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2005
12/10/05
Proving
Grounds -
ROTR
Qualifer
(MMA)
(Hilo Civic Center)
11/19/05
ROTR 9
(MMA)
(Blaisdell Arena)
11/14/05
3rd American National BJJ Championships
(Torrance Unified School District, Torrance, CA )
10/29-30/05
Brazilian Team Titles
(Equipes)
(Brazil)
10/05
Proving
Grounds -
ROTR
Qualifer
(MMA)
(Lahaina Civic Center, Maui)
9/05
Proving
Grounds -
ROTR
Qualifer
(MMA)
(Kauai)
8/27-28/05
International
Masters & Seniors BJJ Tournament
(Tijuca Tenis Clube, Tijuca, Brazil)
8/05 (tentative)
ROTR 8
(MMA)
(Las Vegas, NV)
7/23-31/05
World BJJ
Championships (Mundial)
(Tijuca Tenis Clube, Tijuca, Brazil)
7/23/05
BJJ & Submission Grappling Tournament
(TBA)
7/21-23/05
World Cup of BJJ
(BJJ)
(São Paulo, Brazil)
7/9/05
Proving
Grounds -
ROTR
Qualifer
(MMA)
(Hilo Civic Center)
6/4/05
Super
Brawl: Full Contact Showdown #3
(MMA)
(Kahuna's Sports Bar & Grill, Kaneohe MCBH)
5/21/05
MMA & Kickboxing Event
(MMA & Kickboxing)
(Waimanalo Polo Grounds)
5/7/05
ROTR 7
(MMA)
(Stan Sheriff Arena, UH)
5/7-8 & 14-15 & 21-22/05
Brazilian National BJJ Tournament
(Youth, Adult, Master & Senior)
(Tijuca Tenis Clube, Tijuca, Brazil?)
4/16-17/05
2005 Junior
Olympic Male and Female State / Regional Boxing Championships
(Boxing)
(Palolo Boxing Gym
/ Rec Center)
4/16/05
Warriors Quest
(Kickboxing, MMA)
(McKinnley H.S. Gym)
UFC 52: Couture vs. Liddell 2
(MMA)
(MGM Grand Garden Arena, Las Vegas, NV)
4/15/05
Kickin It
(Kickboxing)
(Kapolei H.S. Gym)
4/9/05
Super Brawl
(MMA)
(Blaisdell
Arena)
UFC: 'The Ultimate Fighter Finale'
(MMA)
(Cox Pavilion, Las Vegas, NV)
|
|
April 2005 News
Part 1
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Quote
of the Day
"Within you right now is the power to do things you never
dreamed possible. This power becomes available to you just as
soon as you can change your beliefs."
Dr. Maxwell Maltz, American Plastic Surgeon, Author of ''Psycho-Cybernetics''
|
Super
Brawl 39: Destiny Results!
Niko KO's Suda!
Kikuchi and Gill Win The Titles
Super Brawl XXXIX: Destiny
Blaisdell Arena, Honolulu, Hawaii
April 9, 2005
By Chris Onzuka - Chris@Onzuka.com
This
was the first time that Super Brawl featured kickboxing matches,
which showed the resurgence of kickboxing from obscurity in the
state of Hawaii. From its height of filling the Blaisdell arena
when Dennis Alexio headlined kickboxing cards, kickboxing almost
died after Alexio stopped competing. Through smaller events,
kickboxing started making a comeback. It was definitely fueled
by the growth of MMA. MMA fighters needed a venue to improve
their striking skills. Hawaii has always been known as a successful
grappling location with regularly run grappling tournaments.
Only kickboxing events were missing, now with regularly held
kickboxing events, Hawaii's MMA fighters are rounding out their
arsenals and preparing themselves to make the next jump in their
skill level. Tonight was no different. Pride auditions winner
and Kona boy, KJ Noons made his Hawaii MMA debut. This is Noons'
first fight since winning the Pride auditions and after having
an intensive training camp session with veteran trainer and MMA
fighter Matt Hume at AMC in Washington. Noons showed crisp and
powerful punches and kicks, sending a tough Malik Williams to
the canvas. Noons took full advantage of Super Brawl's use of
Pride rules by landing a couple jumping stomps and head punts
on Malik Williams. Needless to say, Noons finished Williams,
but he could use a little more polishing before facing the world's
best. However, when you are in your early twenties, you have
that kind of time…and he has the potential.
It
was only a matter of time when rising stars Harvey Nakamura and
Mark Oshiro crossed paths. Both fighters have been gaining experience
and have shown great potential in their past fights. Oshiro used
his height and reach advantage to its best use and pounded on
Nakamura for three rounds. Nakamura reached deep and showed his
Samurai spirit by taking all that Oshiro could dish out and kept
coming. Oshiro is definitely ready to take a step up to the next
level of competition. The event was capped off by three title
fights. Super Brawl crowned the first Hawaii State Flyweight
Champion and North American Lightweight Champion. Jim Kikuchi
had beat Justin Mercado in Mercado's first MMA match. Mercado
has grown tremendously since then. The crowd was upset when the
most of the match was fought in the clinch. Kikuchi did a good
job on not allowing Mercado, a Golden Gloves boxing champ, to
utilize his strength. Kikuchi seemed to have separated his shoulder
in the first round, which caused him to fight cautiously. Even
with that, he did a great job in the clinch and took Mercado
down a few times. Mercado stayed active, but Kikuchi got the
nod from the judges.
One
of Hawaii's top 155lbers that is on the verge of becoming the
next big thing to come out of Hawaii, Harris Sarmiento took on
a relatively unknown, but extremely well versed, Kultar Gill.
Sarmiento did a great job of closing the distance of the 6'0"
tall Gill, catching kicks and firing off his signature overhand
right. Gill landed some great kicks and the final of the match
came when Gill took Sarmiento down and used those long arms to
slip in a rear naked choke when Sarmiento tried to scramble back
up to his feet. The main event pitted current Shooto and Super
Brawl Champion, Masanori Suda, who shocked Hawaii fans by beating
local favorite Egan Inoue. Niko Vitale who is, considered by
many, Hawaii's best 185lb fighter was brought into attempt to
take the Super Brawl Middleweight title back to Hawaii. Suda
has been on a tear and has not lost since early 2001. The fight
was pretty even, with both fighters exchanging and Suda's Judo
helped to counter Vitale's strength in the clinch. At one point
Suda threw Vitale and himself right through the ropes and out
of the ring. The finale was something that I had never witnessed
before. Vitale pulled off a "Running Man" punch, where
he jumps up in the air with a running motion and comes down with
a punch. That punch, landed right on Suda's mouth and knocked
him out! Vitale accomplishes his goal of taking the Super Brawl
Middleweight title back to Hawaii.
135lbs Kickboxing:
Tyson Nam (Lee's Shaolin Boxing, Honolulu) def. Jumar Dumalao
(808 Fight Factory, Waipahu)
TKO via referee stoppage due to leg kicks at 19 seconds in Round
2.
205lbs
MMA:
Reese Andy (AMC, Seattle, WA) def. Kala Kolohe Hose (Bad Intentions,
Waianae)
Unanimous decision [(30-27), (30-27), (30-27)] after3 Rounds.
135lbs
MMA:
Albert Manners (Puna Boyz, Puna) def. Ryan Lee (Bull's Pen, Honolulu)
Unanimous decision [(29-28), (29-28), (29-28)] after 3 Rounds.
170lbs
MMA:
K.J. Noons (City Boxing, San Diego, CA) def. Malik Williams (Puna
Boyz, Puna)
TKO via referee stoppage due to strikes at 2:43 minutes in Round
1.
135lbs
MMA:
Mark Oshiro (Bull's Pen, Honolulu) def. Harvey Nakamura (Grappling
Unlimited, Honolulu)
Unanimous decision [(30-26), (30-27), (30-26)] after 3 rounds
175lbs
Kickboxing:
Bryson Kamaka (808 Fight Factory, Waipahu) def. Allan Ulip (Animal
House, Ewa Beach)
Unanimous decision [(30-28), (30-27), (30-27)] after 3 rounds.
170lbs
MMA:
Mark Moreno (Bull's Pen, Honolulu) def. Kevin Barber (Team Canon,
Anchorage, AK)
KO at 4:03 minutes in Round 1.
Keiki
Exhibition MMA:
Triston Prebia (808 Fight Factory, Waipahu) vs. Kai "Boy"
Kamaka III (808 Fight Factory, Waipahu)
Super
Brawl Hawaii State Flyweight (145lbs) Championships
Jim Kikuchi (808 Fight Factory, Waipahu) def. Justin Mercado
(Grappling Unlimited, Honolulu)
Majority decision [(29-29), (30-27), (30-27)] after 3 rounds.
*Jim Kikuchi becomes the Super Brawl Hawaii State Flyweight Championships
Super
Brawl North American Lightweight (155lbs) Championships
Kultar Gill (Gibson Pankration, Canada) def. Harris Sarmiento
(808 Fight Factory, Waipahu)
Submission via rear naked choke at 2:45 minutes in Round 3.
*Kultar Gill becomes the Super Brawl North American Lightweight
Championship.
Super
Brawl World Middleweight (185lbs) Championships
Falaniko Vitale (808 Fight Factory, Waipahu) def. Masanori Suda
(Club J, Japan)
KO via "Running Man" punch at 4:09 minutes in Round
1.
*Niko Vitale becomes new Super Brawl World Middleweight Champion.
|
THE
ULTIMATE FIGHTER FINALS
Cox Pavilion, Thomas and Mack Center, Las Vegas, NV
April 9, 2005
Non-televised preliminary bouts:
Alex
Karalexis def. Josh Rafferty by TKO via referee stoppage due
to strikes at 1:40 minutes in RD 1.
Mike Swick def. Alex Schoenauer by KO at 20 seconds in RD 1.
Nate Quarry def. Lodune Sincaid by TKO via referee stoppage at
3:17 minutes in RD 1.
Josh Koscheck def. Chris Sanford by KO at 4:21 minutes in RD
1.
Chris Leben def. Jason Thacker by TKO via referee stoppage due
to strikes at 1:35 minutes in RD 1.
Sam Hoger def. Bobby Southworth by Unanimous decision after 3
rounds.
Televised bouts:
Middlweight Final:
Diego Sanchez def. Kenny Florian by TKO via referee stoppage
due to strikes at 2:49 min in Round 1.
Light
Heavyweight Final:
Forrest Griffin def. Stephan Bonnar by unanimous decision [(29-28),
(29-28), (29-28)] after 3 rounds.
Main Event:
Rich Franklin def. Ken Shamrock by TKO via referee stoppage due
to strikes at 2:42 min in Round 1.
|
Niko
Vitale On Midweek The Weekend
For those of you that didn't catch it on Thursday, MMA in Hawaii
has never received this kind of public acceptance and attention.
First the great article in the Star Bulletin and now this. 808
Fight Factory's Falaniko Vitale, who headlined last night's Super
Brawl card was on the cover of Midweek The Weekend where they
featured a three page story on him. The sport is growing, the
hard core fans, like our readers have known it and hopefully
with shows like The Ultimate Fighter on Spike airing a live UFC
event and incredibly good and entertaining, top notch television
shows like Fighters' Club TV.
Now come on, you didn't think that we were going to get away
without a shameless plug right?
Source: Fight Sport
|
Next
Weekend!
WARRIORS QUEST
"RESURRECTION"
McKinnely High School Gym, Honolulu, Hawaii
Saturday, April 16, 2005
One of Hawaii's Premiere Mixed Martial Arts event is BACK, mark
your calender as history will once again take place. Hawaii's
Baddest MMA and Kickboxing fighters will meet to square off in
one RING. WARRIORS QUEST has a reputation on bring exciting fights
and we promise to keep you entertained!!
Don't miss April 16, 2005 "RESURRECTION"
Source: Event Promoter
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Griffin
and Bonnar Steal Spotlight, Sanchez Claims TUF Crown and Franklin
Downs Shamrock
by Josh Gross
LAS VEGAS, April 9 — What Forrest Griffin and Stephan Bonnar
did tonight — when two men stand toe-to-toe, throwing punches
and kicks and knees, trying to decapitate the other; when what
happens in the ring trumps anything outside it; when two men
lift a crowd to its feet in anticipation of something great …
and then have that faith fulfilled — this is the way it’s
supposed to be.
Some
call it barbaric. I call it beautiful.
In
the best mixed martial arts fight in recent memory, Griffin and
Bonnar, competing in the finals of the inaugural “Ultimate
Fighter” reality show, each eying a UFC contract, fought
with the pace and speed of lightweights in front of a packed
Cox Pavilion on the UNLV campus.
For
the novices, the MMA neophytes who were introduced to the sport
through Spike TV’s “The Ultimate Fighter,” they
should now understand what these brave men are about. Even if
they never watch another fight again, they’ll think of this
one at some point in their lives and a chill of the spine or
a smile will result.
After
Griffin (10-2-0) was named the winner following a brutal 15 minutes,
everyone stood and cheered. Had it been Bonnar (9-2-0) —
and without much argument it could have been — they would
have done the same.
The
first round, I wrote in my notes, was the best of the card, possibly
the year. The second was “incredible, as good as the first.”
And though physically it seemed impossible for the final period
to live up to the other two, Griffin and Bonnar shared several
moments, enough to have the crowd on its feet the entire last
minute.
“It
was a great fight,” Griffin said. “Thanks Stephan.”
The
early pace was frenetic. No punch went unanswered. If the two
clinched, knees followed. “I worked on my footwork a lot,
my feints,” Bonnar said. “And sure enough after a few
minutes I bagged all that and were just swinging.”
“I
didn’t expect this,” Griffin said. “I thought
he would shoot and take me down but he’s a Golden Glove
boxer. He stayed up. That’s what he wanted to do so I did
it too.”
Though
they spent large portions of the fight on the feet, there was
skillful groundwork in spots. The only thing that could separate
them was the bell, and it came while Griffin seemed ready to
apply an armbar.
Before
the fight, Griffin talked about his love of fighting bloody.
Bonnar made that happen, popping the 26 year old in the face
in the second round, causing a stream of crimson to run from
the bridge of his nose.
“A
couple of times I caught him I was ‘oh, this is it. He’s
going. I’m going to finish him,’” Bonnar said.
“But the tough son of a bitch wouldn’t drop!”
After
a timeout to have the cut checked, the two were back at it.
“I
love a fight like that,” Griffin said. “I like to swing
for the fences and see what happens.”
The
fighters’ energy was met by the crowd’s, which stomped
the arena floor in unison when it wasn’t standing and cheering.
As
the fight headed into the final period, UFC co-owner Lorenzo
Fertitta carried a huge smile on his bearded face. It’s
believed that millions of people tonight watched Diego Sanchez’s
middleweight TUF victory, Bonnar and Griffin’s war and the
arrival of Rich Franklin.
Long
gone are memories of Zuffa’s biggest failure, UFC 33 —
their first foray into Las Vegas that fell flat in the face of
expectations. Jens Pulver and Dennis Hallman, you are forgiven.
Tito Ortiz and Vladdy Matyushenko, you too.
Goodbye
ghosts of UFC 33. You’ve been exorcised.
From
the day he entered the fighter’s house to tonight’s
season finale, there was never a doubt in Diego Sanchez knew
he would be the Ultimate Fighter. Two-minutes forty-nine seconds
after the opening bell, there was no longer a need for conjecture.
Sanchez
(15-0-0) stopped Kenny Florian (4-2-0), an upstart from Boston
who made the finals on the strength of his razor-sharp elbows,
to win the middleweight bracket of The Ultimate Fighter.
As
he’d done during the course of the 12-week show, Sanchez
imposed his will, refusing to move backwards when what he wanted
was right there in front of him.
Despite
being out-sized and out-gunned, 28-year-old Florian was hardly
out-hearted. But against Sanchez, a man resolute by the belief
that destiny brought him to this place on this night, he had
few options.
The
bout opened slowly, neither man willing to commit to the other.
Appearing at times to request that the 23-year-old Albuquerque,
New Mexico-native come to him, Florian circled while Sanchez
stood his ground in the center of the Octagon.
Soon,
Sanchez had Florian on his back, swarming the smallish middleweight
with punches. Florian tried to move his hips and create space,
but Sanchez’ non-stop aggression was too much.
From
the mount position, Sanchez pounded away, opening a sizeable
gash on the bridge of Florian’s nose. It was more of the
same until referee Steve Mazzagatti jumped in to prevent further
damage.
“My
coach (Greg Jackson) really got me mentally strong for this fight,”
Sanchez said. “I felt it was my destiny to win. I know I
caught him with one really good shot and broke his nose. Whether
I fight at 170 or 185, this is my life.”
And
in the end that was the real difference. Fighting is everything
to Sanchez. He pours his heart and soul into every fight-related
thing he does. Now, as the winner of the middleweight side of
the TUF bracket, he’s firmly entrenched in the UFC for the
next three years.
The
night’s main event was really an afterthought. Yes, it featured
one of the legends of the UFC against an up and comer who seemed
ready for the next step. But after the Bonnar-Griffin contest,
Ken Shamrock’s bout with Rich Franklin hardly had the same
appeal.
Franklin
dominated the action with his speed and striking until the referee
had to save Shamrock, 41, from further punishment, losing for
the second time in two fights at 205 pounds.
Shamrock’s
only moment of the fight, which lasted 2:44, came during an exchange
of leg locks. For a moment if appeared like he had Franklin in
some jeopardy, but the 30 year old from Cincinnati, Ohio remained
calm.
Following
a slip off a high kick, Franklin pounced on a downed Shamrock,
peppering him with several heavy shots from the half guard. Referee
John McCarthy gave Shamrock as much rope as he could, but simply
covering and absorbing blows wasn’t the “intelligent
defense” he requires of fighters.
“It
was an honor to fight [Shamrock],” Franklin said afterwards.
In
effect, the showcase in front of millions of fans was a coming
out party for Franklin, who’s heading back to 185 pounds
and a fight with middleweight champion Evan Tanner.
Source:
Sherdog
|
Quote
of the Day
"You will either step forward into growth or you will step
back into safety."
Abraham Maslow
|
Three
Championship Fights, Two New Champs Will Be Crowned!
Tonight!
There are some rumors that Niko Vitale is not coming into
the fight at 100%. These types of rumors always come up and add
to the anticipation of the fight. Inside word is that Niko and
Suda are coming into the fight at 100%. To add to the fanfare,
Niko Vitale's near invincibility in Hawaii is well documented.
He has not lost a match in Hawaii since 2001, and he has only
lost three times in his MMA career.
Super Brawl XXXIX: Destiny
Blaisdell Arena, Honolulu, Hawaii
April 9, 2005
Three
Title Belts on the Line; Thirteen Exciting Bouts in the Biggest
Event Ever.
Honolulu,
HI. March 31, 2005 - On April 9, 2005 at Honolulu's Blaisdell
Arena, Hawaii's premier M.M.A. (mixed martial arts) event series,
Super Brawl, will put on the largest event in its nine year history.
In the main event, Egan Inoue's former student, Falaniko Vitale,
looks to step from shadow of his one-time instructor as he fights
current champion Masanori Suda for possession of the 185-lb (Middleweight)
Super Brawl World Title Belt. Suda earned the 185-lb Super Brawl
Title Belt with his dominant victory over Inoue at the highly
publicized and sold-out Super Brawl XXIX on May 9, 2003. With
a win over Suda in Super Brawl XXXIX, Vitale will fulfill his
destiny of becoming Super Brawl's top fighter. The win will also
establish his position among the elite 185-lb fighters in the
world.
Super
Brawl XXXIX will also feature two other exciting title matches.
Although close friends outside the ring, Kolo Koka of Kaneohe's
Mixed Martial Arts Development academy (M.M.A.D.) will match
Harris Sarmiento of Waipahu's 808 Fight Factory for the 155-lb
(Lightweight) Super Brawl North American Title. Koka and Sarmiento
have clearly established themselves as the top two 155-lb fighters
in Hawaii. They will put friendship aside for three rounds when
they compete for the 155-lb Title at Super Brawl XXXIX: Destiny.
In the other title match, Grappling Unlimited's Justin Mercado,
a former Golden Gloves boxer who also successfully competes in
Super Brawl, will compete against 808 Fight Factory's Jim Kikuchi
for the 145-lb (Featherweight) Super Brawl Hawaii State Championship.
Keiki
Exhibition MMA: Triston Prebia (Waipahu) vs. Tristan Kamaka (808
Fight Factory, Waipahu)
170-lb
Kickboxing: Bryson Kamaka (808 Fight Factory, Waipahu) vs. Allan
Ulip (Animal House, Ewa)
135-lb
Kickboxing: John Low (Honolulu) vs. Tony Rodriguez (Team Big
Dogs, Ewa)
135-lb
Kickboxing: Tyson Nam (Honolulu) vs. Jumar Dumalao (808 Fight
Factory, Waipahu)
205-lb
MMA: Tama Satele (Waipahu) vs. Rob Chong (Kaneohe)
205-lb
MMA: Kala Kolohe Hose (Waianae) vs. Reese Andy (Washington)
135-lb
MMA: Harvey Nakamura (Grappling Unlimited, Honolulu) vs. Mark
Oshiro (Bull's Pen, Honolulu)
135-lb
MMA: Albert Manners (Puna Boyz, Puna) vs. Ryan Lee (Bull's Pen,
Honolulu)
170-lb
MMA: Malik Williams (Puna Boyz, Puna) vs. K.J. Noons (City Boxing,
Washington)
170-lb
MMA: Mark Moreno (Bull's Pen, Honolulu) vs. Kevin Barber (Alaska)
155lbs
Super Brawl North American Title
Kultar Gill (Gibson Pankration, Canada) vs. Harris Sarmiento
(808 Fight Factory, Waipahu)
145lbs
Super Brawl Hawaii State Championship Title
Justin Mercado (Grappling Unlimited, Honolulu) vs. Jim Kikuchi
(808 Fight Factory, Waipahu)
185lbs
Super Brawl World Title
Masanori Suda (Club J, Japan) vs. Falaniko Vitale (808 Fight
Factory, Waipahu)
|
Fights
On Pay Per View In Hawaii
April 9, Sat
Ultimate Fighter Final Episode at 5:30 pm Hawaii time on channel
559 Spike
3:00 pm for the middleweight semi final replay
April 16, Sat
11:30-1:30 HST K-1 Dynamite with Royce vs Akebono
2:30-3:30 HST King of the Cage: Fists of Fury on channel 701
4:00 pm HST UFC 52 starts at 4:00 pm on channel 701
|
SILVA
TALKS ABOUT THE ULTIMATE FIGHTER
With the reality show season finale coming up live on tomorrow
night on Spike TV and the UFC 52 card set for a week later on
April 16th, Joe Silva has been a busy man.
The
UFC matchmaker had mixed emotions about doing a reality show
on Spike TV. He recently spoke with MMAWeekly about "The
Ultimate Fighter," the possibility of a season two, and
the season finale featuring the two bouts for the UFC contracts
and a main event between Ken Shamrock and Rich Franklin.
"I
told people for years the only chance the sport has to grow is
to get on TV.....but it was also scary when you've got TV because
it could also be the nail in the coffin. If you do a TV show
and it flops terribly, does that mean it's not viable? Does it
convince people it's not, and then it's over, so I'm thrilled
to see how well that it's done, and it's doing great." Silva
told MMAWeekly.
Further
commenting, Joe said, "It's very hard when you do reality
TV. You could have it where all the fights suck. If you get a
bunch of guys who clam up on TV. We've had that happen to the
regular show. People who were hilarious talking on the phone,
but you put a camera in front of them and they're like duh, duh,
duh. You know? Sometimes it's the people who seem quiet to you
actually are really good personality wise on TV, so until you
do it, you don't know. You do need a certain amount of luck."
Joe
was questioned about the way the fighters have conducted themselves
on television, and how they've represented the sport of Mixed
Martial Arts. Joe replied, "I think I know what you're talking
about. I mean you always get the criticism of people going oh
you're showing ultimate fighters as a bunch of drunken retards,
or whatever. What people are missing is these guys aren't ultimate
fighters. They're trying to be that.
The
ultimate fighters on the show are Randy Couture and Chuck Liddell,
and they act like professionals and carry themselves with dignity.
These are young guys trying to get to their level, and they're
going to make mistakes. They're going to have problems, and it's
about them trying to grow up and get to that level."
Silva
addressed a possible second season of "The Ultimate Fighter."
He said, "I would think there would be, but nothing is done
as far as I know. We'll just have to see. Depends on what kind
of deal they can cut, and if it makes sense to all sides. I think
it's a very cool thing. I really like the way that it's turned
out. I'd like to see a second season."
Source:
MMA Weekly
|
Master
Oswaldo Fadda dies at age 84
It was buried last Sunday, April 3, legendary Jiu-Jitsu Master
Oswaldo Fadda. At age 84, he suffered from Alzheimer's disease
and he didn't resist to bacteria pneumonia and passed away last
Friday, April 1. Living in Bento Ribeiro, Rio de Janeiro's suburbs,
Fadda learned Jiu-Jitsu with França Filho, who with Carlos
Gracie, was pupil of Conde Koma, the man who brought Jiu-Jitsu
to Brazil.
Oswaldo
Fadda commanded a legion of students in Rio de Janeiro and also
proposed a public challenge to Hélio Gracie's academy,
in early 50's. He wanted to prove Jiu-Jitsu was not a privilege
of a family. The challenge was held at Gracie academy and one
of Fadda's pupil, José Guimarães, "put to
sleep" Leônidas, a fighter from Gracie academy. His
pupils surprised Hélio's ones with feet-locks. So comes
from there the expression about the fight technique: "Suburban
move". By that time, Master Hélio also complimented
Fadda's pupils performances on the mat: "It's needed to
exist a Fadda to show Jiu-Jitsu does not belong just to Gracie",
Hélio said in interview to Revista do Esporte, a sport
publication, in January of 1955.
According
to his grand-daughter, Camille Fadda, besides all sadness into
Fadda's family, Master's burial was fulfilled of honor tributes.
"I am still emotional, but I was so happy to see many of
his students at the cemetery, doing their tribute and saying
so long to Fadda," Camille stated.
Source:
Tatame
|
FIGHTER
PROFILE: KEN SHAMROCK
There are
a select few athletes whose names are synonymous with their sport
so much though that they are inseparable of each other. Boxing
has Muhammad Ali, basketball has Michael Jordan, hockey has Wayne
Gretzky, and MMA has Ken Shamrock. Sure over the last few years
Shamrock has appeared more in a wrestling ring than he has an
MMA ring/cage, but there is no mistake, when the general public
hears the term “MMA” more often than not the first
name out of their mouths is Shamrock’s.
Few
fighters in our sport have had the longevity that Shamrock has.
He competed in what is widely considered the first two MMA organizations,
making his debut at the very first Pancrase show in 1993, Shamrock
was an instant crowd favorite with his massive sculptured physique
and intense attitude. Then when an upstart organization named
the UFC came into being wanting the most diverse set of fighters
ever assembled for an event they called upon Shamrock to bring
his “shoot fighting” style into the octagon. It was
there that long before he became known as “The World’s
Most Dangerous Man” that the true legend of Ken Shamrock
began.
In
his first fight in the UFC Shamrock quickly displayed the Pancrase
style leglocks that he would become known for, eliminating Pat
Smith before facing the UFC’s other biggest legend Royce
Gracie in the next round of the tournament format. In what would
become the signature match-up of the early days of MMA, Gracie
managed to outmaneuver the larger Shamrock defeating Ken on Royce’s
way to the first of three tournament titles in the UFC. With
the loss however Shamrock’s stock skyrocketed, instantly
becoming a marketing centerpiece for the UFC along with Gracie
leading to their highly anticipated rematch at UFC 5.
After
spending time in Pancrase dispatching the likes of fellow MMA
legends Maurice Smith, Masakatsu Funaki and Bas Rutten, Shamrock
returned in a superfight against Gracie, a first of its kind
for the fledgling UFC. After over 30 minutes of grueling battle
it became clear that Shamrock had learned from their initial
bout, fighting Gracie to a draw. The legends would never again
face each other but Shamrock would continue to match up against
fighters that would become legends themselves. Shamrock would
capture the UFC Superfight Championship defeating tournament
champion Dan Severn in their first bout at UFC 6, he would then
go on to defend the title drawing against Oleg Taktarov and defeating
Kimo before losing the title to Severn at UFC 9. After defeating
Brian Johnson in his next UFC appearance it would be the last
time that Shamrock would step into the octagon for nearly five
years.
After
spending much of the next four years pro wrestling for the likes
of Antonio Inoki’s New Japan Pro Wrestling and the then
World Wrestling Federation (where he earned his dubious nickname),
Shamrock decided it was time to return to the sport that made
him initially famous. However this time he would not be fighting
for his familiar haunts of the UFC and Pancrase, instead he would
be making his return to the fastest growing MMA company of the
time, Pride Fighting Championships.
In
his return bout Shamrock knocked out fellow former pro wrestler
Alexander Otsuka at Pride’s final round show of their first
ever Grand Prix, it became the first time Shamrock had ever knocked
out an opponent in his career. Then upon his second bout it seemed
as if Shamrock was well on his way to collecting a second straight
KO victory as he faced “Japanese Iron Head” Kazuyuki
Fujita at Pride 10. Having staggered Fujita with a series of
punches, knocking out Fujita’s mouthpiece in the process,
Shamrock had Fujita down on the canvas, but alas due to Shamrock’s
biggest weakness, a lack of conditioning, he could not continue
due exhaustion.
Shamrock
would next snap up a quick victory in his next fight out of Pride
before returning to face fellow former UFC legend Don Frye at
Pride 19. In what was billed as “Bad Blood” due to
the intensity level of the participants, the two battled it out
to a split decision in favor of Frye who managed to drop Shamrock
during an exchange but found himself amidst a painful signature
Shamrock heel hook as the fight ended. After taking time off
to recover from the battle against Frye, Shamrock would return
to the famed octagon once again to face yet another personal
challenge.
In
late 2002 Shamrock’s popularity with fans was further cemented
when he faced off against reigning UFC badboy Tito Ortiz for
the Light-heavyweight Championship at UFC 40. Up until that point
the Zuffa era of the UFC had difficulty matching the success
of early UFCs in which Shamrock competed under old ownership.
With Shamrock’s return the PPV buy rates soared to a then
high for Zuffa, showing that Ken was indeed still a viable commodity
with the company. Unfortunately his in-cage performance could
not match the show’s financial performance as it seemed
years of nagging injuries finally caught up with Shamrock as
he was dominated by Ortiz over three rounds culminating with
Shamrock’s inability to come out for a fourth. It appeared
that Shamrock may have finally succumb to the effects of age
and decline, but again as he had shown in his comeback in 2000,
there was more excellence remaining in the old lion yet.
In
2003 Ken was slated to face UFC veteran Ian Freeman in a heavyweight
battle at UFC 43 but was unable to compete due to injury, after
spending much of the year rehabbing, Shamrock was ready to return
in 2004 against old foe Kimo at UFC 48. Against Kimo it was clear
that Shamrock was healthier than he had been in years, he appeared
quicker, sharper, and all around more comfortable with his surroundings
as he dispatched his old foe in just over a minute with an unconventional
Shamrock weapon, the Thai knee. After further injury rehab and
contract issues, a proposed rematch with Ortiz fell by the wayside,
but now in 2005, the Lion’s Den leader returns to prove
to the world he’s still as dangerous as he ever was.
At
the upcoming The Ultimate Fighter television show finals, Shamrock
will be facing a young star on the cusp of becoming the next
big thing for the UFC, Rich Franklin. Over the last few years
Franklin has continued to become more and more impressive (minus
his “speed bump” in Japan in late 2003), a fact which
will not be lost on the veteran Shamrock. Ken himself has shown
that early knocks on his training style, constantly working with
the same people, was only temporary as he’s branched out
over the last few years to grow with the sport that has left
so many of Ken’s contemporaries behind. It is this diversification
that could be the key to outlasting the younger and presumably
hungrier Franklin who continues to edge closer to a title shot.
To
defeat Franklin, Shamrock must overcome his conditioning issues,
as Franklin has shown, he can go a full hard 3 rounds and still
have enough in reserve to finish a fight. Shamrock must not allow
Rich to outlast him and use a weary Shamrock’s pride against
him as Ken has never been one to back down and conserve himself
even in the face of adversity. If Ken can keep his cool and work
smartly out of trouble, his experience may just overcome Franklin
who at times himself has left openings but up until now has not
faced many fighters who could exploit his weaknesses.
More
is at stake in this fight than just mainstream television exposure,
the winner could easily see themselves facing the winner of the
upcoming UFC Light-heavyweight Championship fight at UFC 52.
With the division currently going through an overhaul in talent,
anyone with an established base in the division can quickly make
a case for themselves if they perform well. For Shamrock this
could mean a chance to do something none of the former 1st generation
MMA stars have done, put a championship shine on the twilight
of a career that has already made him a legend and further it
just a little bit longer. A loss and we could be seeing the beginning
of the end of one of the most storied careers in the sport, but
if Shamrock has anything to say about it, if he goes out, he’ll
go out fighting, just as he always has.
Source:
MMA Weekly
|
FIGHTER
PROFILE: RICH FRANKLIN
He only
has one loss in his career and he has the talent to be a top
10 fighter in two weight divisions. The latest installment of
Rich Franklin, the fighter at 205 pounds will return to his "old"
weight class on the biggest stage he has ever been in, in his
fight career.
Franklin
is one of the more exciting fighters in MMA. He has NEVER gone
to a decision in his entire career. The one knock against him
though is the fact that he hasn't fought in front of millions
of people on Spike TV and has never been a main event fighter
on any card, let alone the biggest card in UFC history on free
television. Shamrock has had the type of experience in both MMA
and the WWE.
Rich
Franklin has never lost in the famed UFC Octagon. He took out
Jorge Rivera in a true "War of 04" at UFC 50. He made
short work of Edwin Dewees at UFC 44, and Franklin is one of
two fighters that has finished Evan Tanner.
Franklin
who is 16-1 in MMA has finally focused on being a "full
time" fighter and now that he has eight fights left on his
current UFC deal, he has the ability to fight at either 205 or
185 which is good in terms of future fights for the UFC.
When
you break down his upcoming fight with Ken Shamrock, the major
advantage he has over Shamrock is his striking ability. He has
the ability to get the legend out of there if the fight stays
on his feet.
Franklin
is the superior striker and probably has even better jiu-jitsu
skills then Shamrock. The other advantage Franklin has over Shamrock
is cardio at this stage of his career.
The
one thing that concerns both Franklin and his camp, is the weight
disadvantage he will have in this fight. Yes Franklin on Wednesday
in Las Vegas weighed 215. But he has been an accordion in weight
cutting and weight gaining flip-flopping from 185 to 205 pounds
for the past two years. Will that have an affect on him? MMAWeekly
Radio host Frank Trigg said it could, especially his cardio.
(Trigg will go into more detail today on MMAWeekly Radio).
Bottom
line. Rich Franklin is the younger fighter, he is at this time
in the prime of his career, and has more weapons that the old
veteran, the 40 year old Ken Shamrock. Does he have the nerves
and emotions to deal with his first main event in front of millions
of people? We find out tomorrow night on national TV.
Source:
MMA Weekly
|
Sanford
is Ready
Tomorrow Chris Sanford fights Josh Koscheck. However in Chris'
mind it will not be Koscheck that he will be fighting, but instead
a stereotype super-imposed on him by the show. Randy Couture
opted to have Leben return despite the fact that Leben had already
had his chance in the cage and lost. The logical matchup would
be for Sanford to fight Jason Thacker since neither man were
given a chance to fight on the show. Suprise, suprise, Thacker
will be fighting Leben. (can't risk 3 losses in a row for Leben).
Sanford is a formidable striker so "let's give him the wrestler".
Coincidence? You be the judge. Sanford is used to having the
cards stacked against him and still coming out on top. Everything
looks setup nicely, but Sanford might be more than a stereotype.
Source:
Gracie Fighter
|
INTERVIEW
WITH DUANE “BANG” LUDWIG
Q: What do you know about your opponent for ROF 16?
A: What I know about Sam Morgan is that his ground skills are
really good and from what tape I have seen of him, he always
comes to fight.
Q:
How long have you been training for this fight?
A: With this fight being my MMA return, I started training earlier
than usual so for this particular bout, I've been training for
a few months now.
Q:
What game plan do you have?
A: Right now, there is no real game plan but I can tell you this,
I will no longer be considered just a striker. My MMA skills
as a whole have evolved.
Q:
What was the number one factor that made you decide to become
a fighter?
A: The #1 factor that made me a fighter is the way God drew up
my wiring diagram in his workshop up in Heaven because I have
always wanted to be a fighter, I grew up fighting.
Q:
Who has been your toughest or most memorable fight?
A: Good question, I have had a lot of wars, especially with Genki
Sudo in the UFC. That was a very tough fight, but so was my fight
with Ole Laursen in the K-1 MAX North American Qualifier. So
there is no single toughest fight, but my most memorable fight
was against Jens Pulver because there was so much behind it all.
That was my first world title victory and just the way it went
down. It was a really good time up in Canada, I had BAS there,
my manager Sven Bean, my buddy Christian, my boxing coach Trevor
and a lot of friends from California were up there too. It was
just a crazy night for us all.
Q:
What are your goals in the sport?
A: My goals have changed in the last year because I have already
won 2 world titles in 2 different sports, so I tried to find
a new motivation for fighting after that.† First, I just
wanted to make money, but that wasn't much of a motivator for
me.† I went through a little soul searching at one point
and realized what mattered most to me and that was my own happiness.†
I'm happy that I get up early and train before work, work 8 hours
as an electrician so I am securing my future, then train again
at night. That is what makes me feel good inside. I love working
and training. Then the actual fighting is the bonus on top of
it all, I get to put my skills to the test, save a little money
and feel like I'm the man for a night.
Q:
Who is your favorite fighter of all time?
A: My favorite fighter of all time in BAS RUTTEN.
Q:
If you could fight anyone, who would it be and why?
A: I'd really like to kick the S**T out of Manny Reyes, but he
won't take the fight. He was offered the fight 2 times now and
both times he said no. Looks like he is all talk. One thing for
sure though, I'll see him one day.
Q:
What are your hobbies?
A: Everyone knows what hobbies BANG has, "do you like how
I referred to myself in the 3rd person?" training and spending
time with my wife.
Q:
What is in your CD/MP3 player right now?
A: Right now I have the Rocky Sound Track in my truck's CD player.
Q:
What is one thing that would surprise ROF fans to learn about
you?
A: Surprising fact about BANG? Probably that I am really nice
and very easy to get along with, but I joke around a lot so people
take it wrong at times and think that I am being a dick, but
I'm not.
Q:
UFO's... fact or fiction?
A: UFO's? Fiction man. That would be some cool shit though. Fighting
out of the 7th Galaxy, Representing the Alien's Lair, Coagular
"THE MORTAL EATER" Mutopar.
Q:
Who wins in this MMA match: BIGFOOT or The Abominable SNOW MAN?
A: Bigfoot bro, the Snow would pull a hamstring trying to warm
up.
Q:
Any one you would like to thank?
A: SOME THANKS TO MY LOCAL SPONSORS, EAS SPORTS SUPPLEMENTS,
TODD CADWELL AT HEALTH WITHIN FAMILY CHIROPRACTIC, BROTHER'S
BBQ, PROFILE AUTOBODY, XS ENERGY DRINK, GLCDIRECT.COM, SPRAWL
FIGHT SHORTS, KTFO.TV, REAL FIGHT GEAR, BASRUTTEN.TV, NHBFIGHTS.COM,
DUANEBANGLUDWIG.COM, SVEN BEAN AND JESUS.
Source:
MMA Weekly
|
ROYLER
SPEAKS
Australian
journalist Adam Orlowski recently interviewed Royler Gracie while
Gracie was in Australia. Here's what Royler had to say:
AO:
Welcome to Adelaide Royler.
Royler:
Thank you.
AO:
Can you start by giving us a bit of your competitive history?
Royler:
Sure thing Adam. Well, I have been competing in BJJ tournaments
since I was 6 years old, but I never took BJJ seriously until
I was about 17. I never believed I would become a good fighter,
because I was so skinny, weak and scrawny. It took me a very
long time before I realized I could become good at BJJ. I used
to go to the gym with my brothers and fathers and just play football
(soccer) all day long, while they all wrestled on the mats. I
thought they were crazy. But, one day I realized I could tap
out all my brothers and not even try that hard. It gave me a
lot of confidence and I just started training more and more,
until I became a world champion.
AO:
How about the Vale Tudo part?
Royler:
Well, I started competing in Vale Tudo fights in the mid-90's,
to test myself as a fighter. I felt that I had accomplished all
I could as a BJJ fighter and submission wrestler, so with the
help of my brothers, I started to train for Vale Tudo. I was
offered a big amount of money to fight in Japan and since I could
not attract sponsorship in Brazil for my BJJ fighting, I decided
to take up Vale Tudo, full time as a fighter. You know how it
is, you have a wife and kids to feed, so you go where the money
is. Since then, I have been fighting and teaching full time.
AO:
Did you give up competing in BJJ, when you started fighting MMA?
Royler:
No, I competed for a few more years still, just not as often.
I just got too old to be the best in the world at BJJ, and I
needed new challenges in my life, by 1999.
AO:
So you stopped competing in BJJ, in 1999?
Royler:
Yes and no. You see, I stopped competing in the Mundials, but
started competing in the Abu Dhabi Submission Championships instead.
AO:
How long have you been competing in BJJ for?
Royler:
I competed from the ages of 6 years to 33 years. I'm 39 years
old now, so I guess in total, going by my brother Royce's calculations,
I've been doing BJJ for 40 years, hahahaha.
AO:
Do you prefer fighting in MMA or BJJ more?
Royler:
Definitely BJJ. It's where my heart lies, and it's what my life
is all about. BJJ has given me everything I have today, MMA is
just an athletic pursuit that pays me a lot of money now.
AO:
What was your career highlight?
Royler:
Winning my first BJJ world championship. I was so proud, I couldn't
even talk after I won. I was not just proud for myself either,
I was proud for my father, my family, my training partners and
all my supporters. I will never forget that moment.
AO:
What's the worst decision you made in your career?
Royler:
Hahaha, well, that's very, very, very easy. It was last year.
I was surfing in the Maldives (Small group of tropical islands,
of the southwest coast of India) with some friends of mine and
I got a call from a K-1 representative asking me if I'd like
to fight in a few weeks time, because they were looking for a
new opponent for Genki Sudo. I wasn't interested in fighting
MMA for them, so I said no. He said what would it cost to get
me to fight? I told him an insane amount of money and he laughed
and hung up the phone. I told everyone about this and they all
laughed their ass off at the amount I just asked for. Anyway,
20 minutes later, the guy called me back and said "No Problems",
I told the man that there was no way possible, that I'd accept
the fight on that short notice. He then offered even more money
again. Shit man, there's no way I could refuse that!!!
The
reason why this was so stupid though, is because I didn't prepare
well, I didn't take Genki seriously and I didn't take myself
seriously. I made a bad effort in preparing for that fight and
I was simply sucked in to taking a fight, that there was no way
of winning. I cheated myself in accepting that fight. I am very
regretful for that. My father taught me better than that and
I suffered the consequences of that poor decision, by being knocked
out. I was very lucky that the referee stopped Genki in that
fight, because he could have given me brain damage if he kept
on smashing my head in, like that, hahahahahaha. I believe you
should never fight Vale Tudo/MMA without being paid well, but
you should also never accept a fight without being well prepared.
Especially when fighting very good opponents.
AO:
What's your advice to those thinking of fighting MMA for the
first time?
Royler:
Some things to consider:
*
Don't go in to Vale Tudo fights unless you have prepared by training
for at least 9 months, for 5 days or more per week.
*
Don't do it if you are trying to prove that you're a tough guy.
Just doing MMA training makes you a braver man that 99% of the
rest.
*
Make sure you have a good trainer, who has your interests at
heart, not just the image of your club/team/your trainer's ego.
*
Don't be fooled that you won't get hurt, Vale Tudo contests often
end with broken hands, jaws, arms and legs. This is a very tough
sport and has a history of promoters not willing to take care
of fighter medical costs/injuries.
*
Only about 20 fighters in the entire world get paid very well.
Most professional fighters get paid about the same per year as
a call centre worker. If you want to make lots of money, become
a boxer, lawyer, or make pornography.
*
If you can, try some amateur MMA or Pancrase fights first. There
is no point in jumping in at the deep end if you don't have to.
Fighting with pads, in an event where there's about 10 people
watching, is invaluable experience, as you can learn to get rid
of those first time nerves, while being in a relatively safe
area.
AO:
Were you made to compete in BJJ as a kid?
Royler:
No, my father never cared if I competed or not. He hoped I became
good at football (soccer), but insisted I do some sort of sport,
for my health and fitness. There was never any pressure as a
child to even do BJJ, I just joined in because it was fun to
jump around on the mats.
AO:
What were the family expectations of you, from competitions when
you were younger?
Royler:
When I was 10, my father said to me that he'd give me $20.00
if I won my tournament and $40.00 if I lost my first fight. I
didn't understand this at the time, but later on in life, I realized
that losing is just as valuable as winning, because you learn
something new from every challenge you face in life.
AO:
What Age Were You When You Received Your Black Belt?
Royler:
I was 18 years old.
AO:
Why not when you were any younger?
Royler:
Because we don't give Black Belts to those under 18. They have
a different belt and grading system for youth and children. We
don't believe a child should ever receive a black belt, as it
gives that child a false sense of security in defending themselves
in a real life dangerous situation. Children should be taught
that no matter how good they are as a competitor, they should
not try to fight an adult. I find that seeing an 8-year old with
a black belt in a Karate or Ninjitsu dojo is very sad. Because
they are really setting that child up to be grossly disappointed
when faced with an actual dangerous situation, or fight on the
street, because they will be horribly hurt by any attacker. I
believe we all have a responsibility as adults and educators,
to teach our children better than that.
AO:
What's in your near future?
Royler:
I will be fighting in the next Abu Dhabi and I will fight 2 or
3 more Vale Tudo fights in the next year or two. After that,
I will retire. I'm getting too old for all this now and it's
soon going to be time, to hand over the knowledge and opportunity
for all my young fighters to take advantage of.
AO:
What do you plan to do with your time, once you've retired from
fighting?
Royler:
I will continue to teach children at my academy in Brazil, as
well as privately train fighters each morning. I will also travel
a bit more, doing seminars, and attempt to keep spreading Gracie
Jiu-Jitsu around the world. I would like to help many of my students
go on to become champions now, in both Vale Tudo fighting and
BJJ.
AO:
How do you deal with students who go too hard in training?
Royler:
I don't really have that problem, as I reinforce the fact that
training must always be fun, about the technical, the basic elements,
and relaxed nature of BJJ. I believe if you always start lessons
off by telling the students to not go hard, just concentrate
on the technique, you will avoid having this problem. Trainers
who allow their students to go too hard, will face the difficulties
of lower attendance, as getting injuries stops people from training,
or being in the mind-set of regularly coming to training, unless
feeling 100% fit. My students only ever go hard when training
for a tournament, even then though, they don't go that hard.
BJJ is about being aware and thinking two steps ahead of where
you are. Rushing and using all your power to throw your opponent
around won't lead you to becoming good at what you do, learning
to set up your opponent will.
AO:
Why do Brazilian fighters always thank Jesus so much, after winning?
Royler:
Because you must always pay homage to Rickson... hahahahaha,
just kidding. It's because many people are religious in Brazil.
AO:
Outside of BJJ and Vale Tudo, what are your major passions?
Royler:
My family and surfing. Sometimes I honestly question in what
order those are, too. Hahahahahaha.
AO:
What defines a truly "great" fighter?
Royler:
Far more than what he does in the ring. A truly "great"
fighter should be able to teach to others everything that he
learns. He should give his time to give advice to children, and
he should represent himself and his trainers with respect. Anyone
can be good at throwing a punch, but it takes a much bigger man
to teach others how to throw, when to throw, why not to throw...
you know what I mean?
AO:
Have you trained in other styles of martial arts?
Royler:
Yes, a little of many different martial arts. Apart from BJJ
though, wrestling and boxing is all that I train in. They are
the most useful for my fights, especially the boxing.
AO:
Why did you start Brazilian jiu-jitsu?
Royler:
Because everyone else in my family did it. I grew up around the
sport, and apart from football (soccer), there really wasn't
much else to do when I was growing up.
AO:
What do you think the differences are, in the way Australians
train BJJ compared to Brazilians?
Royler:
You Aussies seem very serious, and very structured with your
classes. You all seem to train very hard and your cardio is a
bit better than Brazilians of the same belt level are. Brazilians
tend to train a bit slower, but for a longer period of time.
We train six or seven days a week though, and seem more focused
on BJJ as a sport. Many Australians do it as part of a Vale Tudo
curriculum. Take your club for example, Adam, (ABS Extreme Combat):
You guys offer BJJ classes five times a week, but only three
of those are sport BJJ classes. The other two are from a Vale
Tudo style of training. Many of the students here are training
BJJ, but you are the only one who competes in it. The others
do it because it makes their Vale Tudo skills more rounded.
In
Brazil, not as many people work full time, so we can take much
more time with our BJJ training. Don't forget, many people live
in poverty in Brazil, unlike Australia. BJJ gives many poor people,
especially the youth, a chance to do something constructive with
their spare time. In general, in Brazil, classes teach more about
creativity in your game, not just perfecting a standard stock
of moves, positions, and reversals. Our style of BJJ, in Brazil,
is a little different to that in Australia, though. It often
has to be, as Australians are much bigger and heavier than most
Brazilians.
AO:
What is your view on the amount of politics in BJJ?
Royler:
I think it's bad that it's already gone the way it has. I don't
really like it. We have instructors here in Australia that tell
their students where they can and can't go. Hell, they threaten
to ban them from the club if they go to certain places to train,
or go to certain seminars, if it's not being held at their gym.
It's really sad, and it totally goes against what these head
instructors/managers have been told and trained to do. I always
tell my students to feel free to try all different clubs and
trainers. Everyone should try different gyms until they find
the one that suits them best. You won't ever reach your full
potential under an instructor who wants to keep you there and
take your money. If my student does not enjoy himself, he should
find someone else to train him, which more suits his own needs.
There is nothing wrong with this.
AO:
What two movie stars would you like to see in an MMA Bout?
Royler:
I don't really care, so long as I get to fight them, hahaha.
AO:
What's your thoughts on BJJ trainer Bruno Panno?
Royler:
Bruno is a great BJJ teacher and fighter, but don't you ever
let him fool you, because his surfing is even worse than his
English. I mean it, seriously. I think he just walks to the beach,
surf board under his arm, and then just stands in front of the
water and day-dreams. He is a very bad surfer compared to me.
Hahahahaha, but seriously, Bruno is a wonderful BJJ trainer and
he's one of the best in the world at what he does. Anyone who
trains with him is very lucky and will learn more than they ever
expected. His current students are perfect examples of that.
AO:
Thanks for your time Royler.
Royler:
Thank you very much.
Source:
Fight Sport
|
Quote
of the Day
"Our deepest fear is NOT that we are inadequate. Our deepest
fear is that we are powerful beyond measure. It is our light,
not our darkness, that most frightens us. We ask ourselves, "Who
am I to be brilliant, gorgeous, talented and fabulous?"
Actually, who are you not to be? You are a child of God; your
playing small doesn't serve the world. There is nothing enlightened
about shrinking so that other people won't feel insecure around
you."
Marianne Williamson 1952-, American Author, Lecturer on Spirituality
|
Baret
Yoshida
Finally Officially Invited to the Abu Dhabi Submission Grappling
World Championships!
U -66 KG
#1 Leo Vieira 2003 World Champion (Brazil)
#2 Wagney Fabiano Brazilian Qualifier (Brazil)
#3 Javier Vazquez North American Qualifier (USA)
#4 Toni Kroger European Qualifier (Finland)
#5 Tetsu Suzuki Japanese Qualifier (Japan)
#6 Eugene Hynson Australian Qualifier (New Zealand)
#7 Eddie Bravo (USA)
#8 Joey Gilbert (USA)
#9 Baret
Yoshida (USA)
#10 Marcio Feitosa (Brazil)
#11 Marcos 'Parrumpinha' DaMatta (Brazil)
#12 Jani Lax (Finland)
Source:
ADCC
|
Three
Championship Fights, Two New Champs Will Be Crowned!
There are some rumors that Niko Vitale is not coming into
the fight at 100%. These types of rumors always come up and add
to the anticipation of the fight. Inside word is that Niko and
Suda are coming into the fight at 100%. To add to the fanfare,
Niko Vitale's near invincibility in Hawaii is well documented.
He has not lost a match in Hawaii since 2001, and he has only
lost three times in his MMA career.
Super Brawl XXXIX: Destiny
Blaisdell Arena, Honolulu, Hawaii
April 9, 2005
Three
Title Belts on the Line; Thirteen Exciting Bouts in the Biggest
Event Ever.
Honolulu,
HI. March 31, 2005 - On April 9, 2005 at Honolulu's Blaisdell
Arena, Hawaii's premier M.M.A. (mixed martial arts) event series,
Super Brawl, will put on the largest event in its nine year history.
In the main event, Egan Inoue's former student, Falaniko Vitale,
looks to step from shadow of his one-time instructor as he fights
current champion Masanori Suda for possession of the 185-lb (Middleweight)
Super Brawl World Title Belt. Suda earned the 185-lb Super Brawl
Title Belt with his dominant victory over Inoue at the highly
publicized and sold-out Super Brawl XXIX on May 9, 2003. With
a win over Suda in Super Brawl XXXIX, Vitale will fulfill his
destiny of becoming Super Brawl's top fighter. The win will also
establish his position among the elite 185-lb fighters in the
world.
Super
Brawl XXXIX will also feature two other exciting title matches.
Although close friends outside the ring, Kolo Koka of Kaneohe's
Mixed Martial Arts Development academy (M.M.A.D.) will match
Harris Sarmiento of Waipahu's 808 Fight Factory for the 155-lb
(Lightweight) Super Brawl North American Title. Koka and Sarmiento
have clearly established themselves as the top two 155-lb fighters
in Hawaii. They will put friendship aside for three rounds when
they compete for the 155-lb Title at Super Brawl XXXIX: Destiny.
In the other title match, Grappling Unlimited's Justin Mercado,
a former Golden Gloves boxer who also successfully competes in
Super Brawl, will compete against 808 Fight Factory's Jim Kikuchi
for the 145-lb (Featherweight) Super Brawl Hawaii State Championship.
Keiki
Exhibition MMA: Triston Prebia (Waipahu) vs. Tristan Kamaka (808
Fight Factory, Waipahu)
170-lb
Kickboxing: Bryson Kamaka (808 Fight Factory, Waipahu) vs. Allan
Ulip (Animal House, Ewa)
135-lb
Kickboxing: John Low (Honolulu) vs. Tony Rodriguez (Team Big
Dogs, Ewa)
135-lb
Kickboxing: Tyson Nam (Honolulu) vs. Jumar Dumalao (808 Fight
Factory, Waipahu)
205-lb
MMA: Tama Satele (Waipahu) vs. Rob Chong (Kaneohe)
205-lb
MMA: Kala Kolohe Hose (Waianae) vs. Reese Andy (Washington)
135-lb
MMA: Harvey Nakamura (Grappling Unlimited, Honolulu) vs. Mark
Oshiro (Bull's Pen, Honolulu)
135-lb
MMA: Albert Manners (Puna Boyz, Puna) vs. Ryan Lee (Bull's Pen,
Honolulu)
170-lb
MMA: Malik Williams (Puna Boyz, Puna) vs. K.J. Noons (City Boxing,
Washington)
170-lb
MMA: Mark Moreno (Bull's Pen, Honolulu) vs. Kevin Barber (Alaska)
155lbs
Super Brawl North American Title
Kultar Gill (Gibson Pankration, Canada) vs. Harris Sarmiento
(808 Fight Factory, Waipahu)
145lbs
Super Brawl Hawaii State Championship Title
Justin Mercado (Grappling Unlimited, Honolulu) vs. Jim Kikuchi
(808 Fight Factory, Waipahu)
185lbs
Super Brawl World Title
Masanori Suda (Club J, Japan) vs. Falaniko Vitale (808 Fight
Factory, Waipahu)
|
Kickin
It is Back On April 15th!
WHAT-KICKIN IT 2005 PART II (AMATEUR KICKBOXING)
WHEN-APRIL 15, 2005 (FRIDAY) DOORS OPEN AT 6:30 P.M.
WHERE-KAPOLEI HIGH SCHOOL GYMNASIUM
KONA MEYERS 50# TBA
HSD ADVANCED KENPO
GORDON BERRY 165-170# NICK TIQUI
HAWAII TRAINING CENTER ANIMAL HOUSE
DAHWEN BRIGHT 58-72# KYLIE ROMERO
HSD HMC
ALAKAI AKAKA 115-120# JORDAN ARILIANO
ADVANCED KENPO HMC
JAYLIN MEYERS 90-95# COBY LUM
HSD OAHU KENPO
JUSTIN DANO 155-160# VINNIE DELASANTOS
HSD TEAM SOLJAHS
DALE KAMAI 170-175 BRYAN INGRAM
TEAM SOLJAHS HAWAII TRAINING CENTER
MIKE UBILIS 125# KOICHI TANJI
WAIANAE KICKBOXING HMC
KAIKA CHOYFOO 165# BENJI ENDLESS RODRIGUES
JESUS IS LORD HSD
AIKA SAMSON 135-140# NUI WHEELER
ANIMAL HOUSE TEAM SOLJAHS
KYLIE DELACRUZ 100-110# SAGE YOSHIDA
HSD HMC
ROBBIE OSTOVICH 80-85# BRANDON IMADA
JESUS IS LORD ADVANCED KENPO
RED DAVIS 135# IKAIKA BULLOCK
ANIMAL HOUSE HSD
LENA DELACRUZ 110-115# LANDON LUM
HSD OAHU KENPO
ALL MATCHES MAY BE SUBJECT TO CHANGE
Source: Event Promoter
|
Shaolin
fights at Rumble
on the Rock
Vítor Shaolin gets ready to fight in Hawaii. On May 7,
Nova União black belt faces Hawaiian Harry Sarmiento, who has fought 23 times. He's won
15 and lost 8. "He is such a tough guy and a little taller
than me. It's going to be a great fight," Shaolin said.
He will have his teammate Renato Charuto fighting by his side. Charuto gets on Dennis
Halman.
In
July, Shaolin fights at Japanese Shooto watching for his lost
belt. "I am the first of the ranking and in July I will
fight., but I don't know who! If things work fine, I will be
fighting for the belt in the end of the year," he said.
With full agenda in Vale-Tudo, Shaolin will not fight at ADCC.
"I will only fight Vale-Tudo. In 2003 I ended defeated in
ADCC because I applied to fight right after a Vale-Tudo. I've
learned my lesson!," he stated.
Source:
Tatame
|
News:
Noon to fight in Superbrawl
Karl-James
Noons,
one of four winners selected from the PRIDE FIGHTING U.S. AUDITIONS
last November, will be competing in SUPERBRAWL 39, scheduled
for April 9th in Honolulu, Hawaii. His opponent will be Malik
Williams of Puna, Hawaii.
After
surviving the auditions, Noons was sent to Seattle, Washington
to train at AMC Pankration, under the supervision of coach Matt
Hume. "He is very talented, but also very raw. We have really
pushed him these past weeks. He excels in certain aspects of
the game and is currently improving in areas that he didn't have
experience in . all in all, he is becoming a well rounded fighter.
He has made a lot of progress and we think it's time for his
first test, " said Hume.
Noons
is 5'10, 160 pounds, and was raised in Kona, Hawaii. He's been
competing in martial arts since the age of five. During his amateur
career, he was the ISKA amateur international title winner and
as a boxer went to the semi finals of the western trials for
the Olympics in 2004. He's been boxing and training in Muay Thai
since the ago of 12 and has gained a black belt in American Kenpo
Karate. As a professional, he is 1-0 as a boxer, 13-1 in Muay
Thai/Kickboxing/San Shou competitions, and 1-1 in mixed martial
arts competitions.
Noons
currently trains and fights out the City Boxing gym in San Diego,
California
The
auditions were held on November 20th, 2004 from the UCLA campus
in Los Angeles. Contestants attended from all over the world
and were given an opportunity to showcase their skills in front
of PRIDE's judges and main decision-makers. Final decisions were
made based upon each participant's audition, interview, and highlight
reel. Other winners included Nick Ring of Canada, Jake Draves
of Ohio, and Tyrone Glover of San Diego.
Source:
Tatame
|
Pan
Am Results
Luis
Heredia of Maui Jiu Jitsu won gold in the pan Americans - in
the male senior feather division
The 2005 Pan Ams saw some incredible matches as some of America's
and Brazil's absolute best competitors met head to head.
Our
team's performance was outstanding. We entered 5 competitors
and left with 7 medals. (3 golds, 3 silvers and a bronze)
Nathan
Diaz took second in a 55 man bracket. He defeated his first 6
opponents (5 by submission) before narrowly losing in the finals.
Jake
Shields then proceeded to shock the jiu-jitsu world by winning
the purple belt division. On the way he defeated the World silver
medalist, Augusto Cesar, by the score of 18-0. Augusto won the
Pan Am's Usa vs. Brazil superfight and the Absolute tournament,
including an easy tap out win over West Coast standout, Bill
Cooper. He was well on his way to completely dominating the tournament
until meeting defeat at the hands of Shields, who was competing
in his very first gi tournament.
Nick
Diaz was the US representative in the USA vs. Brazil tournament.
Diaz did not disappoint and submitted his opponent to give the
US the gold medal. Diaz then also took gold by winning the Pan
Am's Brown belt division. He later took bronze in the Absolute
weight class category, losing only by advantage to a heavier
opponent.
Vinicius
Magalhaes won 2 silver medals by taking 2nd in his weight and
the Absolute division. Sergio Lourenco did not medal when he
lost to Andre Galvao, the winner of the division who also defeated
Sacramento's Casio Werneck.
Source:
Gracie Fighter
|
1.66
For T.U.F.:
Live Finale Set for Saturday, April 9th 6pm PST
By Loretta Hunt
Even
with a NCAA basketball game airing at the same time on CBS, Spike
TV's The Ultimate Fighter's twelfth episode mustered a 1.66 House
Hold rating for an average audience of 1,985,000 viewers this
week. In the Male 18-49 demographic, the hit UFC reality show
scored a 1.77 rating and a 2.32 among Males 18-34.
T.U.F.'s thirteenth and final first season episode is set to
air live this Saturday, April 9th at 6PM PST.
T.U.F.
Finale Fight Card
Middleweight
Final:
Diego Sanchez vs. Kenny Florian
Light
Heavyweight Final:
Forrest Griffin vs. Stephan Bonnar
Light-Heavyweight
Bout:
Ken Shamrock vs. Rich Franklin
Non-televised
Preliminary Bouts:
Josh Koscheck vs. Chris Sanford
Chris Leben vs. Jason Thacker
Lodune Sincaid vs. Nate Quarry
Alex Karalexis vs. Josh Rafferty
Sam
Hoger vs. Bobby Southworth
Mike
Swick vs. Alex Schoenauer
Source:
FCF
|
PRIDE
FC Total Elimination 2005 Complete Fight Card by Turi Altavilla
The final participant and tournament match ups have been announced
for the opening round of PRIDE FIGHTING’S 16-Man Middleweight
Grand Prix Tournament, TOTAL ELIMINATION 2005.
Newly
Announced Tournament Participant:
Ricardo Arona (Brazil)
Newly
Announced Matches:
Kazushi Sakuraba (Japan) vs. Yoon Dong Sik (Korea)
Vitor Belfort (Brazil) vs. Alistair Overeem (Holland)
Dean Lister (USA) vs. Ricardo Arona (Brazil)
American
fighter, Dean Lister, gained entry into the tournament by winning
the 4-man middleweight tournament at PRIDE FIGHTING’S BUSHIDO
VOLUME 6. He’s now set to face one of PRIDE’S top middleweight
contenders---Ricardo Arona--- in the opening round of TOTAL ELIMINATION
2005. The rivalry between Lister and Arona stretches back into
the world of Brazilian Jiu Jitsu … now the two are set to
face each other under mixed martial arts rules!
Japanese
superstar, Kazushi Sakuraba, is making his return to the ring
for TOTAL ELIMINATION 2005. His last bout was a victory over
Nino “Elvis” Schembri at CRITICAL COUNTDOWN on June
20, 2004. Now, after battling injuries for much of last year,
Sakuraba is back! His opponent, Yoon Dong Sik, is one of South
Korea’s finest judokas and will be making his PRIDE debut.
“The
Phenom” Vitor Belfort enters the tournament as the representative
of the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC). A former UFC light-heavyweight
champion, Belfort possesses outstanding submission abilities,
striking skills, and KO power. His opponent is Holland’s
rising young talent, Alistair Overeem. In the 2003 tournament,
Overeem was eliminated in the opening round after a spirited
battle with Chuck “The Iceman” Liddell. Now the “Demolition
Man” returns with a vengeance and looks to bring the Grand
Prix title to Holland.
Tournament
Participants:
Wanderlei
Silva
Antonio Rogerio Nogueira
Quinton “Rampage” Jackson
Igor Vovchanchyn
Kazushi Sakuraba
Dan Henderson
Mauricio “Shogun” Rua
Yuki Kondo
Hidehiko Yoshida
Kazuhiro Nakamura
Alistair Overeem
Kevin Randleman
Vitor Belfort
Yoon Dong Sik
Dean Lister
Ricardo Arona
Tournament
Matches:
Wanderlei
Silva (Brazil) vs. Hidehiko Yoshida (Japan)
Dan Henderson (USA) vs. Antonio Rogerio Nogueira (Brazil)
Quinton “Rampage” Jackson (USA) vs. Mauricio “Shogun”
Rua (Brazil)
Igor Vovchanchyn (Ukraine) vs. Yuki Kondo (Japan)
Kevin Randleman (USA) vs. Kazuhiro Nakamura (Japan)
Kazushi Sakuraba (Japan) vs. Yoon Dong Sik (Korea)
Vitor Belfort (Brazil) vs. Alistair Overeem (Holland)
Dean Lister (USA) vs. Ricardo Arona (Brazil)
(Participants
and Matches Subject to Change)
PRIDE
FIGHTING’S 2005 Middleweight Grand Prix Tournament will
span three events … TOTAL ELIMINATION (opening round), CRITICAL
COUNTDOWN (Second Round) and FINAL CONFLICT (Semi-Finals and
Finals). Dates for the latter two events will be announced soon.
TOTAL
ELIMINATION 2005 takes place on April 23rd, 2005 from the Osaka
Dome in Japan and premieres on North American pay per view via
iNDEMAND, DIRECTV, DISH NETWORK, UrbanXtra, TVN1, VU!, and Viewer’s
Choice Canada on April 23rd at 10:00pm EST, 7:00pm PST (including
a countdown show at 9:30pm EST, 6:30pm PST). For additional replay
times, please contact your pay per view provider or pridefc.com.
Source:
MMA Fightin |
Leo
Vieira prepares his MMA debut
The Super champion black belt of Jiu-Jitsu Leonardo Vieira, current
champion of the ADCC, after having conquered many titles in Jiu
Jitsu and submission, he reveals plans for his first appearance
in Mixed Martial Arts. 'Leozinho' has entered the Mixed Martial
Arts as one of the trainers of Vitor Belfort and today he is
responsible for parts of the training of the brand new Fighteam
team, whose debut recently met with great success in England,
with Gabriel Gladiador defeating Mark Weir in Cage Rage 10.
The
Brazilian, who will defend the title of champion at the ADCC
this year, has been training daily at the headquarters of the
Fighteam in Sao Paulo, and the team already is working on setting
up Leo's debut in Mixed Martial Arts. 'Leo Vieira, besides being
a serious professional and a creative fighter, he has an incredible
vision for fights and certainly, soon, he will become one of
the biggest names in the Mixed Martial Arts in the world' Ricardo
Saito, the manager of the Fighteam assures us.
Presenting
a sharp and efficient Jiu-Jitsu, Leo Vieira became the JJ World
Championship Winner in 1998, defeating his opponent Marcio Feitosa
in the finals. In 2003, he got his biggest title in submission,
becoming the winner of the ADCC Brazil in Sao Paulo, in the category
until 65kg.
Source:
Tatame
|
FRANKLIN
WILL BE CUTTING FROM 215
Rich Franklin is just a couple of days away from the biggest
fight of his career against UFC Hall of Famer Ken Shamrock this
Saturday night on Spike TV. Rich appeared on MMAWeekly SoundOff
Radio Wednesday and spoke about his match with Shamrock, his
new contract extension with the UFC, and making the move back
up to light heavyweight after competing as a middleweight in
his last UFC outing.
"I
feel pretty good man. I feel real good." Rich Franklin told
MMAWeekly. He was weighing 215 as of yesterday morning, and doesn't
feel like he'll have any problems dropping the ten pounds before
weigh ins.
Discussing
his opponent, Ken Shamrock, Rich said, " I'm sure that Ken
is going to have a weight advantage in the fight, so it's just
something I've come to accept." He continued, "I think
my striking game is going to be a little better than his, and
I'm hoping the endurance is going to pay off with the age factor.
I'm not sure. Shamrock looked pretty good against Tito. Even
though he was losing the fight, he came out every round fresh,
so we'll have to see. I know he's going to be strong coming out,
and that's his biggest attribute. If he gets me on the ground
or whatever, I'm willing to work on the ground. I don't see a
big ground game difference."
Rich
added, "He's a well rounded athlete. He's one of those guys
where you look at his tapes and you go, he's not a great boxer,
but he can throw some hands, and he's not a great wrestler, but
he really knows how to defend the take down and he can pull some
take downs also. It makes it really difficult to pinpoint a fighting
strategy you're going to try to implement against a guy like
that."
Franklin's
not sure what to expect in this fight. He told MMAWeekly, "I
think to myself if I were him I would take the fight to the ground,
but I think Ken believes that he can bang with me, and he might
actually throw punches anyway. I'm not really expecting anything
in particular from him. I'm just going to kind of go with the
flow in there."
Fighting
on live cable television against a Mixed Martial Arts legend
is a lot of pressure, but Rich Franklin doesn't see it that way.
He stated, "The fact that there will be millions of people
watching out there doesn't really bother me. In the end when
this fight is over, win or lose, I have to go home to my training
partners, the gym that I train at, my friends, my family, and
all those people, and if you lose a fight you have to face those
people regardless of how many millions of people were watching
the fight. The opinions of those people, that's what's important
to me is whether I come home as a proud fighter or not. That's
what always puts the pressure on me in a show, so everything
else, all the other variables that come in to play there, I don't
even think about that at all."
Questioned
about putting back on the pounds after cutting down to 185 to
fight Jorge Rivera at UFC 50, Franklin answered, "I tell
you what, it's a lot harder than you think. I've had to increase
the calories that I've been eating, and really pay attention
to the things I'm putting in my body just to put the weight back
on that I worked so hard to take off for the Rivera fight."
Rich
doesn't plan on staying at 205 after his bout with Shamrock.
He commented, "The plan is, after the fight, is to go back
down to 185." Asked if he'd consider staying at 205, Rich
responded, "It would be something that I'd have to talk
to Monte [Cox] with. You know, I'd have to talk to him about
it, but I'm not dead set against it. It's just that we had intended
on taking this fight just, it was a great opportunity, and then
after the fight moving back down to 185 pounds because when I
made that move with the Rivera fight the plan was to make 185
pounds my home, so we hadn't given much thought to the UFC offering
me a spot at 205 asking me to stay there or anything like that."
Further
commenting, Franklin said, "As I started moving up the ranks
in the UFC, I just got to looking at a lot of these guys at 205
pounds, and I've never been much really heavier than maybe 215
at the most anyway, so for me to compete in the 205 pound class,
I'm fighting guys like Chuck Liddell that are an inch and a half,
two inches taller than me and outweigh me by a good fifteen pounds.
They're cutting down and by fight day, I mean by fight day I'll
be lucky if I get back to 215, and a lot of these guys are back
up to 225 again, so it makes it really difficult, and the competition
in that weight class, it's stiff. When Monte and I talked about
it we figured since I was a light 205 pound fighter anyway a
title fight at 185 I had a much better chance of making it there."
In
a bit of shocking fashion, Rich was asked how many fights he
has left on his current UFC contract. When the number eight came
out of his mouth, many mouths dropped. Rich said, "Including
this one, I have a total of eight left." He explained, "What
the UFC did was before I fought Rivera they signed me to a three
fight deal, and I fought Rivera and I had two left. Then they
offered me six more fights on top of that and we signed. We took
it."
It
looks like we'll be seeing a lot of Rich Franklin in the UFC
octagon, and the first opportunity to see him is this Saturday
night on Spike TV against Ken Shamrock in a fight that Rich promises
will be a "War." "I've never had a fight go to
a decision yet, so I always work for the finish, but Ken's a
tough guy, and even if the fight is going in my favor it's going
to be very difficult to put him away in three rounds." Stated
Franklin. It's live. It's on TV, and best of all, it's free.
Source:
MMA Weekly
|
HEATH
HERRING INJURY UPDATE
Last week Heath Herring told MMA Weekly upon returning home to
Las Vegas from Hero’s in Japan that it was looking like
he sustained an ACL injury during his fight with Sam Greco on
March 26th. Last night Herring called MMA Weekly’s Mick
Hammond from Texas to confirm that his MRI has indeed shown his
ACL is torn and will require surgery.
According
to Herring, “I’m in Amarillo right now to see an orthopedic
surgeon that I know really well to get his opinion regarding
surgery. I was told by the doctors in Vegas that I would need
surgery and refereed me to a specialist in Salt Lake City (Utah),
but I came down to Texas to discuss things with my doctor to
figure out where I’m going to have the surgery done.”
Herring
continued, “I need to get the surgery done next week and
the doctors tell me that I will be out 4-6 months. They tell
me that if rehab correctly I should expect to have 100% recovery
and will be able to fight again like before without any problems.”
The
injury occurred as Herring was making his highly anticipated
MMA debut for K-1 under their new Hero’s banner which replaced
their earlier Romanex set up as their premier MMA showcase. During
the first round of his fight against Greco, Herring went for
a high left kick but when he planted his right leg he felt something
pop and quickly crumbled to the canvas holding his knee.
While
Herring will be unable to fight, he will be making an appearance
at the upcoming season finale of The Ultimate Fighter. “I’m
flying home to Vegas on Friday so I can corner Alex Schoenauer,”
said Herring “He’s been with the LVCC (Las Vegas Combat
Club) for quite a while now and came up and asked if I’d
corner him and I said I would. I’ll be there with him at
the weigh-ins on Friday and then at the show cornering him on
Saturday.” Schoenauer is slated to face American Kickboxing
Academy standout Mike Swick in a 185lb bout on the undercard
of finals.
Source:
MMA Weekly
|
Ricardo
Arona
By Eduardo Ferreira
Joining Grand Prix dispute
After
the bruise that removed Paulão Filho's opportunity to
enter in the fight for one of the vacancies of Pride GP Middleweight,
his teammate of Brazilian Top Team Ricardo Arona saw the opportunity
to participate, once the last vacancy was not decided. Now, he
is confirmed and guarantees it is going to so everything to win
this challenge. Check out the interview below that Arona granted
with exclusiveness to TATAME.com. He talks about his preparation
for GP, a possible confrontation with Vítor Belfort, Wanderlei
Silva and Maurício Shogun and also about his fight at
ADCC in May.
Tell
me about your training
I spent one month traveling to Fernando de Noronha (PB) and now
I am just fine with myself. I have been training a lot of ground,
Muay Thai and also working out a lot. I do some trains in BTT
and here in Niterói (RJ), since I have some programmed
things here.
Tell
me about your perspectives for that GP?
That GP was made for me. In last time I hurt myself and I could
not apply it. Now I have a chance to do revenge with Quinton
Jackson and also face Wanderlei Silva, owner of the belt. I want
to win the GP and dispute the middleweight belt.
And
a possible confrontation with Vitor Belfort?
That is very weird, very strange. I don't know how they will
work on it. But for me that would not be good... he is a nice
person. I didn't want to face him.
And
Wanderlei...
I have been expecting that opportunity for a long time and now
I can have the chance of to face him and in the future fight
for the belt.
We
know rivalry among Chute Boxe and BTT is big... You already won
Murilo Ninja. Would you like to face his brother Maurício
Shogun?
I am not worried about it. I don't have the urge to fight him,
especially because he never has done anything for me. He is a
new guy at GP. But if I have to fight, I do not have problems...
we are professional.
Fans
and mainly opponents complain your game is tied and ugly. How
do you receive that critic?
I receive as constructive critic. But people have to understand
that I have to hold a fight with some opponents. You cannot do
a loose game with tough fighters as Dan Henderson, Murilo Ninja,
Quinton Jackson. My fight style is fight to win.
How
will you do to train for Pride GP and for ADCC?
I have been doing a strong physical preparation for the two events.
It will not harm me. I only need to watch out for bruises and
injures, because it may spoil my show.
Send
a message to fans that cheer for you at GP?
This year will be filled with victories. If God helps me 2005
will be the year of Arona.
Source:
Tatame
|
Diego
Sanchez: Enter the Nightmare
by Arron Barringer
Like
Freddy Krueger haunting the dark streets of Elm Street, Diego
“Nightmare” Sanchez has kicked, beaten and choked his
way to the plateau of world-class fighters. He has haunted the
shadows of the arena, taking his victims apart in the cage. He
is a young man of strong desire and individuality looking to
take center stage in the spotlight of North America’s largest
fighting event: the Ultimate Fighting Championship.
A
native of Albuquerque, New Mexico, Sanchez began wrestling in
the sixth grade and immediately took to the competitive nature
of the sport. He competed throughout his high school years, taking
the state championship in his senior year.
He
was aware of mixed martial arts from watching the Ultimate Fighting
Championship on television. “I used to roll with my friends—what
we called UFC style,” Sanchez told Sherdog.com. “It
was just fun to me. We would try to imitate what we had seen
on the UFC.”
Nine
months after graduating high school, he felt that something was
missing from his life. He needed the drive that competing in
wrestling had given him, without the physical duress of cutting
extreme amounts of weight. This thirst for competition led him
to join Jackson’s, a choice that would change his life.
Jackson’s
Gaidojutsu was formed in 1992 by Greg Jackson, a video store
clerk who had a strong desire to develop and market a martial
arts style like no other. Jackson had a strong wrestling influence
from his family (his father was a champion wrestler in the state
of Ohio) and he wanted to blend the Western aspects of wrestling
and boxing with Eastern techniques and philosophy. Eventually,
he quit his job at a video store and opened the first Gaidojutsu
gym.
Alone,
Jackson most likely would not have developed Gaidojutsu into
the highly effective system it is now. While he was the primary
developer of the style, and continues to oversee its development,
there were several individuals who had a great influence in the
creation of the system.
Jackson
credits world champion kickboxer and trainer Mike Winklejon with
the creation of their kickboxing and stand-up game. Brad Ahrensfield
was an Air Force special operations commando who modified Gaidojutsu
for applications within law enforcement; he is now an Albuquerque
Police SWAT sniper and defensive tactics instructor for many
agencies including the Department of Energy. Chris Luttrell,
a former NCAA wrestler, current SWAT operator with the New Mexico
State Police, and instructor at the Federal government’s
Central Training Academy, brought his unique brand of conditioning
to the school. Luttrell also pushed to have Gaidojutsu students
enter tournaments and compete, constantly giving Jackson the
opportunity to refine and improve upon techniques.
Under
Jackson’s guidance the four friends began to develop the
training system, each lending his individual expertise. Once
the system was in its infancy it had to be tested, which led
to Luttrell and Ahrensfield fighting in many early no-holds-barred,
bare-knuckle fights. Over the years, a team began to develop,
and Gaidojutsu would grow.
“I
always knew about Jackson’s,” recalled Sanchez, “but
I never could afford it.” The young wrestler wasted no time
in assimilating himself into his new team. “I started training,
and did my first tournament two months later,” he said.
“I had my first amateur fight four and a half months later.”
He
moved quickly through the various divisions at submission grappling
tournaments, competing three times as a beginner, once as an
intermediate and from thereafter in the advanced bracket.
The
22-year-old fighter contends that Jackson’s Gaidojutsu,
which translates to “Way of the Street,” is not simply
a remix of Brazilian jiu-jitsu.
“[Jackson’s]
style, to me, means being of an open mind,” Sanchez said.
“You know, we’re not a Brazilian jiu-jitsu school.
We don’t use a gi. We’re fighters. That’s what
we train for. We don’t train for the Mundials, we’re
not Brazilian. We’re American wrestlers who are open minded,
who can fight on our backs, fight on top or we can kickbox.”
Sanchez
asserts that Gaidojutsu is an ever-evolving system, with no tradition
to weigh it down or limit its progression. He credits his entire
team for his success, but especially Jackson.
“Greg
is the smartest man I’ve ever met,” the middleweight
affectionately said of his mentor, emphasizing that Jackson knows
the intricacies of his game better than anyone else could.
Sanchez
was undefeated in 11 professional fights prior to being selected
for Spike TV’s “The Ultimate Fighter,” with only
one bout going to a judge’s decision. He left behind not
only his friends, family and team to undertake the challenge
of TUF, but also the King of the Cage middleweight belt.
“It
was definitely an experience,” he said of his time living
in the same house with 15 other fighters. “Not … the
most joyful experience in my life. All in all it made me a more
professional, more well-rounded person.”
Sanchez
used the experience as an opportunity to see what it looked like
from the top amongst the best fighters in the world. What happened
in the house, however, was not always what was shown on the television.
“The
edit monster loved to edit Diego,” the fighter quipped.
On
one occasion in particular an inebriated Diego is dragged barely
conscious through the house and thrown in bed after a night of
drinks on UFC President Dana White’s bill. Cut to the scene
of Diego gurgling and screaming incoherently as his teammates
hold him down and taunt him about aliens.
Diego
shakes his head, taking it in stride. “There are no aliens!”
he chuckles. “I had never been on a billionaire’s tab
before, and I indulged a little too much. I was spinning …
nauseous, I didn’t want to lay down.” Diego reflects
for a moment before adding, “I woke up in the morning and
saw blood all over the place!”
The
edit monster was not the only villain of the production. White
threw a monkey wrench into everyone’s plans when he gathered
the fighters together to announce that they would have to fight
against their teammates to earn entry into Saturday’s live
finale.
“I
was, like, man, this is the biggest hawk of crap I’ve ever
heard,” Sanchez state. “I was like, ‘Who thought
of this’?”
It
only got worse as Diego learned that his opponent would be none
other than his roommate, Josh Koscheck. “I was crushed.
He was my roommate, my friend. … I taught him the counters
to my submissions!”
The
fighters soldiered on, however, and met in the Octagon to decide
who would be advancing to the live finals. Koscheck brought his
“A” game, and took Diego to the mat numerous times.
Once on the ground, however, Sanchez worked submissions and constantly
attempted to improve his position. The Albuquerque fighter also
pounded his former teammate while standing.
In
the end, two judges saw it for Sanchez while one awarded Koscheck
the decision. “Did he forget his glasses?” joked Sanchez
of the dissenting judge.
Sanchez
set himself apart from the norm, not only with his fighting ability
but with his personal beliefs as well. He is a devoted practitioner
of Yoga, and has been criticized as a Rickson Gracie impersonator.
He
nods his head in seeming acceptance of this. “ Rickson Gracie
is one of my heroes,” he said. “About two years ago
I saw [ Rickson Gracie’s] ‘Choke’ and I had never
seen anything like it.”
In
Rickson, Sanchez saw a fighter that seemed years ahead of his
time, and subsequently adopted many of the things he saw. “He
was the best, in my opinion,” the kid said of the legendary
Gracie. “I look up to him … if I can take something
from him as a fighter so that I can be the best, I will.”
Sanchez
shrugs off the criticism he has received for being an individual.
“They say, ‘Oh, he’s weird, he does Yoga …
he’s weird he does meditation.’ But that’s just
me; it’s just what I believe.”
The
Ultimate Fighter will reach its finale on April 9 featuring the
first live broadcast UFC event on cable television. On this date,
Sanchez faces former teammate and Brazilian jiu-jitsu black belt
Kenny Florian in the Octagon. While others may underestimate
his opponent, Sanchez remains firmly grounded.
“A
lot of people are telling me, ‘You’re going to smash
him,’” he said. “And you know what, I don’t
listen to any of it. I know Kenny. I know he has a big heart.
He’s a strong individual, very smart, naturally gifted on
the ground and on his feet. I think he is a very tough opponent.
I am expecting the toughest fight of my career. I am looking
forward to a 15-minute battle.”
That
said, Sanchez contends that he will be the victor. “God
has not given me the spirit of fear, he has given me the spirit
of power.”
And
so far, that “spirit” has been a nightmare for his
opponents.
Source:
Sherdog
|
Quote
of the Day
"You can have brilliant ideas, but if you can't get them
across, your ideas won't get you anywhere."
Lee Iacocca, 1924-, American Businessman, Former CEO of Chrysler
|
Congratulations
Rex and Rene!
Purple belt and one of the Academia Casca Grossa de Jiu-Jitsu's
leaders, Rex Barnum, has just been blessed with another baby
girl. She arrived Tuesday morning and weighed in a 9 lbs 2.3
oz (huge!). Her name is Alyssa (not sure on the spelling quite
yet) and mother and baby are doing fine. Alyssa joins her big
sister Amber and I guess Rex having two daughters is going to
keep him busy for a while, especially when they both are teenagers.
Congratulations
on the newest addition to the Barnum family! |
RUMBLE
ON THE ROCK SET MAY 7TH
Rumble
on the Rock is gearing up for their biggest show ever. The event
will take place on May 7th from beautiful Hawaii.
The
MMA names on the card are legendary. Matchmaker J.D. Penn is
currently putting together the best Rumble card to date. While
Penn is still putting the finishing touches on the card, MMAWeekly
has learned the following...
While
everyone knows Tank Abbott will square off against Cabbage, the
other names on the card will be very interesting to say the least.
Kimo,
Charuto Verissimo, Shaolin Riberio, and Alan Goes are just a
few of the names that will be on the card as well. Penn is still
finalizing the matches, so stay tuned for more information about
the upcoming show right here on MMAWeekly.com
Source: MMA Weekly
|
SHAMROCK
ON BEST DAMN SPORTS SHOW
Ken
Shamrock is getting ready for Saturday night as he is set to
face Rick Franklin in the main event on the Ultimate Fighter
Free TV Special held on the campus of UNLV.
Shamrock
appeared last night on the Best Damn Sports Show on Fox Sports
Network. Chris Rose, Arsenio Hall and Moose Johnson did the interview
with Shamrock.
The
guys discussed his fight this weekend with Rich Franklin. Shamrock
said that Franklin is well rounded, a great fighter and is looking
forward to the challenge. He also promoted the rest of the guys
on the Ultimate Fighter show. He did a good job of how important
it was to bring up young talent into the UFC.
They
guys hit him up with questions about Tito Ortiz. Ken talked about
Tito challenging him at the post fight press conference after
he KO'd Kimo. Shamrock said, "Step up and fight".
They
asked about Bill Goldberg (who has been supposedly rumored to
fight in the UFC according to one of the hosts...yeah right)
and if Shamrock would fight him and he said, "I'm a fighter,
this is what I do for a living. I fight for a living."
They
then broke down the Top 3 knockouts in UFC history. They were....
#3.
Shamrock vs Kimo
#2.
Liddell vs White
#1.
Buentello vs Eilers
(Not
sure if those three are the Top 3 of the past year and a half,
but they obviously wanted to promote Shamrock and Liddell).
They
then focused on Shaquille O'Neal being a huge fan of the UFC
and how much he means to the sport. Shamrock talked about an
experience he had in Hawaii and how much Shaq
supported the UFC.
It
was a short interview as it lasted six minutes, but once again
Shamrock shows why he is great for the sport as he handled himself
like a true pro on national TV.
Source: MMA Weekly
|
PARISYAN
ON FOR UFC 53 VS SERRA
Karo
"The Heat" Parisyan continues to get closer in earning
a welterweight title shot against Matt Hughes with his recent
performances since returning to the UFC last year.
Unfortunately
for Parisyan, Hughes' attention is currently affixed to Frank
Trigg as the two prepare to battle at UFC 52 for a second time
to determine the Welterweight Championship. As the saying goes
however, patience is a virtue, and it appears as if Parisyan's
patience has paid off.
According
to Parisyan, "I'm signed to fight in the UFC in June. I'm
going to be fighting Matt Serra." The fight will be taking
place at 170lbs and as Parisyan explained, "I guess he's
stepping up in weight to pick on me. Joe Silva called me up and
gave me a 3-fight contract and told me if I beat Serra I get
a shot at the belt next."
For
Parisyan a title shot has been long overdue in the eyes of many
considering he's won all but one of his fights in the UFC and
has gone 13-3 over his career having won all of his fights but
that one since early 2001. But as Parisyan himself says, it's
not always been easy to get the respect he has earned, "I
guess I've got to prove myself to the fans and MMA world still.
It's been a long time coming and hopefully if everything goes
well I beat Serra and get the title shot hopefully I can win
it or God forbid I lose the match still have a good enough showing
so people see that I am a top welterweight fighter. No matter
what I do it's never enough for some people, even myself sometimes.
I know I'm one of the best welterweights in the world and until
I get that belt I won't think of myself having accomplished everything
I can in MMA."
It's
safe to say that in his career Parisyan has never fought an accomplished
submission fighter as Serra is. According to Parisyan though
it doesn't change his preparation for the fight going in, "I
train the same way for every fighter. I work on everything equally
no matter what someone may be good at. I'm constantly improving
and I might even surprise him with my moves. I know he's a world
class Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu guy, I'm not going to underestimate
him at all. He says I'm going to feel his guard, which is fine,
I know he's not going to throw anything at me I haven't seen
already. I'm going out and do everything, if we stand I'll knock
him out, if we go to the ground I'll ground 'n pound him, or
I can work my own submissions, anything that comes my way."
Parisyan
has continued to evolve in a fight game where one-dimensional
fighters can no longer survive, as he says himself, the growth
has come more as a result of better out of the ring activities.
"After the (Georges) St. Pierre fight it woke me up. I'm
a Judo guy and in MMA you can't just do one thing, you have to
become MMA. I can only fight Judo and beat guys but I know I'm
more than just that. I didn't go out and specifically train boxing,
wrestling or BJJ after that fight; I made a conscience effort
to change other things. I realized my preparation for fighting
wasn't going as well as it could and I did a lot of things outside
training that I probably should have. I've worked on that and
gotten more focused in my last couple of fights. If anything
I did learn in the ring it was I should try not to stay on my
back as much, when on my back I was just trying to grapple, I
wasn't doing anything to improve my situation so I could use
my offense."
One
area that Karo has become noticeably more comfortable and confident
is in the striking game. Up until his last couple of fights Parisyan
would shy away from that game, but in his fights against Nick
Diaz and Chris Lytle he has shown he's willing to trade with
anyone who will stand in front of him. "People don't think
I can strike, I can honestly tell you I can strike with someone
if that's what they want to do. People see me throw haymakers
like I did against Diaz and know I'm willing to do that if that's
what comes to me. If I really want to strike I will, if I'm forced
to strike if I would in a heartbeat."
Parisyan
continued, "In my last fight with Lytle I was trying to
cut the distance and not fight with so much of a gameplan, but
not try to strike with him because it's not in my best interest.
It's a natural thing to work your game and avoid your opponent's
strong points, it's not like I was afraid to trade with him,
I was just reacting naturally to what I do. Every fight you grow
and lean, and when you fight a good boxer, wrestler, or BJJ guy,
you grow as a fighter and it teaches you more about yourself.
I grew every fight and more so in the Lytle fight, it was the
first fight I can remember in the UFC that I felt myself in the
octagon. I don't mean so much so that I was in my zone, which
I was, but I felt myself in the cage and could see my openings,
I could see and feel everything coming together."
When
asked what he felt about the upcoming Hughes VS Trigg fight at
UFC 52 and the possibility of matching up against either one
later this year for the title Parisyan said, "I think I
deserve my title shot. I deserve one now, but they are trying
to give me the hard road, which is fine, things are never easy
for me, I've had to work to get where I am and will continue
to do so. To be honest I don't care who I fight out of the two
of them. They are both good wrestlers but I think Trigg is a
better striker. I see myself fighting both of them and striking
a lot, if they clinch with me that's where I'm home, I'll clinch
with anybody. I can take anyone down and I can throw submissions
left and right on the ground. It may come down to physical stuff
and tactics when I get my title shot. You know, until it comes
I don't know what is going to happen, I don't have a gameplan,
but I will be ready for whoever it is I fight."
Now
that Karo has a solid multi-fight deal with the UFC, his aspirations
towards furthering his Judo career will have to wait until he
is not so focused on MMA. "I'll never stop Judo, it's a
love of mine. With fights coming up I'm going to have to concentrate
on them. If Judo comes up when I'm not fighting I will do it;
I'm going to try to make the Olympic or World Team, maybe in
2007. I doubt this year booked with the fights like I am, I'm
going to compete and be able to get the points needed to qualify
for the teams."
Before
he can concentrate on future aspirations Parisyan has to deal
with his task at hand, defeating Matt Serra at UFC 53. In closing
out the conversation Parisyan showed the confidence that he would
be able to do just that. "Every option is open with Serra,
I'll try everything against him. I never say I know how a fight
will go, fight can happen in any way, it can end in any bizarre
way, but looking at the whole picture I'm not threatened at all
by what Serra brings. He's a smaller person and he's coming up
to my weight where the physics are a little different and I don't
think will be able to handle it. Like I always say never count
me out and when Karo fights don't blink and be ready to feel
the heat all over the place."
Source: MMA Weekly
|
Quote
of the Day
"You can have brilliant ideas, but if you can't get them
across, your ideas won't get you anywhere."
Lee Iacocca, 1924-, American Businessman, Former CEO of Chrysler
|
Ken
Shamrock vs Rich Franklin, And All Episodes of The Ultimate Fighter
Air this Weekend!
LIGHT HEAVYWEIGHTS BONNAR-GRIFFIN; MIDDLEWEIGHTS
SANCHEZ-FLORIAN TO DETERMINE THE ULTIMATE FIGHTER™, APRIL
9
Legendary
Hall of Famer Ken Shamrock To Fight Rich Franklin In Light Heavyweight
Main Event Of LIVE T.U.F. Final Episode On Spike TV This Saturday
From Las Vegas
Remaining
12 T.U.F. Fighters Will See Action In Preliminary Matches
TICKETS
ON SALE AT COX PAVILION, WWW.UNLVTICKETS.COM
LAS
VEGAS, NEV., April 5, 2005…Light heavyweights Stephan Bonnar
and Forrest Griffin along with middleweights Diego Sanchez and
Kenny Florian will determine who will become The Ultimate Fighter™
when the final episode of one network TV’s hottest new reality
shows is televised LIVE at 9 p.m. EDT/6 p.m. PDT, this Saturday,
April 9, on Spike TV from Cox Pavilion in Las Vegas.
Also
on the LIVE card, Ultimate Fighting ChampionshipÆ legend
and Hall of Fame member Ken Shamrock will battle rising UFC star
Rich Franklin in the light heavyweight main event. Preliminary
bouts will match the 12 fighters who also appeared in The Ultimate
Fighter™. As a bonus, T.U.F. fans can view the first 12
episodes of the show starting at
9
a.m. EDT/6 a.m. PDT this Saturday as Spike TV televises the All
Day Marathon leading up to the LIVE final episode.
The
public also can attend the live show and tickets, priced at $350,
$250 and $150, are on sale at the Cox Pavilion box office on
the campus of UNLV, all UNLV ticket outlets and at www.unlvtickets.com.
Tickets also may be ordered by telephone at 1-866-388-3267 toll
free, or in Las Vegas at (702) 739-3267. Ticket purchases are
subject to transaction fees.
T.U.F
Live Final Episode – add one
Bonnar
(9-1-0 in mixed martial arts) from Chicago, Ill., and a member
of Team Couture, reached the final with a split decision victory
after two rounds over Bobby Southworth in episode seven and with
an arm bar submission of teammate Mike Swick in the first round
in episode 12 last night. Griffin (9-2-0) from Athens, Ga., a
member of Team Liddell, defeated Alex Schoenauer by tap out due
to strikes on the ground in the first round of their fight in
episode nine and defeated teammate Sam Hoger last night in episode
12 due to referee stoppage from strikes on the ground in the
second round.
Florian
(4-1-0) from Boston, Ma., a Brazilian jiu jitsu and muay thai
fighter and a member of Team Couture, reached the final by defeating
teammate Chris Leben with a well-placed elbow strike in round
two of their match in episode 10. The strike opened a cut above
Leben’s eye and referee John McCarthy stopped the fight
due to the severity of the cut. Sanchez (12-0-0) from Albuquerque,
N.M., is a submission wrestler and boxer for Team Liddell. He
defeated Alex Karalexis in episode four with a submission by
choke in the first round; choked out Josh Rafferty in the first
round in episode eight, and won a tough, three-round split decision
over Josh Koscheck in episode 11.
Shamrock
(26-8-2) from San Diego, Calif., is recognized as one of the
world’s top mixed martial arts fighters. He is coming off
a first-round knockout of Kimo last June 19 at Mandalay Bay in
Las Vegas. “The World’s Most Dangerous Man” was
selected one of the two charter members, along with Royce Gracie,
of the UFC Hall of Fame in December 2003. Franklin (18-1-0) from
Cincinnati, Ohio, is one of the UFC’s most well rounded
fighters. In his last UFC fight, the unassuming math teacher
defeated highly regarded Jorge Rivera with a powerful arm bar
last October in Atlantic City, N.J.
(more)
T.U.F.
Live Final Episode – add two
In
the preliminary bouts, Southworth (8-3-0) from Santa Cruz, Calif.,
Team Liddell, will take on Hoger (4-0-0) from Davenport, Iowa,
Team Liddell, in a light heavyweight match;
Nate Quarry (11-1-0) from Gresham, Ore., and Team Couture, will
fight Lodune Sincaid (15-2-0) from North Hollywood, Calif, Team
Couture, in light heavyweight action; Leben (16-1-0) from Portland,
Ore. and Team Couture will duel with Jason Thacker (4-1-0) from
Whonnock, British Columbia, Canada in a middleweight fight; Koscheck
(4-0-0) from Buffalo, N.Y. and Team Liddell will fight Chris
Sanford (5-0-0) from San Francisco, Calif., and Team Couture
in the middleweight division; Swick (6-1-0) from San Jose, Calif.,
Team Couture, will battle Schoenauer (10-0-0) from Las Vegas,
Nev., Team Couture, in a middleweight bout, and Karalexis (4-0-0)
from Las Vegas, Nev., Team Couture, will fight Rafferty (7-3-0)
from Cincinnati, Ohio, Team Couture, in welterweight action.
The
Ultimate Fighting Championship brand is the world’s leading
professional mixed martial arts sports association and offers
the premier series of MMA sports events. Owned and operated by
Zuffa, LLC and headquartered in Las Vegas, Nev., UFCÆ fight
programs feature six live pay-per-view events annually through
cable and satellite providers. In addition to its U.S. distribution,
UFC fight programs are distributed internationally throughout
the world, including broadcast on WOWOW, Inc. in Japan and Globosat
in Brazil. Zuffa, LLC licenses the distribution of UFC video
games through Crave Entertainment and Take Two TDK Mediactive
and its fight show DVDs through Studioworks Entertainment, a
Ventura Distribution company. “Ultimate Fighting Championship,”
“Ultimate Fighting,” “UFC,” “Submission,”
“As Real As It Gets,” and the Octagon cage design are
registered trademarks or trademarks owned exclusively by Zuffa,
LLC in the U.S., Japan and other jurisdictions. All other marks
that may be referenced herein belong to their respective holders.
The
UFC’s next pay-per-view telecast will be UFC 52: Couture
vs. Liddell 2 at 10 p.m. EDT, Saturday, April 16, LIVE from the
MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas, Nev., when the two T.U.F.
coaches meet for Couture’s light heavyweight title.
Source: Maxfighting |
Real
Pro Wrestling Info
As you may know, there have been some issues with several PAX
affiliates did not broadcasting the show. For those of you who
were affected, we really apologize. We're getting all the details
of why this happened and will make an announcement on the website
when we've received all the info. We think PAX really screw up,
big time. But we're waiting for all the info. to arrive before
making our final judgments.
Fox
Sports Net re-airs the first episode this afternoon. Its on mostly
at 2 or 3PM across the country, but check your local listings
to confirm. Each week FSN will re-air the episode previously
shown on PAX.
Line-ups,
Format
You've probably figured this out already, but each week will
feature one weight-class and we will go in order. The last episode
will feature the finals. So, the episodes look like this:
PAX
TV
Wk 1 - 55 kg
Wk 2 - 60 kg
Wk 3 - 66 kg
Wk 4 - 74 kg
Wk 5 - 84 kg
Wk 6 - 96 kg
Wk 7 - 120 kg
Wk 8 - Finals (2 hours)
Fox
Sports Net
Wk 1 - 55 kg
Wk 2 - 60 kg
Wk 3 - 66 kg
Wk 4 - 74 kg
Wk 5 - 84 kg
Wk 6 - 96 kg
Wk 7 - 120 kg
Wk 8 - Finals (1 hour)
Wk 9 - Finals (1 hour)
Source: Coach Frasier
|
Guy
Mezger: Speaks To Max Fighting
Interview by "Big Dog" Benny Henderson Jr.
Texas boy and No Holds Barred fighter Guy Mezger has just about
done it all, from competing in boxing, kickboxing, full contact
karate, Pride, UFC, WFFF, KOTC and WPC he has proven to be a
tough competitor in all. Residing in Dallas, Texas he runs FS
Martial Arts Lions Den Dallas and has over nineteen years of
teaching experience. The thirty- seven year old has banged out
a (28-14-2) record in the NHB sport and the superb martial artist
and submission fighter has faced and beaten the likes of John
Dowdy, Masakatsu Funaki and Tito Ortiz, where both have had a
long standing dislike for one another since the two met in the
middle of the Octagon at UFC 13 eight years ago, in which Mezger
submitted the youngster courtesy of the Guillotine Choke.
Two
years after Mezger defeated Ortiz they would face off once more
in UFC 19 where Tito got his revenge winning in the first round
via TKO Strikes. Twelve fights, and five years later the two
was going to get the chance at a rubber match when Mezger received
the call to face his adversary once more in UFC 50, a fight Mezger
wanted for so long and bad enough that he would come out of a
year and a half retirement to get. The Lion’s Den fighter
felt more than confident he would defeat the “Huntington
Beach Bad Boy” in their third meeting and after intense
training he was more than prepared. But after suffering a stroke
for unknown reasons at the time Guy was sidelined for the bout
and possibly his career so Patrick Cote took his position in
the bout.
Guy
Mezger has made a life out of battling it out in the square ring
and the Octagon. From fighting out of Texas and all the way to
Japan Guy has accomplished what he has set out to do, which was
to dominate, destroy and earn the championship status throughout
the process. Five world titles later and a combined career total
of 145 bouts in several different disciplines, Guy looks back
to the past, gazes ahead in the future and gives his thoughts
to MAXFIGHTING about it all. The questions surrounding his health
status, what will be of his career and what his life consists
of aside from fighting are all answered below… enjoy.
Benny
Henderson Jr.
Hey Guy, how have you been doing, and what have you been up to
lately?
Guy
Mezger
Well, I am assuming you are talking health wise right?
BH
Anything and everything.
GM
Oh I am personally doing well, the health issue was obviously
a pretty good scare but it does seem like I’m going to be
just fine. I have been healthy strong and training again, and
I just had a little baby boy so I am enjoying him. I have been
extremely busy training athletes.
BH
You know you were going to get the chance to step back in the
Octagon with Tito Ortiz last October but health complications
kept you out, how disappointing was it not to get that fight?
GM
To be honest it is difficult to put into terms with everybody
because it always seems a little hooky and blown out of proportion
whenever you try to describe it. But in best terms it was extremely
disappointing, I was looking forward to fighting Ortiz. I was
in extremely good shape and very few times did I ever go into
a fight just knowing that I was going to win. There was nothing
Tito could actually really do to me, he might hold me down but
I doubt it and that was the extent of what was going to happen
if I was on the losing end of things. I had a lot of confidence
going into that fight, but things happen for some strange reasons,
not that I can always explain them, what can I say you have to
roll with the punches.
BH
You say your health is alright now so do you feel that you can
or will ever be able to compete in the NHB sport again?
GM
The problem is that they are not really sure what caused my problems
with my stroke. They suspect and I strongly suspect it was the
Vioxx, because I was taking that for my knees. They say I could
probably go back in to the ring but the problem they basically
said was that they weren’t really sure all the affects that
Vioxx has, so they say really don’t know what it can do.
So it is one of those situations where they say yeah if you want
to climb back into the ring, so I look at it as I can do that.
But I have to be sure of my health because I have two children
and a wife and a lot of different things going on in my life
besides fight business. I have been training and will constantly
train; I am a martial artist before I was a professional fighter.
I have to go by with what the doctors think about the reoccurrence
of it and we have been looking at what the Vioxx does long term,
and that is where I will go from here.
BH
Off the record, there has been a lot of recalls on drug companies,
they make this pill and then give it to the public without consideration
with what the long term effects may possibly be, and then after
it is marketed it comes up it can harm the consumer much later
down the road after the person has been taking it for some time.
GM
Well, the problem with this and this is what has upset me a great
deal with dealing with this and you can put this in the interview,
but the problem is that these guys were completely unethical
about the way they were going about doing this. It was like years
ago when Ford had the Pintos blowing up when they got hit from
behind. It was later found out that Ford knew about it and that
the guys said they could put this five dollar part on the car
to reassure that it won’t blow up, Ford waived that fact
and said it would be much less expensive for us to pay out settlements
to people who die, then it is to do the recall and put this five
dollar piece in. So that is basically what Merck, which is the
company that makes Vioxx did, they basically said you know what,
we give this to old people who have heart attacks and die all
the time, they could never prove it because this always happens.
The drug was originally for older people because it was an arthritis
drug, then they found other uses for it like for athletes like
me. And that is what I used it for because I had blown out my
knee and it helped out a lot and I took it a lot. I don’t
drink, not even casually; I don’t smoke or do drugs so there
was defiantly no reason for me to have a stroke. I was very fortunate
that this stroke didn’t paralyze me or something like that,
but it did keep me out of that fight which I was looking forward
to seriously. Basically seven years I have wanted that fight
and asked for it every time, so yes this pissed me off. And on
top of this what if I would have died because of these jackasses
irresponsibility, I would have been leaving my wife who was pregnant
at the time and my other child and it would have put a tremendous
hard ship on everybody. So it pisses me off and I hope these
guys get f***ed, I hope that Merck gets bent over and f***ed.
And on top of that honestly they should also get criminal charges
because they knew that happened and people were dying because
of it. It is a bad situation that left me with a disappointment
of not being able to fight, and possibly maybe never fighting
again. So I am not very happy with Merck right now.
BH
In your opinion do you think the UFC will ever contract an Ortiz-Mezger
III?
GM
Who knows, a lot of this is simply this, right now I am retired,
and it would matter if Tito is interested anymore. The sad part
is that you are only as good as your last fight so to speak and
I haven’t fought in a while so the interest in having me
back in there would be a little bit less, unless of course I
come back and do five or more fights and put myself back in the
middle of the mix. And Tito would have to keep his name in the
running of things which may or may not happen. I wish I could
have fought Tito because I knew in my heart that I was going
to win it.
BH
What is up with your reality series “Bad Ass”, when
will it air and on what network will it be on and just give us
some insight on it if possible.
GM
It being put together right now and we are shooting the rest
of the first season. We have had a lot of interest from people
like MTV and MTV2 and etc. It is basically about every arm chair
quarterback getting a shot. We are letting dumb asses who think
they can beat up pro fighters fight. We have so many guys it
is funny. We have a guy Alex Andrade who went on a two week notice
and fought Ninja and lost to him, so this kid who watched the
fight said you know I think I can take Alex Andrade. (Laughs)
It was funny man, Alex wanted to spank the guy but I was like
you can’t do that man it is the first show. (Laughs)
BH
You have fought in some hell-ish fights in your time, can you
name some of your most memorable bouts, and what made them so
unforgettable?
GM
Well I would think probably one of my favorite bouts was when
I beat Funaki for the King of Pancrase title, it was a long time
coming for that title shot. Funaki was the only guy who had beat
me twice at anything. It was one of those fights where I fought
extremely smart because I kept myself in check and stuck to my
game plan. It was cool because it was the very first Pay Per
View event in Japan and it was really cool because they thought
Funaki was going to beat me and they were so confident he was
going to beat me they had him set to talk at an elementary school
the very next day, well the King of Pancrase had to go talk to
the elementary school the next day and it was me. (Laughs) I
was setting there talking to all these kids and taking photos
and stuff with them and we couldn’t even understand one
another. (Laughs) I had fun with them; the kids were great so
it was memorable. My fight with Sakuraba was cool even though
it was a screwy decision and stuff but everybody who saw that
fight knew I won it. But I got the fight on a two week notice
and I have been injured and hadn’t trained the four months
up to that point, so I whipped myself into shape in two weeks
before the fight and had the flu. I weight in at 195 pounds,
that’s how sick I was and it was just miserable. It was
just one of those fights I went out there and fought with a lot
of heart. I have had a lot of great fights man and great experiences.
BH
In your opinion who was the toughest MMA fighter that you have
ever faced?
GM
I would say Chuck Liddell and Wanderlei Silva are physically
the toughest guys I ever fought because I smacked them and I
dropped them a few times and they kept coming back. It was amazing
how physically tough those guys were because they ate some hard
shots, they just kept coming.
BH
You have earned many awards and titles throughout your years
of competing in the MMA and teaching the martial arts, out of
all your accomplishments which ones are you most proud of?
GM
To be honest what I am most proud of and it sounds crazy but
it has been my association with teaching. The fight business
is great and it has been fantastic. But to be honest with you
I have been teaching kids so long some that I have taught are
graduating college and they have been with me since they were
four years old, and it amazing to watch these little individuals
grow up. That’s one of my long lasting rewards that I get.
But when it comes to titles as I look at as being more rewarding,
to be honest it is tough to say. They all hit me at different
times of my life. My kickboxing title because everybody doubted
me and I made it, I did something out of nothing, the Pancrase
title when I beat Funaki was awesome, I was fighting a guy whom
they expected to beat me and they wrote me off and it was a great
experience to win that one. UFC was a great win because when
I won all my training partners jumped in the ring and it was
cool to win it for them, I felt like I won it for all the guys
who put in their time and effort on me and it was a great feeling.
So they all have significant feelings, it hard to put which one
is greater.
BH
What advice would you give to a young fighter who was just starting
off in the fight world?
GM
Do it because you love it and not because you expect to make
money out of it, the money will come later. I always say it is
important to stay focused on the fact a fight career is short,
just make sure you have a life after fighting.
BH
What is the most important attribute you think a fighter should
have?
GM
Got to have heart, and you got to be teachable.
BH
Looking back how would you define your career?
GM
Man that’s a tough one I really don’t know, hum, I
always look at it as I was having a good time as I was doing
it and I had my share of titles, I had my share of the glory,
I want to be remembered as a warrior, somebody who never backed
down from anybody that was put in front of him.
BH
Is there anything you would like to add to this interview in
closing?
GM
Not much, I just hope the people keep supporting the UFC and
get it where it needs to get going, and I hope these athletes
will get the respect they deserve.
Guy
Mezger’s accomplishments
•
5 Time World Champion
• 19 years of teaching experience
• 4th Degree Black Belt
• 2003 IMAA Hall of Fame
• 2001 Martial Arts Instructor of the Year
• 2000 IMAA Fighter of the Year
• 2000 Universal Martial Arts Hall of Fame
• 2000 Texas Martial Arts Hall of Fame
• 1999 IMMA Children’s Program of Excellence
• 1997 Children’s Martial Arts Instructor of the Year
Mezger’s
Titles
•
World Kickboxing Champion
• Ultimate Fighting Champion
• 3x King of Pancrase (World Free Fighting Champion)
• WFFF World Freestyle Fighting Champion
• 2x World Full Contact Karate Champion
Source: Maxfighting
|
Quote
of the Day
"You will either step forward into growth or you will step
back into safety."
Abraham Maslow
|
State
Junior Olympics Boxing Championships
The Weigh-in for the 2005 State J.O. Boxing Championships will
be on April 10th (Sunday) at 3p.m. to 4:45p.m. in Palolo Boxing
Gym at the Palolo Recreation Center.
All ages and females must weigh-in at this time. Boxers competing
on Sat April 16th will weigh-in at 10 a.m to 11:45a.m. this includes
all outer island boxers. Bouts if needed will be on Sunday April
17th at Noon, weigh-in will be from 10 a.m. to noon.
15 and 16yrs old on Aug 1st will be able to advance to National
Junior Olympics in Brownsville, Texas during the 3rd week of
June. USA-Boxing will pay for lodging, meals, and each boxer
will receive $400, after competing in Nationals. For more info
email me back at bkawano@aol.com.
Source:
Bruce Kawano
USA-Boxing Hawaii Junior Olympic Chaiman.
USA-Boxing Hawaii Board of Dir./Gov.
National Coaches Committee Appointed Member.
|
Bush
awards Medal of Honor for Iraq duty
Sgt.
Paul Smith died defending dozens of comrades in Baghdad
The
Associated Press
Updated: 7:56 p.m. ET April 4, 2005
WASHINGTON
- Outnumbered and exposed, Army Sgt. 1st Class Paul Ray Smith
stayed at his gun, beating back an advancing Iraqi force until
a bullet took his life.
Smith is credited with protecting the lives of scores of lightly
armed American soldiers who were beyond his position in the battle,
on April 4, 2003, near the gates of Baghdad International Airport.
On
Monday, exactly two years after Smith’s death, President
Bush awarded him the Medal of Honor, the nation’s highest
honor for valor.
“We
are here to pay tribute to a soldier whose service illustrates
the highest ideals of leadership and love of our country,”
Bush said in a ceremony in the East Room of the White House.
Bush said Smith “gave his life for these ideals in a deadly
battle outside Baghdad. It is my great privilege to recognize
his great sacrifice by awarding Sgt. Smith the Medal of Honor.”
Smith’s
widow, Birgit, decided that the couple’s 11-year-old son,
David, would accept the medal on his father’s behalf.
“It
was a very easy decision for me because, after all, he’s
the man of the house now,” she said Monday. She said she
often hears from the men her husband saved, as well as their
families. “They’re so grateful for what Paul did that
day,” she said on ABC’s “Good Morning America.”
Third
Medal of Honor since Vietnam War
It is only the third Medal of Honor given for actions since the
Vietnam War, and the first from the Iraq war.
Smith,
33, was the senior sergeant in a platoon of engineers during
the 3rd Infantry Division’s northward sprint toward Baghdad.
By
the morning of April 4, elements of the division had reached
Baghdad and captured Baghdad International Airport, a key objective.
Encircled Iraqi militiamen and Special Republican Guard forces
inside launched counterattacks.
Near
the eastern edge of the airport, Smith, a veteran of the first
Gulf War, had been put in charge of his unit — 2nd Platoon,
Bravo Company, 11th Engineer Battalion — while his lieutenant
went on a scouting mission.
Smith’s
mission was mundane enough — turn a courtyard into a holding
pen for Iraqi prisoners of war. The courtyard, just north of
the main road between Baghdad and the airport, was near an Iraqi
military compound.
Soon
after Smith and some of his platoon began work, records show,
one trooper spotted dozens of armed Iraqis approaching from beyond
the gated walls of the courtyard. Another group of Iraqis occupied
a nearby tower.
Smith
summoned a Bradley Fighting Vehicle, and he and his troops gathered
near the courtyard gate to fight the counterattack. An M113 armored
personnel carrier joined the fray.
Fighting back with grenade, rocket, machine gun
The Iraqis, perhaps as many as 100, attacked with rifles, mortars
and rocket-propelled grenades, or RPGs. Smith threw a grenade
over a wall to drive back some of the Iraqis, then fired a rocket.
Incoming
RPGs battered the Bradley, which retreated. Then a mortar struck
the M113, wounding the three soldiers inside and leaving its
heavy machine gun unmanned. After directing another soldier to
pull the wounded M113 crewmen to safety, Smith climbed into the
machine gun position and began firing at the tower and at the
Iraqis trying to rush the compound.
His
upper torso and head were exposed as he manned the gun.
“This
wasn’t a John Wayne move,” said Command Sgt. Maj. Gary
J. Coker, the top enlisted man in the 11th Battalion, who was
near the battle. “He was very methodical. He knew he had
the gate and he wasn’t going to leave it and nobody was
going to make him leave it.”
Still,
Coker said, “it was absolutely amazing to stand up in that
volume of fire.”
During
a stretch of 15 minutes or longer, Smith fired more than 300
rounds as Pvt. Michael Seaman, protected inside the M113, passed
him ammunition.
Then
he was struck by enemy fire and mortally wounded. At almost the
same time, 1st Sgt. Timothy Campbell ended the threat from the
tower with a grenade, and the surviving Iraqis withdrew. Medics
tried to save Smith, and he died about 30 minutes later.
He
and his comrades are credited with killing between 20 and 50
Iraqi soldiers.
Protecting
vulnerable forces
Beyond his position were American medics, scouts, a mortar unit
and a command post — all lightly armed and vulnerable.
“Sgt.
1st Class Smith’s actions saved the lives of at least 100
soldiers,” according to an Army narrative.
Smith
was born in El Paso, Texas, and moved to Tampa, Fla., when he
was 9. He enlisted in the Army in 1989.
He
was known for being tough on the men under his command, Coker,
who has returned to Iraq with the 3rd Infantry Division, said
in a weekend telephone interview.
But
Smith held himself to the same standard, Coker said, and he took
care of his young soldiers when they needed it. Back in the United
States, when one private’s wife fell seriously ill, Smith
drove four hours to bring toys to their children.
The
other two post-Vietnam Medals of Honor went to Army Master Sgt.
Gary I. Gordon and Army Sgt. 1st Class Randall D. Shughart, two
Delta Force troopers who died defending the crew of a helicopter
that was shot down in Mogadishu, Somalia, in events depicted
in the book and movie “Black Hawk Down.”
More
than 3,400 Medals of Honor have been awarded since the decoration
was created in 1861, of which more than 600 have been given posthumously.
Army
background on Sgt. Smith is online at www.army.mil/medalofhonor.
Source:
© 2005 The Associated Press. |
Pé-de-Pano
returns: 2 gold medals
As
for the Hawaii boys, they did not fair to well. All were eliminated
in the first round except possibly the next great thing in Hawaii
Jiu-Jitsu, Luke Hacker from Longman Jiu-Jitsu. We were told that
Hacker submitted all five of his opponents to take the gold medal
in the blue belt division. This is an accomplishment in itself,
but even more so when he just suffered a serious concussion less
than a month ago. That makes it even more unbelievable. We only
heard back from our team so hopefully the other Hawaii schools
did well. We welcome their reports if they would like to share
them. One match to note was purple belt Brad Scott from Kaneohe
Team. He had a war in his first match and lost by an advantage,
but had his opponent up in the air a number of times. After the
match Rickson came by to congratulate Brad on a great effort.
How's that for getting your spirits up after a loss?
Away
from BJJ Confederation's tournaments in 2004, Márcio Pé-de-Pano
rturned in great style in 2005. Gracie Barra black belt conquered
last weekend super super heavyweight and open class category
at 11th Pan-American of Jiu-Jitsu, held at California State University
Dominguez Hills gymnasium, in United States. At open class final,
Pé-de-Pano defeated Xande Ribeiro (Gracie Humaitá)
by inversion. Other fighter who ruled black belt was André
Galvão (TT Jiu-Jitsu). Debuting as black belt, Fernando
Tererê's pupil conquered middleweight division defeating
Cássio Werneck (BTT) in the final.
BLAKC
BELT CHAMPS:
11th
Pan-American of Jiu-Jitsu
California
State University Dominguez Hills Gymnasium, California - US
Saturday
and Sunday, April 3 and 4, 2005
Super
featherweight: Bibiano Fernandes (Gracie Barra);
Feather
weight: Mário Reis (BTT);
Lightweight:
Márcio Feitosa (Gracie Barra);
Middleweight:
André Galvão (TT Jiu-Jitsu);
Middle
heavyweight: Givanildo Santana (Lótus Club);
Heavyweight:
Rodrigo Pinheiro (Gracie Humaitá);
Super
heavyweight: Xande Ribeiro (Gracie Humaitá);
Suoer
super heavyweight: Márcio Pé-de-Pano (Gracie Barra);
Open
class: Márcio Pé-de-Pano (Gracie Barra).
Source: Tatame
|
Pride
GP confirms other two bouts
Dream
Stage Entertainment scheduled for tomorrow the final card of
Pride GP Middleweight forst round, which will be held on April
23, at Osaka Dome. So far, Japanese organization has announced
other tow match-ups: Yuki Kondo facing Igor Vovchanchyn and Kazuhiro
Nakamura taking on Kevin Randleman. Besides the rumors, tomorrow
the organization will announce Ricardo Arona on the card or not.
Now,
Brazilians expect for Ricardo Arona on the card. Due to Paulão
Filho's defeat at mini GP held last Sunday, at Pride Bushido
6, Arona only would have chances to fight, in case Paulão
did not get classified. The last fighter will be announced on
the car tomorrow and so Vitor Belfort's opponent on the first
phase.
COMPLETE
CARD (subject to change):
Pride
Grand Prix 2005
Saturday,
April 23, 2005
Osaka
Dome, Osaka - Japan
-
Wanderlei Silva Vs Hidehiko Yoshida;
-
Quinton Jackson Vs Maurício Shogun;
-
Rogério Minotouro Vs Dan Henderson;
-
Yuki Kondo Vs Igor Vovchanchyn;
-
Kazuhiro Nakamura Vs Kevin Randleman;
-
Vitor Belfort;
-
Alistair Overeem;
-
Kazushi Sakuraba;
-
Dean Lister;
-
Yoon Dong Sik;
-
TBA.
Source: Tatame
|
Quote
of the Day
"Our deepest fear is NOT that we are inadequate. Our deepest
fear is that we are powerful beyond measure. It is our light,
not our darkness, that most frightens us. We ask ourselves, "Who
am I to be brilliant, gorgeous, talented and fabulous?"
Actually, who are you not to be? You are a child of God; your
playing small doesn't serve the world. There is nothing enlightened
about shrinking so that other people won't feel insecure around
you."
Marianne Williamson 1952-, American Author, Lecturer on Spirituality
|
New
fight game earning respect
By Dayton Morinaga
Advertiser Staff Writer
While
many of his friends are out playing soccer or baseball, Triston
Pebria is busy learning how to apply armbars and throw left-jab,
right-hook combinations.
Pebria is proof of the popularity of mixed martial arts in Hawai'i.
He
is 9 years old — a third-grader at 'Ewa Elementary School
— and a member of the 808 Fight Factory.
"We
have probably around 150 members right now, from kids up to the
pro fighters," said Kai Kamaka Jr., manager of 808 Fight
Factory. "It's something that's really grown over the last
few years."
Mixed
martial arts blends boxing, kickboxing, wrestling, jiu-jitsu
and several other martial arts into one. It is perhaps more identifiable
by brand names like Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) or Super
Brawl.
In
its formative years — which were only around 10 years ago
— mixed martial arts received resistance from lawmakers
because of a perceived excessively violent nature.
"We
as promoters did such a rotten job promoting this sport early
on, hyping it as a blood sport, that it turned a lot of people
off," said T. Jay Thompson, founder and promoter of the
Super Brawl organization. "We're still trying to turn that
image around. But at the same time, the sport of mixed martial
arts has generally been accepted as legitimate not only here
in Hawai'i, but around the country, and around other parts of
the world."
There
are now dozens of mixed martial arts schools across the state,
and professional cards like Super Brawl draw thousands of fans
to the Blaisdell Arena.
More
than 8,000 watched Japan's Masanori Suda beat Hawai'i's Egan
Inoue in May 2003. A similar-sized crowd is expected at the Blaisdell
Arena on Saturday when Suda takes on Waipahu's Falaniko Vitale.
"You
can compare the popularity to — dare I say — the (University
of Hawai'i) women's volleyball team here," Thompson said.
KEEPING
IT IN THE RING
The
808 Fight Factory in Waipahu is proof enough.
Girlie
Kamaka, Kai's wife, goes to the gym every day to watch her two
sons, Kai III and Tristin, train. Kai III is 10; Tristin is 8,
and became the youngest participant ever in a sanctioned mixed
martial arts event last month.
"I
have friends, and even people on my side of the family, who ask
me how can I allow my kids to do this," Girlie Kamaka said.
"But it's something they enjoy, and they understand what
they're training for. They know this is not something for them
to show off in school or to use outside of the gym. They keep
it in the ring.
"At
first, I was reserved about it, but now I'm one of the moms that
does a lot of yelling and cheering when they get in the ring."
The
trainers and the fighters insist that the sport is not nearly
as dangerous as it might look to the untrained eye.
"I
wouldn't put my kids in danger if I thought it was that bad,"
Kai Kamaka Jr. said. "You have to be educated in the sport
to understand it. To me, it's safer than boxing."
Triston
Pebria, even at 9, seems to understand the philosophies of the
sport.
"It's
not about beating up the other person," he said. "It's
about having pride in what you do."
It's
that kind of attitude that has made Triston's parents supporters
of the sport.
Shane
Pebria, his father, said: "Every time he goes into the ring,
it's a concern. Sometimes, he's the one telling us not to worry.
But this is what he loves to do, and if it could turn into a
career for him, then why not support it?"
His
mother, Nicole, added: "To me, it's been a wonderful thing.
It's not like he's running around kickboxing all the other kids
in school. He knows if he tries that stuff outside of the gym,
we're taking him out of it. He's learned a lot of discipline
since he started this and it even shows in his school work."
The
sport also is drawing interest from female competitors.
Shani
Alvarado, a 2002 state high school wrestling champion at Moanalua,
joined the 808 Fight Factory about a year ago, and has aspirations
of becoming a pro fighter.
"My
friends all tell me I'm nuts; that's the normal reaction,"
Alvarado said. "The people who don't know about this sport,
they all say 'Oh, that's so brutal, it's just violence and chaos.'
But we train hard for this. There's so much work and discipline
that goes into it. I think once people realize that, then they'll
understand why I'm doing it."
SAFETY
CONCERNS
Even
on the professional level, the sport has maintained a safe history.
According to Thompson, there have been no deaths or serious injuries
during a Super Brawl event.
"And
we're talking almost 10 years, over 500 matches," he said.
"The record absolutely speaks for itself."
During
the mid 1990s, events like Super Brawl were closely monitored
by state officials. Since then, rules have been put in place
so that the sport is not as "extreme" as it once was.
"Essentially,
the big hurdles have been jumped over," Thompson said.
Still,
Thompson said all of his events must be approved by the State
Department of Commerce & Consumer Affairs before it can run.
Thompson added that he would welcome a state commission —
like the Hawai'i State Boxing Commission — to sanction mixed
martial arts events.
"We're
not opposed to regulation in any way — it would be another
step in the right direction," he said. "We just want
to make sure it's done from an educated viewpoint."
That
is not to say the sport is entirely safe. Among the banned moves
in Super Brawl events are head butts, eye-gouging, and strikes
to the spine and groin. Just about everything else goes.
In
the professional bouts, it is not uncommon to see swift knockouts
or a fighter choked to near-unconsciousness.
"It's
a sport for warriors," Thompson acknowledged. "And
there's a culture of warriors here in Hawai'i."
But
David Padilla, manager of the Jesus Is Lord gym in Waipahu, said
mixed martial arts is still safer than boxing and football.
"There's
so much head trauma in boxing," he said. "In (mixed
martial arts), there's not that constant beating. And I used
to play (college) football, and I had way more injuries in football
than I did in this."
NOT
ABOUT VIOLENCE
At
the Jesus Is Lord gym, participants receive a rare mix of Christianity
and mixed martial arts. Every training session is preceded by
a prayer. The youth members often attend Bible study before training.
"I think that shows people that this is not about violence,"
Padilla said. "We're here as Christians first and we treat
this as a sport like we would any other sport."
Bob
Ostovich is a member of the Jesus Is Lord gym along with his
12-year-old son, Robby.
"What
the spectators see in the ring is different from what the fighters
see in the ring," Ostovich said. "It's a very technical
sport. So as far as putting the kids into it, I don't look at
it as training them to fight. I look at it as training them in
a martial art, just like any other kid you might see in another
martial art."
Many
of the mixed martial arts fighters site the basic martial arts
background as a primary reason for the popularity of the sport
in Hawai'i.
"Hawai'i
has always had a strong tradition with the Asian martial arts,"
Thompson said. "What you're seeing now is an extension of
it. What I think mixed martial arts proved was you can have more
than one pure style and be effective."
Thompson
and others in the sport long for the day when mixed martial arts
is treated with the same respect as some of the traditional martial
arts.
"People
should realize that the kids who are now in (mixed martial arts)
are learning the respect and discipline that kids have been learning
in other martial arts for years," Thompson said.
In
any case, the sport's popularity is spreading. According to Thompson,
national sales of Super Brawl DVDs grossed over $2 million over
the past six months.
Making
it all more impressive, many of the mainstream media outlets
in Hawai'i have shunned events like Super Brawl until recently
because of its perceived violence.
"There
was a time when I felt like all I had to do was defend myself
and this sport," Thompson said. "Fortunately, this
became a business that sort of ran and promoted itself. The people
of Hawai'i embraced it and I think more and more people are finally
realizing that it is legit and it is here to stay."
Reach
Dayton Morinaga at dmorinaga@honoluluadvertiser.com or 535-8101.
Super
Brawl 39
What: Mixed martial arts
Who:
Hawai'i's Falaniko Vitale vs. Japan's Masanori Suda for the Super
Brawl world championship at 185 pounds, plus 12 other bouts
Where:
Blaisdell Center Arena
When:
Saturday, preliminaries start around 7:15 p.m.
Tickets:
$35 for upper level seats, $45 for riser seats, $60 for floor
seats (prices increase $5 on Saturday)
Ticket
information: ticketmaster.com or 877-750-4400
For
information on joining the 808 Fight Factory in Waipahu, call
671-4140, or visit 808ff.com. Entry fees range from $25 to $50
per month.
Source: Honolulu Advertiser
|
PRIDE
BUSHIDO 6 RESULTS
PRIDE
Bushido 6
April 3rd, 2005
Yokohama Areana
Yokohama, Japan
Fedor
Emelianenko defeats Tsuyoshi Kohsaka by TKO at 10:00, RD 1.
Ikuhisa Minowa defeats Gilbert Yvel by heelhook at 1:10, RD 1.
Murilo Bustamante defeats Ryuta Sakurai by unanimous decision.
Alexander Emelianenko defeats Ricardo Morais by KO at 0:15, RD
1.
Daniel Acacio defeats Daiju Takase by TKO at 3:34, RD 2.
Luiz Azeredo defeats Luiz 'Buscape' Firminho by decision.
Marcus Aurelio defeats Daisuke Nakamura by unanimous decision.
Dean Lister defeats Akira Shoji by triangle choke at 3:13, RD
1.
Paulo Filho defeats Amar Suloev by armbar at 4:22, RD 1.
Dennis Kang defeats Takahiro Oba by armbar at 4:24, RD 1.
Source: Fight Sport
|
PRIDE
CONFIRMS FIGHTSPORT.COM SCOOP
DSE/PRIDE
confirmed what Fightsport.com first reported on January 31st,
when Nobuhiko Takada announced at today's PRIDE Bushido 6 show
that they want to sign Tito Ortiz to the PRIDE middleweight GP.
However,
nothing has been signed, or looks to be signed, in time for the
opening round of the GP on April 23rd, which leads one to assume
that Tito Ortiz does not want to sign or have anything to do
with competing at the ultra-high level GP.
Source: Fight Sport
|
Quote
of the Day
"You can have brilliant ideas, but if you can't get them
across, your ideas won't get you anywhere."
Lee Iacocca, 1924-, American Businessman, Former CEO of Chrysler
|
Breaking
Super Brawl News!
Kolo Koka Is Out, Kultar Gill Is In!
Kolo suffered a broken nose in training so Kultar Gill steps
in to replace him. Gill showed his skills by having a war with
Yves Edwards at the Shogun event in Hawaii. Gill is no tomato
can last minute replacement. Gill or Sarmiento will earn the
inaugral Super Brawl North American Title.
|
K-1
Fighting: Presents Dynamite on Pay Per View
K-1 is finally releasing the Dynamite card on pay per view this
month on DirecTV. See legendary Royce Gracie versus former sumo-wrestling
grand champion Chad "Akebono" Rowan in a K-1 match.
Also
catch Bob "The Beast" Sapp vs. Jerome LeBanner. Recorded
live in Japan. The show Premieres this Friday, April 8 at 9 p.m.
(ET) / 6 p.m. (PT)
Order
it online or by remote on channel 121 for only $19.95 ADT (All
Day Ticket) replays April 9, 10, 15, 22 & 23. MMAWeekly's
very own, Ryan Bennett does the play by play for the event with
Enson Inoue.
Source: MMA Weekly
|
BUSHIDO
TONIGHT!
CAN BUSTAMANTE GET BACK ON THE WINNING TRACK?
PRIDE BUSHIDO 6 PREVIEW:
MURILO BUSTAMANTE VS. RYUTA SAKURAI
Ken Pishna, MMAWeekly.com
Exiting
the 20th century, Murilo Bustamante was one of the few undefeated
fighters in mixed martial arts. Eight fights into the 21st century,
he is a .500 fighter. At Pride Bushido 6, Bustamante looks to
resurrect a career snowballing towards retirement. His opponent,
Ryuta Sakurai, is trying to find his way out of the muck and
mire of a journeyman career and launch himself into the spotlight.
Still
regarded as one of the top grapplers in the world, Bustamante
was 10-1-1 after the first dozen bouts of his career with the
sole loss being a controversial decision to UFC contender Chuck
Liddell. Following that loss, he took the UFC Middleweight strap
from Dave Menne and defeated Matt Lindland before setting sail
for Japan.
Call
it the curse of Jens Pulver (who had his own tormented streak
after walking away from the UFC), but Bustamante didn’t
quite make the expected splash in Pride. He went on a three-fight
skid that has landed him in his current position of pondering
his future in the sport. Bustamante dropped a close decision
to Quinton Jackson, got KO’d by Dan Henderson, and then
dominated by Kazuhiro Nakamura en route to a unanimous decision
loss. To put it mildly, Bustamante needs a win or needs to reconsider
his future.
Ryuta
Sakurai, sporting a respectable record of 11-7-4, has had a good
run over the past couple of years. In his last 12 bouts, Sakurai
has gone 8-2-2 and in his last fight knocked out Ryuki Ueyama
to become the DEEP Middleweight Champion. After years of struggling
through Shooto and DEEP to become one of the top journeymen in
Japan, against Bustamante, he is looking to take his career to
new heights and either establish himself in Pride or make his
way across the ocean to the Ultimate Fighting Championship.
A
wrestler with an aggressive ground and pound attack, Sakurai
will need more than that to defeat Bustamante. One thing to his
advantage is that nearly half of Sakurai’s fights have gone
to a decision, meaning that his conditioning is definitely such
that he can go for the entire fight. Another advantage for Sakurai
is the tremendous strength that he maintains for a middleweight
fighter. He’s going to need every bit of that strength and
conditioning if he hopes to defeat Bustamante. His best opportunity
is to take Bustamante down, stay out of his submission attempts,
and hope to pound him down.
Quinton
Jackson and Kazuhiro Nakamura both employed basically the same
strategy and were successful against Bustamante. The only problem?
As strong as he is, Sakurai is not as strong as Jackson or as
skilled as Nakamura.
Despite
the three-fight losing skid, Bustamante still maintains his status
as one of the top grapplers in the world and he is not without
striking abilities. He has a tremendous skill advantage over
Sakurai both on the ground and on the feet. The takedown is the
one area where Sakurai’s skill is greater than Bustamante’s.
But once on the ground, if Sakurai’s strength doesn’t
hold out, Bustamante will find a way to win.
He
only has fourteen bouts to his record, but Bustamante has consistently
fought the top competition over his fifteen years in the sport
and trains with some of the best fighters the world has to offer
at Brazilian Top Team. He has the experience and the savvy that
he needs to rebound and beat a fighter like Sakurai.
Sakurai
is the DEEP Middleweight Champion, but he is still a journeyman
when all is said and done. It will show against a fighter the
ilk of Bustamante. Look for Bustamante to find a way to pull
out the submission for the resurrection of a career that is not
yet finished.
Source: MMA Weekly
|
MMAWEEKLY
RADIO'S BENNETT AND TRIGG BREAKDOWN BUSHIDO TOURNAMENT
MMAWeekly Radio's Ryan Bennett and Frank Trigg breakdown the
four man Bushido tournament going on tonight at 12 Midnight Pacific/3
am Eastern LIVE from Japan.
Amar
Suloev (Russia) vs. Paulo Filho (Brazil)- I was working for the
UFC at the time when some Russian named Amar Suloev made his
debut against Chuck Liddell of all people at UFC 35. Suloev was
a guy that has a ton of natural ability and to me should be fighting
at 185, not 205. With that said, if Chuck Liddell can't KO Suloev
not many people in the fight game can. Only 1 loss in his career
was by KO and that was to Baroni, a fight he was winning until
the illegal knee changed the fight drastically.
Suloev's
accomplishments are long, especially in tournaments and the thing
I love about him is that tournament experience. This guy has
fought in Five tournaments in Brazil and Russia and is battled
tested. (Brazil and Russia Tourney Translation = not many rules
which makes it that much more impressive) His has fought legit
tough guys in Dean Lister, Din Thomas, Phil Baroni, Chuck Liddell,
and Andrei Semenov among others. Suloev has won five in a row,
and 17 of his last 19! Not many people talk about that impressive
stretch and the reason why that gets lost in the shuffle, is
most likely the fact that he lost two in a row in that stretch
to Baroni and Liddell.
The
thing that makes this fight so interesting is his opponent, Paulo
Filho, has put a nice string of wins together and is a perfect
8-0 in MMA. The competition Filho has faced has not been as good
as Suloev's, but still has a couple of nice wins. Paulo's biggest
wins have been over Yuki Kondo and Ikuhisa Minowa (two impressive
names). Where it gets unimpressive is going to a SPLIT decision
with Shoji and going to decisions in five of those eight wins.
None the less, this guy is a wiz on the ground and will win the
fight if he can keep it on the ground. You do now want to stand
with Suloev if your Filho. I think Suloev's wrestling is good
enough to make it difficult for Filho to keep it on the ground.
While I like Suloev to win this fight because he has been beating
everybody, don't be shocked if Filho beats Amar in the first
round because he is that talented and you don't go 8-0 fighting
that kind of competition without some great skill.
FRANK
TRIGG - Suloev has had a lot more time in the fight game and
you can't teach toughness. Suloev has that nasty toughness that
he would let you break his arm before he taps. He's just a tougher
guy, with more tournament experience than anyone. Suloev by ref
stoppage and moves on with a win over Filho.
Dean
Lister (USA) vs. Akira Shoji (Japan)- Frank Trigg said it best
when he made the comment "I don't understand why everyone
counts out Shoji in every fight. He is good at everything, not
great at any one thing." There is a legit reason why no
one really wants to fight a guy who is 12-11. Shoji has beaten
Alex Steibling, Guy Mezger, Wallid Ismail and drew with Renzo
Gracie. His losses are to MMA's big names - Mark Coleman, Jeremy
Horn, Ninja, Shogun, Dan Henderson, Ricardo Almeida, and Semmy
Schilt among others. He is a tough guy who will make it very
difficult for Lister to win "pretty" or even get a
finish in the fight.
If
Paulo Filho, Ricardo Almeida and Renzo Gracie couldn't finish
Shoji, I'm not convinced Lister will. Not saying he can't, I
just don't think it's likely. Dean has to be extremely aggressive
on the ground. Shoji is a strong guy who will be difficult to
take down, but once it goes to the ground Lister has to been
extremely aggressive. Lister has won 6 of his 9 fights and in
those wins there is a common theme. He has finished EVERY SINGLE
FIGHT in the six wins. In his three losses, you guess it, they
all went to decision. You don't want to get worn down in the
fight knowing that this is a tournament format and knowing you
will have to face Suloev or Filho on the other side. Lister has
the talent to finish this fight but mentally he can't get frustrated
early if it goes past the first round and a half.
Does
Lister have what it takes physically to win two fights? This
weekend will tell us alot more about the progression of Dean
Lister. This is the biggest fight he has had since his loss to
Jeremy Horn. Believe it or not, I'm tempted to take Shoji in
this fight because no one can overwhelm this guy, not to mention
he is in his home country of Japan. He will be very comfortable
going into this fight. The reason I'm taking Lister is the fact
that he has already fought in Pride and will be able to settle
down earlier in this fight than his last. He will have a HELL
of a time with Shoji and eek out a win. I don't think he will
have enough energy to win a second time no matter who he faces.
FRANK
TRIGG: I may be the most opinioned guy in the world, but I can't
get a vibe on this fight. I have a lot of respect for Shoji and
I know he is a legit tough guy. Lister is a tough hombre in his
own right, but I want to see Dean get nasty in a fight, not just
grappling or looking for submissions. I'm talking breaking a
dude's arm if he gets the chance. If Dean gets nasty he will
win this fight. I really can't pick a winner because Shoji is
so tough, so I will just say I take Suloev to win it all because
he is a tournament veteran. Those tourney's in Brazil toughened
him up early in his career and he needs the high profile tourney
win to get into the Grand Prix.
Source: MMA Weekly
|
COFFEE
GUY EXCLUSIVE: DOERKSEN TO REPLACE MURRAY FOR UFC 52
By Coffee Guy
Before reading any further, please read our disclaimer first.
The
following exclusive report was sent to us by our Zuffa informant
called 'Coffee Guy':
"It
appears that the visa problems plaguing Lee Murray will once
again prevent him from entering the US, meaning that he won't
be able to participate on the upcoming UFC 52 as was scheduled.
Joe
Doerksen will take his place, and he'll be facing Patrick Cote."
Source: Fight Sport
|
FUJITA
MAY CONCENTRATE MORE ON PRO-WRESTLING
The Japanese media is reporting that Kazuyuki Fujita may concentrate
more on pro-wrestling this year then MMA.
Source: Fight Sport
|
Interview:
Shelby Walker walks over opposition in victorious return
by "Big Dog" Benny Henderson Jr.
Female fighter Shelby 'Girl' Walker, 7-4-1 (6), returned to the
ring March 12th in Tustin, California and hands downed outclassed,
outworked and outdid her opponent Mary Elena Bautista in front
of the eight hundred fans on hand at the Marconi Automotive Museum.
The American Top Team fighter last saw ring action in May ’04
in a losing effort for the WIBA Feather Title in Japan, so the
victorious return was warmly welcomed and greatly received by
the lady warrior.
Using her solid jab and vicious right hand Shelby established
her dominance early in the fight and administered her power in
the second round when the Floridian dropped her opposition with
a devastating right hand. But her tough as nails opponent beat
the count and the fight continued on with Walker adding pressure
and punishment powering up on her combinations as the rounds
continued on. In the sixth round Shelby went into a vicious frenzy
landing a barrage of damaging punches with the ropes holding
up Bautista, the ref Jose Cobian had seen enough punishment and
jumped in to save the dazed and confused fighter giving Shelby
'Girl' a TKO victory at 1:47 in the sixth and final round.
Not
only does this win mark a victorious return for Walker, but an
all new fighter and journey all together. Under the tutelage
of Howard Davis Jr. Shelby 'Girl' is rejuvenated, restored and
is completely prepared to take on all that sways into her path.
With her wicked combinations, superb defense and destructive
right hand she is setting out to show the women’s boxing
world, she will dominate, destruct and destroy! Shelby stopped
by the Doghouse to talk about her return and what the future
holds for herself, enjoy.
Benny
Henderson Jr.: How did it feel to get your first victory in two
years?
Shelby
Walker: Oh it was great, it was the best feeling in the world,
and it really makes all my hard work pay off.
BH:
For the ones who didn’t see the fight give us a little insight
on it?
SW:
Going into this fight I knew nothing of this girl whether she
was right handed or left handed but I was really prepared for
anything. In the first round I was trying to feel her out trying
some slick foot movement and she was too. I knew I had a fight
on my hands and the look on her face you could tell she was in
there to fight. I kept the jab in her face, she was throwing
looping punches but they were hard. Towards the end of round
one I backed her on the ropes and realized that I could hit her
with my right hand anytime I wanted, which I might add that I
have a very devastating right hand. (Laughs)
The
second round I caught her right on the chin with a straight right
hand and it sounded so loud and it leveled her, so I stood over
her and put my hands in the air as a tribute to Howard Davis
because every time he knocked somebody out that’s what he
did. I went to my corner and turned and looked at Howard Davis
and he was smiling, Howard is always so serious when it comes
to boxing and never cracks a smile so I knew he was really happy.
Man, the ref got to seven and the girl got up, this girl was
triple tough and I am not kidding. Every single round I was hitting
her with sick combinations and I had her out in every round just
about, I couldn’t believe she kept coming back. In the sixth
I got her on the ropes which were holding her up, I had her hurt
and I stayed on her till the ref stopped it. I hit that girl
with everything including the kitchen sink.
BH:
It has been almost a year since you last stepped in the ring
before this fight, do you plan on staying more active in the
future?
SW:
Absolutely, I would fight tomorrow if I could and if I had something
lined up. I am going to start fighting hopefully twice a month
if not at least once a month probably for the rest of this year.
I am really motivated, I am ready to stay busy, I had so much
fun in my last fight and I just can’t wait to do it again.
BH:
Was it hard to shake off the ring rust from the inactivity or
did the training from Howard Davis Jr. help everything come into
place easily?
SW:
Oh it came into place easily, Howard is a great trainer and I
was excited to get into the ring and show off my new skills that
Howard Davis has helped me with. Besides all of that I am really
proud of my coach for all the hard work he has out into myself
and his other two fighters.
BH:
It has been rumored that Ann Wolf may be competing in a male
versus female bout in the near future, what are your thoughts
on women fighting men in the ring?
SW:
I disagree with women fighting men 100%; I think it is unnatural
and dangerous. I don’t care how good a woman is, I don’t
care how string she is, women should not fight men, that’s
not the way it is supposed to be. Men are to strong and it’s
too dangerous.
BH:
Any news on your next opponent or the date you will be fighting
again or anything yet?
SW:
Hopefully I will be fighting on the next AFC I know you heard
that before but this time it may happen. The card is full but
hopefully one of the fights will fall out and I will be able
to get on it, otherwise it may be somewhere in Florida next month.
BH:
What happened to your last bout in the AFC that was scheduled
for last February, I heard your opponent backed out or something
to that affect.
SW:
Oh yeah, they were holding out and holding out trying to get
more money from us, so when they finally did get more money they
pulled out.
BH:
Anything you want to add in closing?
SW:
I want to thank all my fans and all who have supported me along
with my sponsors www.Sportsbook.com and www.Cobb28.com check
them out.
Source: Maxfighting
|
Quote
of the Day
"If you do what you've always done, you'll get what you've
always gotten."
Anthony Robbins, 1960-, American Author, Speaker, Peak Performance
Expert/ Consultant
|
Good
Luck to all the Hawaii Fighters
Competing at the Pan Ams!
A
handful of the Relson Gracie team are up in California to test
their hands against America and Brazil’s best in the Pan
American BJJ Tournament in Torrence, California. Brad Scott,
Mark Kurano and Keiichi are up there will a couple other BJJ
fighters from Hawaii. No matter which academy you belong to,
outside of Hawaii, it is the Hawaiians versus the world! Good
luck to all the competitors who compete on Saturday and Sunday.
Make
Hawaii proud!
|
New
Hawaii Wrestling Web Site!
Check out this web site that is promoting wrestling in Hawaii.
Go to www.hawaiiwrestling.tv to get more details.
|
Super
Brawl XXXIX: Destiny
Blaisdell Arena, Honolulu, Hawaii
April 9, 2005
Pride try out winner KJ Noons is a transplanted Hawaii boy! Noons
was an excellent kickboxer as a kid when he trained at Sonny
Westbrook’s Kona Boxing Club. We wish him luck in his Hawaii
MMA debut.
Three
Title Belts on the Line; Thirteen Exciting Bouts in the Biggest
Event Ever.
Honolulu,
HI. March 31, 2005 – On April 9, 2005 at Honolulu’s
Blaisdell Arena, Hawaii’s premier M.M.A. (mixed martial
arts) event series, Super Brawl, will put on the largest event
in its nine year history. In the main event, Egan Inoue’s
former student, Falaniko Vitale, looks to step from shadow of
his one-time instructor as he fights current champion Masanori
Suda for possession of the 185-lb (Middleweight) Super Brawl
World Title Belt. Suda earned the 185-lb Super Brawl Title Belt
with his dominant victory over Inoue at the highly publicized
and sold-out Super Brawl XXIX on May 9, 2003. With a win over
Suda in Super Brawl XXXIX, Vitale will fulfill his destiny of
becoming Super Brawl’s top fighter. The win will also establish
his position among the elite 185-lb fighters in the world.
Super
Brawl XXXIX will also feature two other exciting title matches.
Although close friends outside the ring, Kolo Koka of Kaneohe’s
Mixed Martial Arts Development academy (M.M.A.D.) will match
Harris Sarmiento of Waipahu’s 808 Fight Factory for the
155-lb (Lightweight) Super Brawl North American Title. Koka and
Sarmiento have clearly established themselves as the top two
155-lb fighters in Hawaii. They will put friendship aside for
three rounds when they compete for the 155-lb Title at Super
Brawl XXXIX: Destiny. In the other title match, Grappling Unlimited’s
Justin Mercado, a former Golden Gloves boxer who also successfully
competes in Super Brawl, will compete against 808 Fight Factory’s
Jim Kikuchi for the 145-lb (Featherweight) Super Brawl Hawaii
State Championship.
Keiki
Exhibition MMA: Triston Prebia (Waipahu) vs. Tristan Kamaka (808
Fight Factory, Waipahu)
170-lb
Kickboxing: Bryson Kamaka (808 Fight Factory, Waipahu) vs. Allan
Ulip (Animal House, Ewa)
135-lb
Kickboxing: John Low (Honolulu) vs. Tony Rodriguez (Team Big
Dogs, Ewa)
135-lb
Kickboxing: Tyson Nam (Honolulu) vs. Jumar Dumalao (808 Fight
Factory, Waipahu)
205-lb
MMA: Tama Satele (Waipahu) vs. Rob Chong (Kaneohe)
205-lb
MMA: Kala Kolohe Hose (Waianae) vs. Reese Andy (Washington)
135-lb
MMA: Harvey Nakamoto (Grappling Unlimited, Honolulu) vs. Mark
Oshiro (Bull’s Pen, Honolulu)
135-lb
MMA: Albert Manners (Puna Boyz, Puna) vs. Ryan Lee (Bull’s
Pen, Honolulu)
170-lb
MMA: Malik Williams (Puna Boyz, Puna) vs. K.J. Noons (City Boxing,
Washington)
170-lb
MMA: Mark Moreno (Bull’s Pen, Honolulu) vs. Kevin Barber
(Alaska)
155lbs
Super Brawl North American Title
Kolo Koka (M.M.A.D., Kaneohe) vs. Harris Sarmiento (808 Fight
Factory, Waipahu)
145lbs
Super Brawl Hawaii State Championship Title
Justin Mercado (Grappling Unlimited, Honolulu) vs. Jim Kikuchi
(808 Fight Factory, Waipahu)
185lbs
Super Brawl World Title
Masanori Suda (Club J, Japan) vs. Falaniko Vitale (808 Fight
Factory, Waipahu)
Source:
Event Promoter
|
Check
out ADCC 2005 invitation list
For the first time at ADCC history, the organization liberates
names of the fighters to join May 28 and 29's competition, in
United States. In 66kg division, Márcio Feitosa and Marcos
Parrumpinha were confirmed. Actual champion Marcelinho Garcia
will also count with Pablo Popovich, Marcos Avellan, Jean Jacques
Machado and Renzo Gracie at -77kg divsion.
2003
finalist, Ronaldo Jacaré fights at -88kg. Saulo's brother,
Xande Ribeiro is one of inviters to fight at -99kg. Vice-champions
2003 Alexandre Cacareco and Antoine Jaoude were also invited.
Paulão Filho, for a while is the only Brazilian confirmed,
beside the champion Márcio Pé-de-Pano, at +99kg.
CONFIRMED
NAMES:
ADCC
2005 - VI World Tournament Submission Wrestling
Long Beach State Campus, Long Beach - California
Saturday and Sunday, May 28 and 29, 2005
-66
kg
#1 Leo Vieira - (Brazil);
#2 Wagney Fabiano - (Brazil);
#3 Javier Vazquez - (USA);
#4 Toni Kroger - (Finland);
#5 Tetsu Suzuki - (Japan);
#6 Eugene Hynson - (New Zeland);
#7 Eddie Bravo (USA);
#8 Joey Gilbert (USA);
#9 Márcio Feitosa (Brazil);
#10 Marcos Parrumpinha (Brazil);
#11 Jani Lax (Finland);
-77
kg
#1 Marcelo Garcia - (Brazil);
#2 Roan Jucão - (Brazil);
#3 Cameron Earle - (USA);
#4 Martin Lindqvist - (Sweden);
#5 Shinja Aoki - (Japan);
#6 Gavin Kulper - (Australia);
#7 Chris Brennan (USA);
#8 Pablo Popovitch (Brazil);
#9 Marcos Avellan (Brazil);
#10 Jean Jacques Machado (Brazil);
#11 Renzo Gracie (Brazil);
#12 Jason Brudvig (Sweden);
-88
kg
#1 Saulo Ribeiro - (Brazil);
#2 Demian Maia - (Brazil);
#3 David Avellan - (USA);
#4 Marko Helen - (Finland);
#5 Hidemi Mihara - (Japão);
#6 Larry Papadopoulos - (Australia);
#7 Robert Sulski (Poland);
#8 Ronaldo Jacaré (Brazil);
#9 Dennis Hallman (USA);
#10 Reese Andy (USA);
-99
kg
#1 Jon Olav Einmo - (Norway);
#2 Roger Gracie - (Brazil);
#3 Jamal Patterson - (USA);
#4 Alistair Overeem - (Holland);
#5 Yukiya Naito - (Japan);
#6 Anthony Perosh - (Australia);
#7 Alexandre Cacareco (Brazil);
#8 Alexandre Ribeiro (Brazil);
#9 Antoine Jaoude (Brazil);
#10 Haim Golazi (Israel);
#11 Travis Wiuff (USA);
+99
kg
#1 Marcio Pé de Pano - (Brazil);
#2 Gabriel Napão - (Brazil);
#3 Karim Byron - (Canada);
#4 Mustafa Al-Turk - (UK);
#5 Jun Ishii - (Japan);
#6 Dennis Roberts - (Australia);
#7 Rhadi Ferguson (USA);
#8 Jeff Monson (USA);
#9 Paulo Filho (Brazil).
Super-fight:
Ricardo Arona (Champ - Brazil) Vs Dean Lister (USA);
Female:
-60
kg:
- Leka Vieira (Brazil);
- Gazzy Parman (USA);
- Leonor Coco (USA);
- Kyra Gracie (Brazil);
- Megumi Fuji (Japan);
- Leticia Ribeiro (Brazil);
- Ludmila Sundukova (Italy/Russia);
- Roxanne Modafferi (USA);
- Tara Larosa (USA);
- Sari Redzeposki (Australia);
+60
kg:
- Camilla Gielsten (Norway);
- Marloes Coenen (Holland);
- Juliana Borges (Brazil);
- Hannette Stack (Brazil);
- Debi Purcell (USA);
- Amanda Buckner (USA);
- Megumi Yabushita (Japan);
- Yuki Kondo Kubota (Japan);
- Stacey Cartwright (Australia);
- Jessica Ross (USA).
Source:
Tatame
|
UFC
52 OFFICIAL ODDS PLUS...
JOHN MARSH on
16 FIGHTERS IN 16 DAYS ON MMAWEEKLY RADIO
It's that time again. MMAWeekly SoundOff Radio's sixteen fighters
in sixteen days kicked off Thursday with John Marsh. Marsh is
set to take on Mike Van Arsdale at UFC 52. The two heavyweights
will go to battle on April 16th, which will be Marsh's UFC debut.
John spoke with MMAWeekly about the fight, his opponent, and
what he does for a living outside of the octagon.
In
what has to be one of the coolest jobs to have out there, John
Marsh spends 30-40 hours a week hanging out with Dr. Dre as his
bodyguard. About his job, John said, "It's pretty mellow
most of the time unless there's an event, or he goes somewhere
and has to handle some kind of maybe award ceremony or something,
or maybe a nightclub, then it gets kind of sketchy. You've kind
of got to keep your eyes open, but all and all, I mean the guys
is such a mellow guy. He's stereotyped to be this certain type
of person, but he's not. He's just real mellow and easy to work
for."
Marsh
was supposed to have fought in the UFC before, but injuries have
put off his debut until now. John is excited to finally be fighting
in the UFC. He commented, "Finally I'm ready. I'm prepared
mentally, physically, every thing is good." John added,
"It means a lot to me. I've been working for the last ten
years trying to get here. I watched the first couple of UFCs
and I was like man I want to do that. For some reason I haven't
gotten in there. I'm not sure why, but I'm there now, so it means
a lot to me. It's pretty much everything to me, so this fight
is everything to me."
Marsh
is no new comer to the game. The 33 year old has been fighting
MMA since 1998. He's been in there with such names as Josh Barnett,
Jeremy Horn, Vladimir Matyushenko, and Ricco Rodriguez. His opponent,
Mike Van Arsdale, is a veteran as well, and fought at UFC 17.
Both guys took over three years off from MMA and returned. Van
Arsdale is on a three fight winning streak. John Marsh is coming
off a win over Wesley "Cabbage" Corriera in Rumble
On The Rock.
Asked
about his opponent, Marsh said, "I'm just going by what
everybody else has told me. He's a great athlete, great wrestler,
working on his stand up skills. I'm pretty much going with that.
It doesn't matter because I always aim to fight the best guy
out there, so whether it's him or somebody else, I'm training
to fight the best guy. That way I don't run into any problems."
As
the interview neared it's end, Marsh said he plans on becoming
a familiar face in the UFC, and "I wasn't looking to get
in the UFC. I'm looking to finish the UFC. I'm looking to get
in there and hold the belt. That's my goal." For those of
you who were wondering, Dr. Dre will be in attendance at UFC
52 cheering on his bodyguard.
Ultimate
Fighting Championships 52 Odds @ Sportsbook.com by Joey Oddessa-
(April 16, 2005)
Randy
Couture -265
Chuck Liddell +205
Light Heavyweight Championship
(This bout opened in January at Randy Couture -260 and has since
been bet up.)
Matt
Hughes -175
Frank Trigg +145
Welterweight Championship
(This bout opened in January at Matt Hughes -260/+200 and has
since been bet down.)
Joe
Riggs -165
Ivan Salaverry +135
Middleweights
Matt
Lindland -185
Travis Lutter +155
Middleweights
Georges
St. Pierre -145
Jason Miller +115
Welterweights
John
Marsh -225
Mike Van Arsdale +185
Heavweights
Lee
Murray -400
Patrick Cote +300
Middleweights
Renato
'Babalu' Sobral -115
Travis Wiuff -115
Light Heavweights
Source:
MMA Weekly
|
MILLER
READY TO CREATE MAYHEM AT UFC 52
Matt Cringan
1. When and how did you get actively involved in MMA?
When
I was about 16 or so. I was always fighting from when I was a
baby, but my friend Pierre triangle choked me to sleep one time,
and when I woke up I was like "I gotta learn this shit!"
So I went on the journey that I'm still on, learning all the
best techniques, and training harder than my body will let me.
I fought my first pro fight in Virginia when I was still 17.
I think I lied and said I was 18 so that I would get to fight.
2.
What are the hardest things to overcome, to working your way
to the big show?
Probably
just scraping by to be able to train all the time, you know,
living in my van and ghettoness like that. Being a mooch, just
because you have a dream that no one else can understand. They
think that you are just a bum, but you know that training all
the time is what you have to do to be the champion one day. I
never complain about it though. I chose this path. I know this,
I love it, I don't regret a damn thing, I just wish I could apologize
to everyone I was asshole to, and repay them in one way or another.
I know it is going to pay off though. There's only one way to
succeed in this life, and it's through hard work.
3.
Any jitters about fighting for the first time in the Octagon?
Hell
naw. I have almost thirty fights. I just can't wait to get in
there and do it. If St Pierre was in the parking lot of my gym
and the Nevada State Athletic Commission said it was okay, I
would fight him tonight.
4.
What are your feelings about GSP as a fighter, and what do you
think your strengths will be against him?
He's
TOUGH. He fought for the title. He's is a beast, he's part of
the new generation, a fighter like me, who can do everything
well. I know that my versatility and unwillingness to quit is
going to be the deciding factor in this fight. Plus I fight with
an intensity that he doesn't have. He fights like a robot.
5.
What was your toughest fight to date?
Ha!
Probably Tim Kennedy, who I'd like to give props to for being
in the Special Forces, fighting for our freedom right now- he's
a real hero, I just play one on TV. We fought in Extreme Challenge
in Utah, and they allowed knees to the head on the ground there,
it was a great fight, and I lost the decision, but I walked out
of the ring about a foot shorter, hahaha.
6.
Besides Craig Fields, is there anyone you want to fight?
I
don't even want to fight that guy. He's tiny. The thing about
him is he is a clownshoe. In one year his cruddy company will
be an obscure reference that only hardcore fans will giggle at,
leaving all the newbies going "huh? what're you guys giggling
at?"
I'm
concentrating all my energy on Georgie Porgie right now. There
will be plenty of time to figure out who's next.
7.
Your entering a loaded UFC WW class, what are you going to bring
to the table to separate yourself from the pack?
I'm
going to rock some blocks, and shock everyone with this win,
then on to the next one. You'll see.
8.
Who are you training with now and where?
I
train with Cobra Kai in Las Vegas, under Marc Laimon, and One
Kick's Gym to work on my stand up. Laimon has just put up an
entire MMA room, so we have a cage, and ring and everything needed
to work on the situation that come up in MMA.
9.
Any advice for a beat up interviewer who is nursing wounds? (check
out my thread on mmaweekly title (I just found out I am human)
Ice,
Elevation and Ibuprofen. Beyond that, ask Mark Kerr, I'm sure
he can hook you up with something.
10.
What going on with you and KTFO clothing line?
They
bounced a check, they are a fraudulent company, that screws EVERYONE
out of money, from the artists that have worked from them, all
the way down to the fighters they "represent". If you
are retarded enough to buy one of their cruddy t-shirts, it's
on you though.
11.
How much exactly did you win on the NCAA tourney?
I
cannot tell you that, but BetOdessa.com paid me out QUICKLY,
I got the money the same damn day!
12.
Name association (one word)
-
Craig Fields - Squirrel NECK
- George St Pierre VICTIM
- Matt Hughes country boy
13.
Anyone you want to thank?
Hell
yes. EvolNutrition.com for helping me get all buff. VelocityKickboxing.com
for helping me train in Atlanta. Casca-Grossa.com for helping
with the t-shirts. Fokaii.com for designing the new addicted
to violence mayhem stuff coming out before my fight.
Source:
MMA Weekly
|
FEDOR
EMELIANENKO VS. TSUYOSHI KOSAKA
by Ken Pishna
 
If there is one thing that stands out about Pride, it is that
they keep their top fighters in the limelight, even if it means
throwing them in with less than stellar competition now and again.
Pitting Pride Heavyweight Champion Fedor Emelianenko up against
veteran Japanese fighter Tsuyoshi Kosaka appears to be one of
those matches… on the surface.
With
a record of 26-15-2, Kosaka is no tomato can, but hardly appears
to be the stellar opposition of a Mirko “Cro Cop” Filipovic
or an Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira. Fedor, on the other hand, holds
a nearly unblemished record of 20 wins to just 1 single, solitary
loss. This is the classic champion versus the journeyman formula
popularized in boxing circles, right? Wrong.
If
you look at Fedor’s record, particularly focusing on that
one loss, there is a whole new perspective applied to this fight.
That one single, solitary loss is to none other than - you guessed
it – Tsuyoshi Kosaka. Back in December of 2000, at the Rings
King of Kings tournament, Kosaka caught Fedor with a punch just
17 seconds into the first round that opened up a cut worthy of
stopping the fight.
Though
fighting sparingly over the past three years, instead focusing
his efforts on training other fighters such as Hidehiko Yoshida,
Kazuyuki Fujita, and Ryo Chonan, Kosaka has managed to capture
the Pancrase Super Heavyweight title with a unanimous decision
victory over Ron “H20 Man” Waterman.
Despite
the Pancrase belt. Despite the win over Fedor. And despite ancient
victories over the likes of Egan Inoue, Maurice Smith, Pete Williams,
and Gilbert Yvel, Kosaka really hasn’t been making waves
over the past five years, especially against the top competitors.
He lost to Renato “Babalu” Sobral and Randy Couture
in succession and then dropped another back-to-back combo to
Ricco Rodriguez and Antonio Rogerio Nogueira.
That
said, he still trains with some of the best fighters in Japan
and he has won his last three fights straight. To break it down,
Kosaka is good in every aspect of the game. He is a good striker,
he knows his submissions, and has a solid takedown background
based on Judo. The only thing is, he is “good” at everything,
but not really “great” at anything. He did defeat Fedor
once before on the cut, but that early in the fight, I hate to
say that it’s luck because he did what he did to win, but
let’s just say it’s unlikely to happen that way again.
Fedor,
on the other hand, outside of the one Kosaka blip on the radar,
has ripped his way through the heavyweight ranks like an avalanche
gathering snow as it ravages the mountainside. And that is a
frightening notion for his would be opponents. It’s not
the knowledge that he is gaining. His striking is improving every
time out, just ask Nogueira. His submission game is constantly
growing and evolving. And he hasn’t had that difficult of
a time with the wrestling aspect as he has displayed against
Kevin Randleman and Mark Coleman, two of the best wrestlers in
the sport of MMA. Not to mention that his ground and pound is
second to none. Although his acquisition of an expanding repertoire
of techniques is enough in and of itself to ward off most of
the opposition, it is his ever-increasing confidence that should
strike fear in the hearts of the world’s finest heavyweights.
When
was the last time that you saw anything even remotely resembling
fear or even hesitation in the eyes of Fedor? Yeah, I can’t
think of a time like that either. That is the magic behind Fedor’s
success. Yes, he works hard. Yes, he enters the ring in great
shape. Yes, he is probably the most well-rounded fighter in the
world right now. But it is his unshakeable confidence that has
carried him to the top of the mountain, his dogged determination
that he is the best, not that he is going to be, that he IS.
Tsuyoshi
Kosaka is a likeable guy. He is a very good, well-rounded fighter.
But he does not have that confidence that he will seek and destroy
his opponents like Fedor does. In the end, that is what makes
the difference in this rematch. The first time around, when Kosaka
defeated Fedor, it was only the fourth fight of the young Russian’s
career. He was not the Terminator that he is now.
Expect
Fedor to come out quickly, ferociously and take Kosaka down,
where he will ground and pound him into submission. With a title
defense against Cro Cop rumored to be taking place in June, Fedor
will not waste time, and he will not be denied.
BUSHIDO
VOLUME 6 will take place from the Yokohama Arena in Japan and
is scheduled to debut on North American pay per view via iNDEMAND,
DIRECTV, DISH NETWORK, UrbanXtra, TVN1, VU!, and Viewer’s
Choice Canada on Thursday, April 14th, 2005.
Schedule:
iNDEMAND, DISH Network, DIRECTV: Thursday, April 14th, 2005,
ALL DAY TICKET TVN: Thursday, April 14th, 2005, 10:00pm EST,
7:00pm PST
PRIDE
FC: BUSHIDO VOLUME 6 Fight Card
(Bouts shown in order from first to last)
Denis
Kang (Canada) vs. Oba Takahiro (Japan)
Amar Suloev (Russia) vs. Paulo Filho (Brazil) *
Dean Lister (USA) vs. Akira Shoji (Japan) *
Daisuke Nakamura (Japan) vs. Marcus Aurelio (Brazil)
Luis “Buscape” Firmino (Brazil) vs. Luis Azeredo (Brazil)
Daijyu Takase (Japan) vs. Daniel Acacio (Brazil)
Aleksander Emelianenko (Russia) vs. Ricardo “The Mutant”
Morais (Brazil)
Ryuta Sakurai (Japan) vs. Murilo Bustamante (Brazil)
Ikuhisa “The Punk” Minowa (Japan) vs. Gilbert Yvel
(Holland)
Winner Suloev/Filho vs. Winner Lister/Shoji
Fedor Emelianenko (Russia) vs. Tsuyoshi “TK” Kosaka
(Japan)
*
Four Man Middleweight Tournament
Winner Must Fight Twice in One Night
Winner Earns Slot in PRIDE Middleweight Grand Prix
(Fight
Card Subject to Change)
Source:
MMA Weekly
|
Brazil
Is Still As Dangerous As It Has Ever Been!
Jiu-jitsu's "Asa" gunned down
Gracie Barra member, Marcello "Asa" Marques was shot
and killed this past Thursday. The gunmen purposefully caused
a minor traffic accident so that Asa would stop his car. A friend
of Asa's got out to see the damage and was killed first. One
of the assailant's then exited his vehicle and shot Asa a reported
11 times as he sat in his car. Speculation is that the gunmen
were hired by a former jilted lover of Asa's girlfriend. Rio
de Janeiro, once the crown jewel of South America, has in recent
years sunken to a violent society where events such as these
are frequent.
Asa
was widely admired and liked by all who knew him.
Source:
Gracie Fighter
|
The
Cesar Gracie "A" Team goes
to the Pan Americans
Nick Diaz, Vinicius Magalhaes, Jake Shields and Sergio Lourenco
are some of our representatives that will be heading to L.A.
this weekend to compete in this year's Pan American games. For
Shields this will mark the first time he has ever competed in
a gi tournament of any sort. Despite being a purple belt in jiu-jitsu,
Shields has only trained with a gi about a dozen times!
Sergio
Lourenco has 2x won the tournament and will now try to succeed
in the stacked Black Belt division. Rumoured opponents include
Marcello Garcia and new phenom, Andre Galvao.
Nick
Diaz recently won the purple belt Nationals and is eager to compete
at the international level in the Brown Belt division.
Vinicius
Magalhaes has also won the American Nationals in his weight and
the Absolute division. The 20 year old will be searching for
another Pan American title, this time in a heavier weight class.
All
of these athletes will be able to compete due to a generous sponsorship
by www.dogsofwar.net and we extend our thanks to them.
Source:
Gracie Fighter
|
News:
another fight added at Pride GP
Dream Stage Entertainment has been working on the card of Pride
GP Middleweight, which happens on next April 23, at Osaka Dome.
On this Thrusday South Korean Judo champion Yoon Dong Sik was
confirmed. South Korean papers notice that Dong Sik may be next
Kazushi Sakuraba's opponent.
Source:
Tatame
|
Melendez
vs. Uematsu
Gilbert Melendez will be returning to Japan's Shooto organization.
This time he will be facing off against Naoya Uematsu, a dangerous
submission fighter who has impressive wins over Caol Uno and
several other tough competitors. Melendez, (8-0), ultimately
wants a chance to fight Alexandre "Pequeno" Nogueira
and knows that he must first defeat Uematsu for a shot at the
title.
The
match is slated to take place on May 4th at Kourakuen Hall, Tokyo.
Both fighters have a reputation for not letting the judges decide
the victor and this bout promises to be an action packed battle.
Source:
Gracie Fighter
|
BUSHIDO
PREVIEW
4 MAN TOURNAMENT
by Mick Hammond
At
the upcoming Bushido 6 show, the main attraction will be a 4-man
single night elimination tournament to decide a slot in the upcoming
Pride Middleweight Grand Prix. The participants are as about
as varied as it can get in MMA, there's old veterans looking
to hold onto the spotlight and young talent looking to steal
it away. Of course there is more at stake than just a min-tournament
title, what's more important is the GP slot, there the winner
of Bushido's tournament has a chance to possibly dethrone reigning
middleweight king Wanderlei Silva and 14 other highly ranked
fighters to become Pride's newest champion.
In
order to move onto the big show however the winner must survive
two fights in one night and as the line-up shows, it's not going
to be an easy path. For each fighter their semi-final bout could
create problems that even if they win could hamper them in the
finals. There's a lot of familiarity between these fighters in
one form or another, which makes it even more difficult for someone
to pass through unscathed. This tournament could provide just
the entertaining starting point to the most interesting storyline
of 2005, the Middleweight GP.
The
first bout of the evening in the mini-tournament is a match-up
between "Mr. Pride" himself, Akira Shoji and former
King of the Cage Champion Dean "Boogeyman" Lister.
This match-up at on paper may seem to be mismatched, but due
to recent performances of both fighters it could be more of a
toss up than people think.
Shoji
has fought in more Pride shows than any other fighter has, his
resume reads like a who's who of MMA. He's fought pretty much
everyone who is anyone in the industry. His experience far outweighs
any of the other three participants in the tournament. While
he's not always come out on top and at times it's seemed painful
to watch the spirited Japanese fighter go in against far superior
talent, he's always fought hard and never given up, a fact that's
not been lost on Pride's hierarchy. In recent years Shoji has
begun work with Matt Hume's AMC Pankration team in Seattle, Washington.
There he's continued to grow on the skills he forged with Tsuyoshi
Kosaka's conglomerate of fighting teachings and he has become
more aggressive standing, a trait that has shown success compared
to when before he was clearly a one-dimensional fighter. This
trait will be of the utmost importance as his opponent Dean Lister
is primarily a ground fighter, so standing could be Shoji's best
asset in the fight. Either way he must remain aggressive and
keep the fight standing if he hopes to prolong a career that
has been drifting into it's twilight for some time now.
For
Dean Lister the Bushido show represents an opportunity to deliver
on all the promise he had coming into Pride after his disappointingly
lackluster performance in his last fight against fellow tournament
participant Amar Suloev. Coming into Pride last year Lister had
for the most part ruled King of the Cage, taking titles in both
the middleweight and light heavyweight divisions, earning his
shot with the company. But a bad showing against Suloev landed
him his second straight decision loss, leading many to wonder
if he belonged in the upper echelon of fighting. If Lister wins
the mini-tournament he could put a lot of those doubts to rest
and he has the skill to do it, that has never been in question.
Lister is a blackbelt in BJJ and considered one of the top submission
fighters in the world, on the ground there are few fighters who
can be as effective as Lister, it's been the stand up game that
has provided problems for him. Against Suloev, Lister seemed
very tentative on his feet, not wanting to engage in the seasoned
striker's forte, this lack of aggression came off as too cautious
to take chances to win. When he did shoot in on Suloev, Lister
was unable to take down Amar until late in a round which led
to time expiring, if Lister cannot implement his will standing
and take Shoji to the ground it could be another lost opportunity
with Bushido's shortened 2-round format.
On
the other side of the draw there's an intriguing match-up between
a veteran of both Pride and the UFC against one of the unknown
commodities in major MMA. On one side there's Amar Suloev, a
fighter who despite an impressive 17-4 record is still haunted
by losses to Chuck Liddell and Phil Baroni in his UFC appearances.
Opposing him is young Paulo Filho of the Brazilian Top Team,
a talented fighter who despite his undefeated record has yet
to break through to superstar status.
Suloev
is at heart a striker with growing ground and wrestling skills.
In his last bout against Dean Lister at Bushido 4, Suloev's striking
reputation kept Lister very much at bay, preventing him from
trying to get inside in fear of Amar's devastating strikes. Likewise
however Suloev's apprehensive willingness to grapple with Lister
made for a very unentertaining fight and for many MMA fans to
wonder if either would be invited back due to the fight's sedative
nature. One thing that Amar did show in the fight was an ability
to sprawl, something that he did not overly showcase in his earlier
fights. Like Mirko Cro Cop, Suloev has begun to show growth beyond
a one-dimensional attack that used to be the double-edged sword
of his career. No one doubts Suloev's power, he's put more than
his share of men away with strikes and kicks, but if he can continue
to develop a grappling game there could be no limit to where
Suloev can go. Before his submission skills were last resort,
if he can use them to keep Filho off balance and escape out of
Paulo's attempts, it could be a very good day for Suloev who
always brings that puncher's chance into the ring.
Filho
on the other hand seems very much the opposite of Suloev. Paulo
has been a long-time member of the BTT, a team that practically
reinvented BJJ for the current generation of fighters. Teamed
with the likes of the Nogueira brothers, Mario Sperry, Murilo
Bustamante, and others, Filho has shown in his short career that
he can be a force to be reckoned with if he learns to become
more aggressive in the ring. More often than not, Filho has managed
to do just enough to get judges' decisions against opponents,
including fellow Bushido tournament participant Akira Shoji in
his last fight. It is that unwilling nature to take risks and
truly push the action that has long plagued Filho. Unlike his
teammates who have begun to realize that they must attack to
win rather than sit in guard and hope for a mistake, Filho still
seems content to do things the old way. However if anything,
the BTT has shown they can grow and if Filho can make the same
steps forward, at only 26 he could become a major force in MMA
and join fellow young stars Luiz Buscape and Ricardo Arona as
the team's future foundation. But he has to beat a fighter the
level he's never faced, so it could very much come down to yet
another game of waiting out his opponent and working just enough
to beat him as going toe to toe with Suloev looks increasingly
less attractive given Amar's evolution.
Nothing
is guaranteed in either bout, who will advance later in the night
to the finals is anyone's guess. While there are clear favorites,
stranger things have happened in the business for the favored
to falter and not advance. Like in Pride's other shows where
fighters have had to fight multiple times it's been clear that
pacing one's self is the key. Each fighter will want to end their
first fights quickly and with little damage as possible so they
can go into the finals and again hopefully end things quickly
as the winner must turn around a few short weeks later and fight
at Total Elimination 2005. Each fighter has a chance to get into
the main 16-man draw, but it's not going to be easy with so much
on the line. They all have strengths and weaknesses and have
familiarity with each other, so they know what to expect. Whomever
steps up and wins the mini-tournament will be the fighter who
decides to take chances and seize the opportunity ahead of them.
If someone cannot do that, then whomever wins the mini-tournament
stands little chance of advancing against 15 of the best fighters
ever assembled for this year's Middleweight Grand Prix.
Source:
MMA Weekly
|
FRYKLUND
FIGHTS AT 170
Fryklund takes first step as welterweight
Already a four-time veteran of the Ultimate Fighting Championship,
Tony Fryklund is still hungry.
The
34-year-old Striking Unlimited and Miletich Fighting Systems
competitor wants to be a world champion and he feels his latest
drop to the 170-pound division is a step in the right direction.
On Saturday, Fryklund (11-4) will make his welterweight debut
against tough Johnathon Goulet (11-5) at TKO: Champion vs. Champion
in Montreal.
It
is a rematch of a bout won by Fryklund three years ago... but
Goulet has improved, winning six straight fights; including,
a decision over respected John Alessio in his last bout.
"Tony
looks a lot bigger than he really is," said manager Monte
Cox. "He's been fighting at 185 pounds, but barely has to
cut weight, if any at all... at welterweight, he'll have a significant
strength advantage."
Source:
MMA Weekly
|
Lister
Gunning for Bushido Victories
and PRIDE GP Slot
by Mike Sloan
Dean Lister is one of those fighters that most mixed martial
arts fans hear a lot about. Many would expect Lister to have
dozens of professional bouts under his belt after spending much
of his earlier days fighting in off-the-wall minor organizations’
events.
Bouts
in dingy clubs out in the middle of nowhere next to Open Pass,
Nebraska or Salmon Arm, British Columbia; in featured bouts at
Hillbilly Willy’s Free-For-All Fence Fights events would
come to mind. But a closer look shows Lister has fought less
than 12 times professionally and has competed solely in top fight
organizations.
Until
his last fight at PRIDE: Bushido 4, every single one of Lister’s
bouts took place within the confines of King of the Cage. Seeing
Lister at virtually every major MMA event and after being in
the corners of several top fighters, it actually comes as a shock
that Lister has fought so little on the pro circuit.
Of
course, he spends much of his time competing in submission grappling
events and training other fighters, but that doesn’t mean
that Lister is a slouch. While he is on a relatively disappointing
two-fight losing streak, the San Diego, Calif.-based Brazilian
jiu-jitsu expert is undaunted.
In
fact, so confident of victory in PRIDE: Bushido 6’s four-man
middleweight tournament is he that any neutral or negative press
he may have received will be moot, and Lister is certain of that.
Lister
is one of those guys that seemingly only the hardcore MMA fans
and fellow fighters know about and respect. He has been dogged
at times for being too lax during fights and has been criticized
for being “boring.” But to Lister, it’s all just
a part of the sport and knowing that one can’t please everybody
at all times keeps him at ease.
“No
matter who you are or what you do, you are going to have people
who hate on you,” Lister told Sherdog.com last week. “And
then you are also going to have people who like you and like
what you do. Everyone knows that I want to submit my opponents.
Anybody who does submissions or has been caught in submissions
will probably show me some respect.”
American
fans, believes Lister, sometimes don’t understand his strategy
or are turned off by his ground game. Usually a patient fighter
is criticized as being boring or too cautious, but Lister disagrees.
Being an expert in BJJ, Lister concedes that through patience
and technique, the submissions will come.
“Unfortunately
my game is like tying and untying knots,” Lister said. “If
you have a tight knot on a rope in front of you, you need a little
bit of time to untie it. If I only have, like, 30 seconds to
untie that knot, I might not be able to untie it in time. Unfortunately
because of the time limits, my game can’t always fully be
shown. If I am fighting a very complex fighter, I need some time
to figure him out, to “untie” him. So sometimes my
style isn’t fully shown. But I think I do get respect. I’m
happy with how people (within the sport) treat me.”
With
that said, Lister is excited about embarking on his second trek
into Japan where the crowd is more forgiving and much more educated
about the sport and its complexities compared to their American
counterparts.
“The
crowd in Japan is really cool,” Lister gushed. “I don’t
know if the crowd liked my last fight in Japan (a split decision
loss to Amar Suloev) because it was such a standoff match. But
overall, the Japanese are more educated about the game. They
don’t just want the fights to be, like, hitting the guy
and hitting the guy. They are impressed by a technical ground
game, impressed by technical knockouts and they are even impressed
sometimes by the brazen brawler.
“They
are impressed by everything and they respect all kinds of styles.
That is what’s cool about the Japanese. Of course, some
of the people over here are like that, too, but generally speaking,
the Japanese have had this sport around their culture for a much
longer time. They are aware and really know what’s going
on, they pay attention and they really show expressions of “oohs”
and “ahs.” But overall, it’s pretty quiet. I like
the crowd over there a lot.”
Being
such an elaborate jiu-jitsu artist, one would figure the almost
dead-silent cocoons that are Japanese arenas would be ideal for
Lister But, according to him, the decibel levels within a crowd
mean little while he fights.
“It
is something to know before and after a fight,” he said,
“but it really doesn’t matter to me. If people are
just yelling stuff out, I don’t get out of focus and if
the people are quiet, I just take it as a sign of respect. So
if someone is not respectful or insightful it’s not going
to change my game.”
Source:
Sherdog
|
MEZGER
OFFICIALLY RETIRES
GUY MEZGER CALLS IT QUITS
Ken Pishna, MMAWeekly.com
At UFC 50, Guy Mezger was slated to return to the Octagon for
one of the biggest fights of his career… the rematch with
Tito Ortiz. Just days before the event, Mezger’s behavior
while staying at the house of teammate and trainer Ken Shamrock
gave Ken’s wife reason for concern. He was taken to the
hospital to get checked out and within hours he found himself
having to withdraw from the fight.
The
rumors swirled as to the exact state of Mezger’s health.
It was initially reported that he had suffered a stroke. A report,
which at the time, even Mezger denied. Now, more than five months
later, after numerous tests, Mezger has a firmer grasp on just
what did happen and how it affects his future.
“I’ve
been through so many tests I feel violated,” Mezger commented.
Initially doctors weren’t sure exactly what happened or
why it happened. But now we know. “I did have a stroke.
Not just one, but I had two,” said Mezger.
Considering
himself lucky, Mezger said that the strokes actually affected
a part of his brain (the right frontal lobe) that if recovered
from, doesn’t have the lasting effects of the more stereotypical
strokes that cause paralysis, slurred speech, and more.
The
doctors now believe that a drug called Vioxx may have caused
the strokes. Mezger was taking Vioxx, which is commonly distributed
to arthritic patients, to help alleviate inflammation in his
knee, which has been damaged over his career in fighting.
Currently,
Mezger is back training and teaching, feeling as healthy as ever.
But due to the uncertainty as to whether or not there may be
any lingering side effects of his Vioxx usage, he has been forced
to reconsider his future.
“I
think this was just maybe one of those kind of weird blessings
in disguise telling me I need to be doing something else,”
said Mezger. “It looks like I’m going to hang the old
gloves up.” Although he did leave the door cracked open
saying that “if I find out that this [Vioxx] is something
that does work out of your system and I don’t have to worry
about it, then I may reassess it.”
A
disappointment for Lion’s Den and Mezger fans everywhere
to be sure, but don’t feel sorry for Mezger. He’s feeling
as healthy as ever, is a brand new Proud Poppa to a wonderful
baby boy, has a tremendous wife, is expanding his martial arts
schools and is working on his own reality fighting show entitled
Bad Ass.
“You’ve
really got to way your factors on what’s important. I had
a long career. I’ve had a longer professional career than
most guys,” said Mezger with a hint of pride in his voice,
“I think this is like a little reminder from God telling
me that maybe I should think about doing something else.”
After
17 years of fighting, one phase of Mezger’s life may be
coming to an end, but on the personal side of things, he’s
just beginning to live.
(For
the full transcription of Ken Pishna’s exclusive two-part
interview with Guy Mezger, go to BoxingInsider.com.)
Source:
MMA Weekly
|
Quote
of the Day
"It is far more impressive when others discover your good
qualities without your help."
Judith Martin/Miss Manners
|
PENN TALKS AFTER FIGHT
ON MMA WEELKY RADIO
He was very close to pulling it off again, but BJ Penn fell a
little short in his bid to try and win a fight at heavyweight.
Today on MMAWeekly TV, see what he had to say about his experience
trying to fight as a heavyweight.
MMAWeekly
TV has the post fight interview with BJ Penn up right now. This
is the time, if you don't have MMAWeekly TV, to get involved
as we have plenty of things going on in the next few weeks with
Bushido, The Ultimate Fighter Finale on Spike TV, UFC 52 from
Las Vegas, and of course the Pride Grand Prix.
When
you purchase the MMAWeekly Premium package you also have access
to our extensive library of Radio Archived shows with the best
in the business. Today we will have interviews with Patrick Cote
and Georges St.Pierre as we continue our 16 fighters in 16 days
with UFC fighter Frank Trigg and radio host Ryan Bennett.
You
get it all, our tips of the week, behind the scenes, live weigh-in's
on the radio, and much, much more, all for just five bucks a
month in our Premium package. We get you more videos, more exclusive
interviews, more bang for you buck, than ANYONE on the planet.
It's MMAWeekly Premium exclusively on MMAWeekly TV.
Source:
MMA Weekly
|
PRIDE
MIDDLEWEIGHT GP NEWS
'SHOGUN' VS. 'RAMPAGE'
DSE/PRIDE officially announced the following matchups for the
PRIDE middleweight GP on April 23rd:
Mauricio
'Shogun' Rua vs. Quinton 'Rampage' Jackson
Dan Henderson vs. Rogerio 'Minotoro' Nogueira
The
PRIDE Middleweight GP will consist of a 16-man field. Two fighters
from each team will be allowed.
DSE/PRIDE
may possibly host part of the GP in the United States, in the
state of California.
Officially
announced matchups:
Vanderlei Silva vs. Hidehiko Yoshida
Mauricio 'Shogun' Rua vs. Quinton 'Rampage' Jackson
Dan Henderson vs. Rogerio 'Minotoro' Nogueira
Unofficially
announced matchups:
Igor Vovchanchyn vs. Yuki Kondo
Kazushi Sakuraba vs. Youn Dong Sik
Kazuhiro Nakamura vs. Ryan Gracie
Vitor Belfort vs. Alistair Overeem
Kevin Randleman vs. Winner of upcoming PRIDE Bushido 4-man tournament
Fighters
who may still participate, but are unlikely for the GP:
Mario Sperry
Ricardo Arona
Source:
Fight Sport
|
Royler
waits for an ADCC 2005 invite
BJJ black belt, 3x ADCC champion at lightweight category and
4x BJJ world champion Royler Gracie has just arrived back in
Brazil from seminars in Canada and the United States. However,
Gracie has also been thinking about fighting at ADCC and fighting
a Vale-Tudo match. 'After conducting a technical seminar in Niteroi,
Rio de Janeiro, I am on my way to Australia March 29 and when
I return, I might fight ADCC. I've already talked with friends
to apply for me, but I am waiting for an official invitation'
stated Royler Gracie, who has been thinking about retiring from
the ring.
'It
might take three or four years. I still want to do two or three
Vale-Tudos before ending my career. But I'm not in a hurry. I
will stop on the top. I want to win my last bout. I want to finish
my career as I started: fine!' concluded Royler Gracie, who has
an MMA record of four bouts won, lost two and a single draw.
Royler added: 'My family and I have done too much for Jiu-Jitsu
and I believe we belong in the history of Jiu-Jitsu. So, I don't
have to prove anything more in Gi competitions. Lots of people
challenge me everyday, but they just want a piece of me, of what
I've conquered' Gracie declared.
'Whatever,
I'm waiting for an official invitation to fight, and I am negotiating
for a fight Vale-Tudo in June. I do not have more information
about it, it all depends' he said.
Source:
Tatame
|
Sanford
vs. Koscheck
Chris Sanford will be fighting Josh Koscheck April 9th in Las
Vegas on Spike TV's season finale of The Ultimate Fighter. Sanford
was originally eliminated from the show without fighting. Koscheck
lost a split decision to Diego Sanchez and was also subsequently
eliminated. Other matchups include Chris Leben vs. Jason "Strangebrew"
Thacker, Alex Karalexis vs. Josh Rafferty, Lodune Sincaid vs.
Nate Quarry, Diego Sanchez vs. Kenny Florian and the headliner
bout of Ken Shamrock vs. Rich Franklin.
Source:
Gracie Fighter
|
Dean
Lister talks about Pride & ADCC
Dean Lister is one of the names confirmed for Pride Bushido 6,
where he will face Japanese fighter Akira Shoji and, if he beats
him, he will face the winner from the fight between Amar Suloev
and Paulo Fillho on the same day. The winner will earn a spot
in the Pride GP. Lister is ready: 'I'm very focused on my preparation
for this edition of Pride and I feel very good. I have outlined
a strategy for this fight and will be ready to accomplish it
in the ring'.
About
Akira Shoji, the American comments: 'Shoji is a very tough and
experienced guy. Someone told to me that he would like to fight
on the ground and show me how good he is on it. That is good,
since my opponents do not fight on the ground with me. Actually,
I'm not certain if this will really be the strategy he will use,
but I am mentally ready to war.'
If
he beats Shoji, Dean Lister faces the winner of the combat between
Suloev and Paulo. He reveals whom he would like to face: 'These
two fighters are very talented and they will have a real interesting
fight. I am not certain on who will succeed. They both have great
skills and whoever wins will be a real tough opponent. I'd rather
face Suloev because we have already fought before, on Pride Bushido
5 and I think did not have a good performance that time.'
A
place at the GP of middleweights would be a great accomplishment
for the fighter: 'All the fighters of this mini GP are excellent.
So, it's like this could be part of the main GP. My game works
very efficiently against any of them. I am not expecting an easy
day, but I think I will be a great challenge for any of them,
specially with those that accept the way I play my game'.
In
May, Dean Lister will make the super fight of the ADCC against
Ricardo Arona. He predicts the difficulties he will face: 'This
ADCC is very important for me. I respect Arona very much, we
are friends and, by the way, we have trained together. This is
a very small world. I'd never imagine I would face him on the
mat, except training. I will be ready for this huge challenge.'
Source:
Tatame
|
Big
Sakurai set to fight “Idol”
Bustamante at Bushido 6
by Masa Fukui
TOKYO, March 12 – The day after PRIDE officially announced
Murilo Bustamante would fight Ryuta Sakurai, I found Sakurai
at Korakuen Hall for the SHOOTO-headlined 143-pound championship
fight.
Stephen
Martinez and I (a.k.a. the “Curious George Brothers”)
chased him outside, and had a quick interview session with him.
With his fight against Bustamante just days away, the veteran
fighter eyes the biggest bout of his career.
Sherdog:
So outside of Japan you’re not that famous yet. Could you
introduce yourself?
Sakurai:
Self-introduction?
Sherdog:
Yes. Like where are you from, which ring you mainly fighting.
Or your height, weight etc.
Sakurai:
OK, my name is Ryuta Sakurai. I’m mainly fighting in SHOOTO.
Also, I have a belt from a fight promotion called DEEP.
Sherdog:
How about your body size?
Sakurai:
I’m 178-cm tall. I weigh 85-kg.
Sherdog:
What is your favorite technique?
Sakurai:
Punch, takedown, punch, punch … ground-and-pound.
Sherdog:
So basically ground-and-pound is your strategy, like fight fan
oversea likes to watch?
Sakurai:
Yes that is.
Sherdog:
What brought you to this sport? What is your fighting background?
Sakurai:
I learned Karate in high school. And I trained wrestling a lot.
Sherdog:
And. Why are you into MMA?
Sakurai:
I liked pro-wrestling. But I found out real fighting is much
better, much more fun. Yeah, it’s more like, if I train,
real fighting is more useful than pro-wrestling. Then I started
practicing MMA.
Sherdog:
You have a long career. You’ve been fighting a lot, and
last year, you finally—I mean I don’t want to be rude—but
finally, you became a champion of DEEP. And now you’re scheduled
to fight in BUSHIDO. You’re fighting against Bustamante.
How do you feel now?
Sakurai:
Yeah, you can say “finally.” Yes, it is finally. And
yes, I’ve been doing well recently. So I think this year
will be the year for me. It’s like now or never.
Sherdog:
Now or never, eh?
Sakurai:
Yeah, now or never.
Sherdog:
How old are you?
Sakurai:
Thirty-three.
Sherdog:
Thirty-three. OK, so what do you think about your fight career.
Compared to other fighters, your age is a bit high, but there’s
still a fighter like Randy Couture.
Sakurai:
Umm, I’d like to fight as much as I can. I think now I’m
finally in the zone. And still I’m getting better and better.
Sherdog:
Sure you are getting better. Especially now. You’re about
to fly high up in the air.
Sakurai:
Yes, so I got to be very careful not to stumble on something.
Sherdog:
Let me ask about your teammate. Can I say “teammate”
about him? SHOOTO champion Kawajiri?
Sakurai:
Yeah you can say he’s on the same team. We’re all training
together. He gives me good motivation for the fight. Also, actually
we sometimes train with Hayato “Mach” Sakurai, too.
Sherdog:
Really?
Sakurai:
We’re all Ibaraki-prefecture family. We train together.
Yeah, because we have “Mach” in our area. So we are
all into SHOOTO. He influenced us.
Sherdog:
Yeah? I didn’t know that he lead you guys to SHOOTO. OK,
let me ask this question. If I look at the fighter from your
team, guys from R-gym or Team Tops, everybody is in great shape.
Looks almost like bodybuilders to me. They don’t look like
Japanese fighters. Why is that? Do you guys train any special
method? Like Sato, who fought today, he looks so muscular compared
to other Japanese fighter.
Sakurai:
Well, about building up the muscle, I just like to train those
basic power training. Then other people followed my training.
Then everybody kinda ended up developing some muscle.
Sherdog:
OK, let’s move on. What do you think about Bustamante?
Sakurai:
Bustamante came to PRIDE as UFC middleweight champion, and I
think he’s still the champion. He’s the man I wanted
to be like, and have a big respect. Then I heard his name somewhere,
so I raised my hand. Now here I am. I’m very happy to have
this opportunity to rate my skill against a fighter like him
because to step in the Octagon is one of my final dreams.
Sherdog:
What do you think about his strategy? He fights a very clever
style in the ring.
Sakurai:
Yes. His newaza (ground game) is one of the best in the world,
or more like he’s the best. So I’ll try not to be trapped
in his game. Or I’ll try to not even think about his game.
I more like focusing on executing my game in this fight.
Sherdog:
As you told me before, Bustamante was a champion of UFC, and
fought in PRIDE with great performances so far. And he sure has
a lot of fans here and there. Now when you face him, do you have
any pressure?
Sakurai:
Well, I feel pressure for any fight. But about this fight, I
don’t think I have pressure as much as he does because,
like, I’m an underdog, and he doesn’t want to lose
against a no-name fighter. I don’t know if he took this
fight super-serious or underestimated me. But either way, I’m
gonna take everything out from him (his honor, status etc). I
think this is a good match up for me. Good chance for me. And
I’m very excited for this fight.
Sherdog:
OK, if foreign MMA fans hear the name Sakurai, it reminds everybody
of Hayato “Mach” Sakurai. And I think this Bushido
will be shown on pay-per-view in America. Would you like to say
something?
Sakurai:
Yes, “Mach” is famous. But, yeah, as we both have the
same last name, I try to be big name, too. Yes. He is Lil’
Sakurai. So I want to be called Big Sakurai. That’ll be
easy. So I’ll fight from my guts so everybody can recognize
me as Big Sakurai.
Sherdog:
Is that all?
Sakurai:
Yes.
Sherdog:
Are you married?
Sakurai:
No. (laughs)
Sherdog:
Do you have a girl?
Sakurai:
No. …
Sherdog:
Looking for one?
Sakurai:
Yeah.
Sherdog:
OK, then I’ll help you worldwide and write about it.
Sakurai:
Yes, please.
Sherdog:
Thank you for your time. I’m looking forward to see your
fight in April.
Sakurai:
Thank you too.
Source:
Sherdog
|
Pride:
Buscapé ready to face Azeredo
Junior Buscapé (BTT) arrived in Japan last Tuesday, where
he will face Luiz Azeredo (Chute Boxe) at Pride Bushido, next
April 3. Buscapé will do one of the most awaited fights
and he knows which will be his strategy: Kicking some asses!
"I was told about this fight before and I could train hard
for it! I am sure we gonna kick some asses! We are two BBJ black
belts that enjoy fighting on the feet. I also trained a lot of
Muay Thai. Our rivalry is huge and I hope I put him down and
if I submit him it will be even better," Buscapé
said.
Source:
Tatame
|
Guy
Mezger: Speaks To Max Fighting
by "Big Dog" Benny Henderson Jr.
Texas boy and No Holds Barred fighter Guy Mezger has just about
done it all, from competing in boxing, kickboxing, full contact
karate, Pride, UFC, WFFF, KOTC and WPC he has proven to be a
tough competitor in all. Residing in Dallas, Texas he runs FS
Martial Arts Lions Den Dallas and has over nineteen years of
teaching experience. The thirty- seven year old has banged out
a (28-14-2) record in the NHB sport and the superb martial artist
and submission fighter has faced and beaten the likes of John
Dowdy, Masakatsu Funaki and Tito Ortiz, where both have had a
long standing dislike for one another since the two met in the
middle of the Octagon at UFC 13 eight years ago, in which Mezger
submitted the youngster courtesy of the Guillotine Choke.
Two
years after Mezger defeated Ortiz they would face off once more
in UFC 19 where Tito got his revenge winning in the first round
via TKO Strikes. Twelve fights, and five years later the two
was going to get the chance at a rubber match when Mezger received
the call to face his adversary once more in UFC 50, a fight Mezger
wanted for so long and bad enough that he would come out of a
year and a half retirement to get. The Lion’s Den fighter
felt more than confident he would defeat the “Huntington
Beach Bad Boy” in their third meeting and after intense
training he was more than prepared. But after suffering a stroke
for unknown reasons at the time Guy was sidelined for the bout
and possibly his career so Patrick Cote took his position in
the bout.
Guy
Mezger has made a life out of battling it out in the square ring
and the Octagon. From fighting out of Texas and all the way to
Japan Guy has accomplished what he has set out to do, which was
to dominate, destroy and earn the championship status throughout
the process. Five world titles later and a combined career total
of 145 bouts in several different disciplines, Guy looks back
to the past, gazes ahead in the future and gives his thoughts
to MAXFIGHTING about it all. The questions surrounding his health
status, what will be of his career and what his life consists
of aside from fighting are all answered below… enjoy.
Benny
Henderson Jr.
Hey Guy, how have you been doing, and what have you been up to
lately?
Guy
Mezger
Well, I am assuming you are talking health wise right?
BH
Anything and everything.
GM
Oh I am personally doing well, the health issue was obviously
a pretty good scare but it does seem like I’m going to be
just fine. I have been healthy strong and training again, and
I just had a little baby boy so I am enjoying him. I have been
extremely busy training athletes.
BH
You know you were going to get the chance to step back in the
Octagon with Tito Ortiz last October but health complications
kept you out, how disappointing was it not to get that fight?
GM
To be honest it is difficult to put into terms with everybody
because it always seems a little hooky and blown out of proportion
whenever you try to describe it. But in best terms it was extremely
disappointing, I was looking forward to fighting Ortiz. I was
in extremely good shape and very few times did I ever go into
a fight just knowing that I was going to win. There was nothing
Tito could actually really do to me, he might hold me down but
I doubt it and that was the extent of what was going to happen
if I was on the losing end of things. I had a lot of confidence
going into that fight, but things happen for some strange reasons,
not that I can always explain them, what can I say you have to
roll with the punches.
BH
You say your health is alright now so do you feel that you can
or will ever be able to compete in the NHB sport again?
GM
The problem is that they are not really sure what caused my problems
with my stroke. They suspect and I strongly suspect it was the
Vioxx, because I was taking that for my knees. They say I could
probably go back in to the ring but the problem they basically
said was that they weren’t really sure all the affects that
Vioxx has, so they say really don’t know what it can do.
So it is one of those situations where they say yeah if you want
to climb back into the ring, so I look at it as I can do that.
But I have to be sure of my health because I have two children
and a wife and a lot of different things going on in my life
besides fight business. I have been training and will constantly
train; I am a martial artist before I was a professional fighter.
I have to go by with what the doctors think about the reoccurrence
of it and we have been looking at what the Vioxx does long term,
and that is where I will go from here.
BH
Off the record, there has been a lot of recalls on drug companies,
they make this pill and then give it to the public without consideration
with what the long term effects may possibly be, and then after
it is marketed it comes up it can harm the consumer much later
down the road after the person has been taking it for some time.
GM
Well, the problem with this and this is what has upset me a great
deal with dealing with this and you can put this in the interview,
but the problem is that these guys were completely unethical
about the way they were going about doing this. It was like years
ago when Ford had the Pintos blowing up when they got hit from
behind. It was later found out that Ford knew about it and that
the guys said they could put this five dollar part on the car
to reassure that it won’t blow up, Ford waived that fact
and said it would be much less expensive for us to pay out settlements
to people who die, then it is to do the recall and put this five
dollar piece in. So that is basically what Merck, which is the
company that makes Vioxx did, they basically said you know what,
we give this to old people who have heart attacks and die all
the time, they could never prove it because this always happens.
The drug was originally for older people because it was an arthritis
drug, then they found other uses for it like for athletes like
me. And that is what I used it for because I had blown out my
knee and it helped out a lot and I took it a lot. I don’t
drink, not even casually; I don’t smoke or do drugs so there
was defiantly no reason for me to have a stroke. I was very fortunate
that this stroke didn’t paralyze me or something like that,
but it did keep me out of that fight which I was looking forward
to seriously. Basically seven years I have wanted that fight
and asked for it every time, so yes this pissed me off. And on
top of this what if I would have died because of these jackasses
irresponsibility, I would have been leaving my wife who was pregnant
at the time and my other child and it would have put a tremendous
hard ship on everybody. So it pisses me off and I hope these
guys get f***ed, I hope that Merck gets bent over and f***ed.
And on top of that honestly they should also get criminal charges
because they knew that happened and people were dying because
of it. It is a bad situation that left me with a disappointment
of not being able to fight, and possibly maybe never fighting
again. So I am not very happy with Merck right now.
BH
In your opinion do you think the UFC will ever contract an Ortiz-Mezger
III?
GM
Who knows, a lot of this is simply this, right now I am retired,
and it would matter if Tito is interested anymore. The sad part
is that you are only as good as your last fight so to speak and
I haven’t fought in a while so the interest in having me
back in there would be a little bit less, unless of course I
come back and do five or more fights and put myself back in the
middle of the mix. And Tito would have to keep his name in the
running of things which may or may not happen. I wish I could
have fought Tito because I knew in my heart that I was going
to win it.
BH
What is up with your reality series “Bad Ass”, when
will it air and on what network will it be on and just give us
some insight on it if possible.
GM
It being put together right now and we are shooting the rest
of the first season. We have had a lot of interest from people
like MTV and MTV2 and etc. It is basically about every arm chair
quarterback getting a shot. We are letting dumb asses who think
they can beat up pro fighters fight. We have so many guys it
is funny. We have a guy Alex Andrade who went on a two week notice
and fought Ninja and lost to him, so this kid who watched the
fight said you know I think I can take Alex Andrade. (Laughs)
It was funny man, Alex wanted to spank the guy but I was like
you can’t do that man it is the first show. (Laughs)
BH
You have fought in some hell-ish fights in your time, can you
name some of your most memorable bouts, and what made them so
unforgettable?
GM
Well I would think probably one of my favorite bouts was when
I beat Funaki for the King of Pancrase title, it was a long time
coming for that title shot. Funaki was the only guy who had beat
me twice at anything. It was one of those fights where I fought
extremely smart because I kept myself in check and stuck to my
game plan. It was cool because it was the very first Pay Per
View event in Japan and it was really cool because they thought
Funaki was going to beat me and they were so confident he was
going to beat me they had him set to talk at an elementary school
the very next day, well the King of Pancrase had to go talk to
the elementary school the next day and it was me. (Laughs) I
was setting there talking to all these kids and taking photos
and stuff with them and we couldn’t even understand one
another. (Laughs) I had fun with them; the kids were great so
it was memorable. My fight with Sakuraba was cool even though
it was a screwy decision and stuff but everybody who saw that
fight knew I won it. But I got the fight on a two week notice
and I have been injured and hadn’t trained the four months
up to that point, so I whipped myself into shape in two weeks
before the fight and had the flu. I weight in at 195 pounds,
that’s how sick I was and it was just miserable. It was
just one of those fights I went out there and fought with a lot
of heart. I have had a lot of great fights man and great experiences.
BH
In your opinion who was the toughest MMA fighter that you have
ever faced?
GM
I would say Chuck Liddell and Wanderlei Silva are physically
the toughest guys I ever fought because I smacked them and I
dropped them a few times and they kept coming back. It was amazing
how physically tough those guys were because they ate some hard
shots, they just kept coming.
BH
You have earned many awards and titles throughout your years
of competing in the MMA and teaching the martial arts, out of
all your accomplishments which ones are you most proud of?
GM
To be honest what I am most proud of and it sounds crazy but
it has been my association with teaching. The fight business
is great and it has been fantastic. But to be honest with you
I have been teaching kids so long some that I have taught are
graduating college and they have been with me since they were
four years old, and it amazing to watch these little individuals
grow up. That’s one of my long lasting rewards that I get.
But when it comes to titles as I look at as being more rewarding,
to be honest it is tough to say. They all hit me at different
times of my life. My kickboxing title because everybody doubted
me and I made it, I did something out of nothing, the Pancrase
title when I beat Funaki was awesome, I was fighting a guy whom
they expected to beat me and they wrote me off and it was a great
experience to win that one. UFC was a great win because when
I won all my training partners jumped in the ring and it was
cool to win it for them, I felt like I won it for all the guys
who put in their time and effort on me and it was a great feeling.
So they all have significant feelings, it hard to put which one
is greater.
BH
What advice would you give to a young fighter who was just starting
off in the fight world?
GM
Do it because you love it and not because you expect to make
money out of it, the money will come later. I always say it is
important to stay focused on the fact a fight career is short,
just make sure you have a life after fighting.
BH
What is the most important attribute you think a fighter should
have?
GM
Got to have heart, and you got to be teachable.
BH
Looking back how would you define your career?
GM
Man that’s a tough one I really don’t know, hum, I
always look at it as I was having a good time as I was doing
it and I had my share of titles, I had my share of the glory,
I want to be remembered as a warrior, somebody who never backed
down from anybody that was put in front of him.
BH
Is there anything you would like to add to this interview in
closing?
GM
Not much, I just hope the people keep supporting the UFC and
get it where it needs to get going, and I hope these athletes
will get the respect they deserve.
Guy
Mezger’s accomplishments
•
5 Time World Champion
• 19 years of teaching experience
• 4th Degree Black Belt
• 2003 IMAA Hall of Fame
• 2001 Martial Arts Instructor of the Year
• 2000 IMAA Fighter of the Year
• 2000 Universal Martial Arts Hall of Fame
• 2000 Texas Martial Arts Hall of Fame
• 1999 IMMA Children’s Program of Excellence
• 1997 Children’s Martial Arts Instructor of the Year
Mezger’s
Titles
•
World Kickboxing Champion
• Ultimate Fighting Champion
• 3x King of Pancrase (World Free Fighting Champion)
• WFFF World Freestyle Fighting Champion
• 2x World Full Contact Karate Champion
Source:
Maxfighting
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Middleweight
King of Pancrase
Nathan Marquardt
Nathan Marquardt is currently one of the most decorated champions,
especially overseas, in MMA. Currently the Middleweight King
of Pancrase, a title which Nathan has held for the majority of
the last 4 years, is set to face Izuru Takeuchi on May 1st in
Yokohama, Japan to defend his title for the first time since
regaining it this past November.
MMAWeekly’s
Mick Hammond was able to speak to Marquardt about the upcoming
fight, his growing school, and what he would like to see for
himself in the future.
It
will have been nearly seven months since the last time Marquardt
had fought when he steps into the ring to face Takeuchi in May,
according to Marquardt the time spent away from fighting has
been productive in other ways. “I feel good, I’ve been
staying in good shape, training and helping other guys get ready
for fights,” said Marquardt.
Last
year Marquardt left the Starz training facility to open his own
gym in Colorado called High Altitude Martial Arts. As Marquardt
explains, not only has his gym become prosperous, but it also
has allowed him to form an alliance with another fight team with
a lot of solid talent.
“Most
of my training has been in Denver at High Altitude, it’s
my gym that I started, we have a solid team out of there. We’ve
been doing so well that we are looking into expanding into a
new facility. We’ve also formed an affiliation with Jackson’s
Fight Team in New Mexico. I make the trip down there about every
other weekend or so to work with them. We are all part of the
same team now.”
Marquardt
continued, “Training down in Jackson’s has been great
for me. I feel in excellent shape, and will be in top condition
this upcoming fight. There’s a great team down there that
I’ve gotten to work with. Guys like (King of the Cage Middleweight
Champion) Joey Villasenor, Diego Sanchez, and probably 10 or
more top guys to train with have really worked well with me.
They’re all good at one or more things and that’s how
I like to be, well-rounded.”
Nathan
is no stranger to his next opponent; he’s faced Takeuchi
twice before, winning their last fight decisively in 2003. When
asked what he feels about having to face Izuru for a third time
Marquardt replied, “Honestly if it was up to me I would
rather fight someone new. But that’s who Pancrase feels
is the top contender so I’ll have to knock him out again
I guess.” Izuru is currently ranked number 1 in the official
Pancrase rankings and has gone undefeated since his lost to Marquardt
and owns wins over UFC Veterans Ron Jhun and Chris Lytle.
Upon
the conclusion of his fight with Takeuchi, Marquardt becomes
a free agent and as he states, the future is very open for him.
“I don’t really know what’s going to happen after
the fight. I have a few possible opportunities on the table,
so I’m just kind of going to see how they pan out. Pancrase
has always been a great company and depending on what happens
I may re-sign with them or may look into fighting elsewhere,
it’ll depend on what’s going on at that time and how
I feel about the offers that come in.”
One
possibility could be for Marquardt to make his long anticipated
UFC debut as part of their proposed trek to Japan later this
year. Marquardt is a well-known commodity in Japan with a large
fan base and his strong ties to Pancrase could make him a candidate
to be one of the three fighters the organization will lend the
UFC as part of the deal that brought David Terrell into the UFC
full-time. “That’s most definitely something I’d
be interested in,” said Marquardt. “There are a lot
of great fighters there and I respect the UFC a lot, they have
a lot of great fighters and I just want my shot too. If I had
a good showing maybe I could get a contract with them, I think
they are a great company and if they see how loyal of a fighter
I’ve been in the past it could mean something to them. I
want to be with a good company for a long time and I feel I’m
ready for the next step.”
Being
a champion himself, Marquardt is excited about entertaining a
possible unification fight with current UFC Middleweight Champion
Evan Tanner, “That would be an excellent fight with Evan.
We’ve both got a lot of experience, and are well-rounded
fighters; we like to go for a finish so I think it would at least
be entertaining. He’s a great fighter and I would be honored
to fight in the UFC for a title.”
To
many followers of MMA such a shot has been long overdue for Marquardt,
but seemingly more important to Nathan is getting the chance
to return home to have a steady career in the US where he’s
only fought twice since joining Pancrase nearly 5 years ago.
“If I had a choice to fight in the States, I would rather
do that. Japan is great and they support me, but they like to
see Japanese fighters win. Fighting in the States I know I could
be an exciting fighter and put on a good show, plus I would rather
like to be the hometown guy for a change. I would love to build
a fan base in the US like I have overseas and show everyone that
I deserve to be a top fighter and give them something to look
forward to.”
Source:
MMA Weekly
|
Gustavo
Ximú Challenging Kondo
By By Eduardo Ferreira
On the road since 2000, Gustavo Ximú says it's time to
fight for a MMA belt. After winning two times in Pancrase, Ximú
has chosen a victim: Yuki Kondo, Light Heavyweight champion.
During interview to team TATAME, Ximú talks about his
career in Japan, comments his victory over Yuki Sasaki and talks
about his plans for the future.
Tell
me about the fight against Yuki Sasaki?
I've
already drawn with him at DEEP, in 2002... but I though the victory
was mine. At this time, I've trained better, but I got sick few
days before the fight and I've lost five kilos. Even though I
was more aggressive and I applied two knock downs in him and
I've won by referee's decision.
Before
you were at 9th position... one behind Sasaki...
I
have no clue where I am. But in the end of the fight I grabbed
the microphone and challenged Yuki Kondo, the Light Heavyweight
champion. I've told him I was fighting for a long time and it
is time for me to fight for a belt of Pancrase.
How
Japanese reacted to this challenge?
During
the press conference, they suggested a fight against Akihiro
Gono, who is the second on the ranking. He had just lost and
I said I would rather face Kondo, who is the champ. I must fight
him in August, because he is on the card of Pride GP. So, I prefer
to do a fight before it.
How
fans are treating you in Japan?
People
respect me a lot in there. The number of fans has grown... but
it's only my second time in Pancrase. All I am now I own to Gracie
Barra Combat Team.
Tell
me about your plans.
I
will try to fight at Cage Rage. Renato Babalú is ruling
the cage and I will try to get into that market. In Japan, I
fight at -90kg division and so would do in England. My major
goal is fighting in Pride. Meanwhile I want Pancrase's belt.
You
said last year you wanted Ultimate Fighting Championship...
Who
got this gap was Babalú and I went to Japan. So the subject
is over. I must follow Babalú at UFC 52 and who knows
I get something for me in there?
Source:
Tatame
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