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(All events on Oahu, unless noted)
2006
Grappler's Quest Hawaii
(Submission Grappling)
(TBA)
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)
10/15/05
Gracie Nationals
(BJJ/Grappling)
(Columbus, Ohio)
10/7/05
UFC 55: Fury
(PPV)
10/05
Proving
Grounds -
ROTR
Qualifer
(MMA)
(Lahaina Civic Center, Maui)
9/24/05
NAGA 2005 Hawaiian State
Championships
(Submission Grappling & BJJ)
(CANCELLED,
POSSIBLY TO BE HELD IN FEBRUARY)
2005
American National Jiu-Jitsu Championship
(BJJ)
(Torrance, CA)
9/17/05
So You Think You Tough
(MMA)
(Kona Gym, Kona)
9/16/05
So You Think You Tough
(USA Boxing)
(Kona Gym, Kona)
9/13/05
Rumble
On The Rock 8
(MMA)
(Blaisdell Arena)
Tuesday Night Fights
(Kickboxing)
(Central Pacific Athletics, Hilo)
9/10/05
Full Contact
Showdown
Super
Brawl Qualifer
(MMA)
(Kahuna Bar & Grill, Kaneohe Marine Corps Base)
9/6/05
"Night
of the Hawaiian Punch!"
(Pro Boxing)
(Neal Blaisdell Arena)
9/05
Proving
Grounds -
ROTR
Qualifer
(MMA)
(Kauai)
|
|
August 2005 News
Part 3
Wednesday
night and Sunday classes (w/ a kids' class) now offered!
 
For the special Onzuka.com
price, click on one of these banners above! |
Quote
of the Day
"You have to learn how to turn the tables on the ego. The
only way to forgive what is within is to forgive what seems to
be without."
From Gary Renard's book The Disappearance of the Universe
|
FOR
IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Contact:
Patrick Freitas
Super Brawl / Icon Sport
(808) 375-1645
superbrawl21@yahoo.com
Falaniko
Vitale vs. Jason “Mayhem” Miller…Its On!
Labor
Day Press Conference Announced.
Honolulu,
HI August 30, 2005 – The most anticipated match-up in Icon
Sport (formerly Super Brawl) history is official. Falaniko Vitale
and Jason “Mayhem” Miller will meet in the middleweight
(185-lb) main event of Icon Sport: Opposites Attract on Friday,
October 28th at the Blaisdell Arena in Honolulu. Although the
victor will earn the opportunity to challenge current Middleweight
champion Robbie Lawler for the belt, neither Vitale nor Miller
are looking past their October match-up.
Both
fighters are wary of the other’s talents and abilities.
Miller will look to nullify Vitale’s amazing athleticism
and devastating power; Vitale will be forced to guard against
Miller’s skillful submissions, cunning offensive tactics,
and intimidating head-games.
Icon
Sport President T. Jay Thompson commented on the main event of
Opposites Attract:
“It’s
a fascinating match-up because Niko and Mayhem (Miller) represent
two contrasting ends of the spectrum…they are elite fighters
with polar opposite fighting styles, personalities, and outlooks.
Fans are guaranteed an unpredictable, exciting, edge-of-your
seat fight.”
Jason
“Mayhem” Miller burst onto the local mixed martial
arts scene at the June 2003 Super Brawl event, Collision Course.
Since then, he’s tallied six consecutive victories in Hawaii,
including impressive wins over talented local fighters Shawn
Taylor, Egan Inoue, Ronald Jhun, and, most recently, Mark Moreno.
Perhaps no other “away” athlete has mesmerized, impressed,
and entertained local fans while beating the “home team”
as Jason “Mayhem” Miller.
Falaniko
Vitale will train for his match-up with Miller at the AMC Martial
Arts Center in Kirkland, Washington. Vitale will be trained
by the center’s legendary owner / president, Matt Hume.
Known as "The Wizard" by fans and peers, Hume is widely
considered to be one of the most talented and versatile mixed
martial arts instructors in the world. He is also a successful
promoter, sanctioning body president and founder, major event
referee, major event judge, pay per view television commentator,
M.M.A. journalist, and M.M.A. reporter. Hume, who invited Vitale
to his training center after witnessing his loss to Robbie Lawler
in Super Brawl: Icon, said of Vitale:
“I
see an unpolished gem in Falaniko. He has as much potential
and raw talent as I’ve ever seen. My job is to train him
physically, technically, and tactically…but more, to make
him believe in himself.”
Vitale’s
two-month training under Hume begins Tuesday, September 6. Removed
from family, friends, and his 808 Fight Factory, Vitale will
live in a simple studio apartment next door to the AMC Martial
Arts Center. Vitale will return to Hawaii on October 24, 2005.
FALANIKO
VITALE – JASON “MAYHEM” MILLER
MAIN
EVENT PRESS CONFERENCE:
2
p.m., Monday (Labor Day), September 5, 2005
Eastside Grill (Pucks Alley @ University Avenue)
THIS
EVENT IS OPEN TO ALL MEDIA AND GENERAL PUBLIC
Source:
Icon Sports |
Master:
Gurgel wins weight & absolute
Founder
of Alliance Team, BJJ black belt Fábio Gurgel has conquered
the weight and the open class gold medals at International of
master and senior 2005. The event was held at BJJ temple in Rio
de Janeiro Tijuca Tênis Clube on August 27 and 28. At the
age of 35, Gurgel submitted all his three opponents at heavyweight
division until getting the medal. Over the open class division,
he had more troubles, defeating Rômulo Reis (Rillion Gracie)
by a take down, then José Eduardo (Gracie Barra) by referee's
decision. After defeating Daniel Freitas (Macaco Gold Team) and
Eduardo Marinho (Clan JJ) over the semifinals, Gurgel defeated
Paulo Streckert (Orlando Saraiva) by advantages and got the gold
medal. "That was my last title as Master. Next year I'll
fight as Senior," he promises.
COMPLETE
RESULTS:
International
of Master and Senior 2005
Saturday
and Sunday, August 27 and 28, 2005
Tijuca
Tênis Clube, Rio de Janeiro
Master
Black Belt
Pluma:
Rodrigo Pagani (Gracie Humaitá)
Pena:
Omar Salum (G. Humaita)
Leve:
Daelcy Carvalho (Barbosa JJ)
Médio:
José Eduardo (Gracie Barra)
Pesado:
Fábio Gurgel (Alliance)
Meio-pesado:
Jorge Patino Macaco (Macaco Gold Team)
Super-pesado:
Flavio Riscado (Alliance)
Pesadíssimo:
Antônio Damasceno (Rocian Gracie)
Absoluto:
Fábio Gurgel (Alliance)
Source: Tatame
|
YOSHIDA
AND NAKAMURA TO BE ON 'BDSSP'
Hidehiko Yoshida
The
Japanese media reports that Hidehiko Yoshida and Kazuhiro Nakamura
are scheduled to appear on an upcoming episode of the 'Best Damn
Sports Show Period' on FSN.
Source: Fight Sport
|
POSTAL
CONNECTIONS: HUNT VS. KHARITONOV
Hello
my friends, my postal connections in the DSE/PRIDE organization
are telling me that the matchup of Mark Hunt vs. Sergei Kharitonov
will most likely take place on the PRIDE GP card in October.
The
winner will most likely be next in line to challenge Fedor Emelianenko
for his heavyweight belt.
Source: Fight Sport
|
Quote
of the Day
"Think of yourself as on the threshold of unparalleled success.
A whole clear, glorious life lies before you. Achieve! Achieve!"
Andrew Carnegie, 1835-1919, American Industrialist, Philanthropist
|
Fighters'
Club TV Episode 32 TONIGHT!
This episode will run on Aug. 9 and 16 (Tuesday nights) at 9:30PM on Channel
52.
Episode
32 features:
-
Highlights from Shooto Hawaii
-
Casey Daniels (MMAD) vs. Thiago Gonsalves (ATT)
-
Ryan Fukuda (Academia Casca Grossa de Jiu-Jitsu/808 Fight Factory)
vs. Edmund Li (HMC)
-
Jim Kikuchi vs. Ryan Kronewitter (+interview with Jim)
-
Ray “Braddah” Cooper vs. Hermes Franca (+interview
with both fighters)
Tech
of the Week
- Fernando “Margarida” Pontes
Proving
Grounds
- The return of Marcelo Tigre vs. Joe Demeritt (+ interview with
Marcelo)
-
Interview with Sydney Silva on his encounter with a burglar—one
of those great “Jiujitsu in Action” stories, so don’t
miss it!
plus,
your two favorite FCTV hosts, Mike “the Icon” Onzuka
and Mark “Special K” Kurano
Don’t
forget to check out our website by clicking on our banner—cool
factoids.
Questions,
Comments? Email us: fightersclubtv808@hotmail.com
|
TUF
2 WEEK 2: THE TEAMS ARE PICKED
Melvin Guillard, the first welterweight eliminated in a fight.
Of
course, the show kicked off with a recap of last week. Then,
as Dana White explained, with two heavyweights having left on
Week 1 (Kerry Schall due to injury and Eli Joslin quitting),
a replacement needed to be selected to even out the team numbers.
They chose Dan Christianson, a 277-pound behemoth from New Mexico.
Christianson
arrived on Day 6, the last day that the fighters would have to
work out and impress before the coaches select their respective
teams. During the workouts, welterweight fighter Jorge Gurgel
went down with an injury. Jorge revealed that he had actually
suffered a severe injury just four weeks prior to the start of
the show. He said that he has no ACL in his left knee and his
patella keeps slipping out of place, especially when kickboxing.
Jorge
went to have his knee looked at by the doctor, who drained the
fluid that had built up around his knee and advised him that
he was risking serious injury if he continued on the show. Jorge
responded by saying, “I don’t care if I have to have
a knee replacement later. I’m not getting out of that house
until somebody beats me in a fight,” which had to be music
to Dana’s ears after the first episode.
At
this point of the show, everyone was complaining about how Melvin
Guillard was getting on everyone’s nerves. Apparently, Melvin’s
favorite topic of discussion was Melvin and everyone was getting
sick of it.
This
led us up to Day 7 and the selection of the teams. Rich Franklin,
coach of the green team, won the coin toss and chose first, alternating
selections with blue team coach Matt Hughes. After the selection
process, the teams filled out as follows (in order of selection):
Rich’s
Green Team – Keith Jardine (heavyweight), Jorge Gurgel (welterweight),
Seth Petruzelli (heavyweight), Marcus Davis (welterweight), Rashad
Evans (heavyweight), Anthony
Torres (welterweight),
Melvin Guillard (welterweight), and Brad Imes (heavyweight).
Matt’s
Blue Team – Joe Stevenson (welterweight), Mike Whitehead
(heavyweight), Josh Burkman (welterweight), Dan Christianson
(heavyweight), Sammy Morgan (welterweight), Tom Murphy (heavyweight),
Rob McDonald (heavyweight), and Luke Cummo (welterweight).
On
Day 8, the fighters are treated to the first challenge. Ahem…
excuse me… that would be the first Right Guard Extreme Challenge
and we are treated to some of the new advertising tie-ins and
product placements this season.
Randy
Couture arrives in his hummer to introduce the “Capture
the Dummy” challenge. The welterweight teams were each lined
up in their own respective end zones on a field marked out for
the challenge. They were then required to either bear crawl or
move on their knees to the center of the field to capture a dummy
and drag it back to their own end zone.
The
fighters met in the middle and attempted to hold each other back
from the dummy. In the end, it was Luke Cummo (of the blue team)
that held one fighter in his guard and grabbed another with his
hands that allowed the Hughes team to drag the dummy back to
their end zone and win the challenge.
With
the win, the blue team was allowed to select a welterweight from
each team to fight and earn their spot on the show. After some
deliberation, Dana white called all of the fighters together
and announced that the blue team chose Josh Burkman to face Melvin
Guillard of the green team.
After
giving a speech that included him saying, “I’m not
in there to give hugs and kisses. I’m in there to knock
’em out,” Melvin made a surprising move. He went in
to Dana’s office to announce that, “this ain’t
for me man, I just wanna go home.” At which point, you could
have knocked Dana over with a feather as his jaw dropped to the
floor.
Not
wanting to feel the wrath of the Pres, Melvin quickly gave up
the goods and told Dana that he was just kidding, as his coach,
Rich Franklin, entered the office about to keel over with laughter.
Both
fighters made weight without much fan fare, leading up to the
first elimination fight of the season.
With
Herb Dean as referee, Josh and Melvin squared off in the Octagon,
each looking to send the other packing. [Enter another big sponsor
of this season as the U.S. Army presented the Tale of the Tape.]
Another change this season is that all of the elimination fights
consist of three 5-minute rounds.
In
the first round, Josh was able to consistently move in and take
Melvin down, but it was Melvin that had Josh in serious trouble
not once, but twice, each time with a deep guillotine choke.
Josh escaped the first choke, but the second appeared as if it
might be in deep enough to finish the fight. Josh relaxed and
held on as time ran out in the round.
Starting
off round two with a little standup, Josh eventually was able
to take Melvin down again. Most of the round was spent on the
ground with Josh controlling the positioning and working a plodding
ground and pound strategy.
The
final round was similar to the second, albeit with a bit more
standup action to start off the round, which Melvin appeared
to get the better of. But again, Josh continued with the takedowns
and maintained control for most of the ground action, working
strikes to the body and head, but also looking for the rear naked
choke.
It
was a solid fight to start off the season. Both fighters were
trying hard with several attempts to finish. In the end, Josh
won a unanimous decision, while Melvin had to say goodbye.
Melvin
apparently broke his hand in the second round, but did not use
it as an excuse. In fact, he didn’t even mention it to his
corner. He left the show in style, humbly stating, “All
my life I wanted to fight in the UFC and when I got my chance,
I just froze.” He gave it a good go though and was right
on when he said, “I didn’t quit. I left with my head
held high.”
Coming
Up On Week 3:
After winning his fight with Melvin, Josh shows up at the house
with his arm in a sling and a surprise announcement. Then, it’s
the heavyweights’ turn as they face a challenge in the pool
and the first heavyweight elimination bout.
Source: MMA Weekly
|
NOT
SO TUF? WHY DID ELI JOSLIN BAIL?
Season 2 TUF competitor, Eli Joslin, shocked millions of viewers
Monday night when he walked away from the opportunity of a lifetime;
the chance to compete for a six-figure contract with the UFC
and perform in the octagon, the premiere proving ground for MMA
fighters on the planet!
Eli
Joslin is the 26 year-old American Bulldog breeder out of Yosemite,
CA with a professional MMA record of 1-0. Joslin competed in
the Gladiator Challenge in March 2005, defeating Anthony Vera
via TKO 10 seconds into the first round.
Joslin,
an avid Oakland Raiders fan and former linebacker at Mariposa
High School is a self-professed modern day gladiator who claims
he has been fighting his entire life. Joslin’s confidence
in front of the Spike TV cameras during the opening minutes of
The Ultimate Fighter (episode one) which aired Monday night,
bordered on pure arrogance at times. He told fellow competitor,
Marcus Davis, that he was going to be “slinging ‘em
and he could take a punch, too” and “if they could
weather his storm, more power to ‘em!”
Joslin
even shared a little story with the Spike TV cameras regarding
his first time in the ring! He said, “I looked over at the
guy across the ring like his f**kin’ head was a piñata
and I went over there and started smashing his head until the
candy came out!”
Wow!
Could Joslin be the Tank Abbott of 2005? Did the UFC finally
have another bad-ass heavyweight in their grips who liked to
“sling dogs” and punish his opponents? I was hopeful,
but it turns out Joslin was… well… hopeless!
After
just one day of training, Joslin called Dana, Matt and Rich to
the fighters’ house for a closed door meeting… and
quit! His reason? He “couldn’t take all the cameras
in his face; they were freaking him out!” Seems the experience
was, “too much like being in jail” and he was too anxiety
stricken to continue. He wanted to be clear with Dana and the
coaches, however, that he wasn’t quitting because he couldn’t
cut it… and he didn’t want them to think he was a being
“a bitch!”
All
three of them tried to talk Eli into staying for at least a few
days and assured him the anxiety over the cameras would lessen.
He obviously had his mind made up because later that night, Eli
called his housemates together, said his goodbyes, and left.
They were visibly pissed off because Joslin had basically been
a waste of time and a waste of space. He took a spot on the show
that could have gone to someone else more worthy of the opportunity,
and he gave up after just one day.
When
Joslin started his “don’t think I’m a bitch”
speech with Dana and the coaches, I was hoping Dana would fire
back with something like, “Not another f**kin’ bi-polar
fighter!” Now, I bet Dana’s pimp hand is strong, so
he could have followed up that line with a swift smack that would
have just slapped the taste out of Eli’s mouth for wasting
his time, as well as his dime! Too bad “you can’t always
get what you want!”
Viewer’s
blanketed cyberspace with comments about episode one and I ran
across some pretty interesting and colorful opinions about Mr.
Joslin! Seems no one was buying the explanation that a trash
talker like Eli could develop a love/hate relationship with the
cameras that quickly! There had to be more to his story than
he and Spike TV were willing to share. Somebody had to know something!
Last
night, I found a thread on the TUF forum that had been created
by one of the season 2 fighters, addressing some of the “behind
the scenes” things viewers missed. One of the things Spike
TV didn’t air was the real reason Eli Joslin bailed! Seems
Mr. “Modern Day Gladiator” didn’t quit because
he couldn’t take all the cams… he bolted ‘cause
he couldn’t take all the slams!
According
to fellow heavyweight, Seth Petruzelli, this is what went down:
“Well
the real reason Eli quit was because the 1st day of training…
the hell day, we (me and him) were paired up for live takedowns
and submissions. Let’s just say I never had so many slams
and subs in 1- 30min session! Then later that day… cause
it was 2 a day (workouts), he was paired up with Keith Jardine…
Keith did the same thing to him. Eli then told us “wow,
you guys were throwin’ me around like a rag doll,”
then started coughing and acting like he was getting sick or
something. The next thing we knew, he was leaving ‘cause
of the “cameras!” lol
A
TUF forum member posted a comment about 15 minutes later stating,
“I knew it wasn’t the cameras. I knew he thought he
was gonna get stomped. He could at least lose and not go out
like a bitch, though, or get cut or w/e, go out like a man. Stupid
Eli stole a place of a real fighter.”
Seth
followed up to this post with:
“Yea,
we all hated him after he left cause everyone knew what Keith
and I did to him… he should of stayed and got beaten like
a fighter.”
Well,
there you have it, folks! Eli didn’t bail because of the
cams… it was because of the slams! Thanks to Mr. Petruzelli,
the mystery is solved!
Fans
of TUF and the UFC can check out theultimatefighter.tv and pay
a visit to your favorite fighters “forum fan club!”
Quite a few of the season 1 and 2 cast members are on the threads
everyday and appreciate hearing what the viewers have to say.
Dana and the coaches have fan clubs, too! See you there!
Source: MMA Weekly
|
VINCE
MCMAHON INFURIATED BY UFC COMMERICAL
WWE Chairman Vince McMahon was furious when he saw the UFC commercial
during his own TV show, WWE Raw, saying that pro wrestling is
not "real," according to a report in the Wrestling
Observer. The commercial, which is still running on Spike TV
programs other than WWE Raw, features an announcer saying, "What's
real? Pro wrestling? No! Boxing? Not anymore! The UFC is real!"
I'd love for the UFC to explain specifically how boxing "is
not real anymore," but as you might have guessed, that wasn't
the part of the interview that sent Vince McMahon over the edge.
With
WWE set to leave Spike TV at the end of September, and with Spike
TV now relying on the UFC as its number one provider of original
programming, the Observer reports that the relationship between
WWE and Spike TV has "turned very cold."
The
Observer adds, "Among the specifics was Vince McMahon apparently
going nuts about the UFC commercial that implies pro wrestling
is not real, that was being played so often on WWE programming.
Spike TV made a new version of the commercial that only implies
boxing isn't real anymore, and makes no mention of pro wrestling.
This is hilarious because WWE has spent the last several years
insisting that pro wrestling isn't real, and now they get all
worked up when someone else says it. The UFC and Spike are still
airing the commercial saying that pro wrestling isn't real on
all shows other than WWE, but they cut a new version of the commercial
just for WWE programming."
As
the Observer report alluded to, the irony in Vince McMahon's
rage about the UFC commercial is that when WWE was recently faced
with perhaps its biggest media scandal ever due to its extremely
tasteless terrorism storyline (which aired on the same day as
the real-life London terrorist bombings), the company's defense
consisted largely of, "Pro wrestling isn't real! It's just
entertainment!" In general, whenever the media or a Wall
Street analyst questions something that WWE does, the response
is always that it's not real and it's just entertainment.
Source: MMA Weekly
|
Quote
of the Day
"The optimist thinks this is the best of all possible worlds.
The pessimist fears it is true."
J. Robert Oppenheimer, 1904-1967, American Physicist
|
Pride
Replays on PPV
PRIDE Fighting Championship: Final Conflict 2005
Format Below is Date, Time, Channel (on Oceanic Digital)
8/29/2005 2:00PM 701 IN1
8/30/2005 1:00AM 702 IN2
8/30/2005 4:00AM 702 IN2
8/30/2005 7:00AM 702 IN2
8/30/2005 10:00AM 702 IN2
8/30/2005 1:00PM 702 IN2
8/30/2005 4:00PM 702 IN2
8/30/2005 7:00PM 702 IN2
8/30/2005 10:00PM 702 IN2
8/31/2005 11:00AM 701 IN1
9/1/2005 3:00AM 702 IN2
9/1/2005 6:00AM 702 IN2
9/1/2005 9:00AM 702 IN2
9/1/2005 12:00PM 702 IN2
9/1/2005 3:00PM 702 IN2
9/1/2005 6:00PM 702 IN2
9/1/2005 9:00PM 702 IN2
9/2/2005 12:00PM 701 IN1
9/3/2005 1:00AM 701 IN1
9/3/2005 2:00PM 701 IN1
9/4/2005 9:30AM 701 IN1
|
Fedor
Beats Mirko, Shogun Wins It All!
PRIDE: 'Final Conflict 2005'
August 28th, 2005
Saitama Super Arena
Saitama, Japan
Single
matchups:
Fedor Emelianenko defeats Mirko 'Cro Cop' Filipovic by unanimous
decision.
Hidehiko Yoshida defeats 'Tank' Abbott by choke at 7:40, RD 1.
Fabricio Werdum defeats Roman Zentsov by triangle choke at 6:01,
RD 1.
Kazuhiro Nakamura defeats Igor Vovchanchyn by unanimous decision.
PRIDE
GP semifinals:
Ricardo Arona defeats Vanderlei Silva by unanimous decision.
Mauricio 'Shogun' Rua defeats Alistair Overeem by TKO at 6:42,
RD 1.
PRIDE
GP final:
Mauricio 'Shogun' Rua defeats Ricardo Arona by KO at 2:54, RD
1.
Source: Fight Sport
|
BJJ:
Fábio Gurgel fights at Master
Despite the fact he didn't fight last year at International of
Master and Senior due to a contusion, Alliance's leader Fábio
Gurgel says he will be seen on the mats of Tijuca Tênis
Clube, this weekend. 'Last year I got my ribs injured and ended
out of the competition. But at this year I will be fighting the
heavyweight division and also the open class. The idea is taking
both medals to São Paulo with me,' says the 34 years old
fighter.
According
to the event's organization, Master division starts on Sunday,
at 12pm. Besides Gurgel, other great BJJ fighters will be on
the mats as: Aparecido Bill, Marcos Norat, Omar Salum, Eduardo
Galvão, Jorge Patino, Muzio de Angelis and others. Senior
division starts at 2pm with Wellington Dias (Megaton), Juquinha,
Alexandre Paiva, Fernando Gurgel, Lioyd Irvin, Laerte Barcelos
and many others. Keep tuned at TATAME.com to all information
of International of Master and Senior 2005.
Source: Tatame
|
Matt
Lindland Fired from the UFC???
By Jeremy Wall
MaXfighting has confirmed reports made elsewhere that top middleweight
contender Matt Lindland will likely soon be fired by Zuffa.
Lindland's
termination is due to controversy over his sponsorship. The issue
is that Lindland is sponsored by Sportsbook.com, a popular offshore
gaming company. There is fear in Zuffa that the Fertittas, who
of course have a gaming license in Nevada for Station Casinos,
could get in trouble with the state for featuring an offshore
gambling company on their pay per view broadcast. Another issue
is that it is common knowledge for UFC fighters not to accept
sponsorships from offshore gaming companies, and other fighters
may have been upset over Lindland being sponsored by Sportsbook.com
when they have turned down lucrative sponsorship deals from offshore
gaming companies because of the sponsorship rules imposed by
Zuffa.
It's
also said that Lindland has been warned about this before, and
that imposing a fine on Lindland for this would be pointless
because Sportsbook.com could easily pay that fine for Lindland,
and just allow him to continue to wear their shirts as they pay
whatever fines Zuffa throws at Lindland. This leaves Zuffa with
no recourse but to terminate Lindland's contract.
This
throws the middleweight division for a loop because Lindland
had clearly established himself as the top contender for Rich
Franklin's middleweight championship after defeating Joe Doerksen
at UFC 54 and being promised a title shot by Dana White from
awhile back.
Without
Lindland, UFC has no quality challenger for Rich Franklin's belt.
Nathan Marquardt would be under consideration for the shot, despite
the fact that his win over Ivan Salaverry was such a bad fight
that it had Zuffa throwing fits, but Nathan is involved in a
controversy of his own with the Nevada State Athletic Commission
in regards to steroids use. That means Marquardt is probably
out of the picture for the time being as well, until his issue
is sorted out.
Beyond
them, the top fighters at middleweight at this point would likely
be David Loiseau and Nathan Quarry. Loiseau is booked to face
Evan Tanner at UFC 55, and should he defeat Tanner, he may wind
up as Franklin's first challenger. UFC does not want to rush
Nate Quarry into a title situation so quickly because they feel
he may not be ready, plus he is a teammember of Team Quest, the
team ran by Lindland and Randy Couture... but they may be left
with little option. This has developed into a very tedious situation
for everyone involved.
Source: Maxfighting
|
Rorion
Gracie: Brazil-California 05
Mr. Rorion Gracie, President of the Gracie Academy and chairman
of the Gracie Museum in Los Angeles, will be the recipient of
the Brazil-California Chamber of Commerce's 2005 Southern Cross
Merit Award during its annual gala dinner to be held on Saturday,
October 22nd, 2005 at the Westin Century Plaza Hotel in Los Angeles.
Mr.
Gracie is being honored for bringing the Brazilian style of Jiu-Jitsu,
an ancient form of martial arts, to the United States over 20
years ago. Today Brazilian, or Gracie Jiu-Jitsu, is known throughout
the United States and Mr. Gracie is recognized as the driving
force behind its popularity. Mr. Gracie and his team currently
train several branches of the US government including the Navy
Seals, the FBI, and the Los Angeles Police Department in this
pioneering martial arts style. Mr. Gracie was also the creator
of the successful Ultimate Fighting Championship and has been
a martial arts trainer to several Hollywood celebrities.
Since
2003, Brazil-California Chamber of Commerce has had a tradition
of honoring members of the community who have excelled in promoting
Brazilian business, arts, sports and culture-within California
and throughout the United States. Former recipients of the Southern
Cross Merit Award include Mr. David Neeleman, President and CEO
of JetBlue (2003) and Mr. Amauri Soares, CEO of TV Globo International
(2004).
Brazil-California
Chamber of Commerce was established in 1996 as a non-profit organization
to promote business relations and commercial trade between Brazil
and California, providing a forum for the promotion of cultural
exchanges and social interaction between both countries. Membership
is comprised of representatives of the Brazilian business community
in California and various professionals, entrepreneurs, and large
and small companies. The Chamber is a valuable source for Brazilian
and American executives, businessmen and politicians in providing
information about trade, commerce and investment leads between
California, the United States, and Brazil.
Source: Tatame
|
Quote
of the Day
"Everybody needs beauty as well as bread, places to play
in and pray in,
where nature may heal and give strength to body and soul."
John Muir, 1838-1914, Scottish-born Environmentalist and Naturalist
|
Marcello
Garcia Seminar Today!
Just a reminder to everyone that BJJ and Abu Dhabi World Champion
MARCELO GARCIA will be conducting a two-day seminar in two weeks.
The seminar will be held at the Palolo Hongwanji at 1641 Palolo
avenue, just up from Waialae Avenue in Kaimuki. The seminars
will be held Saturday, August 27th from 3-6 pm, and Sunday, August
28th from 3-6 pm. The cost to attend both days is $165. You can
split this with a friend if you want to attend one day, and your
friend wants to attend the other day. Call JKD Unlimited today
864-1620 to reserve your spot, or to ask any questions. You can
also purchase tickets at Fighter's Corner on King Street.
Saturday from 3-6 pm
Sunday from 3-6
Palolo Hongwanji.
1641 Palolo Avenue
Park on the right side of the temple, and go underneath to the
hall.
Get there early.
For more details email Burton by clicking here.
Source: Burton Richardson
|
PRIDE
Fighting Championships Today!
Saitama Super Arena, Saitama, Japan
August 28, 2005
PPV
Premiere Date: Sunday, August 28th, 2005
Premiere Time: 9:00 pm EST, 6:00 pm PST
Count
Down show: 8:30 pm EST, 5:30 pm PST
Delivery: Satellite
PPV price: US$29.95
Availability: iNDEMAND, DIRECTV, DISH Network, and TVN
The
MMA world awaits PRIDE FC's 'FINAL CONFLICT 2005' this weekend.
The long awaited heavyweight showdown between Fedor Emelianenko
and Mirko 'Cro Cop' Filipovic as well as a 4 man tournament featuring
the top MMA lightweights in the world today. Above is North American
PPV details, but we will carry results live on Sunday morning!
The
complete card appears below.
FIGHTCARD
(Subject To Change):
The Semi-Finals and Finals of the Middleweight Tournament:
Wanderlei Silva (Brazil) vs. Ricardo Arona (Brazil)
Mauricio 'Shogun' Rua (Brazil) vs. Alistair Overeem (Holland)
Winner Silva/Arona vs. Winner Rua/Overeem
Heavyweight
Championship Match
Fedor Emelianenko (Russia) (Champion) vs. Mirko 'Cro Cop' Filipovic
(Croatia) (Challenger)
Additional
Matches:
David 'Tank' Abbott (USA) vs. Hidehiko Yoshida (Japan)
Igor Vovchanchyn (Ukraine) vs. Kazuhiro Nakamura (Japan)
Fabricio Werdum (Brazil/Spain) vs. Roman Zentsov (Russia)
Source: Fight Sport
|
FEDOR'S
HAND STILL INJURED
Fedor Emelianenko spoke with the Japanese media today, and stated
that his hand is still not fully recovered.
Fedor
added that it is be hard for him to punch, but that he trained
with Ernesto Hoost and is healthy enough to give the fans a good
fight.
Source: Fight Sport
|
Nippon
Joho: PRIDE Days Away,
Bushido Fighters Predict Winners
by Stephen Martinez
TOKYO
— Probably the most anticipated tournament of this year
started to become reality when all four fighters schedule to
participate in the PRIDE Middleweight tournament finals arrived
in Tokyo.
A
little early, Alistair Overeem (Pictures) showed up at Narita
Airport on Monday with the best wishes to engage this weekend
with the Chute Boxe representatives. “I would like to face
Silva in the finals because in this way I can beat both Chute
Boxe fighters,” he told the Japanese press.
“I’m
aiming to win both fights by knockout in the first round and
later challenge the UFC light heavyweight champion Chuck Liddell
(Pictures) and avenge my loss from two years ago,” Overeem
continued.
In
the other side, Ricardo Arona (Pictures), the “King of Jiu-Jitsu,”
as the Japanese press likes to call him, arrived Wednesday along
with his main trainer Mario Sperry (Pictures) and other BTT teammates.
The Japanese press was quickly to intercept the Brazilian fighter
near the official PRIDE Hotel in Shinjuku to get his first impressions
regarding the Sunday’s event.
Arona,
smiling but with a secure tone, told the press: “I feel
100 percent and I’m ready to become the champion.”
About fighting Silva in the semifinals, Arona said, “If
I’m a tiger, Silva is like a hyena.”
When
asked to elaborate Arona said, “Wanderlei is a very strong
fighter with good stamina and more likely ready to win the tournament
again, but now I understand Silva’s weak point. I didn’t
train anything specifically for this fight but I’m looking
to submit him. Yoshida was not able to do it because he’s
a judoka, but I’m a jiu-jitsu fighter. Jiu-jitsu is more
effective on Silva than Judo. Besides, I’m the only person
who can win over Silva.
“My
goal for this tournament is to break Silva in the semifinals
and break Shogun in the finals.”
Both
Mauricio Rua (Pictures) and Wanderlei Silva (Pictures) arrived
with the rest of the Chute Boxe team on Thursday. Later DSE held
a training session with the whole team that was open to the press.
Silva told the press a final between Shogun and he is almost
a sure thing.
“My
main priority for this tournament was to work my stamina with
running, swimming and training always hard,” Silva said.
“I’m not young anymore so I need to focus in my stamina
to succeed against the other younger fighters in the tournament.”
Next
to his teammate and possible rival, Rua told the press that he’d
improved both his jiu-jitsu and Muay Thai.
About
his semifinal opponent Overeem, Rua stated, “He’s been
training his ground game, especially the guillotine technique,
however his striking is also very good.”
From
here both Shogun and Silva answered the eternal question about
meeting in the finals. Their response: “We will fight seriously.”
Bushido
Fighters Debate the Grand Prix Finals
Japan
is currently getting hit with another typhoon and while some
people might say “there is calm after the storm” this
doesn’t seem to be the case with DSE.
Right
after the Grand Prix finals another “MMA Storm” would
be ready to hit the fans with the upcoming Bushido welterweight
and lightweight tournaments. With this in mind DSE asked Ryo
Chonan (Pictures), Ikuhisa Minowa (Pictures), Tatsuya Kawajiri
(Pictures), Akihiro Gono (Pictures), Ryuta Sakurai (Pictures)
and Masanori Suda (Pictures) to pick the winners from both the
heavyweight match between Mirko Filipovic (Pictures) and Fedor
Emelianenko (Pictures) and the winners in both the semifinal
and final matches of the middleweight tournament.
Ryo
Chonan (Pictures):
•
He thinks the key heavyweight bout lies in whether or not Fedor
can take down “Cro Cop.” With this in mind Chonan sees
“Cro Cop” scoring the high kick KO
• He thinks Silva will win via judge decision
• Overeem is dangerous in the beginning, especially with
the guillotine choke, but Chonan feels Shogun is going to win
by KO later
• Chonan sees Silva over Shogun in the finals
Masanori
Suda (Pictures):
•
Mirko will win via KO
• Silva over Arona via KO
• Shogun over Overeem
• Shogun over Silva in the finals
Akihiro
Gono (Pictures):
•
Mirko over Fedor via high kick KO round one
• Arona over Silva
• Shogun over Overeem via KO
• Shogun winning the finals
Tatsuya
Kawajiri (Pictures):
•
Silva over Arona by KO
• Shogun over Overeem by KO
• Silva over Shogun in the finals
• Mirko over Fedor by KO
Ryuta
Sakurai (Pictures):
•
Probably Fedor over “Cro Cop” by ground-and-pound if
Fedor can take Mirko down. However the question is, can Fedor
takedown Mirko?
• Silva over Arona by decision
• Shogun over Overeem by decision
• Silva over Shogun
Ikuhisa
Minowa (Pictures) (by far the most colorful and interesting character
in Bushido took some time to share his deep thoughts regarding
the outcome of the upcoming show):
•
About the winner of Mirko vs. “Cro Cop”: “I have
no idea … probably decision
• Winner of Silva vs. Arona: “I have no idea. I can’t
even imagine what kind of fight this will be.
• Winner of Shogun vs. Overeem: “I don’t know,
probably Overeem.
• Tournament winner: … I’ve no clue.
So
there you go betting fans. The Japanese fighters make a clear
consensus with “Cro Cop” over Fedor, while most agree
Silva will pass over Arona and Shogun over Overeem with the finals
going once again to Wanderlei Silva (Pictures). About Minowa,
it is probably safer to only bet Monopoly money on his picks.
OK
folks, this is all for today’s special edition of Nippon
Joho. Now I need to go and find my Deftones and The Escape Dillinger
Plan records to give me company on the train while traveling
to cover the weight-ins and main show for this weekend Grand
Prix tournament finals and heavyweight title match.
P.S.
Stay tuned to day-by-day weekend updates from Japan on Sherdog.com
regarding the PRIDE GP finals show from the evil Japanese twins
and myself.
Source: Sherdog
|
Pe
de Pano & Jacare Win MMA Matches
Pe de Pano & Cabelino
Iron Man VT returns in November
Barely
ended the eight edition of IronMan Vale-Tudo, which took place
on last Saturday, August 20, in Macapá (AP), the organization
has announced the ninth edition to next November 5. The last
edition featured even super-fights and on the main one, local
athlete Mikito defeated Vítor Belfort's pupil Emerson
Ávila. The organization wants to count on Vítor
Belfort once again as referee. At this time, he refereed three
bouts. The main fight of IX IronMan has been already planned.
'I've talked to Vítor and I want to do a super-fight between
Mikito and Ronaldo Jacaré," said Magrão, the
event's promoter.
COMPLETE
RESULTS:
VIII
Vale-Tudo IronMan
Saturday, August 20, 2005
Sambódromo, Macapá (AP)
-
Pé-de-Pano submitted Júnior Capoeira by Kata-gatame
(R3);
-
Preguiça defeated Dico by KO (knee) (R2);
-
Ary Mão de Pedra defeated Zezão by KO (kicks) (R2);
-
Jacaré defeated Cuba by referee's decision;
-
Guigui defeated Tedd Montanha by KO (R1);
-
Jimmy submitted Fúlvio by arm-lock (R2);
-
Mikito defeated Emerson Ávila.
Source: Tatame
|
Bustamante
focused at Bushido GP
Meanwhile Ricardo Arona is in Japan ready to face Pride Middleweight
champion at the semifinals of Pride GP Middleweight, Brazilian
Top Team Murilo Bustamante has been working hard to do a great
show at Bushido GP against Light Heavyweight Shooto champion
Masanori Suda. 'I haven't seen his game, but I know he is a champ,'
says Murilo, who might fight on the same day Ikuhisa Minowa.
Instead of Middleweight GP, the second round will take place
on September 25.
Paulão
expects to enter in the game
In
Japan to help Ricardo Arona, Paulão Filho is concerned
about the Welterweight Bushido tournament. Paulão will
do an alternate fight against Ryuta Sakurai. 'I hope this gap
comes from the other side of the bracket. So Murilo and I have
a chance to do the final. Anyway, I have to defeat Sakurai first.
This will be a good fight for me, because he likes to exchange
punches,' says Paulão.
COMPLETE
CARD (subject to change):
Pride
Bushido GP - First round
Sunday, September 25, 2005
Ariake Colosseum, Tokyo, Japan
GP
Welterweight
1- Ikuhisa Minowa vs Phil Baroni;
2- Murilo Bustamante vs Masanori Suda;
3- Ryo Chonan vs Dan Henderson;
4- Akihiro Gono vs Daniel Acácio;
Semifinal
- Winner of fight 1 vs Winner of fight 2;
- Winner of fight 3 vs Winner of fight 4;
Alternate:
Ryuta Sakurai vs Paulão Filho.
Source: Tatame
|
Quote
of the Day
"To be able to be caught up into the world of thought-that
is educated."
Edith Hamilton, 1867-1963, American Writer and Educator
|
Marcello
Garcia Seminar Today!
Just a reminder to everyone that BJJ and Abu Dhabi World Champion
MARCELO GARCIA will be conducting a two-day seminar in two weeks.
The seminar will be held at the Palolo Hongwanji at 1641 Palolo
avenue, just up from Waialae Avenue in Kaimuki. The seminars
will be held Saturday, August 27th from 3-6 pm, and Sunday, August
28th from 3-6 pm. The cost to attend both days is $165. You can
split this with a friend if you want to attend one day, and your
friend wants to attend the other day. Call JKD Unlimited today
864-1620 to reserve your spot, or to ask any questions. You can
also purchase tickets at Fighter's Corner on King Street.
Saturday from 3-6 pm
Sunday from 3-6
Palolo Hongwanji.
1641 Palolo Avenue
Park on the right side of the temple, and go underneath to the
hall.
Get there early.
For more details email Burton by clicking here.
Source: Burton Richardson
|
"Pit
Fighter" on Spike TV Today!
Hawaii Airing Time!
5:00-7:00PM on Oceanic Channel 76
The Ultimate Fighter Season 2 replay follows at 7:00PM
"Pit Fighter" will air again on Spike TV this Saturday,
Aug. 27th, at 5 PM (the film debuted on Spike TV Aug. 20th).
"Pit
Fighter" stars Dominiquie Vandenberg ("Gangs of New
York", "Mortal
Kombat"), Steven Bauer ("Traffic", "Scarface")
and Stephen Graham ("Snatch").
Mixed
martial arts aficionado Stephen Quadros, "The Fight Professor",
handles all the fight choreography and serves as 2nd unit director
on the movie.
Check
out the film that critics are calling..."The RAGING BULL
of martial arts choreography" (Mike Leader, IMPACT MAGAZINE).
"Pit
Fighter" was released on DVD in the US on June 7th, 2005
by Twentieth Century Fox Entertainment.
Source: MMA Fighting
|
Pride
Grand Prix's Odds
It's one of the biggest mismatches on the card according to oddsmakers.
Sportsbook.com has Hidehiko Yoshida as the monster favorite this
weekend.
Yoshida
is -800 vs Tank Abbott who is +500. That means you would have
to bet $800 dollars just to win $100 on this fight. If you like
the underdog then there is plenty of money to be made on Tank.
You would have to bet just $100 to win $500 dollars.
Here
is the entire odds from our sponsor at Sportsbook.com for this
weekend's Pride event. It's interesting to see that Fedor is
the favorite vs Cro Cop, while Wanderlei Silva is the man to
beat in the Grand Prix.
Fedor
Emelianenko -210
Mirko Cro Cop Filipovic +170
Wanderlei
Silva -210
Ricardo Arona +170
Mauricio
Shogun Rua -160
Alistair Overeem +130
Fabricio
Werdum -1100
Roman Zentsov +700
Igor
Vovchanchyn -210
Nakamua Kazuhiro +170
Vitor
Belfort -260
Yuki Kondo +200
Hidehiko
Yoshida -800
Tank Abbott +500
Source: MMA Weekly
|
UFC
55 CARD
Below are some official and unoffical matchups that are scheduled
for the UFC 55 card on October 7th. A total of eight matchups
is expected to take place on the card:
Andrei
Arlovski vs. Paul Buentello
Forrest Griffin vs. Ian Freeman
Matt Hughes vs. Karo Parisyan
Elvis Sinosic vs. Alessio Sakara
Renato 'Babalu' Sobral vs. Chael Sonnen
Evan Tanner vs. David Loiseau
Keigo Kunihara vs. TBA
Source: Fight Sport
|
Din
Thomas vs. Tyrone Glover At DEEP
DEEP 20th Impact
Differ Ariake in Tokyo, Japan
September 3, 2005
-
Main Event: Jutaro Nakao (DEEP welterweight champion) vs. Eoh
Won Jin (Spirit MC champion)
-
Din Thomas (American Top Team) vs. Tyrone Glover (Pride audition
winner)
-
Takenori Sato (Takada Dojo) vs. Ken Hamamura
-
Jun Ishii vs. TBA
-
Satoko Shinashi vs. Noriko Okamoto
-
Kei Yamamiya vs. Kim Jin O
-
Kazunori Yakota vs. Hiroki Nagaoka
-
Hidehiko Hasegawa vs. Seichi Ikemoto
Source: MMA Fighting
|
PRIDE
GP PRESS PICTURES AND VIDEO
ON MMA
WEEKLY
Fedor weighed in before the press on Friday afternoon in Shinjuku,
Japan before he fights Cro Cop on Sunday this weekend. Cro Cop
was a no show for the event in which both fighters where supposed
to be at. Fedor seemd calm and relaxed before his title defense
against Cro Cop, who has been itching for a shot at the title
for a long time.
Go to the photo gallery to see more pictures of Fedor and the
other fighters who will be fighting this weekend at the Saitama
Super Arena in Tokyo, Japan.
Source: MMA Weekly
|
'CRO
COP' TAKES 'VITAMIN INJECTION'
FOR HIS BACK
Mirko "Cro Cop" Filipovic
The
Japanese media reports that Mirko 'Cro Cop' Filipovic has taken
a 'vitamin injection' for his back. The vitamin injection was
prepared for him by Dr. Stefan Bucan, who his personal doctor
who has traveled with him to Japan from Croatia.
Source: Fight Sport
|
Quote
of the Day
"There are two kinds of people who never amount to much:
those who cannot do what they are told, and those who can do
nothing else."
Cyrus Curtis, 1850-1933, American Publisher and Philanthropist
|
Marcelo
Garcia Is In Town!
Marcelo Garcia arrived in Honolulu Tuesday night, and has been
having a great time. We went to Baret Yoshida's school last night
to roll. He is just awesome, and a great person. Just a few days
left until the seminar, Saturday from 3-6 pm, and Sunday from
3-6 at the Palolo Hongwanji. The address is 1641 Palolo avenue.
Park on the right side of the temple, and go underneath to the
hall. Get there early.
Aloha,
Burton Richardson
864-1620
|
BJ
Penn, Genius
or Fool?
by Marco Antico
This article is not meant to be condescending toward BJ Penn.
Rather, it’s intended to be an acknowledgement of BJ’s
unique stature in the sport.
Genius
or Fool?
BJ
Penn sent shock waves through the MMA industry when he made his
decision to leave the UFC for a fight in K-1. BJ Penn took a
big risk by jeopardizing not only his welterweight title but
also severing his ties with the UFC. At the time, I thought BJ
was a short sighted fool. I thought he was motivated by the salary
K-1 was offering and thus was ignorantly throwing away his security
with the UFC.
If
BJ Penn had lost that fight to Duane Ludwig he may have indeed
cursed the day he made the decision to leave the UFC. Instead,
today he finds himself owner of the second biggest MMA Company
in North America with an ongoing partnership with the largest
martial art company in the world, K-1.
A
Chronology of BJ Penn's Risky Decisions
January
31, 2004 - He decides to move up a weight class and fight Matt
Hughes. He accomplishes one of the biggest upsets in UFC history
and becomes the new Welterweight Champion.
May
22, 2004 - He chooses to fight in K-1 against the UFC's wishes.
He soundly defeated Duane Ludwig. Shortly thereafter the UFC
strips him of his welterweight title and says that he'll never
fight for the organization again.
November
20, 2004 - BJ's fight promotion, Rumble on the Rock enters into
a partnership with K-1. BJ moves up to middleweight to fight
a highly regarded fighter in Rodrigo Gracie. BJ wins a convincing
unanimous decision.
March
26, 2005 - BJ turns down many lesser opponents at middleweight
and asks K-1 to fight one of their best heavyweight fighters,
Ryoto Machida. BJ fights well despite a severe weight disadvantage
but loses a unanimous decision mostly due to Ryoto's lay n' pray.
July
29, 2005 - K-1 holds their HW GP in Aloha Stadium with BJ Penn
versus Renzo Gracie as the main event. BJ handily wins a unanimous
decision.
Visionary
or Illusions of Grandeur?
With
the exception of Renzo Gracie all the other things BJ has done
in the recent times may cause one to question his sanity. Moving
up from lightweight to fight a heavyweight is unheard of! Turning
your back on North America's biggest MMA promotions and choosing
to instead build up your own in conjunction with Japan's powerhouse,
K-1 epitomizes the entrepreneurial spirit. Suing the UFC to try
and get back on the roster was certainly a creative and unique
approach to solve things!
Perhaps
a testament to BJ's power of persuasion is that he was later
in negotiations to fight the winner of the Frank Trigg versus
Matt Hughes fight. It seems that the deal breaker was that the
UFC wanted BJ to apologize for leaving them for another organization.
BJ did not feel that an apology was warranted and thus chose
to speak his mind on MMAWeekly Radio with Ryan Bennett about
his distaste for the way Dana White ran the UFC. Suffice to say
BJ is not expected to be returning to a UFC octagon any time
soon.
It's
time for BJ Penn to step up!
BJ
has certainly made a good living for himself in the sport of
MMA. He's a massively popular fighter in Hawaii, he part owns
Rumble on the Rock and he works in co-operation with the financially
mighty, K-1. All of that is very impressive. However, there's
one thing that has been glaringly missing over the past while
with BJ. He's not proved himself in his weight class in a long,
long time. Mind you, no one's really sure what BJ's weight class
is nowadays.
I
believe that it's time for BJ to prove himself in the welterweight
division and arrange a fight with the recently axed UFC fighter,
Frank Trigg. Frank has expressed a strong interest and a lot
of confidence in fighting BJ. BJ previously turned down the request
saying that Frank wasn't a big enough name. News flash BJ; all
the big welterweight and middleweight names are locked up by
the UFC and PRIDE. Frank Trigg is about as good a fighter and
as big a name that you’re going to get!
Two
other names that come immediately to mind are Sean Sherk and
Matt Lindland. But, Frank Trigg makes much more sense for BJ.
There's a natural rivalry that exists between the two. The smack
talk leading up to this fight could be of Baroni/Lindland epic
proportions. Also, let's not forget that there is a revenge factor
in that Trigg defeated BJ's Jiu-Jitsu instructor, Renato Verrissimo.
BJ
is holding all the cards
BJ
is in an extremely rare position for a MMA fighter in that he
may choose his own destiny:
Option
A - The Easy Route
The
easy route consists of BJ continuing to beat up on the Gracie
family. They have a marketable name and they seem to get very
angry when one of their relatives is defeated. If BJ or Sakuraba
ever go missing one day the police should know where to begin
asking questions.
Option
B - The Crazy Route
Listening
to BJ talk about himself one may conclude that he has a bit of
a superman syndrome. BJ once spoke about floating outside of
his body watching himself fight, knowing that there's no way
he can be defeated. He may continue to fight far above his natural
weight class, challenging fighters like Wanderlei Silva. Unfortunately,
one day he's destined to run into his Lex Luther. When that day
comes it may forever damage him as an elite fighter.
Option
C - The Admirable Route
This
is perhaps the least financially attractive route (which is often
the case with admirable activities). In this route BJ decides
prove himself as an elite fighter in a particular weight class.
This is certainly the most risky route from a reputation standpoint.
If BJ were to lose to Frank Trigg after Trigg's last two performances
inside the octagon he would certainly drop a couple of notches
down the ladder. BJ stands to lose more than he stands to gain
by fighting Frank Trigg. That said it would definitely be a terrific,
meaningful and admirable fight for BJ to arrange.
Conclusion
BJ
is without a doubt the most important fighter in all of MMA.
That's not to say he's the best or most popular. It's instead
an acknowledgement of BJ's unique stature as fighter/promoter.
It's also a recognition that his promotion is probably the UFC's
biggest potential threat. There is no other fighter in MMA that
can say that he truly possesses the ability to influence North
America's MMA industry like BJ can. Add to that the fact that
he's arguably the best pound for pound fighter in the world and
what you've got is truly a remarkable individual. BJ’s next
move holds a lot of intrigue for me personally. I’m hopeful
that he’ll fight the guys MMA fans want to see him fight.
I’m expectant he’ll continue to try and take ROTR in
conjunction with K-1 to new heights in this country. Finally
and most importantly, I’m optimistic that he’ll prove
to be a visionary and a genius whose legacy we can look back
on and admire.
Source: Marco Antico
|
UFC
54 FIGHTER SALARIES
Below is the pay scale for UFC 54 as released by the Nevada State
Athletic Commission (all figures are in US dollars):
Chuck
Liddell: $80,000 to show, $80,000 to win
Tim Sylvia: $40,000 to show, $40,000 to win
Matt Lindland: $15,000 to show, $15,000 to win
Georges St. Pierre: $13,000 to show, $15,000 to win
Jeremy Horn: $25,000 to show, win bonus would've been $25,000
Diego Sanchez: USD$12,000 to show, USD$12,000 to win
Mike Van Arsdale: $15,000 to show, win bonus would've been $15,000
Frank Trigg: $14,000 to show, win bonus would've been $14,000
Tra Telligman: $9,000 to show, win bonus would've been $9,000
James Irvin: $3,000 to show, $3,000 to win
Joe Doerksen: $5,000 to show, win bonus would've been $5,000
Travis Lutter: $4,000 to show, win bonus would've been $4,000
Brian Gassaway : $2,000 to show, win bonus would've been $2,000
Terry Martin: $2,000 to show, win bonus would've been $2,000
Total
Fighter Payroll: $635,000
Source: Fight Sport
|
Hero's
September 7th, 2005
Ariake Colosseum, Tokyo, Japan
Sinlge
matchups:
Zuluzinho vs. Sylvester Terkay
HERO's
lightweight GP second round:
Royler Gracie vs. Norifumi 'Kid' Yamamoto
Genki Sudo vs. Kazuyuki Miyata
Remigijus Morkevicius vs. Hiroyuki Takaya
Caol Uno vs. Hideo Tokoro
Source: Fight Sport
|
PRIDE
president Nobuyuki Sakakibara
by Josh Gross.
DSE/PRIDE executives, Hideki Yamamoto and Yukino Kanda, were
also on hand to help answer some questions. Kanda helped out
with the translation of most of Sakakibara's replies. Here's
what they had to say:
Interviewer:
Let's start with the events of today. How important is it for
PRIDE to come to the United States and promote its brand of fighting?
Sakakibara:
It has been our dream to hold a PRIDE event outside of Japan
on U.S. soil. We will have done 50 events under the PRIDE name
- our upcoming event August 28th is going to be the 50th event
- and we've never been outside of Japan. The mixed martial arts
was created in the U.S. and it has been our dream to hold a show
where it came from. And we have been working with the California
State (Athletic Commission) since 2000 and especially in 2004,
2005 until now we have really been working hard to legalize this
sport in California state. After today's meeting, that is the
first step for the long (process) ahead of us. Our objective
is to hold our event in California and to introduce what PRIDE
is to the fans and, not through the TV, to see the live event
is totally different. So we'd like to show what really is PRIDE
to the American people.
Interviewer:
Have the American people, through your pay-per-views and other
sort of marketing, really shown an interest in PRIDE, or is it
more an overall interest in mixed martial arts? Have you seen
people who are just dedicated PRIDE fans?
Sakakibara:
At the moment we think that those fans who watch PRIDE events
through the pay-per-view or DVD, but not live, they're a big
fan of mixed martial arts, not necessarily (only) PRIDE fans.
Interviewer:
I ask this question because it was so important today and over
the process of the last year and even over the last five years
for things unique to PRIDE - the ring and the rules - to stay
intact. Why were these things so important for you to come to
promote in the United States when you could have come to promote
at any time under what are accepted as the North American Unified
Rules?
Sakakibara:
Over the course of seven, eight years since we started the PRIDE
brand, of course we have changed several times the rules to always
update the current needs of the audience and also to make sure
that the fighters are safe. But the original concept of mixed
martial arts is to get rid of all the barriers of the different
martial arts. We have opened the door to all the different discipline
fighters - including wrestling, boxing, judo, jiu-jitsu, everybody
- so our rules are more open to those fighters who are coming
from different backgrounds. It is very important to keep our
rules the current rules. The rules that we have request to be
an alternate rules (in California) is because we believe those
rules are unique to PRIDE and we don't want to jeopardize that
uniqueness, then come to the U.S. So we want to keep those rules
only for maybe PRIDE. From our experience over 450 fights in
PRIDE we know and we have proven that PRIDE rules (are) safer
than any other event. We believe in that and our record says
it's a safe event, safe rules. If we come to the U.S. and compromise
with the current Unified Rules - which we don't know if they're
safe to us, to our fighters - if we take those rules as it is
then we may be proving that our rules aren't safe enough. That's
not our direction moving forward. Because we believe in our rules,
for us it's not necessary to adopt any other rules that's already
sanctioned in Nevada or New Jersey. So that's our thoughts.
Interviewer:
In North America, particularly the United States, there's a movement
in mixed martial arts towards getting a broad uniformity, getting
unified rules. Does PRIDE at all envision a situation in which
every promotion in the world, every show in the world is operating
under one set of rules? And if you do, what do those rules look
like?
Sakakibara:
We believe in unified rules all over the world.
Interviewer:
So you think eventually the American regulatory bodies, the state
athletic commissions, the Nevadas and New Jerseys of the world
will see...
Sakakibara:
We are talking about worldwide, not just U.S. So when we see
worldwide, global unified rules it will probably be PRIDE rules.
Interviewer:
Why do you feel that PRIDE rules will become accepted as the
world unified rules and not the rules that are being worked on
throughout North America.
Sakakibara:
That is because we are not using those rules. If we are not using
those rules - American rules - then it's not going to be worldwide
rules. And, especially the biggest market in the world is still
Japan. Japan is not going to use a cage. Japan is not going to
use five three-minute rounds. We believe that it takes so many
years to become sanctioned or come to this point (in the United
States) is because it was started with a cage. If it was a ring
it shouldn't have taken that long. And if you see worldwide promoters
or events, outside the U.S., we believe most of the promoters
use a ring instead of a cage.
Interviewer:
The ring, I would suggest, is more prevalent than the cage worldwide.
There are more events in a ring than in a cage. But there are
also many events now that use the five-minute round system. I
think the 10-5-5 minute round system is unique to PRIDE. But
there are shows like SHOOTO and Pancrase and many Japanese shows
that don't use that round system. Is that something in the future
that PRIDE would be willing to look at changing or is that something,
as well as the ring, that is very important and would not be
looked at?
Sakakibara:
Again the 10-minute, 5-minute, 5-minute round system is established
from our experience and it doesn't give any fighters an advantage
- ground fighter versus standing fighter or any other disciplined
fighters. So we think that the round system that can take the
most advantage of strategy of fighting. So, for instance, if
we come to the U.S. and the United States imposes five three-minute
rounds we will follow, of course, in order for us to come to
the U.S. But in Japan, we are not going to change 10-5-5 minute
rounds because we believe that round system is perfect. And if
you see worldwide environment then unless a much, much bigger
organization like the Olympics or World Cup or something, then
if they impose five-minute rounds then that is the time that
we will maybe consider (change). When it comes to the unified
rules all over the world - of course American people look at
America most - we see much more global standpoint. So today's
meeting was only for California but we have a bigger picture,
which is worldwide. For instance we have made an alliance with
FILA organization and they are the ruling (body) for martial
arts in the Olympics. So once mixed martial arts is adopted in
the Olympic games, not just the United States people, but people
from Japan and Brazil and all over world will come together and
finalize the rules, which may not necessarily be Unified Rules
sanctioned by the U.S. states.
Interviewer:
That's a very interesting concept: mixed martial arts in the
Olympics. How close is that to becoming reality?
Sakakibara:
We don't believe that it's going to happen anytime soon. If you
only think of the Unified Rules or PRIDE rules or UFC rules,
it's going to be the rule adopted by the Olympic games under
the mixed martial arts games. FILA has been working on bringing
Pankration tournament in the Olympics. They're working on that.
But even the boxing has been adopted in the Olympics but they
wear headgear. And they have a much, much longer history of fighting.
Mixed martial arts (history is) much, much less. So some time
in the very far future, maybe the PRIDE or UFC rules will be
seen in Olympics. But if you're talking about soon, it will be
much more rules - far from the PRIDE or UFC rules. And maybe
no striking, just grappling. We really strongly believe that
we should, as promoter of PRIDE, and also the UFC - those are
the top two promotions in the world - should think about being
in the Olympic games maybe 20 years from now or 50 years from
now. So they should always think about the goal. Olympics started
as fighting 2000 years ago, so it takes a long time. If they
don't think about the future - 50 or 100 years from now - nothing
is going to be accomplished.
Interviewer:
I think, the UFC, the way they interpret the future, is pushing
forward the Unified Rules throughout North America. That's their
vision of the future. But it doesn't sound like that's PRIDE's
vision of the future. And the Olympics is very interesting because
one thing they're known for is their drug-testing policies. They're
very strict, especially with performance-enhancing drugs like
steroids. If you come to North America (your fighters are) going
to have to face many of the same tests that are in the Olympics.
What is the current PRIDE performance-enhancing testing policy,
including steroids and other kind of substances?
Sakakibara:
Right now, at this point, we have not tested any steroid usage.
But for the illegal substances like stimulants or anything illegal,
we conduct urine testing before and after the fights.
Yamamoto:
It's a matter of the traceability, except those complicated drugs
like EPO and steroids and some similar substance. We need to
send a specimen to the laboratory. Who can protect traceability?
We need a neutral third party. But for other illegal drug substances
we can get a result at once.
Interviewer:
One of the arguments for regulation and sanctioning is to have
that oversight body, that check, that independent party making
sure the fighters are safe, making sure there is testing going
on of fighters. In Japan there's nothing like that. So in order
for you to test for steroids you'd have to take that upon yourself.
Is there any discussion in PRIDE of beginning to test for those
substances in Japan?
Sakakibara:
We don't have a third party. And maybe this is a cultural difference
but we hired doctors, referees and judges and they are independent.
Even though we hired them to work with PRIDE, they are the ones
who are the ones responsible for all the safety issues and also
drug testing. We leave everything up to them and they test. Under
their responsibility they're going to submit us a result and
then we judge according to the result. So for us it doesn't really
make a big difference hiring a third party or hire those people
by the promoter but to be independent from the promoter. I think
it's a big cultural difference.
Interviewer:
One more follow up. Two of the UFC’s heavyweight
champions have tested positive for steroids. It stands to reason
that a good percentage of mixed martial artists use those kinds
of drugs. Is it just PRIDE's opinion that that sort of use is
not important, that it doesn't affect the outcome of a fight?
Why is there no movement towards ridding that sort of usage from
your promotion?
Sakakibara:
We don't test for steroids or we don't have a third party to
test for steroids. But we don't think that always the steroid
user has an advantage over a fighter who's not using steroids.
And we don't know who is using steroids and who is not using
steroids. But we don't know if always the steroid users are winning
over the non-steroid users.
Interviewer:
OK, I have to follow up: If you test you would probably have
a better idea of who was using steroids and who wasn't. So I
still have not heard a reason why PRIDE does not test.
Sakakibara:
We are not opposing American regulations and requirements of
steroid testing. But in Japan there's no such thing. We are not
required to test steroids for any fighter or any sports whatsoever.
So we don't need, so we don't do. If we come to the U.S. and
of course we have to follow their rules and regulations. If we
have to do, we have to do.
Yamamoto:
Perception. Steroids is well known in the States but not many
people use steroids in Japan.
Sakakibara:
You have a good point, but maybe if you look over all the sportsman,
not just the fighter - baseball player or gymnastics or anything
- any kind of sportsman don't use steroids in Japan in general.
But in the U.S. the Major League players or runners or boxers
- they all use steroids. That's why there has to be some regulations.
That's totally different culture and background.
Interviewer:
I understand that in the Japanese culture, steroids are not a
prevalent issue. My concern is the good majority of your fighters
are international fighters. I'm looking at the poster for PRIDE
"Final Conflict": three Brazilians, a Dutchman and
two Europeans. Not one Japanese fighter on there. So just because
no one is telling you to test for steroids, it's the same way
that no one is telling you to test for cocaine or no one is telling
you to test for anything else.
Kanda:
Cocaine is illegal in Japan.
Interviewer:
OK, so steroids are not illegal in Japan and that is why you
do not test.
Yamamoto:
It's a prescription drug. So if you try to use the steroids without
prescription it's illegal.
Sakakibara:
This is just like other drugs. Like, for instance, ulcer medicine
is prescription drugs. And if someone uses without prescription
it's illegal. So it’' the same thing for the
Japanese people.
Yamamoto:
Using the painkiller - you watched the Mark Kerr movie - it's
illegal usage even though the substance is legal.
Interviewer:
I appreciate your patience... The theme of the day is regulation
and PRIDE coming to the U.S., which is why I'm asking these sort
of questions. One of the major functions for the regulatory bodies
in the U.S. is to keep track of if a fighter got knocked out,
and suspending that fighter from competition if necessary. Does
PRIDE, when a fighter gets knocked out or injured in its organization,
medically suspend a fighter? And if you do, how do you enforce
so he doesn't fight (during the suspension)?
Kanda:
Again, it's the same thing. We don't have any regulatory third
party for any sanctioning body. So that's really up to the promoter
to give the fighter a suspension period. We're very carefully
consulting with the Japanese doctors. And also if the fighter
is from outside of Japan we also get the result from that local
doctors and make sure that fighter won't be fighting again anytime
soon unless the doctor says that's OK. It's the same thing. We
don't really need regulation but people follow, people have common
sense.
Yamamoto:
We don't say American people doesn't have common sense! But we're
basically supposed to harmonize the suspension and we have been
respecting their decision and we don't take any fighter who is
under suspension. Josh Barnett (Pictures). We got offered but
did not take him.
Kanda:
Because he was under suspension. And somebody who is knocked
out in the UFC, we never use that fighter for two-month or three-month
period.
Interviewer:
Let's get to the fun stuff. The actual promotion of fights and
putting together of cards. I think people are looking forward
to August 28th very, very much. Can you talk about your heavyweight
championship fight and how much anticipation there is in Japan
for this match between Fedor (Emelianenko) and Mirko "Cro
Cop" (Filipovic)?
Sakakibara:
(smiles) It was fun. People have been waiting so long for this
particularly because it started in August 2003 when Fedor fought
Gary (Goodridge) and he beat up Gary. He broke his hand. And
Mirko beat Dos Caras Jr. and he has been waiting for him to come
back and be cured from injury. (Mirko) has been chasing this
fellow but he wasn't cured by the time the fight was set up.
And then (Mirko) had to take (Rodrigo) Nogueira and Nogueira
submitted him. So the fight has been postponed, postponed, postponed
for like two years. Fedor was supposed to fight in June this
year and then again Fedor got injured and it was postponed. So
finally the fans can get to see it. It's been more than two years
of grudge and expectation, build up so much.
Interviewer:
As a promoter, that's good. You want that anticipation. But has
it been frustrating dealing with the on, off, on, off situation
of the fight?
Sakakibara:
As a promoter we also felt very, very frustrated because it should
have happened years ago. Not just the promoters, but they were
both very frustrated because I have been telling them they are
still young, so that match won't be the last match that they're
going to face as long as they're with the PRIDE organization
they're going to face one year from year, two years from now
- many times probably. Win, lose should be a concern for them.
But fans want to see them fight.
Interviewer:
Fedor has said that his hand is still not healed 100 percent.
Do you feel that you're risking a fight that might not be the
best fight it could be because of that?
Sakakibara:
That would have been in June if we held the fight in June. But
we gave him enough time to heal and Mirko accepted to postpone
two more months. Unless you're the first fight in PRIDE - everybody
has some sort of injury: cold or broken fingers or bad knees.
Everybody has something. Fedor's hand will not give a bad result
because of that injury.
Interviewer:
Let me ask you a personal question. When "Cro Cop"
fought Magomedov at the last PRIDE, how nervous were you feeling?
Sakakibara:
It's just another fight and I'm always ready to accept an outcome
from any fight. So, whatever the outcome was I had a plan. (If
I didn't feel this way) then whenever Sakuraba fights, I would
be in the hospital the next day. (laughs)
Interviewer:
The Grand Prix is amazing because you wouldn't think it possible
that it could be overshadowed due to the heavyweight championship
fight. What are your expectations for the Grand Prix? And the
possibility of Wanderlei fighting Shogun, are you at all disappointed
teammates might fight in the finals?
Sakakibara:
I don't think the heavyweight title match will overshadow the
Middleweight Grand Prix. And especially Japanese fans respect
all the fighters in the Grand Prix to win and come this far.
Of course as a Japanese I wished that there was a Japanese fighter
remaining in the semifinal but even without the Japanese fighters
I have a big respect for each fighter and so do the Japanese
fans.
Interviewer:
And the possibility of Shogun fighting Silva? You knew that was
a possibility because they were in the tournament to begin with.
Knowing now that they might meet in the finals, they're teammates,
that raises questions about them fighting 100 percent against
each other. Does that take away from the tournament at all if
they fight in the finals? Did that cross your mind at all?
Sakakibara:
The teammate versus teammate maybe more interesting, especially
for me. I want to see teammate versus teammate. And in front
of 45,000 people they're not going to fight less than non-teammates
fight. Arona could have faced Rogerio at some point and Yoshida
may have faced Nakamura at some point, but that's the way the
tournament is. That’s a very interesting format.
I think [they will fight] 100 percent. That's why there is prize
money, and honor and a PRIDE belt, and, again, fighting in front
of 45,000 people and also it's going to be aired in many countries
live on pay-per-view. And of course DVDs are everywhere. So they're
not going to fight less than anyone else. Don't you want to see
them fight? I have a big trust in the Chute Boxe team. Rudimar
(Fedrigo) is the trainer and manager and head person in Chute
Boxe. And they know - and Vanderlei knows more than anybody -
that they have to put on 100 percent, otherwise their career
will be done in PRIDE and also in mixed martial arts.
Interviewer:
Will Sakuraba fight in the 83-kilo. tournament?
Sakakibara:
No. Never.
Interviewer:
Will Sakuraba fight in PRIDE again?
Sakakibara:
Yes. He will come back in October.
Interviewer:
After his last fight - he's had many beatings before, he's taken
a lot of punishment before - but after his last fight it was
very bad. Did you advise him to retire or was there any talk
of retirement?
Sakakibara:
It's totally up to the fighters to decide when to retire.
Interviewer:
After that fight (with Ricardo Arona), I believe you said that
Sakuraba would no longer fight at middleweight (205 pounds),
but only fight at 83-kilograms? Is that still the case?
Sakakibara:
I personally thought that Sakuraba thought should go down to
83-kilos, but that's only what I thought. When I talked to Sakuraba,
Sakuraba refused and said that "I'm going to go up, never
go down." He read (my) comments in a newspaper and he called
from the hospital. When he fought Arona he was 86-kilos and Arona
passed the 93-kilos the day before, but the day of the event
he goes up like six, seven pounds easily. So there was more than
a 10-kilograms difference on the day of the event. He hasn't
done everything that he could do. He could build up his body
and make the weight over 93-kilos to fight evenly with those
205 fighters. In his mind, there are so many things he can still
do, still improve, including weight and quit drinking or quit
smoking. So unless he does everything he can do, he cannot make
himself to be convinced for retirement.
Interviewer:
I have to say, personally, that scares me. I was at PRIDE 13
when Sakuraba fought Silva the first time. I was at PRIDE 17.
I've seen Sakuraba fight great, unbelievable fights and I've
seen him get hurt. And I think he's such and incredible fighter,
such an incredible person, that he'll never retire. Someone needs
to push him out. Do you fear...
Sakakibara:
And I understand your concern very much and I appreciate it.
But when time comes, maybe the person who says "Sakuraba
you should retire" is not me, maybe Takada. And I don't
believe that it's time that he should really tell Sakuraba not
to continue. I believe in Sakuraba. He can do more.
Interviewer:
UFC president Dana White always complains that he sends fighters
to PRIDE, PRIDE never sends fighters to the UFC.
Kanda:
That's not true. We always offer fighters but they refuse. Sometimes
the reason is that the fight purse is not a fight purse that
they can afford. Sometimes our fighters are too strong against
their fighters (who are) available, so they cannot find an opponent.
We have been pushing some of the fighters to them but they never
say yes.
Interviewer:
Have there been recent talks about a PRIDE fighter going to UFC?
Sakakibara:
We really want to send PRIDE fighters in the UFC. Sometimes the
timing is not matched for when they want a particular fighter
and when we can send that fighter to them. But most of the time
they are not so willing to use our fighters. For instance we
offered Sergei Kharitonov (Pictures), Mirko "Cro Cop",
"Ninja" in the last couple months.
Interviewer:
There is a lot of talk about Ninja right now. Is that a possibility?
Sakakibara:
Ninja is ready. He has been waiting since June. Dana White, please
call me.
Interviewer:
PRIDE's first event in the United States? If everything goes
well in California and it looks like mid-November when everything
is sanctioned and your rules are OK'd. How soon can American
fans expect PRIDE to come promote here?
Sakakibara:
Before we can come to California we have to apply for a promoter's
license. I don't know how long it's going to take. It's up to
California state. And also there are so few venues where we can
possibly hold a PRIDE event, so it's really up to the availability
of the arena. We have been contacting various venues. For instance,
Staples Center is so busy.
Interviewer:
Let me wrap up with my last question - and I always say that
and I have another question. I'll make sure it's my last one.
I think priority number one for American fans and, I believe,
Japanese fans would be one day to see champions fight champions.
Now, we've just talked about PRIDE sending fighters to the UFC
and the UFC sending fighters to PRIDE, but what would it take
for the two organizations to come together and have Wanderlei
Silva (Pictures) fight Chuck Liddell (Pictures), Fedor fighting
the UFC heavyweight champion?
Sakakibara:
We have been talking with Dana and Lorenzo for a long time, so
what we suggested to them was a "home and away" fights.
We send fighters to them and we send fighters to us. And any
fighter who wins both events would be a "world" champion.
Yamamoto:
They said yes, I think that was last year.
Kanda:
And this year too.
Interviewer:
And why has that not happened yet?
Yamamoto:
I don't know.
Source: Sherdog
|
Quote
of the Day
"Look twice before you leap."
Charlotte Bronte, 1816-1855, British Novelist
|
Hoochielaulea
Pipeline
Cafe
Sunday, September 4, 2005
10pm to 2 am
I don't think I have ever been to an official Hoochilaulea. I
have been to a few unofficial Hoochilauleas.
|
NAGA
Hawaii Cancelled
We have been getting a ton of emails and inquires about it NAGA
is a go or not. We have been contacted by one of the organizers
who has told us that the event is cancelled. It seemed to be
based on problems with the venue, possibly with a few other items.
They
are looking to hold the event in February so keep tuned to Onzuka.com
to get the latest on Hawaii's biggest grappling tournament. We
hope they can secure a spot and get everything in line.
|
TUF
2 WEEK 1 RECAP: A NEW CROP
by Ken Pishna
It’s baaaaccckkk…..
Mixed
martial arts fans and reality show fanatics had to sweat it out
over the summer, but the toughest reality show on television
is finally back. The first episode of The Ultimate Fighter Season
2 has finally premiered.
Much
as you would expect, the first episode was heavy on introducing
the personalities of the new fighters. This season, the show
kicked off with 18 new fighters; 9 heavyweights and 9 welterweights.
The
Heavyweight Competitors:
Rob MacDonald, Keith Jardine, Kerry Schall, Brad Imes, Seth Petruzelli,
Mike Whitehead, Tom Murphy, Rashad Evans, and Eli Joslin.
The
Welterweight Competitors:
Jorge Gurgel, Joe Stevenson, Kenny Stevens, Anthony Torres, Melvin Guillard, Josh Burkman, Marcus
Davis, Sammy Morgan, and Luke Cummo.
This
episode really broke out into four major segments and the outgoing
wrap-up.
Jorge
Gurgel tried to set the tone for himself on the show by declaring,
“Nobody pisses on my bed,” but it was Luke Cummo that
was the subject of the first real character building on the show.
He’s kind of singled himself as the odd duck out on the
show, kicking things off by removing his mattress from his bed
to sleep on the floor. He did this so that he could have his
head pointing north while he sleeps to better align his chi.
Obviously,
he is quickly becoming the focus of much ridicule by the other
fighters. But on the first hard day of training, Luke’s
focus on his keeping his body in line both physically and spiritually
when he had no trouble making it through a grueling wall sitting
drill. Season 2 coach Rich Franklin went so far as to declare
that Luke is “this season’s Diego.”
The
first drama of the show involved heavyweight competitor Kerry
Schall. On day two of filming, the fighters were brought to the
UFC National Training Center for a marathon training session
involving cardio, weightlifting, jiujitsu, boxing, and kickboxing.
Basically, the fighters were worked beyond exhaustion, just to
push them to the brink and see how mentally and physically tough
they are.
Having
nearly made it through the workouts of the day, Kerry was held
up with severe pain in his knee. Medical personnel looked him
over and decided he needed to go and get x-rayed. The x-rays
showed no breaks or fractures, but the doctor thought it prudent
that Kerry see an orthopedic specialist the next morning.
Once
the drama started, it just kept rolling. On the evening of that
first really hard day of training, heavyweight competitor Eli
Joslin called UFC President Dana White, coach Matt Hughes, and
coach Rich Franklin into a private meeting to declare that he
couldn’t handle being on the show. His excuse was that the
cameras were freaking him out, declaring that, “it is too
much like jail.”
Dana,
Matt and Rich attempted to convince him to sleep on it and come
back the next day for more training, but Eli had his mind made
up even before talking with them. Later that night, Eli gathered
round the other fighters and told them, “I’m walking
out. I’ve made my decision.” With that, he left the
house and the show.
The
next morning, the fighters were gathered at the training center
with Dana. He made the announcement that Kerry’s results
were back and that he had a torn meniscus that would require
surgery. Just like that, Kerry Schall was forced to exit the
show. He was obviously fighting back the tears, but left with
his head high commenting that, “For it to end this way is
just devastating… God has a plan. I’ll get by.”
With
the exodus of two heavyweights already, Dana white declared that
a welterweight would now have to go. The determination was that
Kenny Stevens was the weakest welterweight and he was allowed
to choose one of the others to fight for a spot on the show.
He chose Sammy Morgan.
This
final drama really kicked in when the weight cutting began. Kenny
weighed at 191 pounds, meaning that he had 24 hours to lose 21
pounds. Sammy Morgan on the other hand, had only 9 pounds to
cut to make the 170-pound limit.
The
next portion of the show featured Kenny trying to cut the weight
in the sauna, much like the same scenario that Bobby Southworth
went through in the first season. The first night of cutting
saw Kenny get down to 181 pounds before heading off to bed. The
following day, they were back at the sauna and got Kenny to within
five pounds of his goal before he finally cracked and said, “I’m
done.”
Kenny
Stevens became the third fighter to leave the show in the first
episode and it didn’t sit well with some of the others on
the show. Jorge Gurgel commented, “You’re a professional
athlete. You never quit, no matter what the circumstances, no
matter what the pain.” Even the usually subdued Rich Franklin
was visibly irritated, “It pisses me off!”
This
brought us to the show ending speech from Dana White. If you
saw the first season of the show, consider this the “Do
You Wanna Be a F**king Fighter” Part II speech. Remarking
on Kenny Stevens, he said, “He f**king quit. Thacker, the
one that got picked on the most, had more heart than you guys.”
I can’t really go on with the rest of his tirade, I’ll
wear out the “F” key on my keyboard, but suffice it
to say that Dana basically questioned the commitment of the guys
on the show and challenged them to give it their best efforts
to become UFC caliber fighters.
Coming
Up On Week 2:
With the exodus of Kerry Schall due to injury, a new heavyweight
fighter joins the house. Also, the first challenge and the first
fight are set to take place.
Source: MMA Weekly |
HITS
AND MISSES FOR TUF SEASON 2
by Ivan Trembow
The season premiere of The Ultimate Fighter has come and gone,
and it was a largely entertaining show that was only marred by
two fighters quitting.
At
the beginning of the show, I loved the idea that whoever was
picked as the "weakest link" in each weight class would
not actually be eliminated without ever getting a chance to fight
(which was BS in the first season), but would instead get a chance
to fight for their survival and could fight the opponent of their
choice. That would have also solved the problem of not having
a fight in the season premiere, which hurt the show in the first
season. Unfortunately, it didn't work out given the circumstances
with the two quitters, but no one could help that.
As
for the two quitters, I could go either way on Kenny Stevens
because he did quit, but that kind of sauna environment is also
dangerous no matter how commonplace it is. As a result, I can't
come down too hard on him if he was legitimately out of it from
the weight-cutting.
Eli
Joslin is a different story. First of all, how in the hell did
he get on the show with an MMA record of 1-0? And second of all,
he says "the camera thing" isn't working for him? Did
he think he was going to study to be a monk at a secluded temple
somewhere? He signed up to be on a reality show! I guess if he
was not completely mentally stable, it was good that he did quit,
because there could be disastrous or tragic consequences if a
mentally unstable person is put in a house with nothing to do,
with other aggressive males around, and with large amounts of
alcohol. (I don't know if there is alcohol in the house in Season
2, but given what happened in Season 1 and how much more serious
that could situation could have been, it would be nothing short
of a Trash TV move if there is alcohol in the house again this
season).
In
the first season, the UFC had a lot of contestants get red-flagged
at the last minute for various things, whether it was something
on a background check or a drug test. That's why you saw so many
natural 185-pound fighters competing at 205 pounds, and that's
why you saw so many 170-pound fighters competing at 185 pounds.
The UFC also had a hard time filling out the roster of heavyweight
fighters for Season 2 due to the background checks, drug testing,
and medical tests, not to mention the fact that good heavyweights
are hard to find in general.
Nonetheless,
it's very important to do all of those tests, and I think the
producers should add an extra layer to the screening process
for Season 3. I think they should add a mental health exam, which
is a standard thing with a lot of employers even when the job
at stake is a lot less inherently risky than fighting for a living.
It's perfectly legitimate to check on that kind of thing, for
the fighters' own good.
I'm
not necessarily saying that contestants who are being considered
for the show should be subjected to the kind of "brain-typing"
that is done by many NFL and NBA teams. I'm just referring to
a general psychological exam to make sure that nobody makes it
on the show who is more likely than the average person to become
paranoid about "the whole camera thing," or to compare
the experience of being on a reality show to being in prison.
There should also be exhaustive questionnaires and interviews
to make sure that the contestants are 100% committed to being
a fighter and are not going to quit.
Obviously,
the producers of a reality show don't want to have 18 people
who are all completely mature and mellow at all times, but I'm
sure they also don't want to have quitters who lower the total
number of fights that are actually on each season.
Other
thoughts on the season premiere...
The
element of Rich Franklin and Matt Hughes getting angry at the
contestants when it's warranted is something that we didn't really
see in the first season with Randy Couture and Chuck Liddell,
who never really got angry with anyone. This adds an extra dimension
to the show because you rarely get to see world champions like
Hughes and Franklin in that kind of environment, getting angry
and reacting as they naturally would. So far, Franklin appears
to be the more easily annoyed of the two, while Hughes' greater
level of coaching experience makes him harder to upset.
Jorge
Gurgel has star written all over him from a charisma standpoint,
and I mean that in a Nate Quarry kind of way as opposed to a
Chris Leben kind of way. And who has gotten bigger pops from
the crowds in their UFC fights, Quarry or Leben? The answer is
Quarry, by far. Gurgel seemed like a total class act and a great
representative of the sport, which is exactly what a TUF contestant
should be. It's possible to have classy people on the show representing
MMA, while still having entertaining television.
Source: MMA Weekly |
MORE
DETAILS ON SALAVERRY RELEASE
The Observer's Dave Meltzer has added additional details on top
of what was previously reported by MMAWeekly about the UFC's
decision to release Ivan Salaverry from his UFC contract. Meltzer
reports that it was Salaverry's overly passive and defensive
performance in the fight that caused him to be released by the
UFC.
Meltzer
reports, "The company [Zuffa] feels that at this stage,
they can't afford to be using fighters who don't go out there
and give the people good fights... there was a feeling that they
had to do it [release Salaverry], but they hated doing it with
Salaverry, who they liked. Stephan Bonnar got a six-figure contract
[earlier this year] for a fight that he lost because he fought
his heart out and gave people a fight of the year, while Salaverry
refused to fight, and got cut."
Additionally,
the UFC was not happy with the quality of the Ultimate Fight
Night show due to the lackluster main event. Meltzer reports,
"Unlike a lot of pro wrestling promotions, who have a bad
show and then go into denial about it, both Dana White and Joe
Silva were said to be upset after Ultimate Fight Night because
of the main event, and they may have actually been more critical
of the show than their audience. However, Spike TV was thrilled
with the rating, even though to me it should have been a disappointment
with all that hype. Spike felt it was a great rating for a Saturday
night, and they achieved their goal of being the highest-rated
sports telecast on cable for the day."
Source: MMA Weekly |
Quote
of the Day
"Seek the lofty by reading, hearing and seeing great work
at some moment every day."
Thornton Wilder, 1897-1975, American Novelist and Playwright |
Marcelo
Tigre happy with Fight Club
After
doing the main fight and submitting Edson Godzila at Fight Club,
on last June 16, Marcelo Tigre celebrates the bonus of the event
held at Serejinho gymnasium, in Taguatinga (DF). Tigre was in
a local channel in Brazil (TV Record) talking about the show
at Esporte Record. See in the pictures bellow the pictures of
the premiere night of DVD Fight Club, held last August 12. Over
the autograph night, local rappers, the whole Banni Club crew
and fighters were present. Highlights to Fight Club Girl Bia
Freitas.
Source: Tatame |
SHERK
RETURNS TO MMA
After
deciding to go into self-imposed retirement and stating he'd
never participate on any "small shows" again, Sean
Sherk has now announced that he has un-retired and will continue
to feature on the small show circuit very soon.
Source: Fight Sport |
PARISYAN
SPEAKS: PART 1
Karo
Parisyan was recently interviewed by journalist Brad Doerges.
Here's what Parisyan had to say (Part 1 of a 2-part interview):
Interviewer:
So your next fight is with Matt Hughes?
Parisyan:
Uh Yes...
Interviewer:
Is that confirmed?
Parisyan:
No, not yet. Not against Hughes. A 3-fight contract... but not
against Hughes. (The next week it was confirmed on another MMA
news site.)
Interviewer:
So you have 2 more fights left on that?
Parisyan:
I need more money though... To sign the contract I need more
money to fight Hughes. Hughes is a fighter... he is a champion.
If I'm gonna fight for the title I need more money.
Interviewer:
I'm with you... How much does he make a fight? 50 to fight 50,
to win?
Parisyan:
No, naw man... He just signed a contract for 3 fights for 450
thousand
Interviewer:
Wow...
Parisyan:
He made like 60 to fight, 60 to win, like 3 years ago... Now
it's more. He's got a reality show now. I told Dana how about
you put me and Matt on the reality show to promote the fight
like Chuck and Randy.
Interviewer:
That's a good idea. I thought it was weird that they put coaches
from 2 different weight classes.
Parisyan:
They wanted to put me against him (Hughes) in the reality show
that's coming up in August. They wanted to give me a month to
train for a title fight. Are you fucking nuts? I need like 2
1/2 - 3 months to train... God forbid I lose at least I know
that I trained for the fight.
Interviewer:
The first fight I ever saw you fight was against Fernando Vasconcelos.
I actually thought that guy was gonna beat you.
Parisyan:
You did? A lot of people thought that.
Interviewer:
Well he was Jiu Jitsu world champion... Mundials winner.
Parisyan:
A lot of people were like "Karo he's bullet proof, he's
amazing..."
Interviewer:
Hah! He couldn't even take you down.
Parisyan:
The hardcore guys, like my friends... Chris Brennan... they are
calling me telling me "Oh Karo you'll beat him... trust
me you'll beat him... he can't beat you..." When Terry (Trebilcock)
called me, he was like "He's just a Jiu-Jitsu black belt."
Then I find out this guy schools Trigg... He was killing Shonie...
World Champion Jiu-Jitsu guy, I was like what are you nuts dude?
I fought 3 fights. I fought Jason Miller, Antonio McKee, and
Fernando Vasconcelos in 3 1/2 months. It was ridiculous. I dunno,
for some reason those were all really tough guys but I never
really felt that much pressure on me for those fights. Now with
the UFC it's much harder. I mean my opponents are not that much
better but the training and stuff is a lot harder. I don't like
it.
Interviewer:
So you don't like the pressure?
Parisyan:
Well the pressure is always there. One of the major things I
hate is cutting that much weight. I hate cutting to 170.
Interviewer:
What do you weigh right now?
Parisyan:
I'm still going up. I'm about 184. The most I have ever been
was before the Serra fight. Two months before the Serra fight
I was 194. Never been that big in my life.
Interviewer:
Cheeseburger diet?
Parisyan:
No, actually, I wasn't eating that unhealthy. I was eating normal
but I wasn't training as much...
Interviewer:
Did you know that if you beat Fernando you would be going to
the UFC?
Parisyan:
Well, Gokor has been telling Joe Silva for a while get Karo in
there, and he was always like "We'll see". Honestly,
I was never like "Oh I wanna go to the UFC". I'm just
a Judo guy and I fight when ever I want. It was just one day
I got a call at like 8 in the morning, and Gokor is like congratulations
you got in the UFC. Then I was like oh shit! I'm in the UFC.
I was excited and like 2 months later oh I'm fighting Strasser?
I was like I don't care, I'm fighting in the UFC!
Interviewer:
What do you think the key to beating Matt Hughes is?
Parisyan:
Well with Matt Hughes against me I'm pretty sure he is gonna
have one game. His game is gonna be a ground and pound. Take
me down, muscle me, and ground and pound me. He's not gonna have
anything like a left hook to right upper cut to a drop fireman's
to an armbar. It's not gonna happen. God forbid it doesn't happen.
Anything can happen in a fight and Matt Hughes is the champion...
he is unbelievable... I'm not underestimating him at all.
Interviewer:
Should be a great fight.
Parisyan:
I just know what he's gonna try and do. He's gonna try to out
muscle me. If he tries to out grapple me that won't be that smart
for him. He shouldn't try to grapple a grappler, it's like me
trying to box a boxer. He will throw punches and kicks with me
for sure, but it's all going to come down to him muscling me
towards the cage and trying to take me down to set up his ground
and pound. I'm going to try to circle away and try to take him
down myself.
Interviewer:
So do you think you will be able to throw him?
Parisyan:
I have thrown a lot of guys before. I've foot swept Randy (Couture)
before. I've thrown Dan Henderson before. It's practice, but
I have fought great wrestlers before. In a fight it's different
because you have punches, but when we clinch up... It's like
Judo guys have the footwork, Randy and Hughes are more steady.
I think Trigg is a better wrestler, but Hughes is just stronger
and pushes like a truck. If you have seen the first fight between
Hughes and Trigg, Trigg was just killing him. Boom, boom, boom,
he was all over him because he had so much confidence in himself.
If he had fought the same fight that he fought the first time
in their last fight he would have beaten Hughes. But once you
lose to somebody... they are in your head...
Interviewer:
Hughes has won his last 2 fights by submission, are you afraid
of his submission skills?
Parisyan:
No. Big NO. But I mean anything can happen. I'm not underestimating
him. He definitely has the power to submit people... Skill to
some point... If he gets somebody's neck he will submit anybody
because of his strength...
Interviewer:
Have you ever trained with him or wrestled with him?
Parisyan:
I never have even talked to him before, then at the last UFC
he came into my dressing room before the Serra fight and said
"Good luck Buddy". I was like Hmmm That's interesting.
Interviewer:
What about his stand up?
Parisyan:
Well he's not Pete Spratt... What I mean is he's not a kickboxer...
He can still hit hard but like I said the only thing I'm gonna
look for is... well not saying that I'm not gonna look out for
his hands since last time when I fought Serra I almost got paid
for it big time. Like I said before my biggest concern is him
taking me down.
Interviewer:
Have you been working on your standup for this fight?
Parisyan:
Yeah, I'm starting to work with a professional boxing trainer.
I have a seminar, then I'm coming back to work with him. He's
supposed to be the hottest trainer right now. Start training
some boxing and hit a lot of weights. Maybe train with Randy
or something.
Interviewer:
So how many times have you trained with Randy before?
Parisyan:
I trained with him a few times. I called him before the last
UFC and I told him Gene and Gokor aren't gonna be there (for
the Serra fight), will you corner for me? He said "yeah,
for sure of course, anything at all". So after I told him
any time you are down here call me up and we can train. So I
knew he would be down here last Thursday so I called him up and
he was like "I can't, I'm booked in meetings". So I
was like fine, call me whenever you can. Then he called me back
and told me that his meetings were cancelled and that he would
meet me at my dojo later.
Interviewer:
So what was it like having Randy in your corner?
Parisyan:
It was good... He was giving good advice like "Posture up",
"Make your shots count", "Keep him there"...
Great confidence booster... He's a great guy... Honestly bro,
he's an ace... A class act... I'm telling you that you can't
find too many guys like Randy... If he likes you, you're set...
He had to wear a KTFO hat and a Full Contact shirt so I could
get paid because of my contract... He said "No problem,
I'll do anything to help you out". He's like the best. In
the UFC he's the best as a fighter, as a person, as a coach.
At the last UFC me and him walked into the training room with
like 10 cameras after us Beyond the Glory... They were like "Hey
Randy, can we take some photos?", and he says, "Well
it's Karo's show, you're gonna have to ask him." I'm like
"Uh Yeah! Most definitely." Insane. I couldn't even
walk outside. People trying to get my autograph on napkins...
Crazy.
Source: Fight Sport |
Quote
of the Day
"A good cook is like a sorceress who dispenses happiness."
Elsa Schiaparelli, 1890-1973, Italian Designer
|
Ultimate
Fighter Debut
Anybody from Casca Grossa tape the Ultimate Fighter? Being the
egghead that I am, I just assumed that it would start at 9 pm
so I worked late and tried to make it home by 9 pm (which I did,
only to miss the whole damn show).
If
you did, please make me a copy and bring it to class.
Thanks:
Egghead
Mike
|
Fighters'
Club TV Episode 32 TONIGHT!
This episode will run on Aug. 9 and 16 (Tuesday nights) at 9:30PM on Channel
52.
Episode
32 features:
-
Highlights from Shooto Hawaii
-
Casey Daniels (MMAD) vs. Thiago Gonsalves (ATT)
-
Ryan Fukuda (Academia Casca Grossa de Jiu-Jitsu/808 Fight Factory)
vs. Edmund Li (HMC)
-
Jim Kikuchi vs. Ryan Kronewitter (+interview with Jim)
-
Ray “Braddah” Cooper vs. Hermes Franca (+interview
with both fighters)
Tech
of the Week
- Fernando “Margarida” Pontes
Proving
Grounds
- The return of Marcelo Tigre vs. Joe Demeritt (+ interview with
Marcelo)
-
Interview with Sydney Silva on his encounter with a burglar—one
of those great “Jiujitsu in Action” stories, so don’t
miss it!
plus,
your two favorite FCTV hosts, Mike “the Icon” Onzuka
and Mark “Special K” Kurano
Don’t
forget to check out our website by clicking on our banner—cool
factoids.
Questions,
Comments? Email us: fightersclubtv808@hotmail.com
|
UFC
54 Pictures and Breakdown
Go to the MMA Weekly Photo Gallery to see the pictures
James
Irvin VS Terry Martin
While he seemed every bit the warrior as he came out to the Octagon
wearing a ski mask and some Road Warrior-esque shoulder pads,
things would not go Terry Martin’s way against James Irvin.
With the crowd behind him, Irvin landed the sharper punches in
the early exchanges.
When
things got to close range it was Terry who shined bright as he
managed to slam Irvin numerous times but was unable to pass the
guard and do serious damage. As the first round ended it would
be easy to say that Martin was in the lead for his slams and
control.
The
second round started with a bang; literally, as James Irvin caught
Terry coming in on a shoot with possibly the wickedest knee the
UFC has seen in a long time. Martin’s body went instantly
stiff as he fell back to the canvas unconscious giving the win
to James. James Irvin appears to be the new rising force in the
205lb division and in a year or two could definitely compete
for the title.
Trevor
Prangley VS Travis Lutter
The evening’s second prelim featured a contrast in styles
as Trevor Prangley’s striking managed to get the better
of Travis Lutter’s grappling as Prangley pulled off a unanimous
decision victory.
Early
on the size difference was evident as Lutter was never able to
keep Trevor in any trouble despite having the edge in takedowns.
It was action below the belt that sealed the round for Lutter
as Trevor couldn’t keep his shots up, landing two low blows
giving Lutter the advantage going into the second.
In
the second round Prangley managed to open up a cut on Lutter
with short elbows in Travis’ guard, giving him the advantage
as things went to the third. The final round replayed much like
the previous with Lutter working takedowns but Trevor dominated
the action and opened up another cut on Lutter sealing the fight
in his favor.
Matt
Lindland VS Joe Doerksen
In what was a display of ground transitions, reversals and skill,
Matt Lindland defeated Joe Doerksen via unanimous decision in
a three round war of attrition.
To
his credit Joe showed great skill in the takedown, taking down
an Olympic Silver Medal winner on numerous occasions with various
Judo trips and throws. But the soul-decimating ground game of
Lindland claimed another victim as he stifled everything Joe
threw his way.
With
sweeps and escapes coming by the dozen Lindland managed to stay
away from Joe’s highly regarded ground game. Fighting off
rear naked chokes and armbars, Lindland held Doerksen on his
back early and often. Thus proving that Lindland is indeed proficient
in submission defense and offence as he went for multiple guillotine
attempts.
This
went on throughout the fight and due to his use of dominant position
Lindland was able to secure the victory. With the win Matt should
be next in line to face current UFC Middleweight Champion Rich
Franklin either in a PPV or Spike TV live broadcast before the
end of the year.
Frank
Trigg VS Georges St. Pierre
Heading into the bout between Frank Trigg and Georges St. Pierre,
many wondered if Georges could wrestle Trigg and do more than
just throw fancy kicks and slick submissions, and he did, impressively.
If
there was one performance more dominating on the card than what
St. Pierre provided it would be hard to find. Georges owned every
bit of the fight that lasted just over four minutes. After a
brief stand up exchange the fight went to the ground after a
failed Frank Trigg shot and from there it was all downhill for
Trigg.
St.
Pierre dominated position and went for numerous submissions before
mounting Trigg and cutting him open on the head. From there Trigg
gave up his back and St. Pierre was able to quickly secure the
rear naked and take one step closer to getting a rematch with
Matt Hughes or Karo Parisyan depending on the outcome of their
fight.
Brian
Gassaway VS Diego Sanchez
Initially billed as a classic striker VS grappler type battle,
the match between Brian Gassaway and Diego Sanchez became more
a match of hungry youth overcoming veteran experience as Diego
won the fight in the second round via verbal submission.
Early
on it was clear that Sanchez wanted no part of Gassaway’s
stand up game as he took Brian down and worked for position throughout
the first round. Gassaway was able to fend off Diego on numerous
occasions but he only ended up finding himself back on the bottom
regardless of the wizard-like escapes he pulled off.
In
the second round Diego again placed Gassaway on his back with
Diego raining down shots from the mount. This time however Gassaway
was unable to use the cage to help him escape and Diego’s
relentless assault became too much for Brian to handle as he
tapped out amidst a barrage of Diego strikes.
Diego
continues to look impressive in his UFC PPV debut and will most
likely take another fight before the year as he pays his dues
before being considered for a title shot sometime next year.
Randy
Couture VS Mike Van Arsdale
When
people initially viewed this fight it appeared as if something
was wrong with Randy Couture when he faced off against Mike Van
Arsdale. The once dominant wrestler looked tentative and sometimes
not as crisp as he had in the past and it was for good reason.
This
fight almost didn’t happen due to a knee injury Couture
had suffered prior to the fight. It took all his charm and persuasion
for Randy to convince the NSAC to allow him to fight on UFC 54.
Like a true warrior Couture fought through the injury and managed
to pull of a submission victory over Van Arsdale in the third
round.
In
the early going Mike seemed to have Randy back on his toes, landing
the sharper punches and out wrestling Couture throughout the
first round. With the injury hampering his movement Couture was
able to stave off anything that Mike was able to throw his way
and used his intelligence on the ground, going for submissions
and landing knees to Mike’s shoulders when in the north/south
position.
The
third round started with an interesting exchange across the Octagon
as Randy winked and smiled at Van Arsdale from his corner with
Mike replying in kind. Feeling the need to possibly finish the
fight before his knee could become a factor, Randy charged through
Van Arsdale’s punches and took Mike down against the cage
and applied the anaconda choke ala Minotauro Nogueira to finish
the fight just under a minute into the fight.
Randy
keeps himself in the hunt to regain the title with the win and
could either face his originally slated opponent, Babalu Sobral,
or give a rematch to Jeremy Horn or even possibly face rising
star James Irvin before getting a rubber match with Chuck Liddell.
Tim
Sylvia VS Tra Telligman
When it was announced that Tim Sylvia would be facing Tra Telligman
instead of Assuerio Silva at UFC 54 people knew that the fight
had the potential to have an explosive finish and did it ever.
The
two strikers exchanged punches throughout the first round with
Tim using his size and reach to his advantage keeping Tra at
bay throughout the round. At around the three minute mark Telligman
began to show signs of Tim’s peppering as his face began
to swell before a cut opened below his left eye from Tim’s
shots.
To
Telligman’s credit he did land punches in the fight but
Tim was able to walk through them showing little regard for Tra’s
power. With just seconds left in the fight Tim launched a kick
that landed clean on Tra’s face sending Telligman down violently
giving the win to Tim via KO with just one second remaining in
the round.
Telligman
would become the second fighter in the evening, along with Terry
Martin, to be taken out of the Octagon on a stretcher. Reports
from the hospital have Tra recovering well from the KO despite
him not regaining his senses until well after he left the MGM
Grand Garden Arena.
With
the win the UFC’s “Big Man” is indeed back and
to further silence his critics, Sylvia tested negative to a random
drug test administered by the NSAC to ensure there was no possible
controversy involving his earlier infraction. With another win
or two Tim could find himself back in the championship picture
as he hopes to rematch Andrei Arlovski in 2006.
Chuck
Liddell VS Jeremy Horn
In the evening’s main event all the questions were answered.
Chuck Liddell, while not able to knock out Jeremy Horn, was able
to knock him down and completely take Jeremy out of his game.
Easily
larger than Horn, Chuck was able to land the harder shots standing,
putting down Horn multiple times throughout the first round.
On the first couple of occasions Liddell fallowed Jeremy down,
attempting to TKO Horn but soon he realized Horn’s ploy
and didn’t fallow Horn to the ground thus avoiding submission
situations.
This
continued on throughout all three rounds with Jeremy occasionally
landing punches and kicks to Liddell, but it was nothing compared
to what Chuck unleashed. Easily able to walk though Jeremy’s
strikes, Chuck easily overpowered Jeremy’s takedown attempts.
Finally
the accumulated damage took its toll on Horn as his vision eroded
throughout the fight and he was unable to continue after being
again placed on the floor by Chuck’s right hand. The Iceman
wins interestingly enough via verbal submission and retains his
UFC Light-Heavyweight Championship.
Next
up for Liddell could be a possible rematch with Quinton “Rampage”
Jackson if he can be signed to a deal. If not then he may face
Forrest Griffin, Stephan Bonnar or possibly even a final match
with Randy Couture if an immediate challenger cannot be found.
One
thing is for sure, Chuck Liddell is a far more complete fighter
than many gave him credit for going into the fight and unless
someone can take him down and keep him down his reign should
last well into the future.
Source: MMA Weekly
|
Wanderlei
100% no injures in Pride
All
injures that bothered Wanderlei Silva in the past are gone. Now
Silva says he is ready to face Ricardo Arona on next August 28.
Pride Middleweight champion also celebrates the new acquisitions
made by Chute Boxe, as Boxing trainer Ulisses Pereira, who trains
Brazilian boxer Acelino Popó Freitas. "Ulisses is
the best trainer of Brazil and he has a team profile. I'm learning
a lot with him and with no contusions, I'll be in my better shape,"
says Wanderlei. You cannot miss the full preview of Pride Middleweight
GP at TATAME #115, which is already available at TATAMEShop.
Read what Silva and Ricardo Arona expect from this semifinal,
which promises to be a real war!
Source: Tatame
|
Villaver
International Productions Presents
"Night of the Hawaiian Punch!"
Pro Boxing is Back in Hawaii!
Neal Blaisdell
Arena
September 6, 2005
Fights start at 7:30 PM
Tickets are available at all ticketmaster locations, Blaisdell
box office
Charge by phone at 1-877-750-4400 or www.ticketmaster.com
Guests scheduled to attend include former WBA World Jr. Lightweight
Champion Ven Villaflor & former WBA World Jr. Featherweight
Champion "the Hawaiian Punch" Jesus Salud.
Main Event 10 Rounds
WBO World
Champion
Ratanachai Sor Vorapin (Bangkok, Thailand)
vs.
Pedro Melco Jr (Asia Pacific No 6 Ranked from Zamboanga, Philippines
Co-Main Event
6 Rounds
Kosol Sor Vorapin (Bangkok, Thailand)
vs.
Dustin
Kim (Mililani, Hawaii)
Phom Sor Vorapin (Bangkok, Thailand)
vs.
Michael
Balasi (Honolulu, Hawaii)
Travis
Tandal (Kaimuki, Hawaii)
vs.
Aaron Carvalho
(Hilo, Hawaii)
Kaleo
Kwan (Waimanalo, Hawaii)
vs.
Edwin Navarro
(Honolulu, Hawaii)
|
Super
Brawl / Icon Sport Announces Full Contact Showdown #5 at MCBH-Kaneohe
Bay:
Honolulu, HI, July 18, 2005 - Today Super Brawl / Icon Sport
announced its fifth installment of the Full Contact Showdown
(FCS). FCS#5 will take place at 8 p.m. on Saturday, September 10, 2005 in the Kahuna's
Sports Bar & Grill "E-Club" Ballroom at MCBH-Kaneohe
Bay ("Marine Core Base Hawaii").
The FCS series provides amateur and young professional mixed
martial arts athletes the opportunity to compete in a professionally-produced
promotion. The events also provide both civilian and military
fans the chance to enjoy exciting mixed martial arts bouts in
an intimate, fan-friendly setting. The Kahuna's Sports Bar &
Grill , which has a full bar, multiple beer stations, and superb
and affordable dining, comfortably seats 800 fans in its "E-Club"
Ballroom. Every seat in the house gives fans up-close viewing
of the amazing action.
Successful FCS fighters earn the opportunity to "move up"
to the high-profile Super Brawl / Icon Sport promotions, where
international exposure, competition, prize money greatly increases.
The FCS series have drawn large groups of fans to Windward Oahu's
MCBH-Kaneohe Bay, with every show reaching near sell-out capacity.
Rising Middleweight super-star Steve Byrnes, a war-veteran sergeant
stationed at MCBH-Kaneohe Bay, will once again headline the event.
Byrnes won the FCS Middleweight belt at Bayfest's outdoor presentation
of FCS#4 on July 3, 2005. After a quick exchange of strikes,
Byrnes quickly submitted his opponent, Aaron Rose, via "rear
naked choke" in round one of the main event. FCS#5 will
be Byrnes' first title defense.
Kaipo Kalama (Middleweight - Team M.M.A.D.), Ray "King Kong"
Seraille (Heavyweight - Grappling Unlimited), Mike Leonguerrero
(U.S. Marine; Lightweight - Bulls Pen), Justin Holcombe (U.S.
Marine; Lightweight - Bulls Pen), Austin Hernandez (Flyweight
- Bulls Pen), and Kyle Miyahana (Welterweight - freelance) are
among a number of young fighters scheduled to compete at FCS#5.
Tickets for FCS#5 will go on sale on Friday, July 29 at Dreamworld
Tattoo, located behind famous Keneke's restaurant in Waimanalo.
$35 Ringside (first two rows)
$20 Military general admission
$20 Non-Military pre-sale general admission
$25 Non-Military day-of general admission
SPECIAL TICKET & T-SHIRT OFFER:
Receive one general admission ticket and one official Full Contact
Showdown T-Shirt (sizes L and XL available) for just $33.
OR
Receive one ringside ticket and one official Full Contact Showdown
T-Shirt for just $45. T-Shirt designs are attached to this email.
This offer applies to pre-sale tickets only at Dreamworld Tattoo
in Waimanalo.
For more information about Full Contact Showdown #5, contact
Patrick Freitas, Super Brawl / Icon Sport / Full Contact Showdown
Director of Promotions at (808) 375-1645 or superbrawl21@yahoo.com.
The Full Contact Showdown is sponsored by:
Steinlager
Dreamworld Tattoo
Military Nutrition
Fighter's Corner
En Fuego Grill & Poke
Sugoi
Fatboy's Diner
Source: Patrick Freitas |
Quote
of the Day
"You can live a lifetime and, at the end of it,
know more about other people than you know about yourself."
Beryl Markham, 1902-1986, English Aviator
|
Shooto
Rankings
WORLD RANKING
Bantamweight
C Mamoru
1 Robson Moura
2 Yasuhiro Urushitani
3 Junji Ikoma
4 BJ
5 Homare Kuboyama
6 Setsu Iguchi – New (Draw Kuboyama)
7 Takeyasu Hirono – Up (Win Kurata)
8 Daiji Takahashi – Down (Up Hirono)
9 Masatoshi Abe – Down (Up Hirono)
10 Hiroaki Yoshioka – Down (Up Hirono)
Featherweight
C Ryota Matsune
1 Marco Louro
2 Akitoshi Hokazono – Up (*)
3 Daniel Lima – Up (*)
4 Naoya Uematsu – Up (*)
5 Masahiro Oishi – Up (Win Akimoto)
6 Kenji Osawa
7 Jose Aldo – Up (Down Akimoto)
8 Jin Akimoto – Qown (Lose Oishi)
9 Shuichirou Katsumura – Up (*)
10 Ryan Ackerman – Again (*)
*Imaizumi seceded from Shooto.
Lightweight
C Alexandre Nogueira
1 Gilbert Melendez
2 Hiroyuki Takaya
3 Rumina Sato
4 Joao Roque
5 Katsuya Toida – Up (Win Ishikawa)
6 Makoto Ishikawa – Down (Lose Toida)
7 Stephen
Paling – Down (Up Toida)
8 Hiroyuki Abe – Down (Up Toida)
9 Jens Pulver – Down (Up Toida)
10 Hatsu Hioki – New (Win Kadowaki)
Welterweight
C Tatsuya Kawajiri
1 Vitor Ribeiro
2 Joachim Hansen
3 Kotetsu Boku
4 Mitsuhiru Ishida
5 Takashi Nakakura
6 Ray Cooper
7 Ryan Bow
8 Kaoru Uno
9 Gesias Cavalcante
10 Jani Lax
*All the same.
Middleweight
C Akira Kikuchi
1 Jake Shields
2 Jutaro Nakao
3 Ronald
Jhun
4 David Baron
5 Sauli Heilimo
6 Shinya Aoki – Up (Win Iwase)
7 Kuniyoshi Hironaka
8 Chris Lytle
9 Shigetoshi Iwase
10 Ruis Ramos
Light
Heavyweight
C Masanori Suda
1 Dustin Denes
2 Shiko Yamashita
3 Egan
Inoue
4 Martijn de Jong
5 Scott Henze
6 Curtis Stout
7 Ryuta Sakurai
8 Jon Fitch
9 David Bielkheden
10 Ivan Jorge
*All the same.
PACIFIC-RIM
Featherweight
/ -60kg
C Vacant
1 Akitoshi Hokazono – Up (*)
2 Daniel Lima – Up (*)
3 Naoya Uematsu – Up (*)
4 Masahiro Oishi – Up (Win Akimoto)
5 Kenji Osawa
6 Jin Akimoto
7 Kimihito Nonaka – Up (*)
8 Shuichiro Katsumura – Up (*)
9 So Tazawa – Up (*)
*Imaizumi seceded from Shooto.
Lightweight
/ -65kg
C Rumina Sato
1 Gilbert Melendez
2 Hiroyuki Takaya
3 Stephen
Paling
4 Katsuya Toida – Up (Win Ishikawa)
5 Makoto Ishikawa – Down (Lose Toida)
6 Hiroyuki Abe – Down (Up Toida)
7 Hatsu Hioki – Up (Win Kadowaki)
8 Hideki Kadowaki – Down (Lose Hioki)
9 Lion Takeshi – Down (Up Hioki)
10 Jin Kazeta – Again (Win Yamada)
Welterweight
/ -70kg
C Kotetsu Boku
1 Mitsuhiro Ishida
2 Takashi Nakakura
3 Ray Cooper
4 Ryan Bow
5 Kaoru Uno
6 Kenichiro Togashi – Up (Win Tentsuku)
7 Daisuke 'Amazon' Sugie – Up (Win Gill)
8 Takaharu Murahama – Down (Up Togashi, Sugie)
9 Ganjo Tentsuku – Down (Lose Togashi)
10 Takumi
Middleweight
/ -76kg
C Vacant
1 Jake Shields
2 Jutaro Nakao
3 Ronald
Jhun
4 Shinya Aoki – Up (Win Iwase)
5 Kuniyoshi Hironaka – Down (Up Aoki)
6 Shigetoshi Iwase
7 Mark
Moreno
8 Deshaun Johnson
9 Cris Brown
|
Mike
Swick - Interview with the Ultimate Fight Night Winner
JW:
You've won both your fights in UFC via quick knockout. Have you
been planning to go in there and bang or is that just how it
has been working out for you?
MS:
I always want to bang but you can never count on it always working
out like it has. I just wait for the right opportunity and take
it.
JW:
Did the late opponent change alter your game plan at all?
MS:
It did change things because as a fighter, Gideon is completely
opposite of Rockel. Rockel is a ground guy while Gideon is a
striker. I was preparing for Rockel but when I found out it would
be Gideon we just changed our strategy. We train in all aspects
so it didn’t really mess the plan up too much.
JW:
Do you think fans are expecting the fast knockout from you now?
Do you have any surprises up your sleeve in regards to how you'll
fight your next match?
MS:
I think they count on me being aggressive and going for the KO,
and that will never change. As far as tricks, well, there is
a lot I haven’t been able to show yet. I am anxious to showcase
all my abilities.
JW:
UFC has largely been booking The Ultimate Fighter competitors
against other fighters who do not have much UFC experience as
well. Do you agree with this matchmaking tactic or do you think
The Ultimate Fighter guys should be booked against the company's
bigger stars quicker?
MS:
I don’t really think about it. I just train. When Joe calls
and gives me a name, then I start focusing on that opponent.
JW:
When do you think you'll be ready to move up and take on the
top fighters at middleweight?
MS:
I like to think I am ready now.
JW:
Has UFC approached you about your next fight? When do you think
it will take place? Whom will you fight, or whom would you like
to fight?
MS:
I am healing up now so I will not be ready to fight until November
or December. I went into this fight really injured so I need
to take time off to heal my body. As far as who I will fight
next, I am not sure yet.
JW:
If you were approached about a title fight with Rich Franklin,
would you be interested in taking it at this point?
MS:
Hahaha… That’s not going to happen right now, but,
I will not say no to the UFC. Whoever they ask me to fight is
who I will be stepping the the octagon with unless I am in a
cast or on crutches.
JW:
Did you have a chance to watch the Salaverry-Marquardt fight?
What were your thoughts on that?
MS:
I saw most of it. From my take on it, I think it was two very
talented fighters giving each other too much respect. I think
they both have the ability to be exciting it just didn’t
work out that night.
JW:
Whom do you think should get the first title shot against Franklin?
MS:
I thought Lindland is already getting the shot. I think Dave
Loiseau is close as well. There is a lot of talent in the Middleweight
division and I am just happy to get a chance to fight these guys…
JW:
Is there anything you want to add to the interview?
MS:
Thanks and I would first like to thank my sponsors: Xyience,
Sprawl, Cobb-28, Innerpimp.com, Zinkin Entertainment, Bite-Me
Mouthguards, And Score Clinic. Please visit my webpage for News,
Videos, Photos, and contact info… www.MikeSwick.com
Source: Maxfighting
|
SAKU
TRAINS WITH WANDERLEI & CHUTE BOXE
Arrived in Curitiba this Friday, August 19th, the Japanese Idol
Kasushi Sakuraba. Very friendly with everyone and showing an
impressive humility, Sakuraba enjoyed his first training in Chute
Boxe Academy, the interchange of two months in Curitiba could
be an excellent opportunity for the local fighters to change
some experiences with Sakuraba.
This
morning all fighter were back to the Academy for the last training
together before the travel of the Chute Boxe Team next Monday
for the GP finals in Japan. In a very rare moment we could see
the two potential GP finalists training together and as we can
see both are ready to go!!!!
Source: MMA Weekly
|
Sakara
and Babalú at UFC 55's cage
After
meeting at Jungle Fight, Renato Babalúand Italian Aléssio
Sakara meet once again, at this time at Ultimate Fighting Championship
55, schedule to go on October 7, in Connecticut, US. Meanwhile
Sakara takes on Australian Elvis Sinosic, Babalú's manager
deals a fight with American Chael Sonnen.
-
I am recovered from the contusion, which spoiled me in the earlier
edition. I am getting ready for this bout, but the only one who
may confirm it, it's my manager - Babalú says. Contacted
by TATAME, Gracie Barra Combat Team's manager Carlo Malta confirmed
the whole deal and he expects to close it as soon as possible.
Sonnen has fought 20 times and won 16 at Pancrase, Euphoria and
Xtreme Fighting Organization, among others.
Brazilian
Assuério Silva, who did not fight at UFC 53, will not
be disputing UFC 55 as well. "He will not fight because
he still recovers himself from a contusion. But he has been training
hard to return with better shape," says his manager Jorge
Guimarães Joinha.
Source: Tatame |
Quote
of the Day
"A smooth sea never made a skillful mariner."
English Proverb
|
Academia
Casca Grossa de Jiu-Jitsu
Is Open Today!
This is just a reminder to those who Mike mistakenly told that
the class was going to be closed this Sunday.
The Academy is
actually going to be closed on Sunday, September 4th due to getting the
floors done.
|
Marcelo
Garcia Seminar Change!
Saturday,
August 27th from 3-6 pm, and on Sunday, August 28th from 3-6
pm
Palolo
Hongwanji at 1641 Palolo avenue, just up from Waialae Avenue
in Kaimuki
Aloha everyone, There was a mix-up at the Hongwanji, so we have
to change to Friday evening session to Saturday in the afternoon.
So, the days of the Marcelo Garcia seminar will be held on Saturday, August 27th
from 3-6 pm, and on Sunday, August 28th from 3-6 pm.
Hopefully, this will be better for everyone. Thanks for understanding.
If you have any questions, please call 864-1620.
Mahalo,
Burton Richardson
|
UFC
54: Boiling Point Results!
UFC 54: 'Boiling Point'
August 20th, 2005
MGM Grand Garden Arena, Las Vegas, NV
|
Torre
Guilty of Murder,
Prosecution Won't Seek Death Penalty
by Josh Gross (joshg@sherdog.com)
Rafiel
Torre was convicted in Rancho Cucamonga, Calif.'s West Valley
Superior Court Thursday for the December 2001 murder of Bryan
Richards, the husband of Torre's former mistress.
The
11-woman, 1-man jury, which began deliberations on the case Monday,
also ruled Torre's killing of Richards was made for financial
gain — Richards had a $1 million life insurance policy —
leaving open the possibility that Torre could receive the death
penalty. The prosecution, however, has decided against pursuing
this option. Instead, he will likely be sentenced to life in
prison without possibility of parole.*
Covered
by trash bags and wheeled dollies, Richards was found in the
bed of his pick-up truck parked in a local supermarket parking
lot. He was murdered by what prosecutors described as a "lion
killer" choke (in MMA vernacular a "rear-naked”
choke).
Torre,
40, trained and taught Brazilian jiu-jitsu under the guise of
being a black belt in the grappling sport, but later admitted
that his credentials were inflated. He fought just once, a dubious
February 2001 submission victory in King of the Cage versus Ioka
Tianuu.
While
testifying, Torre — known in mixed martial arts circles
as a part-time reporter, personality, broadcaster and fighter
— alleged that his girlfriend, Angelina Richards, was in
fact responsible for her 32-year-old husband's death, but that
at her behest he aided in covering up the murder.
"That
was her idea, not mine," Torre testified.
The
jury, however, did not believe Torre's claim and handed down
its ruling this afternoon.
*It
was initially reported that the death penalty would be a possibility
for Torre. The Inland Valley Daily Bulletin’s Rod Leveque
informed Sherdog.com late Thursday that the prosecution had taken
it off the table.
Information
from the Daily Bulletin was used for this report
Source: Sherdog
|
Did
UFC Make The Right Decision With Mir?
By Jeremy Wall
Did UFC make the right decision with Mir? Yes. That's your short
answer. Now for the long one.
UFC
stripped Frank Mir of his version of the UFC Heavyweight title,
a title that Mir never defended even once. Frank Mir was really
only the UFC heavyweight champion for a few short weeks. The
injuries from the motorcycle accident last autumn (nearly a year
ago!) have shelved him for so long, and the (until recently)
interim Heavyweight champ Andrei Arlovski has been so dominant,
that no one was buying into the concept of Frank Mir being the
"real" heavyweight champ.
Of
course, the biggest fight UFC could do at this point in the heavyweight
division would have been the title unification match between
Arlovski and Mir. UFC does not exactly have the strongest heavyweight
division in the history of MMA, but they are certainly better
off at this point than they have been maybe since the days of
Couture as heavyweight champ. Arlovski vs. Mir would have been
the icing on the cake.
But
it is not like that fight would have been a mega draw on pay
per view. Arlovski probably has more name value than Mir, since
he has been champion in an era of UFC that features The Ultimate
Fighter reality show and folds of new fans coming in from TV
viewership. Mir won the UFC title before many of these brand
spanking new fans had ever watched a single UFC fight. Yes, Mir
only won the title last year, but sometimes a year can be forever...
especially in such a young and developing sport like MMA.
In
my opinion, Arlovski would have defeated Mir had they stepped
into the octagon against each other this year. And he would still
defeat him if the fight happens sometime down the line in the
UFC. As evidenced by his loss against Ian Freeman, Mir doesn't
like to get hit. Unfortunately for him, Arlovski likes to hit.
Mir is amazing on the ground and there's a chance he could have
submitted Arlovski, but Arlovski is a talented enough fighter
to be submissions aware and should be able to avoid any problems
on the mat with Mir. Mir was asking for an Arlovski knockout.
It
would have been an interesting match, but I think the alternate
fight, the newly announced Arlovski vs. Paul Buentello for the
Heavyweight title, should actually be a more exciting fight.
Buentello can bang. Of course, so can Arlovski. And odds are,
unless Arlovski does like he did against Tim Sylvia and submits
Buentello rather quickly, they will go out and do what we all
want them to do best: beat the snot out of each other.
Luckily
UFC has Buentello about, though, because without him, there really
isn't another challenger for the Heavyweight belt. Many people
complained about Arlovski being booked against Justin Eilers
when UFC had no other opponent for Arlovski with the exception
of Buentello. Eilers did not deserve the title fight, and that
was made clear when he was destroyed quickly. Although Eilers
vs. Arlovski was not an ideal fight and UFC could have booked
the more deserving Buentello in the role of challenger at that
point, booking Eilers proved intelligent on UFC's part for the
long-term. If Buentello had fought Arlovski then and lost, who
would they book against Arlovski now with Mir still on the shelf?
It
is possible that instead of Buentello fighting Kevin Jordan,
then Eilers would have. Eilers may have won that fight, and we
would end up with Eilers vs. Arlovski now, which may not be so
bad because at least Eilers would not be going into a title fight
after a knockout loss. If Kevin Jordan won, we might be seeing
Jordan vs. Arlovski. Although Jordan is a good heavyweight fighter,
he is also not ready for a title shot against Arlovski.
Where
UFC goes with Arlovski should he beat Buentello at UFC 55 will
be interesting. Next year might be the biggest year ever for
the UFC's heavyweight division, as all the new signees that will
be coming off The Ultimate Fighter Season 2 heavyweight division
will add a new spark of starpower to that weight class. It's
just a question, though, if anyone will be able to rise to meet
the challenge of Arlovski next year as we may be a long time
off before there are any real, deserving contenders for the UFC
Heavyweight title.
Source: Maxfighting
|
Marquardt
Camp:
First Retest "Negative" for Banned Substances
by Sherdog.com
Nathan Marquardt's (Pictures) initial re-test of his post-Salaverry
urinalysis, which showed significant traces of nandrolone metabolite
(an indicator of illegal steroid use), has come back "negative
for any banned substance," said a statement released Thursday
afternoon by the middleweight's manager, Will Hendricks.
Monday's
re-test results from Nevada should be available tomorrow, the
statement also indicated. The Denver, Colo.-based fighter contends
he never took steroids, and leading up to the August 6 fight
in Las Vegas used three over-the-counter supplements — Max
Stack Plus, by MM Sports Nutrition; P6 Extreme, by Cellucor:
Pro-hormone technology; and Andro 250, (Androstenedione) by AST
Sports Science.
Source: Sherdog
|
TUF
Season II Participant, Jorge Gurgel
By Sean McClure
His
last name is pronounced “Gurz-shell” not “gurgle”
and he is quick to correct you on that. You have seen him many
times if you have watched UFC Middleweight Champion, Rich Franklin
fight. He is the guy in his corner, that confident and commanding
voice you hear yelling at Rich when he is in the Octagon. Jorge
is a real professional and one of the most compassionate and
giving individuals I have ever met. With his appearance on season
2 of Spike TV’s Ultimate Fighter I can only hope he gets
the proper respect he most assuredly deserves. This is my interview
with one of my MMA idols, and my friend Jorge Gurgel. I sat down
with him on August 13th at the Jorge Gurgel MMA academy in Middletown
Ohio.
How
long have you been in MMA?
I
have been Competing since 2000.
Do
you have any memorable fights that jump out in your mind right
now?
All
of them. I like to keep them action packed, as you see, I have
been defined as a completely different Brazilian. I am a Brazilian
black belt but I like to keep my fights standing. I like standing
a lot. Every single one of the fights, it was different and special
in a different way to me. They are all fun and I realized each
time I fought, as soon as I got done all I thought about is,
when can I fight again? I got hooked on it. I don’t have
a special fight maybe the Jay Ireland fight was one, it was the
fight of the year at KOTC in Feb. Everyone talks about that fight.
Probably my favorite.
I
know that when people say “Jorge Gurgel” they remember
KOTC specifically. When I mention your name that is what everyone
says, KOTC. That has all changed. Now if you go to websites,
they are talking about Jorge and the Ultimate Fighter. I know
you can’t talk about that, but if you could just give us
some thoughts about your experience.
Absolutely,
it was the best thing I have ever done in my life as far as an
athlete, a professional athlete. To go and learn about yourself
to see how far you are in the sport to compare what you know
with other professional athletes nowadays, to try to go mainstream,
and try to make your sport mainstream. You have to know about
nutrition and training, have good work ethics, and you have to
have dedication. That makes a professional athlete. When you
walk into a house with a bunch of guys, some of them have little
concept of what it is. Most of them just fight because they fought
in the school and it beats an 8 to 5 job. It puts everything
in perspective for you and makes you really learn a lot about
yourself. It is the best thing I have ever done.
I
know you are injured, and I know a lot of people reading this
interview are going to want to know how it happened. I know you
are limited as to what you can say, but did this happen during
a fight or a workout?
I
already went with a previous ACL injury. But you know how I am
I stuck through the whole thing until then end. That’s when
the UFC offered to pay for my surgery.
When
is Jorge Gurgel going to be back in the ring?
Whenever
the UFC calls me and they say “are you ready” and I
can say I am 100% ready. That is all I am striving for. I am
working out 2 hours a day in the gym to get stronger and 3 hours
a day, spread 3 times a day with physical therapy and rehab for
my knee. My diet is perfect I don’t party. I am focusing
on getting better so I can go the UFC and show what I can do
when I am healthy.
From
watching you fight I can tell you are going to go there and do
well. The other question is about training… How do you recover
from an injury like this?
You
don’t accept negativity from anybody. You think you are
going to be 100% and you make yourself 100%. If everybody believed
what doctors say; that you will never do this or do that again,
it is a block that you’ve got to go against and you’ve
got to fight adversity. The doctor told me I would be 100%. There
are fighters fighting right now in the UFC and PRIDE that have
had the same surgery done, football players in the NFL have had
it done numerous times. I will be 100% I will just have to really
dedicate myself to my rehab and to train hard. I believe in 6
months I will be ready and good as new.
When
I am watching a fight I also try to watch and listen to the fighter’s
corner man. Most people don’t realize that you are the corner
man for UFC Middleweight Champion, Rich Franklin.
Yes,
I have been his corner since his first fight in the UFC.
Just
to let the fans know, whenever you see that head pop over the
cage when Rich wins, that you right.
Yeah,
that’s me.
Obviously
you train champions, so what do you tell these guys, or what
do you tell Rich that drives him?
We
feed off each other. Rich is a thinking fighter. Rich is the
guy that does everything methodically. I am the emotional one.
I am the one who says you do it or you don’t come back or
look me in the face until you get it done. That is how I coach
him and that is how I get a spark going in him. I will either
make you or break you. There is no middle term. That is how I
teach all my students and Rich is no different. Because he is
the Middleweight Champion of the world, I am not going to treat
him any different. I go into the ring and say your do this, you
listen to what I am saying and you will win this fight. He has
always listened and he has always won.
I
have noticed you have a lot of new fighters here. (Oh yeah) I
think the word about JG MMA is spreading because there were people
lined up almost packed to the door. Do you attribute that to
your work ethic or the popularity of MMA right now?
I
honestly know it is 8 years of hard working. It comes from eating
leftovers when I first came to America and teaching 10 people.
And now I have 10 affiliate schools around the country. This
is the main school. I have over 350 students and a professional
fighting team with about 20 amateur and professional fighters
that I lead by example. I would never tell anyone to do something
that I couldn’t do myself. When you walk through my door
if you have a good attitude and do what I say and don’t
have an ego, if you have an ego I will get rid of it in the first
5 minutes. You want to be a part of the family, you can’t
have an ego. We train together I will make sure you are ready
to fight to the best of my ability to win. But this is not a
democracy. It is dictatorship and I run the ship here. Because
if we lose, I will take the blame. If things are done the way
I want, we will win. I am very proud of Rich because he has never
questioned me and always done what I told him to and look at
him now.
Most
people don’t realize that you have other fighters all around
the country involved in MMA. For example, you have a student
that is helping Jeremy Horn train for his fight against Chuck
Liddell.
Yes,
Billy Rush. He was mine and Rich’s first nutritionist, the
strength and conditioning coach. He is actually training Jeremy
full time now. We have a student named Mike that was partnering
with Rich today, he is fighting for the FFC World Title in September.
WE have Dusty Hazel that just beat Jay Ireland in KOTC. I have
guys fighting KOTC, IFC all from team Jorge Gurgel. Chris Wells,
who trained here today, from Atlanta… he has been offered
fights anywhere in the world. Guys that fight in Japan. I think
it is just strong leadership and loyalty that makes everybody
so great. We beat the crap out of each other hear but nobody
has bad intentions or bad feelings. Nobody is a person that won’t
fit in. If you come in here and the core of the team doesn’t
like someone, I will just politely ask them to leave. That has
never happened but one bad seed can ruin everything. This is
my family. I moved here alone with no family around me. So, my
students and my team are my family and I want to have a good
family. I want everyone to be friends family, everyone is welcome
to the door. I don’t care if it is Sakuraba, I don’t
care if anyone from Japan comes here and trains as long as they
show respect for the sport and respect for my house when they
are in my house. This is my house.
If
you could sum up what you’ve built in a sentence or a word
or a feeling, how would you do that?
I
could never do this, to be honest, without God. It’s complicated.
I left my country with a full ride scholarship there. Left my
family, everything I owned to come here and pursue a fighting
dream when everybody was calling me crazy eight years ago. My
mother included. And now I see everybody saying, there is Jorge,
my mom saying “there is my son, He made it”. I have
no grudges, but I always knew I was going to make it. I drove
myself to do it, I wanted to do it, and I did it. People say
you live the great American dream, which is to come to a different
country and be successful. Well, I haven’t done it yet,
but I am very happy with what I have. But it was a very hard
road. Harder than most people think. The past eight years weren’t
that pretty. I used to have to sleep on the floor I had no money
to buy food. And now, I am a professional in mixed martial arts,
at the top of the food chain because that is all I did for eight
years. I didn’t go out partying I didn’t go out drinking.
I was in the gym every day. I am training every day. I am with
Rich Franklin 6 days a week, 5 hours a day. So it’s all
due to hard work and believing. I believed in myself when nobody
else did. Now everybody believes. It is just me wanting to do
something and make my family proud. Hopefully, one day I will
be able to do that.
I
think you have. Anybody who knows you, knows you are successful
and will continue to be successful. If you could choose any fighter
in the UFC that you could step in the ring with, not a vendetta
or anything, just someone you could test yourself against, who
would it be?
That
is a great question but it goes against one of my principles,
It is about looking up to a fighter that I would like to fight.
I don’t like to do this that is why I have a manager. I’ll
fight anybody. I don’t have a preferred fighter. They can
say, Jorge your fighting BJ Payne or your fighting Matt Serra,
or whoever. He tells me who and I get ready the best way I can.
I’ll show up and give them a fight.
That
is the answer I expected. Anyone who knows you knows you won’t
back down from a fight, you are going to be successful. MaXfighting
just wants to tell you congratulations with the Ultimate Fighter
Season 2, congrats on your success with your schools, with Rich
winning the Middleweight Belt, and to say thanks for taking the
time out of your busy schedule to do this interview.
Thank
you so much I appreciate it. If you could, I would like to thank
all my sponsors BIZ, Super Tech Fighter, KTFO, Usler Chiropractor,
the Power Station, and most importantly Billy Rush. This man
saved my life. If it weren’t for him I wouldn’t be
here today. He is the one that gave me the opportunity to have
a school, the opportunity to be a fighter, if it wasn’t
for Billy Rush I wouldn’t be here today. So Billy Rush I
extend my thank you to you. And my stepfather Arnie, if it wasn’t
for him I would probably be still in the gutter somewhere with
no money. I will always be grateful for those guys being in my
life. You can visit my site at http://www.teamjorgegurgel.com
Source:
Maxfighting
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Fights
Announced for PRIDE Bushido 183-lb. Tourney by Sherdog.com
Opening-round bouts for PRIDE Bushido's first-ever welterweight
(183-pound) Grand Prix, which takes place September 25 at the
Ariake Coliseum in Tokyo, were released Friday.
Ikuhisa
Minowa (Pictures), Masanori Suda (Pictures), Ryo Chonan (Pictures)
and Akihiro Gono (Pictures) represent their home country of Japan,
while Americans Dan Henderson (Pictures) and Phil Baroni (Pictures),
and Brazilians Murilo Bustamante (Pictures) and Daniel Acacio
(Pictures) round out the "world" contingent. Ryuta
Sakurai (Pictures) fights Paulo Filho (Pictures) for the right
to be a reserve in the tournament's later rounds.
Minowa
first fought Baroni in the American's PRIDE debut last May. The
Japanese fighter did well before tiring and succumbing to Baroni's
hard punches.
Former
UFC 185-pound champion Bustamante meets Suda, whose last appearance
in the ring saw him knocked out by Falaniko Vitale (Pictures).
Perhaps
the best match-up of the opening round sees Chonan take on Henderson.
The Japanese fighter is coming off a knockout loss to Baroni
while Henderson, long considered one of the pound-for-pound best
fighters in the world, is a surprise addition; his name was not
on the list of possible GP participants released by DSE on August
4.
Pancrase's
Gono returns to PRIDE for the first time since defeating Crosley
Gracie at Bushido 7. He fights Chute Boxe's Daniel Acacio (Pictures).
Ikuhisa
Minowa (Pictures) vs Phil Baroni (Pictures)
Dan Henderson (Pictures) vs Ryo Chonan (Pictures)
Daniel Acacio (Pictures) vs Akihiro Gono (Pictures)
Murilo Bustamante (Pictures) vs Masanori Suda (Pictures)
Reserve
Match
Paulo Filho (Pictures) vs Ryuta Sakurai (Pictures)
Source: Sherdog
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