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2005
11/14/05
3rd American National BJJ Championships
(Torrance Unified School District, Torrance, CA )
10/29-30/05
Brazilian Team Titles
(Equipes)
(Brazil)
8/27-28/05
International
Masters & Seniors BJJ Tournament
(Tijuca Tenis Clube, Tijuca, Brazil)
7/23-31/05
World BJJ
Championships (Mundial)
(Tijuca Tenis Clube, Tijuca, Brazil)
7/21-23/05
World Cup of BJJ
(BJJ)
(São Paulo, Brazil)
5/7-8 & 14-15 & 21-22/05
Brazilian National BJJ Tournament
(Youth, Adult, Master & Senior)
(Tijuca Tenis Clube, Tijuca, Brazil?)
4/1-3/05
Pan American
& Team Title USA vs Brazil BJJ Tournament
(BJJ)
(California State University Dominguez Hills, Carson, CA)
3/05
SUMA
(Kickboxing)
(Hyatt Waikiki)
3/12/05
The Second Annual Maui
Jiu-Jitsu Open
BJJ tournament
(BJJ)
(Maui War Memorial Gym, Wailuku, Hawaii)
3/6-7/05
Hawaii State High School Wrestling Championships
(Blaisdell Arena)
3/5/04
So You Think You Tough 7
(Boxing, MMA)
(Kauai)
2/5/05
UFC 51: Super Saturday
(MMA)
(Las Vegas, NV)
1/29/05
Kid's BJJ Tournament
(BJJ)
(Relson Gracie Main Academy, Honolulu)
1/22/05
Punishment In
Paradise 9:
Hawaii vs. Mainland
(MMA, Kickboxing)
(Kapolei H.S. Gym)
2004
12/31/04
Pride
(MMA)
(Japan)
K-1
(MMA, Kickboxing)
(Japan)
|
|
December 2004 News
Part 3
Wednesday night and Sunday
classes (w/ a kids' class) now offered!
 
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New Time! |
Mike
is selling his Integra...again!
Just
when you thought that his Integra was long gone, it is recovered
and still in great shape. Of course, there is no stereo, but
all the wiring is in place for someone to install a new stereo.
All the bolt-on components are still there (Akimoto Intake, DC
Sports Stainless Steel Header, JET Chip, Greddy Exhaust, but
the exhaust will need to be changed soon). Three out of four
17" rims and tires are on it right now so if you want to
buy new rims, you just have to buy one tire and you are good
to go. The car is very reliable and I did all the maintenance
on time. In fact, I did more than the scheduled maintenance because
I was not driving the car that much.
I
just got the car back! I am selling the car for $9,000.00 which is way lower
than any other car near this year with way more mileage than
the just over 46,000 that I have on it is going for. I want to
get rid of this car as soon as I can.
For
more details and pictures click on:
http://www.onzuka.com/acura1.html
If
you are interested, please contact Mike by phone (381-9530) or
email me at Mike@onzuka.com.
|
Quote
of the Day
"CARPE DIEM!" "SEIZE THE DAY"
Horace, Roman poet
|
Didn't
get what you wanted for the holidays? treat yourself to a subscription
to Full Contact Fighter:
Check
out what's in the current issue of FCF ...
A debut of Olympic proportions: Interview with Olympic Gold Medalist
Rulon Gardner
The
Sapp Effect: Bob Sapp hits Hollywood.
Fedor
Emelianenko speaks: 10 things you didn't know about the mysterious
fighter.
Rumble
on the Rock 6 - Penn vs. Gracie and more!
The
Road Less Traveled: How Marc Laimon dedicated his life to Jiu-Jitsu
and is now reaping the rewards.
The
Renaissance of Jens Pulver.
Rockin'
New Year's Eve: Shockwave vs. Dynamite, Pride vs. K-1 -- the
next battle may be in the courtroom.
Ring
of Combat 7 - A great night for the underdog.
Cage
Rage 9: No Mercy - Fight action from Great Britain.
Gladiator
Challenge 32 - King of the Hill crowns Ertl and Everson, while
two top teams steal the show.
King
Of The Cage Revenge - KOTC's latest offering was available to
a reported 60,000,000 homes.
Pride
Auditions - Stars come out, while new talents emerge from the
shadows.
Reality
Combat XXIV: Total Trauma.
TKO
18: Impact - live from Canada.
Storm
Samurai - MMA action from Brazil.
This
month's Shooto Report covers fights from Wanna Shooto and G-Shooto
in Tokyo as well as the Bushido 5th Anniversary show in Lithuania
Frank
Trigg BioFile.
Fight
fans make their Pride Shockwave predictions.
In
our monthly columns...
In
Matt Hume's techniques, Matt Hume & Trevor Jackson demonstrate
a Double-Leg Defense from Ground.
Former
AMC Pankration strength & conditioning coach Mark Ginther
presents Part 2 of his discussion on the long-held belief that
a Big Bench = Heavy Hands.
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
|
NEW
UPDATED PRIDE ODDS
The premier oddsmaker in MMA, Joey Odessa, from betoddessa.com
and sportsbook.com has updated his odds for the upcoming Pride
card this weekend in Japan.
Vanderlei
Silva -250 vs Mark Hunt +200 - This number sure is a lot different
than the Silva vs Sakuraba number. It will be interesting to
see how this line changes in the next 24 hours.
Rodrigo
Nogueira +125 vs Fedor Emelianenko -145 - This fight was orginially
a pickem. Now the line has swung toward Fedor and Fedor has become
the favorite in the fight.
Rulon
Gardner +210 vs Hidehiko Yoshida -250 - This line has changed
a great deal. A little money on Yoshida, but for the most part
it hasn't moved a whole lot.
Mirko
Filipovic -380 vs Kevin Randleman +320 - All the money has come
down on Randleman. This line when it first came out was Cro Cop
at -450, so everyone is betting Randleman.
Dan
Henderson -300 vs Yuki Kondo +250 - Line has changed slightly
as there has been a little money on Kondo.
Ryan
Gracie -750 vs Yoji Anjoh +525 - Not many people have touched
this fight
Anderson
Silva -300 vs Ryo Chonan +250 - Again not a whole lot of action
so far on this fight.
Jens
Pulver -110 vs Takanori Gomi -110 - This fight has seen money
bet on both sides. It's a pickem.
Henry
Miller +230 vs Makoto Takimoto -270 - Not many people have touched
it.
Source:
MMA Weekly
|
MaxPreview:
Pride December 31st
By Jeremy Wall
This isn't
one of Pride's stronger lineups in terms of matching quality
fighters together in battles of skill rather than stardom, and
without the money drawing Sakuraba vs. Silva fight, this card
doesn't bring much to the table to convince Japanese fans to
tune out of the K-1 or Red & White TV shows on at the same
time and tune into this one.
However,
the December 31st Pride event still has a number of interesting
matchups, most notably the battle of Olympic gold medalists in
Rulon Gardner vs. Hidehiko Yoshida and the rematch of the 2004
Pride Grand Prix Finals in Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira vs. Fedor
Emelianenko.
Fedor
Emelianenko vs. Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira
This
match is to unify both versions of the Pride Heavyweight title,
and for the Pride 2004 Grand Prix championship which Nogueira
and Fedor fought to a no-contest for earlier this year.
At
the time of their first match nearly two years ago, Nogueira
was undefeated in Pride and had only one loss in his career,
which was a close decision to Dan Henderson in RINGS, and Nogueira
had avenged that loss by submitting Henderson in Pride. Fedor
ended up pounding Nogueira on the ground badly, and even though
he wasn't able to finish him off, Fedor won a very clear unanimous
decision.
In
their second fight in the finals of the 2004 Grand Prix, they
ended up in the same position with Fedor on top pounding away
at Nogueira while in Nogueira's guard, although Nogueira was
taking far less damage that time around and was more frequently
trying for submissions.
Standing,
Nogueira is a better boxer than Fedor, whose weakness seems to
be his chin as he got rocked by Kazuyuki Fujita awhile back,
although he's very unlikely to be knocked out here by Bogueira.
This fight will most likely end up in the same position, with
Fedor in Nogueira's guard. It will go to a decision. If Fedor
wins the decision, it will be for the same reason as their first
fight, which was that he kept trying to finish Nogueira with
devastating ground-and-pound. If Nogueira wins the decision,
it will be because he was able to thwart much of Fedor's ground-and-pound
and try frequently to finish the fight through submitting Fedor.
My
prediction is Fedor over Nogueira via decision. Fedor is one
of the best heavyweights on the planet at submissions and submissions
defense, and although Nogueira is probably the best in that category,
Fedor is going to be good enough that Nogueira is not going to
come close to submitting Fedor at any point during the fight.
Fedor won't be able to ground-and-pound Nogueira as easily as
he did in their first fight because Nogueira is more aware of
Fedor's skills this time around, but I think Fedor will be on
the offensive in trying to finish the fight with his ground-and-pound
moreso than Nogueira will be in going for submissions from the
bottom.
Hidehiko
Yoshida vs. Rulon Gardner
This
fight will probably draw the second highest rating for the Pride
show on Japanese TV. Both are gold medalists, with Yoshida winning
gold in Judo and Gardner doing the same in Greco-Roman wrestling.
This is Gardner's debut match in mixed martial arts.
The
thought process of most people is that Yoshida will try to take
the fight to the ground, and once he does, Gardner will be a
sitting duck due to his inexperience with submissions, plus his
inexperience with dealing with the gi. Plus, Gardner has had
only about a couple of months or so to train for this fight,
which is certainly not enough time to learn submissions defense
good enough to counter one of the best submission fighters on
the planet today.
I
think the key to victory for Gardner is to stand and trade with
Yoshida. Gardner is one of the best wrestlers on the planet,
and the fight will only go to the ground when he wants it to.
He can avoid going to the ground with Yoshida, which is where
he doesn't want to be, and instead play a boxing game with Yoshida.
Yoshida is a terrible striker, and my bet is that he doesn't
have a very good chin since he never trained for striking prior
to debuting in MMA in 2002, plus most of his fights in Pride
have been completely ground based, even against more dominant
strikers such as Mark Hunt and Masaaki Satake, who couldn't avoid
the takedown from Yoshida.
Now,
Gardner also has no experience whatsoever in striking, and there's
no telling how bad he could be at it. But he's a big guy, and
Yoshida's striking ability is zero, so realistically, he may
be as bad as Yoshida at striking, but it's very unlikely that
he's going to be worse. So on the ground, there's a 99% chance
that Yoshida will win, whereas on their feet, there's a 50-50
chance that Yoshida will win, depending on how fast Gardner would
pick up striking in his limited training for this fight. Really,
all he has to learn is to throw one solid punch or combo, and
that has a chance at putting Yoshida away if that punch is any
good.
It's
unlikely that Gardner will be able to survive to the end of the
fight on the ground with Yoshida, then win a decision. My prediction
is that Gardner won't option for a stand-up fight, and instead
will take Yoshida to the ground, where he will be submitted in
the first round.
Wanderlei
Silva vs. Mark Hunt
Both
are going into this fight with only a few days notice, but Silva
had been training hard already for the fight against Sakuraba,
which, for the record, I agreed with public opinion that Silva
would have won fairly easily. Hunt also has a big weight advantage,
with Silva having kept down around 205 pounds to fight Sakuraba.
Hunt
is one of the best heavyweight kickboxers in the world since
the turn of the millennium, and that is his biggest advantage
in this fight. Silva is a good striker for MMA standards, and
did an exactly job in striking against Mirko Cro Cop back a couple
of years ago under K-1 vs. Pride rules which favoured Mirko,
when Mirko was more of a K-1 guy than a Pride guy. Silva would
have won that fight against Mirko had there been ringside judges.
Hunt
didn't look particularly good on the ground against Dan Bobish,
and had a hard time solving Bobish's wrestling ability in being
able to control Hunt from the top. Bobish had a size advantage
on Hunt, though, that Silva does not have. Hunt did better against
Hidehiko Yoshida on the ground in June than most expected, but
still got submitt in the end.
Silva
could get knocked out by Hunt if he chooses to stand and bang.
If he takes Hunt down, he'll probably be able to get a submission
victory. I doubt Silva will be able to stop Hunt on the ground.
Hunt, being heavy for this fight and coming in on very short
notice without training, may not have good enough cardio to go
the distance. My pick is Silva by submission, but there's a decent
possibility that Hunt could end his winning streak in Pride.
Mirko
Cro Cop vs. Kevin Randleman
This
is a rematch of their fight from the first round of this year's
Grand Prix where Randleman knocked Mirko out in one of the bigger
upsets in Pride history. That isn't going to happen again.
Randleman
is an awesome wrestler, and his freaky strength and agility.
Mirko Cro Cop is the best striker in the history of mixed martial
arts, period (that doesn't include K-1). He got knocked out by
Randleman in their first fight because he wasn't focused on MMA,
and underestimated Randleman, who, although he's a former UFC
Heavyweight champion, is considered a career-long underachiever.
Mirko
will try and keep it standing to knock Randleman out, and Randleman
will try to put Mirko on the ground, which he will probably succeed
with at least once in the fight because Ron Waterman, although
bigger and stronger than Randleman, is less skilled in wrestling
and he was able to take Mirko down.
However,
Mirko was able to damage Waterman striking up from the bottom,
and wrangled his way back to his feet to score a knockout win.
Randleman is not a guy who normally would go through a war to
win, and the longer the fight stays on its feet, the more of
a war it's going to be.
My
prediction is that Mirko will be taken down during the fight,
but the match will be on its feet for the most part as Mirko
will be either to keep it there for the most part or will bring
it back there after being taken down. The fight also goes back
to its feet at the beginning of every round, which is of course
an advantage for Mirko. My predicition is Mirko by first round
stoppage or knockout.
Yuki
Kondo vs. Dan Henderson
Kondo
has the flying knee and Henderson has the big right hand. That's
pretty much the fight.
Henderson
is a much better wrestler than Kondo, and is really, really good
at submissions defense so he's not getting submitted by Kondo.
Standing, I think Henderson also has the advantage, although
if he underestimates Kondo, he could easily be knocked out.
There
is an outside chance of a Kondo knockout, but I think Kondo's
key to victory will be to play a tactical game and try to draw
the fight out to a decision, and hope to win a split-decision
based on going fifty-fifty with Henderson in striking, which
is very plausible.
However,
I think Henderson is the better striker, and will either break
Kondo down enough during the fight to score a TKO, or will control
the action both on its feet and on the ground to win a decision.
I think this is a tough fight for Kondo to win.
Takanori
Gomi vs. Jens Pulver
Gomi
is a very good wrestler and a good striker with good reach. Pulver
is a very good boxer, and has improved his boxing ability by
actually competing in boxing and now posting a 4-0 career record
with all of his fights taking place in 2004. Pulver also has
great takedown defense, but was taken down multiple times in
his fight against BJ Penn at UFC 35, although Penn had a large
size and strength advantage on Pulver. I don't see submissions
as being a large part of this fight.
Pulver
has been fighting at featherweight, and Gomi will also have a
size advantage on Pulver. I think Gomi's strategy will be to
keep Pulver at bay on their feet, and take him down and pound
him to a stoppage or a decision. Pulver should try to avoid the
takedown, and stand and trade with Gomi.
I
think Pulver's a better striker than Gomi, but I think Gomi will
probably be able to nullify his striking by taking him down and
controlling the top position for most of the fight. Pulver will
have a chance to knock Gomi out at the start of every round.
This fight is realistically fifty-fifty and either fighter could
easily win it, but my opinion is that Gomi will win a decision
by controlling Pulver on the ground and laying in his ground-and-pound.
Sentoryu
vs. Makoto Takimoto
Sentoryu
is coming off his only win in MMA, a knockout victory over Mal
Foki at Bushido 5. Takimoto is an Olympic gold medalist in judo
making his MMA debut. This is really just a setup match for Takimoto
to get a victory in his debut fight. There is an extremely slim
chance that Sentoryu could knock Takimoto out if Takimoto is
sloppy and has a glass chin, but if Sentoryu doesn't do that
in like five seconds, the fight is going to be on the ground
and he's going to get submitted.
Ikuhisa
Minowa vs. Stefan Leko
Minowa
is a wrestler and Leko is a striker (one of the best on the planet,
actually) and in any striker vs. wrestler matchup, the wrestler
is always favoured.
Minowa
also has a lot of experience, whereas Leko has only one fight
under MMA rules, against Naoya Ogawa earlier this year in a match
where many felt it was worked for Ogawa to win. Ogawa is a judo
guy and Leko of course a striker, but Ogawa clocked Leko, knocking
him down, to get him on the ground rather than taking him down,
which doesn't seem plausible, but apparently was.
Leko
has a size advantage, is an awesome kickboxer, and will have
a chance to knock Minowa out at the beginning of every round,
but otherwise Minowa is going to take him down and either pound
him for a stoppage, submit him, or control him to win a decision.
I don't see Leko getting stopped on the ground, as, although
getting on on your feet and getting on the ground are two different
things, I don't see Minowa having enough power in his strikes
to stop Leko. My prediction is Minowa by submission, with the
second most likely ending being Minowa by decision.
Giant
Silva vs. Choi Mu Bae
This
is a freakshow match to get Silva on the card because he's a
giant, which appeals to more casual Japanese fans that will be
watching this show on network TV who normally may not watch Pride
on pay per view in Japan. It's also an easy win for Mu Bae, with
the biggest riddle being how to get Silva on the ground. If he
can do that, Silva is a sitting duck for a stoppage or a submission.
Yoji
Anjoh vs. Ryan Gracie
This
fight is on the card because it's the tenth anniversary of when
Anjoh went into the Gracie gym in California and fought Rickson
Gracie and got his ass kicked. That resulted in Japanese fans
wanting to see Nobuhiko Takada, the biggest star of UWF-I (the
company Anjoh wrestled for), which eventually happened at Pride
1. That story is pretty much the entire reason Pride was formed.
Anjoh has fought in UFC, but has never won a fight, is a terrible
fighter with the best thing going for him is that he's tough.
Ryan Gracie should be able to take him down and submit him within
the first round.
Anderson
Silva vs. Ryo Chonan
Ryo
Chonan has only lost a few times in his career, and all were
by decision. He's coming off a close decision loss to Ricardo
Almeida in Bushido. Silva is ranked by many as one of the top
middleweights on the planet, coming off wins over Jeremy Horn
and Lee Murray, but I think he's slightly overrated. Remember,
it wasn't long ago that Silva was defeated by mediocre Daijiro
Matsui. Silva also had a hard time with Carlos Newton on the
ground in their fight in Pride before he caught Newton with a
flying knee while they were standing and knocked him out.
Chonan
is a good grappler, and was able to hang with Almeida to a decision.
I think it's very possible than Chonan can control the ground
aspect of the fight to a decision, but it's also very possible
that Silva could knock him out. Silva is very wild on his feet,
I think, and will probably score a TKO or decision victory, but
I could easily see Chonan pulling an upset and taking the decision
win.
Source:
Maxfighting |
Hendo
to make statement in Kondo fight
by Michael DiSanto
While most thirty-something Americans males sit around relaxing
after a busy Christmas weekend, thoughts invariably turn toward
New Year’s Eve. Where is the party? What club or restaurant
is the place to be on Friday night? Or, maybe it is just a quiet
night at home with family and a few close friends.
Whatever
the case may be, New Year’s Eve is a night for fun and celebration.
It’s a way to say goodbye to the previous year, wipe the
slate clean and start anew for 2005. The last thing any responsible
adult wants to do is get into a fight on such a celebratory occasion,
unless, of course, you’re Dan Henderson.
On
Friday night, Henderson (15-3) faces Yuki Kondo at Pride Shockwave
in what may be his toughest fight in two years. It is a fight
that can place him back at the head of the line for a shot at
middleweight gold in 2005. Alternatively, it is a fight that
could keep him out of the highly lucrative and prestigious 2005
Middleweight Grand Prix that is scheduled to start in April.
Kondo
(43-14-5) is a Japanese fighting legend. His resume of fallen
opponents includes Frank Shamrock (by knockout), Mario Sperry,
Semmy Schilt (twice) and many other top fighters. Although former
UFC Heavyweight Champion Josh Barnett beat Kondo in 2003, he
points to that fight as one of the toughest in his career despite
the fact that he outweighed Kondo by nearly 80 pounds.
Simply
put, Kondo is one of the most well-rounded fighters in the game
with no glaring weakness. On the ground, he is very effective
from the guard – both defensively and offensively –
and the top position. His standup game is also very technically
sound from a Thai boxing perspective, particularly with his knees
and his right hand.
However,
Kondo is not exceptional in any single category. Instead, he
is only very, very good. And that is where things will go badly
against Dan Henderson.
Henderson
is a handful for any fighter on the earth at any weight because
of his wrestling base. Suffice it to say, he is not going to
get outwrestled by any middleweight in Pride.
The
Team Quest representative twice represented the United States
in the Olympics for Greco-Roman Wrestling – the 1992 Barcelona
Games and the 1996 Atlanta Games. So, his takedown defense and
clinch work is simply amazing.
So,
getting Henderson to the ground is extremely difficult (unless
he wants the fight to go there), and putting him on his back
is next to impossible. Kondo’s best bet will be to wait
for Henderson to overextend on a punch and then look to transition
that into a takedown or look for a knockdown. Otherwise, the
fight will stay standing as long as Henderson wants it to.
If
the fight goes to the ground, Henderson has tremendous submission
defense from the top position. In 18 professional fights, he’s
only been submitted one time – Antonio “Minotauro”
Nogueira caught him in an armbar two years ago. But he also owns
a split decision win over the Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu master almost
five years ago in RINGS. So Kondo will have to perform at a very
elite level if he wants to submit Henderson.
Unlike
most wrestlers, however, Henderson prefers to keep the fight
standing, and he is more than a handful for any opponent fighting
on the feet. He throws punches from awkward angles and in non-traditional
combinations like lead overhand rights followed by a left cross
from his hip pocket.
So,
opponents often get hit unexpectedly with blind punches. Combine
that with the fact that Henderson carries dynamite in his right
hand and you have the potential for a sudden knockout in any
of his fights.
It
is an effective standup style that resulted in KO/TKO wins in
his last three fights, including a beautiful knockout win over
former pound-for-pound great Murilo Bustamante. He also owns
a razor-close decision loss to Wanderlei Silva in a brutal standup
war of attrition back in 2000 that saw both men on the verge
of a knockout loss.
However,
no fighter is perfect and Henderson is no exception to that rule.
Like most elite wrestlers, he prefers not to fight from his back.
There is just something innately disturbing about being on one’s
back for lifelong wrestlers, even those who’ve spent the
past several years training in MMA.
So,
that is one of Kondo’s big keys to winning – putting
Hendo on his back and keeping him there. Much easier said than
done!
For
Henderson, his biggest key to victory is simply staying relaxed
and patient. Henderson can get overly aggressive at times, which
exposes him to the takedown. As long as he lets the fight come
to him, the opportunity should present itself to land a dam-breaking
right hand.
Once
he has Kondo hurt, Henderson must finish him. Kondo is a big
fan favorite, so the American does not want to go the distance
in this fight. Japanese judges have given hometown decisions
to their boys on more than one occasion. That is certainly a
risk here.
Heading
into Friday night, Henderson opened as a healthy -325 favorite.
He is one of Sportsbook.com’s sponsored fighters and Joey
Oddessa certainly believes in his guy – for good reason
too.
Dan
Henderson no doubt has his hands full with Yuki Kondo. But this
is a fight that he should win.
Source:
Insidefighting
|
Head-2-Head:
Royce Gracie vs. Akebono
by Jason Probst & Michael DiSanto
Akebono can maul his way to
victory
By Jason Probst
While the early days of mixed martial arts resembled freak shows
and Roman spectacle, the sport’s largely moved on in the
last decade. But now and then, the beast must be fed and a fight
sells on weird appeal rather than the merit of two top fighters
colliding.
Such
is the case with Royce Gracie-Akebono at the Pride New Year’s
card. Pitting the 185-lb. Royce against the 500-lb. sumo grandmaster,
it brings a fascinating question to bear: what would happen if
a jiu-jitsu expert like Gracie faced a man more than two and
a half times his weight?
How
would he apply his techniques with radically altered variables?
Certainly, one thing’s for certain. Gracie probably won’t
be fighting from a closed guard or pulling off any sweeps.
The
biggest submission danger will be the rear naked choke, for no
matter how big and strong you are, everybody’s going to
tap or sleep when the supply of blood is cut off to the brain.
You can’t power out of that, and it’s the ultimate
equalizer in any fight.
Akebono
received a harsh introduction into K-1 at the Pride New Year’s
2004 show, when he was knocked out by Bob Sapp in a meeting of
behemoths. When you’re 150 lbs. bigger than Sapp and you’re
still getting bullied in a striking match, it might be time to
find a new vocation, and Akebono is 0-5 in K-1 fights. Thankfully,
MMA should be a much safer endeavor for Akebono if matched correctly.
Royce
Gracie could be that opportunity. For all his wonderful submission
skills, Gracie won’t be a threat on the feet, especially
as Akebono does have some K-1 experience (he went the distance
with Ray Sefo and was stopped by Sapp and powerhouse Remy Bonjansky).
The question looms, and that’s how does Gracie bring Akebono
down?
Akebono,
while he will never be confused with Dennis Alexio, was a great
sumo wrestler and that sport should give him some basic familiarity
to takedown defense, clinches, and throws. Royce Gracie runs
into a brick wall, literally, if he thinks he’s going to
rush Akebono and force a ground fight as he has against other
MMA opponents. He might injure himself if attempting a lower-body
takedown, and clinching could get him tossed into the next area
code.
Akebono
has a 300-lb.-plus weight advantage and that’s what he’s
got to use. That also works against him as the fight goes on,
as Gracie will probably hope to tire him out. Therefore, Akebono
has to be aggressive early and make Gracie burn energy to contain
him. He doesn’t have a lot to lose by throwing a few strikes,
but he should forget kicks. You could time them with a sundial
and that only gives Royce an opening to work around to get his
back in a monkey choke, a la Matt Hughes-Frank Trigg. Akebono
should swat at Royce and try and hit him with jabs or the occasional
power punch, and throwing downward at Gracie’s chest will
be key, as he’s 7 inches taller. Just hit something to shake
his man up and let him feel the size.
Obviously,
this fight is going to the ground. And obviously, that means
Akebono’s likely to end up in Royce’s guard. Given
that Gracie will be literally unable to fight from the closed
guard position, that favors Akebono because that’s exactly
how Royce defuses many opponents, who get wrapped up tightly
in that defensive posture.
This
leaves Gracie with the prospect of having a 500-lb. man on his
chest, and that’s taxing, indeed. In fact, despite Akebono’s
lack of MMA experience, he can do damage simply shifting his
weight, banging into Royce and landing punches, while smothering
him. Who knows what happens when a quarter-ton of beef is on
top of you, but it’s possible that ribs can fracture. Hammer
fists from the top, as well as elbows and punches are the best
move for him. Whether it’s Gracie’s head, chest, stomach
or hips, Akebono should pound it once he’s in the guard.
Also,
given his tremendous strength, Akebono should also be drilling
for the chance to lift Gracie up from the guard and power bomb
him. Given that he’s used to throwing 350-lb. opponents,
hoisting Royce should be a pretty easy thing. It’s isn’t
highly technical but it should work.
The
rules for this fight state that if it goes the distance it will
be declared a draw, and Akebono and Gracie might neutralize one
another en route to that. But both are in dire need of a win
here. Since the sport has evolved over the past few years, Gracie’s
return has been something more talked about than realized, and
you get the feeling he’d like to show he can still pull
off his magic, even if against green opponents like Akebono,
because it proves the point of the original UFCs – that
Gracie jiu-jitsu will triumph over a bigger stronger foe.
Akebono’s
best chance is to maul Royce and wear him down with weight and
punishment. He’s not going to submit Royce and he isn’t
likely to do much from the feet, as Royce is pretty resilient
despite not having much standup (he took of ton of strikes vs.
Kazushi Sakuraba, and can merely fall to his back if hurt). Most
importantly, he needs to make sure Royce doesn’t get behind
him in a tie-up. He’ll have to keep his under hooks secure
and use them to throw Gracie around.
Getting
behind a bigger man was the exact strategy Royce used when he
fought Remco Parduel in UFC 2. He didn’t mess around with
the guard or striking, but simply slipped behind the judo stylist
early, took him down, and applied his choke that won the fight.
Akebono can’t let that happen, and with his huge size and
strength advantage, has no excuse to let it transpire. He’s
got to take Royce Gracie to the ground and pound him out, and
given his enormous edge in strength, it figures he’ll be
able to do just that.
Sure,
Gracie’s forgotten more about submissions than most fighters
will ever know. But realistically, what’s going to work
on a 500-lb. brute? Arm bar? Not likely. Akebono can just power
out of it with the limb or by rearing back. Triangle? Tough to
execute with the massive limbs and size. Ankle and foot locks
might be a possibility, but that would also involve cranking
massive joints and getting hit in the face while setting it up,
to say nothing of getting out from under a piano on his chest.
Akebono
has a very tough opponent in front of him with a vast edge in
experience in mixed martial arts. But by applying his advantages
and keeping Gracie from taking his back, he can win this fight,
because even a mongoose has little chance against a cobra in
a phone booth.
Gracie
will coast to victory at Shockwave
By Michael DiSanto
When Royce Gracie first broke the news on our radio show, MMA
Evolution, he strongly preferred to fight Akebono at K-1 for
his New Year’s Eve fight, I honestly thought he was joking.
Talk about David versus Goliath!
At
first blush, the fight seems like an impossible task for Gracie.
How can the 6’1, 185-lb. Royce Gracie defeat the 6’8,
480-lb. Akebono? Why would he put himself and his reputation
at risk fighting such a gargantuan man?
Obviously,
Royce won’t be using his famous Gracie guard to try and
submit his gargantuan opponent. Akebono is so massive that Gracie
couldn’t even begin to attempt to wrap his legs around his
torso.
If
Royce tries to use a butterfly or an open guard, think of the
damage he will sustain simply from the weight of Akebono pressing
down upon him. He’d smother the slim Brazilian for God’s
sake!
Can
Royce even take Akebono down? Remember, Akebono was the first
American-born athlete, and the 67th man in the 2000 year history
of the sport, to ever attain the rank of yokozuna! His 654 sumo
wins and 11 Emperor’s Cup titles speak volumes for his athletic
talent.
Akebono,
born Chad Rowan in Hawaii, is a once in a lifetime athlete. Even
today at 35 years old with terribly bad knees and clearly overweight
for any sport aside from sumo wrestling, he moves tremendously
well and maintains amazing cardio for his size.
But
none of that will be enough to beat the man who, along with his
father and brothers, basically gave birth to the sport of Mixed
Martial Arts in the United States.
MMA
and sumo wrestling are two very different sports. Emmanuel Yarborough,
who was the world’s heaviest athlete when he tipped the
scales at over 660 pounds, found that out the hard way during
his three-fight foray into MMA.
Of
his three fights, Yarborough lost twice to men of similar stature
to Royce Gracie – Keith Hackney (5’11, 200 lbs.) and
Daiju Takase (5’10, 170 lbs.). And both of those losses
came by way of stoppage.
The
fact remains that sheer size and the ability to sumo slap and
throw a man is not enough to prevail in an all-out fight. Yarborough
was too slow and too immobile to react to his opponents, neither
of whom can hold a candle to Royce Gracie in terms of overall
fighting or MMA skills – no disrespect intended.
Of
course, Yarborough is not in the same athletic universe of Akebono.
But the fact still remains that he will be at a decided speed
and technique disadvantage when he steps into the K-1 ring with
Royce Gracie.
Once
the bell rings, the sluggish monster will bull rush Gracie in
typical sumo style and hope to initiate a clinch or trap him
in a corner. If he can accomplish that goal, the fight could
end quickly and violently in favor of the Hawaiian monster.
However,
if Gracie simply plays matador to Akebono’s bull, he will
avoid the rush and either move to Akebono’s side or behind
him. If to the side, Gracie will look to execute a trip, tackle
or any other wrestling move to send the mammoth to the ground.
Once
on the ground, Akebono is a fish out of water. There is no way
he will be able to regain his feet without giving up an arm,
leg or his neck to a submission hold, none whatsoever.
If
Gracie moves to Akebono’s back while standing, which is
his most likely plan of attack; he will simply mount him like
a Clydesdale and sink a rear naked choke. At that point, Akebono’s
only option will be to dive backward and crush his opponent with
his 480-pound frame.
Granted,
if Akebono falls on Gracie, the fight is very likely over, because
he could very likely crush Royce’s chest cavity. And that
is no exaggeration.
But
outside of a freakish accident like that or Akebono somehow trapping
his more nimble opponent into a corner so that he can throw his
wild, crazy haymakers or throw him to the ground, he has no tools
to win the fight with.
It
was no accident that Genki Sudo completely embarrassed Eric “Butterbean”
Esch last year in a K-1 match. It was no accident that both Hackney
and Takase beat Yarborough.
And
it won’t be an accident when Royce Gracie completely outclasses
an overmatched and underprepared Akebono on Friday night. This
one will be easy for Royce as he coasts to victory on New Year’s
Eve.
Source:
Insidefighting
|
Head-2-Head:
Minotauro vs. Fedor
by Michael DiSanto & Jason Probst
Minotauro
will shock Fedor at Shockwave
by Michael DiSanto
Forget
what the odds makers say. The fight between Antonio Rodrigo “Minotauro”
Nogueira and Fedor Emelianenko is far from a pick’em fight
– at least, it is in the public’s mind.
Few
give Minotauro any real shot at beating the world’s most
dominant heavyweight. They say styles make fights and Fedor’s
style just beats Minotauro’s style. They say that Fedor
just have Minotauro’s number.
What?
Need I remind everyone that only a short time ago the MMA world
anointed Nogueira as possibly one of the best ever? Today, he’s
given no shot at winning? That is ludicrous.
At
worst, Minotauro is even money against any fighter alive today.
While Fedor is an amazing combination of size, power and technique
– a veritable human wrecking machine – he is human,
and he can be beaten, especially when facing the most complete
fighter in the sport.
As
a fighter, Minotauro is equal parts heart and skill. Sure, he
is known as a ground fighting phenom with perhaps the most dangerous
guard in all of MMA. Yes, everyone knows about his rapidly improving
standup game, which was good enough to stand and out bang Heath
Herring and Sergei Kharitonov.
However,
few talk about his heart and will to win. The fact remains that
Minotauro can withstand breathtaking amounts of punishment while
on the quest for victory. Think back to his fights with Bob Sapp
and the first bout against Fedor. In both, he took shots to the
head that would have stopped most heavyweights, yet he simply
continued going on about his business just like it was another
day at the office.
That
is why Minotauro will win the fight against Fedor on Friday night.
The Russian sambo expert will almost certainly dish out tremendous
punishment at some point in the fight, but the prospects of stopping
Nogueira are slim and none…and yes, slim just left…well,
you know the rest.
Therefore,
Fedor will be forced to once again tempt certain doom and fight
inside of Nogueira’s guard for much of the fight. He skillfully
avoided falling into a trap in the first fight, but how many
times can he go to the well without getting caught?
If
Nogueira is content to fight from his guard like in the first
fight, I still like his chances. But his odds of victory increase
exponentially if he can do the unthinkable – put Fedor on
his back!
Rather
than simply transitioning from triangle to arm bar attempts from
his guard, I have a sneaking suspicion that Minotauro will play
a different game this time around. Fedor loves to try and jump
through the guard with flying punches. That presents a fantastic
opportunity for Minotauro to execute a sweep or a reversal and
put Fedor on his back where all of his advantages quickly dissipate.
From
the top position, Minotauro will work to pass Fedor’s guard
and then rain blows down in an attempt to make the Russian either
give up his back for a choke or leave himself exposed for an
arm triangle.
Yes,
it sounds crazy. I fully understand that. But these two great
warriors have fought twice with both fights progressing differently,
so it makes logical sense to think that Minotauro will once again
come in with a new game plan. And working to get the top position
seems like a plan just crazy enough to where it will work.
Look
for Minotauro to get the edge early on the feet because he has
the more technically sound standup game. Fedor’s hands are
heavier, but Minotauro’s granite jaw and extremely straight
punches will neutralize any deficit in power standing.
Don’t
be surprised if the Brazilian initiates the takedown from a retreating
Fedor. Similarly, don’t be surprised if he opts to keep
the fight on the feet. Of course, the most logical option will
be for Minotauro to allow Fedor to take him to the ground and
work from inside his guard.
Regardless,
Minotauro Nogueira will find a way to win, and that will set
the stage for an epic fourth bout between the two top heavyweights
in the world. Although it is their third fight, this might only
be the beginning of a rivalry that lasts for the next several
years – MMA’s version of Ali-Frazier or Barrera-Morales.
On
Friday night, Minotauro will shock the world at Shockwave by
defeating Fedor Emelianenko. But win or lose, this is a fight
that I cannot wait to watch!
Fedor
will beat Nogueira again
by Jason Probst
Styles
make fights, and nowhere is that more applicable than in the
match between the world’s top two heavyweights in Fedor
Emelianenko and Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira.
In
mixed martial arts, every fighter has a preferred position for
where he’d like to be, position-wise, in a match. Guys like
Chuck Liddell and Bang Ludwig enjoy nothing better than a standing
affair, while Matt Hughes and Tito Ortiz operate best when taking
a man down and pounding him into defeat, where their wrestling
skills can dominate. Other stylists, like Frank Mir, are at their
best on their back, where submission skills come into play.
The
corresponding down side is when a good wrestler is on his back.
Or when a submission specialist gets into a rock'em, sock'em
street fight that show his weaknesses. This is usually the driving
premise in contests between guys of similar styles, the battle
to see who will establish the superior position first and deny
the other guy his bread and butter.
Strangely,
Emelianenko and Nogueira’s styles dovetail perfectly. Nog
almost always ends up fighting good foes from the bottom while
Fedor is the eminent ground and pound artist in the game. Given
Fedor’s excellent takedown defense and submission awareness,
Nog’s dangerous guard was more of a holding action in their
first fight than an offensive weapon. It allowed him to survive
one of the more brutal distance beatings in recent memory.
Nothing
is going to change when they meet at Pride Man Show 2 New Year’s
Eve, and Emelianenko is going to beat Fedor more due to the meshing
of skills than due to superior ones. Because everything Nog does
to win a fight runs smack-dab into the conventional wisdom of
what you aren’t supposed to do against Fedor.
To
begin with, Fedor is very difficult to take down and Nog’s
takedowns aren’t good enough to plant him on his back. Fedor
can take Nogueira down at will, and probably will choose to,
but a good strategy to follow might be using the ground and pound
as a backup position. Just like Frank Trigg did against Renato
Verissimo, Fedor might try to wear Nog out on the feet early
while daring the Brazilian to stop his attack with a takedown.
It’s not likely to happen, and as Trigg did against Verissimo,
you can tire a man out by sprawling and making him expend energy
trying to bring it to the ground.
The
standup edge goes to Emelianenko as well. Not a technically sound
striker, Fedor wings punches with Total Commitment and has heavy
hands. He also has a fantastic chin, and though Nog has decent
standup, he won’t be able to hurt the Russian to bring the
fight down, either. Therefore, Fedor might be well served to
simply force a standup match and tire Nog out – which lowers
the threat of Nog’s legendary submissions coming into play
– before taking it down.
And
the great thing is even if Fedor eats a surprise shot or is stunned
on the feet, he can always shoot in and recuperate in Nogueira’s
guard if he needs to.
Nog
tried everything in their first fight, from setups in the spider
and butterfly guard to arm locks, triangles and sweeps, but Fedor’s
positional awareness allowed him to prevent the Brazilian from
getting beyond the setups, while he rained down punches from
the top. Much as a knockout artist in boxing will wait and wait
for the perfect opening, Nog found himself reduced shot by shot,
piece by piece, until he barely had the strength to hold Fedor
at bay, much less mount a finishing attack.
Fedor
is simply a prototype of what fighters will be like in the future.
He may be the best fighter in the world, pound for pound. Skilled
at fighting from the top, bottom, or trading strikes, he has
no extant weaknesses, nowhere where he seems to shrink up and
seem vulnerable. His judo credentials give him the kind of submission
awareness that make him very difficult to deal with in the guard,
and he punches with the kind of in-close intensity that can be
truly frightening. Whether it’s a wind-em-up from the ceiling
right hand to the head, or a short thumping blow to the ribs
from six inches, Fedor does damage that you take with you. And
he has taken shots to the head that would knock most heavyweights
cold.
That’s
why he will beat Nogueira, whose game is predicated on outlasting
opponents and exploiting openings. There are no openings with
Fedor, and he gives you too much to deal with while you’re
waiting for them. Fedor will beat Nogueira by decision in a great
fight, and prove he is not only the best fighter in the world,
but the best mixed martial artist on the planet.
Source:
Insidefighting
|
Quote
of the Day
"We are hungry for more; if we do not consciously pursue
the More, we create less for ourselves and make it more difficult
to experience More in life."
Judith Wright, Author, There Must Be More Than This" |
Wanderlei
Silva vs. Mark Hunt
Is Official
Today in Japan, just two days before the New Years Eve Pride
event, it was announced that Mark Hunt will take the place of
Sakuraba to face the seemingly invincible Wanderlei Silva. Silva
has had a remarkable year this year as he continues a long winning
streak. But, will he be able to continue that streak? Mark Hunt
is a former K-1 fighter with stand up skills and is considerably
heavier. Many thought that the fight with Sakuraba was not going
to test Silva, but now with only days notice, he will have to
be prepared to fight a heavyweight. Another factor will be Mark
Hunt's stamina, with only a few days notice to fight will Mark
Hunt be in fighting shape. We know Silva has great endurance,
but on short notice this may be a deciding factor.
Source:
MMA Weekly
|
UFC
MEDIA BLITZ STARTING FOR UPCOMING TV SHOW
The highly anticipated TV show "The Ultimate Fighter"
is just three weeks away as the Ultimate Fighting Championship
and Spike TV have worked together over the past few months to
bring this show to national TV.
The
media blitz is now taking center stage as well as the commercial
has started to air on different networks and the media is starting
to do stories on the show as well.
Chuck
Liddell and Randy Couture made the cover of Skinnie Magazine.
The publication is an entertainment magazine with an emphasis
on music. It's distributed in Southern California.
The
duo also will be appearing next month on Last Call with Carson
Daly which airs late night on NBC. The Carson Daly Show in NYC
on Tuesday, January 11th at 4 pm. The show is scheduled to air
on January 19th.
Tickets
to the taping can be reserved by calling 888-4LC-TIXX or go to
this website. http://www.1iota.com
Source:
MMA Weekly
|
YOSHIDA
VS GARDNER IN BATTLE OF GOLD MEDALISTS
Hidehiko Yoshida won a gold medal for Japan competing in Judo
at the 1992 Olympic games. When he signed to fight for Pride
back in 2002, no one gave him much credit as a mixed martial
artist.
With
his training limited primarily to Judo, most expected Don Frye
to pound him out at Pride 23. The referee ended up stopping the
fight when as Frye was caught in an armbar. Even though Frye
walked away from that fight with an injury, Yoshida got hardly
any credit from MMA critics. In fact, rumors of a fix swirled.
On
New Year’s Eve of that same year, Yoshida choked out Masaaki
Satake at Antonio Inoki’s Bom-Ba-Ye show. Again the critics
hammered Yoshida, refusing to believe he was a legitimate threat.
In
an effort to legitimize his presence in the sport, Yoshida entered
Pride’s 2003 Middleweight Grand Prix. He defeated Kiyoshi
Tamura in the first round, again with naysayers disbelieving
the simplicity of the choke Yoshida used to tap his opponent.
Ironically,
it was Yoshida’s loss to Pride dominator Wanderlei Silva
that earned him his credence in the sport. He went toe-to-toe
with Silva for fifteen minutes, the distance, before losing a
unanimous decision.
American
Olympic Gold Medalist Rulon Gardner, Yoshida’s opponent
on New Year’s Eve, will have much the same road to tow as
Yoshida. A champion wrestler at every level throughout his life,
but with little mixed
martial arts training, Gardner is seen by many as jumping at
the money
that Pride is throwing at him.
Despite
his lack of mixed martial arts experience, this is his first
fight, Gardner is an excellent wrestler and wrestlers have typically
done well making the transition. Not only that, Gardner has enlisted
the help of some other world-class wrestlers to help him with
that transition… Team Quest’s Dan Henderson, Randy
Couture, and Matt Lindland.
Both
men have competed at the highest level in their previous sports,
but Yoshida’s two years in mixed martial arts will give
him a tremendous edge in the experience department when the two
enter the ring on New Year’s Eve. Stage fright probably
won’t be a problem, but Garnder’s lack of experience
can only be a hindrance.
Almost
all factors would seem to sway Yoshida’s way. His experience
in Judo may not be enough to counter Garnder’s takedowns,
but it should allow Yoshida to be much more of a threat to end
the fight on the ground. And although Yoshida’s standup
game is technically unsound, he
proved his mettle when he duked it out and finished on his feet
against The Axe Murderer.
That
said, Couture did say that Gardner does have a lot of power in
his punches, which can’t hurt. And, you can’t discount
the effect that a world-class wrestler’s takedowns can have
on an opponent. If Gardner can land a couple high profile slams,
he can sway the odds more to his favor.
If
Gardner is motivated to become a force in MMA, who knows what
could happen? He proved that he could rise to the occasion when
he defeated Russian legend Alexander Karelin at the Sydney Olympics.
Whether he carries that desire into the ring is another question
altogether, but we’ll soon find out.
For
Yoshida, besides a nice paycheck, the most important aspects
of this fight for him are probably the pride in competing against
a fellow Olympian and the possibility of another shot at Wanderlei.
At
last year’s Grand Prix, Yoshida proved that he could hang
with Wanderlei and with the streak that Wanderlei has been on,
he’s running out of worthy opposition. Whether Wanderlei
stays at middleweight or move’s up to heavyweight, at about
the same size, Yoshida could fight him at either weight. A competitor
of the caliber of Yoshida has got to be itching to get back in
the ring and avenge his only loss.
On
New Year’s Eve, look for Yoshida to end up on the ground.
Also look for Gardner to end up snared in a Yoshida submission
before it’s all over. It’s going to be very difficult
for Gardner to cover all of the necessary ground in the two short
months he’s had to prepare, even with
the help of Team Quest.
Source:
MMA Weekly
|
Fighters
Arrive for New Year's Eve
It's the middle of winter in Japan but MMA fans are warming up
fast as they approach New Year's Eve. The adrenaline will be
pumping and the action will doubtlessly be white-hot on the two
big cards coming up in K-1 and PRIDE. Now that NYE is only days
away, fighters have begun to arrive from all over the world.
Each is greeted at the airport by reporters, and it is no rarity
to see their comments in the big sports newspapers and on mainstream
internet sites. Below are a few items / comments gleaned from
the Japanese media that might interest fans.
Perhaps
demonstrating his eagerness to settle the score with PRIDE champ
Fedor, Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira arrived well ahead of the pack
on Wednesday, December 22. "Getting here early gives me
the opportunity to adapt to the weather difference between Brazil
and Japan and get over my jetlag, so I can fight in the best
condition possible." Nogueira said he's in top physical
shape for the fight, although the emotional shock of the final
round of the heavyweight Grand Prix was more difficult to overcome.
He also hinted that he's been working on new holds for this fight
to replace the "spinning choke" hold he used successfully
in the GP.
Mario
Sperry was at hand at the Pride Man Show 2 Press Conference,
but his teammate Rodrigo Nogueira and opponent, Fedor, were not
around.
Wanderlei
Silva , who was scheduled for a fourth encounter with Kazushi
Sakuraba, expressed his regret that Saku can't go on 12/31, saying,
"To be honest, it's too bad [the way things turned out].
I wanted to fight him, but he'll get another chance. He's a great
fighter and I respect him. It would be great if he comes to the
arena and roots for me." After naming Saku as the head of
his own cheerleading squad, Silva stated that having kept his
weight down for the Sakuraba fight would not hinder his performance,
no matter who the promoters name as his opponent. "I am
the champion, and I'll make a showing worthy of that title."
Bob
Sapp , who hasn't seen competitive action since his loss under
K-1 rules to Ray Sefo on June 26 this year, hosted members of
the press at an open workout. Sapp will face "uncrowned
king of K-1" Jerome LeBanner of France in an MMA / K-1 mixed
rules contest. The rules in this match will alternate from round
to round, and promoters have been at an impasse as to which rules
will govern the first round. Sapp resorted to his football roots,
suggesting a coin toss to decide. "I'll take tails, because
just like in the fight, I'm going to turn him over on his head,"
said Sapp, hinting at another power bomb like the one he used
on Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira in the inaugural DYNAMITE! event.
Dan
Henderson , who arrived on the same airplane as Wanderlei Silva,
said of his opponent in the PRIDE show, Yuki Kondo, "He's
an all-around fighter who doesn't have any real weaknesses. Then
again, he doesn't have any outstanding strengths, either. I saw
his fight with Wanderlei (1R KO 2:09), and hopefully this one
will turn out the same way." Hendo, who, needless to say,
didn't spend a lot of time chatting with Wanderlei on the trip
over, said he was focusing on his own fight, but admitted he
has his long-term sights on Silva.
UFC
light heavyweight champ "The Natural" Randy Couture
, who will act as cornerman for Team Quest teammates, Dan Henderson
and Rulon Gardner in the Man Festival, gave his predictions for
a number of NYE bouts. "Rulon is a world-class wrestler
with excellent physical capability and technique. There's no
way he will lose." On the other hand, he predicted that
Kazuyuki Fujita would defeat Karam Ibragim because "he can
wrestle and strike, but more than anything, he just has more
MMA experience."
"Battle
Cyborg" Jerome LeBanner has been preparing for his NYE date
with Bob Sapp by training with some of the biggest names in MMA.
At an open workout he revealed that he has trained with Nogueira
in Brazil, Fedor in Russia, and "Big Daddy" Gary Goodridge
in Japan. "I am going to combine all the things I learned
from them into my own fighting style. I'll do whatever it takes
to beat him." Although not certain at this time, it appears
as though this fight will be the main event on the K-1 card.
LeBanner commented, "The last fight of this year is going
to be two guys going straight at each other. And I'm going to
end it in a way where there'll be no doubt who the winner is."
Jens
Pulver , who will be facing Bushido superstar Takanori Gomi in
PRIDE, arrived at Tokyo Narita International Airport on Monday
evening. Both fighters have been two of the most prominent names
in MMA's lighter weight classes for the past few years, and Pulver
commented that he has been looking forward not only to a match
with Gomi, but also to participating long-term in Bushido. "I
think it will be an even more exciting fight for the fans than
it would have been [when I was UFC champion and he was the Shooto
champion]. He's heavier than me right now (Gomi weighs about
160, while Pulver weighs somewhere in the 145 pound range), but
I trained so that I could deal with the weight difference. I
want to keep it on our feet, and I'll be the last man standing."
Ryan
Gracie , who will be fighting Japanese mat veteran Yoji Anjo
at PRIDE's Man Festival, simply stated, "I'm going to do
the same thing to him that Rickson did." Years ago, Anjo
walked into Rickson Gracie's dojo off the street and challenged
him. According to Ryan, Anjo got choked out numerous times during
that episode. "Am I looking to settle the score? No, he's
just going to get his ass kicked again."
With
all the talent being amassed to round out the year, it will be
interesting to see which predictions come true. It will also
be interesting to see which show does better in the ratings war,
which is perennially severe on New Year's Eve in Japan. (Both
events will be televised on major network TV.) Whatever the case,
it's going to be one glorious evening for MMA fans, whose biggest
worry will be which channel to set their VCRs to!
Source:
MMA Weekly
|
Quote
of the Day
"Try not to become a man of success but rather try to become
a man of value."
Albert Einstein, 1879-1955, German-born American Physicist
|
Congratulations
Kyle, Shane, & Brandon
The triple threat is wrestling today and tomorrow in a bunch
of dual meets. So far, Brandon Low (St. Louis) has won all his
matches, Kyle Snyder-Olivares (Pearl City High) won all, but
one match, and Shane Ahlo Jr. (St. Louis) is doing great as well.
Good
luck to the boys in tomorrow's matches
|
FANS
VOTE BJ PENN....
MMAWEEKLY'S FIGHTER OF THE YEAR
For the past week, readers of MMAWeekly.com spent there time
voting for who they felt was the Fighter of the Year for 2004.
Many
deserving names were voted upon; including, guys like Vanderlei
Silva and Yves Edwards, but when it was all said and done it
was BJ Penn who you voted for as Fighter of the Year for 2004.
Penn's
year was down right spectacular. It started with the upset of
the year for 2004 against Matt Hughes at UFC 46, where Penn went
up in weight to capture the title at 170. "He flat out changed
the landscape of the division. It was truly David vs Goliath
and went back to the stage when Royce Gracie innovated the sport.
It was an amazing upset", said Frank Trigg, co-host of MMAWeekly
Radio and UFC Fighter.
Penn
wasn't done, he went on to easily defeat Duane "Bang"
Ludwig in quick fashion in K-1's Romanex card, then amazed fans
again by going up in weight to defeat the previously undefeated
Rodrigo Gracie at 185.
"People
don't give Penn enough credit for the Gracie win. Remember this
guy earlier in the year beat the best fighter at 170 in Matt
Hughes....then he went up ANOTHER weight class to 185! Can anybody
name any fighter that's gone up TWO weight classes and had any
success besides Royce Gracie? The answer is simply no",
said MMAWeekly Radio host and Sports Anchor Ryan Bennett.
The
final numbers voted on by the fans looked like this. BJ Penn
received 41% of the vote. Vanderlei Silva, second with 36% and
Yves Edwards with 23%.
Penn
sent this statement exclusively to MMAWeekly.
"I
want to thank the fans, MMAWeekly, and everybody for supporting
me in 2004. I also want to thank all my training partners that
have helped me have such a great year. If it wasn't for them
I wouldn't be where I am today. I had a great year and I'm looking
forward to next year even more."
Thank
you,
BJ
Penn
Penn
will join the guys from MMAWeekly Radio today as well to talk
about being named Fighter of the Year; not to mention, he will
discuss what his next fight will be.
If
you can't catch the live show at 9am Pacific/12 Noon eastern
for free at www.mmaweeklyradio.com , then just click
on the Radio archives and catch the entire interview at your
leisure.
Source: Maxfighting |
Interview
with Bob Sapp
After a long layoff which saw him fight zero times since losing
to Ray Sefo under K-1 rules in June, Bob Sapp is back in Japan,
and he's back just in time for the biggest one-night television
ratings war of the year on New Year's Eve as Sapp will be taking
on Jerome LeBanner in a MMA vs. K-1 modified rules fight in one
of the biggest matches on K-1's card, as it will go up against
a Pride event and the highest rated show of the year on an annual
basis in Japan in the Red & White concert all in one night.
Jeremy
Wall: What's your current contract status with FEG?
Bob
Sapp: Currently right now I have several more fights to go. I
don't know at this time how many more fights I have left, but
under seven. So it's going to be like three, five, four; something
in that range. Fortunately, or unfortunately, I found so much
that recently that it's kind of difficult to keep up.
JW:
From what I understand, the original plan for New Year's Eve
was a rematch with you and Akebono. Why did that fall through?
BS:
I don't know. I really don't know why that fell through. I suppose
they didn't think they could get the same numbers as the astronomical
numbers that were put up last year. I think that would be very
difficult to beat, and I think they felt the same thing in doing
a rematch.
JW:
It seems to me that the rules in your fight against LeBanner
really heavily favour LeBanner, with it being kickboxing in the
odd numbered rounds. It's obvious that LeBanner is a better striker
than you are.
BS:
Yeah.
JW:
By the time you get to the third round, if you last that long,
I think you're going to be gassed and a sitting duck for a LeBanner
knockout. Why do you think K-1 would setup the rounds like this
to seemingly favor LeBanner?
BS:
I don't know if it necessarily favours LeBanner in a sense that
I have more MMA experiencethan LeBanner has.
JW:
He's bad on the ground.
BS:
Yeah, so I don't know if I necessarily favor him. So when it
comes down to distance, I don't think distance ever favors me
[laughs]. But one thing that I can say is that I will be going
at him full steam ahead, obviously, trying to knock him out in
the first round, and whenever you fight all the styles of fighting
instead of just staying in one [style], you're going to get these
types of questions. But I don't think it favors LeBanner.
JW:
What was the deal with you in K-1 back in the spring? It seems
like you kind of fell apart with the back-to-back losses to Kazuyuki
Fujita in MMA and Ray Sefo in K-1?
BS:
Okay. Well, obviously I was going into my fourth or fifth fight
in what, two months? Three months? Two or three months. And I
was doing a movie, Elektra, which premieres January 14th. So
I was filming these Hollywood movies, and immediately after Fujita
I had to go back and finish filming, and after I finished filming
that in its entirety, unfortunately I had a fever when I fought
Ray Sefo. I tried to continue on and fight, but I was bound to
get tired. My schedule this year is about five fights, thirteen
pro wrestling matches, twenty-four television shows, and there's
definitely going to be Hollywood movies.
JW:
That's your schedule for 2005?
BS:
That's for 2005. So obviously my work load has not discontinued,
so it's very interesting that all of these fighters fight one
style, they either fight in K-1 or MMA, and they definitely don't
do pro wrestling or Hollywood movies. So unfortunately I do everything,
and I will continue to do everything because that's what makes
me a bigger name.
JW:
Yeah. What I find is interesting is that what makes you a star
is the amount of media you do, like the TV shows and the commercials
and the movies, but that prevents you from training properly,
so if you didn't do that stuff, you could train and improve.
But if you didn't do that stuff, you wouldn't be such a big star,
so you probably would need to train because you might not have
anything to train for.
BS:
[laughs] There you go. Perfect. That's exactly right. Everyone
asks me about this, but I still have to train, right. That's
the hardest part. But when I wake up in the morning and look
at myself in the mirror and I ask myself, would I like to trade
places with Ernesto Hoost or Remy Bonjasky or Jerome LeBanner,
and the answer's no. I wouldn't. I wouldn't trade places with
anyone. I would definitely like to win my fight, I don't fight
to lose. But I am trying and doing my best at everything I do.
I don't want to be one-dimensional. So I don't mind getting in
and doing MMA. I don't mind getting in and doing stand-up. You
never see any of these guys doing these things. More so, you
never see any of these guys fight at the frequency that I fight.
They fight once or twice a year. There's always the old adage,
when I do fight sometimes I fight nobodies or whatever. People
tend to forget that Mirko [Filipovic] lost all of his fights
the first three years he entered K-1, and may have a tendency
to forget that Ernesto Hoost does not fight in MMA.
JW:
Do you think K-1 has done a poor job in terms of booking you
too frequently, like how one months you're fighting Fujita, then
a few weeks later you fight Sefo, and it causes you to get overexposed
and it causes you to lose more?
BS:
Well, I can understand them having me fight frequently. You've
got to remember, that these fighters, if they get enough money,
they don't have to work a full time job. Sometimes they have
to work a nine-to-five job instead of getting paid to fight,
or they just train to fight. They don't have to worry about the
frequency they fight. I fought a lot of times this past year.
Fujita fought, I mean, once. One fight this year. I'm going on
six times, on top of everything else. I can be frustrating when
people say that Bob's not a good fighter, and everyone has their
opinions, but you're dealing with someone a little bit different.
It's different circumstances, you know what I mean?
JW:
Yeah I know what you mean. Everyone knows that your media schedule
is bigger than anyone else's in mixed martial arts.
BS:
Without question, definitely. You're talking to, I would dare
say, the only fighter who has a dildo named after him here in
Japan.
JW:
You're one of the biggest celebrities in Japanese pro wrestling
history and MMA history, and I think...
BS:
Exactly. I'm the first foreign MVP in history. That beats out
everybody in history, period. That beats out Hulk Hogan, The
Rock, everybody.
JW:
Right, all the way back to Lou Thesz, in terms of being a foreign
that's popular in Japan.
BS:
Right, and you turn it around and take it even further to the
point where in K-1, these guys haven't done any... I mean, I'm
doing Hollywood movies now. They want to use my same type of
charisma in Hollywood, and you would think that in the United
States I would make the perfect bad guy or whatever. In Elektra
I play a bad guy named "Stone". I dare say I'm probably
going to have three minutes in the movie. That's a lot, you know
what I mean? When I do the Bob Sapp comedy here in Japan, the
same thing works in the United States. I just did an Adam Sandler
movie, and I'm probably in there maybe forty-five minutes. So
it's kind of a strange situation, because whatever you think
is going to happen, the complete opposite happens by way of which
you're thinking. So if you think I'm going to be successful being
mean and strong, I'm successful still, but it's because I'm suppose
to be very cute and nice and cuddly.
JW:
Yeah, old people like you, and you have a large crossover appeal.
BS:
It's very interesting.
JW:
It's very unique.
BS:
There's nothing like it.
JW:
I think it's also interesting to look at the Bob Sapp-Akebono
rematch that's not going to happen this year, that it would not
have drawn such a large rating because it was so big last year...
BS:
Oh yeah, that broke records everywhere in the history of the
world. Everyone was watching it. The statistics showed it was
like seventy-percent of the population.
JW:
The rating was like a 43.0.
BS:
I guess you take the 43.0 and you have to double it for the population
now.
JW:
I don't know what the mathematics are for that. I know it was
the highest peak rating in K-1 history.
BS:
It beat out the NHK show [pauses, people talking in background]
Sorry, I'm eating in a restaurant [laughs].
JW:
Okay. My opinion is that K-1 has booked Akebono very poorly in
terms of putting him in situations where he suffers too many
bad losses. Especially with booking him in matches in South Korea
and the United States where he loses to fighters who are not
stars in Japan. What's your opinion of this?
BS:
I think everything gets a little mixed up. I think that if you
come in as a beginner... [pauses] if you're going to fight, you're
just going to have to fight [laughs]. You're not going to be
able to mess around with all of this rules that everyone has,
which is what made me special, right. I didn't know anything
about fighting; I was in pro wrestling, so when Nogueira, I just
gave him the piledriver, you know. When it came down to fighting
Ernesto, maybe I'll win, maybe I won't, but I'm going to give
it my all. I think what happens when you fight back-to-back,
and you're losing so often, people are like, well, because you
didn't step to the right and step to the left, you didn't do,
you know, you didn't put your knee up... Man, do you know how
difficult that is?
JW:
I'm sure it's very difficult
BS:
Yeah, you know, man, it's almost to me that do you know how difficult
it is to do these things? Everyone doesn't give [Akebono] any
slack. You're also dealing with an extreme weight difference
now. Both me and him are big men, but we're differently structured.
JW:
Yeah. He's a big fat guy [laughs].
BS:
Yeah.
JW:
His cardio isn't bad for a big fat guy like that. To last as
long in some fights as he has, I mean.
BS:
Right. Yeah, but have you seen the pace that he goes at? He fights
slow, which I definitely don't do that [laughs]. I think everybody
knows I don't do that.
JW:
You're meaning like having boring fights or fights where you
don't push forward?
BS:
You know, when I fight I usually move forward. Momentum.
JW:
Obviously K-1 is a television network product and its business
model is based around television ratings, but also ticket sales
are certainly important, but they've gone south recently. Last
year when they did the Grand Prix Opening Round I think in October,
it was at the Osaka Dome. This year in September when they did
it, it was at, like... I can't remember the name of the venue,
but it was like Korakuen Hall or something. It was something
a lot smaller anyway.
BS:
What is smaller? It was drastically smaller than what they were
accustomed to.
JW:
Yeah, it was tons smaller.
BS:
You're talking like 40,000 down to like 5,000?
JW:
Yeah, I'm talking like 30,000 down to 10,000. Like a third the
size.
BS:
Uh-huh, uh-huh.
JW:
Like when you headlined the Romanex show, the ticket sales were
bad for that show. So K-1 shows can draw really high TV ratings
but low ticket sales for the same shows. Why do you think that
is?
BS:
You know, I think really sometimes the curiosity of wanting to
see what's going to happen. I think people are now like, I think
Bob Sapp's going to fight, and people will say maybe he'll lose,
so they'd rather watch on TV. And at the same time, these cards
are setup spontaneously, so no one really gets the opportunity
to know whether or not they want to go. You won't find out who
is on the card until like five or six days before the event.
JW:
Yeah that's true. Sometimes one day.
BS:
Exactly. If everyone knows whose fighting, they can set their
schedules up and go. But you know you just can't do things like
that. Living from the United States and going to Japan, there's
different customs and everything, but in the United States we
would never do that. We would sell a fight three months in advance,
and whoever's on the card, whatever, we would start talking about
it, the matches; we'd automatically be talking about it. Me and
you we know we'd be like, if there's a major heavyweight fight
going on, we know where we're gonna see that and we know which
friends we're going to go to on that same day that they announce
it. We automatically start making plans. It's just like three
days before the event and you find out that somebody's fighting,
I don't even know if I'm going to go to my friend's house. I
didn't take work off. I'm watching CSI or Judge Mathis or Judge
Judy or doing something else. It's kinda crazy.
JW:
Do you think we'll ever end up seeing Bob Sapp vs. Mike Tyson
in K-1?
BS:
Well, we came very close to it, but, right now I think that Mike
Tyson stuff is definitely not going to happen. I mean anything
is possible, but I don't think we're gonna see it anytime soon.
When it was announced and we were gonna fight, it was like, 70%
going to happen. Now it's like 90% that it's not. [laughs] Or
99%.
JW:
Is it that his manager, Shelley Finkel, has decided to try and
keep Tyson out of K-1 right now?
BS:
There was a host of things going on regarding that fight, some
of which a lot of people were saying it doesn't matter that K-1's
more difficult, or you know you'll get kicked in the head. He
was looking towards boxers like Butterbean, Francois Botha, Vince
Phillips, Shannon Briggs, Ray Mercer, and he was looking at these
boxers and they weren't having any success. Where he could have
more success is of course boxing, because we all know if it's
boxing he would probably take my head off. But kickboxing is
a little bit different, right? Different forms of combinations
can be thrown.
JW:
A lot of people feel that the K-1 heavyweight division has gotten
stale with K-1 in the '90s being more of finding out who the
best fighter was and building stars out of that concept, like
Hoost or Hug or whomever. Whereas since you've came along, K-1
has been trying to find the next Bob Sapp and bringing in these
huge freakshow guys, but which aren't as charismatic as you and
don't have the appeal that you have, and are bringing down the
quality of the product. What's your opinion on that?
BS:
Well, I can tell you that you are never going to be able to bring
in the next Bob Sapp. You can bring in somebody who has their
own characteristics, but you will never have the next Bob Sapp.
What I did in those first ten months, that's going to be a very
difficult act to follow, and I don't think you're ever going
to be able to find that. In ten months, I fought ten times, three
pro wrestling matches, ten commercials, three-hundred products
with my name likeness and image, six stores, two hundred or so
television shows and thousands of interviews, spokesperson for
Northwest Airlines, and the, what else, and oh the NFL, the rap
video and CD, cover of Time Magazine, cover of the Wall Street
Journal. I mean, just to name a few, that's not to name the stuff
that I've forgot, like 200,000 slot machines, six or so video
games. And that was all in the month period. It's crazy. And
that doesn't include t-shirts, which increases the number. So
I don't think someone is going to be able to get that, because
in order to do that, not only do they have to fight a champion
in both [K-1 and Pride] like they way I fought Nogueira and Ernesto
in that ten month period and sometimes I fought an opponent ten
days later in a different arena. As a beginner, not only are
you going to have to do that, but also all the pro wrestling
and jump up and go deal with your fans. I don't think you're
going to see that. I'm positive it's not going to happen. I look
at it now and I don't even know how I did it [laughs]. I have
friends that are actors and professional athletes that tell me
the same thing. They say you know what; just my entertainment
stuff alone is enough to carry their careers. Actors tell me
they don't even want my fight stuff, they just want my entertainment
stuff. They're right. That's just a job all in itself. I could
do that only, and be fine. I could do my fighting only, and be
fine. I could do my pro wrestling only, and be fine. That's the
whole thing. So I mean you're going to have to be able to find
a fighter... are they out there? Definitely. Can they do it?
Perhaps. I don't think it's going to come the next day, and it's
not going to be somebody that you see working out at the gym
who can just come jump in the ring for K-1. It's not going to
happen. It happened for me, but I think I still should have been
playing professional football if my achilles healed perhaps.
So of course now I think I could still be playing professional
football if I didn't suffer the injury. So I still have my athletic
ability and talent, and I still the football player mentality
in me.
JW:
Well, I think with a lot of these promoters is that they see
something that has achieved at the level that Bob Sapp has or
that Akebono has, and they want to just duplicate it. Like the
way there's a ton of sumos going into MMA right now to copy Akebono's
popularity.
BS:
Exactly. That all started with Bob Sapp. So they say we can get
someone even more popularity if we pick a big guy that's out
in Japan because maybe the Japanese haven't seen big guys before,
but the Japanese have already seen big guys. Sumo is already
popular here. So that's what happened, is that they start to
follow, and I guess the saying is that you can't see the forest
for the trees. That's kind of what's taking place. The Japanese
are used to seeing big guys. They see NFL players. They see tall
basketball players down here. They haven't seen anyone come in
and fight the way I did, which they shouldn't because most of
those guys are all skilled and trained fighters, with fifteen
years and not three days experience and jump in with Ernesto
Hoost, you know. And wins. One day go with Nogueira and be ready
to rock, you know. That's kind of what you're doing.
JW:
How long do you see your celebrity status holding at its current
level in Japan?
BS:
Well, this year was an extremely good year for me for the fact
that I have been away from Japan, for what everyone estimated
about seven months, filming two movies in the United States.
I actually had three of them with the Transporter 2, but that
fell through because The Longest Yard ended up taking too much
time. I think without question, this status is going to be around
for a long, long, many, many years to come. I think it's not
driven anymore by just fighting. I've lost fights in a row, and
although these losses can be explained, it's just that if they
were that bad I would be able to walk the street right now and
it wouldn't be the same as when I left. I see absolutely no dip
in the Bob Sapp popularity as far as work. Work is less frequent,
as I have not signed on with any new commercials, but I got Hollywood
movies instead, so you tell me which is better. So it's kinda
crazy, and now they wanted me to do television sitcoms in the
United States, and things of that nature. So it's all been like,
you said, I guess it's kinda like a seesaw. My entertainment
goes up, my fighting goes down. My entertainment goes down, my
fighting goes up. It's like a seesaw. It's going to be interesting
is with this fight is that I have been gone for so long and this
is the first time that I haven't had a fight here, with the exception
of my eye injury Mirko [Cro Cop] gave me. I've still had to work,
but all I had to do was a Hollywood movie. So I get to do my
Hollywood movie, and train, and do my Hollywood movie and train,
and now I can go back to Japan and fight. This is the only time
we've had this kind of schedule, ever. Normal things I have to
do are train, entertainment, which means television shows in
Japan, commercials, pro wrestling, train, commercials, pro wrestling,
television show, interview, that's what it is normally. There's
no rest at all. This is the first time that I've had an actual
rest. So everyone is really anxious for me to get in the ring,
they're like, Bob, you understand this is the first time you've
ever had a rest, ever, in the past three years? And even though
I granted I didn't really have a rest this year, right, but it's
still the best that we've ever come to.
JW:
At least you haven't been taking fights on short notice.
BS:
Yeah, you know fighting ten days after you fight, because fighting
five fights in like three months is crazy, on top of all the
pro wrestling I did and the other shows. I mean if I get sick
on time during that three month period, my fight is done, and
it's just some things that have naturally happened to human beings,
just having bad days or whatever. That's bound to hit that fighter,
but if that fighter is only fighting once a year, you're never
going to see it. But if he was fighting once a month, you would
definitely see it, so that's what happened to me.
JW:
Generally fighters should be brought up slowly and gain more
experience fighting more opponents before they fight the top
guys, and you were probably brought along to quick in terms of
your skill level.
BS:
Right, but let me tell you, I love being in the position where
I'm at right now [laughs].
JW:
You never get sick of it? You never get sick of the celebrity
status?
BS:
No. And when I do, it's time to pack it up. When it does slow
down, and we all know that it will happen and slow down because
that is what happens in life, I will surely say that it's been
great, and that I love being in the position where I'm at right
now.
Source:
MMA Weekly |
HUNT
MOST LIKELY TO FACE SILVA
MMAWeekly's Scott Petersen reports from Japan that both Fuji
TV and Gryphon TV reports that Mark Hunt has arrived in Japan
and will be the man to face Vanderlei Silva on the New Years
Eve show.
DSE/Pride
has yet to make any formal or official statement regarding Silva's
opponent. Hunt would make the most sense for a few reasons, especially
ratings.
It
was Hunt's fight vs Yoshida that was a ratings success in many
Japanese homes when the two fought earlier this year. It's believed
of the remaining names, Hunt's would be the most popular for
Japanese fans. Hunt, the popular K-1 fighter, weighs around 250
pounds, which would be a good 40 pounds heavier than Silva.
Hunt
is 1-1 in MMA fights. He defeated Daniel Bobish by TKO at PRIDE
28 High Octane in October. He lost to Hidehiko Yoshida by Armbar
at Pride's Critical Countdown last June.
Source: MMA Weekly |
Quote
of the Day
"Persistent people begin their success where others end
in failure."
Edward Eggleston, American Writer, Historian |
INTERVIEW
WITH YUKI KONDO
Yuki Kondo has long been one of the most consistent fighters
in Japan. He’s taken on all comers in his 8-year career,
facing a virtual who’s who in MMA. Throughout this time
he’s remained the centerpiece fighter for the Pancrase organization,
remaining year in and year out its most popular and recognized
fighter.
At
the upcoming Shock Wave 2004 on New Year’s Eve, Kondo will
be making his return to Pride for the first time since his loss
to Wanderlei Silva at Final Conflict 2004 this past August. MMA
Weekly’s Mick Hammond was able to reach Kondo for an exclusive
interview discussing his upcoming fight against Dan Henderson,
his thoughts on 2004, and what he sees for himself in the future.
MMA
Weekly: Since we last saw you on PPV here in the States at Pride
Final Conflict 2004, you returned to Pancrase and defeated a
very tough Evangelista “Cyborg” Santos in November.
Tell us how it felt to get back on the winning track against
Cyborg after the tough loss to Wanderlei Silva in August?
Yuki
Kondo: I was very disappointed that I got beaten by Wanderlei
Silva in the Pride event, but I am very happy with the victory
over Evangelista Cyborg in the Pancrase event. He was a tough
opponent for me, but what I assured myself through this match
with Cyborg was that I can win in all matches if I keep calm
at every moment.
MMA
Weekly: At the upcoming Shock Wave 2004 show you’ll be facing
Dan Henderson. How has your training gone for this fight and
what do you expect against Henderson?
Yuki
Kondo: I have trained really hard since the match with Dan Henderson
was set and I am pretty well prepared for this match. Now I am
not training too much and I am just relaxing. I feel confident
that I am a match with such the best Pride middleweight fighters
like Henderson.
MMA
Weekly: Looking back over this past year, you’ve had a very
successful 2004. Tell us about this past year and how you feel
it went for you? What do you see for yourself in 2005?
Yuki
Kondo: I really wanted to win (against) the undefeated Wanderlei
Silva, but I am sorry that I could not. I learned something from
my past matches and I realized again that I have to improve myself
further. 2005 must be the time for me to take a great leap forward.
MMA
Weekly: Recently there was talk that the UFC will be bringing
in three Pancrase fighters to compete for them in 2005. Would
you like to be one of those fighters?
Yuki
Kondo: I always want to compete in the UFC and I wish the opportunity
will be given to me quite soon.
MMA
Weekly: You are quite possibly the most well known fighter in
Pancrase. You’ve been with the company your whole career
and to many embody the company’s spirit. How does it feel
to be such an important part of Pancrase’s success?
Yuki
Kondo: It is a great honor that I am given a high evaluation.
I do not want to be complacent at my present career and I just
do my best all the time.
MMA
Weekly: With all you’ve accomplished throughout your career,
what motivates you to continue to do what you do?
Yuki
Kondo: I do not fear any opponents. I do my best to win whoever
I fight. Always I want to be strong and I want to fight well.
MMA
Weekly: Thank you for your time Yuki, is there anything you’d
like to say to your fans in the States as we close out the interview?
Yuki
Kondo: I will train more (and) harder to upgrade my skill level
to be a world-class fighter. I want to compete in any events
in the USA some day soon
Source: MMA Weekly
|
RANDLEMAN
VS CRO COP II
It’s hard to believe it has been eight short months since
“the punch heard round the world” resulted in one of
the largest upsets in MMA history. But for Mirko “Cro Cop”
Filipovic and Kevin Randleman it might has well have happened
years ago.
Since
this past April when Randleman knocked out Filipovic at Pride’s
Total Elimination 2004 show in the first round of the Heavyweight
Grand Prix both fighters have been going in distinctly different
directions. At Shock Wave 2004 on New Year’s Eve those two
directions will collide in a rematch that could very well determine
what happens in the heavyweight division in 2005.
Heading
into their initial match-up earlier this year Filipovic was one
of the top favorites by fans and media to win the Grand Prix.
While Randleman on the other hand was seen as nothing more than
a speed bump on Cro Cop’s seemingly inevitable collision
course with either Fedor Emelianenko or Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira.
Things couldn’t have been more incorrectly juxtaposed. It
only took two minutes for a viscous left hook followed up by
malicious hammer fists for Randleman to do what most thought
was impossible, knockout Cro Cop. In a wave of euphoria the crowd
and commentating crew exploded as Mirko was sent packing and
the remainder of the tournament had its tone shaped in a dramatically
different way.
After
the fight Randleman would go on to the second round of the tournament,
losing his quarterfinal bout to Fedor Emelianenko, while Cro
Cop went on to have a steady but unimpressive win over Hiromitsu
Kanehara at Bushido 3. The trend continued for both fighters
for the remainder of the year as Randleman would go on to lose
for the second time in a row when he faced Ron Waterman at Final
Conflict 2004. Cro Cop would continue on the winning streak,
looking more so the fighter he was prior to his loss to Randleman
as he made quick work of Shungo Oyama, Aleksander Emelianenko,
and Josh Barnett in a combined time of just under four minutes.
Thus placing these two fighters where they stand now going into
their rematch at Shock Wave 2004.
In
his two losses since his KO of Filipovic, Randleman has been
extremely aggressive as always, slamming both Emelianenko and
Waterman as if they were children, but yet an inability to keep
himself out of submissions has cost him. Both times after seemingly
dominating the early going with superior wrestling Kevin fell
victim to a submission attempt on his massive arms which he could
not defense. Granted things have not been going well in Randleman’s
personal life over the past few months, he’s competed on
through quite possibly the hardest thing he’s had to deal
with, the death of his father. Yet all the way he’s remained
stoic not allowing his personal tragedy to be used as an excuse
for his performance in the ring. Now after months of personal
rebuilding, can he do the seemingly impossible by knocking out
Cro Cop again?
If
you were to ask Mirko that very question more likely than not
you’d get a resounding “no.” Following his loss
to Randleman where he looked extremely flatfooted and uninspired,
Cro Cop has steadily gone back to being the fighter he was prior
to only the second loss of his career. Against Kanehara, despite
his dominance, he was unable to finish off the Japanese fighter
whom he severely outclassed and took home a decision victory.
Many pointed out that the KO may have changed him for the worse,
but Cro Cop would not allow naysayers to get the best of him.
Mirko would go on to destroy Oyama and Aleksander in typical
Mirko fashion, heavy punches and kicks. During this time his
unhappiness with his evolution as a fighter Cro Cop fired trainers
and brought in new staff to help him further his education on
ground techniques. Unfortunately he was unable to showcase any
new skills as a freak injury ended his fight with Josh Barnett
at High Octane before it really began. To Cro Cop’s credit
he immediately offered Barnett a rematch when Josh was properly
healed, but for the time being Mirko seemed intent on righting
his earlier mistake in April.
The
strategy for both fighters seems simple, stick to what they do
best and hope nothing comes their way out of the ordinary. For
Randleman that means being aggressive and manhandling Cro Cop
and use his superior wrestling skills to control the venerable
striker and use his ground n pound to force Mirko into making
mistakes. For Filipovic, even with his work on his BJJ skills
and grappling techniques he still may not be ready to de-emphasize
his bread and butter striking. Perhaps better prepared for the
unexpected Cro Cop can do what he did against Nogueira for the
majority of their fight in 2003 before succumbing to the Brazilian’s
superior submission skills, keep his opponent off of him with
good sprawling and precise counter strikes. By doing this he
could frustrate Randleman who in the past has been known to open
up a bit more than he should when he’s challenged in such
ways, ala his fight with Quinton Jackson in 2003. Football is
known to be “a game of inches” as this fight could
be, for either fighter it’s finding that one brief segment
either in time or form that allows them to exploit their opponent
and take victory, whether it’s standing or on the ground.
And
so we stand now just a short time away from Shock Wave 2004.
In making this match it appears that Pride wishes to clear the
roadway of any doubt for a future match-up between Cro Cop and
Fedor or Nogueira. For Randleman it could also be said that if
he does not perform well he may see himself out of Pride as aside
from the flash KO of Cro Cop he has looked fairly unimpressive
in his outings over the past two years. If the outcome of the
rematch should mirror the first bout it could keep Randleman’s
contract hopes alive as he struggles past personal problems to
regain the form he had when he first came into Pride in 2002.
A loss would not set Cro Cop back far, as his super stardom would
keep him at the forefront of the heavyweight rankings; it could
however create some doubt, but that could be quickly quelled
if he rebounds as he did earlier this year from the loss. If
anything it would only prolong the inevitable bout(s) with either
Fedor or Nogueira.
So
there is much more on the line in this bout than personal pride.
The future of both fighters at least for the immediate time being
could very much be up for grabs. If anything it will be an exciting
bout as Randleman and Cro Cop continue to push themselves to
prove they deserve to get a shot at a title. This is the one
thing that has eluded them both in their time in Pride and quite
possibly the only commonality they share on their two very separate
paths heading into 2005
Source: MMA Weekly
|
SAKURABA'S
BAD BREAK
A
very somber Kazushi Sakuraba addressed the media this weekend
in Japan, upset that he will not be able to fight in Pride's
New Years Eve extravaganza against Wanderlei Silva.
According
to Pride's website and local papers in Japan, the injury was
a break to one of his ribs. Specifically, it was the 7th rib
from the top on his left side. And from the pictures in the newspaper
of the fracture, and it was OBVIOUSLY broken - not like ahairline
fracture or anything. It was bad enough that they were worried
that if he fought in that condition and, for example, took some
strong strikes in that area, that the bone would puncture one
of his internal organs. Hence, the bout being called off. Saku
wasn't pleased with having to call off the fight, as you can
imagine, since he is so competitive, and the newspapers said
he had tears in his eyes during the press conference. The doctors
told him that it'd take a "month of rest" (no training)
to
heal, and several months for him to be in condition to
compete again.
Pride's
website did not specify when exactly the injury occurred. It
did say though that his absence at the fight cardannouncement
press conference held on the 11/30 was notdue to his having "overslept,"
the story that was fed tothe press at the time. If you'll remember,
there wasanother press conference held on 12/9, at which time
hesaid that the real reason for missing the previous pressconference
was that he had a sprain in the lumbar area ofhis back, and that
he thought he'd still be ready for 12/31.
The
reason it took so long to get the truth out into theopen was
Saku's determination to make the fight happen. The first MRI's
of the injury were taken on 12/5, at whichtime the rib was discovered
to be broken. He was hopingthat it would be healed up enough
by the time of hisre-check with the doctors on 12/14 and that
he would be able to go through with the fight. But alas, the
rib had shifted, making it even more dangerous to fight. By this
time he could only go 5 minutes on an aerobike before it startedhurting
him. He was still determined to go through withit, but a combined
effort by Sakakibara and Takadaconvinced him to give up this
time. They basically toldhim that there are other shows coming
up in February, and the the middleweight GP in April, and that
he would have chances then. (One of the newspapers stated that,
given the timeframe explained above for his returnto action,
a February comeback is at best iffy, so realistically we're probably
looking at a GP fight for hisnext match.)
One
of the more interesting portions of the write-up onthe PRIDE
site was what was written concerning Saku'sreplacement. They're
going to have Silva fight, but theyclaim that the opponent hasn't
been determined yet. Takada put up the challenge "to any
fighter who thinkshe's the one [to beat Silva]" to come
out of the woodworksand fight him. Apparently, they're hoping
for some Japanese fighter to step up to the plate (although this
isnot explicitly stated in the article), but they've doubtlessly
got someone in mind in case nobody else applies for a year-end
thrashing.
The
rumors are flying fast and furious on who his opponent might
be. The common names over the past 24 hours include Igor Vovchanchin,
and Mark Hunt. Hunt would be a good name, just for the fact that
the TV ratings were very high between Yoshida and Hunt when they
fought.
Source: MMA Weekly
|
Quote
of the Day
"To realize a dream, you must have a dream to realize."
Mark Victor Hansen, American Motivational Speaker, Author
|
GROSSMAN
INSIDER: UFC NEWS
Team
Quest/Evan Tanner split: The Evan Tanner-Team Quest breakup was
over money. Tanner feels he is a big enough name that he shouldn't
pay training and management fees at the same rates of everyone
else. He even brought a sportsbook sponsor to Team Quest and
Tanner is not happy that Team Quest takes a percentage of that
money.
Team
Quest maintains that EVERYONE on the team helps with sponsors.
Team Quest also thinks that they helped Tanner to get to where
he is, and without them he would have had a difficult time getting
back in the UFC. Kind of a touchy situation with both sides,
uneasy and each of them thinking they are right.
Vitor
vs. Tito: Remember back to UFC 33? The show that was cut short
had boring fights etc.? That was a show that was supposed to
feature Tito Ortiz Vs Vitor Belfort. Back then Both Tito and
Vitor almost drove ZUFFA crazy because they were both trying
to upstage one another. Tito wanted a limo ride to the hotel,
Vitor wanted two limos. Vitor wanted 15 front row tickets, Tito
wanted 25. It was something different every day. Not so much
of that this time around. Vitor is coming off a loss, and Tito
isn't the star he once was. Thus they can't get away with making
the demands they used to make. One wonders if this match up is
about 3 yrs late.
UFC
welterweight division: Although 170-pound division is a strong
weight for UFC they are having a tough time sorting out exactly
how to take it from here. Matt Hughes doesn't really want to
face Frank Trigg again, but will if he has to. Trigg has told
UFC he will fight Hughes, Penn
or anyone else, but he wants to fight actively. He doesn't want
to go through long periods of inactivity anymore. He has told
Dana White that he wants to fight in April or he is going to
look for fights elsewhere.
B.J.
Penn is
on the outside looking in. Dana would love to have him but UFC
knows he is just being cordial and his intentions are to emulate
Royce and Rickson Gracie. Taking only big money fights with opponents
he chooses.
UFC
would love to match up Hughes vs Trigg but later in the year,
provided they both keep winning. If Dana White/Lorenzo Fertita
don’t want a Hughes vs Trigg fight in April,
then they are going to have to bring in some fresh faces (Sean
Sherk, Jason Miller).
Source: Fight Sport
|
Brazil
Beat from Tatame:
Wanderlei Ready for Sakuraba
Our friends over at Tatame have filed this story. The hand that
kept Wanderlei Silva away from training right after the victory
over Quinton Jackson is healed. According to Rudimar Fedrigo,
Chute-Boxer's leader, Wanderlei is ready to fight Kazushi Sakuraba
for the fourth time. "I am sure Wanderlei will hurt his
hand again... striking Sakuraba," warned the manager, who
explained the reason of the bout. "It was a request made
by Japanese audience. Sakuraba is a local idol and has tons of
fans." Wanderlei departs today for Japan.
Source: MMA Weekly
|
SAKURABA
OFFICIALLY OUT OF PRIDE NEW YEAR SHOW
DSE/PRIDE
officially announced today that Kazushi Sakuraba is now off of
their December 31st card due to a back injury he sustained in
training.
Sakuraba
was scheduled to face Vanderlei Silva. There was no mention of
who will replace Sakuraba, but the rumor amongst the Japanese
media was that Igor Vovchanchyn may possibly take Sakuraba's
spot.
Source: MMA Weekly
|
Quote
of the Day
"I always remember an epitaph which is in the cemetery at
Tombstone, Arizona. It says: 'Here lies Jack Williams. He done
his damnedest.' I think that is the greatest epitaph a man can
have."
Harry S Truman, 1884-1972, Thirty-third President of the USA
|
THE
TRUTH ABOUT PENN VS. TRIGG AND OTHER
NEWS
The following is from the MMA insider known as 'Corona 77':
"There
is some truth to the rumors about a possible B.J. Penn vs. Frank Trigg matchup, but the real
story behind it is that Penn was offered the fight by UFC president
Dana White at the last Superbrawl show (they were sitting together
during the show), but Penn turned the fight down.
I
also hear the Georges St-Pierre is the other person who wouldn't
take the fight against Trigg. This is after Penn turned down
the fight. St-Pierre is looking to fight a "mid-card"
170-pound fighter, and wants to fight either Chris Lytle or Nick
Diaz, whom he feels he can beat. In the meantime, he is taking
a "safe" fight against Dave Strasser to chalk up a
win.
Penn
is looking for huge paydays in Japan against Gracies he knows
he can beat. Penn's former BJJ instructor, Ralph Gracie, has
been mentioned as a possible opponent for Penn. Kaoru Uno is
also a possible opponent for Penn in the near future. Penn also
wants to fight Kazushi Sakuraba, although such a matchup doesn't
really have much chance of happening.
Penn
knows Zuffa will roll out the red carpet for him anytime he is
ready to come back to the UFC. That is fact. Wait and see where
and when Penn pops up next. It won't be in the UFC anytime soon."
Source: Fight Sport
|
Pride's
Odds
MMA's Premiere Oddsmaker, Joey Oddessa broke down the official
odds for Pride's Shockwave card on MMAWeekly Radio. Joey has
a new website at betoddessa.com that will have plenty of odds
on the upcoming Pride as well as future UFC cards.
The amazing thing about these odds is the fact that the odds
have already changed in 24 hours, with money being bet on Rulon
Gardner, Fedor and Randleman in the early stages. Here's the
up to the minute odds that you can bet at either betoddessa.com
or our main sponsor sportsbook.com
PRIDE SHOCKWAVE ODDS
Fri 12/31 101 Rodrigo Nogueira +105
02:00AM 102 Fedor Emelianenko -125
Fri
12/31 103 Rulon Gardner +220
02:00AM 104 Hidehiko Yoshida -260
Fri
12/31 105 Wanderlei Silva -800
02:00AM 106 Kazushi Sakuraba +550
Fri
12/31 107 Mirko Filipovic -380
02:00AM 108 Kevin Randleman +320
Fri
12/31 109 Dan Henderson -300
02:00AM 110 Yuki Kondo +250
Fri
12/31 111 Ryan Gracie -660
Fri
12/31 113 Anderson Silva -300
02:00AM 114 Ryo Chonan +250
Fri
12/31 115 Stefan Leko
02:00AM 116 Ikuhisa Minowa
Fri
12/31 117 Jens Pulver -110
02:00AM 118 Takanori Gomi -110
Fri
12/31 119 Henry Miller +230
02:00AM 120 Makoto Takimoto -270
Source: Sportsbook.com
|
VANDERLEI
VS. SAKURABA MAY BE CALLED OFF
A fourth fight between Vanderlei Silva and Kazushi Sakuraba may
be called off.
The
word amongst the Japanese media is that Kazushi Sakuraba suffered
a back injury in training, which may cause DSE/PRIDE to cancel
his upcoming fight against Vanderlei Silva.
More
news to come regarding this in the next few days.
Source: Fight Sport |
K-1
TO HAVE MORE MMA FIGHTS IN 'K-1 MAX'
K-1 president Sadaharu Tanigawa announced to the Japanese media
that they are considering featuring more MMA-rules fights on
their K-1 Max shows in 2005.
Sadaharu
explained that the reason for this was due to the depth of MMA
talent they have in their lightweight division.
Source: Fight Sport
|
Quote
of the Day
"Christmas waves a magic wand over this world, and behold,
everything is softer and more beautiful."
Norman Vincent Peale, 1898-1993, American Christian Reformed
Pastor/Speaker/Author
|
Onzuka.com
Wishes Everyone a Merry Christmas
We hope everyone has a safe Christmas and doesn't forget the
reason for the season, Christ's birth.
We hope that everyone was good and gets everything that they
asked Santa for. We did, we got the best and most loyal web site
readers and friends that we could have asked for.
|
Sherdog.com
Names Wanderlei Silva 2004 Fighter of the Year
by Sherdog.com
LOS ANGELES, Calif. -- Dec. 23 -- Sherdog.com has selected PRIDE
middleweight champion Wanderlei Silva as its 2004 Fighter of
the Year. Silva went unbeaten in three fights in 2004, winning
each by knockout.
After
careful consideration, Fighter of the Year balloting was narrowed
down to Silva, BJ
Penn and
Yves Edwards. Silva edged Penn four votes three among the Sherdog
staff.
"It’s
a big honor for me to be recognized by this American website,
which is one of the biggest and most respected MMA communities
in the world," Silva said in an exclusive interview with
Sherdog.com that will be published on Monday. "So, it’s
a really good thing."
In
February, Silva needed just 69 seconds to stop Japanese Ikuhisa
Minowa. Six months later, Silva faced former King of Pancrase
and UFC veteran, Yuki Kondo. Again, the end came quickly; Silva
battered Kondo until the veteran was viciously dropped to the
canvas 2:46 of the first round. The high-water mark for Silva
came on Halloween, when the Brazilian defended his middleweight
belt against number-one contender Quinton Jackson. It was by
far his toughest contest of the year, but Silva overcame early
adversity to score a brutal knockout 3:26 of round two.
Silva,
the top-ranked 205-pound fighter in the world, faces one more
contest before year's end, as he takes on popular Japanese fighter
Kazushi Sakuraba in Tokyo. Silva is unbeaten in three previous
contests versus Sakuraba.
With
an overall record of 27-3-1 (21 KO), Silva is one of the most
accomplished mixed martial artists in the sport. He has not lost
a bout since April 2000, going 16-0-1 (14) in that span.
Source: Sherdog
|
ROYCE:
'I WILL CONSIDER MYSELF THE WINNER IF FIGHT IS DECLARED DRAW'
Royce Gracie did a training session in front of the Japanese
media and stated that if his upcoming fight with Akebono goes
the distance and is declared a draw, that he will consider himself
the winner. His reasoning was Akebono because weighs more then
three times Royce's weight.
Their
K-1 MMA fight on December 31st will consist on two 10-minute
rounds, with the fight being declared a draw if it goes the full
time limit.
Source: Fight Sport
|
INOKI
VS. WINNER OF ROYCE/AKEBONO
The Japanese media reports that K-1 is considering the possibility
of matching up Antonio Inoki against the winner of the upcoming
Royce Greacie vs. Akebono matchup.
Source: Fight Sport
|
MMAFighting.net's
Top Ten Fighter Rankings
November 2004
Our
top ten fighter rankings are released three times a year. Votes
were submitted by November 14th.
Heavyweight
1. Fedor Emelianenko- 300 points, 25 1st Place Votes
2. Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira- 248 points
3. Mirko Cro Cop- 190 points
4. Frank Mir- 138 points
5. Josh Barnett- 126 points
6. Sergei Kharitonov- 111 points
7. Andrei Arlovski- 89 points
8. Heath Herring- 56 points
9. Tim Sylvia- 48 points
10. Kazuyuki Fujita- 38 points
Others
Receiving Votes: Pedro Rizzo- 21 points, Ricco Rodriguez- 11
points, Kevin Randleman- 7 points, Aleksander Emelianenko- 4
points, Travis Wiuff- 3 points, Ron Waterman- 2 points
Light
Heavyweight
1. Wanderlei Silva- 296 points, 23 1st Place Votes
2. Randy Couture- 253 points, 2 1st Place Votes
3. Quinton Jackson- 198 points
4. Chuck Liddell- 154 points
5. Dan Henderson- 147 points
6. Ricardo Arona- 97 points
7. Tito Ortiz- 83 points
8. Vitor Belfort- 78 points
9. Hidehiko Yoshida- 43 points
10. Yuki Kondo- 35 points
Others
Receiving Votes: Rogerio Nogueira- 17 points, Renato Sobral-
12 points, Allistair Overeem- 4 points, Murilo Rua- 1 point
Middleweight
1. Anderson Silva- 288 points, 21 1st Place Votes
2. Evan Tanner- 201 points, 4 1st Place Votes
3. Jeremy Horn- 196 points
4. Matt Lindland- 138 points
5. David Terrell- 128 points
6. Kazushi Sakuraba- 99 points
7. Rich Franklin- 71 points
8. Murilo Bustamante- 46 points
9. Lee Murray- 38 points
10. Joe Riggs- 32 points
Others
Receiving Votes: Ryo Chonan- 26 points, Nathan Marquardt- 22
points, Amar Suloev- 20 points, Rodrigo Gracie- 11 points......(Joe
Doerksen, Jorge Rivera, Dave Menne also received votes)
Welterweight
1. BJ Penn-
288 points, 19 1st Place Votes
2. Matt Hughes- 262 points, 6 1st Place Votes
3. Sean Sherk- 158 points
4. Frank Trigg- 145 points
5. Georges St. Pierre- 123 points
6. Renato
Verissimo- 114 points
7. Karo Parisyan- 100 points
8. Jutaro Nakao- 53 points
9. Chris Lytle- 49 points
10. Nick Diaz- 43 points
Others
Receiving Votes: Akira Kikuchi- 22 points, Crosley Gracie- 16
points, Jason Black- 6, Daiju Takase- 4...............(Carlos
Newton, Dennis Hallman, Kuniyoshi Hironaka also received votes)
Lightweight
1. Takanori Gomi- 272 points, 21 1st Place Votes
2. Vitor Ribeiro- 226 points, 1 1st Place Vote
3. Genki Sudo- 171 points, 1 1st Place Vote
4. Joachim Hansen- 143 points
5. Yves Edwards- 136 points
6. Josh Thompson- 106 points
7. Tatsuya Kawajiri- 92 points
8. Hermes Franca- 90 points
9. Jens Pulver- 43 points
10. Luis Buscape Firmino- 28 points
Others
Receiving Votes: Caol Uno- 18 points, Duane Ludwig- 16 points,
Matt Serra- 9 points, Ralph Gracie- 6 points
-
Compiled by Robby Park.
Source: MMA Fighting |
UNO
VS. SOPRANTREY
Kaoru Uno
K-1
announced the MMA-rules matchup of Kaoru Uno vs. Chandet Soprantrey
for their December 31st show.
Soprantrey
is a Muay Thai champion from Thailand, who has over 180 Muay
Thai fights under his belt but no MMA experience.
Source: Fight Sport
|
GROSSMAN
INSIDER: LISA FAIRCLOTH LEAVES ZUFFA
By Josh Grossman
According to reports from Vegas, long-time Zuffa employee Lisa
Faircloth has left the company.
Faircloth
worked as the secretary of UFC president Dana White. According
to insiders, she was a very important person in the Zuffa offices
and was heavily involved in the day-to-day operations and dealings,
including handling all the arrangements for the fighters and
their cornermen/teammates.
She
was very well liked by all the different fighting camps involved
with the UFC. It's not certain who will replace her, but this
is big news to the people who work with the UFC.
Source: Fight Sport
|
Here
is K-1 PREMIUM 2004 Dynamite!! announced more fight card today.
K-1 PREMIUM 2004 Dynamite!!
Date : Friday, Decenber 31, 2004
Place : Osaka Dome, Japan
Open : 14:00 Start : 16:00
Yoshihiro Akiyama vs. Francois Botha
(Japan/free) (South Africa/Steave Gym)
Cyril Abidi vs. Bobby Ologun
(France /Brizon gym) (Nigeria)
*Mike
Bernardo is out of card due to injury. Then Cyril Abidi replace.
[K-1&
MMA mix rules]
Bob
Sapp vs. Jerome Le Banner
(USA/Team Beast) (France/Boerboel & Tosa Gym)
[MMA
Fight Rule]
Caol
Uno vs. Chandet Sorpantrey
(Japan/Wajutsu Keushukai Tokyo) (Thailand/Taniyama Gym)
3min
3Round special mma rules ( 30 sec limited at ground work)
*Chandet
Sorpantrey was Muay Thai Lumpinee champ
Muay Thai record : 197 fight 169 w 23 L 5 D, 35 KO
Don
Frye vs. Yoshihiro Nakao
(USA/Free) (Japan/Free)
Akebono vs. Royce Gracie
(Japan/Team Yokozuna) (Brazil/Team Gracie Jiu-jitsu)
Kazuyuki
Fujita vs. Karam Ibragim
(Japan/INOKI Office) (Egypt/Free)
[K-1
Rules]
Masato
vs. Norifumi "KID" Yamamoto
(Japan/Silver Wolf) (Japan/PUREBRED TOKYO)
Ray
Sefo vs. Gary Goodridge
(New Zealand/Ray Sefo Fight Academy) (Trinidad and Tobago/Free)
Musashi
vs. TBA
(Japan/Seido Kaikan)
Source:
Kawasaki
|
CRO
COP INTERVIEW
The following came from a Croatian newspaper recently before
Mirko "Cro Cop" Filipovic goes to Japan. The following
was sent in by reader Igor Werdem from Europe.
'Hey
guys, I absolutely love your site. This was in the local newspaper.
It said basically that Cro Cop is going through his final training
for his rematch against Kevin Randleman. The question was asked
how ready CroCop is after completing one month of hard and exhausting
training?
CroCop:
"How much ? I'm ready. You are either ready or not, there
is no other alternative."
This
is the great rematch from which Mirko seeks revenge for the unexpected
loss last year. They say that this upcoming show on New Years
Eve in Saitama has seen 42 000 tickets that have been pre-sold
for this upcoming show.
Mirko
said "I live for this rematch! In the first fight I was
too careless. I haven't made any tactical mistake, I lost because
I underestimated Kevin and that won't happen again. I will be
much more careful now, I learned my lesson." said CroCop.
As
Mirko said that he did not lose because of his tactical strategy,
he won't change his tactics for the rematch next week.
CroCop
said "My tactics is always the same - to finish the fight
as soon as possible. Who knows how Randleman will stand in the
ring, I will determinate my tactics when the match starts. I
have a wide repitore, I can adapt to every way of fight, even
on the ground. My objective handicap is that no-one except Fedor
beat Kevin on the ground." Mirko feels he would lose a lot
if he fails to beat Kevin a second time.
CroCop:
"A possible loss could really put my career in unwanted
direction BUT my thoughts are positive and I hope for the best
and that's a win over Kevin and then another big spectacle against
Nogueira or Fedor, who will fight for the title on New Years
Eve".
Mirko
has nothing but respect for Randleman: "He is very untypical,
he is barely 178cm tall but he has 102 kg of pure muscles. He
is unbelievably strong and very explosive. His greatest side
is that he has the biggest heart. He is combative as a Chechenian.
He doesn't respect any authority, Fedor was very lucky against
Kevin".
Outside
the ring Kevin is totally different guy according to CroCop:
"He is a very cool and symphatical guy. I was very surprised
by one statement from your newspaper that he hates me, THAT'S
SIMPLY NOT TRUE. You should have seen us in August (Grand Prix)
how we pleasantly greeted each other."
Mirko
CroCop Filipoviæ will be off to Japan on 28th. Of course
he will have company: Zvonimir Luèiæ (his manager),
Vladimir Božiæ (his boxing trainer) and his sparring
partners Igor Pokrajac and Fabrizio Werdum, and "the right
hand" of Mirko Josip Vidoviæ.
Source: MMA Weekly
|
Silva
is not concerned with his hand
The hand the kept Wanderlei Silva away from trains right after
the victory over Quinton Jackson is healed. Who says is Rudimar
Fedrigo, Chute-Boxer's leader. According to him Wand is ready
to fight Kazushi Sakuraba for the fouth time. "I am sure
Wanderlei will hurt his hand again... strinking Sakuraba,"
warned the manager, who explained the reason of the bout. "It
was a request made by Japanese audience. Sakuraba is a local
idol and has tons of fans. Wanderlei departs on next December
25 to Japan.
Source: Tatame
|
IBRAHIM
CONTRACT INFO
The Japanese media reports that Egyptian Olympic wrestling gold
medalist Karam Ibrahim is being paid approximately USD$1.2 million
for the multi-fight deal he signed with K-1.
Ibrahim
is scheduled to make his MMA debut against Kazuyuki Fujita on
K-1's December 31st show.
Source: Fight Sport
|
Interview
with Stephen Quadros
By Jeremy Wall
Stephen
Quadros, a longtime mixed martial arts journalist and expert
and a former play-by-play commentator for Pride and editor of
Black Belt's Fightsport magazine, checks in with maxfighting.com
to give his predictions and analysis on the major K-1 and Pride
New Year's Eve shows and UFC 51 in February. Quadros can be contacted
at www.StephenQuadros.com.
JW:
What have you been up to lately?
SQ:
Let's see, I just got through fight coordinating on a film noir
gangster movie called "The Perfect Sleep" directed
by Jeremy Alter. I have the pleasure of working with Dominiquie
Vandenberg (Gangs of New York, Mortal Kombat) again. He is the
star of "Pit Fighter", which will be released by 20th
Century Fox on June 15th, 2005. I did all the fight choreography
for Pit Fighter and also served as second unit director. I'm
just kinda licking my wounds for the last days of this year.
I'm so freakin' busy because I'm playing in three different rock
bands in Southern California, I co-hosted and commentated on
Venom with John Salley of "The Best Damn Sports Show Period",
hosted and commentated on APEX Championship Fighting in Montreal
and I regularly do color commentary for World Extreme Cagefighting
(WEC) for Scott Adams, plus movie work and I teach five kickboxing
classes a week. I've just been going completely insane. So it's
business as usual for the Fight Professor!
JW:
What were the details of you leaving Pride about a year and a
half ago?
SQ:
I understand that you as an interviewer have to ask that question
but I'm going to keep it brief. What happened was this: Michael
Braverman, was the producer of the Pride American broadcast with
Bas and I for three years. He left the show in early 2003. He
was replaced by Jerry Millen from Detroit. Jerry Millen brought
in a friend of his, also from Detroit, named Damon Perry to replace
me. A lot of times this kind of thing happens in government or
business when you either elect a new President, or hire a new
CEO and they bring in their own staff. It's not uncommon that
these things happen. I had been with Pride for three years and
I was a little surprised and even disappointed. But you know,
you just gotta just go with it. I have a lot of great memories
with Pride, and Pride has some of the absolute greatest fights
and fighters in the history of modern day martial arts. Life
goes on. I have other lines of work and other important events
that are happy to bring me aboard as a host and a commentator,
so it's worked out for both.
JW:
Do you think they made a mistake by letting you go?
SQ:
No comment.
JW:
Have you seen the K-1 Grand Prix from December 4th?
SQ:
I just had lunch with a respected official in the United States
kickboxing, K-1 and MMA scene, and he briefed me on it. Even
though I have not seen it, I have gotten word about the interesting
debate over the judges. Jeremy, let me ask you this, and not
that I'm taking over the interview, but are your impressions
of the K-1 World Grand Prix?
JW:
I thought the judging was okay until the final fight with Bonjasky
vs. Musashi, and the judging that sent that fight into a second
overtime was terrible. I thought it was a joke that match went
into a second overtime.
SQ:
Yeah, I had heard something similar about the last match. I had
heard Bonjasky had decisively won the first three rounds. Now,
I haven't seen the event yet, that's just what I heard. But I
heard the fourth round Bonjasky was dominating and there had
been no reason for an overtime round, and not a fifth overtime
round. Judging can always be a focal point when fights go the
distance, no one's going to be happy, especially if the fights
are close. I understand that Bonjasky-Hoost was reasonably close,
and Sefo-Musashi was reasonably close. I had done a prediction
on the K-1 web site predicting Hoost would win, but making predictions
most of the time you're going to be fifty-fifty right, fifty-fifty
wrong.
JW:
With talent that good, it's just guesswork.
SQ:
Exactly. Because injuries play a factor, a guy can walk in and
have a bad day, have a 102-degree temperature, wake up the wrong
side or the bed, whatever. It's not robots in there, we're talking
about human beings. I heard Aerts injured himself coming into
the arena before the fight.
JW:
Oh did he? I hadn't heard that. He lost the fight against Botha
when he hurt himself throwing a low kick.
SQ:
I heard he came running into the arena from the dressing room
and injured his leg before he got in the ring.
JW:
Yeah, that would make sense, because it's hard to imagine Aerts
injuring himself by throwing a leg kick, because he's thrown
so many in his lifetime.
SQ:
Another thing is if you look at this Grand Prix show, you've
got two multiple K-1 champions with Hoost winning it four times
and Aerts winning it three times, and you've got Ray Sefo, who
is always up in the top five, and you've got Bonjasky, who is
the new heir apparent to Hoost really, you really thought the
sparks would fly. I thought Kaoklai would get decimated by Mighty
Mo, and I think he surprised everyone with his Bruce Lee routine.
JW:
I didn't think so. I thought Kaoklai would beat Mighty Mo. I
didn't think he'd knock him out in the first round, but I thought
he could win a decision.
SQ:
It goes to show you that speed can be the equalizing factor with
the old adage of a good big man will beat a good small man, but
a good slow big man is fifty-fifty when he goes against a good
FAST small man. Especially when the small man can throw a flying
roundhouse shin kick to the dome like Kaoklai can! It's a very
devastating move, but a very risky move. Not many guys win real
fights by throwing a flying roundhouse kick. But the ones who
do become legends.
JW:
A lot of people feel that the K-1 heavyweight division in stale.
What do you think of the K-1 heavyweights now compared to a few
years ago when they were really hot?
SQ:
They don't have a new crop at the moment. Bonjasky is a new guy,
but he's only ONE guy. Kaoklai, it's only a matter of time before
he gets knocked out. It's going to be tough for him to keep winning
at that weight. I think Ernesto Hoost is going to retire and
Peter Aerts may be in his last year or two. I think they need
to find a new crop of fighters. What's happening with the success
of Bob Sapp is that the temptation is to go and find another
big guy who's charismatic. But there's only going to be one Bob
Sapp with that unique personality, and the timing was perfect
when he came into Pride and he got the training from Maurice
Smith and Matt Hume and Josh Barnett. Bob originally started
in MMA.
JW:
Right.
SQ:
And he was doing really well. But K-1 grabbed him and realized
the moneymaker they had, and that took away from the original
focus of K-1 in the first place in the early 90s, and that was,
who is the greatest stand-up fighter? They had Branko Cikatic,
they had Hoost, they had Peter Aerts, they had Andy Hug, Ray
Sefo, Jerome LeBanner and Maurice Smith. They need to go back
to that theme and search the world over, not just for a guy that
can do this reality TV smack talking type of personality thing.
That can help, but you can't teach someone that. The audiences
are already involved in the tournament, and they are going to
want to see tournaments regardless because tournaments are like
a real-life video game. It's not pro wrestling. It's real fighting.
If they overshadow the bottom line of fighting prowess with simply
one big guy talking smack with another big guy, I think that's
going to inevitably damage the thing they built up in the 90s.
The whole thing with smack talk in all the current fighting shows
is getting a little bit staged.
JW:
You can't replicate the kind of breakout success Sapp had, and
what made Sapp unique and a success was that he was the only
guy like Sapp when he broke into K-1, because he was different
from everyone else.
SQ:
Precisely. You've got this reality TV thing that's been happening
everywhere, and now both Pride and K-1 are having tryouts as
if it were some kind of a football team. If you look at the NBA,
NFL, Baseball, they don't have tryouts. The best athletes are
drafted. These guys have extensive college/amateur careers. What
the "tryout" used to be with K-1 is that these guys
would fight in Europe or Thailand or China or wherever they fight,
and they end up winning a bunch of fights or a title and that
was their tryout. But now you've got this reality TV thing where
it's getting away from the ability of the fighter. It's more
about showmanship. Trust me, anyone who has seen me commentate
or play drums KNOWS I'm all for showmanship and guys who are
charismatic and do good interviews, and ring entrances and flying
kicks and whatever. But the bottom line is this: K-1 or Pride
are supposed to represent the best fighters. That's the bottom
line, Jeremy. The "tryouts" of looking for a big body
builder who has been practicing his smack talk aren't going to
produce a guy who can beat Hoost or Bonjasky or Fedor Emelianenko
or Nogueira. I guarantee it. Your thoughts?
JW:
My thoughts? I agree with most of what you're saying. When K-1
brought Sapp in, it was 2002 and there were far less freakshow
fighters and more skilled fighters, so that made Sapp unique.
Now they are loaded with freakshow guys, so to bring in a new
Bob Sapp wouldn't be unique at all, and would be old and rehashed
and it wouldn't work anyway.
SQ:
I think what happens, because of the Bob Sapp phenomenon, and
to me, up to when he fought Nogueira, he was on the fast track
to being unstoppable, but when he got sidetracked by the media
and the commercials and the fame, and he didn't train or COULDN'T
train, because he had all these distractions. And he only had
a year, or a year and a half of training and it didn't stick
like glue and eventually it fell to the wayside. What happens
is that by looking for another Bob Sapp, they are taking a step
back to the old days of the UFC with big guys like Paul Varelans
that were there just because they were big, and they were cannon
fodder for smaller, more talented guys. It was based on a look
more than skill, and that worked for a while. But the problem
is that K-1 and mixed martial arts have evolved to where it's
a sport as opposed to a spectacle. So they have a dilemma as
to how far backward they can go before they damage the reputation
it took years to build up. I understand that if Stone Cold Steve
Austin said "I'm going to fight in mixed martial arts,"
it would be huge. It would help more than it would hurt in my
opinion. But if you keep going to that and it gets confused in
the eyes of the public, then you have watered down or drowned
your bottom line product.
JW:
I agree with that. If you bring in fifty more pro wrestlers after
you bring in Steve Austin and they stink and they don't get over,
then you've damaged your product and killed the gimmick of Steve
Austin doing MMA in the first place, because it waters the idea
down.
SQ:
Plus it would bring in that suspicion since pro wrestling has
pre-arranged outcomes, and you don't need that stigma in K-1
or MMA. K-1 was able to build itself up so that it got bigger
and bigger with the sellouts at the Tokyo Dome and everything.
But every industry has its ebbs and flows, and times were it
doesn't peak. The same thing is true with K-1 and mixed martial
arts, where they have years where things are good and years where
things don't work. I understand that they are trying different
things, but the bottom line is that they should go back to their
original format.
JW:
Do you think the fact that Kazushi Sakuraba is clearly past his
prime and that Pride hasn't been able to create any new native
stars will damage Pride in the near future?
SQ:
I think that Sakuraba, to me, is the one of the most charismatic,
one of the greatest technical fighters I've ever encountered
in the sport. I thought after the first Wanderlei fight is that
they needed to create a 185-pound weight division for Sakuraba.
But he had a rematch with Wanderlei and then he fought Cro Cop
and continued to get busted up. Now Sakuraba is going to fight
Wanderlei a fouth time, and unless Wanderlei takes it easy on
him, Sakuraba is going to get smoked. Wanderlei doesn't take
it easy on anyone. What's the reasoning behind this match?
JW:
The reasoning is that they are very, very desperate for television
ratings for that night, and they don't have a lot of draws right
now, and Sakuraba vs. Silva has always drawn big for them in
the past. It's short-term planning.
SQ:
That's the thing, it's almost like a Roman Empire-type match.
Wanderlei would never take it easy on anyone. As far as replacing
Sakuraba when he retires, I don't see a replacement in the near
future because Sakuraba's got that unique thing, that everyman
quality where a regular guy can look at him and relate to him.
It will be really hard for them to find a "new" Sakuraba.
They've got a new gold medalist coming in [Makoto Takimoto],
and they've got Yoshida, but they don't have the charisma that
Saku has/had. So Pride is going to have to ride it out until
they find another star. Wanderlei Silva is probably going to
go for another four or five years. But the show is in Japan and
they would love to have a Japanese star. I thought they were
going to bring along Yuki Kondo or maybe even Tamura, but it
doesn't seem to be the same. Like Kondo and Tamura, Sakuraba
has paid his dues. He came up through the system in Pride, and
he dates back almost as far as Nobuhiko Takada. What was his
first match in Pride?
JW:
Against Vernon White at Pride 2.
SQ:
Very good, and he just built his career by wins, by beating the
other good fighters of the day. You can't just find a guy like
Sakuraba. You've got Genki Sudo who is a really talented fighter
and he's charismatic, but he's a different guy. Sakuraba was
great and he really helped put MMA over in his homeland. He beat
Conan Silveira to win the UFC heavyweight championship at Ultimate
Japan.
JW:
Yeah, and he did that in Japan too, so that was more of a Japanese
thing than an American thing even though it was in UFC.
SQ:
I was the first journalist to do an English-language print interview
with Sakuraba. And he was giving me these really short answers,
like yes or no or whatever. So I stopped, looked him in the eye
and asked if he was familiar with Chuck Yeager. Of course Chuck
Yeager was the famous US fighter pilot who was also known for
frustrating journalists with yeah, no, yeah, no type answers.
Saku knew EXACTLY who Chuck Yeager was. He said (through an interpreter)
"He's the man in the film "The Right Stuff." So
then Sakuraba looked at me out the side of his eye and started
laughing. and then he gave me the greatest interview. I don't
know, but I felt like a safecracker who just hit the combination.
And he did a funny interview.
JW:
You were there live to see the first match between Fedor and
Nogueira; how do you see the rematch going on New Year's Eve?
SQ:
Well, Jeremy, you know that first match was just... like I said
before, they earned their spot in that fight by beating the top
fighters. Nogueira was the champ and Fedor was the challenger.
Fedor neutralized Nogueira and it was amazing that it went the
distance, because Emelianenko thrashed Minotauro. In the second
fight of course there was the clash of heads, the no comtest.
The third fight is going to pick up where the first or the second
one left off. They were basically in the same position in the
second fight. I know Nogueira has been working on stand-up. I
believe that Nogueira will come up short again by decision. I
see it as being a less violent carbon copy of their first fight.
JW:
I don't see either guy being able to finish the other, so it's
just a matter of who is going to win the decision.
SQ:
Fedor studied Nogueira before their first fight, and now Nogueira
has done the same thing with Fedor. They've watched the way he
throws punches, how he sets up and blocks the triangle and throws
the punch, so they're working their own counters. What we're
seeing is the evolution of the sport before our very own eyes,
but I see this fight going much like the first one.
JW:
How do you see Rulon Gardner vs. Hidehiko Yoshida going?
SQ:
I think Yoshida will submit him in the first round.
JW:
You think so?
SQ:
Yeah.
JW:
Because of Gardner's lack of experience.
SQ:
Yeah, because training with someone like the greats up at Team
Quest for six months, and I don't even know if he's been training
for this for that long, but it's not enough to go out and block
one of the greatest submission artists in the world. In Greco
Roman wrestling, they don't punch, and now all of the sudden
Rulon's got to learn how to throw a punch. But Gardner is a big
guy, so you know that if he can gets some leverage behind his
punches that he can do some damage. But the problem is that the
whole time they are on the ground, Yoshida is going to be going
for that choke, or going for that armbar. I think Yoshida will
catch him because he's a master.
JW:
Submissions defense isn't something you can learn quickly.
SQ:
Yoshida has more to gain, because it's gold medalist vs. gold
medalist on New Year's Eve in his home country. But there's a
huge amount of pressure on Yoshida too. It's a wrestler vs. a
judo guy, and the styles are very different, and I think Yoshida
will submit him in the first round.
JW:
Have you seen the Stefan Leko vs. Naoya Ogawa match from earlier
this year?
SQ:
[laughs] You love those controversial matches.
JW:
Yeah.
SQ:
You know what, I made it a point not to watch it.
JW:
You didn't watch it?
SQ:
Nope.
JW:
Wow. I was going to ask your thoughts on that.
SQ:
[laughs] No, you can't pin that one on me. I heard all about
it. I know Leko, and I thought to myself realistically, with
Leko fighting Ogawa, that Leko was going to lose. I heard there
was controversy about how he got punched. But before the fight,
I thought Ogawa was going to win.
JW:
So you thought Ogawa was going to take him down and submit him?
SQ:
Basically, because Leko was a K-1 fighter for his whole life
and all of the sudden he's fighting Ogawa in MMA, who is not
a top guy, but he's BIG and comes from judo.
JW:
What do you think of Vitor Belfort vs. Tito Ortiz?
SQ:
Well, this is about as mental a fight as you can possibly get.
Both guys are physically skilled at the 205-pound level. Tito
is a very good wrestler. When he faced Matyushenko he proved
that he could take down a guy who is a highly touted wrestler.
Vitor came in during the 90s and showed great boxing skills with
his trainer Al Stanke, but Al Stanke has long since been replaced,
and Vitor is with Brazilian Top Team now. I think Tito has the
edge in this fight, because both guys are coming off some losses.
Well, Tito beat Cote, but I think Vitor is going to have more
mental clouds or cobwebs to wipe out of his memory, whereas Tito
is going to have more of a psychological edge. Tito is not going
to want to stand up with Vitor. I think Tito will take him down.
My prediction is that Vitor could win an exciting fight, but
Tito will win an unexciting fight.
JW:
I don't think Tito will be willing to take a chance against Vitor.
SQ:
No, no. You don't want to stand up against Vitor's guided missiles.
He knocked out Wanderlei, and his straight left is a sight to
behold. On a side note, I was actually impressed with the last
UFC show. The whole undercard was better than the main event
of Tito vs. Cote. Hughes against St. Pierre was like the UFC's
version of Newton vs. Pele to me. I wished I could have called
that one! It was actually a really good show.
JW:
Yeah, it was a good show for all the last minute replacements.
People don't think Zuffa is making money, but many of their big
shows prior to UFC 50 with Shamrock and Tito and Randy have drawn
a lot of money. UFC 40 did like $3.3 million in combined revenue
of pay per view and live gate, and the best SEG shows only did
a bit more than $2 million in combined revenue. UFC 47 was a
huge show as well, and that's because Shamrock is a star, and
they've turned Randy and Tito into stars. People always say MMA
needs to break out into the mainstream and all that stuff, but
it's just all about creating stars. Belfort's an interesting
guy because he's got that black belt in jiu jitsu, but he doesn't
really do any jiu jitsu in his matches.
SQ:
I think having a black belt in jiu jitsu is nice, but Sakuraba
has submitted a lot of guys and he holds no rank in JJ. Submitting
guys in a fight, as opposed to in training, is the important
thing. Being on the ground with Sakuraba is a different situation
than being there with Vitor, because the fact remains that Vitor
has won most of his matches with striking while standing.
JW:
Thank you Stephen!
SQ:
No, no, thank YOU JW!
Source:
Maxfighting
|
Quote
of the Day
"Millions saw the apple fall, but Newton was the one who
asked why."
Bernard M. Baruch, 1870-1965, American Financier
|
Hawaii's
Kendall Goo In Japan Training Royce
Abu Dhabi has pictures and a report of 2 time BJJ Champ, Kendall
Goo, whom Royce Gracie flew up to help him train for his New
Year's Eve fight against another Hawaii fighter, Chad "Akebono"
Rowen.
Check it out: news.adcombat.com
|
Department
of Corrections
MMAWeekly.com is reporting that Jake Shields will be fighting
Din Thomas on an upcoming AFT card. We want to clarify that Shields
will not be doing this fight. Thomas fights at 155lbs and Shields
has never been contacted to fight on this particular show.
On the subject of corrections, it should be noted that infamous
murderer, Scott Peterson, will now be acquainted with one of
our very own fighters. Martin Armandarez is a death row guard
at San Quentin Prison and will be guarding over Peterson in the
not too distant future. We'll make sure Peterson gets the treatment
he deserves.
Source:
Gracie Fighter
AFC
11 TO FEATURE DIN THOMAS VS. JAKE SHIELDS!
Absolute
Fighting Championship's returns to Florida for their first show
fo 2005 in February. Not only that, but they return with one
of their best matchups to date... Din Thomas versus Jake Shields.
A
member of American Top Team, Thomas is an Ultimate Fighting Championship
veteran that carries a 14-4 record. He has fought most of his
career at 155 pounds and has wins over the likes of Steve Berger,
Matt Serra, Fabiano Iha, Jens Pulver and more. Thomas has been
focusing a lot on his boxing over the past year and hasn't fought
mixed martial arts since his loss to Amar Suloev last New Year's
Eve.
Short,
a fighter out of Detroit, will be stepping down from his usual
weight of 170 pounds to fight Thomas. He has had a pretty solid
career, but has had trouble taking that next step when faced
with top notch competition like Sean Sherk. Against Thomas, Short
will be looking to
rebound from two straight losses and take that step up to the
"A" level with the biggest win of his career.
Although
the card is not finalized yet, as usual, it will feature plenty
of American Top Team fighters and be sanctioned by the Florida
State Boxing Commission.
The
card so far:
3
RDS 185 LBS: (VACANT TITLE): Marcel Ferreira (ATT, Ft Lauderdale,
FL) v. Rory '2.5' Singer (Hardcore Gym, Atlanta, GA)
3
RDS HVYWT: Wilson Goviea (ATT, Ft Lauderdale, FL) v. Johnathan
Wiezorek (Valdosta Karate, Valdosta, GA)
3
RDS 155 LBS: Din Thomas (ATT, Ft Lauderdale, FL) v. Jake Short
(MCFT, Detroit, MI)
2
RDS 185 LBS: Charles Maccarthy (FFC, Miami, FL) v. Lee Threflal
(London, England)
2
RDS 205 LBS: 'Boca' Oliveira (ATT, Ft Lauderdale, FL) v. Luigi
Fioravanti (Marcio Simas JJ, Orlando, FL)
2
RDS 170 LBS: Roger Krawl (Miami, FL) v. Mark Richard (Miami,
FL)
2
RDS 155 LBS: Rafael Dias (BTT, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil) v. Nardu
Debra (NY, NY)
Tickets
are available at www.ticketmaster.com. Enter "ABSOLUTE"
for the event.
Source:
MMA Weekly
|
PRIDE
PREVIEW: CHONAN VS SILVA
by Mick Hammond
In a world based on competitive nature, taking the next step
is something that is firmly on the minds of those involved. Whether
it is on the business end or participation end, moving up and
forward is the ultimate goal no matter what the task at hand
is. At the upcoming Pride Shock Wave 2004 show a match that exemplifies
the next step is the fight between Ryo Chonan and Anderson Silva.
Both
are coming off impressive wins over tough competition, Chonan
over Carlos Newton at Bushido 5 and Silva over Lee Murray at
Cage Rage 8. With their wins both are on the rise and are looking
to take that next step in their careers and in Pride.
For
Chonan it’s been an interesting year in Pride. Debuting
at Bushido 3 after spending much of his career in Deep, Chonan
looked at times impressive against BJJ specialist Ricardo Almeida.
More known for his striking coming out of the U-File camp and
specializing in Kyokushin Karate, it was surprising to many that
Chonan was able to stay out of danger on the ground where Almeida
is known for his superior skills. Staying out of submission traps,
Chonan was able to frustrate Almeida, but unfortunately his defensive
efforts did not allow him the chance to implement his gameplan
and that cost him a unanimous decision loss. Chonan rebounded
against Newton however. Early on he managed to impress many with
his ability to escape out of what was certain defeat when his
arm was trapped by Newton in an arm bar, but no matter how much
it was bent, Chonan didn’t give up. This allowed him to
rebound and use his superior striking to pick apart Newton with
a viscous assault over the second half of the fight, earning
him this time the decision victory. His win sent notice to many
that he would be a very dangerous fighter and could become part
of the new blood movement by Pride to keep the Bushido series
afloat.
Silva
on the other hand has been well known for most of his career.
Starting out in the vaunted Chute Boxe Academy in Brazil, this
former teammate of Wanderlei Silva and the Rua brothers tore
through Brazilian competition and Shooto, capturing the middleweight
title from Japanese favorite Hayoto “Mach” Sakurai
in the process. It wasn’t long before Pride recognized his
dominance and he was brought into the organization in 2002. Silva
quickly established himself as a dangerous force taking out Alex
Stiebling, Alexander Otsuka, and Carlos Newton. Then things changed
for Silva, he surprisingly lost to journeyman fighter Daiju Takase
and split from Chute Boxe in 2003 and was ultimately let go from
Pride. It seemed as if Silva on the cusp of stardom was heading
in the wrong direction. Silva however has rebounded taking big
wins over the aforementioned Murray and Jeremy Horn this year,
which has earned him a chance at redemption in Pride.
So
now they stand as opposition at Shock Wave 2004. Chonan looking
to take the next step and solidify himself as a true star of
Pride whereas Silva is looking to step back into the big time
and fulfill all the promise he had shown in his first run with
the company. And if DSE President Sakikabara’s recent mandate
of all-out action could use an example fight, this could easily
be it.
Both
fighters are very similar; they possess very strong precise striking
and are very good at all aspects of it. Both possess good punches,
kicks, and knees, as well as an ability to get themselves out
of trouble on the ground. If a common opponent is a good barometer
for a fight, it could be so in the fact that both managed to
showcase these skills against Carlos Newton. Chonan and Silva
found themselves in trouble on the ground in their fights with
Newton, in Chonan’s case more so than Silva. But even though
they got themselves into the trouble, both were able to escape
it and use their striking to take Newton out. However only Silva
was able to knock Newton out, as Chonan, despite numerous punches
and knees, was only able to force Newton to a decision, and that
could be the key to this match-up.
Both
have shown great striking skill, but it could come down to who
hits the hardest or who has the weaker chin to determine the
winner of this bout. To the credit of both, neither has been
knocked out in their career, but Silva has finished more opponents
than Chonan has and against tougher competition. Thus the trumping
factor in the fight could be in Silva’s favor.
Whatever
happens this promises to be an exciting fight against two fighters
who are looking to move forward and take the next step into stardom.
Pride has purposefully maneuvered the Shock Wave 2004 card to
have as many fights as possible because they expect finishes
and this fight is no exception. To keep themselves in Pride both
fighters much look impressive and finish the fight and earn themselves
a spot in next year’s Middleweight Grand Prix where a possible
future champion could come from if Wanderlei moves up in weight
as he has hinted he may do. If there was one fight to place an
adage onto it could be this one, with the saying being “don’t
blink,” and that’s exactly what Pride wants.
Source:
MMA Weekly
|
HENDERSON
ON MMAWEEKLY RADIO TODAY
It has fight of the night written all over it. Dan Henderson
leaves this weekend for Japan and his focus will be on Yuki Kondo
on December 31st.
Kondo
has said he will stand with Henderson. Hendo told MMAWeekly "Yeah
I see us standing and trading and we will see where it goes from
there.
Henderson
will be today's featured guest on MMAWeekly Radio with hosts
Ryan Bennett and Frank Trigg.
You
can listen to the show LIVE at 9am Pacific/12 Noon Eastern for
free by clicking on www.mmaweeklyradio.com
Source:
MMA Weekly
|
Q&A:
Catching up with Heavyweight Contender John Carlo
by DoghouseBoxing
Recently
caught up with Heavyweight Boxer and Martial Arts Trainer, John
Carlo. We spoke on the past, present and future for John Carlo.
Here is what John had to say...
What
have you been doing since you've closed your gym?
After
I closed the gym in Dec 2002 I stayed busy in the fitness field
doing personal training, giving boxing and martial art lessons.
Www.akbf.net/john.htm this is my website. I've also been working
doing private security work.
I
have started 3 martial Art programs for kids at 3 different locations.
Right now I am trying to break into the entertainment field,
I already been offered 2 small roles in two movies that will
be shooting in Jan and Feb in the New Year. I am heading for
the big screen and I will right off the bat challenge all the
movie tough guys to an all out challenge. Van Dame or Frank Stallone
who ever thinks they're a tough guy in Hollywood. I want his
belt! But everyone knows Chuck Zito is the undefeated champ of
Hollywood! His book Street justice is the best!
Right
now we are finishing a DVD series of instructional Boxing tapes
for self-defense, MMA fighting and fitness training. I will be
shooting this with Writer, Producer and Brazilian Jiu-jitsu Instructor
Gene Simco. Gene has a website Jiu-Jitsu.net. A great site for
guys interested in BJJ or martial arts in general .Gene is a
multi talented person and we will have a quality DVD's out within
the month .
What
are some of the fights and competitions you've been in lately?
For
the last year I have been back in the gym training hard sparring
every week. Doing that has given me the itch to return to the
ring. I have competed in exhibition bouts back in March, July
and October of 2004. So I am ready to drop bombs and taking names.
Before
we started the interview, you mentioned you want to fight Riddick
Bowe. Why?
Riddick
Bowe is just one of many guys I think I can compete with at this
stage of my game, I am a young 43 and there is talk of me possibly
fighting Iran Barkley in the beginning of the New Year. I see
Riddick is back as well as a few other ex champs. Riddick won't
fight me though. At this point in his career my record would
scare him. I hear Peter McNeeley wants to fight again. So I would
like to fight him also. They just started doing pro shows again
near where I live in Poughkeepsie New York. I think Peter should
come down and fight me there, we would fill the arena. I have
a lot of friends who want to come watch me fight in Powtown.
Tell
us how you became the first heavyweight to Knock out an ex-Heavyweight
Champ in your Pro Debut?
That
is a funny story I was training a guy who I thought was a promising
heavyweight Fernely Feliz and I co - managed him for a few fights
with Charles Farrell from Mass. Well Charles also managed Leon
Spinks, Leon was scheduled to fight Mark Mcshain but Mark ended
up failing the cat scan, so they were in a bind and offered me
the fight. You know the rest, I knocked out Spinks early in that
fight and the rest is history.
Are
you impressed with Vitali Klitchko?
Viatli
Klitschko is the Heavyweight Champion of the World, so I am impressed.
He is very strong and hits hard.
Growing
up in the rougher streets of New York...ever get in trouble with
the law?
I
worked on and off for the last 25 years as a bouncer. I'm working
in a club in Danbury right now called Molly Darcys. It's a nice
place, no trouble but back in the day I worked at a bar which
was known for having 3 or 4 fights a night. It' was a real bucket
of blood. This is going back between 1980-1984, we had a bunch
of challenge matches happen, where people would come down to
challenge me, we would go out in the back of the bar and throw
fists. Needless to say I knocked out and choked out a lot of
so called tough guys, with that I got arrested a few times for
these brawls. When people go to the hospital the cops ended up
getting involved. So I said good bye to street boxing and started
getting in the ring to stay out of trouble.
You
are hooked up with the retired boxers? Doing what?
I
would not quite say I am hooked up with them yet, but it is a
great cause I have been pretty lucky I have continued making
a living teaching private boxing lessons and now I am doing a
DVD, I want to try to help other ex boxers who went way further
then I ever did in the ring make a living and use there boxing
talent to make a living after there fighting days are over.
I
basically offered my services to Alex and let him know anything
he needs in New York to help his foundation all he has to do
is call. I see they've done exhibition shows to help the foundation
and I'm ready and willing to fight right now. It would be great
to get a famous movie tough guy like Mickey Rourke or Vin Diesel
to help the foundation and fight me in the ring for charity.
Celebrities like that would fill the arena and the money would
go to a good cause.
Maybe
there is another ex champ that wants to get it on for charity.
I have talked to Alex Ramos the founder and head of the retired
boxers foundation and I found out he is a super guy and does
what he tells you he is going to do. His foundation has been
making things happen , plus I loved watching him fight when I
was growing up. I seen him fight numerous times fight on TV,
and I loved that nickname the "Bronx Bomber!"
Merry
Christmas John and thank you for speaking with us.
Source:
Maxfighting
|
Quote
of the Day
"There is real magic in enthusiasm. It spells the difference
between mediocrity and accomplishment."
Norman Vincent Peale, 1898-1993, American Christian Reformed
Pastor, Speaker, Author
|
IS
PENN REALLY RETURNING TO THE UFC??
I read Josh Grossman's report saying that B.J. Penn will return
to the UFC on the UFC 51 card and face Frank Trigg. Is this true??
Is Penn still with K-1, and what do you make of this if true??
- BJandCabbagefan
Hawaii
Tape
Lord's reply: Josh Grossman's reports have always proven very
reliable, so Penn's return to the UFC may indeed become a reality.
Penn is still with K-1, but his contract does allow him to fight
for any organization outside of Japan.
There's
two ways that most fans have reacted to the possibility of Penn's
return to the UFC. Either they think Penn did an about-face on
his feud with UFC management and wants to return to the fold
while still competing for K-1 in Japan, or they think Penn just
wants to beat Trigg and then win the belt again by beating Hughes
for a second time, and then leave the UFC hanging once again.
In
my opinion it's the second scenario, and I have a feeling Dana
White will play into Penn's hands and come out on the losing
end as usual.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------
PRIDE
OR K-1 ON NEW YEAR'S?
Both PRIDE and K-1 have amazing cards for their New Year shows.
These might be the greatest cards ever put together. Which card
do you think has the edge?
-Rodrigo
Miami, FL
Tape
Lord's reply: PRIDE and K-1 continue to raise the bar for NHB/MMA
shows, that is for sure. Each show will have no less then ten
matchups for their December 31st cards, and K-1 will most likely
have up to twelve matchups.
Both
cards are fantastic, but if I had to pick one to see, I would
go with PRIDE for the simple reasons of seeing Minotauro vs.
Fedor again, and getting to see Vanderlei Silva in action. But
like I said, both cards are incredibly stacked, and you can't
go wrong watching both of these events.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------
EVAN
TANNER AN ALCOHOLIC?
I heard that the reason Evan Tanner left Team Quest was because
he's an alcoholic. From what I heard, Team Quest tried to do
an intervention, and Tanner didn't like that and left. Is there
any truth to this?
-Andrew
Bryant
Pheonix, Arizona
Tape
Lord's reply: Andrew, that is just a rumor. Although it has been
noted in the past that Tanner used to party hard and get pretty
drunk at the old UFC after-parties. However, this does not mean
he is an alcoholic, or that excessive drinking had anything to
do with his leaving Team Quest.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------
COUTURE,
VITOR, AND TITO IN NEXT PRIDE MIDDLEWEIGHT GP?
Tapelord, PRIDE has been talking about negotiating with the UFC
to secure Tito Ortiz, Vitor Belfort, and Randy Couture as sacrifices
to their champion Vanderlei Silva in next year's Middleweight
Grand Prix. In your opinion, who should Vanderlei fight first,
second, and third in the tournement of these potential fighters?
Obviously
Couture will want to fight him in the first round since he has
already been quoted as saying that he will not fight other people
before fighting Silva in PRIDE... - Theaxemurderer
Saskatchewan, Canada
Tape
Lord's reply: I don't know who PRIDE would match Silva against
first in such a scenario, but in my opinion they would probably
match him against Couture first. As we all know, Silva would
not care who he's matched up against, as he does not duck fighters
the way Tito does.
Source: Fight Sport
|
AFP
TOP TEN FOR THE MONTH OF DECEMBER
HEAVYWEIGHT
1.)
Fedor Emelianenko Russia
2.) Rodrigo 'Minotauro' Nogueira Brazil
3.) Frank Mir USA
4.) Tim Sylvia USA
5.) Mirko 'CroCop' Filipovic Croatia
6.) Josh Barnett USA
7.) Heath Herring USA
8.) Ron Waterman USA
9.) Kevin Randleman USA
10.) Pedro Rizzo Brazil
LIGHT
HEAVYWEIGHT
1.)
Vanderlei Silva Brazil
2.) Randy Couture USA
3.) Quinton 'Rampage' Jackson USA
4.) Chuck Liddell USA
5.) Vitor Belfort Brazil
6.) Ricardo Arona Brazil
7.) Rogerio "Minotoro" Nogueira Brazil
8.) Tito Ortiz USA
9.) Renato "Babalu" Sobral Brazil
10.) Ryoto Machida Brazil
MIDDLEWEIGHT
1.)
Dan Henderson USA
2.) Kazushi Sakuraba Japan
3.) Murilo Bustamante Brazil
4.) Anderson Silva Brazil
5.) Paulo Filho Brazil
6.) Jeremy Horn USA
7.) David Terrell USA
8.) Evan Tanner USA
9.) Matt Lindland USA
10.) Lee Murray England
WELTERWEIGHT
1.)
B.J. Penn USA
2.) Matt Hughes USA
3.) Frank Trigg USA
4.) Renato
'Charuto' Verissimo Brazil
5.) Sean Sherk USA
6.) Daiju Takase Japan
7.) Carlos Newton USA
8.) Crosley Gracie Brazil
9.) Jake Shields USA
10.) Hayato Sakurai Japan
LIGHTWEIGHT
1.)
Tatsuya Kawajiri Japan
2.) Vitor 'Shaolin' Ribeiro Brazil
3.) Joachim Hansen Norway
4.) Takanori Gomi Japan
5.) Yves Edwards USA
6.) Hermes Franca Brazil
7.) Kaoru Uno Japan
8.) Din Thomas USA
9.) Genki Sudo Japan
10.) Ralph Gracie Brazil
FEATHERWEIGHT
1.)
Alexandre 'Pequeno' Nogueira Brazil
2.) Jens Pulver USA
3.) Joao Roque Brazil
4.) Norifumi 'Kid' Yamamoto Japan
5.) Rumina Sato Japan
6.) Gilbert Melendez USA
7.) Ivan Menjivar El Salvador
8.) Hiroyuki Takaya Japan
9.) Jeff Curran USA
10.) Yoshiro Maeda Japan
Source: Fight Sport |
COUTURE
SPEAKS HIS MIND
Two years ago, many had written Randy "The Natural"
Couture off. He was coming off back to back loses as a heavyweight
and was making his debut at light heavyweight against long time
number one contender Chuck "The Iceman" Liddell, who
was on a ten fight winning streak. Today, Randy holds the UFC
LHW belt, just got finished filming a movie with Steven Segal,
will be in Sports Illustrated and, featured in the UFC reality
TV show "Ultimate Fighter" airing in January on Spike
TV.
What
a difference a couple of years can make. Recently, Randy Couture
appeared on MMAWeekly SoundOff Radio and talked about all the
things he has going on, Tito Ortiz and Vitor Belfort, Rulon Gardner
and, Dan Henderson's New Year's Eve fight against Yuki Kondo.
1.
Randy is about to get some major exposure. He just got back Saturday
from shooting a Steven Segal movie where Couture plays a small
part as a bodyguard. About Segal, Couture said, "He's a
big dude. I had no idea he was that big first of all. He's like
6'4, big hands, big old meaty hands. Yeah, he's not in shape.
He's in his 50's....as a marital artist, I think he's a pretty
good martial artist."
Segal
had no idea who Randy was when "The Natural" showed
up on the set. "I don't think he knew anything about fighting.
I don't think he knew anything about the UFC. I took kind of
a highlight DVD in and sat in his trailer and showed it to him.
I don't know, it was a surreal moment, but he was very nice,"
said Randy. Couture was a little apprehensive about working with
Segal.
Randy
commented, "I had heard a lot of rumors. I was concerned
about going on and having to do a fight scene with him because
I've heard he broke some guy's arm and hasn't been very, hasn't
taken care of his guys basically. Guys that are putting themselves
on the line for his movies. He was kind of taking them out. I
wasn't sure, if he got out of line, how I was going to take that.
He didn't though. He was very nice and we got through our fight
sequence and didn't' have any problems."
The
story broke on the MMAWeekly SoundOff Radio that Randy will be
featured in an end of the year edition of Sports Illustrated.
The magazine asked several popular sports personalities who they
enjoyed watching perform or saw as inspirational. Shaquille O'Neil's
answer was Randy Couture. Along with being mentioned in the article,
Sports Illustrated requested a photo of Randy from Zuffa to add
to O'Neil's comments.
Couture
will also be one of the team coaches in the UFC reality TV show
"Ultimate Fighter." Randy said, "It was a very
good experience. I had a great time training with the athletes
and working with the assistant coaches.
I
learned a lot of new techniques working with the other guys.
I think the show is going to be fantastic. There's some great
TV in there. You can imagine, putting a bunch of fights all together
like that and watching them go. It's going to be really good
I think." The show premiers on Spike TV on January 17th.
Also
on the show is Chuck Liddell who Randy will more than likely
be facing next in April at UFC 52. Couture was asked if it was
strange working with Liddell knowing that they will be fighting
again in the near future. Randy responded, "It's not really
strange. The only thing that gets weird is we have to do these
promo shots and different stuff. A lot of times, they make us
get nose to nose. You know, like we're facing off. I mean like
really close, nose to nose, and neither one of us could stay
there very long and keep a straight face."
Couture
continued, "Chuck and I have a similar approach to the sport.
We look at this as a competition and it's nothing personal. You
know, we get along great and, we'll get along great after the
fight, no matter who wins. So, we'll go out and let it hang out
and beat the snot out of each other and have a good time doing
it."
Having
defeated both Tito Ortiz and Vitor Belfort, Randy was asked about
the UFC 51 main event match up between the two. "I think
that Tito is the more well rounded fighter. Generally his conditioning
and his, you know, the psychology of his game is more solid.
I think that Tito will probably be a favorite in that fight.
You never know which Vitor is going to show up. If Vitor comes
in with some confidence, he's going to be tough to deal with.
That's something that we'll have to wait and see is how Vitor
responds and which one shows up."
It
has been rumored that Ortiz was going to be training with Team
Quest or at least Couture for this fight but that isn't the case.
"He didn't make it up here. He was interested in coming
up here for a month and training and, it just didn't work out.
I've been so busy that I haven't been able to give him any time.
I think he's scheduled a month at Big Bear and is going to do
his training, his final peak up at Big Bear like he usually does
instead of coming to Team Quest.
Unfortunately,
I just have so many things going on with the TV show. I just
haven't been around enough to be fair to him," stated Randy.
Rulon Gardner will be making his MMA debut on New Year's Eve
against Yoshida. Couture wasn't surprised by Gardner's jump to
MMA. Randy said, "I think, in a lot of ways, Pride is setting
Rulon up to lose this fight. You know, giving him two months
to prepare for a guy who's got as much experience as Yoshida
in MMA is a tough task."
Randy
added, "I had the chance to work out with Rulon last week
at Beverly Hills Jiu-Jitsu and, I tell you what, he's picked
it up pretty quickly. He hits like a Mac truck. If Yoshida can't
find a way to knock him down, to take him down, which I had some
trouble doing, he's got a serious problem. He's going to have
to be pretty slick to get Rulon on the ground. If he can get
him on the ground, I think he's got a good chance of probably
catching Rulon.
Rulon's
going to have trouble keeping from making a mistake on the ground
but, it's not going to be an easy task putting him there and
he's going to take some punishment doing it."
Fellow
Team Quest fighter Dan Henderson will be fighting Yuki Kondo
on New Year's Eve and has also been training with Rulon. Randy
said, "That's going to be a very good fight. Yuki Kondo
is no slouch." Having said that, Randy went on to say, "Although
I think Kondo's got a lot of great skills, I don't think he's
got enough to take Henderson on. Henderson's got thirty some
years of wrestling wrapped up in that body and, now he's put
some devastating striking with that wrestling ability and, I
tell you what, he's not somebody I want to get hit by."
Looking
ahead to a possible future rematch between Wanderlei Silva and
Dan Henderson, Randy thinks Henderson will beat Silva. Couture
stated, "I think he can beat Wanderlei. He's one of two
people who've gone the distance with Wanderlei and, I know that
Wanderlei is not favoring the likelihood that he's going to have
to fight Danny again."
"I
think Danny will be a little better prepared this time and know
a little more what to expect. And, in a lot of ways, has a much
better game than he had the first time he fought Wanderlei and
he gave Wanderlei all he wanted. I think first of all, he'll
be more physically prepared for the type of battle that he's
going to have to go into with Wanderlei and, I think that was
the biggest difference in the first time they fought is Danny's
conditioning wasn't where it should have been for a fight that
was going to spend that much energy. I think technically he's
a much better striker. He has a much better handle on his MMA
game right now than he had at that time."
If
you missed any of the interviews, just click on the Radio
archives
and catch the entire interview.
Source: MMA Weekly |
Quote
of the Day
"The important thing is not to stop questioning. Curiosity
has its own reasons for existing. One cannot help but be in awe
when he contemplates the mysteries of eternity, of life, of the
marvelous structure of reality."
Albert Einstein, 1879-1955, German-born American Physicist
|
Super
Brawl and Roy Jones, Jr.
The
Tap Out crew (Mask, a.k.a. Charles, Punk Ass, a.k.a. Dan and
Pimp Juice) joined Marc Kreiner (a.k.a. General Patton, CEO of
Tahi Entertainment), Playmate Deana Brooks and Roy Jones, Jr.
in the making for "Super Brawl's Greatest Hits!" which
is scheduled to air on SPIKE TV, Comedy Central, Fox Sports,
E! and other stations in late January.
Source: Promoter |
BLOODLINE
Presents
PUNISHMENT
IN PARADISE
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Mark
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Mark
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Mark
Oshiro (Bulls Pen, Oahu)
Vs.
Arnold
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Two
promising up and comers will square in what could be a sleeper
match
Kaleo
Kwon (Eastsidaz, Oahu)
Vs.
Tyson
Coloma (Maui Full Contact, Maui)
Tyson
and experience MMA & Ground fighter will take on Kwon a experience
Kickboxer who recently won Punishment In Paradise Kickboxing
Championship
Domi
"Dominator" Lopez (Team Bigdogs, Waianae
Vs.
Jamar
(808 Fight Factory, Kailua)
Jamar
a young fighter who a NO SCADE'UM attitude will face off aganist
P.I.P Super Lightweight & Lightweight Champion THE DOMINATOR.
Lopez an undefeated fighter who since started kickboxing has
been tearing two weight classes and been knocking off fighters
like DavidBalicao,Kaipo Gonzales, Roland Pelen and recently Ryan
Lee. He will once again try to prove to Hawaii why he is called
the DOMINATOR!
John
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Bulls
Pen (Kalihi) 330-1708 |
RANDLEMAN'S
TRAINING IN LAS VEGAS
It appears Kevin Randleman is switching up his training routine
for his next fight vs Mirko Cro Cop. MMAWeekly has learned that
Randleman has spent his time in Las Vegas.
MMAWeekly's
Mick Hammond had a chance to speak with Mark Coleman about the
switch in preparation for his New Year’s Eve fight with
Mirko “Cro Cop” Filipovic.
According
to Coleman, “I’ll be going to Vegas on Wednesday to
train with Randleman for a few days before we head to Japan.
He’s basically moved down there to get out of Dodge (Columbus,
Ohio), because he was getting phone calls all the time and wasn’t
getting any privacy around here.”
Coleman
himself has had a busy year splitting time between fighting,
pro wrestling, training other fighters, and his personal life.
“I need a fight soon, “ said Coleman, “I’ve
got two fights left on my contract that have to happen within
the next 8 months.” Mark continued, “I have to find
a way to either win them or at least look good so I can get another
contract.”
Not
only does Coleman have 2 fights remaining on his Pride contract,
but he also is under contract with DSE’s pro wrestling company
Hustle as well, “I’ve been doing a lot of pro wrestling
in Japan. I’ve got 8 matches remaining on my deal and have
8 months to get them done in, so I’m hoping to go out once
a month.” Currently Coleman’s place in Hustle is being
determined as according to him, “I started out as a heel
(bad guy) on Team Monster, but the fans like me and I’m
not a bad guy, I’m basically playing myself. So they are
looking for a way of switching me to Team Hustle (the good guy
team headed by Nayoya Ogawa).”
Coleman
however wants to get his MMA career back on track, “I’ve
been busy taking care of my daughters and I’m turning 40
on Monday but I’m feeling good, looking good, and am healthy.
I had the neck injury over a year ago, but I’m feeling fine
now, I need to get in fighting shape and step back in there against
who knows? Maybe Cro Cop after Randleman gets done with him.
He’s called me out before and I don’t think he couldn’t
stop my takedown so I could pose real threat to him.”
Coleman
concluded, “I’ve been offered fights but with my schedule
I had to turn them down, because I need at least 30 days to get
ready the right way. I may need to get out of Columbus and just
concentrate on training for a little while. I feel fine and I’m
not a walk over for anybody, I still have a few years left in
me.”
Source: MMA Weekly |
WILL
THIS BE RULON'S ONLY MMA FIGHT?
It appears former Olympic Gold Medalist and Greco Roman Wrestler,
Rulon Gardner may fight only one MMA fight in his career.
Gardner
was a guest on XTRA sports radio in San Diego and talked about
how he was training hard with Dan Henderson in California for
his upcoming Pride fight in Japan vs Yoshida.
When
asked if Rulon would continue to fight in MMA he said, "I
just plan on fighting Yoshida for now.....Pride has left the
door open for me to come back, but after this fight I plan to
do some other things; including, working with kids."
Gardner
talked about after this fight; how much, he wanted to work with
youth and be a part of speaking to kids as well as doing wrestling
camps across the United States.
Last
week Randy Couture gave his thoughts on Gardner and said that
Gardner hits as hard as anybody in the business. Said his biggest
problem is of course inexperience on the ground, but he is a
quick learner and could be a very good fighter.
If
you missed last week's interview with Couture check it out on
the radio archive. This week on the show we plan on having Gardner;
as well as, Dan Henderson, Bas Rutten and others. You can listen
to the show LIVE for free everyday by just logging on www.mmaweeklyradio.com
MMA
Broadcaster and NBC Sports Anchor Ryan Bennett teams up with
UFC Fighter Frank Trigg everyday Monday through Friday at 9am
Pacific/12 Noon Eastern with the best fighters in the world.
If
you can't catch the show live then tune into the radio archive
and listen day or night at your leisure. Get the most insider
news in MMA daily at mmaweeklyradio.com!
Source: MMA Weekly
|
RODRIGUEZ
WINS IN MEXICO
Former champion Ricco Rodriguez went to Mexico and got a win
this weekend. Rodriguez defeated Mike Seal by rear naked choke
in the first round.
Rodriguez
won in just over a minute in the fight. His opponent was a last
minute replacement. Ricco's original opponent, Terry Pettek,
didn't show to the event.
Source: MMA Weekly
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Quote
of the Day
"Everything that irritates us about others can lead us to
an understanding of ourselves."
Carl Jung, 1875-1961, Swiss Psychiatrist
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Kids'
Jiu-Jitsu Tournament
Here are the specifics so far (subject to change):
Date:
Saturday, January 29, 2005
Time:
Weigh-ins: 8-9 am
Tournament Starts at 10:00 am
Cost: $20
This will be a gi only tournament so that we emphasize the technical
aspect of Jiu-Jitsu and help revive the sport.
It will also be a double elimination tournament, 3 rings, and
there will be two 3rd places. There will be no team trophies.
However, there may be some trophies for "most technical,
fastest submission, and best sportsmanship" along with some
prizes (depending on the generosity of sponsors).
Match
duration will be 3 minutes for kids age 6, 4 minutes for kids
ages 7-14, and 5 minutes for kids ages 15-17.
Any
questions? Please shoot us an email and we will forward it on!
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At
The Time, It Was The Greatest Tournament Ever
This is part two of our look on the biggest tournaments in mixed
martial arts history. Our last article focused on the 1995 version
of the Ultimate Ultimate; this article is on the 1996 version
of that tournament.
The
'96 Ultimate Ultimate took place at the State Fairgrounds in
Birmingham, AL on December 7th, 1996. The concept of the Ultimate
Ultimate tournament was to take the biggest and best fighters
offered by the UFC and place them in a one night tournament to
simply see who the best of the best was. The first version of
the Ultimate Ultimate, which took place a year earlier in Denver,
was a huge hit on pay per view, ranking as the third most watched
UFC event history, which featured Dan Severn defeating Paul Varelans,
Tank Abbott and Oleg Taktarov in one-night to score the tournament
victory and earn himself a rematch against Ken Shamrock for the
UFC Superfight title at UFC 9.
The
1996 version of the Ultimate Ultimate wasn't as successful financially.
UFC was already having major political problems up to this point,
and a few months later, they would be banned from cable pay per
view altogether. In fact, the 1996 Ultimate Ultimate was the
second last show before the cable ban completely took the company
off the pop culture radar. UFC had also been damaged by that
UFC 9 rematch between Ken Shamrock and Dan Severn, which was
easily the worst fight in UFC history because Shamrock and Severn
were the two biggest stars the UFC was promoting at the time,
and they went out and did a match where they clearly did not
want to fight each other. Severn's name value sunk and never
recovered (despite the fact that he won the decision and the
Superfight title); Ken Shamrock was damaged by the fight but
would earn back his name value in WWF awhile later. Nevertheless,
the fight was pretty much the opposite of what the UFC stood
for at the time, and it was a big turn off to the fanbase.
The
concept of the UFC was also no longer unique by late 1996. The
reason UFC had been successful on pay per view without free television
to hype it is because the idea of pitting martial artists of
varying disciplines against one another in a no holds barred
fight was such a unique concept, and answered so many questions
about what would happen if different martial arts disciplines
were applied to a reality situation. The unique charm of the
UFC had worn off by 1996, and the people who were only watching
the initial shows because it was simply something that hadn't
been done before weren't coming back to the product.
But
the 1996 Ultimate Ultimate was far more stacked in terms of the
talent participating in the tournament in comparison to its 1995
brethren. Ken Shamrock, Don Frye, Tank Abbott, Kimo, Gary Goodridge
and Brian Johnston among others were involved in this tournament,
which was easily the most difficult tournament in mixed martial
arts during the 1990s. Mark Coleman, who was undefeated in UFC
at that point and had won two back-to-back tournaments at UFCs
10 and 11, was originally booked for the tournament, but pulled
out ill a few weeks before it took place. The first round matchups
pitted Ken Shamrock against Brian Johnston; Don Frye against
Gary Goodridge; Tank Abbott against Cal Worsham; and Kimo against
Paul Varelans.
The
fight against Johnston would be Shamrock's last ever fight in
the UFC for SEG before Shamrock moved on to WWF. As the UFC's
popularity dwindled, it became difficult for SEG to pay the big
stars what they were worth. Many fighters left for other promotions,
mostly pro wrestling companies, during the following years. Shamrock
went to WWF. Dan Severn went to WWF. Tank Abbott went to WCW.
Don Frye went to New Japan. Mark Coleman went to Pride. Mark
Kerr went to Pride. Gary Goodridge went to Pride. Oleg Taktarov
went to Pride, then Hollywood. The list was endless, as even
lesser names like Johnston and Dave Beneteau moved on to better
things.
Shamrock
had been negotiating with New Japan at about the same time he
was dealing with the WWF. New Japan wanted to build Shamrock
as a foreign superstar for their promotion; WWF wanted Shamrock
because Bret Hart, at that point one of the biggest stars in
the WWF, had wanted to build a feud between himself and Shamrock
over the WWF title later on, feeling that feuding with Shamrock
would give both the title and Hart himself an air of legitimacy,
as Hart favoured a more realistic, technical style of pro wrestling
which could be pulled off with Shamrock. This never ended up
happening, as Hart left WWF in late 1997, and although Shamrock
had some memorable feuds and headline matches in the WWF, he
never really hit the level of being a main event name for the
company.
But
this was later. At the '96 Ultimate Ultimate, Shamrock's first
round opponent was Brian Johnston, a tough fighter who had started
training with Don Frye. When Shamrock opted to sign with WWF
rather than New Japan, Don Frye ended up getting his spot with
the Japanese promotion, and Johnston and Dave Beneteau went with
him. Shamrock vs. Johnston was not the Shamrock fight that people
wanted to see in the Ultimate Ultimate tournament, however. That
fight was Shamrock vs. Tank Abbott. Shamrock and Tank had developed
bad blood between each other sometime earlier over some comments
Tank made about fighters in the Lion's Den, and at the time,
Tank still had some credibility inside the octagon as a guy who
could win fights, and it was a match that people wanted to see
because of the heat between the two.
Of
course, Shamrock never ended up facing Tank at the Ultimate Ultimate
or at any event. Although Shamrock defeated Johnston via submission
in their first round fight, he injured his hand and didn't move
on to the second round, where he would have faced Abbott, who
had made quick work of Cal Worsham in the first round (at one
point even trying to toss Worsham out of the ring). This was
Shamrock's last fight for SEG, although he almost came back into
the company about a year later for the first Ultimate Japan event
when the Japanese promoters for that show wanted to book Ken
Shamrock against Nobuhiko Takada in a worked match where Takada
would go over. Shamrock was already with the WWF for many months
at that point, and WWF wouldn't allow Shamrock to lose, which
would damage his image in WWF as the "World's Most Dangerous
Man", despite the tremendous amount of money the Japanese
promoters were offering for this fight.
The
real story of the 1996 Ultimate Ultimate, though, was Don Frye.
Frye had been undefeated in UFC up until UFC 10 a few months
before this. He had won the UFC 8 tournament in his debut, and
was featured in People Magazine after that. Frye is one of the
most charismatic heavyweight fighters in UFC history and a big
star for the company, although he had never competed in a major,
one-match superfight and drawn a huge buyrate for the company.
However, not many fighters had been featured in People Magazine
either, and going into UFC 10 he was one of the companies biggest
stars.
At
that event he again made it to the tournament finals, where he
was destroyed by Mark Coleman in Coleman's debut. Frye actually
got over more in losing to Coleman than he did in any of his
wins prior to that, simply because of the amazing amount of punishment
he took in the Coleman loss.
Frye
had competed in an event in Japan called U-Japan promoted by
his agent, Robert DePersia, a few weeks before the Ultimate Ultimate,
but this was his first time back in UFC since the Coleman loss.
Frye was pitted against the much larger Gary Goodridge, whom
he had defeated in the UFC 8 finals, in the first round of the
tournament, and ended up defeating Goodridge in a real battle
that lasted 11:20.
On
the other side of the bracket, Kimo had defeated Paul Varelans,
but pulled out of the second round due to exhaustion from the
first fight. Replacing him against Frye in the second round was
Mark Hall, who had defeated Felix Mitchell in an alternates match
earlier in the night to earn the spot.
Frye
and Hall and fought each other prior in UFC, with Frye winning,
and they had also fought each other at the U-Japan event a couple
of weeks earlier, with Frye winning that fight as well. However,
although Frye would be the clear favourite to win that fight,
Hall had a tendency to be a tough guy that wouldn't give up,
and would give someone a war.
The
story gets interesting here. Frye was exhausted from the Goodridge
fight, which took a lot out of him. He would then have to fight
Hall, a match that would probably also go long, and then if he
won that, he would face Tank Abbott in the finals, as Tank had
knocked out alternate Steve Nelmark in spectacular fashion, dropping
Nelmark with a big glove that crumpled Nelmark's body against
the fence, in the second round.
Mark
Hall, like Frye, was also managed by Robert DePersia. Hall claims
that he was approached by both DePersia and Frye backstage and
asked to take a dive for Frye, keeping Frye fresh for Tank Abbott
in the finals. Hall claims he was guaranteed some of Frye's purse
money for doing the job. Frye ended up submitting Hall in 20
seconds with a leglock.
What's
interesting about this story is that there are no holes, and
you can't prove the story or disprove it either way. The fight
was too quick to tell whether or not it was worked. Frye is not
a leglock guy, and has never won a fight before or after so quickly
with a leglock. But he was working on leglocks before the fight.
I interviewed Frye earlier this year, and he told me that if
the fight was worked, then DePersia and Hall made that agreement
without Frye knowing it. That's also entirely possible, as, for
example, it's widely believed that Ken Shamrock's fight againt
Minoru Suzuki in Pancrase where Shamrock lost the King of Pancrase
title to Suzuki was a worked match where Shamrock was asked to
take a dive without Suzuki knowing it. To this day Suzuki believes
he won that match fair and square. Frye could have easily won
a worked match without knowing it was a work, and with only Hall
and DePersia being in on it. Hall's credibility is also very
low, and he could easily be lying about the whole incident. An
interesting question is, why would Frye use a leglock on Hall,
but come out and fight Tank Abbott standing up later in the night
when leglocking Tank would have been much easier? But it's almost
an airtight case, and no one outside of the three of Frye, Hall
and DePersia will ever know the whole truth.
The
finals pitted Frye against Tank. This was the second time that
Tank would be facing an opponent in a tournament final who was
involved in a controversial fight that may have been worked,
as Anthony Macias had taken a dive for Oleg Taktarov in the semi-finals
of the UFC 6 tournament before Taktarov fought Tank in one of
the most exciting UFC fights of that era.
Tank
was a guy that SEG loved. Tank was never able to win the big
match, or defeat a top name, but if he had, he would have been
the guy they built the promotion around. Winning the Ultimate
Ultimate would have cemented Tank as a top-skilled fighter in
the minds of the company and of the fans, but it was not meant
to be.
Frye
and Tank came out rocking, and it was actually Tank who was rocking
Frye on his feet, and for a few brief moments, it looked like
Tank may have been able to knock out Frye. What happened was
that Frye accidentally stepped on Tank's fought, causing him
to fall, and Frye got into position to submit Tank with a rear
naked choke. The fight was over in 1:23, and Don Frye had won
the Ultimate Ultimate tournament. Although Tank was clearly beating
Frye in stand-up, odds are if Tank hadn't tripped, that the longer
the fight went the more it would swing in Frye's favour.
This
was Frye's last match in UFC, as he ended up leaving for New
Japan a few months later. Frye had been rumored to be facing
Dan Severn for the Superfight title, but Severn instead ended
up defending the title against Mark Coleman at UFC 12, losing
the belt in the final UFC show produced by SEG to air on cable
television.
Source:
Maxfighting |
K-1
Announces Bob Sapp vs. Jerome LeBanner
K-1 has announced Bob Sapp's participation on their December
31st show at the Osaka Dome, as he will be taking on Jerome LeBanner.
Sapp
has been having contract problems with K-1 since earlier this
year, and has not fought for the promotion since his loss to
Ray Sefo in June. The first choice for Sapp's opponent on New
Year's Eve was Akebono in a rematch of their television ratings
record setting fight from last New Year's Eve, but K-1 was not
able to come to terms with Sapp regarding a fight with Akebono
and K-1 announced their backup plan for Akebono instead, which
was Akebono vs. Royce Gracie. The announcement of Sapp on the
card would pull K-1 far ahead of Pride in terms of money drawing
matches in each companies' respective New Year's Eve show, and
K-1 will probably win the ratings battle with Pride (although
both will naturally fall short of the Red & White concert
on the NHK network, which is the highest rated television show
of the year in Japan on an annual basis).
LeBanner
is coming off his win over Hiromi Amada in an alternates match
at the K-1 Grand Prix Finals on December 4th, and prior to that
suffered a loss in the Grand Prix Opening Round in September
to Francois Botha due to injury. Sapp vs. LeBanner will take
place under K-1 vs. MMA rules, which means four, three-minute
rounds.
Akebono
would have been the best opponent for Sapp's comeback fight,
because it would have landed a high TV rating (although probably
not nearly as high as the peak rating for last year's fight),
plus Akebono is an easy win for Sapp and Sapp pretty much needs
to win his comeback match, but LeBanner isn't bad either, because
LeBanner was terrible in groundfighting when he fought Tadao
Yasuda a couple of years ago, so if Sapp can control the groundfighting
aspect of the match, then he'll probably win the fight. LeBanner
is also a serious star in K-1, so it should do a good TV rating.
We'll have more on Sapp later.
Source: Maxfighting |
TANNER'S
NEW TEAM....STILL IN OREGON
It’s been a news making weekend to say the least for Evan
Tanner. Not only has he signed to face David Terrell at UFC 51
for the Middleweight Championship, but he has also decided to
leave Team Quest.
Tanner’s
deal with the UFC is a 3-fight deal, of which the Terrell fight
will be the first. If Tanner wins all three fights the UFC then
has an option for another 3-fight deal. So if Tanner continues
on his current winning streak this contract could keep him with
the company for the foreseeable future.
When
it came to Tanner’s decision to leave Team Quest, Tanner
said, “I have officially left Team Quest. It's still a sensitive
issue right now. I don't think I should say much for the moment.
I'm not really sure what would be appropriate.”
Tanner
will continue to train with Curtis Crawford at Ultimate Fitness
and Fighting Arts in Oregon. Crawford has been acting as Tanner’s
striking coach for the last nine months and has accompanied Tanner
to his fights against Phil Baroni and Robbie Lawler this year.
Crawford will most likely take up full duties as Tanner’s
trainer as he continues to work with new training partners at
Ultimate Fitness.
Tanner
will also continue to be sponsored by Sportsbook.com; as according
to Tanner, he procured the sponsorship initially and the deal
is completely independent of Team Quest. He has told MMAweekly
that he will continue to keep us updated on any changes as he
prepares for his fight against Terrell at UFC 51.
Source:
MMA Weekly |
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