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(All events on Oahu, unless noted)
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
Goodwill Games of Grappling
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)
6/24/05
Hawaiian
Grappling Championships
(BJJ/Sub Grappling)
(St. Louis H.S. Gym)
6/18/05
Longman BJJ Tournament
(BJJ)
(Kauai)
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)
(**CANCELLED**)
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 2
Wednesday night and Sunday
classes (w/ a kids' class) now offered!
 
For the special Onzuka.com
price, click on one of these banners above! |
Tuesdays at 8:30PM on
Olelo Channel 52
New Time! |
Quote
of the Day
"Your profession is not what brings home your paycheck.
Your profession is what you were put on earth to do with such
passion and such intensity that it becomes spiritual in calling."
Vincent Van Gogh, 1853-1890, Dutch Painter
|
THE
JAKE R. REPORT: LIDDELL VS. SHAMROCK
By Jake R
Before
reading any further, please read our disclaimer first.
In
yet another in the long line of bombshell reports, this cyber-reporting
stud has just learned of a huge exclusive. As long term and reliable
sources in Iowa have informed me, Zuffa is planning on matching
up Ken Shamrock with Chuck Liddell in a future event.
As
it was explained to me, Ken was promised both a shot at the winner
of Liddell/Couture II and a rematch with Tito Ortiz in exchange
for his participation in the TUF season finale.
It
was also explained to me that Ken is still viewed as the biggest
ratings draw for Zuffa by far, and that Zuffa plans on having
Liddell defeat Shamrock to help build his star status among mainstream
fans, much as Zuffa did with Rich Franklin.
As
it is currently planned, Ken and Chuck will face each other next
and neither will fight another opponent first. Though as always,
plans can be changed depending on future circumstances.
As
usual, stick to the Jake R Report for exclusive reports that
are days, weeks, and even months ahead of the other MMA Media
sites.
*Exclusive
Jake R Report. Must credit Fightsport.com the Jake R Report when
discussing this article. This means you, MMAWeakly.
*This
Jake R Report was filed at 8:15 pm on April 17th.
Source: Fight Sport
|
ONLY
THIS MAN COULD MAKE THEE ULTIMATE COMEBACK
Just
think about this for a moment. Could any man survive a knee to
the groin, being knocked out from a right hand, then almost rear
naked choked, only to come back and actually win in the first
round? Absolutely not. Unless your name is Matt Hughes. Hughes
pulled out maybe the guttiest comeback in UFC history after being
overwhelmed in the first two minutes of the fight by challenger
Frank Trigg.
"I
never gave up, that's the bottom line. There were plenty of chances
to, but I never did, that's why I won." Hughes told MMAWeekly
after the fight. Hughes showed why he will go down as one of
the greatest champions in UFC history after seeing about everything
possible thing go wrong for him in the fight. An accidental knee
by Trigg basically doubled over Hughes, then the champ was actually
knocked out by a punch, only to not only wake up, but recover
and ultimately win the fight.
"I
felt Mario (Yamasaki, the referee) should've stopped the fight."
Frank Trigg told MMAWeekly after the loss. "I rocked him
and I guarantee if the shoe was on the other foot, they would've
stopped the fight" Trigg said. "But I give him credit.
He came back and pulled it off. He fought like a champion tonight."
The toughest pill for the challenger to swallow now will be to
know that he lost the exact same way he did before, with a rear
naked choke.
"I'm
not knocking Frank Trigg, but you would've thought he would have
learned to defend the rear naked choke after last time...."
Hughes said. "He didn't and I still have the belt."
Hughes said. Now the question remains. Who will be next for Hughes?
Hughes even hinted at moving up to fight at 185 vs Matt Lindland.
Hughes told MMAWeekly that he would fight at 185, only if it
was for a title shot. And what about BJ Penn? "It doesn't
matter to me. I don't really care about my losses in the past.
Everybody wanted me to fight Dennis Hallman as well, but it doesn't
affect me. If I fight him again...great. If not, it doesn't matter."
What
does matter is the fact that Hughes once again defended his title
for a record 8th time. He will go down as one of the greatest
champions in UFC history and with apologies to BJ Penn, who has
only fought one time in the 170 weight class, has cemented himself
as once again the top dog in the 170 pound weight class.
Source: MMA Weekly
|
ICEMAN
FINALLY GETS HIS DUE
On
Saturday night, in front of a packed house at the MGM Grand Garden
Arena, and with millions watching on pay-per-view, Chuck Liddell
finally lived his dream of becoming the UFC Light Heavyweight
Champion with a vicious knockout win over the legendary Randy
Couture.
Chuck
Liddell, through the many years that he has been stepping in
and out of the octagon, has proven himself time and time again
as a warrior like no other. For the past couple of years though,
“The Iceman” has run into a stop sign every time the
momentum seems to turn in his favor.
In
2002, after defeating “The Phenom” Vitor Belfort in
a #1 contenders match, Chuck was promised a shot at then reigning
champion, Tito Ortiz. The self-proclaimed, “Huntington Beach
Bad Boy” claimed that due to their past friendship that
the UFC would need to make a proper offer to get him to step
up and fight his former sparring partner. Through a heated exchange
of words and through many times of Liddell saying that the two
were never that close, Tito managed to avoid the fight with Liddell
and even managed to headline a card facing UFC Hall of Famer,
Ken Shamrock.
Liddell
didn’t sit back and just wait for Ortiz to come to him,
he continued to improve his game and took on Brazilian heavy
hitter, Renato “Babalu” Sobral. Another spectacular
knockout followed and again Chuck waited for his chance at the
title.
When
he finally got his shot at the interim title during Tito’s
absence, the California native faced off against the newly slimmed
down 205lb Randy Couture. The two time former UFC Heavyweight
champion dismantled Chuck in every part of his game and walked
away with the championship after a 3rd round TKO stoppage.
Chuck
gained another shot at redemption when he was entered in the
2003 Pride Middleweight tournament as the UFC’s chosen participant.
After a devastating shot that ended Dutch striker Alistair Overeem’s
tournament hopes, Liddell had his sights set on the seemingly
untouchable Pride Middleweight Champion, Wanderlei Silva. But
again, Chuck’s aspirations were cut short, this time by
the powerhouse known as Quinton “Rampage” Jackson.
Chuck was stopped again at his shot at greatness.
Chuck finally got to face his former “friend” Tito
Ortiz at UFC 47, and shortly into the second round, the kickboxing
expert proved why the former UFC Light Heavyweight Champion had
no desire to step into the octagon with him. A lightning fast
set of lefts and rights put Tito Ortiz down and Chuck Liddell
started the long hard road back to the championship.
Another
KO victory of Lion’s Den product, Vernon “Tiger”
White followed and after a very successful season as a coach
on the “Ultimate Fighter” TV series, Liddell had his
second chance to fight Couture for the light heavyweight title,
and he didn’t disappoint. In a fight where so many fight
fans and fighters alike picked the ageless Couture to win in
the same fashion as before, Liddell answered all of his critics
and naysayers by defeating “Captain America” by a brutal
right hook only a few minutes into the first round.
The excitement in Chuck Liddell’s eyes was unmistakable.
“The Iceman” had finally reached the ultimate goal
in the ultimate sport, and with that came the trophy he had sought
out for so many years. And with that victory, the road to Chuck
Liddell’s redemption had finally been traveled.
What’s
next for Chuck Liddell? A shot at Pride Middleweight Champion,
Wanderlei Silva? Only Dana White and Joe Silva can answer that
question, but one thing is for sure… that April 16th will
go down in history as the night that Chuck “The Iceman”
Liddell finally got the gold.
Source: MMA Weekly
|
Quote
of the Day
"It is not enough to be busy, so are the ants. The question
is, 'What are we busy about?'"
Henry David Thoreau, 1817-1862, American Essayist, Poet, Naturalist
|
WARRIORS
QUEST
'RESSURRECTION"
DATE ANNOUNCED
Sat, May 28, 2005 @McKinley High Gym
It's finally set so let the WARRIORS prepare for the RESSURRECTION
of WARRIORS QUEST, Once known for its exciting fights while putting
Hawaii's Best athlete's aganist Mainland & Japans Top Competitiors.
We are inviting all Schools and fighters to participate in either
Kickboxing or MMA style fights. All interested people call 808-590-3788
or email second2none@hawaii.rr.com and someone will get
back to you.
|
Bradda
Fighting in Japan on May 4
Ray "Bradda" Cooper is staying busy and is fighting
Takashi Nakakura (formally Ganjo from Purebred, but he pulled
out due to injury) on May 4th in Japan.
|
THE
CHOPPING BLOCK: UFC 52
Commentary
by 'Theaxemurderer'
Welcome
to the latest edition of 'The Chopping Block', a place where
I will air out all my thoughts about MMA.
Let's
get started...
Last
Saturday's UFC produced some great fights, and some terrible
ones at that. It proved that Canadian athletes are quickly making
thier presence felt in the UFC... George St. Pierre was dominating,
Joe Doerksen showed us that his Jui-Jitsu is the Real Deal, and
'Diesel' Riggs fell to the wrath of semi-Canadian Ivan Salaverry.
But
the story of the night had to be Matt Hughes comeback from near
humiliation at the hands of Frank 'The nutcracker' Trigg..
...
FRANK Trigg's willingness to do whatever it takes to beat Hughes
almost got him the win, but hughes refused to sleep!... and seemed
ONLY to AWAKEN!
IF
ONLY HE HAD DONE THE SAME THING AGAINST B.J. PENN!
Who
knows, maybe a sign of things to come? Hughes vs. Penn 2 SHOULD
happen, Dana White MUST realize that B.J. Penn has a right to
make a good living since he trains very hard, and that what Zuffa
pays him couldn't do that for him. The UFC constrains fighters
from reaching thier true potential financially and athletically.
However, in reality I could care less if Dana invites B.J. back
because B.J. taking part in the PRIDE lightweight GP next year
would be much more entertaining.
Chuck
Liddell has done what few thought was possible and KO'ed Randy
Couture without getting beaten down, like in their first fight.
However, Randy's eye injury seemed to play a slight role in how
the fight ended, but props to Randy for taking the loss like
a man and not running out into the parking lot and crying like
a beaten down prostitute, much like his protege had done on TUF.
Chuck
uses his thumbs more than Ebert and Roper!
The
FACT is that UFC lacks any real high quality fighter to headline
their cards, except for Andrei Arlovski, and the problem with
him is they can't find anyone willing to fight him, or anyone
who IS willing that actually has a chance of going a full round
with him. The UFC's path this year seems clear, they will probably
opt to have Chuck vs. Randy 3 rubber match after chuck beats
Ken Shamrock via KO(Thumb to the eye?) After that, Vitor vs.
Chuck 2 will go down for the title, after Chuck beats Tito Ortiz
in their rematch, then prolly Tito vs. Vitor 2, Tito vs. Ken
2, Randy vs. Tito 3
The
list goes on... just goes to prove that UFC has the best matchmakers
in the game... (add in laughter)
The
FACT is all these rematches are totally pointless. Vitor has
no brains, Tito has little heart but alot of mouth, and even
less true confidence, refusing to join GP, and Chuck has already
been shown to be in the mid to lower part of the overall TOP
10 light heavyweights, in my honest opinion.
After
all is said and done, Chuck will be the champ at the end of the
year. His takedown defense only gets better every year, and he
has a weapon that no one can defend against... unless of course
they find an already blind fighter to fight Chuck.
Speaking
of Chuck, it seems he is hell bent on Fighting Vanderlei Silva,
as usual!... and while many people say that Chuck is a bad match-up
for Vanderlei, I tend to disagree
Randy
chose to strike with Chuck for wayyyy tooo long, in my opinion,
and the fact that Randy has no guard game at all is what made
it so easy for Chuck to win. Given he did take a big shot from
Chuck, but as he fell he was still conscious, but he just layed
on his side alot like Kimo Leopoldo used to do, and was just
fed shots.
It
was only after Chuck's first shot to Randy on the ground, when
Randy truly went flat out. If Vand got hit by Chuck, and rocked
by it, he would pull guard quick, and Chuck would be unable to
finish him. Whereas Vanderlei has all the tools to finish Chuck
wherever the fight may go. Chuck's biggest problem when he faces
Vanderlei will be that he will want to stand with him obviously,
and if we have learnt one thing from the vicious beatdowns Rampage
Jackson has taken from Vanderlei, it is that you DO NOT stand
with Vanderlei unless you are a heavyweight with great boxing.
Neither of which Chuck Liddell is.
However,
I don't wanna come off as bashing Chuck. I am glad to see he
came out with a much tighter boxing stance when he fought Randy,
and I think that made a huge difference. Randy had his way with
Chuck when he was holding his hands way out at his sides in the
first fight.
Chuck
wants to fight Vand because it is his last shot at being the
best light heavyweight. This is why everyone wants to fight Vand,
and why Vand wants to fight Fedor Emelianenko... to obtain a
status even greater than that of a legend. The only difference
between Vand's dream and Chuck's is that Chuck's quest/death
wish will consume him in the end, whereas Vand's will only prove
what all the real fans already know, that being that Vanderlei
Silva he is a man among men.
Source: Fight Sport
|
Quote
of the Day
""The best and most beautiful things in the world cannot
be seen or even touched.
They must be felt with the heart"
Helen Keller, 1880-1968, American Blind/Deaf Author, Lecturer,
Amorist
|
Fighters'
Club TV Episode 30
Fighters’
Club TV Episode 30 (Uncut) will run at our normal timeslot: 8:30PM
on Oceanic Channel 52 Tuesday Nights (April 19th & 26th)
It
is raw and hasn’t been edited so this’ll be your only
chance to see the fights from Superbrawl: Full Contact Showdown
1 in it entirety.
-
Ryan Lee vs. David Grenados
- Harris Sarmiento vs. Walther Ha'o
- Sgt. Steve Byrnes vs. Jesse Rangel
- Kolo Koka vs. Candido Estrada
+
Interviews w/ Steve Byrnes and Kolo Koka by Mike Onzuka and our
special correspondent, Tommy Dakota!
Pretty
exciting stuff so don’t miss it.
Questions,
Comments, Suggestions?
Email
any of your favorite FCTV host: Chris “The Brain”,
Mike “The Icon”, or Mark “the other guy ”
at: fightersclubtv808@hotmail.com
|
Honolulu
Gets Ready to Rumble
ROTR 7 to be held May 7 at Blaisdell Center Arena
HONOLULU, HAWAI'I -- April 17, 2005 The Rumble on the Rock is
back! Hawai'i's largest and most popular Mixed Martial Arts (MMA)
event will return to the Blaisdell Center Arena on Oahu, May
7, 2005. Bringing together world-class headliners in the sport
today to Hawai'i's island paradise, Rumble World Entertainment
(RWE) plans to bring another action-packed, star-studded, and
Hawaiian-themed event to Hawai'i's broad MMA fan base.
A
total of nine fights are scheduled for the night with the main
event featuring original UFC bad boy and self-proclaimed "White
Mike Tyson," David "Tank" Abbott against Hawai'i's
own Wesley "Cabbage" Correira. The two will step into
the cage to settle bad blood from a previous match. Hilo boy
BJ Penn will also be in attendance to make an official announcement
on who his next scheduled opponent will be.
ROTR's
most recent event, ROTR 6 (November 2004), was possibly the biggest
production the Blaisdell Center Arena had seen since Elvis Presley's
1973 Aloha from Hawai'i concert, selling over 8,000 tickets and
causing some fight publications and MMA web sites to call it
the most anticipated MMA card in the U.S. in recent years.
RWE
is encouraging fans to get their tickets early. ROTR 6 drew record
numbers, selling out five full days before the event. In an effort
to open up more seats for Hawai'i fans, RWE shrank the mainstage
and opened up 1,500 more seats, which then sold out within 48
hours. To JD Penn, RWE's president, this is a sign of the sport's
popularity.
According
to Penn, "Our goal is to bring the best athletes in the
sport here to compete in the largest MMA event in Hawai'i. MMA
is exciting for people of all ages and we want to cultivate its
popularity globally and share it with the people of Hawai'i.
We also hope to break down a lot of the misconceptions people
have about our sport because there's a lot of unnecessary controversy
surrounding it. This sport is progressive, it's powerful and
it's exciting. MMA is the future entertainment for the masses
and RWE is here to help it reach epic proportions," he said.
On Friday, May 6th, fighter weigh-ins and a press conference
will be held at the Ala Moana Centerstage at 2pm. Fans and media
will have the opportunity to meet the fighters and their trainers
and find out what strategies they have in store. Interested media
will also have the opportunity to interview fighters pre and/or
post event upon request. The May 7th event will be held at the
Blaisdell Center Arena, doors will open at 6:30pm. Tickets, which
go on sale Monday, April 18th, are priced at $35 and $70, with
cage side seating priced between $150 and $300 They can be purchased
online at http://www.ticketmaster.com or at any Ticketmaster
location. MMA enthusiasts who cannot attend the event in person
will have the opportunity to purchase certain fights on Pay-Per-View
over the Internet - an option RWE has not offered in previous
events.
The
event will host the returns of UFC veterans David "Tank"
Abbott (8-10), Wesley "Cabbage" Correira (13-7), Kimo
Leopoldo (17-0), Ricco "Suave" Rodriguez (13-4) and
Charuto Verissimo (4-2). Former football star Marcus "The
Monster" Royster will make his ROTR debut at 6"8, 360
lbs against Kimo Leopoldo. Royster is being dubbed the biggest
MMA athlete to ever compete professionally in Hawai'i. Other
fights planned for ROTR 7 include:
Confirmed
fights:
Heavyweights:
Wesley
"Cabbage" Correira (13-7) vs. Tank Abbott (8-10)
Heavyweights:
Kimo Leopoldo (8-4) vs. Marcus "The Monster" Royster
(4-0)
Light
Heavyweights: Chris
West (2-0)
vs. Alan Goes (6-4)
Middleweights:
Charuto
Verissimo
(4-2) vs. Yuichi Nakanishi (5-1)
Lightweights:
Shaolin Riberio (10-1) vs. Tetsuji Kato (17-5)
Participating
fighters:
Heavyweights:
Ricco
"Suave" Rodriguez (13-4)
Source: RWE
|
Hawaii
Junior Olympic Boxing Champions!
Here is the list of all the Hawaii State Junior Olympic Boxing
Champions. Their Official title is USA-Boxing Hawaii Region 13
Hawaii State Boxing Champions for 2005.
8yrs/55lbs Female- Liana Sanchez,
8/80 female- Shamar Rodrigues,
9/60lbs- Jaymes Carlos,
9/65- Abraham Reinhart,
10/75- Chazzen Sau,
10/90- Rocky Balala,
11/65- J.J. Benitez,
11/70- Storm Razo-Kauhi,
11/106- Zach Manangan,
11/165- Jason Lewis,
12/95- Ray Cooper III,
12/101 female- Chazzette Sau,
13/132- Joshua Nakagawa,
14/80- Josh Delacruz,
14/114- Joe Taglies III,
14/119- Keahi Tamanaha,
14/138 female- Cathleen Rodrigues,
14/165- Jacob Carlos,
15/90- Ikaika Villanueva,
15/95- Thomas Juan,
15/106- Jensen Gumtang,
15/138- Steven Yoshida,
16/95 female- Gina Ramos,
16/101- Keola McKee,
16/110- Bruno Escalante,
16/114- Kawika Tangjian Jr.,
16/132- Cory Dennison,
16/145- Kurtis Kala,
16/154- Cameron Ursua,
16/165- Vincent Delgado-Wells,
16/189- Tupo Kulihaapai,
16/201- Daytin Kaua,
16/201+ - Kai Maiava.
Wailuku B.C. won the LBC Team Championship (8-14yrs), Kawano/Tiki
Ent. B.C. won the Region Hawaii Team Championship with 3 males
and 1 female advancing to the Nationals. Both Coaches will be
attending the National Tournament. 15/16 yrs old Males and Females
advance to National Championships in Brownsville, Texas on June
19- 26th.
Kawano/Tiki Ent. B.C. Tupo Kulihaapai (16yrs) decisioned Central
Maui's Kaulana Alo-Kaonohi in a 189lb Championship bout to represent
Hawaii with 14 other boxers to Brownsville, Texas in June.
Matched bouts results- 65lbs- J.J. Benitez (Kawano/Tiki B.C.)
dec. Storm Razo Kauhi ( Central Maui B.C.),
114lb- Keoni Tamanaha (Wailuku Maui B.C.) dec. Joe Taglies III
(Palolo B.C.),
185lb Men's bout- Matthew Monkewicz (Kawano/Tiki) dec. Arvell
Spencer (East Oahu Waimanalo B.C.),
135- Corey Dennison (Pearlside) dec. Steven Yoshida (Central
Maui),
165- Jacob Carlos (Wailuku) dec. Vincent Delgado-Wells ( Palolo),
201+- Daytin Kaua (Pearlside) dec. Kai Maiava (Central Maui),
150- Cameron Ursua (Palolo B.C.) dec. Kurtis Kala (Central Maui),
95lbs- Keola McKee (Wailuku) dec. Thomas Juan (Wailuku),
165- Tyson Nahooikaika (Wailuku) dec. Darius Ursua (Palolo).
Trophies/Awards
Outstanding Boxer- Tupo Kulihaapai,
Outstanding Bout- Jacob Carlos -vs- Vincent Delagado-Wells,
Outstanding Bout 2- Kai Maiava -vs- Daytin Kaua,
Sportsmanship- Kaulana Alo-Kaonohi,
Region Hawaii Team Championship- Kawano/Tiki Ent.,
Local Boxing Committee (LBC) Team Championship- Wailuku B.C.
Thank
You for Your Time and Everything Else,
Bruce
Kawano
USA-Boxing Hawaii Junior Olympic Chaiman.
USA-Boxing Hawaii Board of Dir./Gov.
National Coaches Commitee Appointed Member. |
ZST
Genesis rules Japan this Saturday
Another
edition of ZST Genesis promises a great time in Japan. At this
Saturday, April 17, 2005, the ZST happens at Gold's Gym South
Tokyo Annex, in Tokyo, Japan featuring 9 bouts. Highlights to
Tetsuya Nishi vs Masayuki Ida
ZST
Genesis
Saturday,
April 17, 2005
Gold's
Gym South Tokyo Annex - Tokyo, Japan
COMPLETE
CARD (subject to change):
-
Masayuki Okude vs Masanori Kanehara;
-
Yuchiro Yajima vs Naoto Sto;
-
Sumio Kyano vs Tsuneyuki Nozu;
-
Isao Terada vc Toshiyuki Saito;
-
Kazuma Muranaka vs Yusuke Masuda;
-
Yoshimichi Takino vs Masashi Takeda;
-
Yojiro Uchimura vs Hiroyuki Ota;
-
Takeaki Miyakawa vs Ranki Kawana;
- Tetsuya Nishi vs Masayuki Ida.
Source: Tatame |
Galvão
out of Jiu-Jitsu Brazil Cup
After
doing a great debut at the 11th edition of Pan-American, Galvão
has been busy with his middleweight gold medal. Black belt fighter
has been teaching seminars and he might not fight at Jiu-Jitsu
Brazil Cup, scheduled to next April 23, 24 and 30. "My ticket
is scheduled to next April 28. I believe I am out of Brazil Cup...
I have been working a lot in here. I am in San Diego and I will
conduct few seminars with Telles and Valente," Galvão
said. Check out the full interview later, at TATAME.com! You
cannot miss it!
Source: Tatame |
Quote
of the Day
"What the vast majority of American children needs is to
stop being pampered, stop being indulged, stop being chauffeured,
stop being catered to. In the final analysis it is not what you
do for your children but what you have taught them to do for
themselves that will make them successful human beings."
Ann Landers, 1918-2002, American Advice Columnist
|
UFC
52: Couture vs. Liddell 2 Results!
Liddell KO's Couture, Hughes chokes Trigg again, Salavery Triangles
Riggs, Lindland chokes Lutter
A night of surprise endings and growing skills
UFC 52: 'Couture vs. Liddell 2'
MGM Grand Garden Arena, Las Vegas, NV
April 16, 2005
Chuck
Liddell defeats Randy Couture by KO, RD 1.
*Liddell becomes new Light Heavyweight Champion
Renato 'Babalu' Sobral defeats Travis Wiuff by armbar, RD 2.
Matt Hughes defeats Frank Trigg by rear naked choke, RD 1.
Matt Lindland defeats Travis Lutter by guillotine choke, RD 2.
Georges St. Pierre defeats Jason Miller by unanimous decision.
Ivan Salaverry defeats Joe Riggs by triangle choke, RD 1.
Joe Doerksen defeats Patrick Cote by rear naked choke, RD 3.
Mike Van Arsdale defeats John Marsh by decision.
|
VANDERLEI
SPEAKS
Brazilian website portaldovt.com.br spoke with Vanderlei Silva
regarding some of the light heavyweights in the UFC. Here's what
Silva had to say (translation by Ricardo Alonso).
Vanderlei
on the Randy Couture vs. Chuck Liddell matchup, and if he has
anyinterest on facing the winner of their fight: "I hope
a future adversary comes out of that fight for me. I don't know
what condition either fighter is in, but Couture won the first
fight, and if he does that same kind of game, then he'll win
again. I'm rooting for Couture because I want to face him. So
I hope he comes out the winner. My bet is on him."
Vanderlei
on facing Tito Ortiz again, if Ortiz signs with PRIDE: "I
have a great desire to fight Ortiz again if he comes to PRIDE.
The guy is very arrogant. Just like the rest of the world, I
too want to beat him down. I would even accept a lower fight
purse just to get a fight against him, no problem. I would beat
him down with great pleasure. He talks smack that has nothing
to do with anything. I talk some smack too, but all within the
lines of the game, but I do not like the kind of smack he talks."
Source: Fight Sport
|
NOGUEIRA
BROTHERS TRAINING WITH GHOLAR
The Nogueira brothers, Rodrigo "Minotauro" and Rogerio
"Minotoro".
Brazilian
magazine 'Tatame' reports that the Nogueira brothers, Rodrigo
'Minotauro' and Rogerio 'Minotoro', have been working on their
wrestling with their former wrestling coach Darrell Gholar.
Rogerio
Minotoro is scheduled to face Dan Henderson in the first round
of the PRIDE middleweight GP on April 23rd, and the Nogueira
brothers feel that Gholar's training will add the final touches
to his training and prepare him well for the Henderson, whose
strength is wrestling.
Source: Fight Sport
|
PRIDE
BUSHIDO LIVES ON,
GP TOURNAMENTS ANNOUNCED
DSE/PRIDE announced last week that their PRIDE 'Bushido' promotion
will continue to take place.
The
show will continue to foces more on the lighter weight fighters,
with a 185-pound and 160-pound Grand PRix events scheduled to
begin later in the year.
The
upcoming PRIDE Bushido events, scheduled for May 22nd and July,
will determine which fighters advance to the GP tournament.
Source: MMA Weekly
|
RICCO:
'UFC OFFER TOO CHEAP'
Ricco Rodriguez issued a statement on the UG forum as to why
he turned down the proposed fight with Andrei Arlovsky, which
would have taken place on the upcoming UFC 53 card. Here's what
Ricco had to say:
"I
appreciate the UFC offering me the opportunity to fight Andre,
but because of the expense I would incur putting together a training
camp, that would provide me the necessary tools to compete effectively,
the compensation offered for the fight, win or lose would not
be enough to make the effort financially viable. It would be
an honor to fight Andre in the future and if the UFC can put
it together again under circumstances that will provide me with
fair compensation and adequate time to prepare I will gladly
take the fight.
It
takes a lot of people sacrificing, time, effort and money to
help me train for my fights and regardless of what other fighters
obligations are to their camps I try to compensate everyone associated
with my training camps fairly, because without their help I could
not have enjoyed the success I have now and will have in the
future. Fighting is my lively hood.
Doing
what's best for me and my family is always a priority when choosing
fights and the direction of my career. I appreciate all the support
of my friends and fans and I do hope to return to competion soon,
but until then I will do what I feel is best for myself my family,
and my career."
Source: MMA Weekly
|
KANG
SPEAKS
Denis Kang
American journalist Keith Mills recently interviewed Denis Kang.
Here's what Kang had to say:
KM:
Congratulations on your victory in PRIDE.
Kang:
It has been a long time coming.
KM:
Can you describe the fight?
Kang:
We started off I dropped him with a right hand. He dropped right
at my feet and I tried to soccer kick him, I missed, and he tried
to get up to work it into a shoot. I stopped his shot, we clinched
briefly for like one or two seconds, I foot swept him judo style,
and landed in his half guard. I worked from his half guard with
light punches and elbows to his body. He was doing a good job
covering up and then I passed to mount. When I was in mount I
started punching him. I got a little overzealous with swinging
and he raised up the same time I was punching and bridged me
over and I ended up on my back. From there I tried a triangle,
he stood up out of it, and he backed off like he was going to
throw some kicks to my legs. I took that opportunity to get up.
We were standing up again and he kept trying to rush me. He did
that once or twice and I would just feed him some knees and right
hands because he is a south-paw. We clinched one more time and
I foot swept him again. He was coming forward so there was a
lot more momentum so he went flying and I landed in side mount.
From there I took the mount, started punching again, he reversed
me one more time and this time when he stood up out of my guard
I kicked him right in the face and got back up. Same thing, he
clinched again. I had double underhooks, he tried basically a
belly-to-belly supplex, I kept my balance and ended up right
in mount. I punched him a few times and got the armbar. He wouldn't
tap. I had it fully extended and I readjusted it. I really cracked
it; his arm popped three or four times. That is when he tapped.
KM:
It sounded like a tough fight.
Kang:
This guy definitely came to fight. I was prepared for everything.
Down at ATT we train for every position and everything that happened
to me in the ring already happened to me in training.
KM:
I'll get back to ATT in a moment but as far as this debut in
PRIDE how does that make you feel?
Kang:
It is all hitting me right now. A few weeks before this fight
and even a few hours it just felt like any other fight. The week
after and right now I realized "wow, I just won my first
fight in PRIDE". Eight years and I've finally done it. It
is a great feeling and I'm really ecstatic.
KM:
Congratulations again. You have been with ATT how long, two or
three months?
Kang:
Two months.
KM:
How far along toward the performance you gave were you before
joining ATT? What did they change or add so far?
Kang:
They really instilled a lot of confidence in me. I knew I was
ready for any situation. They have great coaching of course but
also just so many great fighters to train with that put me in
all kinds of situations. I knew whatever happened I was there
before. I felt ready for anything. My stamina was top notch as
usual but it felt like anything that could happen I could deal
with.
KM:
On the same card Marcus Aurelio from ATT fought and then there
are the connections between ATT and BTT giving you even more
support. How much did that affect your mindset?
Kang:
It was good. The BTT guys a lot of them I know as friends from
having seen them in other shows. Having Aurelio there was really
cool as well because we trained together for this, we both knew
we were on the show for a while even though mine was a little
more off-and-on. We both started training for the same time for
this. Even though we didn't do that much training together because
we are different weights we came along together and peaked together.
It was great to both get the victory and celebrate together.
The team spirit in ATT is very strong.
KM:
Sometimes it is hard to get that across to some of the fighters
or fans that haven't experienced it.
Kang:
It is a really tight-knit group and we all bleed together and
sweat together every day when we train. That really creates a
bond. You've got to be able to trust the person you are mounting
and punching in the face. It sounds kind of strange but that
is the way it is.
KM:
Wasn't that a bit of culture shock to go from being somewhat
isolated in British Columbia and trying hard to find training
partners to ATT where you can't turn around without stumbling
over a black belt?
Kang:
No, not really. I've been down there a few times before so I
always knew what to expect. When I first came down last year
it wasn't really culture shock so much as an eye opener of what
things could be like, the kind of training they have access to
down here.
KM:
Here it is only a month or two down there and here you are in
PRIDE.
Kang:
All the timing seemed to be perfect.
KM:
How did it feel going to Pride and seeing Dean Lister as the
last to qualify for the Middleweight Grand Prix, that you were
just a little too late to make a splash?
Kang:
It is good you mention that because I don't think too many people
know I'm moving down to the 83 kilo class in PRIDE. That is around
183 pounds. I believe they are going to have a Grand Prix for
that starting later on this year. That is my goal, to win the
Welterweight Grand Prix.
KM:
Are we going to see you in Pride before that starts?
Kang:
Yes. Maybe even two. I can say if all goes well I hope to be
fighting in the next PRIDE Bushido show which is May 29th I believe.
KM:
I heard you have an instructional video coming out.
Kang:
You talked to Stephan Kesting. We filmed that right before I
left Vancouver. I don't know when it will be coming out. Probably
by the early summer or late summer.
KM:
Is this going to be a single DVD or a series?
Kang:
I believe it is going to be a single DVD. It is going to be called
"My Vale Tudo". It's not going to be like a lot of
them where they show you every armbar and from which position,
this is a compilation of my favorite techniques. It is probably
geared more toward the intermediate user or someone who wants
to get into MMA. It is my fighting theory or the first part of
it anyway. Everything I show is "battlefield tested"
as I call it.
KM:
I take it people will be able to hear more about it on deniskang.com?
Kang:
Of course.
KM:
Anything else you want to get out to the fans?
Kang:
I want to thank people for sticking with me all these years until
I finally made it to PRIDE. I want to say thank you to all the
people from Canada. Even though I'm coming out under the Korean
flag in PRIDE, I'm still very proud to be Canadian. I thank all
the Canadian fans for their support. I probably wouldn't have
made it to PRIDE without their support.
KM:
Sponsors to thank.
Kang:
I want to thank ATT.
Source: Fight Sport |
Quote
of the Day
"When you find peace within yourself, you become the kind
of
person who can live at peace with others."
Peace Pilgrim {1908-1981 American Activist}
|
The
Official Academia Casca Grossa de Jiu-Jitsu Iraq Affiliate Is
Now Open!
That's right folks, ACGJJ has gone international and into terrorist
neighborhoods near you! One of Casca
Grossa's toughest students, Chris Slavens has started up a group class on his
base to help pass the time, increase moral, help better prepare
America's heroes that are in the war zone...and get some training
in for himself.
On the first night, 15 soldiers came to train (one female). The
excitement of the soldiers spilled over the class' one hour scheduled
time and they trained well into the night, some until 12 midnight.
The class is run two days a week and the soldiers love it, which
is attributable to two things; that BJJ is the greatest sport
in the world (literally) and our own Chris Slavens is a great
teacher and motivator. He promised to snap some pictures, so
we will post them when we get them.
Watch out you terrorist scumbags, now we might just save Uncle
Sam a few pennies on ammo and choke your asses out!
God Bless America and our troops!
I am sure that ACGJJ speaks for many of us out here, we are proud
of all of our heroes throughout the world defending our freedoms
and giving others theirs.
|
UFC
52: Couture vs. Liddell 2 Today!
I believe
it airs at 4PM Hawaii Standard Time, so get ready for two great title fights
in addition to a few other highly anticipated matches.
Randy Couture vs. Chuck Liddell
Matt Hughes vs. Frank Trigg
Georges St. Pierre vs. Jason Miller
Patrick Cote vs. Joe Doerksen
Travis Wuiff vs. Renato Sobral
Matt Lindland vs. Travis Lutter
Ivan Salaverry vs. Joe Riggs
|
Couture,
Liddell All Smiles Leading Into Rematch
UFC 52 Weigh-Ins Clear Sixteen for Active Duty
By Loretta Hunt
LAS
VEGAS, April 15th -- Going into its second straight weekend of
events, Zuffa Sports Entertainment kicked off its official weigh-ins
today from the MGM Grand Garden Arena. Announcing that nearly
10 million people tuned in for almost six minutes to catch the
now-legendary Forrest Griffin-Stephan Bonnar fight that cemented
its T.U.F. Finale event broadcast on Spike TV last Saturday,
the mood couldn't help but be high in a room full of fans and
well-wishers for the sport officially on the rise.
Crowd-darlings
Randy Couture (13-6)* and Chuck Liddell (14-3) were all smiles
mere hours before they'll go a second time for the UFC light-heavyweight
title. Light-heavyweight champion Couture weighed in at a svelte
203 pounds, while challenger Liddell was 204.5 pounds. It's been
a ride for the two since last summer, when they began shooting
episodes for what would become the hit Spike TV show The Ultimate
Fighter. The series highlighted the impending April 16th rematch
that challenger Liddell earned after taking out former champion
Tito Ortiz at UFC 47. Since the show's debut in mid-January,
the pair have made countless TV, radio, and live appearances,
and managed to squeeze in their training as well. Regardless
of tomorrow night's outcome, one can only imagine these two will
be letting out huge sighs of relief that they made it through
one of the most carnival of atmospheres.
Both
looking fit and ready, welterweight champion Matt Hughes (38-4)
and challenger Frank Trigg (13-2) came in at 170 and 169 pounds
respectively. Their staredown today oozed respect, but anyone
who recalls this pair's first encounter at UFC 45, knows there
is a conflict of personalities that has never waned. The brash,
loudmouth Trigg claims he's far more equipped to handle strongman
Hughes' dominant wrestling style. In response, the mild-mannered
Illinois farm boy has come in his fittest looking since his UFC
36 battle with then-Japanese standout Hayato Sakurai.
2000
Olympic silver medalist Matt Lindland (13-3) received a supportive
boost from the crowd as he made his way to the scales to come
in at 185 pounds on the dot. Since getting knocked out by David
Terrell at UFC 49, Lindland has kept busy with nearly-UFC ready
opponents that hoped to topple him to get themselves in the door.
Lindland hasn't given them an inch, and the "winningest"
middleweight the UFC has, he's now back with the promotion he's
toiled in since 2001. Opponent Travis Lutter (7-1) made a splash
at UFC 50 with a walloping knockout punch over Muay Thai champion
Marvin Eastman early in the second round after an uneventful
first. Moving down to the middleweights, the Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu
black belt from Texas came in 186 pounds today. The Nevada Athletic
Commission gave Lutter the one pound allowance.
To
add a little spice to the happenings, zany Georgian Jason "Mayhem"
Miller (22-4) first weighed in at 172 pounds, one pound heavier
than his allotted match-up with French Canadian dynamo Georges
St. Pierre (7-1). Announcer Joe Rogan urged Miller to remove
his platinum "teef," which the raven-haired fighter
comically laid on the scales. He re-weighed in at 171 pounds
to match opponent St. Pierre's 170 pounds. Both explosive candidates,
FCF predicts this one to be the fight of the night. Zuffa must
agree. They've slotted it as the fight to introduce their live
telecast tomorrow night.
For
the scheduled swing bout that will air if times permits past
the two five-round championship bouts scheduled tomorrow night,
an unaffected 204-pound Brazilian Renato "Babalu" Sobral
(24-5) made his return to the UFC since eating a Liddell KO kick
back at UFC 40. Quiet Minnesotan opponent Travis Wiuff (22-3),
who began his MMA career three-and-a-half years ago at a hearty
270 pounds, weighed in his lightest to date at a miraculous 203
pounds. Wiuff also appeared at UFC 40, a novice to experienced
Vladimir Matyushenko's wrestling savvy, but the 3-Time All-American
ground and pounder had since tied together 23 wins in his 24
subsequent fights. That being said, Brazilian wrestling champion
Sobral will be Wiuff's toughest customer yet.
In
undercard action, heavy-handed Arizonian Joe Riggs (24-4) looked
sharp at 185 pounds, while Chilean-born, Canadian and American-reared
Ivan Salaverry (10-3-1) was but a pound lighter. Once a heavyweight
fighter who has trimmed down the fat over the last few years,
Riggs hasn't seemed to lose the power he possessed before and
knows how to wield it. One of the most well-rounded, instinctual
fighters the UFC boasts in its middleweight division, Salaverry
could be on the road to contendership if he avoids "the
Diesel's" fists.
Canadian
brethren Patrick Cote (5-1) and Joe Doerksen (29-6) both tallied
in at the 185 pound mark today for their middleweight melee tomorrow
evening. Hoping to build on previous lackluster debuts in the
Octagon, striker Cote's intentions to keep the fight standing
should clash soundly with Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu black belt Doerksen's
goal to get it to the mats.
First
up to the stage, chiseled heavyweight debuter John Marsh (12-4)
came in at 225 pounds. American Kickboxing Academy's Mike Van
Arsdale (9-1), who says he asked for any weight opening the promotion
could fit him into first, weighed in an even lighter 215 pounds.
If 2-Time Olympic wrestling alternate Van Arsdale shows promise
tomorrow night, he could be scooted down to light-heavyweight
in future appearances. But, with ten-plus pounds on the AKA fighter,
Marsh's noted strength and brawling power could pose an obstacle.
Source:
FCF
|
UFC
52 PREVIEW:
GEORGE ST. PIERRE VS. JASON MILLER
Ken Pishna, MMAWeekly.com
With two title fights on the card at UFC 52, the bout between
Georges St. Pierre and Jason “Mayhem” Miller may just
sneak under the radar of casual fans. But leave no doubt about
it; this fight could be one that steals the show.
Most
UFC fans know the name Georges St. Pierre. He’s an athletically
gifted and uber-talented fighter that scorched his way to a 6-0
record before he ran into a rebounding Matt Hughes at UFC 50.
Possibly prematurely, St. Pierre faced Hughes for the vacant
UFC welterweight title and was doing well until being caught
in a heartbreaking arm bar with just 1 second left in the first
round. He has since displayed his resilience, tapping out UFC
veteran Dave Strasser with a Kimura in just under two minutes
at TKO 19.
Looking
to work his way back into the welterweight title picture, St.
Pierre returns to the Octagon to face UFC first-timer Jason “Mayhem”
Miller. If you’re a casual fan that only follows the UFC,
on the surface, this fight looks to be hand picked for St. Pierre
to build him back up. Look again!
Although
St. Pierre has a stellar record of 7-1, those unfamiliar with
Miller will be surprised to know that he carries an 11-3 record
himself. Of course quality of opposition is as important, or
maybe even more so, as quantity.
St.
Pierre has faced fighters like the aforementioned Matt Hughes
and Dave Strasser, Pete Spratt, Thomas Denny, and Karo Parisyan.
No slouch himself, Miller has fought the likes of Ron Jhun, Egan
Inoue, Chael Sonnen, Denis Kang, Tim Kennedy, and Jay Buck. Both
biographies are pretty impressive.
So
neither fighter has much of an edge in experience other than
the fact that St. Pierre has been in the Octagon multiple times,
Miller has not. You never know how things are going to play out
a fighter’s first time in the cage, but Miller has had experience
fighting in main even fights, this isn’t one, so the pressure
of the spotlight shouldn’t be anything he can’t handle.
It probably won’t be much of a factor.
The
biggest factors in this fight will be the skills that each fighter
possesses and who best utilizes those skills. Athletically, St.
Pierre is more gifted than Miller and that should only help give
a little more edge to his stand-up skills. Miller can hang on
his feet, but St. Pierre is probably a little more skilled with
his striking and has more power behind his punch than Miller.
It’s
hard to tell who is better with the takedown, but once the fight
hits the ground, I think Miller has the edge. It’s not that
St. Pierre isn’t good on the ground, because he is. It’s
more the fact that Miller seems to possess a wider array of skills
when the fight hits the mat and he really seems to enjoy submitting
fighters instead of banging it out.
So
where does this fight go? This is such a good fight because it’s
hard to say who has the edge. Miller is notorious for being a
slow starter. If he comes out that way at UFC 52 and St. Pierre
pushes the pace early with his standup, it could be a short night
for Miller. But then again, even though he’s not exactly
good out of the gait, Miller hasn’t been caught early before.
He’s very good at surviving the early moments until he can
find a way to start working his mat magic.
Look
for this one to be an amazing fight, but not one that will go
the distance. St. Pierre definitely has the skills to catch Miller
early with his striking abilities. If that doesn’t happen,
look for this one to into the second round where it’s more
likely that Miller finds a way to finish the fight on the ground.
Source:
MMA Weekly
|
Team
Effort Personifies Team Quest
by Josh Gross
LAS VEGAS,
April 15 — If Saturday night Chuck Liddell resembles anything
close to Team Quest kickboxing coach Dave Hagen, those betting
on the underdog light heavyweight contender to beat UFC champion
Randy Couture won’t have to bother standing on line at the
MGM Grand Sports Book after the fight.
Sandwiched
between a shirtless Couture and “protective” blue padding
covering a small section on the inside of the Ultimate Training
Center, Hagen winced while shielding his face from the 42-year-old
fighter’s punches, which fortunately for him thudded off
his mitt-covered hands and not somewhere else.
Because
Nate Quarry demanded it of him, Hagen, mimicking Liddell, also
attempted to regain his feet; but for the long-legged trainer
it invariably led to a Couture’ cross-face or the discomfort
that comes with a knee jammed in your belly.
With
the hardships of training camp behind him, Couture has moved
into maintenance mode, downshifting to what seemed — except
to Hagen — like 70 percent during Wednesday evening’s
three rounds of mitt work.
For
the men whose goal it is to make Couture victorious, however,
there is no such tapering.
After
a quick “blow out” of his lungs, irritated this week
by allergy-wielding pollens made worse by an abnormally wet winter,
Couture headed back to the MGM Grand for an adjustment from his
chiropractor/nutritionist, Ryan Parsons.
It’s
a team effort, keeping this champion at the top.
Hagen,
Quarry and Parsons are just three of the men who helped prepare
Couture in the champion’s Gresham, Oregon gym for Saturday’s
rematch with Liddell. Chief among them is Robert Follis, a lanky
35-year-old former mixed martial arts junkie who, beginning with
Couture’s stoppage of Kevin Randleman in November 2000,
seconds “The Natural.”
They
met eight years ago while Follis ran Portland’s Straight
Blast Gym — the only place, said Couture, where he could
find a decent sparring partner.
When
Couture and fellow wrestler-turned-fighter Dan Henderson offered
Follis a chance to run their Performance Quest gym — primarily
a fitness center with a small martial arts area in the back —
he declined, opting instead to remain where he was.
A
year later, Performance Quest was done. Henderson had moved back
to California. And Couture, now partners with Olympic silver
medalist Matt Lindland, opened Team Quest, which was located
in the back of the car lot Lindland bought after returning home
from Sydney.
For
Couture, Lindland and a handful of others the lot was simply
a place to workout, ill suited, it seemed, for the general public.
“We’d been kind of running it as an open gym and not
really making money,” Couture remembered. “It wasn’t
a business.”
Frustrated
with his financial situation, Follis approached Couture about
the possibility of partnering up in Team Quest. Within weeks
of coming to an agreement, public classes had been upped from
two to 12.
“He,
of course, had the sense to run a membership, do all the things
that needed to be done to make it run like a business,”
Couture said of Follis. “And that’s when things really
turned around.”
And
thus, a business — and a major force in mixed martial arts
— was born.
Today,
the gym holds nearly 300 members. Plus, as it turned out, Follis’
ability to run a facility wasn’t his only attribute. “I
wanted to be the coach,” he told Sherdog.com after the workout
room quieted Wednesday. “I wanted to be the guy that wasn’t
in the limelight. I wanted people to recognize me over somebody’s
shoulder.”
A
long-time basketball fan, Follis consulted books by the sport’s
best motivators — John Wooden, Phil Jackson, Pat Riley —
and listened to the words of people like Anthony Robbins. He
watched others teach and analyzed tapes of fights he cornered,
critiquing himself each step of the way.
While
he had only studied Brazilian jiu-jitsu for a year and half when
he began working with Couture and Henderson, Follis offered them
the closest thing to a jiu-jitsu coach they could find. Meanwhile,
the fighters helped him shape a teaching style by filtering out
the things that didn’t make sense.
“As
time moved on it fell more into where I felt like I was the coach,”
he said. “It’s been kind of a gradual process until
I was kinda that main guy. I was the guy that was getting turned
to to work the corner.”
Out
of those experiences, his training style bloomed.
“A
lot of guys get caught up in watching someone else’s fight
that they develop a plan on how to fight in that guy’s style
— and I think that’s a big mistake,” Follis said.
“Or they try and be reactive to that style rather than saying,
‘We’re going to look to put that guy out of his game
plan and into our style.’ That’s something that we’ve
worked real hard — not just myself but as a whole in the
gym — with that kind of philosophy.”
“He’s
a great trainer,” Couture said. “He’s a great
technical coach. He reads people real well and he’s real
good with people — not that I need a lot of that —
but it still makes a difference.”
Twelve
weeks ago, Follis, the architect of Couture’s shocking performance
that saw him stop Liddell to win the UFC light heavyweight interim
title, sat down with Couture and Quarry to map out a game plan
for Saturday’s fight.
“The
first thing I want to look at is less at the opponent and more
at my fighter,” Follis began. “And to me, a basic concept
of what I try and get across to the fighters is we want to try
and make that other guy fight your fight.”
For
Follis, little can match the feeling of watching his charge execute
in the ring. That’s exactly what happened in the summer
of 2003 when Couture, competing for the first time at 205 pounds,
battered Liddell around the Octagon.
“I
was excited that we had another opportunity to go out and let
it hang out,” said Follis, recalling his feelings after
consecutive losses at heavyweight propelled Couture down one
division. “And I was confident in the fact that we had made
adjustments. I was confident in the fact that we had trained
hard. Then you go out and compete and see what happens.”
On
Saturday, Team Quest faces a man who believes he’s made
the necessary adjustments. With the exception of his fight against
Quinton Jackson, Liddell is unbeaten since falling to Couture.
And no argument could rebut the claim that, among current UFC
light heavyweight contenders, there is no more dangerous opponent
than a healthy and hungry Liddell.
Despite
his reputation as a man who likes to slow a fight’s tempo,
Couture and his camp feel Liddell will be an aggressive challenger
in the Octagon tomorrow.
Ironically,
they contend, it will make for an easier time if the John Hackleman-trained
fighter moves forward. “It just means we collide that much
quicker,” Couture said. “He’s still gotta hit
me, and that creates the opening for me to get under him and
take him down.”
“Randy’s
game plan hasn’t changed for a while,” Follis explained.
“We’ve just refined it. Randy’s gotten consistently
better and I think it’s one of the hardest things that guys
have to do at that level. When you’re on top, it’s
hard to push yourself and expand in new areas because you’re
thinking ‘Well, I’m already the champ. What do I need
to change? People need to chase me.’ So we’ve continually
looked to refine and find areas. When Randy had trouble getting
up off bottom we delved onto that and worked the crap out of
until we felt like he wasn’t going into a game plan that
wasn’t his.
“His
movement, execution, conditioning — again, we’ve been
working his game plan for so long now, fine tuning it; he’s
scary now.”
Couture
never allowed Liddell to get comfortable the first time around.
Constant forward pressure — or as Follis called it, “controlled
aggression” — forced the favorite into mistakes. After
10 minutes elapsed it was no longer a question of if Couture
would win it was when.
Scouting
Liddell for the rematch, Couture “didn’t see a lot
of things different.”
“But,”
he added, “Obviously he wasn’t facing me again, so
there was no reason for him to change a whole lot of things.
“He’s
been pretty successful with what he’s been doing against
everybody else. So, just kind of anticipating what he might be
thinking and where he might go. When it gets down to it, I don’t
see that we’re that different as fighters. He’s still
the striker; he still wants to knock me out. I’m still a
wrestler that wants to take him down and put him on the ground.
“I’ve
got to cut him off and use the cage to corral him. When he gets
to that black line that’s two, two and a half feet from
the cage, that’s when you go. That’s when you attack
and you’re either hitting him or running him into the cage
and taking him down.”
If
his time peppering Hagen is an indicator, Couture will work hard
to keep Liddell grounded when the fight goes to the floor.
It
seems odd, a world-class wrestler having to drill keeping an
average college grappler on his back, but Liddell is the best
light heavyweight in the world when it comes to recovering to
his feet.
(Three
times in the first fight Liddell managed to Houdini his way to
a position where he could strike. If he’s got any shot of
pulling the upset, the six-foot-two fighter will have to do that
sort of thing again.)
Between
rounds, Follis will be in the Octagon offering Couture advice.
The nervousness that at one time accompanied him to the ring
isn’t there anymore.
“It
definitely took some adjusting,” he said. “I’d
like to think as a coach I’ve grown a lot over the last
few years. To me, as much pressure as those guys feel getting
in the ring, it was a lot of pressure on the outside. I wanted
to do right and be there for them.
“Being
able to have that composure, I think, has been a huge piece in
my continued success as a coach, especially with the younger
guys.
“To
me, it’s a huge privilege to have an athlete in a sport
with a lot riding on it — I mean, there’s an ass beating
waiting for you if you’re not executing well. So I take
a lot of pride in the fact that these guys trust me enough to
have me in their corner, to develop a game plan for them. So
it’s a big deal. And when they go out and execute that game
plan well, I kinda feel like I’m a piece of that.”
To
hear Couture and other Team Quest fighters talk, Follis is more
than a “piece.” “He’s phenomenal,” Couture
said.
And
so to are the others, like the sparring partners who put themselves
at risk each time they train.
“Having
guys that push me — Nate Quarry, Chris Leben, Chael Sonnen,
Eddie Herman, Josh Burkman — they’re in there every
day putting their body on the line and trying their best to push,”
the 205-pound champion said. “They’d put knots on my
head or choke me out of the can. And that’s what you need.
If you’re going to continue to progress you gotta have guys
that challenge you on a regular basis, and those guys certainly
do that.”
For
Follis, whose fighting days are long over, it’s not about
winning or losing. Sure that’s important, but it’s
not what keeps him coming to the gym, working with kids and champs
alike.
“If
I could help my fighter make the most out of what he has and
get that extra little bit,” said the man who trains Randy
Couture, “that’s what’s important.”
Source:
Sherdog
|
COFFEE
GUY EXCLUSIVE:
ARLOVSKI VS. EILERS POSSIBILITY
By Coffee Guy
The
following exclusive report was sent to us by our Zuffa informant
called 'Coffee Guy':
It
looks now as if the matchup of Andrei Arlovski vs. Justin Eilers
will be taking place on the UFC 53 card on June 4th.
The
UFC originally wanted Arlovsky's opponent to be Ricco Rodriguez,
but Rodriguez appears like he will not be able to take the fight
at this time.
Source:
Fight Sport
|
ARLOVSKI
VS EILERS AT UFC 53
There
has been plenty of talk regarding who Andrei Arlovski will face.
Among those names was one Ricco Rodriguez. This would have been
a rematch from their first fight when Ricco defeated Arlovski
at UFC 32.. Ricco orginially accepted to take the fight with
Arlovski but then had some problems regarding training camp,
so he will not fight Arlovski.
Now
there is more breaking news to add to the pile, as MMAWeekly
has received 100% official word from UFC president Dana White
that Andrei Arlovski will be fighting Justin Eilers for the UFC
Interim Heavyweight Title, also at UFC 53. Not a lot of fighters
were willing to step to the plate to fight Arlovski and others
who would be willing to fight Arlovski are currently injured,
but Eilers was willing to step up and so we will get to see Arlovski
vs. Eilers at UFC 53.
Source:
MMA Weekly
|
News:
David Terrel plans to join BTT
According to our friends from MMAWeekly.com, David Terrel is
currently in Brazil, training with Mario Sperry and the Brazilian
Top Team. It looks as though Terrell is very close to signing
a contact with BTT and a deal could be done as soon as this weekend.
His former trainer, Cesar Gracie, told MMAWeekly "Everybody
needs to do what they need to do. The weird thing is I officially
haven't been informed if he truly has signed yet".
Gracie
said that the his team called Mario Sperry to see if Terrell
could train, so this training session has been in the works for
quite awhile. . "David had an injury and now was ready to
train again. This trip has been planned for quite some time,
so this wasn't unexpected for him to go to Brazil. Just not sure
if he has signed a deal with them or not." From all accounts
and from the people we talked to, it looks as though Terrell
will indeed sign to be a part of the Brazilian Top Team and it
could happen as soon as this weekend.
Source:
Tatame
|
EVAN
TANNER VS RICH FRANKLIN
MMAWeekly has learned that Evan Tanner will defend his title
against Rich Franklin at UFC 53 in June. Franklin became the
immediate contender after his impressive win over Ken Shamrock.
One
man not happy with this entire situation is Matt Lindland. Lindland
thought he would get the next title shot against his former teammate
in Tanner if he could defeat Travis Lutter tomorrow night. Instead
he will not get that opportunity.
Lindland
will be one of today's featured guests on MMAWeekly Radio as
the guys continue to broadcast live from Las Vegas. Lindland
will have plenty to say on the situation on today's show.
Source:
MMA Weekly
|
'THE
ULTIMATE FIGHTER' SEASON ONE REVIEW
The
following is a review of the first season of 'The Ultimate Fighter'
reality show. The review is courtesy of the MMA insider known
as 'Rainbowthief':
First
of all, here's what I liked:
Footage
of the fighters training and getting pointers from Chuck Liddell
and Randy Couture.
The
fights, even the bad ones. Free fights every week was something
to look forward to on Mondays.
The
live 2 1/2 hour finale. Great way to end the show. One great
touch was the intros showing each fighter at home with family
and friends and training. Easily my second favorite part of the
finale after the Bonnar vs. Griffin fight.
What
I didn't like:
All
the Real World/Big Brother reality show bullshit like Chris Leben
pissing on Jason Thacker's bed, the endless shots of fighters
hanging out with their shirts off in the living room and the
fighters whining about being bored.
Fighter
selection, but more on that later.
The
fighter elimination process, more on that later too.
Too
much Dana White. Why was TUF edited into the Dana White show?
Most hardcore fans couldn't care less about seeing him, so why
would new fans?
Not
enough Couture, Liddell or Willa Ford. They got their two best
light heavyweights on the show and wasted them. I would've liked
to have seen Liddell teaching striking techniques to the fighters
and more of Couture instructing them also, especially since all
the fighters seemed to revere him. A little more eye candy would've
been nice too, especially with the gay antics sometimes reaching
a suffocating level, but unfortunately there were too many episodes
in which Ford was barely seen or not at all.
The
team challenges. They were stupid, slowed the show down and had
nothing to do with fighting skills.
What
needs to be changed desperately for season two:
Get
rid of most of the house antics and show more training or at
least more talking about fighting and less of the "I don't
like so-and-so" bullshit.
Get
better fighters. It's been said that the mix of jobbers and legitimate
prospects was done to make the better fighters look good, but
if so, the idea backfired badly, resulting in absurd mismatches
leading up to a very undeserving Kenny Florian suffering a horrible
beating at the hands of Diego Sanchez in the final. While they're
at it, make sure the fighters want to be there. For most of the
first half of the season, I kept wondering where on earth Dana
found "fighters" so unwilling to fight. With the exception
of Chris Leben, who early in the season implored Josh Koscheck
to pick him to fight, getting a volunteer from a team to fight
was like pulling teeth.
Make
everyone fight an equal number of times. Kenny Florian had one
fight and was in the final, while Diego Sanchez had to win three
times to get there. That's ridiculous. Don't let the fighters
pick who will fight, do it for them by picking fighters randomly
to create brackets and make sure everyone fights the same number
of times. Better yet, get rid of the ridiculous team concept
and place all the fighters from each weight class into one group
and have both coaches work with them. They'll benefit more from
having both coaches anyway. Seeing the fighters whine about losing
teammates or having to fight them was laughable. When the hell
did MMA become a team sport?
For
the next finale, use the time more wisely. It looks like Zuffa
planned on saving the undercard fights for the upcoming DVD,
but some more fights on TV would've been nice. Three fights in
150 minutes is not enough.
Overall,
the show got off to a terrible start, showed some unfulfilled
promise in the middle, but ended with a bang, thanks to Stephan
Bonnar and Forrest Griffin.
Final
score: B (it would've been a C- if not for the excellent finale).
Now
the fighters:
Nathan
Quarry: Poor Nate. This guy had some of the strongest buzz going
into the show and thanks to that dumb lug Alex Shoenauer, the
audience never got to see him fight. Whether the UFC will give
him a fight is anyone's guess, but he deserves something after
the lousy luck he had on the show.
Alex
Karalexis: What a pile of slop. He fought like someone who just
stepped into the cage right after watching UFC 1 for the first
time ever. We'll never see him again, thankfully.
Jason
Thacker: Dana, what were you thinking? Thacker himself said he
wasn't good enough to be there! If the lousy canuck hadn't been
sent packing by Randy prior to the start of fighting, we might've
seen someone who looked even more frightened in the ring than
Lodune Sincaid.
Lodune
Sincaid: Forget "The Vanilla Gorilla," this bum's nickname
should be "The Reluctant Fighter." Could he have looked
any more scared in his fight with Bobby Southworth? When he learned
that Southworth had picked him to fight, Sincaid looked like
a doctor had just given him five days to live. Aside from the
obvious lack of skills, Sincaid needs to find a heart.
Chris
Sanford: I'm sure there was a reason for Sanford to be there;
unfortunately, I can't figure out what the hell it was.
Sam
Hoger: So, Hoger alienated himself from his teammates and his
coach, stole UFC merchandise and then acted like an ass after
getting knocked out by Forrest Griffin on the show. After all
of that, I doubt his unaired decision win over Bobby Southworth
in the finale will do much for his fighting career.
Josh
Rafferty: Another guy Dana probably found in a record store at
the local shopping mall. Rafferty may be many things, but a fighter
ain't one of them.
Alex
Shoenauer: Oy, after everyone raved about how impressive he was
in defeat against Forrest Griffin, he got knocked out by light
fisted Mike Swick in 20 seconds in the finale! Do cry for him,
Argentina, his career is over.
Mike
Swick: I guess it would be fair to point out that, like Kenny
Florian, Swick was fighting in a higher weight class than usual,
but I have a feeling that half of the middleweights on the show
would've trounced Swick as well.
Bobby
Southworth: What a heartless jobber. Southworth couldn't make
up his mind if he cared about winning the contract or not. On
one episode, he said fighting didn't define him because he had
other things in his life back home (a job dealing cards in a
casino), then when he was waiting to see if he would take Forrest
Griffin's place on the show, he referred to winning the contract
as his dream. His public attacks against Dana White and Spike
TV, along with his loss to Sam Hoger, ensured that his future
is at the card tables, not in the Octagon.
Chris
Leben: One of the most hyped up fighters going into the show,
Leben talked a pretty big game, but showed nothing in the Octagon.
Still, MMA fans love a bad boy and so does Zuffa, so look for
Dana to bring this crying mess into the UFC, feed him a steady
diet of bums and hope that he turns into a good fighter. Either
way, look for mini-Tito to appear in future UFC events very soon.
Josh
Koscheck: Not especially impressive on the show, but Koscheck
has possibly the biggest upside of any fighter on the show because
of his youth, conditioning and superior wrestling ability. Few
wrestlers of his caliber have jumped to MMA and even fewer have
committed to the sport as deeply as he has. With the right training,
Koscheck could become a champion in the UFC, especially if he
learns to use the fence to his advantage as Randy Couture does.
Diego
Sanchez: It's hard to tell how good Sanchez is because even though
he won four fights to win the UFC contract, he never beat anyone
decent with the exception of newcomer Josh Koscheck. So far,
his submission skills look very good, but until he's challenged
by a solid striker, he'll remain a question mark to many. He's
a strange eccentric who also enjoys the microphone a little too
much. If Joe Rogan hadn't cut him off, Sanchez might still be
thanking people after his victory over Kenny Florian.
Kenny
Florian: Looks too soft to be a fighter and his sudden billing
as a BJJ black belt didn't help him against Diego Sanchez. Though
Florian belongs in the welterwight division instead of the middleweight,
going down in weight class won't make up for his complete lack
of toughness. Whether he gets any UFC fights depends entirely
on how good Dana thinks he is, but I'd be surprised to see him
again.
Forrest
Griffin: The man picked by most fans to win the light heavyweight
contract since before the show aired came though, but not without
a torrent of controversy in the final. Still, Griffin is the
real deal and will bring a very well rounded game to the Octagon,
though where he figures in the UFC light heavyweight picture
is unclear because I can't see him beating any of the big three
(Couture, Liddell or Tito Ortiz)--yet. Still, his reckless style
will be a welcome addition to the UFC and should provide plenty
of exciting fights for fans starving for relief from Zuffa's
stable of lay n' pray stallers.
Stephan
Bonnar: The breakout star of the show. Bonnar looked as soft
as Kenny Florian in interviews, but the newly anointed "American
Psycho" proved to be one tough fucker on the Octagon, eliminating
Bobby Southworth in a convincing decision, submitting Mike Swick
and earning a moral--though not official--victory over Forrest
Griffin in the light heavyweight final, for which Zuffa rightly
rewarded Bonnar with a six figure contract of his own. This former
Golden Gloves champion and Carlson Gracie student could have
the brightest future of any of the fighters on the show.
Source:
Fight Sport
|
Tyson
returns to the rings on June 1
Meanwhile he does not fight in K-1 Boxing World Champion Mike
Tyson is going to fight a Boxing tournament in next June. On
June 11th, Tyson fights Irish Kevin McBride, in Washington, United
States. Seven years younger than Tyson, McBride has 32 victories
in the card, two loses and a draw. In other hand Tyson has fought
50 times and won 44 by KO.
Source:
Tatame
|
SEVERN
ELECTED TO UFC HALL OF FAME
By Damon Martin, MMAWeekly.com
On Saturday night when the world will be watching Chuck Liddell
and Randy Couture battle for the light heavyweight champion,
another UFC legend will be coming back to the octagon for his
induction into the UFC Hall of Fame. Dan “The Beast”
Severn will be honored for the heart and spirit of a champion
that he brought into the cage from the very first fight he fought
in 1994.
Severn
was a very accomplished wrestler, graduating from Arizona State
in 1981. From there he traveled all over the world displaying
his top notch Greco-Roman skill and proving himself time and
time again as a tremendous grappler. The sport of mixed-martial
arts was just gaining momentum in the United States coming off
of three very successful shows on pay per view, and Dan Severn
saw the next challenge he wanted to conquer.
On
December 16th, 1994, Dan Severn entered the octagon to face off
against Anthony Macias and despite having no formal fight training
he won by choke in the first round. The 6’2” wrestler
mauled through his second opponent as well and then had the misfortune
of running into the already legendary Royce Gracie. Severn lasted
over 15 minutes with the Brazilian star, something many other
legends could never tout. Even in defeat, Severn was not discouraged
and he would live to fight another day.
In
a tournament dubbed “Return of the Beast”, Dan Severn
would prove himself a champion in the second UFC he would fight
in. Defeating three opponents in one night, including Sambo champion
Oleg Taktarov, Severn was crowned the UFC Tournament champion.
After
a Superfight loss to Ken Shamrock, Severn rededicated himself
to his previous winning ways and set his sights on the “Ultimate
Ultimate”, a tournament designed to showcase past champions
to decide who would be the best. Severn managed to defeat Paul
Varelans, original UFC “Bad Boy” David “Tank”
Abbott, and winning another fight with Oleg Taktarov. Severn
was victorious again and dominant in his performance.
Severn’s
last two fights in the octagon ended in losses, both to extraordinary
superstars of mixed martial arts in Mark “The Hammer”
Coleman and Pedro Rizzo. And with those losses, Severn walked
away from the UFC for the last time.
Dan
Severn has continued on in his career as he has fought in over
80 MMA matches and has become an ambassador for the sport. Fighting
anywhere the sport would take him, the one time AAU wrestling
champion, continues to train and fight and prove the world that
“The Beast” still has a ferocious spirit that won’t
be retired. Dan “The Beast” Severn, the newest entry
into the UFC Hall of Fame.
Source:
MMA Weekly
|
André
Galvão
By André Araújo
Doing
a great debut at black belt
Jiu-Jitsu
BJJ black belt Andre Galvao has fought for the first time with
black belt in great style: winning the middleweight category
at the 11th Pan-Americans, which happened last April 3rd and
4th, in California. Besides the tile, Galvao did one of the best
matches of the competition against Felipe Cranivata and almost
got a medal in the open class dispute. Check out an exclusive
interview with Galvao, from San Diego, United States.
Tell
me a little bit about this black belt debut.
It
was great. To be honest I didn't feel too much pressure on me.
I did three fights and won my first one by 16x0. In the second
one I faced Felipe Cranivata and it was just amazing. In the
final I fought Cássio Werneck and it was very controversial.
I attacked the whole time trying to pass his guard and they only
thing he did was defend himself from me. We kept doing this until
the final and referee gave him the victory.
Lots
of people Said your fight with Cranivata was the best of this
Pan...
It
was very exciting. As soon I stepped inside the mat I knew I
would beat him. I really wanted to win. Even when I was having
a hard time I was relaxed and gave my best to reverse the score.
I reversed a back catching and a mount. The score was 9x8.After
that I caught his back and it was very nice. After this bout
I received lots of compliments.
And
how was the open class?
It
would be better if I had gotten a medal. and I almost did it!
I lost to Delson Pe-de-Chumbo by one advantage. I realized guys
are stronger and they play tight. Even Rickson (Gracie) warned
me the day before. I will keep my game forward and search for
the fight. I will not become a tight player
You
did the final against Cassio Werneck, the same guy Terere faced
at the final of BJJ World Cup. What do you think about this coincidence?
I
don't see coincidence. Terere has fought lots of people and for
me it was very good. Terere hás always said Cassio is
a tough guy and I am too happy to defeat him.
Have
you talked to Terere about your medal?
He
was really into it! He told me he had seen on the Internet and
I believe this motivated him a lot.
When
you do return to Brazil? Are you going to fight at Brazil BJJ
Cup?
My
ticket is for April 28th. So I believe I will not be able to
fight at Brazil BJJ Cup. I have been working a lot in here. I
am in San Diego and now I will run a few seminars with Telles
and Valente.
And
tell me about your plans for 2005 as a black belt.
My
plan is do the same as my master: show up at any mat and win
and show the world TT is not only a BJJ school, but a lesson
for life.
Source:
Tatame
|
EXCLUSIVE
INTERVIEW WITH JOACHIM HANSEN
Fresh
off of his win over Caol Uno in what has been called one of the
fights of the year, Joachim Hansen sat down to talk with MMAWeekly’s
Ken Pishna. Hansen gives us his thoughts on the fight with Uno,
his hand injury, Yves Edwards, and more.
MMAWeekly:
Joachim, thanks for taking the time to talk to us at MMAWeekly.
Everyone is raving over your fight with Caol Uno at the inaugural
Hero's show. Many people are calling it the Fight of the Year.
Could you give us an overview of how you saw the fight?
Joachim
Hansen: The fight was very hard for me because Uno held a very
high and aggressive tempo. He was moving very good and I knew
his game plan was to tire me out. He destroyed my ground game
with his strategy.
MMAWeekly:
Was Uno tougher than you expected on the ground or pretty much
what you had anticipated?
Hansen:
I always expect a hard fight whoever I fight, but Uno was tougher
than I expected.
MMAWeekly:
You mentioned in your post-fight interview that you were more
tired in this fight than your fight with Gomi. Do you think that
had anything to do with the time that you had to take off from
the ring due to your broken hand or just that Uno was a more
active fighter than Gomi?
Hansen:
Uno was much more aggressive than Gomi and had a totally different
ground game and strategy. It had nothing to do with my time off
because of my hand.
MMAWeekly:
How would you compare Uno's stand-up game to your own?
Hansen:
I felt that I had better striking skills than him, but I was
very tired. It felt like I was boxing with 10 kilos manuals in
my hands!
MMAWeekly:
Coming off of the broken hand and surgery and everything, were
you hesitant at all to let your hands go against Uno?
Hansen:
The hand was always in my mind and I was trying to hit uppercuts
more than straight punches because I think it is easier to land
a punch in a hard area of his head with a straight punch.
MMAWeekly:
Can you give us a status on your hand? Did it bother you at all
during the Uno fight?
Hansen:
My hand was hurting after the fight, but it is getting better
as time goes by.
MMAWeekly:
You also mentioned post-fight that during the third round, you
were starting to worry just a little bit because you hadn't been
able to gain Uno's back.
Hansen:
It was hard to stay on his back. He moved very well; it was like
grappling a big piece of soap.
MMAWeekly:
A lot of people were looking forward to your planned fight with
Yves Edwards at Euphoria this past February. What is your official
reasoning for withdrawing from that fight?
Hansen:
My reason for withdrawing from Euphoria is that I had no training
for a very long time as I first broke my hand in Japan Shooto
in July, then again in October in Euphoria. Then I had to operate
in November and had no training until late January 2005. I want
my hand to be good as I am left-handed.
MMAWeekly:
You are consistently mentioned as one of the top 3 or 4 lightweight
fighters in the world. Who are your top five lightweights and
how would you rank yourself among them?
Hansen:
My top five are Kawajiri, Gomi, Edwards, Shaolin, and Uno. [It’s]
difficult to rank myself, as I haven't met all of my top fives.
MMAWeekly:
You have mentioned how committed you are to Shooto and that you'd
still like to fight in America for Euphoria and the UFC. However,
after such a successful debut in K-1, what's next for you?
Hansen:
I'm not fighting anywhere where I can't tape my hands, as I want.
I'm not gonna end up with a crippled hand at the age of 25.
MMAWeekly:
Joachim, thanks for the interview and congratulations on your
well-deserved win over Uno. Any famous last words before I let
you go?
Hansen:
Thanks to everybody that supports me and the sport and I really
like your Internet site. Keep up the good work.
Source:
MMA Weekly
|
Paulo
Filho
By Marcelo Alonso
Paulão talks about Pride
During
his impressive win over Amar Suloev in the first phase of Pride
Bushido, Paulo Filho hurt his foot and could not return for the
finals against Dean Lister, who ended up winning the coveted
16th spot in the amazing Pride Middleweight GP. Very upset for
losing an amazing opportunity to be in what he considers the
'best tournament ever', Paulo Filho had to deal with internet
rumors saying that he gave up before the finals to give his place
to BTT teammate Ricardo Arona. To clarify this and other gossip
we did the following interview with Paulo Filho:
What
do you have to say about the rumors on the internet?
It's
totally absurd. I would like to understand why people invent
those rumors. Arona was already invited by pride before my fight.
Since pride accepted two fighters from each team it was already
defined that Arona was the second man from BTT for this tournament.
I'm really upset I hurt my foot, because I believe Suloev was
a much more difficult opponent than dean Lister, so I think I
was close to getting this place, so I'm really, really disappointed
about what happened. It was an amazing opportunity to be in the
best middleweight tournament ever.
What
exactly happened in your foot?
I
don't know exactly when and how it happened, I think it was when
he tried to take me out of the mount and i twisted my foot under
him. When I left the fight I could not feel any pain, but when
I got cold again it was unbelievable pain in my foot and shin
and I could not even walk, but I wanted to fight anyway. Unfortunately
the doctors didn't authorize the use some injection to relieve
my pain.
You
are passing by a pretty unlucky time... I've heard you got a
couple of hard bruises lately?
I
don't like to complain about that because it sounds like excuses,
but what happened to me last months is unbelievable. After braking
my hand seriously fighting Silmar in Bitetti Combat 3 one year
ago (April 2004) I had a serious surgery from where I stayed
almost two months with plates in my hands, I took those plates
out the week I fought Matsui in Korea (6/27). I had no time for
training or physiotherapy. In the week I returned from Korea
I was involved in a serious car accident (overturned car) where
I broke my foot and a ligament in my hand. Then I fought Akira
10 days later (7/19). After all those problems I recovered from
those bruises, but the day I arrive in Japan a big boil came
out on my arm, Murilo took it out, the doctors did a nice bandage
job, but during the fight against Suloev I twisted my foot.
What
is your impression of Dean Lister?
I
think he is a good jiu-jitsu and submission fighter but he is
not a vale-tudo fighter yet. I feel he is still very uncomfortable
in the ring. I think I could have beaten him.
If
you got a place in this Middleweight GP who do you think would
be your most difficult opponent?
This
is the hardest middleweight GP ever, so I think all opponents
are really tough, but for my game I think fighters like Quinton
Jackson and Dan Henderson are the most difficult opponents.
More
difficult than Wanderlei?
Wanderlei
is an amazing fighter but i think he is not difficult to put
on the ground, so I think I could develop my game better against
him than against Quinton Jackson who besides being much taller
is also a great wrestler and also very good in the stand up game.
Who
are the favorites for this Pride GP in your opinion. Choose four
semifinalists?
It's
hard to say. I believe a lot in Arona, I think if he is in his
best shape, he has everything to win. Minotouro improved a lot
lately, Wanderlei is always very tough, Belfort if he wakes up
on a good day is always among the favorites. But I think fighters
like Henderson and Jackson are amazing. So i think the finalists
will depend on the bracket.
What
are your plans for the future?
Now
I'll train hard to be in ADCC 2005 in my best shape. I'm also
planning to come down to 83kg category in Vale-Tudo.
Source:
Tatame
|
English
city prohibits MMA event
Boxing
land, England has just retreated MMA development. Kirklees Active
Leisure's directors, the commission that handles Kirklees's events,
have prohibited upcoming King of the Cage in town. Schedule to
happen on next June 11, at Huddersfield Sports Centre, the show
is not gonna happen. "I am very disappointed. We have already
closed a partnership with a TV channel and I believe it would
be a great opportunity to a modern city-hall. We've chosen the
city because of his history with Boxing and Rugby and MMA have
few less accidents that those sports," Aaron Chatfield lamented
to the Huddersfield Daily Examiner.
Source:
Tatame
|
Quote
of the Day
"You can have anything you want in life if you will help
enough other people get what they want."
Zig Ziglar, American Sales Trainer, Author, Motivational Speaker
|
Hawaii
Boxing News!
Oahu's Tupouniua Kulihaapai takes on
Maui's Kaulama Alo Kaonohi
Oahu's Tupouniua Kulihaapai will box against Maui's Kaulama Alo
Kaonohi in the Main Event of the 189lb weight class in a Senior
J.O. division bout in the Hawaii State Junior Olympic Boxing
Regionals at Palolo Gym, 6 p.m. Saturday
The winner will advance to Brownsville, Texas in June to join
14 other Hawaii boxers.
10 -12 bouts are scheduled.
$10 Admission will be charged.
Source: Bruce Kawano |
WHAT
THE FIGHTERS ARE SAYING ABOUT
HUGHES VS TRIGG
It's the day before UFC 52 weigh ins and MMAWeekly got several
names in the game to weigh in on the UFC welterweight title match
between Matt Hughes and Frank Trigg.
Rich
Franklin: I tell you what, that's going to be a tough fight.
Matt's always been a friend of mine. I've been up to the Miletich
Camp and everything....I don't know who to pick on that fight.
Frank had him in some trouble in the first fight, and Matt ended
up pulling off with a Rear Naked Choke, so I'm just looking for
an entertaining fight.
Ken
Shamrock: I tell you what, when I saw Frank Trigg and Matt Hughes
fight the first time, I mean even though Frank made a mistake,
boy I tell you from what I saw in that little bit of time I said,
now there's a fight for Matt. I didn't think anybody could go
with Matt. I didn't think could match strength with Matt. I thought
he was just pound for pound, you know, just dominating. When
I saw Frank Trigg when they were moving back and fourth and on
the mat, and the strength that he showed against Matt, I go wow
this is going to be great, and Frank made a mistake and Matt
capitalized on it, but I think in this fight, I think we're going
to see a great fight. I really do. I think both of these guys
are pound for pound some of the toughest guys in the world. I
truly believe that. I thought Matt was it. I saw Frank go against
him. Matt caught him. I was like, woah. That rematch is going
to be good.
Chuck
"The Iceman" Liddell: Matt's a good friend of mine,
so I'm going with Matt on that account...I've been friends with
Matt for a long time. I like Trigg. You know, he's a good guy,
but Matt's my boy.
Matt
"The Law" Lindland: Trigg's got to keep scrambling.
He's got the ability to. He knows how to scramble. In that last
fight, for some reason he stopped wrestling and started thinking
about fighting, and I think in those situations when they're
touching each other, Frank's got to be thinking wrestling first
and then the rest of the game will fall into place. Anytime that
he gets into a situation where he's wrestling he's got to think
scramble, move, get on top, fight for that top position because
on the other token I don't think Matt is a very dangerous striker.
I don't think he's got anything that can hurt Frank, like sneak
up on him...
Wesley
"Cabbage" Correira: I think Trigg is hungry. I believe
he's hungry. It's going to turn into like almost like a wrestling
match if nobody gets knocked out because both of them are good
in wrestling, both of them aren't going to give up that easy.
Chris
Leben: I don't know on that one. You know I really don't know
on that one to be honest with you. I'm going to keep my money
in my pocket for that one...I don't know. I'm going to have to
be a chicken shit. What can I say? I really don't know who's
going to win that one.
"Mr.
International" Shonie Carter: Wow. Here we go again. Two
big strong wrestlers going at it. You know what? The first time
was a freak, I think, I really believe that was a freak thing
happening. I think it's going to a decision. It's too close to
call. I mean both of them has got the wrestling. Frank's got
the Judo...I'm going with Frank via split decision. Take him
somewhere where he ain't been for a decision.
Source:
MMA Weekly
|
COFFEE
GUY EXCLUSIVE:
ARLOVSKI VS. RICCO POSSIBILITY
By Coffee Guy
The following exclusive report was sent to us by our Zuffa informant
called 'Coffee Guy':
"The
matchup of Andrei Arlovsky vs. Ricco Rodriguez has a strong possibility
of taking place on the UFC 53 card on June 4th.
The
fight would be Arlovsky's first defense of his interim title,
and would also give him a chance to rematch on of the losses
on his record."
Source: Fight Sport
|
Twinkle
Toes Looking to Teach Hughes a Lesson in Triggonomics
by Mike Sloan
One of
the more charismatic figures within the sport of mixed martial
arts is welterweight contender Frank Trigg. His brutally honest
opinions have ignited debate as to whether he is the most entertaining
fighter outside of the ring when he speaks, but Trigg isn’t
one to try and build himself up. He simply just speaks from his
heart and, quite frankly, doesn’t really care what anybody
thinks of him.
He
is a California resident who posses a New York mentality and
if you don’t enjoy the things he spews from his grill, so
be it. Whether it is openly trashing his foes like Matt Hughes
and Dennis Hallman or simply just giving his opinion on why B
J Penn was stripped of his UFC belt, all ears are usually always
on “Twinkle Toes.”
But
the interview we conducted with Trigg a few days back was actually
somewhat surprising, as Trigg didn’t overly express himself
as he usually does. Has Trigg become a changed man?
Sherdog.com:
Frank, here’s a question I am sure you are so sick of hearing;
what are your thoughts on Matt Hughes as a person and a fighter
now that you have already had the opportunity to fight him?
Frank
Trigg: There’s some personal history between Matt and I
that will remain out of the media. There is some personal history.
I know there what the personal history is and we’ll leave
it at that. I don’t have a very favorable rating for him
as a person but that is something between him and me.
Sherdog.com:
Not to pry, but did this happen before you guys first fought
or after?
Trigg:
After we first fought. It was after. No, I take that back! This
actually goes back to long before we first fought. It actually
goes way back before we first fought and it continued through
the fight and then continued on just recently, maybe a year ago.
Sherdog.com:
I respect your wishes not to allow it into the media, Frank.
But with that said, it must have eaten you alive to lose to him
when you first fought back in UFC 45.
Trigg:
It did. It put me through a very severe depression, actually.
I went through almost an eight-month depression after losing
to him. I started questioning whether I should continue fighting
because he is a guy I know I could beat. I know I am better than
him. I know that I have a better training situation than he does.
I know that I have more passion about the fight game. I know
I am more hungry about getting the belt and keeping it and I
knew that back in November of 2003. I went in there and made
a mistake and Matt Hughes being Matt Hughes took advantage of
my mistake and finished the fight.
It
put me into a deep, deep downward spiral and I wasn’t sure
what was going on. It was kind of like seeing a piece of history
that disproves your entire belief system. It put me into depression,
but I was able to pull myself through it. Beating Hallman kind
of helped me through it and beating Charuto helped me pull through
a little bit more.
Sherdog.com:
I did hear the rumblings about you being depressed and bummed
out but I never knew how severe it was. Did you resort to heavy
drinking or drub abuse to help you through the depression like
so many others?
Trigg:
Well, traditionally, we fighters kind of like to party after
we win. We drink and party and celebrate after they win and they
drink when they lose to kind of quell it. Even Matt said that
after he lost to B J Penn, he was drinking a bunch of beer, but
he got over it. This last time when I lost to Matt, I chose not
to drink my sorrows away. I sat down and tried to figure out
what went wrong. I sat down and tried to figure out a real scientific
approach to it and I had to figure what I needed to do to make
myself a better person and a better fighter. So, instead of self-medicating
with alcohol and drugs, I chose a different path. I wouldn’t
say a higher path or a better path, but I chose a different path.
It seemed to work.
Sherdog.com:
Going back to Hallman, did that really boost your confidence
or did you still suffer from the depression even after that win?
Trigg:
I was kind of over it by the time I got to Dennis. I wasn’t
completely over it but I got along pretty well. I kind of felt
that the fight went OK; I don’t think it was picture perfect
fight. I think I made some mistakes that could have been improved
upon and I tried to work on them for when I fought Charuto.
Sherdog.com:
When you fought Hughes and eventually got stuck in that choke,
looking back on that moment, what happened? Was it just a slip
on your part or was it more or less a mental lapse that you drifted
off into? Whatever the case when you made that mistake, did you
know right then and there that the fight was essentially over?
Trigg:
The mistake that I made was that I missed the Kimura and I missed
the sweep that Carlos Newton hit on him when they fought the
first time. I ended up giving him my back for the third time
in the fight and that was the final mistake. He then took my
back in no time. The point where I was like, “Oh shit it’s
over!” was when I was tapping. That’s when I finally
knew that the fight was over. The reason for that was because
I lost mental focus. I lost my mental focus in the middle of
the fight.
Sherdog.com:
After UFC 51, we did the video interview for Sherdog and in that
video, you called out Hughes and stated he may be afraid to fight
because he wouldn’t sign to fight you at that time. According
to various sources close to the situation, Matt had been saying
that he didn’t want to fight you again because he had already
beaten you so handily and that you didn’t deserve another
shot at him. It was more or less a waste of his time to fight
you. What transpired along the way to actually get Matt to sign
up to defend his title against you?
Trigg:
He didn’t have a choice. The first thing that must be made
clear is that we as fighters in the Ultimate Fighting Championship
— and this is the rule of the road — we don’t
get to choose who our opponents are. Zuffa, specifically their
matchmaker Joe Silva, will tell us who we’re going to fight
next. It is our responsibility as fighters to accept that fight.
That is what we do, at least for me. I don’t pick my opponent.
I don’t get the choice or the benefit of saying, “Hey
Dana, hey Joe, hey Lorenzo, hey Frank … I want to fight
so-and-so” and that is who they get for me to fight in my
next fight. It doesn’t work like that. They pretty much
say, “This is who you are going to fight right now, this
is what will be good for our organization, it’s good for
the sport, this is who you’ll fight, this is the deal. Sign
off, we’ll get you a memo and then you fight this guy.”
They
put me in front of him in January or February — I’m
not exactly sure when it was — and they gave me the right
to be the number-one contender. I beat Dennis Hallman, who beat
Hughes twice. I beat Charuto in the second round while it took
Matt to beat him in a very close decision. Some say that it was
a controversial decision, but I beat the guy up in the middle
of the second round. That earns me the right to be the number-one
contender. That is why I get to fight Matt Hughes again even
though it’s only been about a year and a half. He can say
whatever he wants. He did, in fact beat me the first time. He
did, in fact, choke me out. He did, in fact, make me tap. That
goes against the legend that I am un-tappable. I have only been
beaten twice — I’ve been knocked out and I have been
tapped out. Matt tapped me out and that is a reality. He can
say that he has nothing to prove but he does have something to
prove. I have to prove that he can still maintain the belt, that
he can still hold the belt. This is a fact! This is the reason
why Marco Antonio Barrera and Erik Morales have fought three
times in boxing! It gives you reasons why Sugar Ray Leonard and
Roberto Duran have fought three times. There’s a reason
why these guys continue to fight and re-fight.
Part
of it is because the fans want you to take these fights again.
They loved the first fight and they want to see it again. Another
part of it because hey, this guy lost but has worked his way
back up the ladder and is deserving once again. I am the next
guy in line so step up and fight me. I am next in line. It’s
kind of like a Tito-Chuck situation where Tito kept ducking Chuck,
kept ducking Chuck, kept ducking Chuck. Then he finally had to
fight Chuck; he pretty much didn’t have a choice. But Tito
took it like a man, stood by his words and said, “Hey I
am going to stand up with you and go toe-to-toe.” We all
know the result of that one. But I have earned my right to be
the number-one contender again like all these other guys before
me. So Matt can say whatever he wants but I am the guy that he
has to fight and I just wanted him to accept it.
Sherdog.com:
Now with all do respect to Matt Hughes as he’s never done
me wrong in any way, but in my opinion you shouldn’t be
fighting him for the title. I still believe that B J Penn should
still have the title and I still feel that he got shafted by
the UFC. What are your thoughts on that situation involving BJ
and Zuffa?
Trigg:
I think everything went exactly as it should have with Zuffa.
B J Penn was stripped because he chose to fight for another organization.
He won the title for the UFC and you are the champ for the UFC,
you have an exclusive deal that you can only fight for the UFC
when you are the titleholder.
Sherdog.com:
But BJ didn’t have a contract with Zuffa. His contract expired
after he fought Hughes. To my understanding, he didn’t have
a new contract with Zuffa once that fight ended and he was trying
to negotiate a new deal with the UFC.
Trigg:
That is the contract you enter when you fight in a title fight.
That is the contract that I have when I enter the title fight
with Matt. That is the acceptance of fighting for the UFC —
that you accept that as part of the deal. That is what it is.
This whole thing is built on relationships. This whole thing
is built on your ability to stand up and say, “This is what
I am going to accept whether I like it or not.” Just because
you get offered three, four, 10 times more money to fight somewhere
else doesn’t necessarily mean that you gotta go and take
that money because you have a principle.
Sure
I could go make a million dollars fighting someplace else or
I can make a $1,000 fighting here in the UFC. But I have a contract
and my contract states that I can only fight for you for the
length of this contract. At the end of this contract I can do
whatever I want. So they went to court, Zuffa was proven in the
right, BJ was proven wrong and we can always have this he said/she
said thing. BJ was stripped of his title. He’s only fought
one time at 170 so technically he’s not even a welterweight.
Even in boxing where you have the title, if you fight two times
out of that weight class, you are out of that weight class and
stripped of that title (not exactly true).
BJ
has fought twice, no three times out of that weight class. No,
it was twice out of that weight class. He fought Rodrigo Gracie
at 185 and he fought Machado at 220. Obviously he’s not
fighting at welterweight anymore, so it’s not even really
a point for discussion. BJ vacated the belt the same time he
vacated the weight class. He shouldn’t even be ranked at
welterweight anymore; he should be ranked in that absolute or
pound-for-pound division because he’s been floating around
so much.
Sherdog.com:
In keeping with contracts, what is your situation? Are you signed
to a multi-fight contract right now or do you have just a single
bout contract and should you win it automatically increases because
you’d be the champ?
Trigg:
I have a multi-fight deal with Zuffa that keeps me very happy
and very satisfied through. I believe, and I am not 100 percent
positive, through a three deal with this fight coming up.
Sherdog.com:
If you beat Hughes and become the champ, does your contract become
altered because you then, in fact, have that title? Or does your
contract remain the same?
Trigg:
No, it’s the same exact contract. But there is a ladder
in there that says that if I become the champion, I could only
fight for Zuffa, blah blah blah. You know, all these legal things
that my manager handles and I don’t want to get into it.
It’s kind of boring, you know? But, yeah, it remains the
same.
Sherdog.com:
If you win the title, would Zuffa be giving you bonus money aside
from what you’d normally get from a win just because you’d
grab the belt?
Trigg:
You know I am really not sure to be quite honest with you. I
know that in my contract I get a certain amount of money to show
up in that cage and then a certain amount of money when I win.
That gives me more motivation, but I don’t know if I’d
get even more because I’d win the title.
Sherdog.com:
Win, lose or draw against Hughes, who are some other guys out
there that you have your eye one and wouldn’t mind fighting?
Trigg:
The answer to this question is for only April 16th. I am taking
it one fight at a time. I am taking the philosophy of Randy Couture
as I am looking only at the guy in front of me, which is Matt.
Once I dispatch him and get the title, we’ll start looking
at some of the other guys. I’ll wait for Zuffa to give me
the OK and see which one of those guys they’ll give me to
fight.
Sherdog.com:
Speaking of Randy Couture, what is your prediction on his next
fight with Liddell?
Trigg:
That one is really hard to call. I think Liddell came in not
properly prepared and not fully motivated for the Couture fight.
I think this is going to be a lot closer fight, a lot better
of a fight. It’s too close to call. I am not sure. If I
had to put money down, I would pick Couture because he’s
the champ and he does have that one win over him from before
and it was decisive.
Sherdog.com:
Are you friends with either one of them and is there any of them
that you really want to win?
Trigg:
I am actually pretty cool with both of them. Chuck is actually
pretty close with Matt, as he and Matt have been friends for
a long time. I am also friends with Chuck, too. It doesn’t
really matter to me, really, who wins. It doesn’t affect
me. I’ve obviously known Randy since 1991, as we’ve
gone to college together for a brief moment. I’ve known
Randy for a real long time. He and I are actually really close
friends. He’s the kind of guy where I would call up and
say that I am in the area and I’d stay at his house and
eat out of his refrigerator, you know? When it comes down to
this, though, it’s about business and I am not picking my
friend just because he is my friend. I just think that Randy
has a little bit of an edge in this fight, but it really is too
close to call. It’s a tight pick ‘em match.
Sherdog.com:
I have another question for you that is sort of way off topic,
but whatever happened between the feud between you and Shonie
Carter that stems from when he pulled out his fight with you
at WFA 3?
Trigg:
That was really Shonie talking more than anything. He got mad
at me. Everybody got mad at him because he didn’t get his
medicals in on time. We all got them in the previous week, but
he didn’t put his in until he showed up that week of the
fight. He had an issue with his eye and the eye doctor failed
him. Allegedly he knew about the eye problem but never had it
taken care of. I was like, “Dude, what the heck are you
doing?” He got mad at me because he thought I was calling
him out and then it snowballed from there. But Shonie and I both
have big mouths and we’re both fighters. We were both trying
to get our career really on track and we created a little bit
of heat, but nobody picked us up and had us fight on a card together.
If Shonie and I ran into each other at a bar or whatnot, I’m
pretty sure we’d buy each other drinks and talk. We’d
be cool toward each other.
Sherdog.com:
You do talk a lot of trash, Frank.
Trigg:
(laughs) Yeah, sometimes.
Sherdog.com:
You sometimes come off in interviews as an angry guy and some
in the sport have called you names and whatever, but in reality
you are a good dude. You’ve always been cool with me and
at events you are usually always cool with others around you.
While you do get a bad rap sometimes, does anybody ever try to
pick fights with you whether they are part of the fight game
or not?
Trigg:
No. Contrary to popular belief, I don’t like going out that
much. My girlfriend and I go to movies and stay home and cuddle.
I’ll cook dinner for her at night and the two of us do things
together where it is just the two of us. Once in a while we’ll
get a wild hair where we’ll go to the dance clubs, but we
try and stay away from everybody in the clubs. Honestly, Mike,
I have a real hard time in public. I am not real comfortable
with the fame that is becoming about with the Ultimate Fighter
show where others of us are getting famous, too. It’s not
just Randy and Chuck, as other of us fighters are starting to
get recognized. A lot more people are starting to pay more attention.
I sort of shy away from it because I am kind of uncomfortable.
So, no, no bad things have happened because I prefer to not put
myself in those situations. I am not out all the time. I am kind
of like a Bernard Hopkins where I rarely go out to places because
I am usually studying the game. I am veteran fighter but I try
to be a student of the game and it keeps me out of the bars,
out of the clubs and it keeps me out of trouble, really.
Sherdog.com:
How long do you plan on fighting? Do you plan on being the next
Randy Couture and fight well into your 40s?
Trigg:
I am not like Randy; I can’t go on that long. I don’t
want to be 40 and keep going on the way he does. That is eight
years away. I’m definitely going to be here when I am 35
and that is only three years. So you figure it’s three years
with three fights a year. That is nine fights, so that is really
not a bad career. But we’ll see and we’ll play it by
ear. If I continue to feel good I may just keep doing it. We’ll
see if my body can still do it. But the athletic game is definitely
a young man’s game and as we get older we really have to
try that much harder. Randy definitely is the anomaly for guys
to go that long and be that good at his age. What he’s doing
won’t be repeated for a long time.
Sherdog.com:
At your age and knowing what you know now, if you could back
to when your were 19 or 20, what would you work on the most?
Would you work on your boxing, kickboxing, jiu-jitsu or something
else the most? What one aspect would you like to focus on if
you could?
Trigg:
Yes.
Sherdog:
“Yes,” what? Everything?
Trigg:
Yes, everything! (laughs) I would work on everything the most
(laughs again). I wrestled for a very long time, so, yes, I would
go back and work on my jiu-jitsu a lot, my boxing and striking,
everything. But I work very hard and I just try to make the best
of what I have.
Source:
Sherdog
|
Pe
De Pano taps out to Margarida
For the 1st time in his illustrious career, "Pe de Pano"
was submitted. Fernando "Margarida" tapped out PDP
by arm bar in the 2nd minute of their finals match. After a long
layoff and a disappointing loss to Jacare (11-0), Margarida came
back in true form tapping out Rafael Lovato Jr., Beto and Pe
de Pano, to win the Yamasaki tournament's, Black belt division.
PDP had made it to the finals by defeating Xande Ribeiro by the
narrowest of margins only to meet his demise at the hands of
Margarida.
Source:
Gracie Fighter
|
Gong
elects Leo Santos #1 of Jiu-Jitsu
5x Jiu-Jitsu champion Leo Santos is the main star of the first
issue of Gong Grapple, released in April. The new magazine of
Gong Magazine will serve to grappling audience. On the cover,
Japanese made a tribute to Nova União athlete and elected
him as the biggest lightweight fighter nowadays. He now will
prove his title at upcoming Abu-Dhabi, in May, in California.
Source:
Tatame
|
RUDIMAR
DISCUSSES PRIDE GP
Chute Boxe head trainer and manager, Rudimar Fedrigo, spoke with
Brazilian magazine 'Tatame', and discussed about his team and
their first round matchups in the upcoming PRIDE middleweight
GP. Here's what Rudimar had to say:
Rudimar
on his team's chances for the PRIDE GP: "Victories like
Acacio's and Azeredo's (in PRIDE Bushido) just get us even more
excited to train harder and perform well in the first round of
the PRIDE GP. Shogun and Vanderlei stayed in Curitiba training
to be at their best on April 23rd, so they were not in Tokyo.
I believe in an all Chute Boxe GP final."
Rudimar
on Vanderlei Silva vs. Hidehiko Yoshida: "We are sharpening
up Vanderlei's strikes to be more accurate and powerful. Vanderlei
will not change his game. He's going to go towards Yoshida and
knock him out."
Rudimar
on Mauricio 'Shogun' Rua vs. Quinton 'Rampage' Jackson: "In
the last few days, Mauricio Shogun stepped up his game and is
training even harder, so that he can do what Vanderlei has already
done twice to Rampage... He is going to knock him out! He's in
a good frame of mind and is prepared to face Jackson, both on
the feet and on the ground."
Rudimar
on possible second round opponents: "We're not worried about
that. We have two important fights against athletes we can not
look past."
Source:
Fight Sport
|
Savage
Truth: “Mayhem” — A “Rush” to Revenge
by Greg Savage
The fight I am most looking forward to come April 16 has to be
the Jason Miller-Georges St. Pierre match up. And with all the
hoopla surrounding “Mayhem” I thought it would be a
good idea to get the word straight from the horse’s mouth.
So I dialed up the platinum-toofed one and got his thoughts on
the KTFO affair, his preparation for his UFC debut as well as
some choice words about his opponent.
First
off, I had to get the inside scoop on the whole KTFO story and
“Mayhem” was more than willing to oblige. When asked
about where the situation stands with him and KTFO CEO Craig
Fields, Miller responded, “You know, I have always been
willing to let it die, I have always been willing to be the better
man and walk away but the guy leaves, you know, leaves me messages
on my voice mail cussing me out, threatening to sue me, when
he doesn’t have a leg to stand on.”
“[Fields]
did everything illegal,” alleged Miller. “He did everything
wrong, you know. He did everything, you know, he is in the wrong
in this whole situation and he just won’t be a man and own
up to it.”
Chuckling,
he added, “You know, sometimes people mess up, you know,
but I gave that guy a chance to come back to the good graces.
He didn’t. He decided to be a big baby and then, you know,
he like faked a document and put it up on the internet for everyone
to see. I mean, I don’t know what kind of drugs the guy
is doing, you know, but he is off his rocker.”
When
contacted, Fields made it clear he did not want to discuss anything
other than the events that precipitated the situation. “This
is what KTFO’s stance has been the whole entire time,”
Fields told Sherdog.com, “we got a hold of Mayhem, we offered
him $1,000 to wear the clothing into the ring, OK. You know for
his fight, OK.
“The
simple fact, this is what happened and this is what I heard.
What happened was he never called me; he never had the 'dignancy'
to call me. He, I heard from a third party on Friday night that
he was not fighting. This party directed me to a website and
it said on the website that Mayhem’s fight had been canceled
cause he was injured.
“So
at that point I called Mayhem’s answering machine and I
said, ‘Jason’ I said, ‘you know obviously you
are not fighting, you know, don’t cash the check, as a matter
of fact I am going to stop payment on it in case anything happens,
I’m not going to be held responsible for a $1,000.’
So Monday morning, came into work, I stop payment on the check,
which is what I have proof of. OK?
“Now
I get a phone call six months later, OK, saying that, uh, he’s
got some kind of problem with the check-cashing place. I called
the check-cashing place. I found out it was the check I stopped
payment on. I said that to Jason. Then he said I told him to
keep it as a signing bonus. I said ‘no I didn’t.’
And the bottom line is I never told him to keep it.”
“The
kid is trashing me on every Web site in the world. But it’s
a principle thing. It’s the principle of the fact that he
never called me; he never told me; I never told him to keep it;
and you know what, I will go to my grave, I’m not giving
that kid a dollar. And that’s the truth, if they won’t
buy my clothes because of it, so be it.”
Man,
there is a whole other story in there that I might have to tackle.
There is nothing like a little scandal to spice things up. This
is almost as good as baseball players lying their asses off,
um, I mean testifying before congress. See MMA is moving up in
the world.
Let’s
just hope we don’t move up that far in the world. Can you
imagine Tim Sylvia or Josh Barnett trying to answer questions
from a whole room full of John McCains? It would be a bloodbath
for the sport.
Back
to Miller and St. Pierre. Seeing how “Rush” put the
hurt on Miller’s training partner Jay Hieron last June at
UFC 48 — Hieron took the fight on short notice replacing
Miller, who was forced to withdraw due to legal difficulties
— I wanted to get his thoughts on that fight. “Mayhem”
seemed to be harboring a bit of a grudge against St. Pierre and
was looking to make amends for his partner.
“Let
me first say,” Miller started, “Hieron just wasn’t
ready for that man. … I feel bad because my legal trouble,
it kind of threw him, you know, in there and he wasn’t,
he hadn’t developed yet. He’s come leaps and bounds
since that time and nowadays it could be different, but he just
wasn’t ready; he was too green.”
“He
is a sick athlete,” continued Miller about Hieron, “sick
wrestler but he didn’t know how to put it all together yet.
Now, you know, it’s a new day. I am taking it personal.
You know I fight fired up anyway but man, I gotta rock St. Pierre’s
block for taking out my homie like that. It’s just another
fight and I am going to get in there man, and I am going to work
this fight and I am going to do it even prettier than I was going
to before.”
I
know Miller has been aching for this fight since I talked to
him that night last June after he watched his team get decimated.
First, it was Hieron getting knocked out by Georges St. Pierre
and then Phil Baroni losing his rematch with Evan Tanner. Miller
felt guilty because he felt it was partly his fault that both
of his friends tasted defeat — Hieron because he fought
in his stead and Baroni because he wasn’t there to help
him train.
"Mayhem"
discussed how much he wants this fight and how hard he has trained
for it. "Here is the thing about me,” Miller said,
“I got, for this particular fight I have never trained so
hard. I mean, I am to the point where my whole body hurts, I
can’t sleep at night, you know, that’s how hard I am
training and I am going to make him pay for this. I love training
this hard. I love it, but I am going to take it all out, all
the frustration, all this time I have been training this hard.
You know, I know no one has trained harder than me right now."
I
guess Miller must have heard enough about his popular opponent
because he got hot when asked about how he felt about his St.
Pierre’s possible size and strength advantage. The question
sent him on a little diatribe.
"Here
is the thing, I fight at 170 now,” he said. “Everyone
keeps talking about how big and strong this guy is. Hey, everybody,
I just look skinny, I am six-foot-one, and bro I am walking around
as heavy if not heavier than St. Pierre. Right now I weigh like
188, 187 and this is two, three weeks out. So, and this is me
shredded.
"So,
like, everyone is all butter cupping ‘cause this guy has
been to the gym a couple times and lifted some weights. But you
know, those beach muscles ain't amounting to nothing. I got pure
fighting strength, I am ready to do it. I love it … this
guy looks like the old UFC logo so all the sudden he is going
to be, you know, whatever — I don’t care about that.
I am fighting this fight for all the ugly people out there. There’s
a hell of a lot more ugly people than there are pretty boys.
"Whenever
I fight a pretty guy I just look at his face and I am like, I
can’t wait to make him as ugly as I’ve been my whole
life. You know I can’t wait. You know, and it’s a great
feeling when you drop one on a guy and then his nose is all twisted
and stuff. That’s a great feeling, you know. It’s nothing
mean but I have a lot of pain built up from my childhood. You
know what I mean?”
"Mayhem"
needed little prodding to expand on his prediction of a victorious
UFC debut, claiming he would end the bout. "As soon as I
can make it happen. Round one. Yo, if he drops his hands it’s
a wrap. If he slips up, it’s a wrap. He is done bro, as
soon as he messes up I am going to catch him. He is going to
slip and I am going to catch him. Yo, he is a technical, strong
fighter, I am taking nothing from him. It’s just, hell,
I am a f___ing good fighter, too. You know, man, I am going to
catch him. It’s not going to be his night.”
Miller
was also keen to discuss his and the UFC's future plans. I wanted
to know what he thought of the top two guys at his weight and
if he wanted to step up against either of them. "Man I am
not even thinking about those guys man,” he responded. “I
think I match up great with those guys. They are tough, knucklehead
wrestlers and I have a whole new style. My kung fu is way better.
You know what I mean? I am a ninja bro, I am a straight ninja.
I am going to come out and people are not going to know what
the hell to think. I am going to come out from the shadows and
say, ‘whaa chaa.’”
He
wasn't shy about his desire to add a UFC belt to his wardrobe
either stating, “Hell yeah I want a shot at the belt man.
I want to snatch it off whoever’s waist, you know, whoever
takes this fight coming up, of course man I want to snatch it
right off. You know, UFC, I, I think, man it’s definitely,
its one of the, it’s the best organization in the world
you know. I mean, I plan on it cementing itself here in America
where fighting is fighting. Its gonna, the more people see it,
the more the word gets out, and its already happening with the
Ultimate Fighter show and with everything like that. America
is going to be the hot spot for MMA. I mean we’re not going
to have to go to Japan to get paid. You know what I am saying?
You know, yo, we are fighting for Mexican minimum wage: two dollars
and a taco. But that’s not going to happen anymore, things
are going to go up.
I
was a little worried that "Mayhem" was looking past
a very tough Georges St. Pierre, but he assuaged those fears
with his parting comment: “I got one man on my mind right
now and he is pretty and he is Canadian.”
Source:
Sherdog
|
Georges
St-Pierre: Ready for Miller at UFC 52
by Kelsey Mowatt
Canadian welterweight and TKO champion Georges St-Pierre is preparing
with diligence for his upcoming fight against Jason Miller. The
Montreal native, who will take on Miller at the Ultimate Fighting
Championship 52, April 16, in Las Vegas, Nevada, is hoping to
secure a victory versus his opponent in order to continue his
pursuit of a rematch with UFC welterweight champion Matt Hughes.
St-Pierre
began his road back to championship contention by recently defeating
UFC veteran Dave Strasser at TKO 19. St-Pierre, now 23, wasted
no time in reasserting his presence within the welterweight ranks,
dispatching Strasser by Kimura in the first round.
“I
never expected to finish the fight in the first round,”
said the Canadian. “I always train for a three-round fight.
I guess that’s why they call me ‘Rush.’”
The
Strasser victory came on the heels of St-Pierre’s first
career loss to Matt Hughes last October at UFC 50. The young
Canadian fighter was admittedly surprised when the more experienced
Hughes won the fight by armbar with only one second remaining
in the first round.
“I
started the fight as a loser,” St-Pierre said. “I think
I gave him too much respect and mentally I wasn’t there.
When he caught me with the armbar I just froze. Honestly, I would
like to have a rematch; I will be mentally a lot stronger.”
St-Pierre
quickly reached his title shot against Hughes at UFC 50 by winning
his first two fights in the promotion against Karo Parisyan and
Jay Hieron. The fight against Hieron in particular was noticed
by the mixed martial arts world, when St-Pierre quickly stopped
the Long Island fighter in the first round with strikes.
“No
one expected me to stand with him,” he said, “no one
expected me to do it. People who know me and train with me know
that I’m a good striker. I started martial arts with striking.
I was 7 years old, I started in karate.”
St-Pierre
defeated Parisyan with a solid ground-and-pound game plan, and
has demonstrated submission skills not only against Strasser,
but fellow UFC veteran Pete Spratt as well.
“I
train very hard, with the best fighters in the country,”
he said. “I train in jiu-jitsu with Fabio Holanda, kickboxing,
wrestling, all of it. David Loiseau, Stephane Potvin, Steve Claveau,
Patrick Cote, with really good wrestlers from Eastern Europe,
great Canadian professional boxers. I can do it all.”
The
young Quebecois fighter has been training extensively for his
fight with Miller, who brings in a record of 11-3. With notable
victories over Egan
Inoue,
Denis Kang, and Ronald
Jhun, St-Pierre
realizes that it would be catastrophic to look beyond this experienced
opponent with such an impressive resume.
“I
haven’t seen him fight, but I know he has very good Muay
Thai and is very good with submissions,” said St-Pierre
of Miller. “I’ll win and hopefully before a decision.
I want to keep the fight standing, knock him out.”
St-Pierre
also offered a prediction on the Matt Hughes- Frank Trigg fight
also on the card for UFC 52. In making his prediction however,
he was quick to offer a challenge to the man he will not be betting
his money on.
“I
think it will be a really close fight, but if I had to bet, I
think I’d bet on Hughes. I’d like to fight either guy.
Frank already said that I’m a B-class fighter. Well, I’d
like to show him what a B-class fighter is!”
Source:
Sherdog
|
FEDOR
SPEAKS
Below is an interview Fedor Emelianenko recently did that appeared
on his website. Here's what Fedor had to say:
Interviewer:
Fedor, before the fight with Kohsaka, and even now, we
have heard rumors that you were afraid to fight Kohsaka. Do you
think that there is a chance to fight with him for the third
time?
Fedor:
As soon as PRIDE offered me to fight Tsuyoshi Kohsaka in Bushido
6, I agreed right away. However, I was not in a good shape. Therefore,
it is stupid to say that I was afraid of him. Of course, because
of the injury I could not show 100% of what I was trained for.
But when I am eventually in good shape, I can give him another
chance to beat me. I think the third fight between me and Kohsaka
will take place somewhere in the future.
Interviewer:
Please tell us more about the last fight.
Fedor:
As I said before, I did not like my performance because of the
injury of my finger. I could not train as hard as I usually do.
Interviewer:
Is it truth that even after an X-ray examination, the injury
of the finger was only detected on the day after the fight?
Fedor:
Yes. I am not sure why, but this is how it happened. Right after
the fight I felt some kind of discomfort in my finger, so we
went to a clinic to do an X-ray. The results came right away.
The doctor said that everything was fine, there is no injury
but told me to put on a bandage. I did that but that same night
I could not sleep because of strong pain in my finger. The following
day we went to another hospital, and after this second X-ray
we could clearly see the fracture on my finger.
Interviewer:
I know that exactly the same thing happened with your brother
Alexander. The fracture was found right after the return from
Japan?
Fedor:
Yes. Alexander did his X-ray in Russia and he has the fracture
of the same finger as I do. However, his fracture is in a different
place, closer to the hand.
Interviewer:
Why do you think that the PRIDE doctors did not give the correct
diagnosis? Are they hiding something?
Fedor:
We did not go to PRIDE's doctors for the first examination. The
doctor in the first hospital is not associated with PRIDE, and
did the examination very superficially. The next day we went
to a different hospital. PRIDE hires all the doctors from this
clinic, for fighter's examinations and to do stitches for the
injured fighters. When we did a second X-ray, the doctor saw
the fracture in my finger right away.
Interviewer:
What do you think about Alexander's last fight and his current
position in PRIDE?
Fedor:
I think he is one of the top 5 heavyweight fighters in the world.
You all will see it soon. You can actually see how he has developed
as a fighter. The last fight he did what he was trained for.
Alexander's opponent could not do any damage to him. In fact,
Morais did not land even one punch on Alexander.
Interviewer:
Do you know who is going to be Alexander's next opponent?
Fedor:
No, we do not know yet. Everything depends on his recovery. For
now, we can not talk about any future fights. I think the next
time he will be able to step into the ring will be in August.
Interviewer:
How did the president of PRIDE, Sakakibara, speak of your fight
and Alexander's fight?
Fedor:
Sakakibara was very satisfied with Alexander's fight. My fight
with Kohsaka he liked, but he was not pleased with my injury
because now the fight with Cro Cop, which was originally set
up for June, might be cancelled. But it will definitely take
place in August at the latest.
Interviewer:
Yes, your future fight with Mirko is a very popular subject on
all the top MMA forums.
Fedor:
The only thing I can say now is that I am fighting Mirko next
for sure. However, I do not know when it will take place. My
injury is not giving me a chance to train very efficiently. Everything
depends on how fast my doctors will give me a green light to
use my hand without fear that it will be damaged again.
Interviewer:
Fedor, in one of the last interviews, Antonio Nogueira said that
you are not as great a wrestler as you were before. And now after
his hard training on the ground, Nogueira said he knows how to
defeat you in the next fight against you. What do you think about
that?
Fedor:
I think that this interview is just an excuse. No one prevented
him from training for the final fight against me. He could have
been a titleholder of two belts... it was a good motivation I
think. No one prevented Mirko from training harder for GP 2004
so he could meet me there. He lost to Randleman and lost his
chance to fight against me in last year in Finals. He was too
confident and didn't put much thought in his fight against Kevin
and got caught. No one prevented them from training harder for
these fights so they could meet me. It is laughable if they are
saying they could beat me easily now.
Interviewer:
And the last question. What are your plans for the future?
Fedor:
I will be preparing for the title fight against Mirko, so I can
be 100% ready for him. We are planning to visit Kislovodsk twice,
and train there. Also, we will be guests in Holland to Iogan
Bosa.
Source: Fight Sport
|
Nino
is Back
report from Gracie Mag:
Nino
"Elvis" Schembri is back in Pride. The Chute- boxe
Black belt was confirmed today by DSE and on the 14th of May
will face Ryo Chonan in Bushido 7.
In
his encounter against Chonan, Nino, who is coming off of a decision
loss to Sakuraba, will have the opportunity to avenge fellow
Brazilians, Anderson Silva and Roan Jucão who were both
defeated by the Japanese known as the "Piranha" in
his last 2 appearances
Source:
Gracie Fighter
|
COFFEE
GUY EXCLUSIVE:
WIUFF CLEARED TO FIGHT IN UFC 52
By Coffee Guy
The following exclusive report was sent to us by our Zuffa informant
called 'Coffee Guy':
"Travis
Wiuff passed his second medical, and has been cleared to fight
on the UFC 52 card."
Source: Fight Sport
|
Dispelling
the Myths
by Marco Antico
As
an avid follower of the sport, I believe there are some common
myths and misunderstandings in the MMA community that are worth
discussing. If nothing more, these points serve as food for thought.
The
UFC and PRIDE FC do not compete
The
UFC and PRIDE FC operate in different markets. Neither organization
influences the pay-per-view sales of the other. They operate
autonomously from one another. Neither organization has ever
stolen a fighter from the other.
All
the fighters that have crossed over have done so because one
party wasn’t interested in renewing their contract. Per
the internet message board, it appears as if every UFC star is
considering going to Japan and that DSE President, Mr. Sakikabara,
is thinking of poaching every UFC superstar. However, the fact
is that has never happened. The UFC and PRIDE FC appear to have
made a conscientious effort not to compete for talent and thus
drive up salary costs.
K-1
and PRIDE FC are fierce competitors. Zuffa Inc. currently doesn’t
have anyone who threatens their livelihood. However, as MMA continues
to grow, it is only a matter of time before another major organization
enters the North American market place.
The
philosophy of PRIDE FC judging is “WHO ALMOST WON”
From
the PRIDE FC website:
…
A decision is made according to the following: the effort made
to finish the fight via KO or submission, damage given to the
opponent, standing combinations & ground control, aggressiveness
and weight (in the case that the weight difference is 10kg/22lbs
or more). The above criteria are listed according to priority.
The fight is scored in its entirety and not round by round..
PRIDE
FC scores the fight in order of priority. Therefore, if one fighter
clearly made more of an effort to finish the fight they will
be declared the victor. The other categories become inconsequential!
Perhaps you think I am oversimplifying the equation. If it so
pleases the court, I would like to enter Exhibits A through D
into evidence:
A:
Mark Hunt over Wanderlei Silva (Hunt almost knocked Silva out)
B: Antonio Nogueira over Ricco Rodriguez (Nogueira nearly submitted
Rodriguez)
C: Ryan Gracie over Ikuhisa Minowa (Gracie nearly choked out
Minowa)
D: Daiju Takase over Carlos Newton (Takase nearly submitted Newton)
All
of the above decisions can only be explained by awarding the
decision to the person who came closest to ending the fight (ie.
“who almost won”). In PRIDE FC, if you manage to nearly
knock out your opponent (Hunt vs. Silva) or nearly submit your
opponent (Rodriguez vs. Nogueira) you may lie on your back for
the rest of the fight so long as you never look in danger of
being stopped. Whether that is a good philosophy to score a fight
or not is open to debate.
We
should also take note as to what things are not mentioned in
the judging criteria above. There is no mention of there being
more importance placed on activity in the later rounds as opposed
to the early rounds. PRIDE FC broadcasters have been guilty of
propagating this misconception over the years. The rules have
evolved over time. Perhaps there was such a rule at one point
in time. However, this rule certainly does not exist right now
as attested by Matt Hume, a judge for PRIDE FC, in his broadcasting
comments at a previous Bushido event. The fight is scored in
its entirety. Damaging strikes are worth the same in the first
minute of the fight as it would be worth had it occurred in the
last few seconds.
Weight
is mentioned in the rules above as the last thing in the list
of priorities. However, at PRIDE Shockwave 2004 both Matt Hume
and Monte Cox asserted that this rule had been removed. Hume
was a judge for the event and told reporters that there was nothing
about weight on the judges’ score card. Cox told MMARadio
that he attended the rules meeting and that the only issue concerning
weight differences was whether the lighter fighter would allow
their opponent to use knees on the ground (four point attacks).
The
philosophy of UFC judging is “WHO LOOKED BETTER”
Jiu-jitsu
(specifically, submission attempts) is not highly valued in the
UFC.
Wrestling (specifically, takedowns and top position) is highly
valued in the UFC. This is a fundamental philosophical difference
between North American and Japanese judging. UFC judges look
at the fight more superficially. They generally believe that
the man on top is doing better than the man on the bottom.
Brazilian
fighters have lost an uncanny number of close decisions in the
UFC for this exact reason.
Pedro
Rizzo versus Randy Couture I
Vitor Belfort versus Tito Ortiz
Murilo Bustamente versus Chuck Liddell
Hermes Franca versus Josh Thomson
Hermes Franca versus Yves Edwards
Renato Verissimo versus Matt Hughes
In
fact, it’s difficult to think of a Brazilian fighter that
has ever won a close decision! Does this mean that the judges
are being explicitly told to screw over all fighters from Brazil?
I think not. These decisions were mostly influenced by the perceived
importance assigned to take downs and maintaining top position.
A
fighter’s worth isn’t always defined by wins and losses
Society
places unrealistic expectations on fighters. People want to think
of fighters as indestructible superheroes. Perhaps we’ve
seen one too many movies where the good guys always win. Perhaps
we’ve been brainwashed as children into believing Lex Luther
could never defeat Superman. But these fighters are playing pretend,
sometimes real life heroes lose.
Everyone
seems to agree with this statement, but very few fans actually
practice it. Chuck Liddell automatically became a second rate
fighter in everyone’s mind after losing to Randy Couture
and Quinton Jackson. Evan Tanner was a bum after losing to Tito
Ortiz and Rich Franklin. Rich Franklin was no longer a threat
to the UFC Light Heavyweights after losing to a relative unknown
in Japan. Tito Ortiz became washed up after losing back to back.
Matt
Hughes once said “you’re only undefeated until someone
beats you”. Some famous dead guy once said, “to error
is only human but to forgive is divine”. It may sound odd
to say that we as fans need to forgive our favorite fighters,
but that is exactly what we need to do. The term “bandwagon
fan” is meant to describe those individuals that only cheer
for the winners. We are all guilty of this offense, just in varying
degrees.
The
UFC never protected Tito Ortiz
The
UFC always gave Ortiz the toughest available opponent.
UFC
13 – Tito enters into the UFC tournament as an alternate.
There is no need to critique the choice of opponents here as
they were not predetermined.
UFC
18 - Jerry Bohlander was 9 -2 as a professional fighter and trained
with perhaps the best MMA team at the time, the Lion’s Den.
This was only Tito’s third professional fight.
UFC
19 - Guy Mezger was 20 – 6 as a professional fighter, also
trained with the Lion’s Den and had already defeated Ortiz.
UFC
22 - Frank Shamrock was considered by most to be the best MMA
fighter in the world and perhaps of all time.
UFC
25 - Wanderlei Silva. Some people think that Silva wasn’t
a very good fighter back in these days and somehow developed
all of his abilities in the last 4 years. That’s an absurd
assumption.
UFC
29 - Yuki Kondo, a Pancrase legend, had fought and defeated the
who’s who of MMA.
UFC
30 – Evan Tanner, he was 21-1 and had been destroying all
of his UFC competition.
UFC
32 – Elvis Sinosic earned the designation of number one
contender after defeating Jeremy Horn.
UFC
33 – Vladimir Matyushenko was a last minute replacement
after Vitor Belfort withdrew due to injury.
UFC
40 – Ken Shamrock. The UFC gave the fans what they wanted
to see. At the time, people were split between who they thought
would win this fight. No one anticipated the dominating performance
Tito would put forth.
UFC
44 – Randy Couture is considered to be one of the greatest
fighters of all time.
UFC
47 – Chuck Liddell is one of the best light heavyweights
in the world and a tough style match-up for Tito.
UFC
50 – Patrick Cote was a last minute replacement after Guy
Mezger pulled out. The UFC first offered this fight to Tre Telligman
and Vitor Belfort but both fighters turned the fight down.
UFC
51 – Vitor Belfort has only ever lost to top competition.
The
statements of “Tito had it easy” or “the UFC protected
Tito” or “Tito’s scared” are debunked when
you look back on Tito’s career.
The
outcome would most likely not be any different in a rematch
No
matter what excuses the fighters come up with or what has happened
since they last met, the best indicator of what could happen
in a rematch is what actually happened in the past. Everything
else is just speculation.
Many
fans believe that Wanderlei Silva would destroy Tito Ortiz in
a rematch. Has Silva improved? Yes, most definitely. Would Ortiz
be able to hold him down for 25 minutes in a rematch? No, probably
not. Would Silva crush Ortiz in a rematch?
There’s just no evidence to support this.
Bandwagon
fans are the ones that feel most adamant that Silva would destroy
Ortiz in a rematch. Tito’s glory years are over and Silva’s
are at hand. But, these fighters compete in different organization,
against different opponents and with different rules. Styles
make fights in MMA. Wrestlers have proven capable of neutralizing
strikers. Ortiz may be the underdog in a rematch but he still
does have a very good chance.
Being
religious is not a bad thing
Just
because you are a religious person it does not mean you aren’t
going to perform to the best of your abilities. People were all
over Vitor Belfort for saying “I hope neither me nor Tito
get hurt” in an interview before UFC 51. Did Belfort ever
look like he was trying not to hurt Ortiz in that fight?
Much
has been made about Quinton “Rampage” Jackson being
a born again Christian. People wonder if he’s lost his aggressiveness
and killer instinct. He freely expresses that he does not want
to see his opponent or himself get seriously hurt. People automatically
interpret that as a sign of weakness. Jackson adamantly denies
the accusation that his new found faith has impacted his fighting
style and reiterates that he is a professional who will continue
to do his job as best he can.
Conclusion
The
fight game is unlike any other sport in that it has an enormous
amount of wild cards. Judging decisions are always going to be
susceptible to human error. The best fighter in the world can
be knocked out by one good punch landing square on their jaw.
Incidental cuts sometime happen which may influence the outcome
of a fight. Frank Trigg defeating Dennis Hallman twice and Matt
Hughes losing to Dennis Hallman twice does not mean Frank Trigg
can defeat Matt Hughes.
The
uncertainties and unpredictability are part of what makes MMA
so exciting. Yet, it’s also what makes the sport frustrating
at times (ie. bad decisions, cut stoppages, anti-climatic main
events). All this uncertainty brings speculation of why things
are the way they are. Statements such as “PRIDE FC is going
to conquer the USA market”, “Ricco Rodriguez got screwed”,
and “Rampage is not the same fighter he used to be”
will continue to be debated until the end of time.
The
ideas I express in this article may differ from your assumptions
of why things are the way they are. It’s not necessarily
important whose ideas are most correct. Rather, it’s the
reasoning and insightfulness behind these types of discussions
that adds value to our sport. A delicious seven course meal doesn’t
appear out of thin air. It’s the result of all the necessary
ingredients. It’s the fruits of a shared group’s labor.
They often say that food tastes best when you’ve cooked
it yourself. We are the grass-root fans of MMA. It will be the
fruits of our labor that mainstream America sees when this sport
reaches the masses.
Source:
Marco Antonio
|
Quote
of the Day
"I cannot think of any need in childhood as strong as the
need for a father's protection."
Sigmund Freud 1856-1939, Austrian Physician - Founder of Psychoanalysis
|
John
"The Bull" Marsh Seminar
May 7th and 8th
Gracie Kailua
25 Kaneohe Bay Drive (inside Aikahi Shopping Center)
Kailua, HI 96734
Times: 12:00 pm to 2:00 pm
Cost: $50 in advance, $60 at the door
Contact: Jason Izaguirre 254-4900 or Daynin Dashefsky 295-3792
|
UFC
52 FIGHTER PROFILE:
MATT HUGHES
What
can be said about Matt Hughes that hasn’t been said a thousand
times before? Well, not much. But since he’s stepping into
the Octagon at UFC 52 to defend his welterweight strap against
Frank Trigg, we’re going to at least break down the fight.
Like
the Randy Couture and Chuck Liddell main event, Hughes versus
Trigg is a rematch. The two battled it out a year and a half
ago at UFC 45, Trigg’s first fight under the UFC banner.
In that fight, Trigg was actually doing quite well against Hughes
until he made one simple mistake that Hughes took full advantage
of, submitting Trigg with a rear naked choke.
That
was the fifth straight defense of Hughes’ welterweight title
reign. It was also the last in the streak as he dropped the belt
in his very next trip to the Octagon against BJ Penn, who had
moved up in weight to surprise Hughes.
After
taking the title, Penn left the UFC and was subsequently stripped
of the belt. Since then, Hughes has returned to hammer out a
three-round decision victory over Penn’s teammate Charuto
Verissimo before continuing to display his ever improving submission
skills by arm barring Georges St. Pierre to gain back the welterweight
championship.
That
leads us back around to the rematch with Trigg. So what’s
any different this time from the first? Plenty. We already talked
about the adversity and struggle to regain the title that Hughes
went through. And Trigg has since been through some battles of
his own. He blasted Dennis Hallman, a fighter that has defeated
Hughes twice, and he emerged with a TKO victory after a war with
Verissimo.
Known
for his tremendous wrestling ability, strength, and ground and
pound attack, Hughes still possesses all of these traits, but
has expanded on them. It’s quite obvious that his training
with Jeremy Horn has begun to pay off. His submission skills
have started to appear more and more. Aside from the choking
of Trigg in their first bout, maybe the more impressive submission
was the arm bar that he applied in the waning seconds of the
first round on Georges St. Pierre, a fairly adept jiujitsu practitioner
in his own right.
Although
his stand up game has gotten better over the years, Hughes still
hasn’t shown it too much in his recent bouts. He’s
obviously an extremely proficient striker when he has his opponent
on their back, but hasn’t recently taken anyone out on the
feet.
Like
Hughes, Trigg is also known for his wrestling skill and knows
how to pound an opponent out on the ground, but he doesn’t
appear to have the strength of Hughes or the submission skill.
What he does possess that Hughes doesn’t is a superior striking
game. Trigg excels at doing damage with his hands and knees,
in part because of his skill, but also because of his aggressive
nature in the ring. There’s something to be said for a fighter
that comes out, not only with the desire to win, but the yearning
to take someone’s head off.
The
big question here is, who will take the fight where they want
it to go? Hughes needs to take Trigg down, smother him, and do
damage with his ground and pound assault. Trigg is good at defending
submissions and won’t likely get caught again, but Hughes’
strikes on the ground are second to none.
Trigg
needs to fend off Hughes’ takedown attempts and keep this
fight on the feet. He is better at the striking game and can
use his mobility to negate Hughes’ strength advantage. Hughes
is a tough fighter that will be difficult to knockout, but Trigg
can use his skills to wear him down and slow his shot.
Who
wins? This one is too close to call. If it goes to the mat, I
expect Hughes to win. If more time is spent standing than down,
Trigg should be able to take the belt.
Source:
MMA Weekly
|
FIGHTER
DIARY: FRANK TRIGG
3 DAYS UNTIL
WEIGH-IN
UFC
Fighter Frank Trigg fights for the Welterweight Title Saturday
Night. He also logs a daily diary for us right here at MMAWeekly.com
Alright.
We are a day closer, thank god, to my title fight Saturday night.
I sleep in until 7am today and there isn't a whole lot that has
changed from yesterday's routine other than today is a travel
day. More on that coming up....
After
eating a light breakfast of eggs with chicken and cheese. I drink
some water with my Life Force... (did I mention Ryan Parsons,
who hooked me up?...and yes still send me more).
After
seeing some nasty porn on my email, that I guess you guys felt
obliged to send me after reading yesterday's story, (by the way
quit sending me midgit porn...there's is nothing HOT about that)
I get ready for the radio show at www.mmaweeklyradio.com
I
will get to roll around at 10:30 this morning, as I teach my
submission wrestling class which goes until noon. I step on the
scale and right now I'm at 183. That's about what I expected
three days before weigh-in's.
At
Noon I jump in the sauna, which is basically a Japanese bathhouse.
For those who don't know what that is, it's basically a full
wet room where you can sit down, relax...take a shower, etc.
They have a huge hot tub where I can go back and forth between
there and the steam room and just relax.
This
is where I mentally focus, get nice and loose, and visual train
for the fight. After that it's time to roll home and get ready
to travel.
2pm-
I pack all my stuff as I get set to head to Las Vegas. This is
always a pain in the ass as I have to pack my gear, my clothes,
my vitamins, blah, blah, blah. I need a maid damn it.
My
flight is at 5:30 from LAX to Las Vegas. It's a quick flight,
basically an hour. They always put me next to some fat woman
who weighs 320 lbs. and smells bad. I think the UFC does this
on purpose. It's a quick flight, so I will bring nose plugs.
I
land in Sin City at 7:30pm. I will get checked in and get ready
for the rat race and on-slaught of media interviews. The UFC
is very organized as we get a packet with all of our interview
requests, what times the radio and TV calls you etc.... All promotions
need to take note. Be organized like the UFC and your events
will run smoother.
Once
I get checked into my room, Rico will have a night workout with
me. This morning I weighed in at 183. That means tonight I need
to get to 178.
Man,
I feel good this week. I look forward to the battle ahead this
weekend. Everyone says Matt Hughes is in the best shape of his
life. Good. He better be. No excuses period this weekend. It's
going to be a hell of a fight.
MEDIA
DAY
UFC
Fighter Frank Trigg fights for the Welterweight Title Saturday
Night. He also logs a daily diary for us right here at MMAWeekly.com
Alright
people it's o.k. Don't worry. I did make it to Las Vegas last
night. I made it to Sin City and this morning it's basically
media day. I have plenty of radio interviews scheduled through
out the day. I start after I do the radio show with Bennett at
www.mmaweeklyradio.com at 9am, you know the drill by now.
After
the MMAWeekly Radio show, it's off to many other shows like KOMP
radio in Las Vegas as I hang out with my friend Carlota. After
an hour there, I'm off to do a video shoot with the UFC. The
"video shoot" is where they have us in our gear looking
tough and starring at the camera. We will also cut the interviews
as well. This is what they use during the pay per view.
After
the promos I'm back doing more interviews. I have an interview
scheduled with WTKS in Orlando, Florida at 4:45 eastern.
It's
funny to walk around here and see the different fighters. A lot
of the guys just walk around and look angry. The fight isn't
for a few more days. I don't even want to think about the fight
this far out. If you do, then you burn a ton of wasted energy
that your going to need on Saturday.
I've
already put in my training at this point. If your worried about
your cardio this late in the game, then it's already too late.
I
have an evening workout scheduled tonight at 7pm. Right now I'm
178 which is even better than I thought. I thought I would be
around 180, so it's going to be very easy to cut weight. I don't
start to cut weight usually until Thursday, but this week will
be easy.
I
usually spend 45 minutes working out and 45 minutes cutting weight.
I will go downstairs and get another good workout in before I
call it a night.
I
will get some sleep tonight and call it an evening. I'm really
looking forward to this fight and know my training has been great.
I'm ready people, hope your ready to watch it on pay per view.
Of
course I got to thank my sponsors because without them, I would
be living on the street or worse, at Bennett's house....
MMAWeekly.com
- You know the drill. Check out the radio show everyday. If you
don't you are a dumb ass. MMAWeeklyRadio.com LIVE at 9am Pacific/Noon
EST.
betoddessa.com
- Joey you and I both know you are the man, bet oddessa has the
best odds on the net and to the public, quit betting on me damn
it. I want better odds! Betoddessa.com rules.
Headblade
- Look, if my boy Todd can make Dana White look good with a bald
head, then even you can look good. God bless Headblade.
Total
Health Nutrition - This is the only online suppliment place you
need. The cool part about it, is if your in Las Vegas then you
can go to their store in Sin City and get buff. Quit being fat
and get your ass into shape. Take suppliments and pimp.
ESPNRadio
in Las Vegas - What up to the Wise Guys. You guys are cool as
hell and we will party after the fight. That's the only sports
radio show that I listen to in Vegas.
Jimmy's
Charhouse - If you are in Chicago and you haven't been there,
you have problems. Angelo and the boys will take care of you.
All the best to you guys!
Source:
MMA Weekly |
CONTROVERSY
CONTINUES TO SURROUND SHAMROCK VS. FRANKLIN MATCHUP
A
video clip showing Ken Shamrock suspiciously flopping to the
ground in his fight against Rich Franklin.
The
following commentary was sent in by the MMA insider known as
'Whaledog':
Before
reading any further, please read our disclaimer first.
"Here's
something interesting . . . they started the Shamrock fight with
less than 15 minutes left in the broadacst. If that fight went
the distance, the T.V. would not have seen the end of the 3rd
round or the decision."
SHAMROCK
VS. FRANKLIN REVIEW
A
video clip showing Ken Shamrock suspiciously flopping to the
ground in his fight against Rich Franklin.
The
following review of the Ken Shamrock vs. Rich Franklin matchup
was sent in by the MMA insider known as 'The Real Big Pun':
Before
reading any further, please read our disclaimer first.
"To
begin the fight, Franklin came out and threw a headkick that
Ken easily blocked. Ken often closed the distance and forced
Franklin against the fence standing by cutting off the cage,
but never shot in or came forward punching. Franklin lowered
his head after jumping in behind punches and Ken held back from
throwing a right hand.
Then
the work took a turn for the obvious when Ken seemingly jumped
in the air and fell backwards before he was supposed to, as Franklin
hit him as he was going down instead of right beforehand.
Franklin
then followed Ken down but ended up going for an omaplata from
his guard, which Ken struggled to defend against in dramatic
fashion. But in true pro wrestling style, he eventually got out
of it and went for a submission of his own.
Ken
dropped back for a heelhook. Franklin stood up and fell right
into it. Ken had it set perfectly in a two legs on one situation,
but did not put as much pressure as he could, clearly holding
off. Ken then allowed Franklin to escape, who then threw another
Jet Li style headkick that Ken also easily blocked.
Ken
followed Ace Ventura around the cage standing, but did not attack
with a wrestling shoot or come forward with punches of his own.
Ken would counter punch, but only after Franklin was too far
out of range after jumping in and out. Ken then attempted a dramatic
headkick of his own, slipping and falling.
Franklin
immediately followed Ken down and began flailing away with wild
arm punches, mostly missing or hitting Ken's arms. Ken laid on
his back while covered up and waited for BJM to rush in and prematurely
stop the fight, as usual for BJM. After BJM stopped it, Ken stood
up quickly and very coherently, laughing it up and hugging Franklin.
All
in all, this fight gave off the same feeling as the Hume and
Shamrock war in Pancrase years ago. Ken Shamrock learned the
art of realistically working fights in Japan, where stiff works
can fool most American fans. It seems that Ken was either paid
a large amount of money by Zuffa to throw the nationally televised
fight after Franklin's 8 fight deal had been signed, or Ken bet
a lot of money against himself.
Either
way, there were far too many headkicks, almost submissions and
incredible escapes, and slips in such a short amount of time
for it to be a legit fight. I would not be completely convinced
it was fake had Franklin not waited too long to punch as Ken
fell backwards in the air, but that clearly proved it was a work."
Source: Fight Sport
|
Pancrase:
'2005 Spiral Tour'
April 10th, 2005
Umeda Stella Hall
Osaka, Japan
Yoshiro
Maeda defeats Takumi Murata by armbar at 4:16, RD 1.
Koji Oishi defeats Daisuke Hanazawa13 by TKO at 0:31, RD 3.
Kenji Takeshige defeats Yuji Miyazaki by TKO at 1:53, RD 1.
Naoji Fujimoto defeats Kenji Shimada by unanimous decision.
Masato Nishiguchi defeats Moriyuki Yamada by rear naked choke
at 1:38, RD 2.
Source: Fight Sport
|
THE
JAKE R. REPORT: JUNE UFC PLANNED FOR ATLANTIC CITY
By Jake R
Before
reading any further, please read our disclaimer first.
In
yet another scoop for Fightsport.com and the Jake R Report, sources
in Iowa have informed this cyber-reporter that as it currently
stands, Zuffa plans on returning to Atlantic City on June 4th.
As
usual, stick to reading the Jake R Report and the scoops that
are days, weeks, and even months ahead of the other MMA News
sites.
*Jake
R exclusive: Must Credit Fightsport.com and the Jake R Report
when discussing this article.
Source: Fight Sport
|
Quote
of the Day
"I cannot think of any need in childhood as strong as the
need for a father's protection."
Sigmund Freud 1856-1939, Austrian Physician - Founder of Psychoanalysis
|
SuperBrawl
Thanks!
We would like thank all who supported Falaniko and Super Brawl
this weekend. This event could not have happened without all
of your collective help amd interest. I hope you were all able
to attend the event and share in Niko's special victory. It surely
was the greatest moment in Super Brawl's nine year history. We
could not be more happy nor more proud of our dynamic and humble
champion!
If you happened to miss "Super Brawl 39: Destiny" we
will make it available via Oceanic pay-per-view (PPV) or video-on-demand
(VOD) in the coming days. We are already busy editing the event
video and creating the promo for the TV broadcast. Stay tuned
for more info...
Again, mahalo for all of your support!
Patrick Freitas
Super Brawl Director of Promotions
|
USA
TODAY DOES TUF ARTICLE IN MONEY SECTION
Battles
yield winning 'Fighter'
By Michael McCarthy, USA TODAY
NEW
YORK — During Saturday night's live finale of Spike TV's
reality hit, The Ultimate Fighter, entrepreneur Dana White had
a decision to make.
Dana
White says his show is 'what the new generation is watching.'
By Steve Marcus for USA TODAY
The
two young light-heavyweights competing for a six-figure contract,
Forrest Griffin and Stephan Bonnar, had just brought celebrity
fans such as Busta Rhymes and Kevin James roaring to their feet
with a bloody, evenly matched slugfest. (Related video: Clips
from 'The Ultimate Fighter')
This
was the first time White's mixed martial arts operation had aired
live on basic cable TV. Should the president and co-owner of
the Ultimate Fighting Championship hand out one contract?
"There
is no loser in this fight," White told more than 2 million
viewers on Viacom's network for young guys as he handed both
fighters deals. White is a former amateur boxer turned Las Vegas
entrepreneur behind the improbable comeback of "ultimate
fighting," which pits boxers, wrestlers, karate and jiu-jitsu
artists in often-brutal matches inside a caged, eight-sided ring
known as the "Octagon."
Attacking
the then-out-of-control sport as "barbaric" and "human
cockfighting," critics such as Sen. John McCain, R-Ariz.,
virtually drove UFC events off pay TV in the 1990s. The league
was on the mat. But White, after joining with partners to take
it over in 2001, cleaned it up and brought it back from the dead
in just four years.
Now,
at a time when federal decency hawks are on the warpath for sexual
or violent programming, White has managed to make his first-season
reality show of extreme fighting and scantily clad "Ring
Girls" into must-see cable TV for an army of young men.
Despite
an 11:05 p.m. ET/PT Monday slot on Spike TV, the average audience
grew 19% to 1.98 million through the first 12 weeks of the 13-week
show, according to Nielsen Media Research. The elusive, advertiser-coveted
audience of men ages 18 to 34 is up 55% since the Jan. 17 opening.
Viewers are 73% male, with an average age of 30. Advertisers
include Miller, Nintendo and the U.S. Army.
White
now is negotiating with Spike for second and third seasons. He
also has signed a deal with News Corp.'s Fox Sports Net to replay
taped UFC fights four times a year. Revenue for the league's
flagship pay-per-view live events in the USA and 36 countries
is up twentyfold in four years.
White's
long-term goal: supplant boxing as America's martial art. "Boxing
has become your father's sport," he says in an interview
from his Las Vegas headquarters. "We're what the new generation
is watching. We're the most extreme of extreme sports."
At
age 34, with a shaved head and fighter's build, White still likes
to mix it up in the gym. As a kid, he never missed USA Network's
Tuesday Night Fights boxing. Now, he hopes to launch a live weekly
UFC fight show on prime-time cable.
"We've
proven we can draw a number at 11:05 p.m. on Monday nights,"
White says. "I guarantee you Spike is thinking, 'What would
these guys draw at 9 p.m.?' "
Critics
worry about influence on kids
Sure
to oppose that are plenty of critics who still see ultimate fighting
as modern-day gladiatorial combat.
Sports
consultant David Carter calls it "train wreck TV,"
where viewers tune in for carnage.
Phil
Mushnick, a sports columnist for the New York Post, accuses Spike
executives of peddling violent, anti-social fare they'd never
show their kids. "Ultimate fighting sells kids on violence.
Does anyone think we need more violence?" he asks. "A
show like this would not have been on TV in the past because
it was inappropriate. Now, it's on TV because it's inappropriate."
White
is quick to point out that, unlike boxing's record, no UFC fighters
have died or suffered a serious injury in its 12-year history.
"Guys
are going to break bones or noses. A serious injury to me is
a guy who can't walk, has brain damage or who is Million Dollar
Baby-ed," he says, referring to Hillary Swank's paralyzed
boxer in Clint Eastwood's Oscar-winning film.
Born
in Manchester, Conn., White is a fierce Boston Red Sox fan. During
an often troubled youth, he bounced back and forth between Las
Vegas and Maine. He tried college for two years in Boston but
didn't finish. He got himself on track there, however, by launching
a boxing program for inner-city kids. Back in Las Vegas, he founded
the sports management firm Dana White Enterprises in 1992 and
still owns three boxing gyms.
As
a manager and trainer for pro boxers and UFC fighters such as
Chuck Liddell, White often found himself negotiating with the
freewheeling original owners of UFC, which they founded in 1993.
When they were ready to sell, White enlisted friends and Las
Vegas-based Station Casinos executives Lorenzo and Frank Fertitta
III to buy UFC in January 2001. They would not disclose the price
for the league, which now is privately held by Zuffa (Italian
for a "scrap"). White owns 10%; the Fertittas hold
the rest.
Building
a better brand
As
the league's president, White wears a lot of hats. He directs
all operations, including broadcast production, fight cards and
financial and legal affairs. He stresses the importance of building
the UFC brand every day, drawing a contrast with boxing, which
he says gets attention only when the biggest names step in the
ring. His UFC "Ultimate Knockout" DVDs and tapes rank
among top-selling sports videos at such retailers as Wal-Mart.
He's pushing UFC-themed video games, CDs, T-shirts and hats.
He's even producing a UFC-themed movie by John Herzfeld, director
of Don King: Only In America. Playing the Donald Trump role on
his Spike reality show has made White a local Las Vegas celebrity.
But his soft-spoken and thoughtful TV persona comes off in person
brassier and more like the aggressive promoter he is.
During
talks with Viacom executives, he has been known to stand up and
loom over his opponent like a fighter itching for the bell to
ring. "Dana is a showman. He knows how to make a point,"
says Kevin Kay, Spike TV's executive vice president of programming.
Besides
looking at renewing Ultimate Fighter, Spike is mining White's
library of 600 fights for taped specials and is considering live
events. "We think we're on to the next big emerging sport,"
Kay says.
The
UFC was conceived as a one-shot, pay-per-view event in 1993,
which set the tone for the future when a fighter was kicked so
hard that teeth flew out of the ring. It was a hit.
The
owners touted the bare-knuckle fights as death sport: virtually
no rules, no judges, no time limits. Its slogan: "Two men
enter the Octagon, one man leaves."
As
criticism mounted, U.S. cable operators stopped airing UFC pay-per-view
events in 1997. By the time White took over in January 2001,
it was reduced to an underground fight club on satellite TV.
White's
first move was a road show for U.S. cable operators pledging
changes. He sold them, and his new and improved UFC returned
to pay-per-view cable that September. The company has since regained
its license for live events in five states: Nevada, New Jersey,
Florida, Massachusetts and Louisiana.
White
believes the failure of the original UFC was "99%"
due to bad marketing rather than mayhem. If the original UFC
ran from regulators, the new UFC runs "toward regulating,"
he says.
Rules
aim to make a sport out of chaos
White's
reorganized UFC is more like boxing than the blood sport of a
decade ago. He has weight classes, five-minute rounds and time
limits. Judges use 10-point scoring. Fighters wear gloves and
mouthpieces. And yes, there's mandatory drug and steroid testing.
White
has instituted rules to moderate the made-for-TV brutality: no
attacks to the groin, spine or throat; no head butting, biting,
eye-gouging or hair pulling; and no kicking a foe when he's down.
"When
(UFC) first started, we could not sanction it because it was
no holds barred, anything goes," says Marc Ratner, executive
director of the Nevada Athletic Commission. "Now, it's a
real sport. And we're delighted to have it here."
The
purses are still small compared with big-time boxing: Light-heavyweight
champ Randy Couture, 42, earned $225,00 for winning a title fight
last fall.
But
"UFC 52" on April 16, pitting Ultimate Fighter coaches
Couture and Liddell at the MGM Grand, is on track to be UFC's
biggest, with a live gate expected to hit $3 million, vs. $225,000
for White's first event in 2001. The top ticket has doubled to
$400.
Whether
the UFC is the sport of the future, as White believes, or the
end of civilization as we know it, as critics warn, White is
not surprised by its recent success: "When we first bought
this company, nobody thought it would get back on pay per view.
It did. Nobody thought we would get sanctioned by every athletic
commission in the country you'd want to go to. It did. Nobody
ever thought it would get on free TV. It is."
Source: MMA Weekly/USA Today
|
THREE
UFC CONTRACTS HANDED OUT: ARE ALL THREE READY TO CHALLENGE THE
UFC VETS?
by Ryan Bennett
I
remember before the Ultimate Fighter started that my pick was
Forrest Griffin and Chris Leben to be awarded the UFC contracts.
I didn't know who Diego Sanchez was, and had no clue that Stephan
Bonner was a legit bad ass. Even during the course of the show,
I didn't expect Bonner to be there in the end.
But
here they were, on free TV on the Spike Network and all three
came to fight, and we all know how good the fights were. The
one question I get more than any other. Can these guys compete
with the rest of the UFC roster? Depends on the fight, but if
you go by the Forrest Griffin factor, the answer is yes.
What
is the Forrest Griffin factor? I don't know, I just made it up,
but here's the equation going into the FGF. If you look at the
competition that Griffin has faced, then you could reason that
Bonner and Griffin have a shot at becoming solid UFC fighters.
Griffin
is 11-2 in his fight career. He has wins over Ebenezer Fontes
Braga in Braga's backyard in Brazil, UFC veterans’ Jeff
Monson and Travis Fulton; not to mention, a solid win over Team
Quest fighter Chael Sonnen. The biggest measuring stick was against
Jeremy Horn, a guy who in many peoples eyes is the number fighter
at 185.
If
Griffin can go with Horn, there is no doubt in my mind he can
compete at a world class level. Does he need to drop to 185?
Probably, but I personally don't know if he can make that weight.
Bonner went toe to toe with Griffin and he has everyone's respect.
The
best way to see what both guys have is for them to face a good
solid veteran. I'm not asking the UFC to throw them under a bus
against Vitor Belfort or Chuck Liddell, but Vernon "Tiger"
White would be a solid test to see what these guys have against
a true veteran, then we could go from there.
Diego
Sanchez is a very interesting prospect. He dominated the smaller
fighters on the show and impressed everyone. Sanchez at 170 could
be very good. I was just looking at the Top 10 on our MMAWeekly
Fighters and Broadcasters Poll and I don't think Sanchez could
beat anybody in the Top 10 as of today. The bottom five of Charuto,
St. Pierre, Lytle, Parisyan, Diaz and Shields are all way too
experienced in my book. I personally would love to see how Sanchez
would do against Dennis Hallman, who is a Top 15 guy at 170.
All
three fighters have a future and all three could have a lengthy
UFC career. They all have the contract, now, but it’s up
to them to see what they do with it.
Source: MMA Weekly
|
MULTI-FIGHT
CONTRACT GIVEN TO FRANKLIN BEFORE SHAMROCK FIGHT, AND OTHER NEWS
It
is interesting to note that the UFC signed Rich Franklin to an
8-fight deal before his fight against Ken Shamrock.
In
other related news, the UFC gave out multi-fight deals to Forrest
Griffin, Stephan Bonnar, and Diego Sanchez, all of whom competed
on 'The Ultimate Fighter' reality show.
Source: Fight Sport
|
Quote
of the Day
"The greater danger for most of us lies not in setting our
aim too high and falling short; but in setting our aim too low,
and achieving our mark."
Michelangelo Buonarroti, Painter, Sculptor
|
MMA
FANS:
NO REST FOR THE WEARY...
HERE COMES UFC 52...
Let's
be honest. Our writers aren't getting any sleep and they won't
until...um...May. Hero's in March then Bushido a couple of weeks
ago, Ultimate Fighter this past weekend, UFC 52 this weekend
and did we mention Pride's Grand Prix the following week? A major
fight every weekend since March 26th. No rest for the weary.
A
guy who is just as busy is MMA oddsmaker Joey Oddessa who is
a consultant to our sponsors Sportsbook.com and has his own website
at BetOddesa.com. He has the lastest lines for UFC 52.
Randy
Couture -255 vs Chuck Liddell +205 - If you bet $100 on Liddell
you get $205 back if Liddell wins. You would have to bet $255
just to win $100 on the champion Couture if Couture wins.
Joe
Doerkson -200 vs Patrick Cote +170 - Doerksen takes Lee Murray's
place in this fight and Doerksen opens up as the favorite.
Matt
Hughes -175 vs Frank Trigg +155 - A lot of people have bet on
Trigg in this fight. The line has been bet on Trigg.
Matt
Lindland -185 vs Travis Lutter +165 - Lindland is the slight
favorite in this fight. Orginally the winner was slated to face
Evan Tanner, but a lot of that depends on the future of Rich
Franklin.
Joe
Riggs -155 vs Ivan Salaverry +135 - Talk to the experts and they
are split on this fight, as is the betting public.
Renato
'Babalu' Sobral -110 vs Travis Wiuff -110 - This fight is a pickem.
Very close fight.
Georges
St. Pierre -165 vs Jason Miller +145 - A fair share of the betting
public has put some money behind Miller. Will he be able to hang
in his first UFC appearance?
Source: MMA Weekly
|
UFC
52 FIGHTER DIARY
FRANK TRIGG
It's
one of the most anticipated rematches in some time. Frank Trigg
will go one on one and try to avenge his loss to one of the most
dominant champions in the world today in Matt Hughes.
This
week, Trigg, gets personal with his daily fighter diary, exclusively
to MMAWeekly.com.
Alright
ladies and gentlemen welcome to my brain. It gets a little crowded
in here and my friend Ryan Bennett doesn't think I even know
how to type, so endure my writing and pay attention because you
may even learn something about me you didn't know....YOU KNOW!
I'm
really looking forward to home away from home. Good ol' Las Vegas,
Nevada. It's my second home as my girlfriend Nikki lives there.
Today my day starts at 4am, that's right, I said it 4am.
Why
you ask? The last nine weeks I've gotten up at 4am as every weekend
I take Nikki to the airport from Los Angeles to Las Vegas. She
needs to get to Vegas by 6am so she can go to work. We are crazy
like that. 4am isn't that early for me. I'm always up early anyway,
so this isn't a big deal. I don't need much sleep. Sleep is overrated.
So
after I drop her off I come back home, eat some breakfast. Today
on the menu is Eggs with chicken and cheese. I drink some water
with my Life Force, (what up Ryan Parsons...that's my shout out,
and send me more damn it) and that's breakfast.
It's
about 7:30am now and I go through paperwork for Triggonomics,
my clothing line... (pick it up people, you dress like ass and
you will look so much better with my gear. You may get chics...u
know!) After the daily business reports, I jump on the web and
read betodessa.com and see how much money I'm going to bet on
myself.
By
the way, will you people quit betting me. Your fu#$king up the
odds and you really need to start betting Hughes. If I'm not
at +200 by fight time I'm going to be pissed! A brother has to
get paid now people. I want to be a BIG underdog by fight time
so I can get paid.
After
that time to do some show prep, so I can make Bennett sound good
on MMAWeekly Radio.com. If your not listening, it's free and
you will sound smarter talking MMA with your friends. (9am Cali
time)
I
have a pre-protein shake right before 10am. That's what time
my workout is. I'm lifting today. Ken Vick, my strength and conditioning
coach has something planned today, not sure what we will be working
on. I like to be surprised. My workout goes until 11:30am.
After
downing another protein shake after the work out, I eat some
lunch. It's always salads for lunch, with low fat dressing and
cut up chicken breast.
I
take a nap to get my beauty sleep at 3pm. After my hour power
nap, I drink another protein shake. Check my email one more time
and see if anyone sent me any good porn.
Tonight
it's another workout. I have my boxing and cardio sparring with
my boxing coach Mo Drasion. He and Rico Chiapparelli (yeah I
had to go on the R-1 website to see how the hell you spell your
damn name, Rico!) have been kicking my ass and I'm ready to go.
I
workout until 8:30pm. 9pm it's dinner as I heat a couple of fish
filets, steamed vegetables, a ½ cup of brown rice and
drink some water.
After
dinner, time to wind down and play the playstation. Right now
my game is Onimusha 3. I will beat some asses on the game, just
like Saturday night, and call it an evening. Alright people gotta
go, hope you enjoy this and just want to say thank you to my
sponsors.
MMAWeekly.com
(Scott you cheap bastard, I can't believe you guys are finally
sponsoring me! YOU KNOW!) Check out the radio show everyday people.
If you don't, what the hell is wrong with you! MMAWeeklyRadio.com
betoddessa.com
- Joey you and I both know you are the man, bet oddessa has the
best odds on the net and quit betting on me damn it. I want better
odds! Betodessa.com rules.
ESPNRadio
in Las Vegas - What up to the Wise Guys. You guys are cool as
hell and we will party after the fight. That's the only sports
radio show that I listen to in Vegas.
Source: MMA Weekly |
THE
BIG DECISION: 205 OR 185 FOR RICH FRANKLIN?
He
may be the only fighter on the planet who actually does better
at a heavier weight, then cutting to 185. Rich Franklin put on
another impressive show, this time at a legends expense in Ken
Shamrock.
Franklin
overwhelmed the legend and shocked everyone doing it in the first
round. Franklin did something that not even Tito Ortiz, Dan Severn,
Don Frye, Oleg Taktarov, or countless others have tried to do.
Finish Shamrock in the first round.
Franklin
improved his record to 17-1, and in doing so now has a big decision
to make. Go back to 185 and fight for a title, or stay at 205.
It sounds like a no brainer to go to 185, but the range part
about moving down in weight is the fact that he may be more impressive
at 205.
He
has looked great against Marvin Eastman, Evan Tanner, and Ken
Shamrock at 205. Not to say he didn't look great against Jorge
Rivera at UFC 50 at 185, but he wasn't quite as impressive at
that weight.
Current
UFC Champion, Evan Tanner made no bones about it telling the
Underground Forum, "Bring it on Rich: All the respect. I
was impressed. I did pick you to win. I've been waiting for this
opportunity for a long time. Let's do it again."
Franklin
told MMAWeekly's Ken Pishna on MMAWeekly TV what he wants to
do...(if you haven't seen it, it's up right now In the Cage.)
Either way the possibilities are endless. Tito Ortiz vs. Franklin
would make an interesting fight, as would be a rematch between
Evan Tanner and Rich Franklin.
For
now, the man who has a masters degree, just mastered a legend
and can sit back and let the dust settle. This is what we do
know. Rich Franklin is the real deal and whether he fights again
at 205 or 185, the fight world has taken notice.
Source: MMA Weekly |
Quote
of the Day
"Don't fear failure so much that you refuse to try new things.
The saddest summary of a life contains three descriptions: could
have, might have and should have."
Louis Boone, American Author
|
Posted
on: Sunday, April 10, 2005
Vitale
takes world title
By Dayton Morinaga
Advertiser Staff Writer
This was of course not in the Advertiser, but what a better
picture...A new world champ and a bunch of beautiful ladies.
Hawai'i
has a new superstar in mixed martial arts and a new Super Brawl
world champion.
Waipahu's
Falaniko Vitale earned those titles with a spectacular first-round
knockout of Japan's Masanori Suda in the main event of Super
Brawl 39 last night.
A
crowd of around 6,000 at the Blaisdell Center Arena erupted into
a deafening standing ovation after the bout was stopped, and
about 50 friends and family members of Vitale stormed the ring
to raise him triumphantly on their shoulders.
"It's
the best feeling in the world," said Vitale, 30. "I
know a lot of people thought I couldn't win this fight, but I
never stopped working. I think I proved a lot tonight."
Vitale
improved to 20-3 and won the Super Brawl world championship at
185 pounds. Suda, who defeated Hawai'i's Egan Inoue for the title
in 2003, dropped to 21-9-3 with his first loss since 2001.
Vitale
won the fight with a flying right hand hook that landed square
on the side of Suda's head. Suda dropped to canvas and the referee
stepped in to signal the knockout, 4 minutes, 9 seconds into
the first round. The bout was scheduled for three five-minute
rounds.
"I
faked my kick and while I was flying in the air, I threw the
punch," Vitale said. "As soon as I saw him go down,
I saw his eyes roll back and I knew it was over."
Both
fighters struggled to gain control early in the round.
"I
faked my kick and while I was flying in the air, I threw the
punch," Falaniko Vitale, right, said of his bout-winning
move against Masanori Suda.
"I could tell he was trying to take me to the ground and
I didn't let him do it," Vitale said.
Officials
from some of Japan's top mixed martial arts organizations were
in attendance to watch the bout, and Vitale is now in contention
for a lucrative contract to fight in Japan.
"Most
important, Niko brought the Super Brawl championship back to
Hawai'i, and you can see how much that meant to the fans here,"
said Super Brawl director T. Jay Thompson. "And as far as
his career goes, the sky's the limit now."
Other
bouts
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.
|
***For
Immediate Release***
For More Information and Fighter Interviews, Contact Mike Afromowitz,
(917) 566-8754 or mike@k-1usa.net.
Roufus
To Battle Musashi In Las Vegas K-1 Superfight
Six-time
world kickboxing champion, Rick "The Jet" Roufus (61-7
(40
KO's), will square off with four-time K-1 Japan Grand Prix tournament
victor, Musashi (37-20-5 (11 KO's), in a three-round Battle at
Bellagio IV, K-1 "World Grand Prix 2005 in Las Vegas"
Pay-Per-View
televised Superfight at Bellagio on Saturday, April 30th.
"I've
reinvented myself and I'm a hungrier and younger Rick Roufus,"
said the 6 foot, 212 pound gladiator, who is also a former K-1
USA
tournament champion and former World Boxing Council (WBC) Continental
Americas Cruiserweight champion. "This is a big, big stepping
stone
for me and a big opportunity to get back into the thick of things."
At
37 years of age, Roufus is recognized as one of martial arts
fighting's all-time greats. After retiring from tournament fighting
in 2003 due to recurring knee problems, he returned to Las Vegas
last
August for a "Battle at Bellagio III" Superfight contest
with sumo
wrestling legend turned K-1 competitor, Chad "Akebono"
Rowand.
Handicapped by nearly 300 pounds, Roufus was put on the run by
the 6
foot 8 inch, 485 pound mammoth and forced to choose his shots
wisely
in an effort not to be hit by his dangerously powerful opponent.
Roufus's strategy paid off as he continued to bombard Akebono
with
kicks and punches before earning a unanimous judges decision
at the
close of three rounds. "I hired a guy for a lot of resistance
and
strength training and I've been training for quite some time
with him
to build up the knee. I've had no problems with the knee so I'm
gonna come in even better shape now."
Last
year, Roufus relocated from his hometown, Milwaukee, Wisconsin,
to Tempe, Arizona where, shortly after, he opened the doors to
The
Roufus Kickboxing Center. Still committed to remaining on top
in the
world of single fight competition, the all-American fan favorite
has
since adjusted to his dual role of trainer and athlete while
also
enjoying his life as a husband and father of two. "I love
it. It's
a lot of work, but it all pays off," he said.
April
30th will mark Musashi's second-career start in Las Vegas. Two
years ago, American fans got their first opportunity to witness
the 6
foot 1 inch, 220-pounder in action up close. A one of a kind
matchup
at Las Vegas, Nevada's Mirage Hotel and Casino saw him take on
his
former Seidokaikan Karate mentor, Nobuaki Kakuda, in what was
originally billed as the latter's retirement fight. Musashi was
passed the torch of leadership from the elder statesman that
night as
he floored Kakuda a total of four times over the course of three
rounds and notched a unanimous judges' decision win.
Despite
the historical significance of his win in Sin City, Musashi's
highest profile victory ironically came against a fighter whose
background is foreign to the fighting arts that embrace both
kicking
and punching. On June 6th of last year, he squared off with former
world heavyweight boxing champion, "Merciless" Ray
Mercer, during the
main event of a K-1 World Grand Prix card in Nagoya, Japan. Both
before and after he downed the American boxer with a roundhouse
kick
to the side of Mercer's head in the midst of the bout's first
round,
Musashi continuously pelted his opponent with leg kicks. Unfamiliar
with the timing and technique necessary to defend against this
type
of attack, Mercer, who was also not permitted to throw kicks
due to
the fact that he wore boxing shoes into the ring, absorbed the
punishment before Musashi was awarded the fight by all three
judges
at ringside.
Born
Akio Mori 30 years ago, the Japanese fighter was later renamed
after martial arts officials saw what they felt was a sharp
resemblance between the rapid speed of his kicks and the remarkable
sword speed of legendary Japanese samurai, Musashi Miyamoto.
Musashi
has since become the only competitor in history to have won four
K-1
Grand Prix Japan tournament championships.
In
addition to the bout that will take place between Roufus and
Musashi on April 30th, a three-round Superfight between reigning
K-1
World Grand Prix champion, Remy Bonjasky (49-10 (30 KO's), and
"Battle at Bellagio III" tournament winner, "Mighty
Mo" Siligia (25-3
(20 KO's), will grace the card. Three-time K-1 tournament victor
Michael McDonald (49-12 (23 KO's) and 2003 K-1 USA champion Carter
Williams (17-6-1 (12 KO's) will return to action during the event's
eight-man, single-elimination tournament.
The
live Pay Per View television broadcast of Battle at Bellagio
IV,
the K-1 "World Grand Prix 2005 in Las Vegas" will begin
at 10 PM
Eastern Standard Time (7 PM Pacific Standard Time) and will be
available on iNDemand, DirecTV, and TVN.
Tickets
for the April 30th K-1 event are on sale and are priced at
$50, $100, $200 and $300, respectively. They may be purchased
at the
Bellagio's box office or by calling 1-800-963-9634.
K-1
is a martial arts fighting sport that derives its name from its
inclusion of a wide array of combat disciplines, including Karate,
Kung-Fu, and Kickboxing ("K"), and its intent to determine
one
champion in one ring ("1"). After being staged for
the first time in
Japan in 1993 under the direction of founder Master Kazuyoshi
Ishii,
it later evolved into the country's most popular sport and achieved
popular culture status there as its athletes turned into
larger-than-life celebrities.
Source: Mike Afromowitz
|
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
|
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
It also
has been rumored that David "Tank" Abbott will be facing
Hawaii's own Cabbage!
Vítor
Shaolin gets ready to fight in Hawaii. On May 7, Nova União
black belt faces Hawaiian Harris Sarmiento, who has fought 23 times. He's won
15 and lost 9. "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
|
|