Upcoming
Events
Do you want to list an
event on Onzuka.com?
Contact Us
(All events on Oahu, unless noted)
2006
Grappler's Quest Hawaii
(Submission Grappling)
(TBA)
2005
11/19/05
ROTR 9
(MMA)
(Blaisdell Arena)
11/14/05
3rd American National BJJ Championships
(Torrance Unified School District, Torrance, CA )
11/12/05
Full Contact
Showdown
Super
Brawl Qualifer
(MMA)
(Kahuna Bar & Grill, Kaneohe Marine Corps Base)
Aloha
State Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu Championship
(BJJ/Grappling)
(Saint Louis School Gym)
11/5/05
ROTR: Proving Grounds
(MMA)
(Hilo Civic Center)
10/29-30/05
Brazilian Team Titles
(Equipes)
(Brazil)
10/28/05
Icon Sport 43
(formally Superbrawl)
(MMA)
(Blaisdell Arena)
10/15/05
Gracie Nationals
(BJJ/Grappling)
(Columbus, Ohio)
10/11/05
Tuesday Night Fights
(Kickboxing)
(Central Pacific Athletics, Hilo)
10/7/05
UFC 55: Fury
(PPV)
ROTR: Proving Grounds
(MMA)
(Lahaina Civic Center, Maui)
Fight Night At The “O”
(MMA)
(O-Lounge, Ala Moana Shopping Center)
9/24/05
NAGA 2005 Hawaiian State
Championships
(Submission Grappling & BJJ)
(CANCELLED,
POSSIBLY TO BE HELD IN FEBRUARY)
2005
American National Jiu-Jitsu Championship
(BJJ)
(Torrance, CA)
9/17/05
Rumble
On The Rock 8
(MMA)
(Blaisdell Arena)
So You Think You Tough
(MMA)
(Kona Gym, Kona)
|
|
September 2005 News
Part 2
Wednesday
night and Sunday classes (w/ a kids' class) now offered!
 
For the special Onzuka.com
price, click on one of these banners above! |
Quote
of the Day
"Aim above morality. Be not simply good, be good for something."
Henry David Thoreau, 1817-1862, American Essayist/Poet/Naturalist
|
Fighters'
Club TV Episode 33 Tonight!
This episode will run on
September 6th, 13th, 20th, and 27th at our new time:
9:30pm, Tuesday nights
on Channel 52 (Olelo-Oahu).
Maui will receive a copy of the
show in the next week so check your local listing on Akaku.
Episode
33 features:
Highlights
from "Lockdown in Paradise"
-Paco Woods vs Adam Ah Sue
-Trenell Savant Young vs Kendall Groves (+ intvw w/ Savant)
-Jumar Dumaoal vs Eha Souza
-Isaac Kuikahi vs Jeremy Payet
-Ronald "The Machine Gun" Jhun vs Jay Heiron (+intvw
w/ Jay)
-Fabiano Iha vs (+intvw w/ Fabiano)
-Intvw w/ Lockdown Promoter Braddah Camanse
-and let's not forget some cool footage of the "Ainokea"
Ring girls
Technique
of the Week:
-Mike Tanaka of Kalakaua Boxing Club teaches the uppercut
Catching
up w/ Egan Inoue
-How's he doing? Where's he been? What are his plans for the
future?
All those questions answered in this great intvw. Plus, a sneak
peak
at his women's self-defense class
And,
Hawaii's favorite FCTV hosts "hamming it up", Mike
"Icon" Onzuka,
and Mark "T.O.G.--the other guy" Kurano
Questions,
Comments, Suggestions? Email us at:
fightersclubtv808@hotmail.com
We're
also looking around for some talented young lady who may want
to
take a shot at co-hosting a segment so please keep an eye out
for
us--resumes (w/ pics please--nothing fancy) to: chris@onzuka.com (yes,
he also got dat job mon)
|
UFC
55 : Three More Fights Announced
By Sean McClure
In the confusion that is the month before a UFC pay per view,
the UFC has thankfully concreted three more great fights for
their already stacked October 7th card.
Heavyweight
Bout: Sean Gannon vs. Branden Lee Hinkle
Sean Gannon (1-0) 6’3”/265 lbs., fighting out of Boston,
Mass. will square off against Branden Lee Hinkle (12-6) 6’2”/235
lbs. in a highly-anticipated heavyweight match. Gannon, a strong
striker with a great chin, is a six-time Golden Gloves Champion,
a Northeast Regional Boxing Champion, a Massachusetts State Heavyweight
Judo Champion (Black Belt Division) and a NAGA World Grappling
Champion. Hinkle, fighting out of Weirton, WV possesses heavy
punching power and is known for grounding and pounding his opponents.
He is a NCAA DIV II national wrestling champ and a US national
freestyle All-American.
Heavyweight
Bout: Keigo Kunihara vs. Marcio Cruz
Keigo Kunihara (3-1-0) 6’0”/235 lbs., fighting out
of Orlando, FL, will meet Marcio Cruz (0-0-0) 6’4”/246
lbs. fighting out of Rio De Janeiro, Brazil in another action-packed
heavyweight bout. Both fighters are making their UFC debut with
plans to score a swift victory. Kunihara is an excellent grappler
and is a National Judo Champion. Cruz, a six-time world champion
of Jiu-Jitsu and an eight-time Pan-American Jiu-Jitsu champion,
is very comfortable on the ground and possesses excellent submission
skills.
Light
Heavyweight Bout: Chael Sonnen vs Renato Sobral
Chael Sonnen (15-6-1) 6’1”/205 lbs. fighting out of
Milwaukie, OR will be making his UFC debut against Renato Sobral
(25-5-0) 6’1”/205 lbs. fighting out of Rio de Janeiro,
Brazil. Sonnen, an excellent wrestler with explosive speed, is
a two-time University National Wrestling Champion, a NCAA All-American
and a US Olympic Team Alternate. Sobral combines wrestling, Jiu-Jitsu,
and Muay Thai into one highly effective package. One of the top
light heavyweights in the world, Sobral is coming off a victory
against Travis Wiuff at UFC 52 (4/16/05) with an armbar :24 into
the second round.
Source:
Maxfighting
|
SHERK
AND THOMAS VICTORIOUS
Sean Sherk returned to action on this weekend's Pride and Glory
show in Duluth, Georgia. He had been out of the fight game for
ten months, basically in retirement. Sherk is now back under
the management of Monte Cox and ready to make another run at
the fight game in which he has now amassed a pro record of 28-1-1.
His only loss being to UFC Welterweight Champion Matt Hughes.
On
Friday night, Sherk entered the ring with Joel Blanton. He quickly
took Blanton down, got his back, and applied a rear naked choke
in the first round. Blanton maybe wasn't the toughest of opponents,
but it was an impressive return for Sherk, none the less. With
the win, Sherk won a WKA MMA title.
Next
on tap for Sherk is a very tough test against Georges St. Pierre
in the UFC. If he gets past St. Pierre, it can't be long before
he would be considered for a title shot (and rematch) against
fellow Monte Cox fighter Hughes. If that does happen, Cox said
on MMAWeekly Radio that he wouldn't stand in the way and the
fight would happen.
Also
winning his fight on the card was American Top Team fighter Din
Thomas. After losing to Tyrone Glover in Japan just two weeks
ago, Thomas stepped in at the last minute for his ATT teammate
Edson Diniz, who had to withdraw from the fight.
Thomas
submitted his opponent, Dwayne Shelton, by armbar inside of the
first two minutes of the first round. He also won a WKA MMA title
with the victory over Shelton.
Source : MMA Weekly
|
Royler:
no favorites 2 Hero's GP's final
Renato Barreto, Royce, Relson & Royler Gracie
Disqualified by Kid Yamamoto at September 7th's Hero's GP, Royler
Gracie has started his BJJ classes at Gracie Humaitá,
in Rio de Janeiro. "In spite of the KO, I didn't get hurt,"
Gracie said during an exclusive to team TATAME. About the final
of the competition, which takes place on December 31, Royler
stated:
-
Both of them KO'd me (laughing). Genki (Sudo) is really tough
to be defeated and Kid is a younger fighter. but he has a lot
of experience. He comes from a Wrestling family and he is very
good. It's hard to preview any result. Genki is heavier and I
don't know if it's going to be an advantage for him. I only know
that I won't miss it this great bout - he said.
Source:
Tatame
|
Quote
of the Day
"Swallowing your pride seldom leads to indigestion."
Source Unknown
|
Hurricane
Katrina Fund Raiser Today
Sandy De Oliveira Singing at Kapono's
I believe
this is a huge fundraiser put on by Chai's Steakhouse, which
is larger than the taste of Hawaii and they sell tickets for
$150 and you get to try food from the best chef's in Hawaii and
100% of proceeds are being donated to the Salvation Army for
Hurricane Katrina relief. The chefs have contacted their suppliers,
so everything down to the paper plates were donated, so every
penny wil for the cause. This is a great way, if you have the
resources, to make a difference and eat food from the best chefs
in Hawaii! If you stay home and watch it on Television, there
will be ways to donate, so smaller amounts can be accepted.
Our very own "official" Brazilian language teacher
and professional translator Sandy De Oliveira will be performing
there.
Sandy
De Oliveira Singing at Kapono's
Place:
Kapono's Aloha Tower Marketplace
Time : we go on at 5:20 pm & will do 2-3 songs
What channel? - She said it will be broadcast live from 4-6 pm
on 7 channels so take your pick.
Somebody give me a copy of a videotape if you record it. We don't
have any working VCR in the house.
Remember, if you watch, please donate. We're performing for free.
|
The
Icon Sport MMA Radio Show
This Morning!
Every Monday at 9:00-10:00 AM
On 1420 AM
The Icon
Sport MMA Show, hosted by T. Jay Thompson and Patrick Freitas,
will be a lively roundtable discussion featuring athletes, industry
analysts, celebrity guests, and listeners. Listeners will also
receive updates about upcoming local, national, and global events.
The
Icon Sport MMA Show will also be available to online listeners,
via the streaming link at www.sportsradio1420.com. Hawaii listeners
can call into the show at (808) 296-1420; Mainland and global
listeners can call into the show toll-free at 1 (866) 400-1420.
Fans may also email questions and statements directly to iconsportradio@yahoo.com.
The shows will be broadcast at noon Pacific Standard Time, 1
p.m. Mountain, 2 p.m. Central, and 3 p.m. Eastern.
The
Icon Sport MMA Show is sponsored by Steinlager, Fighter’s
Corner, Tactical Strength & Conditioning, Fitness & Nutrition
/ Military Nutrition, and Dreamworld Tattoo.
Source: Icon Sport
|
Renato
"Charuto" Verissimo
By John Buhl
Already well respected for his Jiu Jitsu skills, Renato "Charuto"
Verissimo has made quite a name for himself in mixed martial
arts the past few years. Charuto sports three UFC appearances
on his resume, including a hard fought decision loss to Matt
Hughes, along with a 4-0 record in the rapidly growing Hawaiian-based
Rumble on the Rock promotion. He recently helped BJ Penn prepare
for his superfight against Renzo Gracie, and discussed that and
other topics with maXfighting.
MaXfighting:
You said on mma.tv that you helped BJ prepare for his fight against
Renzo Gracie? How did that go, and how pleased were you with
his performance against a grappling master like Renzo?
Charuto:
I helped him on the ground game, trying to watch the tape [to
find spots] for some moves that he's good at it. We had the help
from Alan Goes, Joe Clark (wrestling), Rudy Valentino (Kickboxing)
and the training partners in Big Island.
Everything
went really well. He had good time to prepare for the fight and
no major injuries. I think he did really well on the fight [staying]
composed and focused. He used good strategy in the fight...wait
the first round and pick up the fight on the later rounds. We
knew that Renzo would come out in the first round so he had to
weather the storm and impose his game in the end. If the fight
was 5 rounds, I think that he would have finished the fight.
MaXfighting:
Rumble on the Rock has been doing well, and the Penn vs. Gracie
match (and K1 card) got a huge crowd. How exciting is it to be
a part of the MMA scene in Hawaii right now? How much has it
changed the past couple of years?
Charuto:
I feel really luck and pleased with the work that they've been
doing. I saw the idea coming up and now the result is terrific.
In such short time in the business [to achieve what they have
is] amazing. I'll keep fighting Rumble as long they want me to...they
really build me up in my career and I’m sure a lot of people
that fought in Hawaii feel the same.
MaXfighting:
What are your future fight plans at this point or are you more
focused on teaching? Would you like to come back at ROTR, or
are you more looking to perhaps get back in the UFC?
Charuto:
I'll be fighting in Rumble November 19th. The opponent…I
don't know yet. This year i fought in May but i hurt my hand
and i couldn't fight for a while, so I was teaching a lot, giving
back the time [others] spent with me for [my] fights.
It
would be nice if UFC did bring me back, but [if given the chance
with] PRIDE and K1 I’d be super happy to fight for such
respectful and good organizations. That'd be a dream coming true.
MaXfighting:
I don't know if you were able to see UFC 54, but Frank Trigg
struggled against George St. Pierre, getting submitted by rear
naked choke. Having fought Trigg, were you surprised how that
fight turned out?
Charuto:
Not at all. Everybody knows Trigg struggles on the bottom. He's
a wrestler, not a jiu-jitsu guy. If I swept him [when I fought
him at UFC 50] instead of going for the triangle, maybe the fight
would [have turned out different]. He's really good on the top,
no doubt, but the difference between his top game and bottom
is a lot. When I saw it going to the guard my thoughts were the
same. If you don't know guard these days, you'll be in trouble
sooner or later.
MaXfighting:
You've fought some tough guys at 170 (Newton, Castillo, Hughes,
Trigg). Is there anyone in particular you'd like to go up against?
Diego Sanchez just won his fight against Brian Gassaway, with
his strong ground game, how would you match up against him?
Charuto:
He looks pretty good, but let's see if he's that good when he's
in trouble. We'll see. I don't mind fighting him, but i may be
tougher than Brian! (Laughs) I'm sure my skills and experience
in big fights [would come into play]. It's up to Dana. I don't
like talk about something if I don't know if it's going to happen.
MaXfighting:
What level do the reality show participants appear to be on to
you? Are they world class already, or would they need more seasoning
before taking on seasoned, top-level guys such as yourself?
Charuto:
I don't watch the show so i don't know. I hope so. I'm usually
training at this time, in Hawaii they show at 9pm. It's good
that the sport is getting some publicity. I hope the selection
is good to keep the fighters and the events at a higher level.
MaXfighting:
The Ultimate Fighter TV show has obviously had a huge impact
on MMA. Do you think it will help growing shows like ROTR as
well?
Charuto:
Any publicity is good for the sport. Maybe it will open the door
for investors that identify with the character and spirit of
this extreme sport that everybody knows and give it support.
MaXfighting:
It's an old question, but some thought you beat Matt Hughes in
your match with him, and it was certainly close. As well as you
were able to do against him, what's the key to beating him? If
BJ went back to 170 pounds, do you think he'd beat Hughes again?
Charuto:
Like any wrestler, he's good on the top. His chances with a Brazillan
jiu-jitsu black belt on top of him is small compared to the holding
and controlling top position that he likes so much.
MaXfighting:
How has the fight school been going? How does a training guy
for fights help you in your perspective when getting ready for
one of your own fights?
Charuto:
The academy on the Big Island is doing great with a lot upcoming
guys that I’m sure we’ll hear from. We are putting
together a training camp for people who want to know our mentality
in training and conditioning [and to] have an idea how we became
champions.
The
one in Oahu is doing also great where I have my kickboxing classes
with Haru, Kevin and
Mike.
It's not a big group but it's tight, we train all the time. They
help me a lot for my fights as well on the Big Island.
I've
been teaching jiu jitsu for about 10 years and I've been in MMA
for about 4 years. I guess teaching helps me sharpen my positions;
when you teach you can see details that sometimes [you miss when
you’re] caught up with the training, and help remind you
and execute the technique the way it is.
MaXfighting:
Are there any fighters in particular that you work with that
people may not be familiar with, but have a lot of potential?
Charuto:
So many...you’re going to hear from them! (Laughs) The only
thing I’ll let you know is that they are training hard and
will get there.
Charuto
wanted to send along the following Thank Yous:
Thanks
to my girl, Nico to put up with me 24/7...Thanks to my training
partners...for Rumble on The Rock to put me out there...my sponsors...RAZEGEAR,
DAHUI, SPLIT, HAMAKUA COAST MACADEMIA NUTS, and GOD to allow
us to live...
Thanks
again for talking with us. Good luck in the future, Charuto!
Source:
Maxfighting
|
Quote
of the Day
"A winner is someone who recognizes his God-given talents,
works his tail off to develop them into skills,
and uses these skills to accomplish his goals."
Larry Bird, Hall of Fame American Basketball Player
|
Rumble
On The Rock Qualifiers
Results!
ROTR Qualifiers 5
Blaisdell Arena, Honolulu, Hawaii
September 17th, 2005
By Chris Onzuka - Chris@Onzuka.com
The
feeder show for Rumble On The Rock has changed its name from
Proving Grounds to the ROTR Qualifiers to better describe why
the fighters are participating in Rumble's smaller event. This
event is a perfect example of why the name was changed. This
event featured an 8-man 175lbs tournament of primarily local
Hawaii fighters, the two finalist of the tournament will return
to face each other in the next Rumble On The Rock to be held
on November 19th. After a few wars and injuries as is the norm
with tournament formats, Ross "Da Boss" Ebanez and
Sidney Silva were the last two men standing and will face each
other in a couple of months. In a rematch, Mike Aina revenged
his previous loss to Kaleo Kwan by utilizing his existing tools
and perfectly executing his game plan. And finally, the main
event featured Nova Uniao's hottest new commodity, Thales Leite
taking on the veteran Ron Jhun. Leite put on a submission clinic,
but the game Jhun gutted and eventually slipped out of everything
that Leite put on him. The impressive Leite ended the first and
second round with Jhun in a submission attempt. In the third
round, it looked like Leite was tiring and Jhun could smell that
some payback was on the grill, except that a well time and executed
flying knee put an end to Jhun's comeback in the fight.
MMA:
2 Rounds - 3 Minutes
Taurus Kabab (Honolulu - Team MMAD) def. Thomas Gilbert (Freelance)
TKO via referee stoppage due to punches from the mount at 1:21
minutes in Round 1.
MMA:
2 Rounds - 5 Minutes
Pako Woods (Hilo - BJ Penn MMA) def. Dean Lista (Honolulu - HMC
Academy)
Majority decision [(19-18), (20-18), (19-19)] after 3 Rounds.
MMA:
175lbs 8-Man Tournament
2 Rounds - 5 Minutes
Ross "Da Boss" Ebanez (Hilo - BJ Penn MMA) def. Isamu
Himura (Kajukenpo/American Self Defense, San Jose, CA)
Submission due to elbows from the mount at 4:32 minutes in Round
1.
MMA:
175lbs 8-Man Tournament
2 Rounds - 5 Minutes
Jason Daquel (Honolulu - Mixed Breed) def. Koa Kamakahi (Freelance)
TKO via referee stoppage due to punches from the mount at 37
seconds in Round 1.
MMA:
175lbs 8-Man Tournament
2 Rounds - 5 Minutes
Daniel Devers (808 Fight Factory) def. Curtis Pedro (Team Submit)
Submission due to injured shoulder at 50 seconds in Round 1.
MMA:
175lbs 8-Man Tournament
2 Rounds - 5 Minutes
Sidney Silva (Honolulu - Romolo Barros) def. Kaleo Padilla (Westbrook)
Submission due to arm triangle at 3:13 minutes in Round 2.
Super
Fight: 2 Rounds - 5 Minutes
"Iron" Mike Aina (Hilo- BJ Penn MMA) def. Kaleo Kwan
(Honolulu - Eastsidaz)
Unanimous decision [(30-27), (30-27), (30-27)] after 2 rounds.
MMA:
175lbs 8-Man Tournament
Reserve bout: Semi-Finals: 2 Rounds - 5 Minutes
Kaleo Padilla (Westbrook) def. Isamu Himura (Kajukenpo/American
Self Defense)
*Daniel Devers (808 Fight Factory) injured so he is replaced
by a reserve bout.
Submission via arm bar from the mount at 2:01 minutes in Round
1.
MMA:
175lbs 8-Man Tournament
Semi-Finals: 2 Rounds - 5 Minutes
Ross "Da Boss" Ebanez (Hilo - BJ Penn MMA) def. Jason
Daquel (Honolulu - Mixed Breed)
Verbal submission due to Daquel not being able to continue after
the end of Round 1.
*Ross Ebanez qualifies for the tournament finals to be held on
November 19th.
MMA:
175lbs 8-Man Tournament
Semi-Finals: 2 Rounds - 5 Minutes
Sidney Silva (Honolulu - Romolo Barros) Bye
Kaleo Padilla withdrew due to injury.
*Sidney Silva qualifies for the tournament finals to be held
on November 19th.
Main
Event
3 Rounds - 5 Minutes
Thales Leite (Brazil - Nova Uniao) def. Ron Jhun (Honolulu -
808 Fight Factory)
TKO via doctor's stoppage due to cut at 32 seconds in Round 3.
|
Kickin'
It's Updated Fight Card!
WHAT- KICKIN IT 2005 PART V (AMATEUR KICKBOXING)
WHEN- SEPT. 24, 2005 DOORS OPEN AT 6:30 PM
WHERE- PAGODA HOTEL BALLROOM
PRE SALE TICKETS $20.00 AT THE DOOR- $25.00
MAIN EVENT
RYAN LEE SUPER LIGHTWEIGHT CHAMPIONSHIP DAVID BALICAO
BULLSPEN 136 -141 HSD
NO HEADGEAR - NO FEETPADS - NO EXCUSES
BRANDON ABSHER 150 - 155 MARCUS MARINO
HSD BULLSPEN
SEAN CASTRO 170-175 BRYAN INGRAM
TEAM MIXBREED HAWAII TRAINING CENTER
ZACK RAPAUL 145-150 KEVIN DELIMA
WAIANAE KICKBOXING CLUB BULLSPEN
JARRID SANTOS 140-145 ISAAC
BULLSPEN TEAM MIXBREED
TONY PERERA 120-125 BRUCE NIIMOTO
WAIANAE KICKBOXING CLUB 413
SHANEN KIRA 160-165 NYE DELASANTOS
TEAM MIXBREED TEAM SOLJAH
EDMUND LI 135-140 SHAISON LAUPOLA
HMC JESUS IS LORD
WINNER WILL FACE RED DAVIS FOR THE TEENAGE AMATEUR SUPER LIGHTWEIGHT
CHAMPIONSHIP FOR THE BELT ON SEPT. 24 2005.
JARRID CHAVEZ SUPER HEAVYWEIGHT JARRID LINDSEY
HSD BULLSPEN
DARRYL LABRADOR 120-125 VERN KAPOI
HSD HMC
TIM LAPITAN 155-160 KEA DEMELLO
BULLSPEN ANIMAL HOUSE
CHAD PAVAO 135-140 JUMAR DUMLAO
HSD 808 FIGHT FACTORY
JUSTIN PIAMONTE 110-120 SHANE DULATRE
ANIMAL HOUSE 413
LORENZO MORENO 155-160 KAIKA CHOYFOO
BULLSPEN JESUS IS LORD
ALL MATCHES AND PARTICIPANTS MAY BE SUBJECT TO CHANGE
Source: Event Promoter
|
The
Icon Sport MMA Radio Show
Tomorrow
Morning!
Every Monday at 9:00-10:00 AM
On 1420 AM
The Icon
Sport MMA Show, hosted by T. Jay Thompson and Patrick Freitas,
will be a lively roundtable discussion featuring athletes, industry
analysts, celebrity guests, and listeners. Listeners will also
receive updates about upcoming local, national, and global events.
The
Icon Sport MMA Show will also be available to online listeners,
via the streaming link at www.sportsradio1420.com. Hawaii listeners
can call into the show at (808) 296-1420; Mainland and global
listeners can call into the show toll-free at 1 (866) 400-1420.
Fans may also email questions and statements directly to iconsportradio@yahoo.com.
The shows will be broadcast at noon Pacific Standard Time, 1
p.m. Mountain, 2 p.m. Central, and 3 p.m. Eastern.
The
Icon Sport MMA Show is sponsored by Steinlager, Fighter’s
Corner, Tactical Strength & Conditioning, Fitness & Nutrition
/ Military Nutrition, and Dreamworld Tattoo.
Source: Icon Sport
|
AMAZING
PRIDE TOURNAMENT
FOR THOSE WHO CAN SEE IT
by Ryan Bennett
Pride's Bushido show will be the best lightweight tournament
in the history of MMA and their middleweight tourney is stacked
as well. There is one big problem with this upcoming tournament.
Some of the people in America won't be able to see it.
According
to the Pride website, September 25th will be the show date for
Dish subscribers and some cable companies. However if you have
InDemand Cable, the pay per view date for the upcoming show is
scheduled for November 25th. That's right, it's a 2-month delay.
For those who would like to voice their comments to InDemand
you can reach them at http://www.indemand.com/about/contactUs.jsp
As
far as the tournament goes, it should be absolutely spectacular.
Phil Baroni continues to turn things around as he leaves for
Japan on Saturday to get ready for the tournament. Baroni will
be rematching against Ikuhisa Minowa, a fighter he defeated just
a few months ago in the first round of the middleweight tournament.
If the American can get by Minowa for a second time, he may fight
a fighter he called out years ago, while in the UFC in Murilo
Bustamante. Busta will have to get buy the very tough Masanori
Suda in order to advance in the upper bracket. Here is how the
bracket shapes up....
Pride
Bushido Tournament
September 25th
Ariake Coliseum.
PRIDE
FC: BUSHIDO THE TOURNAMENT
The
Welterweight (83kg/183lbs) Pairings:
Bracket
A:
- Phil Baroni (USA) vs. Ikuhisa "The Punk" Minowa (Japan)
- Masanori Suda (Japan) vs. Murilo Bustamante (Brazil)
Bracket
B:
- Ryo Chonan (Japan) vs. Dan Henderson (USA)
- Akihiro Gono (Japan) vs. Daniel Acacio (Brazil)
Welterweight
Tournament Reserve Bout
- Ryuta Sakurai (Japan) vs. Paulo Filho (Brazil)
Pride
has put together the most spectacular Lightweight Tournament
in MMA history. It's a tournament that showcases the best 160-pound
fighters in the world. Since the UFC has decided not to focus
any longer in the lightweight class, DSE snatched former UFC
champion Jens Pulver and former #1 contender Yves Edwards, to
represent the American contingent. Edwards has spent time training
with a former foe in Josh Thomson. Thomson declined an invitation
to the tourney because he didn't have enough quality time to
prepare for the tournament.
Japan
has four fighters well represented in Takanori Gomi who will
square off against countryman Tatsuya Kawajiri. Arguably the
top two seeds in the tournament.
Mach
Sakurai battled against Matt Hughes for a UFC title a few years
ago. Now he goes against Hughes teammate Jens Pulver in the opening
round. Naoyuki Kotani, the final of the four Japanese fighters,
will go against Brazilian Luis Azeredo to round out the first
round match ups. Here is the lightweight card.
The
Lightweight (73kg/160lbs) Pairings:
Lightweight
Tournament Bouts
Bracket
A:
- Takanori Gomi (Japan) vs. Tatsuya Kawajiri (Japan)
- Naoyuki Kotani (Japan) vs. Luis Azeredo (Brazil)
Bracket
B:
- Hayato "Mach" Sakurai (Japan) vs. Jens Pulver (USA)
- Yves Edwards (USA) vs. Joachim Hansen (Norway)
Lightweight
Tournament Reserve Bout
- Dokonjonosuke Mishima (Japan) vs. Charles "Krazy Horse"
Bennett (USA)
Source: MMA Weekly
|
ROYCE
GRACIE Returns to MMA!!!
By Sean McClure
According to www.roycegracie.tv, Royce Gracie, the man who captured
the imagination of us all back in UFC 1-4, will be back in MMA
action. The website’s United States schedule page informs
visitors that Royce is scheduled to fight on December 31st, 2005.
There is no mention of where or for what organization. It is
doubtful that it is the UFC, but in this day and age anything
is possible. MaXfighting will keep you posted on any new developments.
Source: Maxfighting
|
Rodrigo
Gracie – Interview
By Sean McClure
Rodrigo, first let me thank you for taking the time out of your
busy schedule to sit down with MaXfighting.
Q:
When you first got into no holds barred fighting professionally,
did you feel any added pressure to succeed because of your family’s
great success?
A:
Well, being a Gracie has its benefits and it has its downfall.
The pressure is there. I am the next generation of the Gracie’s
and you know, I have to follow in the footsteps of those who
came before me, so yes there is always pressure. But there is
always pressure when you fight so it is not that bad. You learn
to live with it, and just concentrate on fighting. The pressure
is always there you know what I mean.
Q:
What goes into preparing for a fight for you? Some people only
train a few months before their fights rather than train all
year round. Do you train the whole year?
A:
I keep myself in shape all year. I do seminars and always train
with the students so I have to be in shape. But I do not keep
myself in fighting shape all year, just in good shape, then once
I find out that I am fighting, I start to turn up the training.
Conditioning, Standup and Jiu-Jitsu.
Q:
What seems to be still amazing to people is that the Gracies
have good, solid stand-up to backup their famous jiu jitsu. How
much do you focus on your striking skills as opposed to your
jiu jitsu?
A:
Well, I am a Jiu-Jitsu fighter that is what my style is and that
is where I feel the most comfortable, however now days, you can
not just rely on Jiu-Jitsu alone, you have to train standup.
I would say I train as much standup as I do jiu-jitsu. But not
to become a boxer, but to know what is coming if I am fighting
a standup guy. I naturally always look for a clinch and an opportunity
to take the fight to the ground, but if that does not happened,
I want to make sure that I can last on my feet.
Q:
If there is one, who would you say has been your biggest jiu
jitsu influence in your family?
A:
My father would be the biggest, since he trained me from childhood,
but I have been fortunate to train with a lot of members of my
family and each one had something to add to my overall game.
Q:
Your jiu jitsu skills were tested to the limits in your tough
decision loss to BJ
Penn in
2004. How tough of a fighter is he to face standing up? On the
ground?
A:
He is a very skilled fighter and very tough to fight. He is a
smart fighter. I used the wrong strategy against him in the fight
in Hawaii and he was able to capitalize on that. When you fight
top fighters you can not make a mistake. Not just BJ but most of the fighters out there
that are fighting in K-1 and Pride and UFC.
Q:
Would you take a rematch against him if it was offered?
A:
Without even giving it one thought of course.
Q:
With that being said, when can we expect to see you in a fight
again?
A:
Well I just fought in July on the Hero’s/K-1 card in Japan.
The opening round of the Hero’s Lightweight Grand Prix,
I was one of the super fights. My cousin Royler was in the tournament
so we fought on the same card. I have a fight coming up in Korea
in the Hero’s card again on November 5 or 6th this year.
Q:
Of all of the fighters in Pride, the UFC, and other organizations...who
would you like to face next?
A:
I would like to fight Akiyama. He is a good fighter a judo guy
he fights for K-1 MMA. I think that I would match up well against
him.
Q:
Many, many people have been wanting to see a Gracie return to
the octagon. Do you ever see yourself fighting in the UFC?
A:
Sure if the UFC will make an offer. I have a contract with K-1,
but I am sure that K-1 and UFC can work it out that I fight in
the UFC if they are interested.
Q:
What is it like fighting in Pride? I know that the fans are a
lot different there than they are here. What is it like being
a Pride fighter?
A:
Well I am no longer a Pride fighter. I have a contract with K-1
and have been fighting for them for little over a year.
Q:
Were there any moments in Japan that really jump out in your
mind? Good or bad?
A:
Nothing that I can think of right now. There is very good energy
in Japan from the fans they are really into fighting over there.
Q:
What advice do you have for people just starting out in jiu jitsu
or mixed martial arts fighting?
A:
Train hard, but train smart.
Q:
What can we expect from Rodrigo Gracie in the coming year?
A:
I will be doing a lot more seminars; I have been traveling a
lot now teaching at my cousin Royce’s networks. He is so
busy with his stuff that he can not visit everyone, so I have
been doing a lot of traveling and teaching so I will do a lot
of seminars next year and will fight 3 times I hope. My goal
in 2006 is to fight on the K-1 New Years Eve Show. I have a book
out how called No Holds Barred and have a new book coming out
yearly next year called The Path to Black Belt so there are a
lot of things happening. There may be a reality show that Royce
is going to do, and I will be on it with him. Stuff is happening
all over the place.
Rodrigo,
once again it is an honor. Good luck with K-1 and we look forward
to talking with you again. Do you have anyone you would like
to thank?
I
would like to thank Atama Kimono’s for their support. You
can visit them at www.atamakimonos.com. Also check out my travel
schedule on my website www.rodrigogracie.com or royce’s
site www.roycegracie.tv
Source:
Maxfighting
|
Quote
of the Day
"Education is what survives when what has been learnt is
forgotten."
B.F. Skinner, 1904-1990, American Psychologist and Author
|
Rumble
On The Rock Qualifiers
Tonight!
Rumble World Entertainment Announces ROTR Qualifiers
Blaisdell
Center Arena Hosts First-Ever ROTR Qualifiers Event
HONOLULU -- Hawai‘i Sep 14, 2005 On Saturday, September
17th, 2005, Rumble World Entertainment (RWE) will for the first
time bring the ROTR Qualifiers (formerly Proving Grounds) event
to the Blaisdell Center Arena. The event will feature an eight
man welterweight tournament featuring some of Hawai‘i’s
up-and-coming Mixed Martial Arts (MMA) athletes as well as two
superfights featuring local and Brazilian MMA veterans Ron Jhun
and Thalles Leite. Doors open at 6:30pm and the action begins
at 7:30pm.
Featured
in the eight man tournament are:
Ross
"Da Boss" Ebanez (Hilo - BJ Penn MMA)
Sidney Silva (Honolulu - Romolo Barros)
Tyson Noho‘ikai‘ka (Maui - Jeff Mcgee)
Kaleo Padilla (Kona – Westbrook Boxing)
Jason Daquel (Honolulu - Mixed Breed)
Dirty Curty (Honolulu - Team Submit)
Daniel Devers (Honolulu - 808 Fight Factory)
Mark Moreno (Honolulu – Bull’s Penn)
Superfights
scheduled for the evening include well-known MMA veterans:
Ron
Jhun (Honolulu – 808 Fight Factory) vs. Thalles Leite (Brazil
– Nova Uniao)
Iron
Mike Aina (Hilo- BJ Penn MMA) vs. Kaleo Kwon (Honolulu –
Eastsidaz)
Preliminary
bouts will feature:
Dean
Lista (Honolulu – HMC Academy) vs. Pako Woods (Hilo –
BJ Penn MMA)
Mark
Bonilla (Hilo – BJ Penn MMA) vs. Taurus Kabab (Honolulu
– Team MMAD)
*Card
subject to change.
The
winner of the tournament will earn a spot in the November 19th
ROTR 8 World Championship event. Weigh-ins for this weekend’s
ROTR Qualifiers will be held at Roundtable Pizza in Waikiki on
Friday, September 16, at 5:30pm.
According
to JD Penn, president of RWE, “As the sport continues its
evolution as Hawai‘i’s mecca of MMA, the ROTR Qualifiers
event is a welcome opportunity for our fighters to show us what
they’ve got and possibly get the chance to win a shot at
one of ROTR’s headliner events. These events have been instrumental
in helping us to cultivate local talent and build our sport to
new levels locally and globally,” he said.
The
ROTR Qualifiers offers local fighters the opportunity to compete
in the bigger shows by testing their skills in a professional-level
environment. RWE utilizes qualifier events to scout talent for
its bigger shows in Honolulu and throughout Hawai‘i.
Formerly
named “Proving Grounds,” the event was first held two
years ago in Hilo on the Big Island. This will be the fifth ROTR
Qualifiers event for RWE. Future qualifiers are planned for the
island of Maui on October 7 and Hilo on the Big Island on November
5.
Tickets
to the event are priced as follows:
Risers
$35
Floor (Rows) 7-11 $50
Rows 3-6 $75
Rows 1-2 $125
About
Rumble World Entertainment
Rumble World Entertainment is a Hawai'i-based entertainment company
who produces Rumble on the Rock (ROTR), Proving Grounds and RumbleVision.
In less than two years, Rumble World Entertainment, formerly
Prodigy Productions, has taken ROTR from a small Hilo-based show
to a globally recognized event broadcast in 90 countries including
Japan Pay-Per-View and U.S. Pay-Per-View. RWE hopes to bring
their events to California and Las Vegas in the near future.
MMA Weekly, a popular MMA radio show and news-driven web site
rated ROTR as the world's third most popular MMA event in 2004.
Website:
http://www.rumbleontherock.com
|
Tuesday
Night Fights
Has Pushed Back To October 11th
It will be a regularly held kickboxing event held under K-1 Rules
(leg kicks allowed).
The event will feature 12 bouts in all.
There will be some Junior Division bouts and 3 Championship bouts.
The event will be held at Central Pacific Athletics, the old
Woolworth's building in the mall.
Source: Event Promoter
|
Murilo
Bustamante - Interview
By André Araújo - Team TATAME
Brazilian Top Team leader Murilo Bustamante has some experience
in Grand Prix style of competition. After fighting three times
at Martial Arts Reality Superfighting (MARS), in 1996 and replacing
his teammate Ricardo Arona at Pride Middleweight GP 2003, Bustamante
will be the team representative at PRIDE Bushido, which takes
place on September 25, at Ariake Colosseum. His teammate Paulão
Filho will do an alternate fight, but team has no representatives
at the -73kg division. MaXfighting.com had a little chat with
Bustamante and asked him about PRIDE, Bushido and Mauricio Shogun’s
black belt:
You
are going to Japan on September 17. How is your training so far?
It’s
normal. I have been training hard and I am ready to fight two
opponents in the same night. I am not thinking about doing a
fast first match. The great thing would be winning those two
fights. No matters how.
Can
you talk a little bit about your opponents?
Masanori
Suda is the SHOOTO World Champion and his tape must be in my
VCR soon. However, I’ve watched many fights of Phil Baroni.
I see he is a great boxer and he is also a good wrestler. His
only weak point is on the ground, what is by the way my specialty.
If we do fight, I will have this great resource against him.
Talking
about PRIDE GP Middleweight, how did you see Ricardo Arona’s
victory over Wanderlei? All people say they respected each other
a lot...
Well,
Ricardo was great. He fought well and was perfect. To be honest,
they really did respect each other. Wanderlei did not fight as
he uses to do because he knew if he did it, Arona would put him
down. Arona was perfect and built a perfect strategy to win.
However Wanderlei make it harder.
And
the final against Shogun?
Watching
by the TV, I think Arona was not the same fighter after suffering
that takedown. So Shogun fixed an omoplata and I thought it was
weird. It seems like Arona hit his head on the ground, but this
is not an excuse. Those accidents happen during the fight. Mauricio
Shogun star has shined and Arona didn’t have any luck.
Why
didn’t you go to Rodrigo Minotauro’s house to watch
Pride GP with BTT guys?
In
fact I watched PRIDE at house because of my training. As soon
pride was over, I turned off the TV and went to bed. When I am
about to fight I always behave myself that way. I am all focus
to the competition.
Talking
about Shogun... he was graduated black belt after the tournament.
What did you think about it?
I
guess he is a Nino (Schembri) student and if his teacher gave
him the belt, the belt is given. Nino has such Jiu-Jitsu knowledge
and he knows what he is doing. BJJ black belt does not only mean
he is a good competitor. Jiu-Jitsu involves much more than that…
I’ve seen lots of BJJ black belts that suck.
After
PRIDE GP Middleweight, the score of BTT vs. Chute Boxe in Pride
are 4x2 for Chute Boxe. This fact increases your will to fight
Daniel Acácio?
No
way! When I am on the ring I don’t think about score or
rivalry. I am concerned about my physical shape and my training.
In the ring my opponent is just a doll and no matter where he
comes from.
After
the loss for Arona, your responsibility to win increases? Does
your team place pressure on you in any level?
The
responsibility is the same as always. In fact my partners from
BTT have been nothing but supportive. There is no such thing
as pressure. They all help me a lot.
Why
is there is no BTT representative at GP -73kg?
Honestly
I don’t know. I got disappointed. I don’t understand
how Junior Buscapé is not going to fight. For me he is
one of the best fighters of the category. He is top 4. Maybe
because Buscapé got defeated by Kawajiri... but I still
cannot understand Japanese’s mind. Over the fight against
(Luis) Azeredo, Chuteboxer was lucky and defeated Buscapé
in a controversial fight. I think this decision was very unfair.
André
Araújo – andre@tatame.com.br
Source: Maxfighting
|
Best
of the Best from the 90s
By Jeremy Wall
With Fedor Emelianenko's win over Mirko Cro Cop now locked into
MMA history, it has prompted us at maXfighting to take a look
back at five of the biggest heavyweight fights that occurred
during MMA's first decade of the 1990s.
The
90s featured the first wave of top heavyweight fighters in MMA,
featured mostly in the UFC. Although names like Ken Shamrock,
Dan Severn, Mark Coleman and Maurice Smith don't hold up to modern
heavyweights like Fedor and Mirko and their bretheren, they were
the cream of the crop of the 90s and were the most accomplished
heavyweights in mixed martial arts. That is, until Antonio Rodrigo
Nogueira changed the way top heavyweights fought by bringing
a new level of skill to the heavyweight class.
Nevertheless,
here are the five biggest heavyweight fights of last century's
December decade:
Dan
Severn vs. Ken Shamrock, UFC 6 7/14/95
This
is where the now-mythical grudge between Severn and Shamrock
began. This fight was also the beginning of the end for Ken Shamrock
in Pancrase.
Shamrock
had earned this fight by going to a draw with the unbeatable
Royce Gracie at UFC 5. Severn had won the one-night tournament
on that same show, and Severn-Shamrock would be for the Superfight
title that Shamrock and Royce had duelled over.
During
his prime in the UFC, not only was Shamrock that promotion's
biggest star, but he was also one of the three biggest stars
in Pancrase, along with native fighter Masakatsu Funaki and Minoru
Suzuki. Prior to the fight against Severn, Shamrock was the King
of Pancrase champion, having won the title in a two-night tournament
in 1994 defeating Manabu Yamada in a boring finals.
Pancrase
was a pro wrestling company that promoted real fights. That was
the main difference between the Pancrase of that era and pretty
much everything in mixed martial arts since, including current
Pancrase. The people that ran it were pro wrestling promoters,
and of course their minds operated like those of pro wrestling
promoters.
Pancrase
had a problem with Ken Shamrock fighting Severn. Both Shamrock
and Severn were pro wrestlers before UFC even existed, and when
this fight occurred, Severn was also the NWA Heavyweight champion.
The NWA was a wrestling organization which had once been the
very pinnacle of the medium, but had since been usurped years
earlier by the WWF. They had put the title belt on Severn with
the idea in mind that Severn was a bigger star because of his
UFC fights than any other wrestler involved in the NWA at that
time.
The
problem was that Pancrase didn't want Shamrock, their champion,
facing a guy who held a "fake" pro wrestling title.
This was because Pancrase did not want word getting back to Japan
that one of their "real" pro wrestlers had lost to
someone who had a "fake" wrestling title, because such
news would damage the reputation of their promotion. So, ironically,
two months prior to the Severn fight Pancrase forced Shamrock
to drop the King of Pancrase title to Minoru Suzuki in a worked
fight. It was the beginning of the end for Ken Shamrock in Pancrase,
as he only competed in three more fights before having a severe
falling out with the promotion that led to legal issues between
the two.
Severn
was the heavyweight favourite to defeat Shamrock. Severn had
a serious size advantage, had won the UFC 5 tournament whereas
Shamrock had never won a tournament, and had gone to the finals
at UFC 4 before losing to Royce Gracie. Severn had also given
Gracie a tougher fight at UFC 4 than Shamrock did in either of
his outings with Royce.
However,
it was not to be Severn's night, as Shamrock was able to submit
the former NCAA All-American in just over two minutes with a
guillotine choke.
Based
on the hype for Severn vs. Shamrock, UFC 6 to this day remains
the most watched UFC pay per view of all time, being estimated
at about 260,000 buys. It has since been surpassed as the most
watched UFC fight of all time multiple times this year with the
amount of fights that have aired on Spike TV.
Dan
Severn vs. Ken Shamrock II, UFC 9 5/17/96
But
the Shamrock-Severn grudge didn't stop there. Although Severn
vs. Shamrock I had raked in the dough for SEG, UFC officials
definitely did not want to do a rematch. They hated Severn. They
thought he was unmarketable, boring and remained a serious risk
to defeat Shamrock should Severn ever get the then-Superfight
champion back in the octagon. And at UFC 9, Severn did just that.
The
only reason Severn got a rematch against Shamrock was that he
won the 1995 Ultimate Ultimate, beating Oleg Taktarov in the
finals. It was the biggest MMA tournament history up to that
point, with Severn taking home a $150,000 grand prize for his
victory. UFC officials hands were tied as Severn was clearly
the fighter who deserved the next shot at Shamrock's belt.
Shamrock,
meanwhile, had gone on an undefeated streak since his win over
Severn at UFC 6. At UFC 7, he defended the title against former
training partner Oleg Taktarov. The fight went to a dull draw,
but had their been ringside judges back in those days, Shamrock
would have won a clear cut decision. At UFC 8, Shamrock returned
again, defeating Kimo in Kimo's first fight back in the UFC since
his infamous bout against Royce Gracie.
UFC
9 ended up setting a UFC attendance record that wasn't broken
until Zuffa bought the company in 2001. The show drew 11,200
paying $400,000 to Cobo Hall in Detroit for a show titled "Motor
City Madness". The show almost didn't happen because of
local politics nearly forcing the event out of state, and it
was also the first UFC show not to feature a one-night tournament.
The
show drew well on pay per view, even though more political problems
had caused UFC to lose a number of major cable outlets before
the event took place. But that wasn't the biggest disaster with
this show.
The
fight stunk. It was one of, if not the, worst fights in UFC history.
Severn, in front of his hometown crowd, went out to the octagon
and did nothing. Literally. Shamrock and Severn circled each
other and looked at each other for thirty minutes, rarely connecting,
in a fight that resembled the more recent Salaverry-Marquardt
match on Spike TV.
Severn
ended up winning the split-decision, with his name being announced
as he stood in the octagon that had been filled with trash by
fans.
Dan
Severn vs. Mark Coleman, UFC 12 2/7/97
And
Severn's psuedo-victory against Shamrock led to this fight. SEG
officials were so upset with the result of the Shamrock-Severn
fight from UFC 9 that they refused to use Severn again until
this point, despite the fact that he was their Superfight champion.
Mark
Coleman had come on like an unstoppable storm in UFC, resembling
MMA's version of Mike Tyson. He had walked through the UFC 10
tournament in his debut, destroying the otherwise undefeated
Don Frye in the finals. He then followed up the UFC 11 tournament,
and was undefeated going into this match.
The
idea with the fight was that Coleman, who was heavily favoured
to win, would walk through Severn. They purposefully booked Severn
in a match that he could not win so they could get the title
off him.
And
Coleman made things easier for them, destroying Severn and submitting
him in less than three minutes. He was awarded the first ever
UFC Heavyweight championship with the win, and there did not
look to be anyone in the UFC that could stop him.
Mark
Coleman vs. Maurice Smith, UFC 14 7/27/97
So
from outside the UFC came Maurice Smith. Smith was a longtime
kickboxer, having competed worldwide throughout the 1980s and
early '90s, including some shows with K-1 in Japan before entering
Pancrase.
Smith
had begun training with Ken Shamrock for MMA, but since Smith
was primarily a kickboxer, he did poorly in Pancrase, posting
a lopsided record and proving himself to be nothing special.
He certainly did not look like a future UFC Heavyweight champion.
Smith
soon began training with Frank Shamrock, a partnership which
changed the careers of both men. With Tsuyoshi Kohsaka also as
a regular training partner, Smith began improving his ground
game, and would soon make his U.S. MMA debut in Extreme Fighting,
the top rival promotion to the UFC on U.S. pay per view.
He
took on EF Heavyweight champ Marcus "Conan" Silveira,
a monster of a fighter who, with his jiu jitsu skills, seemed
unbeatable in that promotion. Smith pulled off one of the biggest
upsets of that era, mopping the floor with Silveira and taking
his heavyweight crown. Smith followed that up with a win over
Kazunari Murakami before Extreme Fighting was forced to close
its doors when MMA was banned from U.S. pay per view.
Smith,
Silveira, EF Middleweight champ Igor Zinoviev, wrestling standout
Kevin Jackson and a number of other Extreme Fighting competitors
were scooped up by the UFC, and Smith was immediately given a
title against Coleman in a battle of heavyweight champs.
It
was probably the biggest upset in the UFC for the 1990s, as Coleman
was heavily favoured to simply take the kickboxer down and pound
him. He did that, but Coleman, for a combination of reasons,
gassed out, and ended up losing a decision to Smith, who, with
Frank Shamrock, had planned an excellent strategy against Coleman
and prepared extensily on the ground for the fight.
Smith
would successfully defend the title against Tank Abbott before
losing in late 1997 to Randy Couture. Smith would float around
UFC and K-1 afterwards, never again finding the success he once
had as UFC champ.
Maurice
Smith vs. Randy Couture, Ultimate Japan 12/21/97
This
is how the Smith-Coleman fight would have gone if Coleman were
a better fighter. Couture was coming off his upset win over Vitor
Belfort, the first of many losses in Belfort's career, and on
paper would have been the favourite in the fight against Smith.
And
paper proved correct in this case, as Couture was able to control
Smith on the ground and didn't fall victim to Smith's tactics
as Coleman did. It was a boring fight in front of a smallish
crowd in Japan, but Couture was able to win a decision and the
UFC Heavyweight title.
It's
a title he would never defend, as a contract fallout with UFC
would remove Couture from the UFC and vacate the Heavyweight
title for the first of many times in its history. Bas Rutten
would enter the UFC and defeat Kevin Randleman for the vacant
title, but Bas would cut down to middleweight (205-pound class)
and then retire.
Randleman
would win the vacant title, but lose it back to Couture at UFC
28 in Couture's first fight back in the UFC since the victory
over Mo Smith. The Smith fight was also the first of a long line
of title matches for Couture in the UFC until his recent non-title
win over Mike Van Arsdale this past August.
Source: Maxfighting
|
American
National BJJ Championship
The 4th American national Jiu-Jitsu Championship takes place
on September 25th at Torrance North High School (3620 west 182nd
ST.,Torrance, CA 90504). According to the organization, the best
American athletes in each belt (adult division, men only) will
form the American 2006 Jiu-Jitsu team. This team has been formed
to complete the USA team against Brazil. Both countries will
face each other during Pan American Championship, which takes
place in 2006. For more info go to www.ajjc.org.
Source: Tatame
|
Quote
of the Day
"If it's a good idea. go ahead and do it. It is much easier
to apologize than it is to get permission."
Grace Murray Hopper, 1906-1992, American Military Leader/Mathematician/Educator
|
Rumble
On The Rock Qualifiers
Tomorrow!
Rumble World Entertainment Announces ROTR Qualifiers
Blaisdell
Center Arena Hosts First-Ever ROTR Qualifiers Event
HONOLULU -- Hawai‘i Sep 14, 2005 On Saturday, September
17th, 2005, Rumble World Entertainment (RWE) will for the first
time bring the ROTR Qualifiers (formerly Proving Grounds) event
to the Blaisdell Center Arena. The event will feature an eight
man welterweight tournament featuring some of Hawai‘i’s
up-and-coming Mixed Martial Arts (MMA) athletes as well as two
superfights featuring local and Brazilian MMA veterans Ron Jhun
and Thalles Leite. Doors open at 6:30pm and the action begins
at 7:30pm.
Featured
in the eight man tournament are:
Ross
"Da Boss" Ebanez (Hilo - BJ Penn MMA)
Sidney Silva (Honolulu - Romolo Barros)
Tyson Noho‘ikai‘ka (Maui - Jeff Mcgee)
Kaleo Padilla (Kona – Westbrook Boxing)
Jason Daquel (Honolulu - Mixed Breed)
Dirty Curty (Honolulu - Team Submit)
Daniel Devers (Honolulu - 808 Fight Factory)
Mark Moreno (Honolulu – Bull’s Penn)
Superfights
scheduled for the evening include well-known MMA veterans:
Ron
Jhun (Honolulu – 808 Fight Factory) vs. Thalles Leite (Brazil
– Nova Uniao)
Iron
Mike Aina (Hilo- BJ Penn MMA) vs. Kaleo Kwon (Honolulu –
Eastsidaz)
Preliminary
bouts will feature:
Dean
Lista (Honolulu – HMC Academy) vs. Pako Woods (Hilo –
BJ Penn MMA)
Mark
Bonilla (Hilo – BJ Penn MMA) vs. Taurus Kabab (Honolulu
– Team MMAD)
*Card
subject to change.
The
winner of the tournament will earn a spot in the November 19th
ROTR 8 World Championship event. Weigh-ins for this weekend’s
ROTR Qualifiers will be held at Roundtable Pizza in Waikiki on
Friday, September 16, at 5:30pm.
According
to JD Penn, president of RWE, “As the sport continues its
evolution as Hawai‘i’s mecca of MMA, the ROTR Qualifiers
event is a welcome opportunity for our fighters to show us what
they’ve got and possibly get the chance to win a shot at
one of ROTR’s headliner events. These events have been instrumental
in helping us to cultivate local talent and build our sport to
new levels locally and globally,” he said.
The
ROTR Qualifiers offers local fighters the opportunity to compete
in the bigger shows by testing their skills in a professional-level
environment. RWE utilizes qualifier events to scout talent for
its bigger shows in Honolulu and throughout Hawai‘i.
Formerly
named “Proving Grounds,” the event was first held two
years ago in Hilo on the Big Island. This will be the fifth ROTR
Qualifiers event for RWE. Future qualifiers are planned for the
island of Maui on October 7 and Hilo on the Big Island on November
5.
Tickets
to the event are priced as follows:
Risers
$35
Floor (Rows) 7-11 $50
Rows 3-6 $75
Rows 1-2 $125
About
Rumble World Entertainment
Rumble World Entertainment is a Hawai'i-based entertainment company
who produces Rumble on the Rock (ROTR), Proving Grounds and RumbleVision.
In less than two years, Rumble World Entertainment, formerly
Prodigy Productions, has taken ROTR from a small Hilo-based show
to a globally recognized event broadcast in 90 countries including
Japan Pay-Per-View and U.S. Pay-Per-View. RWE hopes to bring
their events to California and Las Vegas in the near future.
MMA Weekly, a popular MMA radio show and news-driven web site
rated ROTR as the world's third most popular MMA event in 2004.
Website:
http://www.rumbleontherock.com
|
Tuesday
Night Fights
Has Pushed Back To October 11th
It will be a regularly held kickboxing event held under K-1 Rules
(leg kicks allowed).
The event will feature 12 bouts in all.
There will be some Junior Division bouts and 3 Championship bouts.
The event will be held at Central Pacific Athletics, the old
Woolworth's building in the mall.
Source: Event Promoter
|
The
Ultimate Fighter Season 2 Spoiler
If you want to know how the Ultimate Fighter ends up, Fightsport.com has the results. We
didn't want to spoil your viewing pleasure by posting it here,
so feel free to check it out on your own.
Source: Fight Sport
|
Diaz
signs to fight Sanchez
It's official. Nick Diaz has signed to fight Diego Sanchez on
Spike T.V.'s November UFC card. Since dismantling his last 2
opponents, Diaz had asked for higher profile fights and there
will be no better way to accomplish that than fighting in front
of what could be the largest audience to witness an MMA event
in American history. Besides a grueling training schedule, Diaz
stays busy by competing in various events including this past
weekend's half "Ironman" triathlon where the 22 year
old took first in his age group.
"It
was a mile and a half swim, a 56 mile bike ride and a 13 mile
run. I like to stay in shape between fights. Last weekend I swam
from Alcatraz to the San Francisco pier. I want to keep pushing
myself.", asserted Diaz.
Source: Gracie Fighter
|
Rodrigo
"Minotauro" Nogueira Interview
Rodrigo 'Minotauro' Nogueira was recently interviewed by a Swiss
website. Here's what Minotauro had to say:
Interviewer:
How do you see the heavyweight division, right now, compared
between PRIDE and the UFC?
Minotauro:
I think, that PRIDE has a much better level of fighters. Before
it might have been the same, but now PRIDE is much better. You
know, they had this fight between Fedor and Cro Cop. It was a
very interesting match, and it proved that PRIDE's level is very
high.
Interviewer:
Do you think, Fedor is beatable?
Minotauro:
Fedor is a very good fighter, but he has some weaknesses.
Interviewer:
What kind of weaknesses?
Minotauro:
He is not good on the ground. He can be dominant from the mount
position, but his submissions are not good enough. He couldn't
submit Mirko on the ground.
Interviewer:
For how many years more you would like to compete?
Minotauro:
Maybe for nine more years. I am now 26 years old, so maybe stop
when I am 35. But I still have many things to do. I am not done
yet. (laughs)
Interviewer:
Beside Fedor, who was until now your toughest opponent?
Minotauro:
I would say Sergey Kharitonov. He is very tough. He is really
going to be one of the top fighters in the heavyweight division.
Interviewer:
Yes, I think so too. I would like to see Fedor fight against
Kharitonov.
Minotauro:
Yes, I think that would be a very interesting match! But you
see, somehow, the top fighters never fight each other. It took
Fedor three years to fight Mirko, but until now he never fought
Kharitonov. I think, PRIDE should organize this matchup. It would
definitely be amazing.
Interviewer:
Mirko said recently in an interview that he will first fight
against Josh Barnett, and then he will fight against you at the
PRIDE December 31st event. Can you tell us something about that?
Minotauro:
No.
Interviewer:
Interesting, because Josh Barnett recently said that he also
didn't know about a fight against Mirko.
Minotauro:
Well, that's his wish. He would like to fight Josh Barnett one
more time, because they stopped the fight the first time. But
I would be ready to fight him anytime.
Interviewer:
After you retire from fighting, what would you like to do?
Minotauro:
I still would like to teach martial arts, and teach my friends
how to fight. But I'd also like to do things that I haven't had
the possibility of doing yet, such as living in the countryside
and maybe have a farm or something like that. That would be nice.
Interviewer:
You only fought once this year, but when I checked your fight
statistics from the beginning of your career, you stepped into
the ring at least 3-5 times a year. Was it because of your elbow
injury?
Minotauro:
Yes, I had a very bad injury and couldn't train and fight that
much. But next year there will be the heavyweight GP, and I know
it will be a very tough year. So I take now my time for the physical
therapy to be ready for next year.
Interviewer:
Were you surprised about the striking domination of Arona in
his fight against Vanderlei?
Minotauro:
Yes, Arona showed some surprises. He kicked Vanderlei very hard.
But I was sure that Arona would dominate that fight, and I feel
very proud to help him fight like that.
Interviewer:
Can you tell us something about your own fight event?
Minotauro:
Yes, we've already had three events, and I like to put together
some very good matchups. I try to find the best up-and-comers
in Brazil, so that they can improve their fighting and fight
abroad.
Interviewer:
So it's mainly for Brazilian fighters to come to the top?
Minotauro:
Yes, that's my main idea. The event has become very big and everybody
is really watching now in Brazil. Because I know about fighting,
I feel I can put together very good matchups.
Interviewer:
You never wanted to fight in your own event?
Minotauro:
No, because my focus is basically just to fight in PRIDE, because
PRIDE is the biggest event in the world.
Interviewer:
The anaconda choke that you recently showed, was it invented
by you or your team?
Minotauro:
No, it was about ten years ago, and a old teacher of mine taught
me this submission. So we perfected it at the Brazilian Top Team.
It's my favourite choke right now.
Interviewer:
Yes, it's really good... really beautiful! You don't have an
anaconda as a pet?
Minotauro:
No (laughs). I have two dogs.
Interviewer:
What kind of dogs do you have?
Minotauro:
One Bulldog and one Italian dog. Two big ones.
Interviewer:
After you lost a second time to Fedor, did you ever think about
stepping down one weight class?
Minotauro:
No, even though I was kind of a lightweight for the heavyweight
division. I am usually 102 kg (225 pounds), and I could go down
one lower weight division. It wouldn't be difficult for me, but
to fight in the heavyweight division is much tougher, and it's
also a big challenge for me to be the heavyweight champion, so
I don't give up. I've already put on a little more weight, and
I am now weighing 105 kg (231 pounds). I wish to gain about 2
kg (5 pounds) more and weigh in at around 107 kg (236 pounds),
so I can fight with same strength as my opponents.
Interviewer:
Vanderlei once offered you to join the Chute Boxe Team...
Minotauro:
Oh, yes... (laughs)
Interviewer:
Have you ever thought about it?
Minotauro:
No, because we are very tight in the Brazilian Top Team. I also
helped to build up the BTT, so I really like my team and I enjoy
training over there. So I never thought about leaving the team.
Interviewer:
Sounds like a family.
Minotauro:
Yes, really like a family, but I appreciate his invitation. He
is a very good fighter, and I have a lot of respect for him as
a fighter and as a person too.
Interviewer:
You were once training with the national Boxing team of Brazil,
and the information came up that you would like to join them
for the Olympics. Tell us something about that.
Minotauro:
Yes, I was going to try. In Brazil we have a competition that
can make you qualify to join the Olympic team. There were three
guys who had the possibility to do that, and I was guy number
two. But I actually wasn't training just boxing. I was also training
BJJ, so I wasn't 100% into the boxing and to be ready to compete
in there. But for me it was a very good chance to improve my
boxing, the walking into the ring, the breathing, and all that.
The training there was really hard!
Interviewer:
How are your elbows at the moment? Are they healing well, and
when do you think you can fight again?
Minotauro:
Well, I had a little surgery to take out some bone spurs, and
it's healing very well. I started training one week ago without
any pain. It feels much better than before. I also couldn't move
well on the ground. I felt a lot of pain in my elbows during
my last fight in June, so I am very happy that I did this surgery.
Interviewer:
Since when have you felt that there was something not right with
your elbows?
Minotauro:
Since I fought against Cro Cop in 2002. During the training for
that fight I hurt my elbows, so there was always some pain there.
Interviewer:
Well, that was a long time until you decided to have it fixed.
Minotauro:
Yes, it was two years ago, and I have always wanted to get it
fixed but I would always postpone it until after the next fight,
and then the next, and so on.
Interviewer:
I have a question for you that may be a little uncomfortable...
Sakakibara, the president of PRIDE, stated recently in a interview
that PRIDE doesn't check for steroids. What do you think about
that?
Minotauro:
I think they should do it, but it's Sakakibara's choice because
it's his event. I think they should test, because normal fighters
have less chance to win against someone who takes something.
Interviewer:
The strength is really different?
Minotauro:
Yes, it makes a big difference. It makes really a big difference.
And they test in the Olympics, so I think they should also do
it. But Sakakibara can decide, because as I said, it's his event.
Interviewer:
You don't take steroids yourself?
Minotauro:
No, I am 100% natural. When I was 14 years old, I was already
weighing around 90 kg (198 pounds). So I was always a big guy.
(laughs)
Interviewer:
So I suppose you never had any problems in school.
Minotauro:
No, no. (laughs)
Interviewer:
Okay, that's all. Thank you very much for the interview!
Minotauro:
Your welcome!
Source: Fight Sport
|
Quote
of the Day
"There is no such thing as an underestimate of average intelligence."
Henry B. Adams, 1838-1918, American Historian/Journalist/Novelist
|
Rumble
On The Rock Qualifiers
This Saturday!
Rumble World Entertainment Announces ROTR Qualifiers
Blaisdell
Center Arena Hosts First-Ever ROTR Qualifiers Event
HONOLULU -- Hawai‘i Sep 14, 2005 On Saturday, September
17th, 2005, Rumble World Entertainment (RWE) will for the first
time bring the ROTR Qualifiers (formerly Proving Grounds) event
to the Blaisdell Center Arena. The event will feature an eight
man welterweight tournament featuring some of Hawai‘i’s
up-and-coming Mixed Martial Arts (MMA) athletes as well as two
superfights featuring local and Brazilian MMA veterans Ron Jhun
and Thalles Leite. Doors open at 6:30pm and the action begins
at 7:30pm.
Featured
in the eight man tournament are:
Ross
"Da Boss" Ebanez (Hilo - BJ Penn MMA)
Sidney Silva (Honolulu - Romolo Barros)
Tyson Noho‘ikai‘ka (Maui - Jeff Mcgee)
Kaleo Padilla (Kona – Westbrook Boxing)
Jason Daquel (Honolulu - Mixed Breed)
Dirty Curty (Honolulu - Team Submit)
Daniel Devers (Honolulu - 808 Fight Factory)
Mark Moreno (Honolulu – Bull’s Penn)
Superfights
scheduled for the evening include well-known MMA veterans:
Ron
Jhun (Honolulu – 808 Fight Factory) vs. Thalles Leite (Brazil
– Nova Uniao)
Iron
Mike Aina (Hilo- BJ Penn MMA) vs. Kaleo Kwon (Honolulu –
Eastsidaz)
Preliminary
bouts will feature:
Dean
Lista (Honolulu – HMC Academy) vs. Pako Woods (Hilo –
BJ Penn MMA)
Mark
Bonilla (Hilo – BJ Penn MMA) vs. Taurus Kabab (Honolulu
– Team MMAD)
*Card
subject to change.
The
winner of the tournament will earn a spot in the November 19th
ROTR 8 World Championship event. Weigh-ins for this weekend’s
ROTR Qualifiers will be held at Roundtable Pizza in Waikiki on
Friday, September 16, at 5:30pm.
According
to JD Penn, president of RWE, “As the sport continues its
evolution as Hawai‘i’s mecca of MMA, the ROTR Qualifiers
event is a welcome opportunity for our fighters to show us what
they’ve got and possibly get the chance to win a shot at
one of ROTR’s headliner events. These events have been instrumental
in helping us to cultivate local talent and build our sport to
new levels locally and globally,” he said.
The
ROTR Qualifiers offers local fighters the opportunity to compete
in the bigger shows by testing their skills in a professional-level
environment. RWE utilizes qualifier events to scout talent for
its bigger shows in Honolulu and throughout Hawai‘i.
Formerly
named “Proving Grounds,” the event was first held two
years ago in Hilo on the Big Island. This will be the fifth ROTR
Qualifiers event for RWE. Future qualifiers are planned for the
island of Maui on October 7 and Hilo on the Big Island on November
5.
Tickets
to the event are priced as follows:
Risers
$35
Floor (Rows) 7-11 $50
Rows 3-6 $75
Rows 1-2 $125
About
Rumble World Entertainment
Rumble World Entertainment is a Hawai'i-based entertainment company
who produces Rumble on the Rock (ROTR), Proving Grounds and RumbleVision.
In less than two years, Rumble World Entertainment, formerly
Prodigy Productions, has taken ROTR from a small Hilo-based show
to a globally recognized event broadcast in 90 countries including
Japan Pay-Per-View and U.S. Pay-Per-View. RWE hopes to bring
their events to California and Las Vegas in the near future.
MMA Weekly, a popular MMA radio show and news-driven web site
rated ROTR as the world's third most popular MMA event in 2004.
Website:
http://www.rumbleontherock.com
|
Rumor
Control for UFC 55: Sherk vs St. Pierre
With
the David Loiseau and Evan Tanner fight moving to Spike TV on
October 3rd for The Ultimate Fight Night 2, things had started
thjinning for UFC 55’s card. This would have been unfortunate
for the Heavyweight division since overall, UFC 53 was less than
a shining moment for that division. Recently Arlovski vs Buentello
has been confirmed as has Forrest vs Elvis Sinosic, but with
all of the rumors that circulate the internet it can be a bit
confusing and sometimes frustrating trying to sort it all out.
According to sources the much talked about, Sean Sherk will step
back in the octagon against Georges “Rush” St. Pierre.
St.
Pierre is wizard on the ground and Sean Sherk is a beast as he
proved in his first match with Hughes at UFC 42 in a tough decision
loss. The casual UFC fan knows St. Pierre’s credentials
but what about Sherk’s? He has beaten fan favorite Karo
Parisyan twice and has only lost once and that was the one to
Hughes. This adds some meat to the UFC 55 card, as it sets up
some scenarios for down the road.
And
looking down the road, many people could argue that St. Pierre
deserves a shot at Hughes first without having to face Sherk,
and his fans will most likely be flooding the message boards
with complaints. I am indifferent to the situation and ecstatic
about the possibility of seeing Sherk in the UFC again. If Georges
wins this match then there is definitely no question that St.
Pierre should be facing Matt Hughes next as the rightful number
one contender. This fight will end up happening most likely at
UFC 56 when Couture vs Liddell III is being rumored to take place
as well as the Quarry vs Franklin matchup.
Overall,
this year has been a pretty good one for the UFC and the next
event could help maintain that momentum if certain key fights
produce excitment and help estanl;ish the landscape of the title
scene.
Latest
rumored card popping up on the forums across the internet :
Sean
Sherk vs Georges St.Pierre
Forrest
Griffin vs Elvis Sinosic
Alessio
Sakara vs Ron Faircloth
Paul
Buentello vs Andrei Arlovski
Babalu
vs Chael Sonnen
Pete
Sell vs Joe Riggs
Marcio
"Pe de Pano" Cruz vs Keigo Kunihara
Another
Heavyweight Match
Source: Maxfighting
|
UFC
56: Quarry vs Franklin
On
Saturday, September 10th Rich “Ace” Franklin got the
call. During a workout at Jorge Gurgel’s Middletown MMA
Academy the UFC called to inform their Middleweight Champion
of his next opponent. Nate “The Rock” Quarry will step
into the Octagon and be the first Ultimate Fighter Season 1 participant
to receive a title shot. Is this fight rushed? We will have to
wait and see. That argument is an entire article unto itself.
MaXfighting could not independently confirm that this fight will
take place on the November 19th UFC 56 card but one has to assume,
because this is the most logical of choices since Matt Hughes
is most likely fighting Karo Pariysan on the Ultimate Fighter
Finale. This would make it a sure bet that Franklin would be
fighting on the UFC 56 card to be held in Las Vegas. We will
have more on this as it becomes available.
Source: Maxfighting
|
Rich
Franklin Interview
JW:
What are your thoughts overall on the new show? Can fans expect
something similar throughout the series to what we saw with the
first show?
RF:
It's gonna be a similar type of show. You have two coaches. The
teams split up. The development stays the same. The challenges
are better. The main thing you are going to see is the focus
on the athletes this year. You're not going to run into the same
kind of arguing and bickering as they had last year.
JW:
How much involvement do you have in the series? How much are
you featured throughout the show? It seems like there are more
of the coaches this year than before.
RF:
I would imagine that this is going to be a little more involvement
from the coaches this year. You just never know how the filming
studio is going to edit it. They can edit us into the show for
two minutes and they can edit us into the show for fifteen minutes.
I have no clue.
JW:
With the show so far, especially in the first episode, it was
interesting how Dana White was contrasted with the fighters.
An example is how Dana gave that speech at the end of episode
one to the fighters about being tougher. I thought it would have
been better for you or Matt to give that speech. What are your
thoughts on this?
RF:
Many people have come with that criticism. People are writing
on the internet forums saying that. Perhaps, I dunno. Dana does
run the organization that has all the top fighters in the United
States and the world for that matter. I would assume that he
does have some place and some rights to say that kind of stuff.
JW:
Do you know how soon you'll make your first title defense after
the show?
RF:
Well, they haven't given me a date yet. I would imagine they
will put me in the first pay per view show after the series ends.
JW:
Do you have an idea who your opponent will be? Salaverry is released,
Nathan Marquardt might be unavailable and Matt Lindland is now
released.
RF:
I would have no clue. With that whole series of things, even
if Marquardt was not involved in that steroids controversy, some
people would argue that he has not earned in the UFC to fight
for the title. yet. I'm not saying whether or not he has. That's
not the statement I'm making. Otherwise I've sat and kinda thought
about it, and I don't know who else in the 185-pound class that
has put together a series of wins that would be set for the next
title shot. I have no clue who they would put me up against.
JW:
It could be Nate Quarry or David Loiseau. He's fighting Evan
Tanner and if he wins he would be up there.
RF:
Yeah. The problem is if David Loiseau loses to Evan Tanner, where
do we go?
JW:
What are your thoughts on Lindland being released by UFC? Do
you think that was bad timing on the UFC's part?
RF:
You know, I dunno. I don't keep tally on their relationships
with other fighters. I really don't know what kind of reasoning
there was behind that, other than that he violated the endorsement
deal on his shirt. I don't know if it was a smart move on their
part or not.
JW:
Is there anyone you want to fight?
RF:
It doesn't really matter to me. Whoever they want me to fight,
whoever they put me against on the other side of the cage I'll
put my title up against. The problem with my weight division
is that I have a tough weight division. Every fighter in this
weight division is a quality opponent.
JW:
Back to The Ultimate Fighter, it seems like this crop of fighters
is not as tough as the original crop, or at least that is how
it has been presented on TV? Is that an accurate representation
for this year's cast?
RF:
I'll just say this much. They showed some of the stuff during
the evalution days. You saw some of the guys cramping, and that
was a major problem. As far as the injuries were concerned, we
had so many injuries we were dealing with that it became tedious.
You weren't sure whether the injury you were dealing with was
a serious injury or not a serious injury. I will say this much
though, Kerry Schall getting hurt on the very first show and
leaving with a torn meniscus shows the possibilities for injury.
JW:
Anything you want to add?
RF:
To all the fans watching the show, I hope they enjoy the second
season. I hope they enjoy the quality of fighters and find it
entertaining. I look forward to defending my title and God bless
everyone out there.
Source: Maxfighting
|
Quote
of the Day
"I have seen what a laugh can do. It can transform almost
unbearable tears into something bearable, even hopeful."
Bob Hope, 1903-2003, English-born Entertainer
|
KICKIN'
IT 2005 PART V
SATURDAY, SEPTEMBER 24 • 6:30 PM
PAGODA HOTEL BALLROOM
TICKETS: PRE-SALE $20 • AT DOOR $25
MAIN EVENT: RYAN LEE vs. DAVID BALICAO
SEMI-MAIN EVENT: BRANDON ABSHER vs. MARCUS MORENO
|
Werdum
might fight among heavies
After
submitting two opponents at Pride, Fabrício Werdum may
fight a Heavyweight fighter at Pride. Compared to Rodrigo Minotauro
by Japanese press, Werdum might fight Russians haritonov andeksander
Emelianenko in upcoming events. His Jiu-Jitsu trainer Sylvio
Behring is now concerned with his ground skills. "I really
enjoyed his fight against Roman Zentsov. He upgraded his ground
skill and on the feet, he looks like a machine. But we do need
to develop his ground. Werdum missed two mounts and a trinagle
choke because of that... He cannot waste this kind of chance.
In a fight against Kharitonov or Fedor's brother, this mistake
could change the final results," he states.
Source: Tatame
|
COFFEE
GUY EXCLUSIVE: RIVERA VS. HALLMAN POSSIBILITY
By Coffee Guy
Before
reading any further, please read our disclaimer first.
The
following exclusive report was sent to us by our Zuffa informant
called 'Coffee Guy':
"The
matchup of Jorge Rivera vs. Dennis Hallman may now be taking
place on the UFC 55 card on October 7th.
If
so, the matchup replaces the Evan Tanner vs. David Loiseau matchup,
which will most become the main event matchup of the UFC/Spike
TV card on October 3rd."
Source: Fight Sport
|
COFFEE
GUY EXCLUSIVE: UFC/SPIKE TV CARD
By Coffee Guy
Before
reading any further, please read our disclaimer first.
The
following exclusive report was sent to us by our Zuffa informant
called 'Coffee Guy':
"Below
is the line-up that the UFC will most likely put together for
their Spike TV card on October 3rd. Tanner vs. Loiseau will most
likely be moved off of the UFC 55 card, and be featured as the
main event on the Spike TV card:
Evan
Tanner vs. David Loiseau
Stephan Bonnar vs. James Irvin
Josh Koscheck vs. Drew Fickett
Chris Leben vs. Edwin Dewees
Fabiano Scherner vs. Brandon Vera
Spencer Fisher vs. Thiago Alves
Brock Larson vs. Jon Fitch
Jay Hieron vs. Jonathan Goulet"
Source: Fight Sport
|
Quote
of the Day
"It ain't braggin' if you can back it up."
Dizzy Dean, 1910-1974, Hall of Fame American Baseball Player
|
Fighters'
Club TV Episode 33 Tonight!
This episode will run on
September 6th, 13th, 20th, and 27th at our new time:
9:30pm, Tuesday nights
on Channel 52 (Olelo-Oahu).
Maui will receive a copy of the
show in the next week so check your local listing on Akaku.
Episode
33 features:
Highlights
from "Lockdown in Paradise"
-Paco Woods vs Adam Ah Sue
-Trenell Savant Young vs Kendall Groves (+ intvw w/ Savant)
-Jumar Dumaoal vs Eha Souza
-Isaac Kuikahi vs Jeremy Payet
-Ronald "The Machine Gun" Jhun vs Jay Heiron (+intvw
w/ Jay)
-Fabiano Iha vs (+intvw w/ Fabiano)
-Intvw w/ Lockdown Promoter Braddah Camanse
-and let's not forget some cool footage of the "Ainokea"
Ring girls
Technique
of the Week:
-Mike Tanaka of Kalakaua Boxing Club teaches the uppercut
Catching
up w/ Egan Inoue
-How's he doing? Where's he been? What are his plans for the
future?
All those questions answered in this great intvw. Plus, a sneak
peak
at his women's self-defense class
And,
Hawaii's favorite FCTV hosts "hamming it up", Mike
"Icon" Onzuka,
and Mark "T.O.G.--the other guy" Kurano
Questions,
Comments, Suggestions? Email us at:
fightersclubtv808@hotmail.com
We're
also looking around for some talented young lady who may want
to
take a shot at co-hosting a segment so please keep an eye out
for
us--resumes (w/ pics please--nothing fancy) to: chris@onzuka.com (yes,
he also got dat job mon)
|
MAEDA'S
PROBLEM WITH GENKI SUDO
This week in Tokyo Genki Sudo soundly beat his two opponents,
Miyata and Takaya, in the HERO’s promotion. What was surprising
was the comment made by promoter and head figure of HERO’s,
Maeda. Maeda wasn’t too impressed by Sudo’s style of
fighting in the ring. He was concerned about Sudo’s strategy
in luring his opponents into making mistakes. He even made a
comment about if this was a promotion overseas that Sudo would
probably get a yellow card. Interesting, because Sudo has fought
overseas in the UFC and it hasn’t appeared to be a problem.
At the event, it was clear that Genki and ‘Kid’ Yamamoto
were the fan favorites. And, the fact that both of them made
it to the Finals of the tournament which will be shown at the
New Year’s Eve Dynamite show (one of the biggest K-1 events
of the year), one would think that the promoters would be ecstatic.
And, a great showcase for the lighter weight fighters, to gain
more interest in that weight category. This makes it even more
confusing as to why Maeda would have a problem with Sudo.
When
asked about what he thought about Maeda’s comments, Genki
Sudo said, “Well, it’s my strategy and style.”
He continued,” I’m just trying to win.” And, he
also said,” I don’t intend on changing my style.”
Genki went on to say that he uses Napoleon’s strategy.
As
for his fights, he said that both Miyata and Takaya were difficult
opponents. And as far as looking forward to the Final against
‘Kid’ Yamamoto he said that there’s still time
and he’ll think about the strategy and heal up his knee
injury. On a different note, Genki said that the night of the
fights was on the 60th anniversary of his grandfather’s
death. Genki went on to say,” I truly believe he was looking
out for me today.”
Source: MMA Weekly
|
BARNETT
TRAINING WITH AMERICAN TOP TEAM
Josh Barnett announced that he will be training at the Amercian
Top Team center in Olympia, Washington, with Jeff Monson.
Barnett
added that he has also been training with strength coach Tim
Nagy. Nagy helps train competitors for the World's Strongest
Man competitions.
Source:
Fight Sport
|
Acácio
wants avenge Nino at Bushido
One
of Chute Boxe stars at -83kg division, Daniel Acácio wants
to avenge his teammate, Jiu-Jitsu's black belt Nino Schembri.
Daniel has plans to defeat Japanese Akhiro Gono fast and then
pray to Ryo Chonan pass through American Dan Henderson to meet
him at the semifinals. "Chonan defeated Nino at Pride Bushido
7 and now I want to avenge him. I know them all and I know I
can beat them. Gono is a great boxer and Henderson does not have
punch. Chonan is a ground specialist. I will exchange on the
feet, but I am also training hard on the ground to reach the
final of the GP," Acácio said.
COMPLETE
CARD (subject to change):
Pride
GP Bushido
Sunday,
September 25, 2005
Ariake
Colosseum - Tokyo, Japan
Lightweight
GP alternate bout:
-
Dokonjonosuke Mishima vs. Charles Bennett;
Lightweight
GP:
-
Takanori Gomi vs. Tatsuya Kawajiri;
-
Naoyuki Kotani vs. Luiz Azeredo;
-
Hayato Sakurai vs. Jens Pulver;
-
Yves Edwards vs. Joachim Hansen;
Welterweight
GP alternate bout:
-
Paulo Filho vs. Ryuta Sakurai;
Welterweight
GP:
-
Phil Baroni vs. Ikuhisa Minowa;
-
Masanori Suda vs. Murilo Bustamante;
-
Ryo Chonan vs. Dan Henderson;
-
Akihiro Gono vs. Daniel Acácio.
Source: Tatame
|
Quote
of the Day
"There is nothing worse than a sharp image of a fuzzy concept."
Ansel Adams, 1902-1984, American Photographer
|
Paul
Buentello Talks UFC 55
By Sean McClure
Congratulations, Paul on your title shot at UFC 55 and your back
to back wins in the UFC.
Q:
Can you tell us a little history on Paul Buentello, maybe a little
background on life before the UFC?
A:
I played football and baseball in high school and when that was
over I wanted to stay active in sports. Not really alot going
in my hometown I took up training Tae Kwon Do. From there I did
a few Toughmans and did fairly well. My first event I knocked
out the favorite and the Boxing Commisioner pulled me aside and
chewed me out. He accused me of being a pro and that he was going
to pull my license in every state for sandbagging amatuer shows.
The next day he came back and called all the remaining fighters
to the back. He said he had good news and bad news. The good
news was he found an insurance policy so if anyone wanted one
he'd help them apply for it. The bad news was I was researched
and cleared to continue. Soon after Steve Nelson brought in a
UFC style event called the USWF and I signed up for that. The
rest is pretty much history.
Q:
People are always saying how dangerous a striker you are. If
you look back at the wins you have, twelve of the eighteen are
by submission. Do you feel people give your ground game the respect
it deserves? How much emphasis do you put on improving your ground
game in your training?
A:
My striking is definately one of my strong points but I work
it just as hard as my ground game. As far as my ground game being
under rated or not getting any kind of reconition is basically
I train the ground to get back to my feet.
Q:
With UFC 55 looming on the horizon and two decisive wins behind
you, were you at all shocked with the announcement of your title
shot against Andrei Arlovski?
A:
Yes and no. I figured the call was comming if Mir wasn't going
to be ready by the Oct show. On the other hand I never in my
wildest dreams imagined I'd be fighting for the UFC title. My
goals were just to get on a UFC PPV because that was what made
me a fan. I figured once that happened (win or lose) that would
be the final chapter in my fighting career. The UFC made me an
good offer where I could contine to compete and that along with
my sponsors allow me to put food on the table for my family.
Q:
Many people feel it should have been you in the fight at UFC
53 instead of Eilers. Did you feel the same way?
A:
I'm sure if I was healthy I would have been offered the spot.
There were other names offered the fight but for whatever reasons
no one took the fight. You have to give Justin respect cause
he took the fight.
Q:
Without revealing too much, can you tell us what your strategy
might be against Andrei? With your well-rounded submission skills,
will this one go to the ground if you get the chance?
A:
My stratagy has always been to not hold anything back. When I
first started fighting I took alot of beatings and won from just
being the tougher guy. Now I'm a little more polished but still
have that "kill or be killed" attitiude. I never plan
to go to the ground unless I'm the one taken down. As far as
me taking anyone down I've never shot or attempted a take down
in any of my 20 fights.
Q:
People talk about Arlovski’s power and how heavy his hands
are. For example, in his fight with Matyushenko, Vladimir felt
his power and almost immediately tried to take the fight to the
ground. Many people also talk about how heavy your hands are
and your very obvious knockout power, do you feel you have the
edge in the striking department?
A:
As far as technical striking I'd give him the edge. As far as
taking shots I'd give me the edge. LOL, the only difference is
I've taken BIG shots and came back to win. I've seen Andrei take
two good shots and he went down both times.
Q:
If you win this fight you will be the King of the Cage Heavyweight
champion and the UFC Heavyweight champion. Is that something
you’ve thought about? That would be a tremendous accomplishment
in many people’s eyes.
A:
You know I haven't even thought about it. I do take pride in
being the KOTC champion but as far as sitting back and reflecting
on things like that I really haven't had time.
Q:
Do you have any advice you would give a fighter just getting
into MMA?
A:
I get that question alot. To me it isn't who you train with or
what style you practice. To me its weather you're willing to
make sacrifices. Sacrifices in and out of the ring. If your mentally
and physically tough there are camps and teams that can mold
you into a fighter. You have to have a passion for this sport
and if you have that and have no quit in you I think you'll do
good.
Q:
Is there something that drives Paul Buentello?
A:To
show my kids that dreams do come true!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Q:
Can you tell us something people might not know about you?
A:
Love to play AIRSOFT. And a fighter second and a friend first.
Thanks
so much for your time and congratulations on your well-deserved
title shot. MaXfighting wishes you the best of luck.
Source:
Maxfighting
|
Getting
to Know Jeff "Big Frog" Curran
By Hibbert
When is your next fight?
Jeff
Curran: I have a few fights scheduled for the rest of the year.
I am scheduled to fight September 30th (or Oct 8th) against Wagney
Fabiano for the TKO 145lb world title. It's a fight that has
been in the works for a long time but never happens. Hopefully,
this time it will. November 19th I fight for the Shooto America
title vs. undefeated Antonio Carvalho. I look forward to that
opening some doors should I win that fight.
After
your loss to Matt Serra at UFC 46, you are on a seven fight win
streak, and eight if you include boxing. Do you see the UFC bringing
you back in?
JC:
I don't see UFC doing anything with me at this time. If they
had a 155lb division in the works, I would hope they would give
me a fair shot as I gave them a good 3 round fight vs. Matt on
short notice with no time to put on healthy weight. But, that
seems so far out with the way their focus is right now on the
other divisions and T.U.F..
1.
Could you tell us a little about how you got started in mixed
martial arts?
JC:
I was orginally in Karate/Tae Kwon Do as a little boy like most
guys and began wrestling in the 4th grade. I did that until Freshman
year when I began Jiu-Jitsu. I boxed as an early teen with my
Grandpa too. Seeing Royce just put me in the mindset of wanting
to be in the Octagon. I fought in the Extreme Challenge Trials
8-man tourney and won that. At that time I was new to Thai Boxing,
but I was loving the training. Never stopped since.
2.
What are your hobbies outside of martial arts?
JC:
Well, my hobbies have changed this past year as I am now married
and spend all my time at the gym and at home. I have 2 puppies
that my wife Sarah and I are raising at the moment. I grew up
playing organized Ice Hockey and Skateboarding. I am actually
getting a new board so I can get out and relax a bit. I have
a skatepark near my house I am going to hit up. Other than that,
hanging with the boys is
Source:
MMA Fighting
|
MARIO
SPERRY TALKS BTT
By Mick Hammond
When reflecting on Pride’s Final Conflict 2005 event, the
Brazilian Top Team could have a bittersweet feeling. After Ricardo
Arona became the first middleweight fighter in five years to
defeat Wanderlei Silva in the Middleweight Grand Prix semi-finals,
he failed to succeed in defeating Maurico “Shogun”
Rua in the finals.
Thus
after the immense high of the win over Silva, the euphoria came
crashing down to reality thanks to Rua. Now upon returning home
from an extended trip overseas, BTT founder and leader Mario
Sperry spoke to MMA Weekly and discussed the events of FC 2005
and what is ahead in the coming months for one of the best MMA
teams in the world.
“I
think the kid (Arona) did pretty well in the first fight, but
our mistake was we focused too much on that first fight,”
said Sperry. “We got real excited with the first fight and
then things cooled down and we realized that Ricardo was kind
of hurt. His neck wasn’t too good going into the second
fight so he wasn’t able to concentrate as much on the second
fight too well.”
Sperry
continued, “As far as I am concerned, at the start of the
fight he (Arona) smacked his head on the ground and got dizzy
and didn’t recover. Still, Shogun was a better fighter that
day, he looked more aggressive, he wanted to be more the champ
in the beginning.”
Even
though Arona lost in the finals, Sperry is still very proud of
his accomplishments, “He is the first fighter to beat Wanderlei
in many years, that is very special and he is very gifted and
will continue to get better.”
Now
that the Middleweight GP is finished, the BTT can center on the
upcoming Bushido 183lb tournament in which they have two fighters
involved.
“We
have Murilo Bustamante in the tournament and Paulo Filho will
be an alternate,” said Sperry of the BTT’s involvement
in the tournament. “We are very confident for them, they
are training hard and are in shape now more than before. We think
we are going to win all the fights in September.”
The
confidence that Sperry shows in his team’s chances come
from the fact that both fighters have a distinct advantage coming
into the new welterweight division as opposed to the larger middleweight
division.
“I
think Paulo is able to fight either way (welterweight or middleweight),
he’s one of the strongest people that I ever had the chance
to train,” proclaimed Sperry. “He’s got a lot
of skills and is learning so fast. He weighs around 195-196lbs
normally and is around 187lbs now. He will be able to cut weight
and the day of the fight he’s going to be strong. For Murlio
this is the best option. He always did well at this weight in
the UFC, so this is the best weight for him and of course he’s
going to put on a great show.”
After
this month’s Bushido tournament there is the question of
October’s Pride 30 show. When it comes to the BTT’s
participation is a little bit more up in the air.
According
to Sperry, “We don’t know exactly what Pride promoters
want to do, but if they want us to do the show then that’s
good, we’re looking forward to it. Everybody is ready, Rogerio
(Nogueira) is training hard and Minotauro (Rodrigo Nogueira)
may be fighting. For him (Minotauro) it really depends on the
opponent because he had two surgeries recently, one on each arm.
Coming back he will be ready I feel, but it depends on who he’ll
be fighting (to determine) if he’s on the show. Everybody
is kind of waiting to see what the promoters are going to do,
but we will be doing some things after Bushido I’m sure.”
For
Sperry, a return to action for the first time since February
is also a possibility. “I’m waiting also, I have one
more fight on my contract and it is up soon. I was focused on
training guys for the Grand Prix, now I’m free and am training
hard and ready to fight.”
As
always no matter what is going on at the current time for the
BTT, the future is always on the mind of Sperry and the team
is constantly preparing for what’s next. “We are always
trying to improve ourselves and soon we will sit down and figure
things out. We have to prepare ourselves and have to get better
or we’ll get left behind. The fights we lost this year were
all great fights and we’re working to have many good results
before the end of the year.”
“We’re
just waiting for promoters and training hard. Our goal is always
the same; we want to win everything we can. The fights are getting
harder but we enjoy the challenge. The harder it gets, the better
for us, we want to push our limits. We are thankful that everyone
is interested in what we do in Brazil and we are going to train
hard and put on good shows for the fans and defend our team,”
concluded Sperry.
Source:
MMA Weekly
|
Quote
of the Day
"How poor are they that have not patience. What wound did
ever heal but by degrees?"
William Shakespeare, 1564-1616, English Poet/Dramatist/Playwright
|
Icon
Sport to Launch Hawaii’s First MMA Radio Show
For Immediate Release
Contact:
Patrick Freitas
Icon Sport
Director of Promotions
808 375-1645
superbrawl21@yahoo.com
September
9, 2005 Honolulu, HI – Icon Sport, the new face of Super
Brawl, is proud to announce that it is launching Hawaii’s
first and only all mixed martial arts radio show. The program,
The Icon Sport MMA Show - Presented by Steinlager, will air from 9:00
a.m. to 10:00 a.m. every Monday on Sports Talk 1420 AM, immediately after
The Bobby Curran Show. The program will debut on Monday, September
12, 2005.
The
Icon Sport MMA Show, hosted by T. Jay Thompson and Patrick Freitas,
will be a lively roundtable discussion featuring athletes, industry
analysts, celebrity guests, and listeners. Listeners will also
receive updates about upcoming local, national, and global events.
Icon
Sport President T. Jay Thompson, speaking on the growth of MMA:
“MMA
is growing so fast now. Locally, Icon Sport is routinely selling
out the Blaisdell (Arena). The fans are knowledgeable about the
fighters, the training academies, the science of the sport, the
promotions, and even the issues. Nationally – and especially
globally – this sport is taking over. The U.F.C. is now
incredibly successful, especially with their Spike TV contract
and hit reality show, The Ultimate Fighter. Japan’s Pride
Fighting Championship, who just held an event that had over 46,000
fans, now has a contract with Fox Sports. MMA used to be the
sport no one wanted to talk about. Now it’s the sport everyone
is talking about. I truly believe that this MMA radio show is
timely, if not overdue.”
Icon
Sport Director of Promotions Patrick Freitas said of the radio
program’s goals:
“Our
goals are to use the show – first – to provide a news,
opinion, and discussion forum for the legions of fans who love
MMA and – second – to reach out to prospective fans…those
men and women who’ve never been to an exciting Icon Sport
event or don’t quite understand the sport. They hear their
friends, family, and co-workers talking about MMA, but they don’t
‘get it’ quite yet. Perhaps they have some misconceptions.
We want to open their minds to this incredible sport.”
The
Icon Sport MMA Show will also be available to online listeners,
via the streaming link at www.sportsradio1420.com. Hawaii listeners
can call into the show at (808) 296-1420; Mainland and global
listeners can call into the show toll-free at 1 (866) 400-1420.
Fans may also email questions and statements directly to iconsportradio@yahoo.com.
The shows will be broadcast at noon Pacific Standard Time, 1
p.m. Mountain, 2 p.m. Central, and 3 p.m. Eastern.
The
Icon Sport MMA Show is sponsored by Steinlager, Fighter’s
Corner, Tactical Strength & Conditioning, Fitness & Nutrition
/ Military Nutrition, and Dreamworld Tattoo.
Source: Icon Sport
|
Boxing
Showdown at High Noon
Today!
Waimanalo 2005 Sunset On The Beach
Waimanalo Beach Park, Waimanalo
September 11, 2005
4:30PM – 5:30PM
Youngsters
showcase their skills in Boxing, Jump Rope Competition, Mitts
Competition, and a Mixed Martial Arts display.
East-Oahu
Waimanalo Boxing Club presents USA Amateurs from around the island
to showcase their talents in an official USA Amateur Boxing sanctioned
competition.
Source: Kuks
|
PRIDE
'Final Conflict' Full Tournament Review
By Jeremy Wall
The most talent laden Mixed Martial Arts tournament came to a
conclusion on August 28th, when PRIDE 'Final Conflict' took place
in front of a packed house at Saitama Super Arena in Japan.
PRIDE
announced a figure of 47,629, which of course is a lie since
Saitama only seats about 35,000. Nevertheless, the final four
of the tournament was expected to deliver results, and it did
as Mauricio "Shogun" Rua has instantly become one of
the top pound-for-pound fighters on the planet by defeating Quinton
Jackson, Antonio Rogerio Nogueira and then, in a single night,
Alistair Overeem and Ricardo Arona to become the Middleweight
Grand Prix champion.
Rua
displayed amazing skill as his hands worked like smoking shotguns,
TKOing Alistair Overeem in 6:42, and then doing the same to Arona
at 2:53 in the tournament finals.
The
night was a passing of the torch, as Wanderlei Silva, the defending
Middleweight Grand Prix champ having won the tournament in 2003,
as well as being Rua's teammate at Chute Boxe, was put down in
the second round in an upset by Ricardo Arona, who defeated the
Middleweight champion via decision.
Silva,
whose title was not on the line in the tournament, will now most
likely have to face either Arona or Shogun for the belt. Silva,
Shogun and Chute Boxe as a whole had no problem fighting in the
tournament finals, although it remains to be seen whether or
not they would face each other in a single bout over the Middleweight
title.
Shogun
vs. Silva later this year would be optimal, and probably a more
exciting fight than Silva vs. Arona. Here you can see the primary
difference in matchmaking between Pride and UFC. If this fight
show was UFC promoted, then Arona would get the next title shot
because he's the guy that defeated Silva. Logically, if Shogun
fights for the title Silva and Silva beats Shogun, which is a
real possibility, Silva would inevitably have to defend the belt
against Arona anyway. But if Shogun beats Silva, he has already
defeated Arona soundly so there would be no point in a rematch.
Thus Arona defeats the Middleweight champ in a non-title bout
and does not even get a title shot.
But
sometimes money matchmaking does not work logically. Shogun vs.
Silva is the better fight from a money stance, because they need
to establish that Shogun is the future Silva. Silva is past his
prime, which has become evident during this past year with his
loss to Mark Hunt (which was still an impressive performance
on Silva's part) and his close decision win over Hidehiko Yoshida
(which was a less impressive performance on Silva's part).
Another
possibility would be to book Silva vs. Arona over the title,
with the winner defending against Shogun right away, maybe even
on New Year's Eve or into the new year. Logically, that makes
more sense since Arona gets his shot at the title for holding
a previous win over Silva. Silva gets the chance for revenge
on Arona, and he could win a rematch. Silva is a bigger draw
than Arona, so it is better for Silva to get another shot at
Arona, although if he loses again it would badly damage Silva's
aura in Japan.
This
complicated booking is a mess that PRIDE could have avoided by
leaving Wanderlei Silva out of the tournament. Of course, by
leaving Silva out, Pride loses all of the money fights they can
do with Silva and the tournament is less of a draw. But on the
other hand, they could build a definitive challenger for Silva's
title out of the winner of the Grand Prix plus they keep Silva
protected by leaving him out of the tournament.
Looking
at this year's tournament, if they left Wanderlei Silva out and,
as an example, subbed in Murilo 'Ninja ' Rua, Silva would not
have lost to Ricardo Arona, and clearly the next fight for Silva
would be to defend the Middleweight belt against Mauricio 'Shogun'.
But they would lose the money fight of Silva vs. Yoshida, which
was the big fight of the tournament, and also lose Silva as a
draw against Kazuhiro Nakamura and Silva as the biggest draw
of the final four.
If
they did Yoshida vs. Murilo Rua in the first round, they would
not have been able to do such a big show, although with both
Yoshida and Sakuraba fighting it still would have drawn half
decent. Yoshida had a better chance of getting past Rua than
he did against Silva, and Yoshida nearly beat Silva, so if Yoshida
won the first round, they could have booked Yoshida vs. a weaker
opponent in the second. Igor Vovchanchyn would have been a good
pick since Yoshida should be able to submit him.
So
if you do Igor-Yoshida in round two, that means you end up with
Nakamura vs. Overeem and still Sakuraba vs. Arona. The final
four could have ended up with Yoshida, Overeem, Arona and Shogun.
So you'd lose the money fights, but Yoshida would have had a
better chance of making it to the final four. If you booked Overeem
against Yoshida in the semi-finals, Yoshida may have even made
it to the finals, although that's a tougher fight.
And
the big thing would be that Silva still would not have suffered
a loss at middleweight. People can rationalize his loss to Mark
Hunt because of the weight difference, but Silva lost plainly
to Ricardo Arona and is looking past his prime so far in 2005.
The
other big fight on the card was the biggest heavyweight match
in MMA history, with Fedor Emelianenko defending the Pride Heavyweight
title against Mirko Cro Cop.
Fedor-Mirko
was two years in the making, as Pride has tried to put together
this fight since 2003. Originally, Fedor was meant to face Mirko
over the title on the 2003 Grand Prix Finals, but Fedor claimed
a thumb injury and then nearly left Pride in a contract dispute.
Mirko ended up facing Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira for the interim
title, and lost by submission.
Fedor
went into this match claiming an injury to his right hand, although
Mirko was also having back problems. Injuries like that are more
than common in MMA, and at such a high level don't add up to
much.
It
was not the biggest draw on the card, but from a hardcore fan's
perspective, it was one of the biggest fights in history. And
I called it right when I said in my preview a few weeks ago that
Fedor would win a decision. The question was whether or not Mirko
would be able to avoid the ground with Fedor, and Fedor settled
that dispute.
PRIDE
has problems with Fedor, now. Fedor may be out for sometime due
to his hand injury. The top opponent for his belt would logically
be Sergei Kharitonov. However, Kharitonov is now affiliated with
Akira Maeda, former RINGS promoter and star pro wrestler, who
is affiliated with K-1. Kharitonov may be gone from Pride, although
it's possible that he could come back if Pride is willing to
shell out the big bucks to keep him in the fold.
Beyond
Kharitonov, PRIDE has little option. Fedor has already defeated
Nogueira twice. Rulon Gardner may not want another fight, and
Pride would not want him as champion. Mark Hunt is possible,
although Hunt is overrated in MMA. It would not be a bad fight,
though, for Fedor. Pride has little else at the heavyweight level,
so the Kharitonov situation should become more interesting.
Source:
Maxfighting
|
Rudimar
Fedrigo
By Eduardo Ferreira
Few steps from consecration
Still
celebrating Maurício Shogun's victory over Arona Chute
Boxe's leader Rudimar Fedrigo has been working hard to make new
champions at upcoming Bushido, which features two GPs in the
same night (-73kg and -83kg). "Daniel Acácio and
Luiz Azeredo, who are very motivated and crazy to win those titles.
By the way it would be a great thing for the rest of the team,"
he tells during the exclusive interview your read bellow.
How
is the team after the victory over Shogun?
We
are very happy. We are very proud of Shogun. He carried a heavy
responsibility after Wanderlei got defeated. He knew he was representing
Chute Boxe against Brazilian Top Team when faced Arona. But Shogun
showed being mature and despite his age, he promised us a KO.
He did it!
Tell
me about the mood of Chute Boxe before, during and after the
show.
Excellent.
lots of union and a selected group. Wanderlei got very happy
with Shogun's victory. They like each other a lot. Rafael was
in heaven, once he's created Shogun. He has been training Shogun
since the very first beginning and he is his master. In three
years he has been rocking Meca, Pride Bushido and now Pride GP
champion. He is a phenomenon.
Losing
to Ricardo Arona affected Wanderlei in any level?
Losing
is a bitter plate and very hard to be swallowed, pretty much
when you are a Chuteboxer. However, for me Wanderlei is the greatest
Vale-Tudo fighter in Earth. A loss like that is important to
show important to show us few mistakes and they must be avoided
in the future. Wanderlei is already training to return in a better
shape.
Did
Wanderlei motivate Shogun to the final?
All
the time. and not only at the final. Since the first phase of
GP Wanderlei has been such an excellent friend for him. And it's
very important to Shogun, once Shogun likes Silva a lot and he
is such a fan.
Tell
me a little bit about the controversy between Paulão Filho
and you guys.
To
be honest, Paulão is Paulinho... He is an alternate in
a GP because he a fighter which does not have too much consistence.
He teased Shogun and Ninja, but he does not have balls to fight
Ninja. He just wanted to make noise, once he is not a top fighter
for Pride.
How
this last victory motivates you for Bushido?
We
had to avoid being outside Brazil and started yesterday started
to train Daniel Acácio and Luiz Azeredo, who are very
motivated and crazy to win those titles. By the way it would
be a great thing for the rest of the team. We are taking care
of Evangelista Cyborg, Jean Silva and Fábio Piemonte,
who will be fighting at Cage Rage, in England. I cannot forget
we are really involved with Kazushi Sakuraba, who is such a fantastic
fighter. He is funny and very humble. He is really welcomed at
Chute Boxe.
Wanderlei
and Shogun are going to return to the ring this year?
Wanderlei
fights for sure in the end of the end. We are deciding if Shogun
will fight. He took seven days off and he might do whatever he
wants. In October Ninja fights. He is crazy to fight. but we
don't know if he is going to fight at Pride or if Pride is going
to send him to fight at UFC as a Pride representative.
Source:
Tatame
|
PRIDE
185-POUND GP CARD
Below are the lineups that were officially announced for the
PRIDE 185-pound and 160-pound Grand Prix tournaments. The opening
round for both tournaments will take place on September 25th:
185-pound
GP first round:
Dan Henderson vs. Ryo Chonan
Murilo Bustamante vs. Masanori Suda
Phil Baroni vs. Ikuhisa Minowa
Daniel Acacio vs. Akihiro Gono
Reserve
matchup:
Paulo Filho vs. Ryuta Sakurai
160-pound
GP first round:
Takanori Gomi vs. Tatsuya Kawajiri
Luiz Azeredo vs. Naoyuki Kotani
Hayato Sakurai vs. Jens Pulver
Joachim Hansen vs. Yves Edwards
Reserve
matchup:
Charles Bennett vs. D. Mishima
Source:
Fight Sport
|
|