Coach Fraser said. 'He's
overcome this big obstacle with his neck injury. He went and
qualified the weight class in Serbia this past February and did
a great job there, and deserves to be on this team. I got a feeling
you're going to see him win a medal too, for sure.'
As
for another returning Olympian, Jim Gruenwald, Coach Fraser also
expects big things. 'Gruenwald's got excellent chances,' he said.
'He was fourth last year. He had Nazarian, the best wrestler
in the world in any weight class, I think, on the ropes. He's
hungry still. And he deserves to win. So I'm looking forward
to a great summer with him.'
Last
but not least, Brad Vering has finished fifth in the world the
past two years, just missing out on a world medal each time.
Coach Fraser also called Vering 'a young kid that is on a mission.'
He liked his chances to surprise many people in Athens.
'He's
focused. He's a great, great kid to work with. He's a very tough
intense competitor. I think he's one of the best competitors
we have on our team. We've got a lot of good competitors, too.
And so I think I'm real happy to have him on our team as well.
He's going to do well, as well,' Coach Fraser said.
So
how will they do? We will find out on Tuesday, August 24, Wednesday,
August 25, and Thursday, August 26, when the Greco-Roman wrestling
competition takes place at the 2004 Olympic Games in Athens,
Greece.
Source: ADCC
|
Brazilian
judo won two medals in the Olympic Games
Judo
black-belt Leandro Guilheiro, 21 years old, won the bronze medal
in the category under 73kg at the Olympic Games in Athens. On
the morning of August 16th, Guilheiro defeated Victor Bivol,
from Moldavia, in the confrontation for third place on the podium.
Bivol lost by three penalties. It was the first medal earned
by a brazilian athlete in Athens.
'I’m
very happy, and I hope that my countrymen will be in first place'
said Guilheiro, referring to Flavio Canto and Carlos Honorato,
the two favorites for 'the gold mission'.
One
day after, Canto, 29 years old, won a bronze medal, in the category
under 81kg. He defeated Robert Krawczyk, from Poland, in the
last fight. Carlos Honorato (silver medal in the Games of 2000)
and Mario Sabino lost in the beginning of the tournaments in
their categories.
Source: ADCC
|
Quote
of the Day
"Everything in excess! To enjoy the flavor of life, take
big bites. Moderation is for monks."
Robert Heinlein, 1907-1988, American Science Fiction Writer
|
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! |
AUGUST
2004 - ADCC's TOP TEN MMA!
under
145 lbs.
#1 Jens Pulver (Miletich Fighting Systems, USA)
#2 Alexandre 'Pequeno' Nogueira (Brazil)
#3 Norifumi 'Kid' Yamamoto (Japan)
#4 Joao Roque (Nova Uniao, Brazil)
#5 Ivan Menjivar (Costa Rica)
#6 Mike Brown (Team Elite, USA)
#7 Tetsuo Katsuta (Japan)
#8 Hiroyuki Abe (Japan)
#9 Hiroyuki Takaya (Japan)
#10 Stephen
Paling (USA)
145.1
- 155 lbs.
#1 Vitor 'Shaolin' Ribeiro (Nova Uniao, Brazil)
#2 Yves Edwards (ThugJitsu, USA)
#3 Joachim Hansen (Team Scandinavia, Oslo, Norway)
#4 Takanori Gomi (SHOOTO, Japan)
#5 Genki Sudo (Japan)
#6 Josh Thompson (Team AKA, USA)
#7 Tatsuya Kawajiri (Japan)
#8 Matt Serra (Team Renzo Gracie, USA)
#9 Hermes Franca (American TOP TEAM, USA)
#10 Luis 'Buscape' (Brazil)
155.1
- 170 lbs.
#1 BJ Penn
(USA)
#2 Matt Hughes (Miletich Fighting Systems,, USA)
#3 Sean Sherk (USA)
#4 Jake Shields (Cesar Gracie, USA)
#5 Rodrigo Gracie (Team Renzo Gracie, USA)
#6 George St Pierre (TKO, Canada)
#7 Frank Trigg (rAw, USA)
#8 Chris Lytle (Integrated Fighting, USA)
#9 Akira Kikuchi (Japan)
#10 Nick Diaz (Cesar Gracie, USA)
170.1
- 185 lbs.
#1 Anderson Silva (Brazil)
#2 Jeremy Horn (Miletich Fighting Systems,, USA)
#3 Yuki Kondo (Japan)
#4 David Terrell (Cesar Gracie, USA)
#5 Kazushi Sakuraba (Japan)
#6 Masanori Suda (SHOOTO Champion, Japan)
#7 Evan Tanner (Team Quest, USA)
#8 Amar Suloev (Red Devil, Russia)
#9 Matt Lindland (USA)
#10 Denis Kang (Soares JJ, Canada)
185.1
- 205 lbs.
#1 Randy Couture (Team Quest, USA)
#2 Wanderlei Silva (Chute Boxe, Brazil)
#3 Quinton 'Rampage' Jackson (USA)
#4 Chuck Liddell (USA)
#5 Dan Henderson (USA)
#6 Vitor Belfort (Brazil)
#7 Tito Ortiz (USA)
#8 Antonio Rogerio Nogueira (Brazilian TOP TEAM, Brazil)
#9 Rich Franklin (Team EXTREME, USA)
#10 Jason Macdonald (Canada)
205.1
lbs and Up.
#1 Emilianenko Fedor (Red Devil, Russia)
#2 Rodrigo 'Minotauro' Nogueira (Brazilian TOP TEAM, Brazil)
#3 Josh Barnett (NJPW, USA)
#4 Frank Mir (Pires JJ, USA)
#5 Sergei Kharitonov (Russia)
#6 Mirko Filipovic (Croatia)
#7 Andrei Orlovski (Belarus)
#8 Tim Sylvia (Miletich Fighting Systems, USA)
#9 Ibragim Magomedov (Red Devil, Russia)
#10 Travis Wiuff (USA)
Source: ADCC
|
Darrel
Gholar - Health Update!
PAYPAL
donations to assist with medical bills...
American
wrestler Darrel Gohlar remains hospitalized in Brazil. The leader
of Champions Factory Academy Artur Mariano, at whose academy
Darrel has been teaching, informs us that the American will spend
2 weeks under observation in the intensive care unit, to treat
a cerebral aneurysm. Artur received an update from the doctors
in charge of the case, and they inform him that the next two
weeks will be the most important part of the treatment.
The
main issue that worries the medical team would be any new blood
or fluid on the brain, as this would aggravate the situation.
A correction to previous reports, Darrel is now in the hospital
named Miguel Couto, in the 'zona Sul do Rio de Janeiro'. Later
this week it is expected that he will transfer to the hospital
Salgado Filho. Darrel spent a few days cancelling classes and
complaining of numbness and pain.
DONATIONS
BEING ACCEPTED THRU PAYPAL
'The
ADCC NEWS page will be in Rio de Janeiro for the AFC Brazil #1,
and we will be taking Darrel some small assistance.' states the
ADCC spokesman. 'Living in Brazil, he has sacrificed a lot for
the sports of wrestling and MMA, and across the board, he can
be creditted with raising the level of wrestling in the whole
country of Brazil.'
Donations
are being accepted via PAYPAL, and every $1, $5 or $10 helps.
Darrel has no insurance and will have medical bills. The time
for the MMA community to help is now! 'ADCC NEWS will get the
first influx of donations to Darrel next weekend.'
ADCC
SPokesperson,
MIGUEL ITURRATE
PAYPAL:
itur_miguel@yahoo.com // All money will
go directly to Darrel.
Source: ADCC
|
2004
OLYMPIC GOLD MEDAL PREDICTIONS FOR GRECO-ROMAN WRESTLING
If anyone thought that all of my predictions for gold medal winners
in women's wrestling at the 2004 Olympics would be correct, contact
me so I could gladly sell you the rights to host the 2013 Olympics,
at a discount, of course.
Undaunted,
here is my promised explanation of my picks for gold medal winners
in Greco-Roman wrestling at the 2004 Olympics, which were made
as part of a poll of international wrestling journalists organized
by Gary Abbott, USA Wrestling's Director of Communications and
Special Projects.
The
Greco-Roman wrestling competition at the 2004 Olympic Games in
Athens, Greece, takes place Tuesday, August 24, Wednesday, August
25, and Thursday, August 26.
First
a comparison is in order. Comparing the 1995 World Championships
winners to the 1996 Olympic gold medalist winners in Greco, three
of the ten winners repeated. However, comparing 1999 to 2000,
none of he eight Greco winners repeated. But comparing the Olympic
gold medal winners in 1996 and 2000, four of those gold medal
winners repeated. And that total of four included both the reduction
of weight classes from 10 to eight, and the historic loss by
Alexander Kareline after 12 straight years of triumphs.
The
bottom line is that if there is any pattern in Greco, it is that
it is very difficult to repeat from year-to-year, but more likely
for a wrestler to repeat from one Olympic Games to the next.
That may reflect the highly technical nature of this sport where
the difference between victory and defeat is determined by so
many small factors. Nonetheless it is an interesting, and perhaps
helpful phenomenon to be examined when faced with the thankless
task of making these predictions. So here goes.
Men's
Greco-Roman champions
55
kg/121 lbs. - Im Dae-Wong, Korea
This
is one of those weight classes where there is no consensus as
to who is the best wrestler. For what it is worth, the 11 journalists
who submitted predictions as part of USA Wrestling's poll split
between a total of four wrestlers here. Three picked 2001 world
champ Hassan Rangraz of Iran, three picked 1999 world champ and
2000 Olympic silver medalist Lazaro Rivas of Cuba, three picked
2003 world silver medalist Im Dae-Wong of Korea, and two picked
1995 world champ and 1996 Olympic silver medalist Dennis Hall
of the USA. Interestingly enough, no one picked last year's world
champ, Dariusz Jablonski of Poland, who edged Korea's Im in the
finals by a 6-5 score.
Jablonski
is a two-time Olympian, having finished eighth in 1996 at 52
kg and 19th in 2000 at 54 kg. Im, who just turned 28, has shown
some more consistency. He was second at the 2004 Asian Championships,
first at the 2003 Asian Cup, and third at the 2003 Asian Championships.
Im lost in the 2004 Asian Championships to Asset Imanbayev of
Kazakhstan, with Rangraz taking third. But Imanbayev has also
been inconsistent. He actually beat Jablonski by a 3-2 score
in the pool match at the 2003 worlds, but then lost 3-0 to the
unheralded Armen Amoyan of Armenia to drop the pool to Jablonski,
who beat Amoyan, 3-0. Imanbayev was also just sixth at the Olympic
Qualification Tournament on Feb. 28.
So
a reasonable case can be made for any number of athletes in this
weight class loaded with talented and experienced wrestlers,
including whomever Russia sends. But my pick is for the more
consistent Im Dae-Wong of Korea to prevail.
60
kg/132 lbs. - Armen Nazarian, Bulgaria
In
this weight there is definitely one wrestler who stands heads
and shoulders above all the rest. Many consider him the best
Greco-Roman wrestler on the planet today. That is the two-time
defending Olympic gold medalist Armen Nazarian of Bulgaria, who
has also won the last two world championships as well.
Since
winning a world silver medal in 1993 at the age of 19, and dropping
to 15th in 1994, Nazarian had wrestled in every world championship
and Olympic Games since. In the last nine years, beginning in
1995, he has racked up four first-place finishes, one second-place
finish, three thirds, and one fourth. Expect him to take his
third straight Olympic gold medal and third straight first-place
finish this year.
66
kg/145.5 lbs. - Armen Vardanyan, Ukraine
Some
people expect last year's world champion at this weight, Manuchari
Kvirkvelia of Georgia, to win again in Athens. Indeed, he did
defeat Armen Vardanyan of Ukraine in the world finals, 5-2 in
overtime, from the clinch. But the 25-year-old Kvirkvelia has
shown some inconsistency, placing only fourth at the 2003 World
Cup in a weaker field, and has never won any other major international
event.
Vardanyan,
who is only 21, has already won two major international tournaments.
He was first in the 2004 European Championships and the 2000
Junior World Championships. My guess is that he is a rising star
in this weight class, and will parlay his European title into
an Olympic gold medal this year.
74
kg/163 lbs. - Varteres Samourgashev, Russia
This
weight class should belong to Russia. As of now it looks like
they are sending 2000 Olympic gold medalist and 2002 world champ
Varteres Samourgashev. He is still only 24, although he was replaced
at this weight for Russia last year by Alexei Gloushkov, who
promptly won gold at the 2003 World Championships. Gloushkov
was also a 2000 Olympic bronze medalist at the old weight of
69 kg.
With
a choice of champions, Russia can't go wrong here. Samourgashev
should get his second gold. If Russia does send Gloushkov, expect
him to win instead.
84
kg/185 lbs. - Ara Abrahamian, Sweden
At
last year's World Championships at this weight, Ara Abrahamian
of Sweden, the 2001 world champion at 76 kg and 2002 world champion
at 84 kg, made it once again into the finals. There he was upset
by Israel's Gotcha Tsitsiashvili by a narrow 2-0 overtime score.
It
is likely that this was the match of Tsitsiashvili's life. He
finished only tenth at the 2003 European Championships (Israel
wrestles in these because of political reasons), after finishing
eighth in the 2002 World Championships, 18th in the 2001 World
Championships, and sixth in the 2000 Olympic Games. He has a
list of also-ran finishes, although he did place second back
in the 1995 worlds.
Abrahamian,
on the other hand, after a sixth-place finish at 76 kg in the
2000 Olympics, has those two world titles and that second-place
finish last year, along with second-place finishes in both the
2001 and 2002 European Championships, on his ledger. Abrahamian,
29, is a seasoned and successful veteran whose career should
be peaking now. Consistency and experience are of tremendous
importance in Greco, making him my choice to win gold in Athens.
96
kg/211.25 lbs. - Karam Gaber, Egypt
When
will the colorful, 24-year-old Karam Gaber of Egypt, known for
his electrifying throws, finally capture that first world title?
He was second the last two years and won the 2002 World Cup.
He seems to be on the brink of stardom as one of wrestling's
most charismatic and popular stars. His potential is so great
that after his losses in the last two years' finals of the worlds,
some people spread rumors that he had been paid off to lose,
allegations which he has vehemently denied.
This
weight class and its predecessor at 97 kg have had a different
champion every year since 1999. Some expect that this will be
the year for Georgia's 20-year-old Ramaz Nozadze. In 2003 he
won the World Cup, the European Championships, and was also a
junior world champion. He also took bronze at the 2003 senior
worlds. However, in the semifinals, Nozadze faced Gaber. There
Gaber schooled him, winning by a 10-0 tech fall in just 43 seconds.
Again,
anything can happen this year, and logical cases can be made
for many wrestlers at this weight, including both veterans and
newcomers. But it should be time for the well-traveled Gaber,
who has trained all around the world, finally to make his mark
in Olympic wrestling history with a gold medal.
120
kg/264.5 lbs. - Rulon
Gardner, USA
With
other wrestlers we have chronicled their wrestling performances.
With Rulon Gardner we must first list his injuries, and only
the recent ones at that.
On
March 30 of this year he was thrown from a motorcycle. Three
days later, on April 2, he dislocated his right wrist playing
basketball (insert jokes here). After placing second at the U.S.
Nationals on April 10, he underwent surgery on April 16 to have
three pins inserted. The pins were removed on May 10. And on
May 23, he won in the 2004 Olympic Trials' finals to earn his
second straight Olympic berth.
Coupled
with his recovery from his near-death experience in his 2002
snowmobiling accident in a subzero Wyoming forest, which saw
him lose a toe, Gardner has characterized his storybook comeback
as a 'miracle.' It does not matter much for our purposes here
whether you believe it was a miracle or not. But the incontrovertible
fact is that Rulon Gardner, the only man who beat Alexander Kareline
in international competition, is back, and back with a mission.
True,
Gardner lost in last year's worlds to Russia's Khassan Baroev,
3-0. Baroev went on to win the gold. But Baroev is not Kareline.
Three weeks later at the 2003 World Cup, Baroev lost to Kazakhstan's
Georgi Tsurtsumia. At the worlds, in the semifinals, Baroev had
defeated Tsurtsumia, 4-2.
At
this year's Pytlasinski Tournament in Warsaw, Poland, on July
17, Gardner continued his winning ways by taking first and defeating
four opponents, surrendering only one point along the way. In
the finals, he defeated Russia's Yuri Patrikeev, 2-0 in overtime.
Patrikeev was a 2002 world bronze medalist and 2002 and 2004
European champion. Baroev, by the way, only finished seventh
at the 2003 European Championships.
But
Rulon Gardner has a habit of defeating wrestlers who had beaten
him before. He did it to Kareline, he did it to American teammate
and 2002 world champ Dremiel Byers, and he did it to four-time
world silver medalist Mihaly Deak Bardos of Hungary. Expect him
to do it in Athens again if he does face Baroev, or against anyone
else.
Gardner
has vowed that, win or lose, he will leave his shoes on the mat
and retire from Greco-Roman wrestling after eight years. While
they may not acknowledge it on the NBC broadcast, that does not
mean that he is done with competing in wrestling. Gardner has
verbally committed to competing in the first season's tournament
organized by Real Pro Wrestling, a story we will get to sometime
this very busy Olympic week.
But
first let's see how many more 'miracles' Gardner has left. The
feeling here is that he will join fellow 2000 Olympic gold medalists
Armen Nazarian and Varteres Samourgashev in taking home more
gold medals from Athens.
Source: ADCC
|
US
Open Update
FIRST
BLACK BELTS CONFIRMED FOR US OPEN IX PRO DIVISIONS
In
the Men's Light Weight Professional Black Belt division we have
Shawn Williams from Renzo Gracie Academy, Carlos 'Sapao' from
Ralph Gracie, and Megaton Dias of Gracie Humaita. Last year Megaton
and Sapao had an intense battle in the final, with Sapao taking
the victory. Who will come out on top this year? Both of the
2003 finalists will have a lot on their hands dealing with Shawn
Williams aggressive style. Stay tuned to see who else signs up
to battle for the $1000 prize.
In
the heavy weight division Fabricio Verdun (2003 U.S. Open Silver
Medalist, Winner-Berhing) and Cassio Werneck (2002 U.S. Open
Champion, Brazilian Top Team) return for another go at the prize,
joined this year by our own Garth Taylor in what promises to
be another spectacular heavy weight showdown.
And
for the ladies: once again Luka Tavares (2003 Women's Pro Challenge
I Silver Medalist, Gracie Humaita) is putting it on the line
in this women's open Brown and Black Belt Division. Anyone interested
in joining her for an opportunity to win $1000 should contact
Caren Camblin at the address below.
US
OPEN WEIGH-IN REMINDER
Competitors,
please note that weigh-ins will be conducted on the mat before
your first fight this year. So, please be sure to check our website
to determine your proper weight category WITH THE GI ON at www.claudiofrancabjj.com
US
OPEN IX SEMINARS
We
are pleased to announce two seminars in conjunction with the
U.S. Open IX Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu Tournament. You may register
for these seminars along with the U.S. Open Tournament online
at www.register4tournament.com.
On
Thursday, October 21st, 6:30 - 9:30 pm, at the Claudio França
BJJ Academy in Santa Cruz, Master Francisco Mansor, 9th Degree
Red Belt (Black Belt from Helio Gracie) will share his more than
40 years of wisdom and experience on the mat with you. Don't
miss this opportunity to learn from a man who has seen the sport
of Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu grow from its inception to the present
day. It's the little details that mean so much, and Master Mansor
always leaves you with something to ponder and use the rest of
your Jiu-Jitsu days. The prices is $50.
On
Friday, October 22nd, 6:00 - 9:00 pm, back by popular demand,
Black Belt Luka Tavares will give a seminar for women only (sorry
guys) at the Lauden Nelson Center in Downtown Santa Cruz. Ladies,
don't miss the chance to get a high-level woman's point-of-view
on technique, training and what it's like being a woman coming
up through the ranks in BJJ. The women who attended last year's
seminar thoroughly enjoyed themselves and counted the event as
a valuable experience. The price is $50.
ELECTRONIC
SCOREBOARDS
This
year the U.S. Open IX will feature electonic scoreboards on each
mat. Competitors and spectators alike will be able to see clearly
for themselves exactly how many points have been scored and how
much time remains in a match. Likewise, everyone can keep on
eye on the table guys and make sure they're stopping and starting
the clock when the ref says to do so, and that the correct times
are being kept for different age and belt divisions. This will
help eliminate some of the mistakes that have plagued events
in the past and left competitors feeling ripped off and improve
the overall quality of the event.
BRONZE
MEDALS
The
U.S. Open IX will also feature Bronze medals for third place
for the first time this year. So what are you waiting for? Hurry
up and register for the U.S. Open online at www.register4tournament.com.
It promises to be an action-packed event that will be talked
about for years to come.
FOR
MORE INFO: Claudio Franca Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu
www.claudiofrancabjj.com - www.register4tournament.com blackbelt@claudiofrancabjj.com - (831) 476-7650
Source: ADCC
|
Pancrase
Event Complete Result 8/22/04
PANCRASE
2004 BRAVE TOUR
Sunday,August 22nd, 2004
Umeda Stella Hall (Osaka, Japan)
live gate: 800
Amateur
Match #1 Pancrase gate rules featherweight 2x5 min rounds
TETSUO UEHATA (Tani Jiu Jitsu) def. KOICHI KITAGAWA (Matsuzaka
Club) by achilles hook at 1R 3:36
Amateur
Match #2 Pancrase gate rules featherweight 2x5 min rounds
YUTAKA NISHIKAWA (Musosenjutsu) def. YOSUKE KOBAYASHI (Matsuzaka
Club) by arm bar at 1R 4:14
Amateur
Match #3 Pancrase gate rules featherweight 2x5 min rounds
RIKIYA KAWAKAMI (P's LAB Osaka) drew KENTA NAKAMURA (Zendokai
Hiroshima Dojo) at full time limit
Pro-Match
#1 welterweight 2x5 min rounds
YUJI MIYAZAKI (MMA Dojo Cobrakai) def. MANAO KUMAGAI (Zendokai)
by choke sleeper at 1R 3:29
Pro-Match
#2 middleweight 2x5 min rounds
DAISUKE HANAZAWA 13(MMA Dojo Cobrakai) def. THE GREAT NANIWA(MMA
Musosenjutsu) by 3-0-0 unanimous judges decision at full time
limit
Pro-Match
#3 featherweight 2x5 min rounds
MASASHI KAMEDA (MMA Dojo Cobrakai) drew MITSUHISA SUNABE (HYBRID
WRESTLING MUGEN) by 1-0-2 draw judges decision at full time limit
Pro-Match
#4 heavyweight 2x5 min rounds
SEHAKU (RJW/CENTRAL) def. TSUYOSHI OZAWA (heavyweight 1st ranked/Zendokai)
by 3-0-0 unanimous judges decision at full time limit
Pro-Match
#5 welterweight 2x5 min rounds
KENJI ARAI (PANCRASEism) def. OTOKO! TOKUOKA (WATER) by doctor
stop TKO during the interval after 1R
Semifinal
light heavyweight 3x5 min rounds
NILSON DE CASTRO (light heavyweight 3rd ranked/Brazil/Chute Boxe
Academy) def. DAISUKE WATANABE (light heavyweight 4th ranked/PANCRASEism)
by knee strike KO at 2R 1:14
Main
Event featherweight 3x5 min rounds
YOSHIRO MAEDA (Pancrase Inagakigumi) def. FREDSON PAIXAO (Brazil/Gracie
Barra Combat Team) by 3-0-0 unanimous judges decision at full
time limit
Source: ADCC
|
UKRAINE'S
MERLENI, JAPAN'S YOSHIDA AND K. ICHO, AND CHINA'S WANG WIN GOLD
MEDALS IN OLYMPIC WOMEN'S WRESTLING
History
was made in Athens Monday as the first quartet of Olympic gold
medalists in women's wrestling were crowned. The 2004 Olympic
Games marked the first time that women's wrestling was included
on the Olympic program.
In
the 48 kg finals, Irini Merleni of Ukraine, the reigning world
champion at this weight, and Chiharu Icho of Japan, last year's
51 kg world champion, were tied at two points apiece after a
nine-minute overtime match. However, according to results on
the official Athens 2004 web page, Icho had one passivity called
against her while Merleni had none. Under rules that will be
junked starting in 2005 by FILA, the international wrestling
federation, that meant that Merleni had won the match, and thus
the gold medal. Merleni, then wrestling under the name Melnik,
was also a 2000 and 2001 world champion.
At
55 kg, Japan's Saori Yoshida, the world champion at this weight
in both 2002 and 2003, made it a trifecta as she shut out Tonya
Verbeek of Canada in the finals, 6-0, to win the gold.
At
63 kg, Kaori Icho of Japan also made it a trifecta as she took
a 3-2 come-from-behind decision over American Sara McMann to
win a gold medal. Kaori Icho, the younger sister of Chiharu Icho,
was also a 2002 and 2003 world champion at this weight, and also
defeated McMann in last year's finals by a 4-3 overtime decision.
At
72 kg there was a changing of the guard. China's 18-year-old
Wang Xu, who already won a world bronze medal in 2003 and a silver
medal in 2002, took home her first gold as she defeated Gouzel
Maniourova of Russia in the finals by a score of 7-2. Earlier
in the semifinals, Wang had toppled the gold medal favorite,
five-time world champion Kyoko Hamaguchi of Japan, by a 6-4 score.
In the 2002 finals, Hamaguchi had beaten Wang, 5-1.
According
to press reports, the Wang-Hamaguchi semifinal caused quite a
controversy. Apparently the scoreclock mistakenly showed Hamaguchi
ahead 4-3 when she was down 4-3 with just 35 seconds to go. Wang
got a two-point turn, with Hamaguchi getting a takedown in the
closing seconds. That made it in reality 6-4 for Wang, but Hamaguchi
thought it was tied, 5-5, at the end of regulation. This error
-- by officials from the ever-hapless FILA -- was then corrected
and Wang declared the winner. Hamaguchi's father and coach, who
was a former real amateur wrestler but is better known from doing
fake pro 'wrestling,' Heigo 'Animal' Hamaguchi, then reportedly
began shouting and almost jumped from the stands onto the mat.
He had to be restrained by Greek police.
For
more on that story, go to:
http://www.yomiuri.co.jp/newse/20040824wo53.htm
In
the USA, the Olympics telecaster NBC had bragged that they were
airing over 1200 hours of Olympics coverage on their group of
broadcast and cable networks. Despite the historic nature of
the debut of women's wrestling in the Olympics, over the past
two days they provided less than one hour total to women's wrestling.
Some excuse about a soccer game going long was given on MSNBC
Monday afternoon, but no plans were announced to air via videotape
the coverage that was supposed to have been shown, including
at least several live matches.
For
complete results and more news, go to these sites:
http://www.nbcolympics.com/results/1549035/detail.html
http://www.athens2004.com/en/resultsWrestling/results?rsc=WR0000000
http://www.themat.com/specialevents/2004/olympics/olympicframe/olympics.htm
http://www.iat.uni-leipzig.de/datenbanken/dbwrest/start.php
http://www5f.biglobe.ne.jp/~JWF2004/English/2004/000.htm
http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/olympics_2004/wrestling/default.stm
[This
report was compiled from information from various press releases
and international wrestling and Olympic web sites.]
Below
is USA Wrestling's press release about the women's wrestling
finals, taken from USOCPressbox.org. As usual, FILA has only
posted the results on their web site, but has issued no press
releases, interviews, articles, or anything else.
McMann
wins silver medal and Miranda wins bronze medal for United States
in Olympic women's wrestling
by Gary Abbott - USA Wrestling
The
United States won two medals at the Women's Olympic wrestling
competition at the Ano Liossia Olympic Hall in Athens, Greece,
August 23. It is the first time that women's wrestling has been
in the Olympic Games, with four weight divisions.
Sara
McMann (Colorado Springs, Colo./Sunkist Kids) won a silver medal
at 63 kg/138.75 lbs., dropping a heart-breaking 3-2 decision
to two-time World champion Kaori Icho of Japan in the gold-medal
finals.
McMann
scored the first two points of the match, scoring a pair of one-point
takedowns in the first period for a 2-0 lead at the end of the
first period. In the second period, Icho began a comeback, scoring
two takedowns to tie the match at 2-2. With just 21 seconds left
in the match, Icho scored her third and winning takedown for
the one-point victory.
Icho
defeated McMann in the gold-medal finals of the 2003 World Championships
in New York, in overtime, 4-3 at 8:20. She also had pinned McMann
at the 2002 World Championships. McMann scored a victory over
Yoshida in a tournament in Sweden in early 2003.
Patricia
Miranda (Colorado Springs, Colo./Dave Schultz WC) won a bronze
medal at 48 kg/105.5 lbs., defeating France's Angelique Berthenet,
12-4 in the bronze-medal match.
As
the matches were held in weight class order, Miranda competed
before McMann and became the first U.S. woman wrestler to win
an Olympic medal.
The
match started a bit shaky for Miranda, who was hit by a headlock
by Berthenet and thrown to her back early in the first period.
When Miranda fought out of danger, she was trailing 4-1.
The
rest of the match belonged to Miranda. She was able to turn and
hold Berthenet twice from the mat, and took a 6-4 lead at the
end of the first period. Miranda opened up her offense in the
second period, scoring a three-point takedown and two exposure
moves to open up her final margin of victory.
Miranda
beat Berthenet by a 12-1 technical fall in the quarterfinals
of the 2003 World Championships in New York City.
Winning
individual gold medals were Irini Merlini of Ukraine at 48 kg/105.5
lbs., Saori Yoshida of Japan at 55 kg/121 lbs., Kaori Icho of
Japan at 63 kg/138.75 lbs. and Wang Xu of China at 72 kg/158.5
lbs.
Merlini
trailed 2-1 at the end of regulation against Chiharu Icho of
Japan, but tied the match at 2-2 in overtime. At the end of the
three-minute overtime, the score was still tied, and Merlini
received the referee's decision.
Yoshida
had a 2-0 lead over Verbeek after one period, but opened up the
scoring in the second period with four takedowns for a 6-0 win.
Gouzel
Maniorova of Russia scored first, but Wang Xu scored five points
late in the first period for a 5-1 lead after one period. Wang
added two more points in the second for the 7-2 win.
There
are no team standings at the Olympic Games in wrestling. Team
success is measured by medal count and unofficial scoring (as
used at each World Championships).
In
the medal count, Japan won four medals. The United States and
France had two medals. Winning one medal were Ukraine, Canada,
China and Russia.
In
the unofficial team scoring, Japan was first with 37 points,
followed by the United States with 25 points. France was third
with 23 points and Canada in fourth with 21 points.
Women's
wrestling is the newest sport in the Summer Olympic Games, and
this was a historic day for the sport. A total of 50 wrestlers
qualified for the first Olympic Games women's wrestling tournament.
Medal
round pairings for Monday, Aug. 23 at 5:30 p.m.
48 kg/105.5 lbs.
Gold - Irini Merlini (Ukraine) won by ref. dec. over Chiharu
Icho (Japan), 2-2, ot, 9:00
Bronze - Patricia Miranda (USA) dec. Angelique Berthenet (France),
12-4
5th - Lorisa Oorzhak (Russia) dec. Brigitte Wagner (Germany),
3-1, ot, 6:39
55
kg/121 lbs.
Gold - Saori Yoshida (Japan) dec. Tonya Verbeek (Canada), 6-0
Bronze - Anna Gomis (France) dec. Ida Theres Karlsson (Sweden),
6-0
5th - Mabel Fonseca (Puerto Rico) dec. Sun Dongmei (China), 8-6,
ot, 7:52
63
kg/138.75 lbs.
Gold - Kaori Icho (Japan) dec. Sara McMann (USA), 3-2
Bronze - Lise LeGrand (France) pin Stavroula Zygouri (Greece),
2:04
5th - Viola Yanik (Canada) dec. Volha Khilko (Belarus), 5-2
72
kg/158.5 lbs.
Gold - Xu Wang (China) dec. Gouzel Maniourova (Russia), 7-2
Bronze - Kyoko Hamaguchi (Japan) dec. Svetlana Sayenko (Ukraine),
4-0
5th - Christine Nordhagen (Canada) inj. Dft. Over Anita Schaetzle
(Germany)
Medal
count
Japan 4 (2 gold, 1 silver, 1 bronze), United States 2 (0-1-1),
France 2 (0-0-2), Ukraine 1 (1-0-0), China 1 (1-0-0), Canada
1 (0-1-0), Russia 1 (0-1-0)
Unofficial
standings
Japan 37 pts, USA 25 pts, France 23 pts., Canada 21 pts., Ukraine,
China and Russia, 19 pts., Germany 14 pts., Greece 11 pts., Sweden
8 pts., Puerto Rico 6 pts., Belarus 5 pts., Tajikistan and Mongolia
4 pts., Korea 3 pts., Austria 2 pts.
Complete
pairings of each weight class can be found at http://www.usocpressbox.org/.
Source: ADCC
|
Quote
of the Day
"And life is what we make it. Always has been, always will
be."
Grandma Moses, 1860-1961, American Artist
|
Congratulations
to Luke and Gladys
I just came back from New York with my family to attend my good
friends, Luke and Gladys' wedding. We had a great time there
which we got some sightseeing in last week and spend some time
with them.
If
anyone is going to NYC soon, let me know and I can give you a
few tips.
Mike
|
Wrestling
Seminar with Olympian at Gracie Academy Tonight!
Wrestling Seminar with Sanshiro “Sonny” Abe
1996 NCAA Wrestling Champion for Penn State
1996 Atlanta Olympian representing Japan
Gracie Main Academy
844 Queen Street
589-2524
Cost: $30
When: Monday,
August 23, 2004
Time: 7:30-9:00PM
Many thanks to Myles Suehiro for setting this up.
Source: Myles Suehiro |
Hamaguchi
and Montgomery to battle in first match at Olympic Games Sun.,
Aug. 22
World's
two top women's wrestling heavyweight stars, Hamaguchi (JPN)
and Montgomery (USA) to battle in first match at Olympic Games
on Sunday, August 22
The
two wrestlers recognized as the best competitors in the world
at 72 kg/158.5 pounds in women's wrestling will face each other
in their first match at the Olympic Games in Athens, Greece on
Sunday, August 22 during the 9:30 a.m. session.
Five-time
World Champion Kyoko Hamaguchi of Japan and two-time World silver
medalist Toccara Montgomery of the United States were drawn into
the same pool competition at their division and will wrestle
right away.
The
weight classes were broken into four pools, based upon a blind
draw with no seeding. An athlete must win their pool in order
to advance to the medal rounds.
Only
the winner of each pool will advance to the semifinals on Monday,
with a chance at a medal. One of these great wrestlers, Hamaguchi
or Montgomery, will not win a medal at these Olympic Games.
These
two stars have wrestled three times in the last year. In the
World Championship finals last year in New York City, Hamaguchi
beat Montgomery, 4-1. Montgomery beat Hamaguchi a month later
at the World Cup in Tokyo. In the semifinals at the Olympic Testing
event in Athens, Greece in early 2004, Hamaguchi won a tight
4-3 match over Montgomery.
Hamaguchi
is a sports hero in her homeland. She was selected to carry Japan's
flag in the Opening Ceremonies in Athens, an amazing honor for
an athlete who has never been to the Olympics before. Hamaguchi's
father was a famous professional wrestler in Japan. Much will
be expected of Hamaguchi, and there is tremendous pressure on
her to win. She is a very popular sports figure in her country.
Hamaguchi
has had a strong 2004 season so far, winning a gold medal at
the Olympic Testing Event in Athens, Greece as well as at the
Asian Championships.
Montgomery
was named 2001 FILA Women's Wrestler of the Year after winning
her first silver medal. She moved up in weight after the Olympic
divisions were announced in 2002. To make the U.S. team, she
stopped two-time World champion Kristie Marano in the finals
of the U.S. Olympic Team Trials in Indianapolis, Ind.
There
is also a strong rivalry between the Japanese team and the United
States team. At the World Championships in New York City, the
two teams were tied in first, but Japan won the team title by
tiebreaker with more champions. A month later, the U.S. upset
Japan in the World Cup competition held in Tokyo, with the deciding
match being Montgomery's victory over Hamaguchi. This rivalry
will be tested immediately at 72 kg/158.5 lbs.
Also
at 72 kg/158.5 lbs., Canada's Christine Nordhagen, a six-time
World Champion who has made a comeback to compete in these Olympics,
is in a pool with China's two-time World medalist Wang Xu and
with Italy's Katarzyna Juszczak.
All
four U.S. women wrestlers have matches in that opening 9:30 a.m.
session on Sunday, August 22. They are:
48
kg/105.5 lbs. - Patricia Miranda (USA) vs. Li Hui (China)
48 kg/105.5 lbs. Patricia Miranda (USA) vs. Lorisa Oorzhak of
Russia
55
kg/121 lbs. - Tela O'Donnell (USA) vs. Olga Smirnova (Russia)
63
kg/138.75 lbs. - Sara McMann (USA) vs. Lili Meng (China)
72
kg/158.5 lbs. - Toccara Montgomery (USA) vs. Kyoko Hamaguchi
(Japan)
Source: ADCC |
'MINOTAURO'
INJURY
Sankei
Sports reports that Rodrigo 'Minotauro' Nogueira sustained a
fracture in his elbow during his fight against Fedor Emelianenko
on August 15th, and will need surgery to repair the injury.
According
to Sankei Sports, Minotauro is scheduled for surgery in early
September, and will face Fedor for a third time on December 31st.
Source: Fight Sport |
PRIDE
CONFIRMS FIGHTSPORT.COM SCOOP
PRIDE
matchmaker Nobuhiko Takada confirmed what Fightsport.com first
reported last week, that PEdro Rizzo will feature in the promotion
soon.
According
to Takada, DSE/PRIDE wants to set up a rematch of Pedro Rizzo
vs. Josh Barnett for their PRIDE 28 show on October 31st.
Source: Fight Sport |
KOSEI
INOUE TO K-1 UPDATE
Fightsport.com
first reported back in January that K-1 was having talks with
Japanese judo world champion and superstar Kosei Inoue, with
the intention of signing him to do MMA matches in their promotion.
With
Inoue's recent upset loss in the quarterfinals of the 2004 Olympics,
the Japanese media are saying that Inoue will most likely sign
with K-1 very soon.
furthermore,
the Japanese media is saying that PRIDE is also interested in
signing Inoue, but that K-1 will most likely offer him more money,
thus attaining his services.
Source: Fight Sport |
RICKSON
POSSIBLY IN K-1 NEW END SHOW
The
Japanese media is reporting that Rickson Gracie will most likely
participate on the K-1 card on December 31st.
Source: Fight Sport |
PRIDE
CLOSE TO SIGNING RULON GARDNER
Yomiuri
Sports reports that DSE/PRIDE is in negitations with the agent
of US Olympic wrestling gold medalist Rulon Gardner, with the
intention of signing him to a fight contract.
According
to reports, DSE/PRIDE is very close to signing Gardner, and would
like him to have his MMA debut on their December 31st show.
Source: Fight Sport |
Pancrase:
Fredson loses; Nilson wins
After debuting with victory in Brazil, Gracie Barra Combat team
black belt Frédson Paixão ended defeated by Japanese
Yoshiro Maeda by unanimous decision. Maeda was the same fighter
who defeated Paixão teammate Alexande Soca by TKO a while
ago. On the same event, Chute Boxe Nilson de Castro defeated
Daisuke Watanabe by KO after a Knee sequence at 1:14 sec of the
round 2.
Source: Tatame |
Pé-de-Pano
Pé-de-Pano:
hard to debut in MMA
BJJ
black bet Márcio Pé-de-Pano did not debut in Vale-Tudo.
After seeing the Global Mix Combat fall a part in Rio de Janeiro,
Pé-de-Pano saw the IFC be canceled in front of his eyes
in US. When he was ready to leave to South Dakota, the knew about
the annulment. To make things worse, Pano missed a chance to
defend his open class title at the IX BJJ Worlds and also missed
his first days with his first daughter, who was born two days
before he departing to US. Check out now the full interview with
BJJ black belt bellow.
How
did you know about the IFC's annulment?
I
received the information over the internet. There was no official
position from the IFC promoters. I arrived in US on August 10th
and I was about to catch a plane to South Dakota on Friday. I
was in San Francisco, training with Ralph Gracie academy's guys
and some kid told me the IFC got canceled. I thought he was kidding,
but unfortunately was true.
And
what did you do?
I
ended staying in San Francisco for more three days waiting for
a final IFC announcement. He did not call me at all. I do have
a contract in my hands. I trained hard and I was there in US.
I am sure if it happened in Brazil, I even would might understand,
but I was not expecting for this coming from a such traditional
event as IFC. It was not the first time it happened with me.
Once I fought at the beach and the promoter did no pay me.
But
is not only money what does matter by this time, right?
The
whole thing is not about the money. I was all about this fight
with Severn. I had to do lots of things to be there. I also quit
the open class dispute at the IX BJJ Worlds. It let very upset.
Even more important than that, my first daughter was born two
days before I travel to US and it broke my heart to be far from
her during her first early days. I am so disappointed all went
wrong
And
how things work out for guys in there?
My
BJJ trainer Gordo and I almost did not return to Brazil. We need
to spend over a thousand dollars with food and transportation.
I don't even talk about training. Thanks God Ralph Gracie was
there to support us.
And
now. Tell me about how hard is for you to debut.
I
don't know. I think God is reserving a great thing for me. But
right now, there is not so much I can do about it. I did everything
I could. I stayed there for more a couple of days and I wanted
to face Severn badly. Now in Brazil, this is a remote possibility
for me. I don't think it may happen. Unfortunately it how things
are.
Source: Tatame |
Quote
of the Day
"What a wonderful life I've had! I only wish I'd realized
it sooner."
Sidonie Gabrielle Colette 1873-1954, French Author |
Always
A Champion:
Couture
Clinches Fourth Title, 3 KO's Highlight UFC 49
By Loretta Hunt and Joe Hall
To an estimated audience of 12,157 and a live gate of over two
million dollars (a first according to UFC president Dana White),
UFC 49 optimized the action with speedy, fast-paced melees. Getting
the pay-per-view rolling with three dynamic knockouts, stars
of old and new gave it their all in some memorable encounters.
The
post fight conference yielded its gems as well: Dana White openly
chiding PRIDE officials for some kind of cross-over action between
the two promotions, the announcement of UFC 51 to take place
in Japan on December 12th, Vitor Belfort's slip that he'll headline
that Japanese addition versus Tito Ortiz, and a few more tidbits
to come in the next few days. As for the fights tonight:
Randy
Couture got a standing ovation from the energized audience before
he threw a single punch. They knew a champion when they saw one.
After their second square-off fell short from a doctor's stoppage
back at January's UFC 46, Couture and opponent Vitor Belfort
picked up where they left off. Couture did exactly what he needed
to overwhelm the light-heavyweight champion for three complete
rounds, throwing a punch for the top priority clinch that would
keep Belfort's heavy hands tied up. Couture worked hard for the
takedown, but the Phenom persevered, until referee John McCarthy
stepped in to separate the two icons. Starting again, Couture
was on Belfort again just as fast, pushing him against the cage
once more. But this time "the Natural" got his takedown
and went to work on Belfort's face to round's end. Round two
and three mirrored its predecessor, as Belfort's visage bruised
and bled from Couture's relentless elbows and strikes. Save for
a sporadic armbar attempt here and there, Belfort did little
to answer, taking his punishment with a disappointing thud. Stopping
for a ringside doctor to check a nasty gash parallel to Belfort's
right eye in the second, there was question if the fight would
continue or if Belfort, himself, would be able to carry on. Yet,
the fight did carry on until the end of the third, with blood
streaming down the Brazilian's features as his corner rushed
in to prep him for a fourth. Although his defeated expression
betrayed him, it was the damage that convinced the ringside physician
to call it off before a fourth could begin. His second light-heavyweight
title, to go along with his two prior heavyweight title victories
over his illustrious seven year career, Couture hardly shows
any sign of stopping.
From
the look of Chuck Liddell's face, he probably wasn't expecting
such a tough night with Vernon "Tiger" White in the
co-main event. Possibly taking a book out of Randy Couture's
strategy manual, White put the pressure on from the get-go, causing
a messy but electric exchange between the two. Catching Liddell
with a shot, White pulled guard, but with no hold in sight and
Liddell backing out to stand, White was summoned to his feet
by referee Mario Yamasaki. What transpired next was a time warp
to be sure-- a lopsided beating at the hands of Liddell who floored
White numerous times, but couldn't seem to satisfy Yamasaki for
an intervention. To White's credit, he rose from each thrashing,
but couldn't keep his balance long enough to nail Liddell again.
Exchanging identical straight rights simultaneously, Liddell
got the job done 4:05 in.
In
a bit of an upset for the swing bout of the night, Joe Riggs
forced Joe Doerksen to submit in the second round of their middleweight
bout. Riggs had nullified his opponent's touted ground game throughout
the fight with superior strength, ground defense and an effective
sprawl. Even when Doerksen did take the fight to the ground,
he was unable to control Riggs' hips, allowing the Arizonan back
to his feet or to the top position. Late in the second round,
the young fighter from Arizona used a series of forearm smashes
to tear through Doerksen's guard and cut the Canadian. It appeared
that one of the blows may have damaged Doerksen's nose shortly
before he tapped out.
Sporting
the official FCF cowboy hat, middleweight veteran Matt Lindland
cruised to the cage for his rendezvous with first-time UFC entry
Dave Terrell. Terrell, a Brazilian jiu-jitsu black belt under
Cesar Gracie, was expected to give the Olympic silver medalist
a tough time on the mats, but it never got that far. Missing
with an opening left cross, Terrell ducked Lindland's return
fire, and landed a flush counter left to his elder's chin. Lindland
fell fast, and Terrell was on top and landing numerous follow-up
shots before referee Herb Dean could get in. Terrell gets the
impressive knockout just :25 in, and opens the door for fan speculation.
With KO power and an already well-documented ground game, is
Terrell the next big thing?
With
a resounding left hook, Idaho heavyweight and Justin Eilers introduced
himself to UFC fans in a spectacular 1:14 seconds. Facing returning
American Kickboxing Academy fighter Mike Kyle, a childhood friend
as well, Miletich Martial Arts rep Eilers was the first to land
a right after thwarting Kyle's opening charge. Kyle answered
the shot with another aggressive attack, getting the clinch and
landing consecutive knees, at least one Eilers claims landed
a bit too low for his comfort. Wincing in pain, Eilers summoned
referee "Big" John McCarthy, who separated the two
for a moment as Eilers collected himself. Restarted, both got
their licks in, until Eilers connected the right hook and went
in for the kill with some missed punches and a haphazard takedown
effect. Kyle backpedaled, but couldn't get out of the way of
the decisive punch in time. With incredible discipline, a humble
attitude, a great chin, and one of the most prominent MMA teams
behind him, Eilers could make quite a dent in the heavyweight
division in the year to come.
In
the third preliminary bout of the evening, Chris Lytle's pro
boxing background served him well as he connected first with
a hook that sent Hawaiian brawler Ronald Jhun back to the mat. Jhun recovered as
Lytle pounced into his guard and the fight would remain here
for the next few moments as Lytle controlled positioning nicely,
securing side control at one point and stilting any submission
attempts Jhun went for. To pick up the pace, the men were stood
by the referee and finished the remaining 40 seconds. Both athletes
locked horns at the top of the second, landing multiple kicks
and punches, with Lytle coming off the sharper striker of the
two. With Jhun hunting for the double leg takedown, Lytle again
secured the guillotine choke and settled down in to guard. Despite
a noble effort by Jhun to roll his way out, he quickly succumbed
to the hold 1:17 into round two.
In
a word, it was grueling. The Diaz-Parisyan prelim opened with
a burst of action, setting a pace thrilling to watch but impossible
to maintain. Parisyan tossed his opponent to the mat early and
began dropping a heavy right hand from the top position. He wasn't
in Diaz's guard long before the first of several scrambles ensued
on the ground. The fighters traded submission attempts in a way
even the uninformed would find compelling. At one point Diaz
hunted for a knee to torque, then nearly took Parisyan's back,
then nearly got Kimured. All of that in a matter of seconds.
At another point Diaz slapped on his own kimura, forcing Parisyan
to scramble for safety, which he found soon enough by somehow
mounting Diaz while his arm was still being wrenched. It became
clear midway into the second round that both fighters had burned
15 minutes worth of gas in five feverish minutes. Parisyan looked
particularly fatigued, and his strategy turned to plodding forward
in a constant search of a takedown. They weren't quick or powerful
attempts, just gutsy and persistent efforts that Diaz could not
stop. Toward the end of the second it looked as though the Cesar
Gracie-trained fighter was going to pick his exhausted foe apart
on the feet, but Parisyan worked Diaz to the mat time and again.
In the end his perseverance paid off, and he won a split decision.
As
promised, tonight's lead-off pairing between lightweight stand-outs
Josh Thomson and Yves Edwards proved an fast moving outing, mostly
on the end of Thomson, who kept the pressure on his opponent
from the opening bell. Peppering Edwards with kicks, Thomson
chased Edwards against the fence and secured the takedown, but
neither could execute against the other on the mats. Edwards
struggled to his feet, but couldn't get much off but for a few
stilted hooks while clinched tightly to "the Punk,"
who answered with some knees to the head and body. What makes
Thomson such an exciting fighter is that he'll keep the action
moving at any cost. With less than a minute in the round, he
paid dearly for that mantra when quickly spinning around to release
Edwards from his waist. Instinctually pulling the spinning back
fist as he has throughout his career, Edwards was on top of him
to connect with a high right kick that tagged his neck and sent
him down. Too stunned to protect himself from Edwards' follow-up
strikes, referee Steve Mazzagatti stepped in to halt the action
at 4:32 into the first round.
UFC
49: Unfinished Business Results
Randy Couture def. Vitor Belfort- Referee stoppage (on doctor's
recommendation) after 3 rounds
Chuck Liddell def. Vernon White- KO 4:05 Rd 1
Joe Riggs def. Joe Doerksen- Tap out (voluntary) 3:39 Rd 1
Dave Terrell def. Matt Lindland- KO :25 Rd 1
Justin Eilers def. Mike Kyle- KO 1:14 Rd 1
Chris Lytle def. Ronald Jhun- Tap out to guillotine choke 1:17
Rd 2
Karo Parisyan def. Nick Diaz- Split decision (29-28, 29-28, 30-27)
Yves Edwards def. Josh Thomson- TKO Referee stoppage 4:32 Rd
1
Source: FCF |
Kickin'
It 6
September 5, 2004
The
main event of this kickboxing card will feature AFC Champino
PJ Dean against Tae Kwon Do black belt standout, Steve Farmer.
Dean will pit his heavy punch combinations against Farmer's lightning
fast kicking combinations. Possible featured matches include:
155
Randy Rivera vs. Nick Gega
185
Koa Kekaoa vs. Fanga Lima
185
Moses Ching vs. Alvin Kanehailua
120
Koichi Tanji vs. Tony Perrera
135
Tavis Kagawa vs. Chazin Mahuka
155
Conrad Paffi vs. Kalau
115
Kupono Botelho vs. JB Williams
155
Kamalu Kepa vs. Chris Vale
300
Bob Atisanoe vs. tba
165
Jerome Rosa vs. Tobs
Main
Event:
PJ Dean vs. Steve Farmer
And other exciting bouts, as always, matches are be subject to
change.
Source: Event Promoter |
Chris
Byrd and Don King Resolve Contractual Issues
by: Eddie Goldman/ADCC Wrestling Editor
IBF
Heavyweight Champion to Defend Title on King-Promoted Card Nov.
13
DEERFIELD
BEACH, Fla. - International Boxing Federation Heavyweight Champion
Chris Byrd and his promoter Don King announced today that they
were able to amicably resolve issues regarding Byrd's promotional
contract with Don King Productions paving the way for Byrd to
defend his title against mandatory challenger Jameel 'Big Time'
McCline in New York's Madison Square Garden on Nov. 13 in a match
promoted by Don King Productions.
'I'm
pleased that our contractual issues have been settled,' King
said. 'I have a great deal of respect for Chris Byrd and his
entire family. He became the world heavyweight champion against
great odds.
'We can all now look forward with great anticipation to Chris's
mandatory title defense against 'Big Time' McCline on a heavyweight
championship event at Madison Square Garden.'
'I'm
pleased and satisfied that we were able to get everything worked
out with Don,' Byrd said. 'Now, I can put my entire focus on
preparing for a fight without any distractions. I'm sure it will
show in my performance.'
Byrd
added, 'Now it's time for me to deliver in the ring and, after
that, for Don King to deliver the biggest and most lucrative
fights.'
Source: ADCC |
Paixao
takes on Maeda
Will Fredson Paixao be the third BJJ black belt to fall to the
dominant ground and pounder Yoshiro Maeda. First it was Hawaii's
own Baret Yoshida, then Paixao's teammate, Soca Carneiro. Paixao
is known to be a strong BJJ player. We will see if his strength
can transcend the MMA world against Maeda.
Pancrase Brave Tour - 2004
Sunday, August 22, 2004
Umeda Stella Hall, Osaka, Japan
COMPLETE
LINE-UP (Subject to change):
Manao
Kumagai (Zendokai) Vs Yuji Miyazaki (Mma Dojo Cobrakai)
Daisuke Hanazawa 13 (MMA Dojo Cobrakai) Vs The Great Naniwa (Mma
Musosenjutsu)
Masashi Kameda (Mma Dojo Cobrakai) Vs Mitsuhisa Sunabe (Hybrid
Wrestling Mugen)
Tsuyoshi Ozawa (Zendokai) Vs Sehaku (Rjw/Central)
Koji Oishi (Pancraseism) Vs Otoko! Tokuoka (Water)
Nilson De Castro (Chute Boxe Academy) Vs Daisuke Watanabe (Pancraseism)
Yoshiro Maeda(Pancrase Inagakigumi) Vs Fredson Paixão
(Brazil/ Gracie Barra Combat Team)
|
Quote
of the Day
"Anyone who has never made a mistake has never tried anything
new.”
Albert Einstein, 1879-1955, German-born American Physicist |
Round
Table Waikiki Aires UFC 49 in Hawaii
Come show your support for local boy, Ron “The Machine Gun” Jhun as he takes on Chris
Lytle in his UFC debut on Saturday, August 21. There is one confirmed
establishment that is supporting MMA by airing the UFC. Please
come to watch the fights and support local businesses that are
helping MMA in Hawaii.
Round
Table Pizza
In Waikiki at the Ohana East
(corner of Kaiulani & Kuhio)
944-1199
Free validated parking in the Kaiulani parking on Kaiulani St.
Airing live at 3:30PM Countdown
4:00PM Fights start
Thanks for TJ for the referrals
|
2004
International Masters & Seniors
Next
weekend the 2004 International Masters & Seniors goes down.
Fighters from all over the World are doing their final preparation
at places like the Black Belt Camp in Buzios with the Brasa Team
guys while a host of others are crowding the Academies in Rio.
One such master preparing in high gear for the Tournament in
Gracie Humaita's Assistant Instructor Vini Aieta. Vini has been
secretly preparing to ambush his competition with his teamamtes
at Humaita (last year's Team Champions)
More
news on the event as it nears. For info and pictures on the Black
Belt Camp check out www.brazilianblackbelt.com
2nd IGJJF
OPEN CHAMPIONSHIP August 28-29, 2004
The
2nd IGJJF Open Championship a week away!!! Besides the superfight
which
promises to be an exciting rematch between the Ultimate Submission
Showdown
Champion Travis Lutter and Ryron Gracie (Travis won 13x0). The
Superfight re-match between Ryron Gracie and Travis Lutter has
been confirmed for Sunday, August 29, 2004. IT will be a Gi match
under IGJJF rules making for a very interesting and exciting
battle!
Cameron
Earl has confirmed that he will join a growing numbers of black
belt competitors who are willing to compete under the most exciting
jiu-jitsu rules in the planet. They all agree: 'You can't stall
and advantages don't count. The best fighter is always the winner.'
ARE YOU IN?
The
registration deadline for this years IGJJF OPEN CHAMPIONSHIP
has been extended to this Saturday, August 21, 2004. For info
check www.igjjf.com.
Referee's
info:
All
Black and Brown belts who want to help as referees are welcome.
Please join Grandmaster Helio Gracie at the Gracie Academy for
the Referee clinic next Friday evening 8/27 at 7:00 PM at 1951
W Carson St, Torrance CA 90501
For
more info go to www.IGJJF.com or contact (310)782 2708
Source: ADCC |
Wanderlei
Gracie ? ? ?
by: Luca Atalla
After
an important victory over Japanese Yuki Kondo in the last weekend,
Pride middleweight champion Wanderlei Silva joined his friend
and TV anchor Jorge Guimaraes in a fair vacation in CA, USA.
Recently
graduated as a Jiu-Jitsu blackbelt, the Chute Boxe star took
the opportunity of this trip to pay a visit to Gracie Museum,
in Torrance, where he exchanged t-shirts with the UFC creator,
Rorion Gracie. 'Wanderlei is very friendly and gave some tips
to my kids. It was great,' said Rorion, who are promoting the
2nd IGJJF Open Championship on August 28th and 29th.
'The
winners of the championship will earn a free trip in Gracie Jiu-Jitsu
Cruise Ensenada, when Grandmaster Helio Gracie himself will teach
classes,' announced Rorion.
Wanderlei
will watch the next UFC and then come back to Brazil to train
for
the fight against Quinton Jackson in the end of October. This
bout is for the
Pride middleweight belt.
Source: ADCC |
WHICH
VITOR BELFORT WILL SHOW UP ON SATURDAY NIGHT?
UFC 49 Payback Profile: Vitor Belfort
Vitor Belfort, they call him "The Phenom." He was born
on April Fool’s Day, but nothing about this guy is a joke.
Belfort may very well be the most well rounded fighter in all
of mixed martial arts. He is a Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu black belt
but is more known for his lightening hand speed and deadly accuracy.
August 21st, Vitor will put his UFC light heavyweight title on
the line when he and Randy "The Natural" Couture meet
for the third time.
Belfort
made his MMA professional debut at the ripe age of nineteen at
SuperBrawl 2. John Hess only lasted eighteen seconds on that
October night back in 1996. Just four months later at UFC 12,
Vitor would etch his name in UFC history when he won the first
heavyweight tournament by plowing through Tra Telligman and Scott
Ferrozzo. Did I mention that he was nineteen years old at the
time?
Going
into UFC 15, Vitor was coming off a fifty three second dismantling
of David "Tank" Abbott. He was undefeated but that
would all change by the end of the night. Randy Couture handed
"The Phenom" his first loss. It was the only time the
two would meet at heavyweight but it wasn't the last time they
would stand across from one another in the UFC octagon after
the gate was closed.
Belfort
would rebound at Ultimate Japan 1 and go on to give arguably
his most well known performance at Ultimate Brazil. Vitor put
on a forty four second display of strikes that left Wanderlei
Silva back peddling across the cage before the referee had seen
enough. It seemed like the Vitor that exploded on the MMA scene
at UFC 12 was back.
Vitor
would fight his next five bouts for Pride, losing his Pride debut
to Kazushi Sakuraba. After putting together four victories in
a row and taking a year hiatus from fighting, Belfort would make
his return to the UFC in June of 2002.
In
Belfort’s three-year absence from the UFC, Chuck "The
Iceman" Liddell had been working his way into title contention.
At UFC 37.5, the two would meet in a fight for number one contender
status in the light heavyweight division. The fight was close
through the first two rounds but late in the third, Liddell landed
a right hand that sent Vitor to the canvas. That right hand was
probably the deciding factor in Chuck's decision win and Belfort
would take yet another year off from competition.
Critics
questioned Vitor's focus. His fans longed for the Vitor of old.
Ever since Belfort arrived on the MMA scene, he seemed destined
to be a champion. After UFC 37.5, it wasn't looking like that
would happen any time soon.
Destiny
has a strange way of working out though. Tito Ortiz' contract
negotiations drew out and the man that handed Vitor his first
defeat, Randy Couture, dropped down in weight class to take on
number one contender Chuck Liddell. On the same UFC 43 card,
Belfort came back with a winning performance over Marvin Eastman.
Couture single handedly turned the light heavyweight division
upside down by beating Liddell and then long time champion Tito
Ortiz. Vitor found himself next in line for a title shot.
The
stage was set for a rematch between Belfort and Couture, nearly
seven years after the first bout. A dark cloud loomed over the
event when only weeks before the match up, Vitor's sister went
missing. Despite the personal turmoil of a loved one's whereabouts
unknown, Belfort had a date with destiny.
Vitor
would beat Randy for the belt but the win was bitter sweet. The
fight was over nearly as fast as it started. Just forty nine
seconds in, Couture received a cut to his left eye that would
bring the bout to a sudden halt. It was an anticlimactic ending
to a highly anticipated rematch. Questions remained and a third
fight with Couture was signed. At UFC 49, the trilogy will play
out and Vitor plans on retaining his belt.
The
question is will Vitor’s lightning fast hands be enough
to stop Couture’s dirty boxing and Olympic caliber takedowns.
We’ll all find out on August 21st.
Source: MMA Weekly |
BEST
WOMEN'S FIGHTER IN WORLD CAN'T GET A FIGHT
It appears the tendency to avoid fights with Jennifer Howe isn't
reserved for fighters in the United States.
After
a month of negotiating with Japanese standout Yuka Tsuji to fight
Howe, her representatives have informed Hook N Shoot promoter
Jeff Osborne that they "want to fight in the U.S., but would
like another opponent."
After her reps said she would fight anybody, they started asking
Howe to drop weight... first to 130, then 125, then 122, then
120... Howe said yes to every request, yet in the end, the fight
won't happen.
"The
frustrating thing is all the BS with the weight... we kept dropping
and dropping, but it didn't matter," said Monte Cox, Howe's
manager. "You know, if you don't want to fight Howe because
you don't want your ass kicked, then just say so. All of the
back-and-forth games are rediculous. Howe has fought people up
to 40 pounds bigger... and Tsuji's camp has been crying like
crazy over ounces."
Howe
is 12-0 as a pro and generally considered the best female fighter
in the world under 145. She has the Hook N Shoot title at 125
and IFC title at 135. She owns wins over some of the best female
fighters in the world... Judy Neff, Amanda Buckner, Tara LeRosa
and Angela Restad.
Tsuji is 9-1 and the Japanese's top female. She recently submitted
Erica Montoya in a Smack Girl event.
"It
could have been a great fight, but Jennifer put the fear into
them," Cox said.
In the last year, Howe has had 7 of 8 fights fall through when
opponents backed out... often only days before the fight.
Source: MMA Weekly |
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 |
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 |
|