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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)

10/05
Proving Grounds -
ROTR Qualifer
(MMA)
(Lahaina Civic Center, Maui)


9/25/05
NAGA 2005 Hawaiian State Championships
(Submission Grappling & BJJ)
(
Leilehua High School, Wahiawa)

2005 American National Jiu-Jitsu Championship

(BJJ)
(Torrance, CA)


9/05
Proving Grounds -
ROTR Qualifer
(MMA)
(Kauai)


8/27-28/05
International Masters & Seniors BJJ Tournament
(Tijuca Tenis Clube, Tijuca, Brazil)

8/20/05
MMA Event
(MMA)
(Kauai)

8/13/05
Kickin It 11
(Kickboxing)
(Dole Cannery Ballroom?)

Toughman
(Kickboxing)
(Hilo Civic Center, Hilo)

8/6/05
Hawaii Grappling
Grand Prix
(BJJ & Sub Grappling)
(Pearl City H.S. Gym,
Pearl City)

7/29/05
ROTR 8
(MMA)
(Aloha Stadium)


7/23-31/05
World BJJ Championships (Mundial)
(Tijuca Tenis Clube, Tijuca, Brazil)

7/23/05
Super Brawl 40: Icon
(MMA)
(Blaisdell Arena)

7/21-23/05
World Cup of BJJ
(BJJ)
(São Paulo, Brazil)

7/16-17/05
Richard Bustillo 2 day Seminar
(
Jun Fan Jeet Kune Do, Cacoy Doce Pares Eskrima, and Muay Thai concepts)
(HMC)

7/15/05
Kickin It 2005 Part III
(Kickboxing)
(Dole Cannery Square)

7/9/05
Proving Grounds -
ROTR Qualifer
(MMA)
(Hilo Civic Center)

7/3/05
Warriors Quest 11
(MMA)
(Kapaa H.S. Gym, Kapaa, Kauai)

Super Braw: Full Contact Showdown 4
at Bayfest
(MMA)

7/2/05
Extreme Wars X-1: Hawaii's Top Team vs. Next Generation's Top Team
(MMA)
(Blaisdell Arena, Honolulu)

7/1/05
Dan "The Beast" Severn Seminar
(Farrington H.S. Gym)


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 7/20/05

Quote of the Day

"Nurture your mind with great thoughts, for you will never go any higher than you think."

Benjamin Disraeli, 1804-1881, British Statesman, Prime Minister

MaXPreview: Ultimate Fight Night

August 6 on Spike TV will feature one of the most important events in UFC history, as the cable network debuts the first "Ultimate Fight Night" special to UFC fans across the nation. This will be the first live televised UFC show on cable TV since the Ultimate Fighter Finals in April, and the ratings this show draws will set the tone for other upcoming live specials scheduled to air on Spike in forthcoming months.

The month of August is packed with UFC specials on both Spike TV and Fox Sportsnet, along with UFC 54 airing on pay per view and season two of The Ultimate Fighter debuting toward the end of the month. Ultimate Fight Night represents one of the most important nights for the UFC in this jam packed month, as this show should be seen by more sets of eyeballs than any other UFC event airing during the month with the possible exception of the debut episode of season two of The Ultimate Fighter.

In comparison to UFC 54, millions of people will be watching Ultimate Fight Night live whereas only a hundred thousand or so (if UFC is that fortunate) will be watching UFC 54. Ultimate Fight Night also features a more compelling card for the casual fan who is interested in seeing the stars of the first season of The Ultimate Fighter compete for the "first time" in the UFC, whereas these casual fans have little to no idea who Jeremy Horn is and don't much care about Mike Van Arsdale.

You can say the same thing about the headline fight for Ultimate Fight Night, as fans don't care about Ivan Salaverry and have no idea who Nathan Marquardt is since he has never fought in the UFC before. But it will not be that fight that draws the ratings, should this card draw the ratings at all. And it might not, considering UFC's key demographic of young men may not even be home Saturday night to watch this card.

The fights that draw the audience will be the fights involving season one Ultimate Fighters. Stephan Bonnar vs Sam Hoger and Kenny Florian vs. Alex Karalexis would especially seem to hold interest with casual fans as both fights feature competitors (Bonnar and Florian respectively) who made it to the finals of The Ultimate Fighter in April. Fights involving Chris Leben, Nate Quarry and Josh Koscheck should also standout in the ratings patterns for the show considering their star status from the Spike TV reality series.

The Salaverry vs. Marquardt fight is interesting as a middleweight contenders match. As noted, Marquardt is debuting in the UFC, in the first fight of a standard three-fight contract. The winner will be close to a title shot against Middleweight champion Rich Franklin in the fall or in the New Year.

It is possible that Matt Lindland will be the first fighter whom Franklin defends his newly-won belt against, as Dana White has promised Lindland a title shot and Lindland previously holds a win over Salaverry some years ago (although most people watching UFC now would likely have no recollection of that fight). Lindland is fighting Joe Riggs at UFC 54, and a win there may put Lindland over the top for a title match.

Other fights on the card include Mike Swick vs. Keith Rockel, Koscheck vs. Pete Spratt, Quarry vs. Pete Sell, Leben vs. Patrick Cote and
Drew Fickett vs. Josh Neer in the only fight besides the main event not featuring someone from The Ultimate Fighter series. The Miletich-trained Neer is making his UFC debut on this card. Rockel and Spratt are back in the fold after lengthy absences; Cote and Fickett both lost their latest matches in the UFC octagon and Pete Sell is coming off his upset win over Phil Baroni.

Ultimate Fight Night Quick Picks:

Salaverry vs. Marquardt. The winner of this fight will sit at the number one or two spot on the Middleweight depth chart. Salaverry could arguably be positioned in one of those two spots already. He's won both his fights, against Tony Fryklund and Joe Riggs, since returning to UFC but Marquardt will be his toughest challenge yet. Salaverry is a talented submissions artist, and Ricardo Almeida was recently able to submit Marquardt so it could happen. It's also within reason that Marquardt could TKO Salaverry. However, I think I have to go with Salaverry via decision, and outside chance of a submission victory.

Stephan Bonnar vs. Sam Hoger. Should be a heated match with a loud crowd, as both of these guys are stars coming off The Ultimate Fighter. My pick is Bonnar by submission.

Florian vs. Karalexis. My pick is Florian by decision. The booking of Florian and Bonnar against other Ultimate Fighter competitors is interesting since they will probably be the two biggest draws on this show since they went the farthest in season one without winning.

Swick vs. Rockel. Swick is a talented fighter who can strike, and Rockel is well-rounded. Rockel's experience edge could flatline Swick's chances for a victory.

Koscheck vs. Spratt. Spratt is primarily a striker. I think it is likely that Koscheck will take him down and control him on the ground to win a dull decision.

Quarry vs. Sell. Sell won't pull the upset here because Quarry is not Phil Baroni. Quarry should win by TKO.

Leben vs. Cote. This should be an interesting brawl between strikers. Cote has a lot of power behind his punches, and should he get one of those punches off in solid fashion, it could be lights out for Leben.

Fickett vs. Neer. Anyone with the nickname "The Dentist" is a man to be feared. Fickett has more experience and has submission skills, and it will be an interesting fight but my pick is Neer via TKO.

Source: Maxfighting

UFC 54 : Liddell vs Horn

Jeremy Horn is at the top of too many top 10 lists to name and, in most cases, he is ranked above the champions. He deserves the accolades when you look back at his career. His record is an impressive 75 wins, 13 losses, and 5 draws and those 75 wins are over a who’s who list in mixed martial arts. He beat Forrest Griffin with a knockout via a kick in at the IFC’s Global Domination stopping the new UFC superstar in round 2 of their fight. Horn submitted a very talented David Louiseau at TKO 15 by guillotine choke. One of the most impressive of his bouts was his fight with Vernon Tiger White at King of the Cage 23 : Sin City. Horn won that by decision and beat then champion White after three rounds of fast and furious action. Despite having beaten some of the best there is, Jeremy has always been a smallish 205 lber, even losing some key fights to the likes of Babalu, Elvis Sinosic, as well as Ricardo Arona and Randy Couture both in Rings.There is no doubt that Horn is the real deal... but is he ready to be champion? Chuck Liddell would like to have a say in that I am sure.

“The Iceman” Chuck Liddell is without a doubt one of the most successful and dangerous strikers in the MMA game, and he has a sprawl that is one of the sport’s best. Chuck also has a very solid chin to boot. Just look at his fight with Vernon White and you will see him get rocked and then come right back and stagger White in return. He proves his worth in the cage time-and-time-again as one of the sport’s best. Chuck’s record is not as lengthy as Horn’s but it is certainly more visible. Chuck has fought in Pride and the UFC 16 times out of his 19 professional fights. Horn has fought in just 12 in his 93 fights with a long layoff from the UFC and Pride, not having competed at the highest levels of the sport since 2002 when he decisioned Gilbert Yvel. This doesn’t make Chuck better necessarily but it for certainly makes him more visible and more recognizable... not to mention his recent TV appearance on SpikeTV's "The Ultimate Fighter" and winning the UFC title from Couture in a very memorable performance. We know how good he is at 205 because we see it every time he steps in the ring.

One thing Horn might have going against him is, as we said, the weight issue. Many feel that he has been fighting out of his ideal weight class of 185 lbs for much of his career. Moreover, a good portion of his recent match-ups have been at 185. He is stepping back up in weight to fight Chuck at UFC 54 so the questions nags, with this work against him??? Don’t get me wrong, he has shown his skills and they will be effective in any class. He certainly can go at 205 lbs as he had so many times in the past (namely that KO victory over Griffin, the Vernon White decision, and the almost forgotten choke victory over Liddell himself in 1999). Chuck will have his hands full if this goes to the ground like it did with his last title match with Randy. As for striking? Horn can strike, too. He is not a knockout artist by any means but he wears his opponents out with solid technique, and can ground and pound with extreme prejudice... and did I mention he has NEVER been knocked out?

The main difference between Jeremy and Chuck, that will factor into this fight is the "end game"that each fighter is bringing into the cage. Chuck has KO’d his opponents in 75 percent of his victories. Horn has finished about 75 percent of his fights by submission. Horn will likely have the advantage if he can take it to the mat, after mixing it up with some striking to find the openning he needs for the takedown. As stated, Chuck's sprawl is very effective so this will be a test for the Nebraska native. Bottom-line, Chuck's end game will be at hand (or at fist) virtually every moment of the fight (the big KO)... while Jeremy needs to take utter control and get it to the ground so he can bring his submissions skills to bear. Note: While Horn has never been KO'ed, Liddell has never tapped, though he was choked unconscious by Horn.

Also of importance in this fight is the motivation of the opponents... Chuck is on mission of revenge. He has already gotten revenge with one of his three losses, and Horn will make it number 2. If he beats Horn there is only one left : Quinton Jackson. For Horn, this is the opportunity to cement his name as a UFC mainstay. He has always been one of the best, but has never acheived what so many of his teammates have, winning the UFC title (as did Miletich, Hughes, Menne, Pulver, Sylvia). He has alot to gain after a long absence from the UFC. This is why for the first time in his career, he is training just for himself, and not working with the whole team to get everyone ready for their own respective fights.

If you were to take a really good look at the nuances of this fight, ignoring any likes and dislikes about either fighter, then we can see that we are in for a real barn-burner - lots of back story to build excitment, a good mix of styles, revenge, a renewed opportunity, and an intriging "name brand (big TV push for Liddell) v. generic label (absence of presence to the emerging audience for Horn)" match-up... But what it comes down to is, the winner of this match is the one that gets past all the promotionsl hype and can impose his will and strategy the best.

Source: Maxfighting

Vitor " Shaolin" Ribeiro - Pride, SHOOTO and more

MaXfighting caught up with the amazing Vitor "Shaolin" Ribeiro after his successful Cage Rage 11 match in England, where the Brazilian standout submitted respected American fighter Gerald Strebendt with a guillotine choke. Shaolin gave comments on the match:

"I was very well trained and very motivated for the fight. It occurred like I planned. I didn't expect to win so quickly, but I was well prepared and because of that I could capitalize on the chance he gave to me."

The Brazilian didn't know his opponent, but knew some of his abilities:

"I had never saw him fighting, but I knew that he liked Jiu-Jitsu and had the same
game as Eddie Bravo. Because of that I felt well in the fight."

With 13 fights under his belt (12-1), this was the first time that Shaolin had the opportuntiy to fight in the UK. But he says it was a great experience:

"The show was good with good fights. Debut in England with this victory was very good."

Before this fight, the Ribeiro had a fight two months earlier in Hawaii, where he won against Tetsuji Kato. We wondered if the proximity of the bouts had an affect the champions' preparation:

"I stopped one week after that fight [in Hawaii] and then returned to train. There were very tough and good trainings, because a lot of guys in the academy were also going to fight in other events, but which makes me happy is that my boxing is getting better each day."

The former SHOOTO champion, Vitor Shaolin lost his belt to Tatsuya Kawajiri, a guy that he had already beat in another opportunity. Now Vitor is anxiously awaiting the chance to finish the rubber match and resolve things with his Japanese rival:

"I'm supposed to fight in SHOOTO in August or September, don't know against whom. Maybe in the end of the year I will have my dreamed rematch, because now is 1-1 between us, and this is going to be important to resolve and undisputed status of the belt between us."

About the lightweight GP that Pride may realize still this year, Shaolin is expecting to fight, regardless of the fact that he was not invited yet. Because of that, he continues to train hard, to fight in the ring, and to help his teammates who will fight the Jiu-Jitsu
Mundials in the end of the month:

"I saw my name floating around in the beginning of the year for this GP, but until now I don't receive any contact from the Pride representatives. But, I'm well trained and they can give me an answer right before the event and I will be prepared. But for a while I will train with the gi to help my friends in the Jiu-Jitsu Mundials, along with the MMA trainings. After that only God knows, because in August or September I will fight in SHOOTO."

Source: Maxfighting

 7/19/05

Quote of the Day

"Don't ask yourself what the world needs; ask yourself what makes you come alive.
And then go and do that. Because what the world needs is people who have come alive."

Harold Whitman

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 3, 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

Super Brawl on K5 The Home Team...
Last Chance To See It!!!


If you missed the broadcast of Super Brawl's TV show, Super Brawl: ICON, you have just one week to catch it! The program is a half-hour preview of this Saturday's match-ups of Falaniko Vitale v. "Ruthless" Robbie Lawler and "The Mayhem" Jason Miller v. Mark Moreno.

The show airs exclusively on K5 The Home Team (channel 5 - KFVE, Honolulu). Here are the times and days for the remaining broadcasts:

1 p.m. Sunday, July 17
11 p.m. Monday, July 18
11 p.m. Tuesday, July 19
11 p.m. Thursday, July 21
11 p.m. Friday, July 22

And don't miss the official weigh-in, press-conference, and autograph session at 2 p.m. on Friday, July 22 at the Eastside Grill Eastside Grill is located on the mauka-side of Puck's Alley on University Avenue. There is validated parking at Puck's Alley. This event is open to all media and general public.

Source: Super Brawl

Exclusive with Royler Gracie
By André Araújo / Team TATAME

Three times ADCC Champion and 4x BJJ World champion, Royler Gracie is the only Brazilian to move forward in The HEROS Middleweight GP, which will feature its second phase of the tournament on September 7, in Japan. On July 6, Gracie defeated Koji Yoshida by referee's decision and now he has no idea who he will fight next. According to him, in an exclusive interview provided here to maXfighting.com, he says it does not matter who the opponent is.

"I will train hard and I'll face anyone", challenges the Gracie, who will not do the expected bout with Alexandre Pequeno after the SHOOTO lightweight champion was defeated via KO at the hands of Hideo Tokoro. Read the full interview bellow.

maXfighting.com: Tell me about your fight at Hero's. It seems it was very balanced:

Royler Gracie: In fact it was really good, to be honest. But it wasn't like I planned. However it does not matter doing a beautiful fight if you lost in the end. The first round was very balanced, Koji Yoshida and I studied each other a lot. On the second round I was better. I clinched, put him down, fixed a triangle choke, swept him, reached the mount and almost submitted him with a katagatame. To be honest, I believe if the round had more 30 seconds we would tap out, once I applied a very tight rear naked choke. I am pleased with the result and next week I'll return to my train.

MF: So, what are you expecting to this new phase of HEROS Middleweight GP?

RG: I often fight and it kills me. But I will fight this second phase on September 7, and I don't know who I'm going to fight with. I believe in the next 15 days they will release his name. But I am not sure how things will work out. Once there were only four fighters that won last July 6 and we would suppose to do the finals. But I've heard the HEROS might invite other four fighters to join us. It seems like they want Kid Yamamoto, Caol Uno and Genki Sudo to join us.

MF: What do you think about the other three semifinalists?

RG: Well, I haven't seen all of the fights. I am sure the most technical one was Tokoro, who defeated Alexandre Pequeno. I can tell you that Miata improved his game a lot. He did a great bout, put his opponent down and submitted with a rear naked choke. But I
haven't see fighter from Lithuania's bout.

MF: When you fought Kazuyuki Miyata at Rumble on the Rock, you said he was a great fighter and if he had learn some Jiu-Jitsu, he would kick some assess:

RG: If Miyata took some BJJ lessons I don't know, but I can tell you he did a great bout and has improved his game. If we meet again, it will be a different fight from our last time. I will do my best and I will train hard to defeat anyone.

MF: What did you think about Pequeno's loss?

RG: I spoke with Alexandre Pequeno after the fight and he said he was a little tired after the fight. The spin punch applied by Tokoro might be a lucky move, but I think referee should not stop the fight. It was not a knock out. He suffered a knock down and when he touched the ground, he raised his guard to defend. In my opinion referee committed a mistake when interrupted the fight. It's normal he is upset with the result. But in other hands, he should be glad, because he traveled to Japan and gave his best on the ring.

MF: Now the expected fight between you and Pequeno will have to wait a little longer:

RG: Yes. Lots of people asked me what I was thinking about facing Pequeno in HEROS. I told them I would have to win my fights and he had to win his. I've done my part, and unfortunately he did win his fight. It's a hard diagnosis to do before the first fight. But who knows someday somebody matches a super-fight between him and I? Who knows if Pride does not be interested...?

Source: Maxfighting

Bushido 8 Results
Nagoya Rainbow Hall
Nagoya, Japan
July 17, 2005

Catch the event on North American pay-per-view, coming July 22nd at 10pm ET. See it on iNDEMAND, DirecTV, Dish Network, UrbanXtra, TVN, VU!, and Viewer’s Choice Canada. Contact your pay per view provider or pridefc.com for listings.

Josh Thomson defeats Daisuke 'Amazon' Sugie by first round submission (kneebar)

Denis Kang defeats Andrei Semenov by unanimous decision (3-0) after 2 rounds

Marcus Aurelio defeats Jutaro Nakao by unanimous decision (3-0) after 2 rounds

Kazuki Okubo defeats Ryuichi Murata by first round submission (armbar)

James Thompson defeats Sentoryu by knockout in the first round

Joachim Hansen defeats Masakazu Imanari by knockout in the first round

Daniel Acacio defeats Kazuo Misaki by unanimous decision (3-0) after 2 rounds

Tatsuya Kawajiri defeats Luis 'Buscape' Firmino by unanimous decision (3-0) after 2 rounds

Ikuhisa Minowa defeats Kimo by submission (Achilles hold) in the first round

Phil Baroni defeats Ryo Chonan by knockout in the first round

Takanori Gomi defeats Jean Silva by unanimous decision (3-0) after 2 rounds
Source: Maxfighting

 7/18/05

Quote of the Day

"No one knows what he can do until he tries."

Publilius Syrus, 1st Century BC, Roman Writer

Dedé comments on BJ vs. Renzo

Big number of events will not allow André Pederneiras to be at
Hawaiian BJ Penn's corner, during his fight with Brazilian Renzo Gracie, at K-1 World GP. The show takes place on July 29 at Aloha Stadium, in Hawaii. Besides his absence, Dedé believes BJ has great chances to rock Renzo over. 'Today BJ is such an experienced fighter. Both of them are excellent fighters and there are no favorites. However, I believe BJ may have a little advantage, because he has been fighting more," Pederneiras says.

COMPLETE CARD (subject to change):

K-1 World GP 2005 in Hawaii
Friday, July 29, 2005
Aloha Stadium, Hawaii, US

K-1 GP

- Gary Goodridge (Freelance) vs. Wesley "Cabbage" Correia (BJ Penn MMA);
- Carter Williams (Team Voodoo USA) vs. Hiromi Amada (Tenka 510);
- Erik Butterbean (Team Butterbean) vs. Marcus Royster (Team Voodoo USA);
- Yusuke Fujimoto (Monster Factory) vs.
Scott Junk (BJ Penn MMA);

Super-fights

- Taro Akebono (Team Yokozuna) vs. Hong-Man Choi (Freelance);
- Musashi (Seido Kaikan) vs. Rickard Nordstrand (Vallentuna Boxing Camp);
- BJ Penn (BJ Penn MMA) vs. Renzo Gracie (Renzo Gracie JJ Academy).


Source: Tatame

Hawaii to Host K-1 Open-Air Extravaganza
by Monty DiPietro



K-1 will make history this summer when, for the first time ever outside Japan, the world's premier fightsport goes open-air with K-1 World Grand Prix in Hawaii 05, set for July 29 at the Aloha Stadium in Honolulu.

All tournament and Superfight bouts will be contested under regular K-1 rules with the exception of a special match featuring Hawaiian wunderkind BJ Penn and Brazilian veteran Renzo Gracie, which will be conducted under mixed martial arts rules. This fight has Hawaiian sports fans hopping with anticipation, and follows on Penn's win in Honolulu last November over Renzo’s cousin, Rodrigo Gracie, by unanimous judges' decision.

The Gracies of Brazil are mixed martial arts most revered family -- their name is synonymous with Jiu-jitsu in Brazil, and so Renzo will be looking for revenge. He has the pedigree, but Penn, regarded as one of the world's finest young grapplers, will have both youth and the hometown crowd on his side.

Penn had this to say regarding the fight: "I don't care if we stay on our feet or if we go to the mat. I am ready to do it either way. Renzo Gracie is a fine fighter but he represents the old school of Jiu-Jitsu. On the other hand, I represent the new style, the next generation, and I want to prove that the new style is superior!"

Another Hawaiian will appear in the second Superfight (under K-1 rules). The much-loved 'moke' Akebono is a big former Japanese Sumo Wrestling Yokozuna (Grand Champion) and a living legend in his home state. Here he will step in against another giant of a man, Hong-Man Choi of South Korea. There will be a total of 380 kilograms or 840 pounds of warrior clashing in the ring during this battle of the behemoths.

Choi was the surprise winner at the K-1 Asian Grand Prix earlier this year, and is currently the only undefeated fighter qualified for the Osaka Final Elimination, having beaten none other than Akebono along the way.

For Akebono, the question is -- has the big guy found a way to harness his incredible power and can he put a stop to Choi's streak? Expect to hear the cheers all the way to Diamond Head if he does.

Said Akebono: "I’m glad I get the chance to face him again. Last time, his size didn't bother me, but because of his height [Choi is 218cm or 7'2"] it was the first time I had to defend against blows coming from above. Now I know how smaller fighters feel! I'm in top condition this time and because the fight is in Hawaii, I can't afford to lose, you know? That kind of pressure makes it easier for me to train even harder!"

Of course, Choi has a thing or two he wants to prove as well: "As the Asian K-1 Champion and as a Korean, in Hawaii I want to show the world that Asians are strong. I hope to use the experience in Hawaii to prepare for the big match at the World GP Final Elimination in Osaka."

In other Superfight action, Rickard Nordstrand of Sweden will try to build on a strong performance against Defending World GP Champion Remy Bonjasky in Sweden earlier this year when he takes on Japanese Seidokaikan fighter Musashi. This is a very interesting bout, with Musashi now clearly ranked among K-1's elite, and Nordstrand aware that an upset win here would reflect very favorably on his future in K-1.

The event will also incorporate the eight-man K-1 Intercontinental GP Tournament, the last of the regular qualifying tournaments for this year's World GP Final Elimination.

The Final Elimination is set for Osaka this September. It will be an eight-bout (one match) tournament, with the winners advancing to the this year's Tokyo Dome Final. Already qualified for the 16 Osaka spots are the 2004 Final Eight -- Remy Bonjasky (Holland), Mighty Mo (USA), Peter Aerts (Holland), Ernesto Hoost (Holland) Francis Botha (South Africa), Ray Sefo (New Zealand), Musashi (Japan) and Kaoklai Kaennorsing (Thailand).

Joining these fighters will be Choi Hong Man (South Korea), who won the Asia GP in Seoul this March; Glaube Feitosa (Brazil), who took the US GP title in Las Vegas in April, Semmy Schilt (Holland), victor at the European GP in Paris in May, and Bob Sapp (USA), who won the Japan GP in June. Also going to Osaka is Jerome LeBanner (France), winner over compatriot Cyril Abidi in a special qualifying Superfight in Paris.

The Champion in Honolulu will pick up the 14th of 16 spots at Osaka. One more fighter will qualify when this year's runners-up do battle at the last-chance Repechage Tournament at the Mirage Hotel in Las Vegas this August, with the final spot being awarded for exceptional fighting spirit on the year.

Fighting in the Hawaiian World GP tournament will be K-1 stars such as Gary Goodridge, Hiromi Amada and Carter Williams, as well as local fighters such as Wesley "Cabbage" Correia and Scott Junk.

K-1 World Grand Prix 2005 in Hawaii is set for July 29 with a July 30 rain date. It will be broadcast in Japan on the Fuji TV network; and in North America on both InDemand and DirecTV at 9 PM Eastern Daylight Time (18h00 Pacific Daylight Time) on Sunday July 31. South Korean fans can tune into MBS ESPN for live coverage. There will be delayed-broadcasts on Eurosport across Europe, Viasat in Scandinavia, ITV in the UK and Astro in Malaysia. Check with local providers elsewhere and for broadcast schedules.

Source: Sherdog

BREAKING NEWS ASSUERIO OUT VS SYLVIA

MMAWeekly.com has had it confirmed from Tim Sylvia that Assuerio Silva is out of their proposed fight for UFC 54 and that Sylvia has verbally accepted to fight Tra Telligman.

It's unknown if Telligman has signed to fight. Sylvia told MMAWeekly on Saturday "The UFC called me on Wednesday and I guess Assuerio tore some ligaments in his knee while training."

The Brazilian fighter was looking forward to the fight but it's unknown if the UFC will use him for a future show once the injury has healed properly. As far as Sylvia's new opponent it looks to be Tra Telligman.

"The UFC contacted me to fight Tra and I said absolutely." Sylvia told MMAWeekly. "I would love that fight because Tra loves to stand and bang and so do I." Sylvia said. "The fans would get a stand up war, there would be no takedowns, it would be a classic match up."

Sylvia has been training in Las Vegas and when asked with whom he's been traning with he said "I can't say officially but you can probably figure it out. I head to train Tuesday to Utah with Jeremy Horn and crew."

Source: MMA Weekly

Leozinho: Mário Reis' major opponent

Bigger name of featherweight division in the last two years, Mário Reis believes his way to the podium will be harder this year. He refers to Leonardo Vieira, who is back in the game. "Leozinho has been an idol for me in Jiu-Jitsu, since I was a White belt. It will be a pleasure to fight him. I've reached the top now and I am sure it will be a great bout," Mário evaluates. But Mário also knows Leozinho is not his only problem during the first BJJ Black Belt Worlds. "I know everybody wants a piece of me. Besides Leozinho, I will have Reinaldo Ribeiro, Frédson Alves, Frédson Paixão, Rodrigo Damm and lots of people behind my back," he tells. Mários leaves his birth place in Porto Alegre (RS) next Tuesday on the way to São Paulo.

If you want to subscribe to BJJ Black Belt Worlds, don't waste any time! Today is your last chance to subscribe to. The tournament tales place in São Paulo, on July 21 to 24. The last day will be fully dedicated to BJJ black belts. The organization promises that who attendance to Ibirapuera's gymnasium, will se a great BJJ show. Over 3,000 athletes will be competing on the mat for over R$120,000. BJJ black belt open class champion will take home R$10,000. Hurry up and subscribe. Last call!

BJJ BLACK BELT WORLDS LIVE ON THE INTERNET - Last days

TATAME TV will air the event live on the internet. Hurry up if you want to watch it. TATAMESHOP has offering last access for only $ 4,10. In spite of the fights, TATAME TV will bring interviews, flashes from the ring side. Apply now! Click here! Or visit TATAME we site's home and click at the promotion banner.

Source: Tatame

 7/17/05

Quote of the Day

"To live a creative life we must lose our fear of being wrong."

Joseph Chilton Pearce, Author, Magical Child

Richard Bustillo Seminar Day 2 Today!
July 16 and 17
Location: HMC
Price: $75 for both days or about $45 per day (contact Edward to confirm pricing)
Time: 9:00AM-3:30PM,
with an hour or so lunch break

I will be hosting world-renowned instructor, Richard Bustillo from the IMB Academy in Los Angeles for a 2-day seminar covering Jun Fan Jeet Kune Do, Cacoy Doce Pares Eskrima, and Muay Thai concepts.

The seminar will be on July 16 and 17, 2005.

For more information and to register, contact Edward Barinque at 381-2285 or e-mail
edward@barinque.us


Mahalo,
Edward Barinque
Martial Arts Skill Development & Training

Super Brawl on K5 The Home Team...
Last Chance To See It!!!


If you missed the broadcast of Super Brawl's TV show, Super Brawl: ICON, you have just one week to catch it! The program is a half-hour preview of this Saturday's match-ups of Falaniko Vitale v. "Ruthless" Robbie Lawler and "The Mayhem" Jason Miller v. Mark Moreno.

The show airs exclusively on K5 The Home Team (channel 5 - KFVE, Honolulu). Here are the times and days for the remaining broadcasts:

1 p.m. Sunday, July 17
11 p.m. Monday, July 18
11 p.m. Tuesday, July 19
11 p.m. Thursday, July 21
11 p.m. Friday, July 22

And don't miss the official weigh-in, press-conference, and autograph session at 2 p.m. on Friday, July 22 at the Eastside Grill Eastside Grill is located on the mauka-side of Puck's Alley on University Avenue. There is validated parking at Puck's Alley. This event is open to all media and general public.

Source: Super Brawl

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Contact:
Patrick Freitas
Super Brawl / Icon Sport
(808) 375-1645
superbrawl21@yahoo.com

“Ruthless” Robbie Lawler Hunting
Falaniko Vitale’s Belt;


Super Brawl: ICON Complete Card & Press Conference Announced.

Honolulu, HI July 15, 2005 – On Saturday, July 23rd at the Blaisdell Arena in Honolulu, Hawaii, Super Brawl World Middleweight Champion Falaniko Vitale will step into the ring for his first title defense against Ultimate Fighting Championship (U.F.C.) veteran “Ruthless” Robbie Lawler in the main event of Super Brawl: ICON. Vitale won the belt from Masanori Suda with his amazing aerial knockout punch at the April 9, 2005 event, Super Brawl: DESTINY. Lawler, now 23 years old, came into the U.F.C. like a hurricane when he was just 19. The south-paw gained instant fame by ending most of his fights by KO or TKO. Lawler, who has put his multi-fight U.F.C. contract in jeopardy by challenging Vitale, is confident that he will take the Super Brawl Middleweight belt back to his home in Bettendorf, Iowa.

“I saw Niko Vitale’s knockout of (Masanori) Suda. It looked good, but no one hits harder than I do. I’m not worried about my U.F.C. contract because I am going to win. The (Super Brawl) belt is mine and I’m taking it home with me.” – “Ruthless” Robbie Lawler

Official Super Brawl and Pride Fighting Championship (Japan) referee Yuji Shimada will oversee the action.

Super Brawl: ICON Card

185-lb World Middleweight Title Fight:

Falaniko Vitale vs., Robbie Lawler (Miletich Fighting System, Iowa)

170-lb World Welterweight Title Fight:

Jason “The Mayhem” Miller (Cobra Kai, Las Vegas) vs. Mark Moreno (Bulls Pen, Honolulu)

135-lb Hawaii State Flyweight Title Fight:

Ed Kelii Newalu (808 Fight Factory, Waipahu) vs. Mark Oshiro (Bulls Pen, Honolulu)

162.5-lb: Kolo Koka (M.M.A.D., Kailua) vs. Tyrone Jackson (Gibson Pankration, British Columbia, Canada)

160-lb: Bryson Kamaka (808 Fight Factory, Waipahu) vs. K.J. Noons (City Boxing, San Diego)

160-lb: Mike Taniguchi (Animal House, Ewa Beach) vs. Tyrone Glover (City Boxing, San Diego)

185-lb: Kimo Woelfel (Koden Kan, Kaneohe) vs. Nick Ring (AMC Pankration, Kirland, WA.)

185-lb: Trevor Garrett vs. Reese Andy (AMC Pankration, Kirland, WA.)

205-lb: Corey Daniels (Team MMAD, Kailua) vs. Kala Kolohe Hose (Bad Intention, Waianae)

Kickboxing:

135-lb: Tyson Nam (Lee’s Shaolin Boxing, Honolulu) vs. Mike DeJesus (808 Fight Factory, Waipahu)

160-lb: Stoka Solla (Lee’s Shaolin Boxing, Honolulu) vs. Ikaika Choy-Fu (Jesus is Lord Gym, Waipahu)

175-lb Nick Tiqui (Animal House, Ewa Beach) vs. Kalani Ing (Jesus is Lord Gym, Waipahu)

PRESS CONFERENCE, WEIGH-IN, AUTOGRAPH SESSION:

2 p.m., Friday July 22, Eastside Grill (Pucks Alley @ University Avenue)

THIS EVENT IS OPEN TO ALL MEDIA AND GENERAL PUBLIC

Super Brawl: ICON:
7:30 p.m., Saturday July 23, Blaisdell Arena
Tickets: $35 upper / $49 Riser / $75 Ringside / $150 V.I.P.
Blaisdell Box Office, www.ticketmaster.com, 1-(877)-750-4400

Source: Event Promoter

PRIDE Bushido Vol. 8 Tonight!
July 17th, 2005
Nagoya, Japan

No we didn't get the date wrong, in Japan it is July 17th already.

the North American PPV schedule is set for a week delay, with the first showing scheduled for Friday, July 22nd, 2005.

Fight Card:

Kimo Leopoldo vs. Ikuhisa Minowa
Takanori Gomi vs. Jean Silva
Tatsuya Kawajiri vs. Luis 'Buscape' Firminho
Phil Baroni vs. Ryo Chonan
Andrei Semenov vs. Dennis Kang
Henry 'Sentoryu' Miller vs. James Thompson
Joachim Hansen vs. Masakazu Imanari
Daniel Acacio vs. Kazuo Misaki
Marcus Aurelio vs. Jutaro Nakao
Ryuichi Murata vs. Kazuki Okubo

PRIDE FC Bushido Volume 8 Betting Odds

Courtesy of Betonfighting:

IKUHISA MINOWA -205
KIMO LEOPOLDO +165

HENRY MILLER +190
JAMES THOMPSON -240

DENNIS KANG -235
ANDREI SEMENOV +185

RYO CHONAN -180
PHIL BARONI +150

KAZUO MISAKI +160
DANIEL ACACIO -200

TATSUYA KAWAJIRI -400
LUIZ FIRMINO +300

TAKANORI GOMI -900
JEAN SILVA +650

Source: MMA Fighting

Thales Leites
By André Araújo

Thales Leites, the best Storm FD fighter

One of the new talents with Nova União is BJJ black belt Thales Leites, who recently did the best fight on the Storm Samurai card held on July 2nd at Nilson Nelson gymnasium, in Brasília (DF). After defeating Gracie Barra Combat Team's Flávio Moura at Vitória Extreme Fighting in May of 2004, the Nova União fighter did another fight, against experienced fighter Gustavo Ximú. 'It was my hardest bout ever!' Thales said. After defending an ankle-lock applied by Ximú, Thales applied two katagatame attempts, and the last one was fatal. He submitted Ximú at 2:10 of the third round, and now he wonders what comes next. 'I hope this victory over Ximu helps me with my career. In spite of Storm being one of the main events in Brazil, I hope to fight at bigger events abroad. Now I am on my way to Hawaii, in August', he said. Read the full interview below:

Tell me about your strategy to defeat Gustavo Ximú...

I did my best on the feet to make the distance between him and I shorter. When we went to the ropes, I put him down. My idea was not exchanging punches with him, since it was probably his strategy. During the second round, I applied a katagatame, but it wasn't good and he escaped. But in the third round, I fell down on the bottom and reversed. Then I passed his guard and submitted him with another katagatame. Ximú was my toughest opponent and it was my hardest bout ever!

You've had a hard time with then ankle-lock... didn't you?

When I was trying to pass his guard, he caught me with an ankle-lock. Despite the fact his corners complained a lot, I didn't run away from the position. Everybody knows the only way to defend this submission is spinning over the body. I did it and ended falling from the ring.

What did you feel about fighting without André Pederneiras in your corner?

He was in London with Vitor Shaolin... It's always good when he is around. He has been always present at all of my bouts. To be honest he was with me all the time I have been training and this is important. Dedé was even more nervous than me. He even called us from England several times to know the results. The guys that stayed with me on the corner were great. They supported me and gave important tips. Having João Roque, Rodrigo Riscado and Danilo Sherman in my corner gave me confidence.

After defeating Ximú, who is an experienced fighter, what do you expect to the future?

I hope this victory over Ximu helps me with my career. In spite of Storm be one of the main events in Brazil, I hope to fight at bigger events abroad. Now I am on my way to Hawaii, in August. I will train with BJ Penn.

Talking about BJ, what do you think it's going to happen at his battle with Renzo Gracie?

It's hard to say, but I think BJ wins. BJ is such a tough guy and it's very hard to put him down. I am going to help him with this bout.

And about Gi competitions?

Are you going to fight at BJJ World Cup, which takes place on July 24?
I want to dedicate myself to Vale-Tudo... I didn't fight any gi competition. But I am excited to fight at the BJJ World Cup. I just need to evaluate and sharpen my 'pegada' (BJJ catching). Because it is very different from Vale-Tudo.

And about BJJ Confederation Worlds?

I don't have plans to fight in it. I think that cash prizes are important to professional athletes. That's the reason I do not fight. About Submission events, I might even fight, because I train submission when I have some Vale-Tudo event in mind.

Source: Tatame

Fedor Emelianenko Interview

Below is an interview Fedor Emelianenko recently did for the PRIDE website. Here's what Fedor had to say:

PRIDE: How do you feel since you had the signing ceremony on June 27th?

Fedor: I don't feel anything special. I will just do my best from now to prepare for my fight with Mirko.

PRIDE: Did you speak to Mirko?

Fedor: There wasn't much time so we didn't speak much. I think we have a good relationship. We were laughing with our eyes. (laughing)

PRIDE: Two years have passed since your first opportunity to fight each other. Who do you think has benefited the most during these two years?

Fedor: The last two years for me have been tough. I've been injured and the recovery was prolonged. Both Mirko and I have grown in these two years, and I think we have both become stronger. I feel that I've become stronger from doing a lot of different training, and I think Mirko is the same.

PRIDE: Conversely, what has been good about this two year delay?

Fedor: The fight will be more exciting.

PRIDE: You went to Holland many times. Was that because you will fight Mirko?

Fedor: Yes. I'm always thinking about Mirko. I'm going to Holland again soon.

PRIDE: Is Mirko's best weapon his left high kick?

Fedor: If I had to say one that is the best, it would be his left high kick because he's beaten most of his opponents with it.

PRIDE: Magomedov lost to him recently by middle kick because he was so cautious about the high kick.

Fedor: Everyone knows that Mirko has a good left high kick, and he used that to his advantage. I think he used his best weapon well.

PRIDE: Are you confident that he won't be able to use it against you?

Fedor: I've been thinking of many ways to defend against his left high kick.

PRIDE: Do you think that Mirko is more dangerous than anyone else you've fought before?

Fedor: Mirko is very different than everyone else I've fought, but I don't think he's dangerous.

PRIDE: For example, although their styles are completely different, do you think Mirko or Nogueira is more dangerous?

Fedor: I've fought Nogueira three times and he's a tough opponent. You always have to be extremely careful with him. I've never fought Mirko so I don't know.

PRIDE: Your brother, Alexander, lost to Mirko. Do you want to get revenge for that?

Fedor: He told me what he learned there but I can not say it here.

PRIDE: Will this fight with Mirko have an important meaning in your career?

Fedor: Of course, I think this will be a big point in my career.

PRIDE: You've said that you would train in the mountains for your fight with Mirko. What kind of benefit does that have?

Fedor: It's not much different than regular training. I train outdoors and if the weather's bad, I go to the gym and weight train.

PRIDE: Kharitonov said that he trains naked in the snow. Do you do that kind of thing?

Fedor: You probably won't believe it but I swim in the summer and in winter. There's a spring near my home. Even in the summer, the water temperature is about 0. I go swimming a lot. It's really healthy. (laughing)

Source: Fight Sport

Pride Middleweight Grand Prix Semifinals

The Japanese media announced that the following matchups will most likely take place on PRIDE GP finals card on August 28th:

PRIDE middleweight GP semifinals:
Vanderlei Silva vs. Alistair Overeem
Mauricio 'Shogun' Rua vs. Ricardo Arona

Single matchups:
Fedor Emelianenko vs. Mirko 'Cro Cop' Filipovic
Mark Hunt vs. Sergei Kharitonov
Fabricio Werdum vs. Alexander Emelianenko or 'Tank' Abbott
Vitor Belfort vs. Yuki Kondo
Hidehiko Yoshida vs. TBA (possibly Gilbert Yvel)

Source: Fight Sport

 7/16/05

Quote of the Day

"Destiny is not a matter of chance, It is a matter of choice.
It is not something to be waited for, But rather something to be achieved."

William Jennings Bryan, 1860-1925, American Lawyer, Politician

Richard Bustillo Seminar Day 1 Today!
July 16 and 17
Location: HMC
Price: $75 for both days or about $45 per day (contact Edward to confirm pricing)
Time: 9:00AM-3:30PM,
with an hour or so lunch break

I will be hosting world-renowned instructor, Richard Bustillo from the IMB Academy in Los Angeles for a 2-day seminar covering Jun Fan Jeet Kune Do, Cacoy Doce Pares Eskrima, and Muay Thai concepts.

The seminar will be on July 16 and 17, 2005.

For more information and to register, contact Edward Barinque at 381-2285 or e-mail
edward@barinque.us


Mahalo,
Edward Barinque
Martial Arts Skill Development & Training

Kickin' It 2005 Part III Results!

Kickin It 2005 Part III
Dole Cannery Ballroom, Honolulu, Hawaii
July 15, 2005
By Chris Onzuka - Chris@Onzuka.com

The premier kickboxing event returns to action in the plush Dole Cannery Ballroom, which is a great intimate venue for fighting events. Almost every kickboxing school was represented as 32 fighters went head to head and fist to fist all night long. The sheer number of fights that went to a decision was a testament of the even match ups. Peter Mastell and Dale Kamai went to war for three rounds ending up in a fight that was so tough to call that even the judges had it even. Kickin It also featured the next generation of kickboxers, one fighter to keep your eye on was HMC's Justly Laqhuion, who rattled off his fists like a machine gun that was fully loaded. Another fighter that showed off the sweet science was Red Davis' slipping and moving. Davis won a unanimous decision over Labrador, but it was a closer fight than the score cards stated.

After Nick Tiqui dominated the first two rounds, Scott Chong came on strong in the third round, but it was too little, too late, but made for a great conclusion to the fight. Also on the card was MMA fighter and Jesus Is Lord trainer Bob-O Ostovich, who is trying to keep active by taking on a kickboxing bout. Andre Washington started off strong, hard kicks, but. As Ostovich shook off the ring rust and started finding his range and targets as Washington was sent to the canvas three times in the first round. As seen in his accidental kick to the groin, a body shot and a then a punch. The second round saw more of the first where Ostovich sent Washington to the canvas until referee Timmy "The Hawk" called the bout.

A few days notice was given to current Kick'in It Super Lightweight Champion, David Balicao that his opponent would change. It was the Bull's Pen's Ryan Lee, who suffered six stitches to his eye, but due to the injury Aika Samson stepped up. Balicao excited the crowd with his custom intro song along with his own rapper. The first round was a feeling out period with Balicao landing some head kicks and falling down. The second round, Balicao was more aggressive, but Samson fired back. After an exchange, Samson looked to his corner, the referee called a time out to ask Samson what happened. Samson said that he could not see so the bout was called and David Balicao retained his championship. The next Kickin' It event is scheduled for August 13th.

Exhibition: Girls - 92-92
Jacelyn Kim (Ewa Beach Fight Club) vs. Tawny Hall (Ewa Beach Fight Club)

Exhibition: 60-70
Dahwen Bright (HSD) Vs. Kylie Romero (HMC)

170-175: Leg kicks allowed
Peter Mastell (Knuckles Fight Club) Vs. Dale Kamai (Team Soljah)
Draw [(26-29), (29-28), (29-28)] after 3 rounds

135-140
Ikaika Bullock (HSD) def. Erin Guillory (Animal House)
Majority decision [(28-28), (29-28), (29-28)] after 3 rounds

65-70
Justly Laqhuion (HMC) def. Micah Abcede (Ewa Beach Fight Club)
TKO due to corner throwing in the towel at 40 seconds in Round 2.

165-170: Leg kicks allowed
Kalani Ng (Jesus Is Lord) def. David Judd (Knuckles Fight Club)
Unanimous decision [(29-27), (29-28), (29-27)] after 3 rounds

150-165
Shannon Kira (Team Mix Breed) def. Jarrid Chun (Animal House)
TKO at 43 seconds in Round 3.

135-140
Nathan Naki (HSD) def. Daniel Madayag (HI Chinese Kenpo)
Unanimous decision [(29-27), (29-28), (30-27)] after 3 rounds

160-165
Vinnie Delasantos (Team Soljah) def. Jared Balidoy (Gee Yung)
Unanimous decision [(29-28), (30-27), (29-28)] after 3 rounds

130-135
Red Davis (Animal House) def. Darryl Labrador (HSD)
Unanimous decision [(30-27), (30-26), (30-27)] after 3 rounds

145-150
Shyston Laupoli (Jesus Is Lord) def. Tim Lapitan (Bulls Pen)
Unanimous decision [(29-28), (30-26), (29-27)] after 3 rounds

145-150
Edmund Lee (HMC) def. Jarlow Ilano (JKD Unlimited)
Unanimous decision [(29-27), (30-26), (30-27)] after 3 rounds

130-135
Nui Wheeler (Team Soljah) def. Colin Mckenzie (Jesus Is Lord)
Unanimous decision [(29-27), (30-26), (30-26)] after 3 rounds

160-165
Nick Tiqui (Animal House) def. Scott Chong (Knuckles Fight
Unanimous decision [(29-27), (29-26), (30-28)] after 3 rounds

185-210
Bob-O Ostovich (Jesus Is Lord) def. Andre Washington (Team Island Thunder)
TKO via referee stoppage at 1:03 minutes in Round 2.

Main Event
Super Lightweight Championship
136-141
David Balicao (HSD) def. Alika Smason (Animal House)
TKO via injury (eye problem) at 56 seconds in Round 2.
*David Balicao retains the title.

Brazilian Sensation Zuluzinho To Fight At Cagewarriors Strike Force 2 This Saturday

Cagewarriors are proud to announce that that another Brazilian behemoth will be following in the footsteps of Antonio Silva Junior by fighting on a Cagewarriors branded show, as this coming Saturday will see the Cagewarriors debut of the 6ft 5in/200cm tall, 341lbs/155kg Zuluzinho.

Zuluzinho is already famous for being the son of the infamous Brazilian fighter Rei Zulu, who was defeated by the legendary Rickson Gracie in the 1980’s. Like his Father, Zuluzinho already has a reputation as a tough fighter and he boasts of a 34-0 (with 34 KO’s) fight record, although this cannot be verified. However he does hold a purple belt in Brazilian Jiu Jitsu and have trained in the past with the Brazilian Boxing team which gives him on paper a good range of skills to display inside the CWFC Octagon.

Zuluzinho was convinced to come to the UK by Anthony McGann the co-owner of the Wolfslair Academy (and head of the Cagewarriors Pro Fight Team) who on a recent trip to Brazil met Zuluzinho and talked him into fighting at Cagewarriors. McGann was previously responsible for bringing the outstanding Antonio Silva Junior to the UK back in late 2004. However one could argue that McGann has surpassed himself this time round by bringing Zuluzinho to fight and represent the state-of-the-art Wolfslair Academy in the UK on such short notice.

Due to his family history and imposing size Zuluzinho has already caught the eye of many within the MMA scene but has decided to fight at Cagewarriors where he will be facing the 265lbs/120kg Polish powerhouse Rafal Dabrowski.

The entire Cagewarriors team would like to thank Rafal for accepting this fight as he was originally lined up to face Antonio Silvia Junior and later on Feddy Sukata who pulled out this week due to injury. However instead of backing out, Dabrowski underlined his warrior sprit by accepting a fight with the man some have already labelled “The Brazilian Bob Sapp”. Both men are now ready to test their skills in the 32ft CWFC Octagon in what should be another highly anticipated clash of the giants at Cagewarriors Strike Force 2, at the Skydome Arena, Coventry, England on the 16th July.

Matt Ewin vs.Martin Kampmann
Michael Bisping vs. Miika Mehmet
Danny Batten vs. Tom Niinimaki
Zuluzinho vs. Rafal Dabrowski
(TBA) vs. Istvan Vasos
Ross Pointon vs. Thomas Valentin
David Brown vs. Levente Varga
Ross Mason vs. Nelson Semedo
Rob Mitchell vs. Gregory Bouchelaghem
Mickey Witty vs. Toni Vivas
Dan Hardy vs. Lautaro Arborelo
Leigh Remedios vs. Emmanuel Fernandez

Source: Sherdog

Macaco will challenge Ryan Gracie

Renzo, Ryan, Royler & Robin Gracie

Not fully recovered from the injure that let him away from training for two months, Jorge Patino Macaco has been working hard to fight Ryan Gracie's pupil Gabriel Vella in September at Show Fight 3. "Kid challenged me and I will fight him. I am professional fighter and if I defeat him, I'll challenge Ryan. I hope Pride helps us to face ach other," expects Macaco, who due to an injury suffered during last Jungle Fight, will not have enough time to fight BJJ World Cup.

- I will not be able to fight because I have just fixed my hands. But I'll be there to watch my kids fighting - Macaco Gold Team leader says. Macaco complimented TATAME.com, which for the first time in history, will air the event live on the internet. "I am happy because TATAME because there are people cannot make to São Paulo and it's going to be important to fans," he stated.

Source: Tatame

Artilheiro in Croatia to help Mirko

Judô black belt and 3x Wrestling champion, Rodrigo Artilheiro is in Croatia to help Mirko Cro Cop out. Artilheiro departed to Zagreb on July 9 and now he will improve Mirko's train for his fight against Pride Heavyweight champion Emelianenko Fedor, in August. "I am happy to travel and train with such important fighter as Mirko. I hope I help him a lot and return to Croatia other ten times," Rodrigo believes. He will train in Croatia at least one month with other Brazilian: BJJ black belt Fabrício Werdum, who belongs to Cro Cop Squad.

Source: Tatame

KANG READY FOR SEMENOV

He hasn’t lost in his last 13 fights. He has made the move to one of the most elite fight teams in the world. He stepped up to the bright lights of Pride’s Bushido show and tapped out his opponent in less than five minutes. In short, after seven long years, Denis Kang is finally getting his shot and he’s ready.

Fighting on this weekend’s Pride Bushido 8 card, Kang will step into the ring with Andrei Semenov. The two fought once before on Semenov’s home turf in the M-1 Mix-Fight promotion. After one ten-minute round, the fight was ruled a draw.

So why will this fight be any different? “This fight will be different simply because I have evolved so much since the last time we met,” commented Kang. “I don’t think he has been training as hard as I have since our [first] fight. I think he trained hard for Prangley and for the M1 tourney, but apart from that he was probably just doing minimal maintenance and taking easy fights. The thing with me is no matter who I fight, I train like I’m fighting the best.”

One thing that Kang has changed up over the past year has been his switch from training full time in Canada to making the move down to Florida and training with American Top Team. The ATT fight team that includes the likes of Din Thomas, Marcus Aurelio (who is also fighting at Bushido 8), Endson Diniz, Dustin Denes, Aaron Riley and more.

Commenting on his newfound training with ATT, Kang couldn’t say enough, “ATT has helped me in every aspect of my training. The sparring partners are top notch and the training sessions get quite intense. I get great coaching in BJJ, boxing and wrestling. Now with the addition of Andrei "Benkei" Aurnheimer working on speed and conditioning, I feel very confident. I think this will definitely make a difference in the fight in the sense that I will be more physical than the last time.”

Obviously, the move up from second-tier shows to Pride brings with it tremendous rewards, but asked if he felt like taking that step up has changed his outlook on fighting, Kang was pragmatic, “A lot of people ask me that same question, but it's still just a fight to me. Yes it's Pride, yes it's a big crowd, but it is still the same job for me in the ring.”

Of course, the luxury of being under contract is another nice side effect of fighting for one of the largest organizations in the world. “We signed for three fights, of which this will be the second,” says Kang. And with the advent of Pride’s new 83-kilogram (182.6-pound) weight class, he was short but sweet when asked about his future in Pride, “I can answer that one in two words: GRAND PRIX! If I beat Semenov, I’m in the Grand Prix.”

Not to lose focus, Kang had this to say about the fight at hand, “We both know what to expect form each other. I think it's going to be a very competitive match and I hope to win this one by submission for ATT.” With Bushido 8 only days away, we’ll soon find out if Kang will indeed move on to the next Pride Grand Prix.

Source: MMA Weekly

Abbott Rumored to Debut in Pride
By Jeremy Wall

It is being reported that Tank Abbott has signed a deal with Pride to debut with the promotion on the August 28th show, which also features this year's Grand Prix Finals. It is unknown at press time who Abbott will be facing, but it is likely that his opponent will be Japanese.

Abbott returned recently to MMA, taking on Wesley "Cabbage" Correira at Rumble on the Rock, after taking well over a year off. His knockout victory over Cabbage at ROTR a couple of months ago in Hawaii was said to have been a lucky performance for Abbott. It was his first win in nearly seven years, with Abbott's last victory coming against Hugo Duarte at UFC 17.

Tank's last long-term contract in MMA was of course with Zuffa for three fights in the UFC in 2003. Abbott, whose skill level was behind the times even in the late '90s before he left UFC to become a pro wrestler with WCW, lost all three fights. He was submitted by Frank Mir at UFC 41, submitted by Kimo at UFC 43 and stopped by Cabbage at UFC 45, all in the first round.

Amazingly enough, despite the fact that as noted above Tank had not won a fight since 1998 and had taken years off from active competition, and also despite the fact that he had never been a proven draw on pay per view, Zuffa actually signed him for $150,000 a fight. That's $450,000 for three fights in one year, a rare figure for a fighter who can either win fights or sell tickets (or both) to make in UFC.

A deal between Abbott and Pride, if it happens, should have actually happened years ago. Although Abbott was royally rewarded for fighting in the UFC in 2003, Abbott would have been more benefecial for Pride than he was for UFC, with the exception of a possible Tank vs. Ken Shamrock fight, and the odds against that fight ever happening at this point are spectacularly bad.

The reason Pride would have benefitted more so than the UFC from having Tank in the company is that Tank fits the mold of being the monster foreign heel that Japanese fans love. It is a pro wrestling concept in Japan to bring in the monster heels, and that concept crosses over to mixed martial arts in that country. Pride could have booked Tank against lowly skilled Japanese fighters until they decided to do a big payoff match with him against someone like Hidehiko Yoshida, or maybe another Japanese fighter whom they would want to make a star out of.

It also would have been more beneficial for Tank to be in Pride than UFC, because he proabably wouldn't have lost so frequently in that organization as he did in UFC. UFC, with the success of Ken Shamrock vs. Tito Ortiz at UFC 40, decided to jump the gun and do another "legend vs. new generation" style fight at UFC 41, booking Tank against Frank Mir. The idea was to try and make a star out of Mir. But, of course, Tank was never a star on the level of Shamrock, and so Shamrock made a star out of Tito when Tito defeated him but Tank could not do the same when Mir mopped the floor with him.

Pride wouldn't have made that mistake right out of the gate. Tank should be booked against Japanese pro wrestlers/mixed martial artists such as Norihisa Yamamoto or Yoshihiro Takayama, and fighters of that sort. That way, Tank will get easy wins over Japanese fighters who terrible, but have name value, building Tank up for the fight where he will take on a Japanese fighter that will indeed mop the floor with him. The only reason Tank exists in MMA this point is to make a star out of someone else, but Tank has to be protected until that happens.

Pride can get a lot of mileage out of Abbott if they book him against a series of Japanese tomato cans before putting him in front of Hidehiko Yoshida, giving Yoshida a major fight on a major card. Or, after Tank racks up his series of wins over Japanese tomato cans, they can book him against someone who they are trying to make a star out of, like Makoto Takimoto or Takanori Gomi. Tank would outsize Gomi by so much it would be ridiculous, but the gamble with that match would be that Gomi would be talented enough to overcome the size difference and topple Tank impressively.

Pride has to be careful who they book Tank against before they put him in the money match, though. UFC not only jumped the gun by doing the money fight with Tank right out of the gate, but they also made a couple of poor choices in picking fighters whom Tank could have a good fight with. Zuffa shouldn't be bashed so much for the Tank-Kimo debacle, because I don't think anyone in the world thought Kimo would tap Tank out in about a minute. But the Cabbage fight was a joke, because they built the UFC 45 pay per view around that match when it was obvious Tank was finished with the company and no one cared about him at that point. Plus it was a waste of $150,000 plus whatever they paid Cabbage.

Pride's matchmaking is usually tight (although they were way off with how they booked the Grand Prix), so they shouldn't have a lot of the same problems with Tank that UFC encountered. But a lot of this depends on how much gas Tank has left in his tank, as a Norihisa Yamamoto type scoring an upset win over Abbott in Abbott's first match in Pride would be the last thing anyone wants. Just ask Mark Kerr.

MaXfighting will have more on the Abbott story as it unfolds.

Source: Maxfighting

Vitor Belfort trains to return to Pride

Being defeated by Alistair Overeem at the first round of Pride GP Middleweight 2005 did not spoil Vitor Belfort. Former Light-Heavyweight UFC champion expects to return to Pride rings in August. 'I want to fight and I have been doing my best to return in August. My manager Jorge Guimarães is de dealer,' informed Belfort. Living in Belo Horizonte, Vitor is supported by Rubens Dórea, Boxe trainer Luis Dórea's brother, who arrived in Minas Gerais last Monday. Luis Dórea going to Minas is another fact that he might fight in Pride sooner.

Source: Tatame

 7/15/05

Quote of the Day

"You are never given a wish without also being given the power to make it true.
You may have to work for it, however."

Richard Bach, Illusions

Kickin' It 2005 Part III Main Event Change!
The Event Is Tonight!
WHERE: DOLE CANNERY BALLROOM
WHEN: JULY 15, 2005
DOORS OPEN AT 6:30 P.M.

MAIN EVENT FOR THE SUPERLIGHTWEIGHT TITLE (136-141 lbs)
DAVID BALICAO (HSD) vs Aika Samson (Animal House)


DAVID BALICAO IS THE REIGNING SUPER LIGHTWEIGHT CHAMPION WHO WILL SOON BE TURNING 18. HE WILL PUT HIS TITLE ON THE LINE AGAINST WELL KNOWN MMA VETERAN RYAN LEE WHO HAS MADE HIS MARK IN THE MMA WORLD IN THE 135# DIVISION. IN THIS MATCH, DAVID WILL NOT BE FACING A TEENAGER LIKE MOST OF HIS PAST FIGHTS. WILL SAMSON BE READY TO STEP IN FOR RYAN LEE ON SHORT NOTICE AND BE ABLE TO STRIP THE TITLE FROM BALICAO? COME TO DOLE CANNERY TO WATCH THESE WARRIORS BANG
THIS FRIDAY NIGHT!


BOBBO OSTAVICH 185-210 ANDRE WASHINGTON
JESUS IS LORD TEAM ISLAND THUNDER

KAIKA CHOYFOO 155-165 JONOVAN VISANTE
JESUS IS LORD DOGZ 4 LIFE

DAHWEN BRIGHT 60-70 KYLIE ROMERO
HSD HMC

MICAH ABCEDE 65-70 JUSTLY LAQHION
EWA BEACH FIGHT CLUB HMC

CULLEN MCKENZIE 130-135 NUI WHEELER
JESUS IS LORD TEAM SOLJAH

DAVID JUDD 165-170 KALANI
KNUCKLES FIGHT CLUB JESUS IS LORD

PETER MASTELL 170 175 DALE KAMAI
KNUCKLES FIGHT CLUB TEAM SOLJAH

NICK TIQUI 160-165 SCOTT CHONG
ANIMAL HOUSE KNUCKLES FIGHT CLUB

SHYSTON LAPOLI 145-150 TIM LAPITAN
JESUS IS LORD BULLSPEN

DARRYL 130-135 RED DAVIS
HSD ANIMAL HOUSE

IKAIKA BULLOCK 135-140 ERIN GUILLORY
HSD ANIMAL HOUSE

LORENZO MORENO 150-155 JENTEL MORRIS
BULLSPEN ANIMAL HOUSE

KAWAI ABREGANO 75-80 JACOBY VISANTE
EWA BEACH FIGHT CLUB DOGS 4 LIFE

VINNIE DELASANTOS 160-165 TBA
TEAM SOLJAH

PARTICIPANTS AND MATCHES MAY BE SUBJECT TO CHANGE

Source: Derrick Bright

Richard Bustillo Seminar Tomorrow
July 16 and 17
Location: HMC
Price: $75 for both days or about $45 per day (contact Edward to confirm pricing)
Time: 9:00AM-3:30PM,
with an hour or so lunch break

I will be hosting world-renowned instructor, Richard Bustillo from the IMB Academy in Los Angeles for a 2-day seminar covering Jun Fan Jeet Kune Do, Cacoy Doce Pares Eskrima, and Muay Thai concepts.

The seminar will be on July 16 and 17, 2005. For more information and to register, contact Edward Barinque at 381-2285 or e-mail edward@barinque.us

For more information and to register, contact Edward Barinque at 381-2285 or
e-mail
edward@barinque.us


Mahalo,
Edward Barinque
Martial Arts Skill Development & Training

2005 American National Jiu-Jitsu Championship

The AJJC invites you to the 2005 American National Jiu-Jitsu Championship.
This is the fourth edition of this great tournament. Every year this tournament selects the best athletes to make up the USA team that faces the brazilian team on a traditional match between nations. This one day will become an event itself, our intention is to increase both, the number of practioners and the techinical level among the competitors, in order to stimulate the growthof this great sport.

We are proud to have all of you with us in support the growth of Jiu-Jitsu in the sea.

For more info about the tournament go to www.ajjc.org or email ajjc@ajjc.org

Location:
3620 W 182nd
TORRANCE, CA 90504
Date: September 25, 2005

Source: IBJJF

COFFEE GUY EXCLUSIVE: LIDDELL VS. GRIFFIN POSSIBILITY
By Coffee Guy

Forrest Griffin

Before reading any further, please read our disclaimer first.

The following exclusive report was sent to us by our Zuffa informant called 'Coffee Guy':

 

"The UFC is seriously considering giving Forrest Griffin a shot at the light heavyweight title if he wins his next fight in UFC 55.

Dana White is hoping that Griffin's title shot will be against Chuck Liddell, that is if both fighters keep winning their fights of course."

Source: Fight Sport

BUSHIDO ANNOUNCES THOMSON'S OPPONENT

It has been uphill and downhill for Josh 'the Punk' Thomson on whether he would fighting on this card. It was on, then off, then on again as 'the Punk' was jumping on a last minute plane to Japan for his debut in Pride. Now Josh not only knows he is fighting but who he is fighting. Pride announced today that Thomson will be fighting Daisuke “Amazon” Sugie(JAPAN/ ALIVE).

Source: MMA Weekly

Maurício Shogun
By Eduardo Ferreira

Ready to the next step

Happy with the victory, Maurício Shogun Rua is in Rio de Janeiro to watch Meca 12. After fighting Rogério Minotouro at Pride, on last June 26, fighter from Curitiba went to TATAME's office and had fun with the crew. During this exclusive interview he talked about the epic combat. "So far it was the toughest fight of my life. Now it's going to be a real war," revealed Shogun. Check out the full interview bellow.

Please do an evaluation of your fight with Rogério Minotouro.

It was great. Minotouro fought well on the feet and he improved a lot his Boxing. I though he would take the fight to the ground and avoid game on the feet. He impressed me out.

Did you have to abandon your strategy once he exchange punches with you?

I've always look to take the fight to the ground and punch on the top. I got on the top more times than him during the fight and we got a knock down for each side. Do doubt, take downs made the difference, because they count points during the fight. To be honest I haven't plan any strategy. I do what comes to my mind. So far it was the toughest fight of my life. Now it's going to be a real war.

Who would you like to face at the final phase?

They will set me with Ricardo Arona or Alistair Overeem. I am sure it will be even hard with any of them. My goal is fighting Wanderlei at the final.

What Wanderlei told you at the end of the bout with Minotouro?

He congratulated me and told me I've done a great bout. Not even him as Japanese complimented me a lot after the fight. They've told me it was the best fight of the tournament. There were people commenting it looked like a classic soccer game between Brazil and Argentina (laughing).

Source: Tatame

 7/14/05

Quote of the Day

"To live a creative life we must lose our fear of being wrong."

Joseph Chilton Pearce, Author, Magical Child

Federal Boxing Commission Misses the Point
By John Buhl

As first reported by the Associated Press on June 29th, a Congressional House Committee has passed a bill that would establish a U.S. Boxing Commission that would oversee the sport at a federal level. While it still must pass through the full House and Senate to become law, this could be a first step that has a great impact on not only the boxing community, but the mixed martial arts (MMA) community as well.

Should it become law, the US Boxing Commission would have the some of the following powers:
· License of all boxers, trainers, promoters and sanctioning bodies
· Conduct investigations and impose penalties for rules violations
· Impose uniform health and safety standards
· Establish a centralized medical registry/informational database

These ideas seem logical at first glance, and the bill’s stated purpose, to “(1) protect the general interests of boxers consistent with the provisions of this Act and (2) to ensure uniformity, fairness, and integrity in professional boxing” are indeed noble and justifiable. But a closer look suggests that all this will do is add another layer of bureaucracy without solving any actual problems.

There is no doubt that boxing has plenty of issues, and MMA could end up in the same situation without a concerted effort to maintain the sport’s dignity. No civilized person wants to see an aged Thomas Hearns risk his health and boxing legacy by being allowed to go forward with his mind boggling attempt at a comeback at the age of 46. Riddick Bowe, with his 50 additional pounds of fat and evidence of chronic brain injury, probably does not have any more business back in the ring than Hearns at this point. Likewise, as MMA fights to gain acceptance as a legitimate sport among a broader audience, contests with mismatched competition and over-aged, past-their-prime fighters risking their health need to be prevented for everyone’s benefit.

And let us not forget the pathetic “mandatory” contests that get fed to the public as exhilarating “championship” bouts. Boxing fans may remember Marco Antonio Barrera recently fighting a stiff named Mzonke Fana, who the World Boxing Council trotted out as the number one contender (the result being an unusually lopsided second round knockout, if there can be such a thing).

The UFC and Pride (among others) do a fairly good job of organizing reputable and competitive contests. But who didn’t have an opinion over whether Justin Eilers deserved a title shot against Andrei Arlovski at UFC 53? Eilers may not have been as undeserving and helpless a fighter as many made him out to be, but that fight had “mismatch” written all over it. Feel free to raise your hand if you thought Kazushi Sakuraba would suddenly rediscover his youth and beat Ricardo Arona at this year’s Pride Grand Prix.

Senator John McCain has taken the lead on pushing for reform in boxing for a number of years. Many MMA fans may also remember his harsh criticism of the Ultimate Fighting Championships in the early years of the sport, which has thankfully cooled down with the adoption of fight rules that emphasize sport and competition, not blood and mayhem. With his previous interest in cleaning up MMA, if the boxing commission goes through, it’s logical to think that the UFC, WEC, IFC and others could soon be reporting to a federal authority.

In an interview with ESPN in January of this year, McCain’s justification for the federal commission was in part due to the fact that other professional sports have a commissioner’s office that oversees each sport at a national level, to provide standard rules for all to adhere to. There’s one major flaw with this line of thinking. Baseball, basketball, football and hockey (assuming it comes back) also have a nation-wide league. They have one forum to determine the best of the best through head-to-head competition.

The biggest problem with boxing and MMA is not the need for a centralized authority figure. They lose credibility when different organizations claim different people as the “champion”. With the WBC, WBA, IBF and WBO the casual boxing fan cannot truly know who the undisputed champion is at each weight class. If a boxer chooses to bypass a “mandatory” contender (please see above), they risk being stripped of their title.

B.J. Penn chose to fight for K-1, and was stripped of his UFC title that he earned by beating Matt Hughes. Whether the UFC was justified or not, even college football’s asinine BCS system would have set up a Penn-Hughes re-match by now. But contractual bickering will likely prevent that match-up from taking place. Every MMA fan on the planet would love to see Chuck Liddell against Wanderlei Silva (or whoever should win the Grand Prix), but there’s a better chance that I’ll land my dream job of being paid a six-figure salary to watch television all day. To keep their credibility, boxing and MMA eventually need a league, not a federal commission to report to. That would provide an unbiased and singular organization to determine rankings and match-ups. A federal commission cannot provide that (and states that it will not get involved in fighter rankings in the bill’s text).

Things can be done at a federal level to ensure fairness and safety in combat sports. For example, establishing minimal medical standards for competitions in all states has merit. In talking with Nicholas Lembo, Deputy Attorney General for the New Jersey State Athletic Control Board (NJSACB), Mr. Lembo stated, “Minimal medical standards across the board is a useful approach. New Jersey, Nevada, California and New York all have strong medical standards a fighter must meet, but other states don’t necessarily have strong enough medical requirements.” Mr. Lembo also cited the Muhammad Ali Boxing Reform Act as a positive measure adopted at the national level. Among other things, it calls for the prohibition of managers and promoters having shared financial interests, and guidelines for minimum provisions in contracts for boxers to prevent exploitation.

But, in his opinion, a federal boxing commission would simply add bureaucracy where it is not needed. “I think it would just be a waste of taxpayer money. State commissions have been good about working together to establish uniform rules for boxing. In MMA, New Jersey helped do the same for that sport. California also deserves a lot of credit for that; they did a lot of the leg-work.”

In case that’s not enough, there is already an Association of Boxing Commissioners (ABC), providing a forum for state and Native American tribal athletic commissions from across the country to set up national, organized regulations, certify referees and judges, and an established ratings criteria. So we have state commissions that already perform all of the duties the US Boxing Commission would like to do, and the ABC helps create standardized/national provisions where necessary.

So why would we need this US Boxing Commission? To help John McCain sleep better at night? I admire his support of combat sports, but the logical step would be to set up minimum medical requirements for all states to follow, so people like Riddick Bowe and Thomas Hearns do not risk their health of legitimacy of fighting sports. If we need other rules enforced at a national level, it makes better sense to work through the ABC and establish laws such as uniform medical standards on a case-by-case basis. It would save tax dollars, and stop the creation of yet another organization that is simply duplicating the work others are doing right now.

The last thing I ever want to see on C-Span is a discussion of whether the US Boxing Commission wants to require all MMA events to use a ring or an octagon/cage. “Mr. Commissioner, the ‘honorable old white guy Senator from insert-state-here’ would like to propose we use rings instead of cages so we can have an easier time seeing the type of thong the ring card girls are wearing.” I think it’s safe to say Congress should have better things to talk about.

To find more information on the US Boxing Commission Act, visit this site and type “US Boxing Commission Act” in the search field:
http://thomas.loc.gov

Source: Maxfighting

MaXpreview: Bushido 8
By Jeremy Wall


Bushido 8 is now just a little more than week away, taking place on July 17th at Nagoya Rainbow Hall.

The show, coming off one of the most well received Bushido cards yet in Bushido 7, is headlined by Jean "White Bear" Silva, a Chute Boxe fighter who competes primarily in England, making his Pride debut against Takanori Gomi. Gomi the former SHOOTO Champion, and mostly considered the number 1 155 lbs in world, is undefeated in Bushido going into this fight.

Phil Baroni also returns to appear on his second straight Bushido event, taking on talented Japanese fighter Ryo Chonan. Baroni is coming off an exciting win over Ikuhisa Minowa in his Bushido debut, a fight which has gotten Baroni's career somewhat back on track after a string of embarassing losses in the UFC.

Other Americans on the card are heavyweight James Thompson, who is being given a squash opponent in sumo wrestler Henry "Sentoryu" Miller. Kimo Leopoldo of all people will also be competing. Here at Bushido 8 he'll get the honour of being a squash opponent for Ikuhisa Minowa.

The heavyweight fight of Thompson v. Sentoryu the sumo wreslter actually represents a bigger issue (pardon the pun) for the Bushido series. One of the main problems for Bushido thus far has been their inability to stop booking matches between lousy heavyweight fighters mixed in with matches between highly-skilled lightweight fighters. When you book a fight between two lesser known or poorly skilled (or both) heavyweights on a card that largely features talented lightweight fighters battling it out (which is what the public expects from Bushido), then you're sending the message to fans that your top lightweight talent is only as skilled and as interesting as your poorest heavyweight talent. There should not be any heavyweight fights booked on this card at all, unless they are heavyweight fights booked between two top fighters. And booking a top heavyweight match on Bushido would be a waste, as a fight like Mirko vs. Fedor or whatnot should take place at a bigger venue than Nagoya Rainbow Hall.

Looking at another lightweight MMA company in Japan, K-1 Max has been successful partially because it is all about lightweight fighters. You don't see squash matches involving talented heavyweights like Jerome LeBanner or lesser heavyweights like Hiromi Amada on K-1 Max. It would be impossible to build stars out of charismatic lightweights (ie. superstar Masato, one of K-1's biggest draws) if they were being overshadowed by the heavyweight fighters elsewhere on the card.

So, Thompson vs. Sentoryu falls into this category. Kimo vs. Minowa doesn't so much, because Kimo, although a heavyweight, is seemingly being brought into the fold to give Minowa an easy, exciting win over an impressive looking fighter with some name value. If the match were Kimo v., say, Giant Silva, or some other heavyweight of that level, then it would fall into the same bad idea category of Thompson vs. Sentoryu.

So Takanori Gomi remains undefeated, taking on the latest skilled debuting fighter in Bushido in Jean Silva. The fact that Silva is a Chute Boxe guy means he can strike, and so can Gomi, so it should be an exciting match. It's well booked by Pride, since it debuts a quality new fighter, it will most likely be an intense battle between guys that can throw down, and Gomi should win it, continuing his undefeated streak in Bushido. The only big problem is that no one in Japan knows or cares about Silva, which makes the win for Gomi, should it be a win for Gomi, mean less, although the fact that the two words of "Chute Boxe" are attached to Silva's name might alleviate some of that problem.

Silva is 11-2-3. His only fight this year was a draw with former UFCer, the English Leigh Remedios in February at Cage Rage 10. He holds a previous knockout win over Remedios from last year. His only two losses are against Paul Jenkins and another former UFCer in Gerald Strebendt, both of which occured earlier in his career. He also avenged the submission loss to Strebendt by submitting him last year. He's otherwise been pretty dominant in Cage Rage, and even though he's Chute Boxe guy he has won the vast majority of his fights via submission.

Silva will have to be especially dominant if he's going to defeat Gomi here. The only losses of Gomi's career was to the skilled Joachim Hansen (who is also on the card) via split decision for the SHOOTO title, and a surprisingly lop-sided submission loss to the incredible BJ Penn at Rumble on the Rock. He holds wins in Bushido over former UFC Lightweight champ Jens Pulver, formerly undefeated Ralph Gracie, two other Chute Boxe fighters in Jadson Costa and Luiz Azeredo, among others. Odds are that Gomi will stop Jean Silva here, much as he TKOd both Costa and Azeredo.

Phil Baroni has a lot on the line here, coming off his first high-profile win since 2002 with his knockout victory over Ikuhisa Minowa in June. Ryo Chonan, his opponent, is more skilled than Minowa but not as big of a name in Japan, which means that Baroni has a tougher fight here with less to gain should he win. However, a win over a skilled competitor like Chonan will make a few more people believe in a Baroni comeback.

Chonan holds wins in Bushido over Anderson Silva, Carlos Newton and Nino Schembri after losing his Bushido debut via decision to the talented grappler Ricardo Almeida. He also holds a previous win in DEEP over Hayato Sakurai, among other wins.

Chonan has looked very good in his last few fights, and he will have better gas than Minowa did when he stepped in the ring against Baroni at Bushido 7. Chonan will probably outlast Baroni in cardio conditioning, giving him the opportunity to either stop Baroni (less likely), decision him (less likely) or tap him out (more likely).

Quick Picks for Bushido 8's Undercard

Ikuhisa Minowa over Kimo. Kimo is a bad fighter with name and a good look, being brought in to have an exciting loss against Minowa. Nothing more.

Tatsuya Kawajiri over Luiz Buscape. Buscape of BTT could pull off a submission, but Kawajiri has hung in there with talented submission artists in the past and pulled out the win... including his TKO victory over the then undefeated Vitor "Shaolin" Ribeiro to become the current SHOOTO 154 lbs champion.

Kazuo Misaki over Daniel Acacio. The toughest fight of Acacio's career should be converted to a loss. Misaki is a talented fighter who holds a win over another Chute Boxer in Jorge Patino.

Joachim Hansen over Masakazu Imanari. Hansen should see a successful debut in Bushido, as he starts plowing through Japanese fighters on his way to a headline rematch with Gomi. Imanari is a good bottom fighter with wicked leg-locks... but Hansen is a wicked bottom fighter with devastating punches no matter where he is.

James Thompson over Sentoryu. Everyone knows sumos have no business here in MMA. It's up to Thompson how impressively he wants to win this fight.

Kazuki Okubo over Ryuichi Murata. Murata trains with Hidehiko Yoshida, Okubo with Kiyoshi Tamura. This is Murata's MMA debut and Okubo is a fighter with a losing record, so this isn't exactly a fight to set the world on fire. I have to pick experience, but anything can happen.

Marcus Aurelio over Jutaro Nakao. Marcus is extemely talented, Nakao is only slightly less so. Nakao is coming off a string of wins with DEEP, but that momentum will likely end here against Aurelio. Aurelio should change his nickname to "The Stoic".

Andrei Semenov over Dennis Kang. One of the better fights on the undercard. This is a rematch of a draw the two had in Russia awhile ago here. They should settle the score here. The pick is Semenov based on experience and the fact that he's done better in the big fights than Kang.

Source: Maxfighting

The True Life of Stephan Bonnar

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:

"From Start to Stitches: The True Life of Stephan Bonnar"

A documentary/biography covering the life story of Stephan Bonnar.
Including interviews, pictures and highlight tapes. All stemming back from
his childhood up to current day. The ups and downs of life before and
during his path of becoming a professional fighter. What made him pursue
martial arts, what it takes physically, mentally and emotionally to be
the best he possibly can. What keeps him motivated and dedicated to
becoming and remaining a world class fighter. And most of all, what he
hopes to accomplish by doing so.

*We are currently in the pre-production phase.

*We are set to begin filming very soon.

*The film is set to be released on DVD in late September or very early
October. Exact date TBA

*Official film soundtrack containing un-signed hard rock and metal
bands with all original music will be released at the same time.

*Official film trailer is set to be shown on-line in early August.

*The first one thousand copies of the film and soundtrack will be
packaged together in limited edition cases with Stephan's hand-written
signature on the front of each case.

*The first one thousand copies will be available for reserved
purchasing in late July or early August. Exact date TBA.

*We are still accepting new sponsors for the film.

*Anyone wishing to sponsor this project can contact me anytime, we will
continue to accept new sponsors until early September.

*Official name releases of the films sponsors will be announced in mid
September.

*Official name releases of the bands that will be featured in the film
and on the soundtrack will be announced in mid September.

Source: Maxfighting

 7/13/05

Quote of the Day

"Though no one can go back and make a brand new start, anyone can start from now and make a brand new ending."

Carl Bard

MCDONALD RETURNS FOR MAYHEM AT MIRAGE

After being sidelined from his scheduled April 30th start, three-time K-1 tournament champion, Michael McDonald (49-12 (23 KO’s), will finally return to martial arts fighting action during the K-1 “Mayhem At The Mirage” eight man, single-elimination extravaganza at Las Vegas, Nevada’s Mirage Hotel and Casino on Saturday, August 13th.

The 5 foot 11 inch, 210 pound McDonald, who hails from Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada, is one of two North American competitors to be appointed to the Las Vegas contest.

California’s Scott Lighty (22-7-2 (5 KO’s) along with three European and two Japanese contenders will challenge McDonald in his effort to remain the top K-1 super heavyweight fighter in North America.

In August 2002, McDonald was the victor of K-1’s annual, summer elimination event that sends its winner to an advanced leg of single fight competition in Japan in the fall. The victor of each bout during the fall event receives a bid into the prestigious “World Grand Prix Finals” tournament held in the 70,000 crowd capacity Tokyo Dome in Tokyo, Japan.

McDonald’s appearance will mark his first since May 21st when he earned a judges decision victory over Switzerland’s Azem Maksutaj, one of the other scheduled “Mayhem At The Mirage” tournament participants. A hand injury that McDonald had sustained during training camp one month earlier prevented him from suiting up for K-1’s “Battle at Bellagio IV” tournament, which he had been the odds favorite to win.

At 40 years of age, McDonald remarkably boasts the same chiseled physique that, along with his famed gladiator style wardrobe and bleached blonde hair, has helped carve out his identity in the world of martial arts fighting over the course of a splendid 17 year professional career.

While training in Japan during the early 90’s, McDonald, a Muay Thai stylist, was instrumental in helping late K-1 legend, Andy Hug, pioneer a fight squad consisting of up and coming martial arts fighters from around the world.

In addition to the tournament playoff, “Mayhem At The Mirage” will play host to two “Superfight” contests – one between K-1 “Battle at Bellagio III” tournament champion, “Mighty Mo” Siligia (26-3 (20 KO’s), and former world heavyweight boxing champion, Francois Botha (46-11-2 (30 KO’s); and the other between K-1 Max competitor and world Muay Thai champion, Duane “Bang” Ludwig (47-10 (22 KO’s), and three-time French Muay Thai champion, Remy Bonnel (46-7 (33 KO’s).

Tickets for K-1 “Mayhem At The Mirage” are on sale on K-1 North America’s official website, www.k-1usa.net, and are priced at $300, $200, $100, and $50, respectively.

K-1 is a martial arts fighting sport that derives its name from its inclusion of a wide array of combat disciplines, including Karate, Kung-Fu, and Kickboxing (“K”), and its intent to determine one champion in one ring (“1”). After being staged for the first time in Japan in 1993 under the direction of founder Master Kazuyoshi Ishii, it later evolved into the country’s most popular sport and achieved popular culture status there as its athletes turned into larger-than-life celebrities.

Source: MMA Weekly

ZEN MASTER SPEAKS TO MMAWEEKLY

Since the inception of the Brazilian Top Team, their commitment to excellence and achievement has been nearly unmatched in MMA. Case in point was this past Critical Countdown 2005 where the team went two for three and one member advanced to the final four of this year’s installment of Pride’s Middleweight GP.

Mario Sperry, one of BTT’s founders and current leader took time out of his always hectic training and traveling schedule to discuss the team’s overall performance at CC 2005and what he hopes to have lined up for them in the coming months.

When asked how he felt his team performed a couple of weeks ago at CC 2005, Sperry seemed pleased with the overall outcome, “I think our performances went pretty good. Unfortunately (Antonio) Rogerio (Nogueira) did not win because ultimately Shogun (Mauricio Rua) surprised us with his strategy in that fight. Rogerio fought well though, as did (Ricardo) Arona and Minotauro (Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira). Both of them had great chances to win in their fights and overall I feel we did good.”

Sperry commented further on Nogueira’s inability to overcome Shogun’s strategy by saying, “I think Shogun won the fight because he changed strategy at the beginning of the fight. Rogerio was having a good game standing up, so Shogun took him down and kept the fight on ground, staying on top of Rogerio and earning points. Shogun realized that was best way to win rather than get caught by punch, so he deserved to win.”

According to Sperry the BTT’s initial gameplan for Shogun was to concentrate on neutralizing Rua’s stand up, so when he repeatedly took Nogueira down and disengaged from trading shots it altered the preparations the team had made prior to the fight. Even with the loss however, Sperry feels that Rogerio is continuing to become one of the most complete fighters at 205lbs.

“He’s improving a lot and he continues to work hard to get better,” commented Mario. “He showed that his boxing skills cannot be overlooked anymore. His Muay Thai defense is very good now and the only thing that is hurting him is the lack of interaction between different ways of fighting.”

Sperry continued, “He needs to put his boxing, wrestling, and Jiu-Jitsu together and be able to go from one to the other during a fight. In the future he’ll get better at it. I also think his takedown defense needs improvement and he needs to work on getting his opponent out of top position.”

While Sperry’s honesty about his fighter’s areas needing improvement is rare in an age where people would rather sugar coat things and avoid open discussion, he is also quick to point out his happiness when it comes to Nogueira’s growth. “I’m very pleased with Rogerio overall. He’s grown as a fighter so much this year and works so hard at his game. He’s only going to keep getting better I think.”

Even though Rogerio could not advance to the final four of the GP, one other member of the Top Team managed to make his way to Final Conflict 2005 in the form of Ricardo Arona. “The Brazilian Tiger” as Arona’s known, stepped up his game against Japanese MMA legend Kazushi Sakuraba, dominating the older, more experienced fighter over two brutal rounds to get a TKO victory.

As Sperry says, criticism of Arona’s earlier GP performance fueled his more aggressive nature at CC 2005. “I think Dean (Lister) was a bad fight for Arona (at Total Elimination 2005) because they have a similar style. A lot of people said Arona was not an exciting fighter for that fight and he is angry about that, that’s why he fought like he did.”

For Arona fighting Sakuraba was a dream come true, but he didn’t allow his admiration for Sakuraba’s legacy to stop him possibly putting the Japanese fighter into retirement. “Arona was very confident heading into the fight,” said Sperry. “He was dominating all parts of the ring and fight because he was not afraid to lose position to Sakuraba and wasn’t afraid of any of Sakuraba’s attacks. Sometimes Arona gets too cautious, he wants to keep position all the time so he works too hard to stay control. This time he fought without any fear.”

Sperry continued, “Arona just kept going and kept hitting him because he was very confident. He tried submissions in the fight but I told him that Sakuraba is slippery and to win against him you have to hurt him and keep hurting him. He did that and Sakuraba couldn’t keep up.”

With the Middleweight GP set, the return of former Pride Heavyweight Champion Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira to the ring after six months absence went as expected. He dominated a clearly overmatched Pawel Nastula to get back on the winning track after a tough loss to Fedor Emelianenko at Shock Wave 2004.

The lack of challenge in the match did not ultimately factor into the fight as Nogueira executed his gameplan to perfection without getting caught in something unforeseen. And according to Sperry, this fight was merely a tune up for Minotauro’s continued goal of recapturing the heavyweight crown.

“Pawel doesn’t have the experience to fight someone like Minotauro,” proclaimed Mario. “Minotauro is just too experienced and didn’t give Pawel a chance to show what he could do. He was very confident and not nervous at all for Pawel. He took his time, stayed in control and tried anything he wanted. I think it was a good fight to keep him in shape and ready for other fights.”

According to Mario, the plan is for Rodrigo to stay active and see how the upcoming fight between Mirko Cro Cop and Fedor turns out before he sets his sites on the winner and makes his run at the title. “Near the end of the year you’ll see Minotauro fight more now that Cro Cop and Fedor are fighting in August. He never takes any time off and is always training and getting stronger. He is going to get heavier because we feel he was too light against Fedor. He’s always been very technical but he needs more power to fight Cro Cop or Fedor again. I’m sure he’ll fight again soon.”

With CC 2005 out of the way, the focus has now shifted towards Luis “Buscape” Firmino’s appearance at the upcoming Bushido show against current Shooto Champion Tatsuya Kawajiri and maybe even more. “Buscape is going to have a tough fight against Kawajiri,” said Sperry. “He is very excited for this fight and if he wins he will be in the Lightweight Grand Prix in September we think.”

Firmino missed the last installment of Bushido due to illness, but as Mario explains, he is fully healthy and has his sights set on not only Kawajiri but also current lightweight king Takanori Gomi. “He’s ready to go and he will fight at a higher level now I think. Gomi is the guy right now and Buscape wants to fight him because he is the best. It’s nothing personal at all; it is just that Buscape knows to be the top fighter he has to beat Gomi. It’s Buscape’s goal to win against Kawajiri and get into the GP and fight Gomi. He knows he can beat Gomi 100% and will be training very hard to make that happen.”

Along with Buscape, the remainder of the team looks to stay busy in the second half of 2005. “Paulo Filho should be fighting soon,” said Sperry. “He is strong and healthy again and is ready to fight. He has one fight left on his contract so I am going to push hard for him to fight in August. In September possibly (Murilo) Bustamante, (Milton) Viera, both Nogueiras, and myself will be fighting. Late in the year or maybe next year we will have Antonio de Silva in Pride. He has the Cage Rage title and is very big, 6’5” and about 140kilos (308lbs) and has no fat on him at all. Look for him next year to make an impact.”

For Sperry, he was supposed to make his return to fighting after winning his last fight in February over Hirotaka Yokoi, but things did not go as planned. “I was supposed to fight in Korea last month but it didn’t happen at the last minute,” commented Mario. “I was ready for it and trained hard and cut the weight so I wasn’t happy it didn’t happen.”

As for what is next for Mario, a return to Pride and in particular a rematch against the last fighter to beat him is something that Sperry would most enjoy. “I still have one more fight on my contract with Pride and I would like to face Yuki Kondo again. My strategy was off in that fight and I was concentrating not enough on my training because I was getting everybody else ready for their fights.”

“If they don’t offer me Kondo it’s okay,” concluded Sperry. “I will fight anybody, I just want to get in the ring and enjoy myself…I would just enjoy it more if it were Kondo.”

Source: MMA Weekly

Cacareco wants to lose weight to MMA

After fighting at -99kg and open class of ADCC 2005, Alexandre Cacareco has erased his losses over the tournament and now he only has eyes to Vale-Tudo. Brazilian Top Team athlete has been more dedicated to MMA trains and he wants to lose weight. "I have been fighting Submission for so long and I want to fight Vale-Tudo. I just need to wait for Zé Mário Sperry to close some deals for me. Now I am concerned bout losing some weight, because at -93kg division, all guys are way taller than me and have better wingspread," he explains.

Source: Tatame

 7/12/05

Quote of the Day

"The way I see it, living your DASH is about two things: being and doing. How are you going to 'be' as a human being? And, what are you going to 'do' to contribute?"

Eric J. Aronson, author of "DASH"

Kickin' It 2005 Part III
WHERE: DOLE CANNERY BALLROOM
WHEN: JULY 15, 2005
DOORS OPEN AT 6:30 P.M.

MAIN EVENT FOR THE SUPERLIGHTWEIGHT TITLE
DAVID BALICAO 136-141 RYAN LEE
H S D BULLSPEN

DAVID BALICAO IS THE REIGNING SUPER LIGHTWEIGHT CHAMPION WHO WILL SOON BE TURNING 18. HE WILL PUT HIS TITLE ON THE LINE AGAINST WELL KNOWN MMA VETERAN RYAN LEE WHO HAS MADE HIS MARK IN THE MMA WORLD IN THE 135# DIVISION. IN THIS MATCH, DAVID WILL NOT BE FACING A TEENAGER LIKE MOST OF HIS PAST FIGHTS AND RYAN WON'T BE ABLE TO GROUND AND POUND ON HIS OPPONENT LIKE HIS PAST FIGHTS. IT WILL BE THE YOUNG VETERAN KICKBOXER VS THE EXPERIENCED MMA FIGHTER. WILL DAVID'S POWER AND SPEED BE ENOUGH TO BEAT RYAN BEACAUSE ITS OBVIOUS THAT RYAN CAN TAKE A PUNCH WITHOUT 10 OZ. GLOVES ON? BE THERE JULY 15 TO FIND OUT THE ANSWER.


BOBBO OSTAVICH 185-210 ANDRE WASHINGTON
JESUS IS LORD TEAM ISLAND THUNDER

KAIKA CHOYFOO 155-165 JONOVAN VISANTE
JESUS IS LORD DOGZ 4 LIFE

DAHWEN BRIGHT 60-70 KYLIE ROMERO
HSD HMC

MICAH ABCEDE 65-70 JUSTLY LAQHION
EWA BEACH FIGHT CLUB HMC

CULLEN MCKENZIE 130-135 NUI WHEELER
JESUS IS LORD TEAM SOLJAH

DAVID JUDD 165-170 KALANI
KNUCKLES FIGHT CLUB JESUS IS LORD

PETER MASTELL 170 175 DALE KAMAI
KNUCKLES FIGHT CLUB TEAM SOLJAH

NICK TIQUI 160-165 SCOTT CHONG
ANIMAL HOUSE KNUCKLES FIGHT CLUB

SHYSTON LAPOLI 145-150 TIM LAPITAN
JESUS IS LORD BULLSPEN

DARRYL 130-135 RED DAVIS
HSD ANIMAL HOUSE

IKAIKA BULLOCK 135-140 ERIN GUILLORY
HSD ANIMAL HOUSE

LORENZO MORENO 150-155 JENTEL MORRIS
BULLSPEN ANIMAL HOUSE

KAWAI ABREGANO 75-80 JACOBY VISANTE
EWA BEACH FIGHT CLUB DOGS 4 LIFE

VINNIE DELASANTOS 160-165 TBA
TEAM SOLJAH

PARTICIPANTS AND MATCHES MAY BE SUBJECT TO CHANGE

Source: Derrick Bright

Richard Bustillo Seminar
July 16 and 17
Location: HMC
Price: $75 for both days or about $45 per day (contact Edward to confirm pricing)
Time: 9-3:30, with an hour or so lunch break

I will be hosting world-renowned instructor, Richard Bustillo from the IMB Academy in Los Angeles for a 2-day seminar covering Jun Fan Jeet Kune Do, Cacoy Doce Pares Eskrima, and Muay Thai concepts.

The seminar will be on July 16 and 17, 2005. Locationto be announced. For more information and to register, contact Edward Barinque at 381-2285 or e-mail edward@barinque.us

For more information and to register, contact Edward Barinque at 381-2285 or
e-mail
edward@barinque.us


Mahalo,
Edward Barinque
Martial Arts Skill Development & Training

LISTER WORKING HARD ON MMA, NOT GRAPPLING

It’s been a rollercoaster ride of a year for “The World’s Greatest Grappler” Dean Lister. Early in the year he won a spot in this year’s edition of the Pride Middleweight GP by beating Akira Shoji. Then he had difficulties with Ricardo Arona in the first round of the GP and was ousted via unanimous decision. Then in May he came back to defeat BJJ legend Jean-Jaques Machado in an Abu Dhabi superfight.

After taking some time off Lister has returned to training and is ready to make an MMA run in the second half of 2005. “I was getting back to normal life,” said Lister of his time off. “Now I’m training hard again after making sure I recovered well from all my activity. I went through a lot of tough competitions this year.”

When Lister returns to action he hopes it will be again in Pride, either on their main show or the resurgent Bushido series. “I hope to fight again in Pride before year’s end. I think I will be, I feel I’ve shown them that I deserve to be there. So look for me to get back into fighting before the end of the year,” proclaimed Lister.

Dean will be returning to fighting after making a triumphant return to this year’s Abu Dhabi World Championships as he shut out Machado 8-0 in their superfight. Originally Lister was slated to face Arona, but due to commitments with Pride Arona was unable, so Machado stepped in and gave it a valiant effort, but Lister proved again why he was 2003 Absolute Champion.

“It was a really great day in my life,” said an enthusiastic Lister. “I had the right strategy and stuck with it for the win. I’ve respected him (Machado) my whole life, so it feels great to win against such a competitor.”

Unfortunately Lister could not finish off Machado with a submission, but as Lister revealed that might be because of the strategy he was imploring during the match. “I like to finish all my matches with submissions, but I this time I wanted to be conservative. Only if I saw an opening through a mistake was I going to take any chances.”

Lister further commented, “Working the butterfly guard I don’t have a lot of submissions I could deal. I came close to a choke, I passed his guard, took his back, but it didn’t feel right so I didn’t lock it in. I got the points I needed though and won the bout, so things worked out.”

Grappling has never been an area of concern for Lister, he’s known for his skills in the ground, but as he admits, his stand up is where he feels he needs the most work and intends to bring it up to the level of his ground game. “Muay Thai is my focus, it’s what I’m going to put the most emphasis on in training.”

“I may even take some kickboxing smokers, it’s something I’m interested in to see how my stand up is progressing,” continued Lister. “I feel my grappling is entertaining but people want striking, they want the big hits and knockouts. So hopefully with work I can add that to my game and entertain fans with my striking.”

Regardless of when he returns, Lister knows he has a lot of expectations to live up to and he intends to do so by continuing to make himself a complete fighter and by not being complacent in battle.

“I made a mistake in my last fight (against Arona),” concluded Lister. “I went for too many foot locks and should have worked for better position on the ground. I got hit by a stupid punch and went down and I know that shouldn’t have happened. I’m going to be smarter in my gameplan from now on and I’m confident I’ll do what’s needed to be the best fighter that I can be.”

Source: MMA Weekly

 7/11/05

Quote of the Day

"The best way to cheer yourself up is to try to cheer somebody else up."

Mark Twain, 1835-1910, American Humorist, Writer

Fighters' Club TV Episode 30.5 Complete!

This episode airs once only this coming Tuesday (July 12) at our
new timeslot of 930pm on Ch. 52.

This episode features:

-Highlights fm Punishment in Paradise 9 as reported by FCTV's own Chris
Onzuka.
--Ronald Jhun vs Shigetose Iwase (plus intvw w/ Ron)
--Casey Daniels vs Kaimi Santiago (this one's for those who like to
"BANG")

-Tech of the Week
--Jason Miller demos an x-guard sweep + intvw on UFC debut

-Proving Ground at Dole Can.
--Harris Sarmiento vs Kaleo Kwan

and as always, hosted by Hawaii's favorite FCTV heart throbs: Mike "the
Icon" Onzuka and Mark "Special K" Kurano

I know, I know, when's the next new episode? JULY 19!!! Don't
forget...

Fighter's Corner/K-1 Ticket Offer!

Wanderlei Challenges Rickson

On the day before Pride GP second round, Wanderlei Silva spoke with us in an exclusive conversation, during a walk through the streets of Tokyo. Chatting in a relaxed tone, Pride’s number 1 fighter gave his insight into MMA’s development and the way some professional fighters appear in the eyes of the fans. During the interview, he criticized MMA's early days in Rio de Janeiro, when Rickson Gracie and Hugo Duarte had fought inside the gym and at the beach. At that moment the interview changed in tone and turned toward a challenge captured exclusively, by team TATAME's lens.

After Wanderlei’s criticism of the early days, our editor Marcelo Alonso, asked Wanderlei what he thought about Rickson Gracie’s interview in the TATAME June issue. At that moment, the Brazilian fighter had just received his copy of that issue and he hadn’t read all of the Rickson report. Questioned about what he thought regarding Rickson’s criticism saying that MMA is at a lower level nowadays, the Axe Murder changed his mood. Wanderlei asked, “Did he say that?” Right then, Silva criticized Rickson’s attitude and challenged the Gracie to a title match for December 31st. Hitting his arm with his own hand he repeated “If you have balls, come to face me on the ring. Wanderlei ended his speech when his Chute Boxe teammates arrived in the hotel lobby. They were all taken by surprise due to Wanderlei’s apparent excitement.

It seems that Rickson’s interview bothered not only Wanderlei Silva, but also members of Brazilian Top Team and some Ruas Vale-Tudo. They were all disgusted with what was said, and had some things to say about Rickson's words. But it was Wanderlei, and also Marco Ruas who actually spoke to the camera lens to challenge Rickson. Once again, TATAME magazine is proud of its work, being the first one to talk about this topic and bringing the facts out to be discussed throughout the MMA community. A gift for the readers and webreaders, TATAME TV is already broadcasting the challenge video in www.tatame.com.br/tv .To watch the video just go there and click on Wanderlei´s picture link.

Source: Maxfighting

Thales Leites: the greatest name of Storm,
plus - Full Results

Alot of people in Brazil have not really taken notice of the fighter named Thales Leites. Up until recently, Leites a BJJ black belt had been fighting primarily in submission and BJJ competitions. Now at the age of 23, this Nova União athlete has dedicated himself specifically to fighting in Mixed Martial Arts... and you can bet, people will be taking notice very soon. On July 2nd, Thales faced his toughest opponent yet, in Storm FC. Regarded as the underdog, he and his team created a perfect strategy to neutralize the Pancrase verteran Gustavo Ximú from the Gracie Barra Combat Team.

“I gave my best on the feet to make the distance between Ximú [because] I am shorter. Then I was trying to apply a take down and rule the fight on the top. It worked!” Leites celebrated after submitting Ximu with a katagatame.

Thales commented on the action in the ring, “Ximú is such a tough opponent and he attacked me with an ankle-lock when I was trying to pass his guard. I had no way out but spinning over my body until I felt down from the ring. His corner complained a lot, but I didn’t run away. It was the only way to defend."

Thales last bout was in Hawaii where he submitted Adam Roland by arm-lock at 49 seconds of the first round. That took place at Rumble on the Rock 7, but he considers this fight at the Nilson Nelson gymnasium, in Brasília (Distrito Federal – Middle West of Brazil) to have been his big break break through performance. “I hope such an important fight as this open new doors. In spite of the fact Storm is also a great event, I hope I can fight in international events as well. Ximú was the most difficult opponent in my career and my hardest fight, but I am glad I’ve win!”

Now he will take some time off and is looking at competing in the BJJ World Cup 2005. “I have been thinking about fighting at BJJ World Cup. I have been training with a Gi, but I need to improve my “pegada” (Gi catching)…, because it is very different from Vale Tudo. However, I am excited and I must go to São Paulo."

After that, he leaves for Hawaii, where he continues his training with BJJ black belt BJ Penn, who is about to fight another Gracie... Renzo. “I will dedicate myself to Vale-Tudo in 2005 and I will help BJ to get ready to this new challenge."

COMPLETE RESULTS:
Storm Brasilia
Saturday, July 2, 2005
Nilson Nelson Gymnasium, Brasília - Distrito Federal

Vanessa Porto (Never Shake) submitted Juliana Aguiar (Aguiar Vale-Tudo) by katagatame in R1

Udi Lima (Never Shake) defeated Luciano Boinha (Chute Boxe) by referee's decision

Edson Sururu (Gracie BH) defeated Maicon Costa (Chute Boxe) by referee's decision

Erik Wanderlei (Gracie BH) submitted Rodrigo Riscado (Nova União) by arm-lock from the triangle in R1

Mauricio Véio (Chute Boxe) defeated Avanor Filho (Fight Company) by KO in R2

Fabio Mello (BTT) defeated Vinicius Draculino (Gracie BH) in R2

André Dida (Chute Boxe) drew with Cláudio Marcos

Thales Leites (Nova União) submitted Gustavo Ximú (GBCT) by katagatame in R2

Paulo Thiago (Athaíde Junior) submitted Ricardo Petrúcio (GBCT) by triangle choke in R3

Dimitri Wanderlei (Grupo Thai) defeated Cláudio Godoy (BTT) by unanimous decision

Source: Maxfighting

Melendez v. Sato is ON!!!


MaXfighting has just received information that Gilbert Melendez's camp has given verbal consent for Melendez to fight Rumina Sato in the Yokohama Arena on August 20th. There was some back and forth in the negotiations but both sides came to terms to make the fight a reality... Melendez has made a quite name for himself in SHOOTO and in MMA overall, with consistent impressive performances over progressively tougher competition. This bout is sure to be a major break through for the Californian, as he seeks larger international recognition which is hard to come by for the smaller fighters (under 185 lbs).

This is a great opportunity to follow his teammate Jake Shields is becoming a SHOOTO champion. Shields defeated one SHOOTO Legend on his track to the title, and now Gilbert can follow the same path by defeating this legend, and moving on for the title shot against Alexandre "Pequeno" Nogueira, perhaps in the big December year end show for that SHOOTO holds annually.

Source: Maxfighting

Super Brawl
July 23rd
Blaisdell Arena
Fights begin at 7:30 pm


Super Brawl: ICON will feature four title matches:

World Middleweight (185-lb) Title Match:
Falaniko Vitale v. Robbie Lawler

World Welteweight (170-lb) Title Match:
"The Mayhem" Jason Miller v.
Mark Moreno

North American Lightweight (155-lb) Title Match:
Kultar Gill v.
Kolo "Son of Polynesia" Koka

Hawaii Featherweight (135-lb) Title Match:
Mark Oshiro v. Ed Kelii Newalu

The card will feature at least 12 matches, including Mixed Martial Arts (MMA) and Kickboxing action.

Super Brawl / Icon Sport will also air its half-hour television program, "Super Brawl: ICON," on K5 The Home Team (Channel 5) at 11pm on each of the following dates: July 11, 12, 14, 15, 16, 18, 19, 21, 22. The program will also air on 9:30 a.m., Sunday morning, July 17 on K5. This 30-minute program is a preview of the Niko v. Lawler and Miller v. Moreno match-ups.

Super Brawl: ICON is sponsored by Steinlager, TapouT, Revolution Motor Sports, Dreamworld Tattoo, Hawaiian Chopper Magazine, and Fitness & Nutrition.

For more information contact Patrick Freitas, Super Brawl / Icon Sport Director of Promotions at (808) 375-1645 or email
superbrawl21@yahoo.com.

Source: Super Brawl

***For Immediate Release***
For More Information and Fighter Interviews, Contact Mike Afromowitz, (917) 566-8754 or
mike@k-1usa.net.

Penn Tackles Another Gracie In Hawaii

Mixed martial arts superstar BJ Penn (9-2-1) will take on another member of martial arts fighting's most heralded family in Renzo Gracie (10-5-1) at Honolulu, Hawaii's 50,000 crowd capacity Aloha Stadium on Friday, July 29th. The bout, which will be presented as a featured contest during the K-1 "World Grand Prix 2005 in Hawaii" extravaganza, will premiere on Pay Per View television along with the remainder of the card on Sunday, July 31st.

Penn's appearance in his home state will be his second in a period of eight months. On November 20th of last year, he defeated Renzo's cousin, Rodrigo Gracie, by way of unanimous judges' decision at Honolulu's Blaisdell Center.

Penn's latest challenger is an eight-time veteran of Japan's Pride Fighting Championship and the owner of a fifth degree black belt in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu, the style of combat founded by his grandfather, Carlos Gracie. The matchup with Penn will mark Gracie's first start since October 5, 2003 when he lost a split decision to former UFC welterweight crown holder, Carlos Newton. During his 13 year professional career, Gracie has claimed wins over the likes of martial arts fighting legends Maurice Smith and Oleg Taktarov.

Last year, Penn defected from The Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC), where he had reeled off six of his nine career victories, to the K-1 organization that recently expanded its repertoire of combat sports promotions to include mixed martial arts competition. Penn's dramatic career move came shortly after he had made a jump from the UFC's 154-pound limit division to its 168-pound class and easily defeated the heavier weight category's reigning champion, Matt Hughes, by way of rear naked choke.

K-1 "World Grand Prix 2005 in Hawaii" will also feature an eight-man, single-elimination tournament and a pair of "Superfights" that will be contested under the promotion's traditional, stand-up fighting rules. Amongst the talent enlisted for the tournament affair are 2003 K-1 USA champion, Carter Williams; UFC and Rumble on the Rock veteran Wesley "Cabbage" Correira; and "Big Daddy" Gary Goodridge. In Superfight action, four-time K-1 Japan Grand Prix tournament winner, Musashi, will meet Sweden's Richard Nordstrand while sumo wrestling legend turned K-1 fighter Akebono will do battle with 7 foot 2 inch giant, Hong Man Choi, who captured the K-1 Grand Prix tournament championship in Seoul, Korea earlier this year.

K-1 is a martial arts fighting sport that derives its name from its inclusion of a wide array of combat disciplines, including Karate, Kung-Fu, and Kickboxing ("K"), and its intent to determine one champion in one ring ("1"). After being staged for the first time in Japan in 1993 under the direction of founder Master Kazuyoshi Ishii, it later evolved into the country's most popular sport and achieved popular culture status there as its athletes turned into larger-than-life celebrities.

Source: Mike Afromowitz

Marcello Garcia Seminar!


Friday, Aug 26 6-9 pm
Sunday, Aug 28 3-6 pm

The price of the Marcelo seminar is just $150 until August 1st. It
then goes up to $175. It is a two day event, Friday evening from 6-9 and
Sunday afternoon from 3-6 in the Kaimuki area. (Palolo Hongwanji).

For more details email Burton by clicking
here.

Source: Burton Richardson

NAGA 2005 HAWAII STATE CHAMPIONSHIP

WHEN: Sunday, September 25, 2005
TIME: Doors open at 8:00 a.m.
WHERE: Leilehua High School, Wahiawa, HI
WHAT: 108 Gi & No-Gi Divisions!
RANKED: This event is Nationally Ranked
PHONE: 860-632-2753
EMAIL:
President@nagafighter.com
WEBSITE:
www.NAGAFighter.com

INFO: For further information, including registration, travel, and lodging, please visit HERE.

Sunday, September 25, 2005
Doors open at 8:00 a.m.
Leilehua High School, Wahiawa, HI
108 Gi & No-Gi Divisions!
This event is Nationally
860-632-2753
President@nagafighter.com

www.NAGAFighter.com

For further information, including registration, travel, and lodging, please visit HERE.

Pre-register click HERE.

Sunday, September 25, 2005 NAGA returns to Hawaii. We have a new fantastic venue this year, Leilehua High School which holds over 1700 spectators. Come as an individual or as a team to compete. This event is Nationally RANKED!

Championship belts (sponsored by Fökai) to the No-Gi and Gi Absolute Champions!

Samurai swords to all other first place division winners!

Source: NAGA


Counter courtesy of www.digits.com