Upcoming
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(All events on Oahu, unless noted)
2007
10/6/07
Punishment In Paradise
18
(MMA &
Kickboxing)
(Dole Cannery)
7/13/07
Punishment In Paradise
17
(MMA & Kickboxing)
(Dole Cannery)
4/27/07
Punishment In Paradise
16
(MMA & Kickboxing)
(Dole Cannery)
3/24/07
Garden Island Cage Match
5
(MMA)
(Kauai)
2/9/07
Punishment In Paradise
15
(MMA & Kickboxing)
(Dole Cannery)
1/14/07
NAGA Hawaii
(BJJ & Sub Grappling)
(Location: TBD)
2006
12/31/06
Pride FC Shockwave
(PPV)
IFL 2hr Championship Show
(Fox Sports TV)
12/30/06
UFC 66
(PPV)
12/9/06
Grapplers Quest West X
(All Sport Arena, Las Vegas, NV)
12/2/06
Aloha State Championship
of BJJ
(BJJ & Sub Grappling)
(St. Louis H.S. Gym)
12/1/06
Icon Sport
(MMA)
(Blaisdell Arena)
11/25/06
Kickin' It
(Kickboxing)
(Dole Cannery Ballroom)
11/24/06
Punishment In Paradise 14
(MMA &
Kickboxing)
(Dole Cannery)
11/19/06
The Quest for Champions
(Sport Jujitsu, Submission Grappling)
(St. Louis High School Gym)
IFL (11/4 event)
(Fox Sports TV)
11/18/06
UFC
65
(PPV)
11/11/06
The Ultimate Fighter 4: Finals
(Spike TV)
11/5/06
Pride Bushido 13
(PPV)
11/4/06
Stand
Up Martial Arts (SUMA)
(Kickboxing)
(Blaisdell Arena)
November TBA
RWE
Qualfiers
(MMA)
(Maui)
10/28/06
Palolo Boxing
(Boxing)
(Palolo District Park)
10/21/06
Pride Fighting Championships:
The Real Deal
(PPV)
(Thomas & Mack Center, Las Vegas, NV)
RWE Qualfiers
(MMA)
(Hilo)
10/14/06
Kickin It
2-4PM
(Kickboxing)
&
Got Skills 5
7-10PM
(Kickboxing/Boxing & Wrestling/Sub Grappling)
(Ilima Intermediate, Ewa Beach)
UFC 64
(PPV)
Pacific
Island Showdown
International Invitational Ultimate Full-Contact Stickfighting
Championship
(Stickfighting)
(Filipino Community Center Ballroom, Waipahu)
HLTC Olympic
Sport Taekwondo Seminar
(Taekwondo)
(Kihei Public Charter School Auditorium – 300 Ohukai Road
#209- Kihei, Maui)
10/13/06
RWE Qualfiers
(MMA)
(Katchafire Concert,
Guam)
10/10/06
Ultimate Fight Night
(Spike TV)
10/8/06
IFL (9/23
event)
(Fox Sports TV)
10/7/06
Hawaii Fighting Championships: “Stand Your Ground I”
(Kickboxing/Jiu Jitsu/MMA)
(Dole Cannery Ballroom)
10/6/06
X-1 Battlegrounds
(MMA)
(Blaisdell Arena)
10/2/06
IFL 2 hr
Special
(Fox Sports TV)
9/30/06
Jason "Mayhem" Miller Seminar
(HMC)
9/24/06
IFL (9/9 event)
(Fox Sports TV)
9/23/06
UFC 63: Hughes vs. Penn 2
Arrowhead Pond,
Anaheim, California
9/16/06
Kickin' It
(Kickboxing)
(Waipahu Filcom Center)
9/9/06
Punishment In Paradise 13
Unfinished Business
(Kickboxing, MMA)
(Dole Cannery Square Ballroom)
9/2/06
Icon Sport 47
(MMA, Kickboxing)
(Blaisdell Arena)
8/26-27/06
International
Masters & Seniors Championships
(BJJ)
(Rio de Janeiro, Brazil)
8/26/06
Got Skills 3
(Kickboxing/Boxing & Takedowns/Submission Grappling)
(Ilima Intermediate, Ewa Beach)
Palolo Gym Smoker
(Boxing)
(Palolo Gym)
UFC 62
(MMA)
(PPV)
8/21/06
UFC 62 Countdown: Liddell vs. Sobral
(Spike)
UFC: All Access Renato "Babalu" Sobral
(Spike)
8/18/06
Kickin' It
(Kickboxing)
(Waipahu Filcom Center)
8/17/06
Ultimate
Fight Night 4
(MMA)
(Las Vegas, NV)
The Ultimate Fighter 4:
The Comeback Premiers
(Spike)
8/12/06
Hawaiian Open of
BJJ
(BJJ & Sub Grappling)
8/5/06
Rumble On The Rock
(MMA)
(Blaisdell Arena)
Garden Island Cage Match 4
(MMA)
(Kauai)
Island
Warriors Fighting Championship
(MMA)
(War Memorial Gym, Wailuku, Maui)
7/28/06
RWE & PXC
(MMA)
(University of Guam Fieldhouse, Mangilao, Guam)
7/22/06
RWE Qualifiers
(MMA)
(Hilo Civic Center, Hilo)
7/22-30/06
CBJF World
Championships
(BJJ)
(Rio de Janeiro, Brazil)
7/21/06
Punishment In Paradise 12
(MMA, Kickboxing)
(Dole Cannery Ballroom)
7/20-24/06
CBJJO World Championships
(BJJ)
(Rio de Janeiro, Brazil)
7/?/06
RAZE MMA Fight Night 2
(MMA)
(San Diego, CA)
7/8/06
Ring of Honor
(MMA & Kickboxing)
(Waianae H.S. Gym)
7/7/06
Kickin' It
(Kickboxing)
(Waipahu Filcom Center)
UFC 61
(MMA)
(Las Vegas, NV)
7/3/06
Got Skills 2
(Kickboxing/Boxing & Wrestling/Sub Grappling)
(Pagoda Hotel Ballroom)
s 2006 Tournament
(Sport-Jujitsu, Sport Pankration, Sub Grappling, Extreme Sparring)
(St. Louis H.S. Gym)
7/1/06
Pride
(MMA)
(Saitama Super Arena)
6/24/06
The Ultimate Fighter 3 Finale
(MMA)
(The Joint, Hard Rock Hotel & Casino in Las Vegas, NV)
6/17/06
RWE Qualifiers
(MMA)
(Afook
Chinen Civic Auditorium, Hilo)
USA-Boxing Hawaii
(Boxing)
(Palolo District Park)
6/10/06
X-1 Battlegrounds 4
(MMA)
(Blaisdell Arena)
6/4/06
PRIDE Bushido 11: 'Bushido
Survival '06'
(PPV)
6/3/06
X-2 Extreme Wars:
Bay Area Brawl
(MMA)
(Oakland Alameda Coliseum, Oakland, CA)
2006 Relson Gracie Jiu-Jitsu Associations Gi Tournament
(BJJ)
(Gracie Main Academy)
5/27/06
UFC 60:
Royce Gracie vs. Matt Hughes
(PPV)
5/26/06
Icon Sport 45
(MMA)
(Blaisdell 6Arena)
5/20/06
3rd Maui Jiu-Jitsu Championships
(BJJ & Sub Grappling)
(Maui War Memorial Gym, Wailuku)
5/13/06
Got Skills Fighter Event
(MMA)
(Pagoda Hotel)
4/29/06
RAZE MMA Fight Night
(MMA)
(ipayOne center , former San Diego Sports Arena
San Diego, CA)
4/21/06
Rumble on the Rock
11: Grand Prix
(MMA)
(Blaisdell Arena)
4/15/06
UFC 59: Reality Check
(MMA)
(Arrowhead Pond, Anaheim, CA)
4/7-9/06
2006
Pan-American Jiu-Jitsu Tournament
(BJJ)
(California State University Dominguez Hills, Carson, CA)
4/6/06
Ultimate Fight Night on Spike TV
(MMA)
(Hard Rock Hotel & Casino, Las Vegas, NV)
4/1/06
Punishment in Paradise
(Kickboxing)
(Sea Life Park)
3/26/06
3rd Maui Jiu-Jitsu Championships
(BJJ & Sub Grappling)
(Maui War Memorial Gym, Wailuku)
3/25/06
Garden Island Cage
Match #3
(MMA)
(Kapaa H.S. Gym, Kapaa, Kauai)
3/11/06
Hawaiian Championship
of BJJ
(BJJ & Sub Grappling)
(St. Louis H.S. Gym)
Full Contact Showdown
(MMA)
(Kahuna's Sports Bar & Grill, Kaneohe Marine Corps Base)
3/4/06
Kickin It 2006
(Kickboxing)
(Venue TBA)
2/26/06
NAGA Hawaii State Championship
(BJJ & Sub Grappling)
(Honolulu)
*Cancelled
until Summer*
2/25/06
Icon Sport 44
(MMA)
(Blaisdell Arena)
2/4/06
Kick it Up
(Kickboxing)
(Pagoda Hotel Ballroom, Honolulu)
UFC 57:
Liddell vs. Couture 3
Mandalay Bay Events Center, Las Vegas, NV
(PPV)
1/27/06
So You Think You Tough
(MMA, Kickboxing)
(Kona Gym, Kona)
January
Grappler's Quest Hawaii
(Submission Grappling)
(TBA)
***Cancelled*** |
|
September 2006 News
Part 3
Wednesday
night and Sunday classes (w/ a kids' class) now offered!
 
For the special Onzuka.com
price, click on one of these banners above! |
 |
Fighters' Club TV
The Toughest Show On
Teleivision
Tuesdays at 7:00PM
***NEW TIME***
Olelo Channel 52 on Oahu
Akaku on Maui
Check
out the FCTV website! |
Fight
To Defend Mixed Martial Arts In Hawaii!
The Hawaii Government
is trying to ban or restrict MMA in Hawaii. Please contact your local representative and
let them know that you support MMA in Hawaii. Click the link
below to look up your Representative and his contact info!
HB3223 has been
passed with Amendments. Basically the bill has been rewritten
to create a MMA Commission to regulate MMA in Hawaii and passed
on to the Consumer Protection & Commerce Committee and the
Judiciary Committee for further hearings.
Get
all the details concerning the two MMA Bills by clicking here
|
Got a question for us? Email info@onzuka.com
or click here to send us
an email
Quote
of the Day
"I
think your whole life shows in your face and you should be proud
of that."
Lauren Bacall, American Film and Stage Actress
|
Heeee's
Baaackk!
Jason "Mayhem" Miller Seminar at HMC Today!
Another
bargin seminar from one of the baddest men on the planet. Where
else are you going to be able to learn killer technique in a
seminar for only $40?
Call HMC to arrange for payment to reserve your spot or email
info@razegear.com for more info!
|
The
Big Man Returns to Hawaii!
"Big" Eric Pele
By Chris Onzuka - Chris@Onzuka.com
FCF: Let's start off with your background.
EP: I started fighting around 2000. I started with Jiu-Jitsu,
Boxing and then started doing MMA. But before that I had experience
in high school wrestling and a little in junior college, but
that is about it. When I first started, I trained with John Lewis
and I pretty much stayed with him for my brief career. It was
John Lewis or Marc Laimon who I trained with or who cornered
me. Currently I am freelancing it. I am going Xyience [training
center]. I am going to Marc Laimon's and John Lewis' J-Sect [academy]
and getting more information that is out there. I think it is
just a better way for me to do it right now. This way I can stay
out of all the politics.
FCF:
You are scheduled to fight at X-1, here in Hawaii. This is actually
your second fight in Hawaii. Tell us about your first fight,
which happened to be your debut.
EP: Yeah, my first fight in Hawaii was actually my very first
fight. It was great to fight in Hawaii. Oh my God, I can't wait
to get on the plane and get back to Hawaii to fight there again.
The first time it was in the RINGS tournament B [block]. I fought
Cabbage first and won by arm bar and then I fought Roger Neff
to a decision. That was fun. I always wanted to come back. I
talked to the Hawaii promoters, but could never hook that up.
JD [Penn] was one of my first instructors and taught me so much
jiu-jitsu. He is the one that, after everyone blew me off, was
the one that showed me the fundamentals. We couldn't get anything
going because I wasn't sure what was going on in my life at the
time. Anyways, the Blaisdell was where it all started for me.
It has been a while since coming back. I got all my Uso's over
there you know? [laughs] There is a bunch of people that I haven't
seen in a while.
FCF:
After that tournament, you went on to fight in KOTC and fought
some notable opponents, being very active from 2000-2002. After
a loss to Dan Bobbish, you took some time off, what happened?
EP: To be honest, I was really depressed. I came in there and
pretty much gave him that fight. I am not taking anything away
from Dan. At that time, he was on his game and I came in half
assed. That is the first time that I weighed 380lbs. I normally
fight at 320-330lbs and for some reason, I don't want to mentioned
any names, but some people talked me into the fight. I took it
and I paid the price for it. After that fight, I was really depressed
because not only did I gain all this weight, but I missed the
next opportunity. Dan went off to fight in Pride and I felt that
it should have been me. That is the way it goes, Dan was ready
and I came in half-assed. The reason why I started slowing down
was I was really making some good money. The company was making
money and I didn't have confidence in myself so I was just picking
fights here and there. Then I finally was making enough for my
training and stuff, but it is tough to change diapers when you
are trying to train, you know? I always wanted to get back to
fighting, but just never got to it. That is pretty much what
happened there.
FCF:
You came back from possibly the lowest point in your fighting
career to winning the KOTC title, how did that feel?
EP: That was fun. Dan [Christison] was a replacement. I can't
remember who was my original opponent…fighting a tall fighter
was weird, but it was great. Like I said I was still trying to
keep my weight down and it worked out, in front of my home town
and all. I felt great. It was fun.
FCF:
After that fight, you fought Travis Fulton and then rematched
Bobby Hoffman, what was the reason for this break?
EP: With the show Inked and all that, I was really making a lot
of money, you know what I mean? Fighting just kind of fell on
the back burner and I started getting the itch to fight. Things
were going really good, but I still got the itch to fight. [laughs]
Of course, I wanted Bobby bad. He beat me the first time and
I thought that it [the fight] should have gone to overtime, but
he was in his home town and they gave him the nod and I just
thought that was an unjust fight.
FCF:
Talking about the shop. I was surprised to see you on the Inked
television program.
EP: I am not shooting with them anymore. I have my own shop,
basically I am doing my own thing right now, a possible show
for myself. We did some filming. I just had to punch out with
those guys. You know when money and all that shit comes along,
people change. The thing about me is that I have so much loyalty.
And people jack me around…it is just my fault that I put
myself out there. I fell so much into it that I had to get my
own thing going. I convinced myself to take this fight and that
is the direction that I am going. I like being in the direction
of my own life.
FCF:
Now that you have gotten your personal life in order and that
itch to fight, and I guess it doesn't hurt to fight in Hawaii
again huh?
EP: Aw, man! When they said Hawaii, I was like, hell yeah! It
doesn't take much to get me to come to Hawaii. It is the closest
thing to Samoa, you know? [laughs] I haven't made it there yet,
but anytime I can get to Hawaii. I am there. The guys that hired
me and wanted me to fight, I appreciate their offer. They have
been nothing but cordial, awesome and so professional and I hope
that I can build a relationship with these guys and come back.
That is like my home away from home. I used to hang out with
the old school guys out there. Back in '88, I came to Hawaii
for the whole summer and I used to stay in Laie. I worked at
Cilly's, an old school club in Waikiki. That was great. That
was my first time being in Hawaii and there was a lot of love.
There were some good times. I didn't want to leave, but I had
to, but it was great.
FCF:
Cilly's really is old school. [Note: Cilly's was the most popular
club in Honolulu in the mid to late 80's, but has since closed
down in the early 90's.]
EP: That was the shit back then. I'm from California and over
there, at that time, all the Tongans and all the Samoans beefed
all the time. But in Hawaii, we were working with a bunch of
Tongans, a bunch of Fijians. All I ever experienced was the way
the Polynesians treated each other on the mainland. But when
I was there, Man, there was so much love. When I first started,
I was like, "damn, there are some Tongan guys here."
But the guy that I was working with told me, it is not like that
over here. I don't know how it is now, but back then it was cool.
He said over here, we don't trip like that. And I was like, "right
on." That was one of the best times of my life was that
summer. It only took me two weeks to learn the lingo. You know,
talking to the girls…[laughs]
FCF:
Your opponent has changed to Vince Lucero?
EP: Myles [Tynanes, Eric Pele's originally scheduled opponent]
got hurt, so they threw out Vince. I don't give a fuck who they
give me, as long as it is not a local boy. I rather not fight
a local boy. I would rather be on the other side of that coin.
I don't know much about Vince. I know that he has twenty something
fights, but it doesn't matter, I have been training hard and
dropping a lot of weight. I got up to 447lbs, that was my highest.
So now I am down to 315lbs. I feel great, my body feels great.
Of course I hurt from training, but my body feels great, cardio-wise
because I am not carrying that much weight. I don't want to lose
too much weight before the fight, but I want to get down to 310
or so.
FCF:
Isn't that your lightest fight weight?
EP: Yeah, that is. My very first fight was 340lbs. When I fought
Sean Alvarez, I think I was about 322lbs and now I am 315lbs.
You know how it is, you are from Hawaii. There is a lot of big
islanders down there. We love to eat! [laughs] When I was 447lbs,
I was like, "fuck that!" I am going to do something
about that, so I did. Now my cholesterol and blood pressure are
great. We got to take care of ourselves, especially being islanders.
We are strong warriors, but we have the number one obesity rate
out of all the ethnic groups. We just have to take care of ourselves.
FCF:
Not looking past this fight, but what are your plans after this
fight? Is this marking your return to the ring regularly?
EP: Yeah, yeah. I have done some good stuff with my money and
when I left, my intent was to come back because I wanted to see
what my potential is. I feel good right now and I have some stuff
put away so I can just work on the weekends. My main goal is
to see if I can make…the talk is that the next Ultimate
Fighter show is going to be heavyweight again and see if I can
get a spot on there and see where I stand. And then go from there,
but that is a long time from now. I may end up fighting a couple
of times and then say "aw, fuck it." [laughs] That
is pretty much my long term plans. I don't know, if I have a
great relationship with these guys [X-1's promoters], then maybe
I will just stay with them. I would love to fight regularly in
Hawaii.
FCF:
Any words to the people of Hawaii?
EP: I am coming back! You guys won't be disappointed. I'll be
in good shape and I am going to bring it. My old teammate, Mayhem,
hopefully is out there somewhere. [laughs] It's been a long time,
but I'm coming back. So everybody that is out there, come out
and have a drink.
|
Sakuraba
released from hospital, will not fight at Hero's 10/9
Kazushi Sakuraba left the hospital today after being rushed to
the hospital yesterday when he collapsed during training. His
fight against Yoshihiro Akiyama in the Hero's Light Heavyweight
semifinals has been called off.
Sakuraba
underwent medical examinations and is reportedly suffering from
"vertebrobasilar insufficiency", a poor circulation
of blood from his neck to his brain. Doctors said that he should
be able recover with a full month of rest.
During
today's press conference, Sakuraba apologized for having to withdraw
from the fight but hopes to return for Hero's New Year's Eve
event.
Source: MMA Fighting
|
Filho
to dedicate title to Nogueira
'I'll destroy Misaki'
Rodrigo 'Minotauro' Nogueira's defeat on Pride OW GP was not
taken well by Paulo Filho. The BTT black-belt said in a interview
that if he wins the Bushido GP title he will dedicate it to Minotauro.
The statement was given after the confirmation of his fight against
Kazuo Misaki, on November 5th, for a spot in the finals.
"I
want to prove that BTT is the strongest team in the world. Minotauro
lost recently and I want to avenge that defeat. Misaki is extremely
dangerous. He's maybe the toughest Japanese fighter I've ever
faced. I'm sure he'll bring to the fight the same energy he displayed
against Dan Henderson. But, as Mike Tyson used to do, I'll destroy
him," said Paulo.
Source: Gracie Magazine
|
PRIDE’s
triangulation
By Zach Arnold
A couple of weeks ago, I wrote a definitive article about what
I thought PRIDE’s attempted business plan would be in regards
to Las Vegas and China. You can read that article below. Read
it first, as it lays the ground work for what was reported in
Daily Sports on Thursday.
The
newspaper reports that PRIDE will have Mike Tyson fight in a
boxing match on the Chinese gambling island of Macau on 12/31,
with the match airing live in the arena at Saitama Super Arena.
The newspaper reports that the Tyson appearing in Macau is being
backed by casino money. Everything that was predicted in the
original article I wrote two weeks ago is what PRIDE is now officially
attempting to do.
PRIDE’s
latest idea for UFC
PRIDE’s big picture
By Zach Arnold
Note:
As stated after PRIDE’s 9/10 Saitama event, the promotion
will run their New Year’s Eve show at Saitama Super Arena.
The idea with Mike Tyson is to have him fight in another country.
That country is now thought to be Macau.
For
those who have followed PRIDE’s m.o. on a business level,
you know that they have been trying to accomplish two things
for the last two years:
Start
running shows in America
Start running shows in China
With the promotion losing their Fuji TV deal in June, you can
add this third goal:
Get
a Japanese TV deal
How is PRIDE attempting to reach their goals in the near future?
Before
I break down what their business game plan looks like, let’s
take a look at some challenges they face in reaching their goals.
Running
in America
With
an office that consists of maybe three or four employees, they
do not maintain much man power. It is virtually impossible for
them to run a show on their own without man power on the ground
and heavy money backing them. Furthermore, they have to find
a place that can attract a heavy Japanese population and can
draw a fair amount of fans for a debut show.
Running
in China
PRIDE
has been trying to strike a deal to run shows in mainland China
for a while, with no success. They aren’t the only promotion
trying to do this. K-1 has been trying to get in markets such
as Shanghai and they, too, have failed. The key is the Chinese
Government and the regulations imposed regarding what can or
cannot be run for events. Second, the majority of mainland Chinese
citizens simply do not know what MMA is. They know martial arts
like Sanda, but the concept of MMA is very foreign to them.
Additionally,
it’s difficult for the Japanese (especially fight companies)
to try to run in mainland China because of their backgrounds.
Getting
back on Japanese TV
There
are heavy challenges for PRIDE in getting back on Japanese TV.
Outside of Hidehiko Yoshida, they do not have a strong Japanese
ace that can draw ratings. Takanori Gomi isn’t going to
pull in ratings (despite being a very good fighter with a marketable
personality). K-1 just signed Ken Kaneko, a celebrity who worked
PRIDE’s 2005 New Year’s Eve show and drew the highest
quarter-hour rating. This under-the-radar signing was a kick
to the pants by Tanigawa to PRIDE, as not having Kaneko for New
Year’s Eve as a “hook” for PRIDE makes it a little
bit tougher to get back on TV.
The
major issue facing PRIDE getting back on TV is not necessarily
their ability to draw a good rating on New Year’s Eve. The
major issue is what will the promotion be able to use as a “hook”
to attract fans and get the attention of Japanese television
executives.
With
these challenges laid out on paper, let’s take a look at
what PRIDE’s plans tentatively look like to try to come
up with a solution or two.
Align
with Ed Fishman. As we’ve cited before, Fishman made his
name in the casino world (through gambling technology & security)
in Las Vegas. He was the guy who created comps. for slot players.
He’s also into poker and television (as he was/is a good
friend of Dick Clark).
From Fishman’s perspective, aligning with PRIDE is an easy
sell. He would love to bring in Japanese high-rollers to gamble
their money away, and one way to attract those kinds of fans
would be to do Japanese-themed slot machines (such as PRIDE-themed
machines). A deal with PRIDE also allows him to take a product
in an industry that is seen as a hot commodity right now by cable
executives (MMA) and suddenly try to get back into the TV industry
again.
From
PRIDE’s perspective, they see Fishman as the guy who can
bankroll their Las Vegas shows. They see him as the guy who can
help prop them up as they try desparately to expand their brand
name in the United States. It’s a race against time. Furthermore,
PRIDE clearly has been watching what UFC has been doing business-wise.
They see that Dana White and UFC is backed by casino money from
the Fertitta brothers. Gambling money has always been a common
staple between the world of Las Vegas and the world of the Japanese
(both clean and unclean), specifically with pachinko/pachi-slot
machines and parlors. Gambling money is one concept that the
Japanese do understand that translates into any foreign culture.
Use
Fishman’s influence and connections in Las Vegas to expand
into China. The Chinese-owned island of Macau has been a heavy
target of investment by the Las Vegas casino players, who have
continued to pour money into various projects to make Macau the
Asian version of LV. While PRIDE cannot run in mainland China,
the next best thing is to run in a Chinese-owned area (such as
Macau or Hong Kong). Because of the Las Vegas connection, Macau
suddenly becomes their first Chinese destination. If PRIDE can
run in Macau, they can spin it back home to the Japanese that
they are running in China (without running in mainland China).
Align with Mike Tyson (or mainly, his name value). As reported
on this site in the past, there has been heavy discussion that
PRIDE looks at Tyson’s name value as something that can
get them back on Japanese television. Tyson’s name value
in South Africa, Russia, Japan, and in countries outside of America
remains strong. More importantly, it remains strong in the Japanese
media, which gladly pushes any story involving his name as a
top headline. With Tyson not being able to go to Japan due to
his felony rapsheet, PRIDE has to figure out where they can best
make use of his name value. While Tyson is attracting spectators
at the Aladdin in Las Vegas to watch him essentially shadow box
and spar, Tyson’s name value isn’t maximized in America.
One country that Tyson does have good name value in still is
China. Tyson remains a curiousity because of his affinity for
Mao Zedung.
Add two-and-two together and you get the picture. In their best-case
scenario, PRIDE would love to have Mike Tyson fight on New Year’s
Eve in Macau. He would attract the attention of the Chinese while
being backed by the gambling money and connections from Las Vegas.
As Burning Spirit notes in comments from Sakakibara, PRIDE would
love to see Mike Tyson fight on New Year’s Eve (with the
match being aired in Japan live in the arena) in Macau at the
8,000-seat Macau Dome.
If
PRIDE can execute all of these steps up above, their hope is
to use the power of Mike Tyson’s name value and Ed Fishman’s
money to try to impress upon television executives in Japan to
get back on TV. Will TV-Asahi or Nippon TV decide to take the
chance and put PRIDE back on Japanese TV for New Year’s
Eve, even if it’s a one-show special? The risk/reward ratio
has to be weighed by those executives relatively soon.
Source: Fight Opinion
|
From
the event's promoter:
INTERNATIONAL
FIGHT LEAGUE (IFL) ADDS DANIEL GRACIE-ALLAN GOES AND MARK KERR-
MIKE WHITEHEAD SUPERFIGHTS TO WORLD TEAM CHAMPIONSHIP SEMIFINALS
IN NOVEMBER
Legendary Matchups will round out semifinals at site to be announced
shortly
NEW
YORK, September 26, 2006-- The International Fight League (IFL)
today announced the addition of two Superfights for the November
World Team Championship semifinals. The matchups will have Daniel
Gracie facing Allan Goes in one fight and Mark Kerr taking on
Mike Whitehead in the other. Those two fights will follow the
team semifinal matchups, featuring Bas Rutten's Anacondas vs.
Matt Lindland's Wolfpack in one matchup, and Pat Miletich's Silverbacks
vs. Carlos Newton's Dragons in the other.
The
location, date and time of the IFL World Team Championship semifinal
will be announced shortly.
"We
are very pleased to be able to pair these MMA veterans as a highlight
to what will be a very special semifinal evening," IFL Co-founder
and Commissioner Kurt Otto said. "These four great athletes
represent many of the disciplines that make up mixed martial
arts, and seeing them together on the same card will be a treat
for all in attendance."
Kerr
is an MMA legend who will be making his first appearance in the
ring since 2004. The former NCAA wrestling champion and NCAA
All-American (at Syracuse University) and UFC and PRIDE heavyweight
champion has been training recently with Rutten in Los Angeles
as part of his comeback. His opponent, MMA veteran Whitehead,
was also a three time all-America wrestler at North Idaho Junior
College, Southern Oregon University, and the University of Missouri
has posted an 8-1 record in his last nine MMA bouts. Brazilians
Gracie and Goes have both made successful IFL debuts on the team
level, with Gracie defeating Wes Sims in an IFL Superfight in
June and Goes defeating Devin Cole in September as part of the
Tiger Sharks.
Source: Full Contact Fighter
|
PERATA’S
BILL TO REFORM STATE ATHLETIC COMMISSION SIGNED
(SACRAMENTO) - Senate President pro Tem Don Perata (D-Oakland)
yesterday announced that the governor has signed SB 247, which
reforms the state agency that governs boxing and mixed martial
arts contests. The bill calls for a new State Athletic Commission
(SAC) to be established on January 1, 2007. The newly created
SAC expands the medical testing of athletes for licensure and
competition, and makes other administrative changes to improve
the commission’s efficiency and fiscal stability.
“The
State Athletic Commission was plagued by serious administrative
problems which got in the way of getting its job done,”
Perata said. “This bill gives the commission tools it needs,
a clear guidance in law, and greater accountability, so it can
get back to work protecting these athletes and promoting the
continued growth of the sport.”
The
bill is sponsored by the Center for Public Interest Law and supported
by promoters, venues, and competitors in both boxing and mixed
martial arts, including Sugar Ray Leonard, who came to the state
capitol to personally testify on the importance of regulations
through the state athletic commission.
The
State Athletic Commission was terminated on June 30, 2006, following
a 2004 legislative review, which found improper accounting, outdated
technology and other deficiencies.
The
commission was created in 1924 through an initiative to protect
boxers’ health and reduce injuries.
Source: California Chronicle
|
Quote
of the Day
"The
sense of danger is never, perhaps, so fully apprehended as when
the danger has been overcome."
Arthur Helps, 1813-1875, English Writer and Historian
|
Garden
Island Cage Match 4 DVD Will Be Out Soon!
(Sorry, this is actually GICM 3's poster)
Hi All,
Thank you all for your calls, the DVD should be done in 2 weeks.
If any of you are interested in pre-ordering let me know so I
can put some on the side before I go to borders.
The DVD is $20, not sure how much borders will sell it for?
Send me an
email and how much you want and I
can reserve it and contact you once its in.
Please forward
email to those interested.
Thanks for
your patience!
Aloha,
Vance
|
TUF4,
Episode 7: The Final Two Welterweights Clash
By Sean McClure
Firstly, a HUGE apology to those who read this column regularly.
My cable service went out for the first 15-20 minutes of the
show and I didn't get to see what happened. I haven't had too
much trouble with the company, but for some reason it felt the
need to abandon me in my time of need.
I
picked up where Matt was discussing his displeasure with his
advice from Rich on what to do in the fight. Rich Franklin is
a complete fighter that is for certain, but that doesn't mean
he is always going to be right in his advice. Serra definitely
makes it clear that he does not think the advice from Rich is
valid and later on speaks with Randy Couture about it. Randy
doesn't think it is a good move either and they have a small
laugh about it.
One thing I can say about Matt is that he speaks his mind freely.
Charles
McCarthy is now the sole source of entertainment in the house
for the other fighters. His moniker of Captain Miserable is stuck
to him permanently and there is nothing he can do about it. I
will say that I agree that he always looks unhappy despite his
objections to the contrary. They draw a cartoon rendition of
him and position it so he will see it on the refrigerator and
when he finally sees it, he is visibly annoyed, which is the
desired result I think. Charles doesn't do much to defend himself
so it is no surprise that they continue. Patrick Cote provides
a little humor this week with a pretty funny impression of Charles
walking with around his head down and eventually falling to the
ground before finally dying. Funny stuff.
This
week's fight was Pete Spratt vs. Matt Serra. I felt that this
might have the potential to be the best fight of the show if
Spratt was able to defend Matt's takedowns. Mikey Burnett and
Pete really work hard in their training sessions practicing this
and that made me believe that he might do well against the talented
jiu jitsu black belt.
The
fight started and it was fast and furious from the get go. Matt
throws a high kick that he would later have a good laugh about
and Pete is surprised by it, but catches it as it's on the way
down. Matt wriggles his leg free from Pete's grip, but not before
he eats some punches. Serra attempts several takedowns and really
presses the pace very aggressively. Spratt lands some good right
hands and a high kick of his own, but Matt takes him down and
I knew it was only a matter of time until this was over. Serra
ate a good knee on the way to that takedown and a small cut was
opened underneath his eye, but it was nothing major.
Serra
works from position to position and Pete has some decent defense,
but is no way close to standing back up. I was sure he was just
going to try and survive to the second round because that was
the only way he had a chance to get back on his feet. Matt got
in to side control and tried for the mount several times before
finally getting it. Spratt tried to buck and roll, sweep, and
I think I saw him saying a silent prayer to get out of the bad
situation. He finally gives Matt his back and it is over. Matt
rains down bombs just like Hughes did to Gracie and Big John
has to step in when Pete taps out due to strikes.
Winner:
Matt Serra by submission due to strikes
It
was an okay episode from what I saw, but the fight once again
lacked any real charisma. It was a bad matchup for Pete and he
was bitten by the jiu jitsu bug before being pounded on until
he was forced to tap. Next week we do have a bright spot to look
forward to, thankfully. Patrick Cote and Jorge Rivera will step
in to the Octagon and you know the leather is going to fly hard,
fast, and often. This coming week may be the week that raises
the ratings back where they need to be and may breathe a little
more life in to the show.
Source: Maxfighting
|
UFC
Octagon Girl Search October 2nd 10pm
Come on, do we really need a reason to post this picture?...
Ten finalists will compete to become the next UFC octagon girl
in a Spike TV special on Monday, October 2nd at 10pm. In June,
an online poll was set up on the Maxim magazine website for fans
to narrow down forty potential octagon girls to ten finalists.
Source: MMA Fighting
|
RENZO
GRACIE BACK IN THE WIN COLUMN
by Mick Hammond
It’s no secret that heading into this past weekend’s
IFL event in Moline, Iowa that Renzo Gracie was a heavy underdog
to returning fellow MMA legend Pat Miletich in their superfight.
Even
though Gracie had remained more active over the past couple years
inside the ring than Miletich, most reports out of Pat’s
camp had him in the best shape he’d been in, in years and
extremely focused on the fight.
Couple
this with the fact that Renzo had lost six of his last seven
bouts and had looked decidedly sluggish in his most recent bout
against BJ Penn in July of ’05, and many felt it was to
be Miletich’s night this past Saturday.
And
while Pat was ready and fought hard, it was Renzo’s calm
and cool demeanor, a staple of the Gracie family fighters, which
helped him secure a guillotine choke 3:37 into Round 1.
Gracie’s
success is of course by no means unprecedented. From 1992-2000
Renzo was a force to be reckoned with going undefeated in his
first 11 bouts, winning nine with one no contest and one draw.
During
that stretch Gracie had defeated some of the best fighters ever
in the sport, including UFC Tournament Champion Oleg Taktarov,
former King of Pancrase Sanae Kikuta, and the former UFC Heavyweight
Champion Maurice Smith.
So
when Renzo signed on as one of the original four coaches of the
IFL it appeared that he had perhaps come to terms with his success
and recent disappointments as a fighter and embraced the role
of full-time coach.
But
as has been the case recently with legends such as Bas Rutten,
the fire in the heart of a fighter is never truly extinguished…thus
Gracie stepped back into the ring this weekend and showed there’s
still a lot of fight left in the head Pitbull.
From
here who knows where Renzo will go. With the Pitbulls eliminated
from the team tournament we may see Gracie once again step into
the ring with one of the other legendary coaches where potential
abounds.
Opponents
such as Matt Lindland, Frank Shamrock, and Jeremy Horn could
present new and exciting challenges for Renzo. Who wouldn’t
want to see if Gracie could handle the wrestling skills of Lindland,
the jiu-jitsu of Horn or perhaps avenge his cousin Cesar’s
loss to Shamrock?
Perhaps
more interestingly could be rematches with Maurice Smith and
Carlos Newton. While heavier, Smith assuredly would want to avenge
his earlier loss to Gracie and with Newton we could see a replay
of their bout at the first ever PRIDE Bushido event, which to
date is still one of the best in that format’s young history.
What’s
next for Renzo Gracie is anyone’s guess at this time but
one thing is for sure, he can still get up into the ring, perform
and entertain as he always has. And when that’s the case
every one wins, the IFL, the fans and if he has any say in it,
Gracie as well.
Source: MMA Weekly
|
Blackout
Media Corp. Announces Loretta Hunt Joins The Fight Network News
Team
TORONTO -- (MARKET WIRE) -- September 27, 2006 -- Blackout Media
Corp.'s (PINKSHEETS: BKMP) The Fight Network North America's
first and only twenty-four (24) hour combatant sports and entertainment
channel announced today that Loretta Hunt, a pioneer in mixed
martial arts journalism, has joined The Fight Network to oversee
its growing commitment to news coverage for the sport of mixed
martial arts ("MMA").
Hunt
will serve that as the network's Managing Editor of News content
for MMA coverage across all company distribution platforms of
television, radio, mobile and web under The Fight Network brand.
"Loretta
is a wonderful addition to our team," said Mike Garrow,
president of The Fight Network. "Her strong journalistic
sense coupled with the trust factor she has earned over the past
number of years covering the evolution of the sport with all
fighters, promoters, officials and commissions, makes Loretta
a very competent person to oversee this department in our eyes,"
he added.
Hunt
has been covering the sport of mixed martial arts for the past
six years, her most recent post had been with the newspaper and
Web site Full Contact Fighter, where she served as the Assistant
Editor and Lead Writer for five years. Hunt's other writings
have been seen in such print publications as GONG Kakutougi in
Japan and she has been a regular contributor to the Santa Clarita
Signal newspaper for MMA coverage as well. Hunt has also been
interviewed by several of the top newspapers and other media
outlets in the United States around the sport of mixed martial
arts such as TIME magazine, the Los Angeles Times, the Miami
Herald and ESPN.
Hunt has appeared on numerous television and radio shows such
as FOX's The Pulse, 20th Century Sports presents UFC, Spike TV
for the UFC (Liddell vs. Horn), WFA countdown show on Showtime,
MMA Weekly radio (web), Sherdog radio (web), and Full Contact
Fighter radio (web). Hunt is a graduate of New York University's
TISCH School of the Arts.
Hunt
is also currently working as the co-writer/collaborator for the
upcoming autobiography on mixed martial arts legend Randy "The
Natural" Couture with the working title "Becoming the
Natural: My Blow-By-Blow Journey as Life's Ultimate Fighter."
"This
is an amazing opportunity that I have been presented with,"
said Hunt. "When I look back on how the sport of mixed martial
arts has grown so much in the last few years, where we now have
a service like The Fight Network, that can not only showcase
MMA events on a 24-hour basis but will cover it from a news standpoint
like no other mainstream media outlet has done before -- let's
just say this is very exciting and I look forward to the role
ahead."
About
The Fight Network:
The
Fight Network is a cross-platform media company with brand interest
in television, pay-per-view radio, mobile and web. All five of
these media offerings are seamlessly integrated to offer fans
of combatant sports and related entertainment a true convergence
experience. The Fight Network Inc. corporate headquarters is
located in Toronto, Canada. Additional information on the company
can be found at www.thefightnetwork.com.
About
Blackout Media Corp.:
Blackout
Media Corp. is a holding company with an interest in Blackout
Communications who is a diversified media and entertainment company
conducting operations in digital television, VOD, PPV, radio,
the Internet and print under the brand name "The Fight Network."
The activities of Blackout Media Corp. are conducted principally
in Canada and the United States.
Safe
Harbor
Certain
statements in this news release may contain forward-looking information
within the meaning of Rule 175 under the Securities Act of 1933
and Rule 3b-6 under the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, and
are subject to the safe harbor created by those rules. All statements,
other than statements of fact, included in this release, including,
without limitation, statements regarding potential future plans
and objectives of the company, are forward-looking statements
that involve risks and uncertainties. There can be no assurance
that such statements will prove to be accurate and actual results
and future events could differ materially from those anticipated
in such statements. Technical complications that may arise could
prevent the prompt implementation of any strategically significant
plan(s) outlined above. The company cautions that these forward-looking
statements are further qualified by other factors. The company
undertakes no obligation to publicly update or revise any statements
in this release, whether as a result of new information, future
events or otherwise.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Investor
Relations:
CONTACT:
Blackout Media Corp.
Telephone 416-987-2133
Fax 416-348-9418
E-mail ir@blackoutmedia.com
URL:
www.thefightnetwork.com
www.liveaudiowrestling.com
www.mmaweekly.com
Media
Contact:
Stephen Murdoch
OEB International c/o The Fight Network Inc.
Public Relations/Public Affairs
Tel: (905) 682-7203 extension 22
Fax: (905) 682-7481
E-mail: smurdoch@oeb.com
Source: Market Wire/Blackout Media Corp
|
Kurt
Angle heads to TNA
Story information here. My first reaction — with Angle on
TNA and Spike TV backing both TNA & UFC, the chances of Angle
appearing in UFC (if he goes the MMA-and-wrestling combo route)
just increased significantly. Unless, of course (as Dave Ditch
pointed out to me), both Angle and TNA used UFC as nothing more
than a decoy to fool both the Internet fans and WWE. If that’s
the case, UFC sure is being taken advantage of by a lot of people
these days.
Source: Fight Opinion
|
Quote
of the Day
"A
good hockey player plays where the puck is. A great hockey player
plays where the puck is going to be."
Wayne Gretzky, Hall of Fame Canadian Hockey Player and Coach
|
UFC
63: Matt Hughes retains title and Jens Pulver upset
Yet
another re-cap
Great night of fights and with that being said let's go:
Jens
Pulver vs. Joe Lauzon
I
told my wife that fight would be over in 45 seconds and in that
comment I was right. Tommy and I were SO wrong about in our debate
column, was that Pulver would be staring at the lights from a
left hook by Lauzon. At 48 seconds in the first, Joe Lauzon konocked
out Little Evil in his UFC return.
Winner:
Lauzon with a shocking KO in the first round
Rashad
Evans vs. Joe Lauzon
Rashad
looked in great shape and Lambert looked really ready to go so
I knew this would be a good one. The fight started with a clinch
and then Rashad scored the first of several takedowns. Evans
would land some big rights and Lambert scrambled to counter,
but nothing substantial came from his end.
They clinched again and Rashad scored another takedown and dominated
the first round easily.
In
the second Rashad scored more takedowns and gained the mounted
position where he dropped some huge bombs that put Lambert's
lights out giving him the win.
Winner:
Rashad Evans by KO
Melvin
Guillard vs. Gabe Reudiger
Melvin
came out aggressively landing some big shots to Gabe's chin.
Reudiger
weathered the barrage and after several Guillard takedowns, nearly
secured a rear naked choke.
In
the second, Melvin lands some heavy shots to the body and face
of Gabe who looks a little gassed. Out of nowhere, Guillard scored
with a huge body shot that dropped Gabe to the canvas for the
TKO.
Winner:
Melvin Guillard by TKO
Mike
Swick vs. David Loiseau
I
liked the new entrances that they had for the fighters. It was
big budget and really made the fights seem bigger than life.
In
the first round Loiseau looked absolutely gun shy. Swick landed
some leg kicks and then a nice reverse side kick. One thing that
happened a lot during the first round was David holding on to
the fence when Mike was working for the takedowns. Swick continued
to flurry and got the takedown after a nice combination from
Loiseau. Mike got David's back near the end of the round, but
Loiseau gets right back up at the bell.
The
second round saw a lot of circling with no action and that got
the boos going from the crowd. Mike Swick taunts Loiseau much
like Forrest did when he came out in the second round of the
Ortiz fight. Swick landed yet another reverse sidekick and then
no action for about a minute. A flying knee by Mike and then
a takedown with Swick on top.
In
the third, Loiseau took advantage of Swick's fatigue. Mike landed
some flurries, but Loiseau was all over him and landed a lot
of elbows in Mike's guard, standing, and clinched against the
fence. Swick lands more punches and scores a takedown near the
end of the fight.
Winner:
29-28, 29-28, 29-28 unanimous decision Mike Swick
Main
Event: Matt Hughes vs. BJ Penn
Round
1 and here comes Matt pushing the pace. Matt and BJ trade back
and forth with each other before Matt attempts takedown after
takedown, but they are all defended expertly by Penn. In the
middle of the round, Penn accidentally poked Matt in the eye
and the fight was briefly stopped. More Hughes takedown attempts,
but they are met with resistance from BJ again.
In
the second, Hughes lands a nice kick to Penn and goes for the
takedown.
Hughes gets the takedown and looks to have the round well in
hand with some fair ground and pound. Some good submission escapes
and hard elbows from Matt highlight the majority of the round.
Near the end of the round, BJ gets Matt's back and it looked
like this fight was over with. BJ locked in a deep triangle armbar
and had Matt in serious trouble, but the champion was saved by
the bell.
The
third round saw a very exhausted BJ Penn and a very fresh, but
bloodied Matt Hughes. Matt absolutely dominated this round with
good striking befoer taking the fatigued challenger down. Just
like the Carlos Newton fight, Hughes locked both of BJ Penn's
arms up and rained down punches and elbows from side control
until the referee had to step in and stop the fight.
Winner:
Matt Hughes by TKO in the third round
Georges
St. Pierre came out after the fight and said he was not impressed
with Matt's performance, but looked forward to the fight. He
quickly apologized off camera to Matt saying "don't you
want more pay per view buys.
He meant to create drama for the UFC to sell more tickets, but
he angered the champion and his camp in the process.
It
was a great night of fights once again!
Source: Maxfighting |
Shelby
Walker Passes Away
Just
another victim of pain killers. There were many high profile
people who were addicted to pain killers. Don't let this happen
to you. Like all other drug addictions, it starts off slowly
and then gets out of control.
We
at MaxFighting would like to send out our heartfelt condolences
to Shelby’s family, her fiancé, her friends and everyone
who's live Shelby touched. She truly was an amazing person and
her loss will be felt by many.
Below
is the statement by her manager, Larry Goldberg:
I
just got the news a little while ago and I am numb. Shelby Walker
was found dead - believed to have overdosed on some pain medication
last night. This story is confirmed. She was a wonderful person
who inspired many people. However she succumbed to personal demons.
Shelby was loved and will be greatly missed by all that knew
her.
I
cant put into words the feeling I got this morning when I got
the news.
I
am praying for her and I hope that you all will be too. Shelby
should be remembered as the fun loving beautiful person who was
the life of any party and got to live her dream. There is so
much about her life people never got to know. I had the privilege
of managing her and befriending her and watching her fight 2
world champions and experienced with her the thrill of victory
and agony of defeat.
I
will be posting more info as we have it.
I
know Shelby will be looking down on all of us from heaven.
God
Bless.
Source: Maxfighting |
Wander
Braga debuts at Ultimate
His
cartel of 16 fights and 16 consecutive victories gave Wander
Braga the opportunity of debut at the UFC 64 octagon, on October
14th. The BJJ black belt of Jorge Pereira made a contract of
one year with the American organization and will face the local
fighter Kurt Pellegrino. "I know he is a BJJ black belt
and that he has an excellent Wrestling. He trains with Hermes
França, who is a very tough fighter. I believe that will
be a great fight", believes the fighter.
Source: Tatame |
Quote
of the Day
"The
reward for work well done is the opportunïty to do more."
Jonas Salk, 1914-1995, American Physician and Inventor of the
first polio vaccine
|
DESPITE
INJURY PENN SAYS HUGHES DESERVED WIN
Following his failed attempt in seizing Matt Hughes’ welterweight
title, BJ Penn gave an exclusive interview to his own web site,
BJPenn.com. He discussed the fight in detail, the injury he suffered
and said that he felt Hughes deserved the victory.
Penn
was leading the action through the first two rounds, though Hughes’
stand-up game looked good, and felt confident in the way the
fight was going. “I felt good, I was happy that I was defending
Matt’s takedowns,” said Penn. “I could see that
Matt improved his standup… He was dodging my punches well
and he had a good jab.”
Part
way through the second round, Hughes finally got the takedown
that Penn had defended so well to that point. He moved Penn over
to the fence, but Penn had trained for this circumstance. “I
was thinking about this position a lot and I was ready,”
he stated. “When he went for a big elbow, he missed and
I capitalized and started going for his back.”
Despite
moving to the offensive, this is when things started going bad
for Penn. “At this moment, when I was making the turn towards
his back, I felt my ribs separate on my right side. Although
I didn't know the severity of the situation, I was thinking I
have to finish him now because I knew something was wrong.”
Penn continued, “Matt defended himself well and got through
the round. When I got up to walk to my corner, I knew something
was wrong, but I didn't want to talk about it with my corner.
I wanted to be the champ. I wanted to keep fighting.”
Most
fighters would use a situation like this as an excuse, an easy
way to explain the loss, and they would be justified. Not BJ
Penn.
“I
remember standing up out of the corner in pain. But I was thinking,
‘Earn your title. This is what you have to do to get your
belt back, fight through the pain.’ I knew the opportunity
I had with getting this fight, especially after losing my last
fight,” he said.
“Big
John gave me plenty of time. I practiced defending against that
position with flexibility, but I had none with my core. Congratulations
to Matt, he is a great fighter. It's not his fault that that
happened. He fought like the champion he is. He deserved the
victory,” said a humbled Penn.
It
will be interesting to see which direction things go from here.
But with Penn having won their first meeting, and the obvious
argument of the injury, it would be surprising if there weren’t
a Penn vs. Hughes 3 somewhere in the future.
Source: MMA Weekly |
Heeee's
Baaackk!
Another
bargin seminar from one of the baddest men on the planet. Where
else are you going to be able to learn killer technique in a
seminar for only $40? Call HMC to arrange for payment to reserve
your spot or email info@razegear.com for more info! |
STRIKEFORCE
ADDS FRESNO ST. WRESTLING STAR
Former Fresno State University wrestling star, Casey “The
Underdog” Olson, will attempt to extend his undefeated professional
mixed martial arts cage fighting record to 4-0 before a home
crowd at The Save Mart Center on Saturday, October 7th. The 26-year-old’s
effort will come as part of the 10-bout Strikeforce card being
headlined by a showdown between former Ultimate Fighting Championship
(UFC) superstars David “Tank” Abbott and Paul “The
Headhunter” Buentello.
“This
is pretty much like the World Series of baseball for a baseball
player,” said Olson, a lifetime Fresno resident, of the
opportunity to fight in his hometown’s most prominent arena.
“The whole reason of me staying at Fresno State when I wrestled
was to be around my friends and family. For everybody to have
been able to watch me wrestle and, now, this, it’s really
a dream come true for me.”
In
his fourth career start in the cage, Olson, a 5 foot 9 inch,
155 pound limit competitor, will take on 19-year-old kickboxing
and submission wrestling stylist, Bobby “The Kid” Sanchez.
Fighting out of Rancho Cucamonga, Sanchez brings to the cage
a record of 1-1.
Olson
earned his Bachelor of Arts degree in Recreation Administration
from the university in May 2004. On January 6th of that year,
he reached the pinnacle of his wrestling career when his team
faced the Iowa State University squad at Save Mart. The event,
which set a new record for attendance at a collegiate wrestling
match by drawing nearly 10,000 spectators, pitted Olson against
Travis Paulson, the nation’s number two ranked 149-pound
limit competitor at the time.
After
the matchup with Paulson was sent into overtime twice, Olson
finally emerged victorious by a one point margin. “It was
everything I’ve ever dreamed of - like when you’re
growing up being a baseball player, you always dream of that
3-2 count while you’re at bat and there being two outs and
bases loaded and the game’s on the line,” explained
Olson, whose win during the match helped earn him a year-end
NCAA Division I national ranking of 10. His ability to overcome
a much higher ranked opponent also spawned Olson’s nickname.
Last
August, Olson made an impressive professional mixed martial arts
debut by scoring a knockout on Rolland Parli with only two seconds
remaining in the first round of their matchup that took place
on an Indian reservation in Lemoore. Olson’s two other appearances,
which came on January 13th of this year and August 17th of this
year, respectively, both resulted in three round decisions in
his favor.
“I
tell everybody that I’m not a great fighter. I’m a
good competitor,” said Olson. “I’ve always been
in sports and wanted to compete in things.”
In
the midst of his collegiate career, the wrestling star also befriended
UFC superstar Chuck “The Iceman” Liddell and, soon
after, began intermittently working out with the seasoned fighter
at Liddell’s training camp, The Pit. His occasional visits
gradually increased and, following his commencement from school,
Olson decided to make the commitment to becoming a fighter.
The
work he has put in at The Pit has helped Olson bolster his ability
to fight on his feet, a skill essential to success in the mixed
fight world. “I know how to throw my hands now. It’s
just a matter of becoming more comfortable in that situation,”
explained Olson. “For Chuck, his natural thing is to stand
up – to throw. For me, if something goes wrong, my natural
thing is to take somebody down and go right to the ground.”
Tickets
for the October 7th Strikeforce event are on sale at Ticketmaster
(559-485-TIXS) and Ticketmaster online (www.ticketmaster.com)
as well as at the Save Mart Center box office and at select Save
Mart supermarkets. Tickets are priced at $201.75, $151.75, $101.75,
$76.75, $51.75, and $31.75.
Presented
by BodogFIGHT (www.bodogfight.com), the card will also feature
a highly-anticipated matchup between top lightweight (155-pound
limit) contenders Josh “The Punk” Thomson and Duane
“Bang” Ludwig as well as a heavyweight contest between
Wesley “Cabbage” Correira and Ruben “Warpath”
Villareal. Bobby Southworth, a veteran of the premiere season
of Spike TV’s The Ultimate Fighter, will face off with Anthony
“A-Train” Ruiz. Jason “Live Wire” Von Flue,
a veteran of the second season of the Spike reality series, will
do battle with Eric Wray. All bouts are subject to approval by
the California State Athletic Commission.
The
Save Mart Center is home to the Fresno State University men’s
and women’s basketball teams as well as minor league hockey
squad, The Fresno Falcons.
Strikeforce
is a world-class mixed martial arts cage fight promotion that,
on Friday, March 10th, made history with its “Shamrock vs.
Gracie” event, the first sanctioned mixed martial arts fight
card in California state history. The star-studded extravaganza,
which pitted legendary champion Frank Shamrock against Brazilian
Jiu-Jitsu black belt Cesar Gracie at San Jose’s HP Pavilion,
played host to 18,265 fans, the largest-ever attendance at a
mixed martial arts fight card held in North America.
Source: MMA Weekly |
IFL
ANNOUNCES FRYE & RUAS AS COACHES
INTERNATIONAL FIGHT LEAGUE (IFL) ADDS LEGENDS DON FRYE AND MARCO
RUAS AS COACHES FOR 2007
Scorpions
and Piranhas to be based in Tucson, Arizona and Southern Calif.
September
25, 2006 -- The International Fight League (IFL) today announced
that world champions Don Frye and Marco Ruas have been added
as coaches for the 2007 season, bringing to 10 the number of
confirmed teams for the inaugural season. Frye will coach the
Scorpions, based in Tucson, Arizona, while Ruas will mentor the
Piranhas, based in Southern California. Two additional teams
will be announced before the end of the year. The IFL will launch
its first full season with 12 teams in the first quarter of 2007.
"We
are very excited that Don and Marco have chosen to join us,"
said Kurt Otto, IFL co-founder and commissioner. "Like our
other coaches both are legends in the sport, expert instructors
and quality people who will help us continue to grow mixed martial
arts beyond its current boundaries. The addition of another team
training in Southern California and one in an MMA hotbed like
Arizona also will help to create a more consistent presence for
the IFL in two key geographic growth areas."
Don
"The Predator" Frye is considered one of the original
"cross-trained" MMA competitors. He was a collegiate
wrestler at NCAA powerhouses Arizona State University and Oklahoma
State University, holds a 2nd degree black belt in Judo and has
fought as a professional boxer. He has held a championship belts
for the UFC and is also a veteran of K-1 and PRIDE in a legendary
career. He is also an accomplished actor, and will appear in
the upcoming Rob Schneider film Big Stan.
Marco
"The King of the Streets" Ruas is one of the most renowned
tacticians in MMA, and is regarded as the founder of Ruas Vale
Tudo, a hybrid of Brazilian submission fighting and kickboxing.
He too is a former UFC champion and is currently training several
of the sport's rising stars in Southern California.
Source: MMA Weekly |
Quote
of the Day
"Life
loves to be taken by the lapel and told: "I'm with you kid.
Let's
go."
Maya Angelou, American Poet and Writer |
CAN
THE SILVERBACKS REPEAT AS IFL CHAMPS?
In
all team sports there is the inevitable question whether or not
they can repeat as champions the fallowing season. Until the
IFL debuted earlier this year there was no such question to be
asked…until now.
A
couple of months ago the Quad City Silverbacks, coached by MMA
legend Pat Miletich, took the inaugural IFL Team Championship
by defeating the Los Angeles Anacondas and the Seattle Tiger
Sharks, coached by fellow legends Bas Rutten and Maurice Smith
respectively.
With
those wins comes the pressure of now doing that’s never
been done before in MMA, repeat as team champions in what was
decidedly an individual sport just last year.
Taking
that first step towards repeating starts this weekend at the
IFL’s debut event in Moline, Iowa as the Silverbacks take
on the Renzo Gracie coached New York Pittbulls.
Now
facing an eight-team field, double last season’s, the key
to the Silverbacks success may rest in what usually works for
teams in other sports.
Possibly
the most important key to repeating is returning the bulk of
the roster of the team that was successful the previous season.
To this point the Silverbacks have adhered to the formula as
nearly the same group of fighters that led the team to victory
last year return again for Season 2.
Early
indication of the importance of returning a majority of the team
may be best evidenced by the IFL event earlier this month.
Rutten’s
Anacondas only made only two changes to the active roster of
fighters from last year and swept their five-fight series with
Antonio Inoki’s Tokoyo Sabres. Conversely Smith’s Tiger
Sharks had nearly an entire upheaval of talent – only returning
one fighter – and lost three of five to Matt Lindland’s
Portland Wolfpack.
The
Silverbacks will be returning four of five fighters at Saturday’s
event, and perhaps more importantly, the team also fallows another
trend of success that was evident at this month’s earlier
IFL event, training together on a regular basis.
All
the members of Miletich’s team are regularly trained at
his Davenport gym. Day in and day out the same guys in the same
room along with Pat and other high-profile fighters from other
promotions work together as a team, forging a bond as described
by Silverbacks middleweight Rory Markham as, “a brotherhood.”
Last
season the Anacondas were spread apart geographically and hardly
trained together, thus were eliminated by the Silverbacks 3-2.
Since the end of Season 1, Rutten’s squad has spent considerable
time together, honing team chemistry which helped them to decisively
eliminate the Sabers earlier this month.
Of
course returning athletes and team chemistry are important, but
that doesn’t mean anything if you don’t have talent,
which is something that the Silverbacks proved they had last
year.
While
young, Miletich’s team was far from inexperienced. The entire
roster featured fighters that had at least ten fights by the
end of Season 1 and all had a 75% winning percentage or better,
something other teams couldn’t match.
So
when all is said and done it appears that on paper the Silverbacks
have everything they need to repeat as champions. However what
works on paper isn’t always what works in the real world
and with increasingly difficult competition – especially
from the already victorious Wolfpack and Anacondas – it
could be a much tougher haul this time around.
But
as the Silverbacks showed last year, they are very much a reflection
of their legendary coach Pat Miletich, they rise to a challenge
presented them and they will give it their all, win or lose…IFL
beware.
Source: MMA Weekly
|
FC
63: Matt Hughes retains title and Jens Pulver upset
Great night of fights and with that being said let's go:
Jens
Pulver vs. Joe Lauzon
I
told my wife that fight would be over in 45 seconds and in that
comment I was right. Tommy and I were SO wrong about in our debate
column, was that Pulver would be staring at the lights from a
left hook by Lauzon. At 48 seconds in the first, Joe Lauzon konocked
out Little Evil in his UFC return.
Winner:
Lauzon with a shocking KO in the first round
Rashad
Evans vs. Joe Lauzon
Rashad
looked in great shape and Lambert looked really ready to go so
I knew this would be a good one. The fight started with a clinch
and then Rashad scored the first of several takedowns. Evans
would land some big rights and Lambert scrambled to counter,
but nothing substantial came from his end.
They clinched again and Rashad scored another takedown and dominated
the first round easily.
In
the second Rashad scored more takedowns and gained the mounted
position where he dropped some huge bombs that put Lambert's
lights out giving him the win.
Winner:
Rashad Evans by KO
Melvin
Guillard vs. Gabe Reudiger
Melvin
came out aggressively landing some big shots to Gabe's chin.
Reudiger
weathered the barrage and after several Guillard takedowns, nearly
secured a rear naked choke.
In
the second, Melvin lands some heavy shots to the body and face
of Gabe who looks a little gassed. Out of nowhere, Guillard scored
with a huge body shot that dropped Gabe to the canvas for the
TKO.
Winner:
Melvin Guillard by TKO
Mike
Swick vs. David Loiseau
I
liked the new entrances that they had for the fighters. It was
big budget and really made the fights seem bigger than life.
In
the first round Loiseau looked absolutely gun shy. Swick landed
some leg kicks and then a nice reverse side kick. One thing that
happened a lot during the first round was David holding on to
the fence when Mike was working for the takedowns. Swick continued
to flurry and got the takedown after a nice combination from
Loiseau. Mike got David's back near the end of the round, but
Loiseau gets right back up at the bell.
The
second round saw a lot of circling with no action and that got
the boos going from the crowd. Mike Swick taunts Loiseau much
like Forrest did when he came out in the second round of the
Ortiz fight. Swick landed yet another reverse sidekick and then
no action for about a minute. A flying knee by Mike and then
a takedown with Swick on top.
In
the third, Loiseau took advantage of Swick's fatigue. Mike landed
some flurries, but Loiseau was all over him and landed a lot
of elbows in Mike's guard, standing, and clinched against the
fence. Swick lands more punches and scores a takedown near the
end of the fight.
Winner:
29-28, 29-28, 29-28 unanimous decision Mike Swick
Main
Event: Matt Hughes vs. BJ Penn
Round
1 and here comes Matt pushing the pace. Matt and BJ trade back
and forth with each other before Matt attempts takedown after
takedown, but they are all defended expertly by Penn. In the
middle of the round, Penn accidentally poked Matt in the eye
and the fight was briefly stopped. More Hughes takedown attempts,
but they are met with resistance from BJ again.
In
the second, Hughes lands a nice kick to Penn and goes for the
takedown.
Hughes gets the takedown and looks to have the round well in
hand with some fair ground and pound. Some good submission escapes
and hard elbows from Matt highlight the majority of the round.
Near the end of the round, BJ gets Matt's back and it looked
like this fight was over with. BJ locked in a deep triangle armbar
and had Matt in serious trouble, but the champion was saved by
the bell.
The
third round saw a very exhausted BJ Penn and a very fresh, but
bloodied Matt Hughes. Matt absolutely dominated this round with
good striking befoer taking the fatigued challenger down. Just
like the Carlos Newton fight, Hughes locked both of BJ Penn's
arms up and rained down punches and elbows from side control
until the referee had to step in and stop the fight.
Winner:
Matt Hughes by TKO in the third round
Georges
St. Pierre came out after the fight and said he was not impressed
with Matt's performance, but looked forward to the fight. He
quickly apologized off camera to Matt saying "don't you
want more pay per view buys.
He meant to create drama for the UFC to sell more tickets, but
he angered the champion and his camp in the process.
It
was a great night of fights once again!
Source: Maxfighting
|
Pride
Real Deal with new rules
According
to some notes of the website MMAWeekl.com, the rules of the Pride
Real Deal, that will take place in Las Vegas, in October 21st,
won't be the same as the Japanese Pride. The Americans will watch
the bouts in the ring and not in the octagon, but the main changes
are about the traumatic blows.
The
organization won't accept elbow on the head. The Nevada Athletic
Comission legalized the elbow on the head but the event's promoters
have the option of legalize or not. Kicking and elbow on the
head are accepted in Japan, but will not be accept in United
States. Check out now the Pride Real Deal confrontations already
confirmed:
COMPLETE
CARD (subject to change):
Pride
Real Deal
Saturday,
October 21st, 2006
Las
Vegas, United States
-
Mauricio Shogun vs. Kevin Randleman;
-
Fedor Emelianenko vs. Mark Coleman;
-
Josh Barnett vs. Pawel Nastula;
-
Mark Hunt vs. Eric Butterbean.
Source: Tatame
|
Quote
of the Day
"It
is impossible for a man to learn what he thinks he already knows."
Epictetus, 55-135 A.D., Greek Stoic Philosopher
|
UFC
63 REVIEW: HUGHES BEATS PENN IN A CLASSIC
Some people have called him the most dominant champion of all
time. Some have called him the greatest UFC champion of all time.
One thing is for sure after UFC 63: Matt Hughes has now proven
that all of the accolades that have been laid down at his doorstep
are well deserved.
After
enduring two very intense rounds in which he struggled against
B.J. Penn, Hughes recovered
and was able to finish the Hawaiian by TKO in the 3rd round,
successfully defending his welterweight championship. As the
bout opened, it looked like B.J. Penn was ready for war when
he started with a successful stand-up game and then defended
Hughes takedown attempts to perfection.
Working
hard for the takedown, Hughes eventually gave up his back towards
the end of the first round and it looked like Penn might get
his second win over the champion by rear naked choke. Unfortunately
for Penn, his position was too high on Hughes’ body and
he couldn’t negotiate the hold and the round ended but most
likely was given to Penn on the judges’ scorecards.
In
the 2nd round, again Penn defended well against the takedown
but eventually ended up with Hughes on top. The Miletich trained
fighter moved cautiously inside Penn’s guard trying not
to get caught in a submission and never really landed any solid
shots but did eventually get caught in an oma plata shoulder
lock that through numerous transitions ended with B.J. Penn on
top of Hughes and then ended with a rolling triangle choke/armbar
combination that looked to put the champion into some serious
trouble.
Hughes
survived the round but was now seemingly down 2 rounds to none
to the last fighter to put a loss onto his record. The third
round was pivotal for Hughes if he hoped not only to survive
but to have any chance to win the fight by decision if it went
that far. As the round started it looked like B.J. Penn had completely
gassed and was out of energy. With his hands almost at his sides,
Penn poked at Hughes while standing and eventually ended up on
the ground with almost no effort to stop the takedown. While
no one doubts Penn’s ground game, his cardio was his downfall
as Hughes took minimal effort to pass his opponent’s guard
and in doing so, trapped Penn’s arm in a similar position
that he had Carlos Newton in during their rematch some years
ago.
With
Penn’s arm trapped and no easy way to defend or roll out
of the position, Hughes started to reign down punches to a basically
unguarded face and head of B.J. Penn. After multiple shots that
saw Penn wince and shake trying to avoid, referee John McCarthy
had no choice but to step in and stop the fight. Matt Hughes,
once again proved his dominance and this time his perseverance,
in winning his 6th fight in a row and another notch on his championship
belt.
The
fight that led into the main event featured two top contenders
in the middleweight division when Mike “Quick” Swick
stepped in to face possibly his toughest opponent to date in
Canadian fighter, David “The Crow” Loiseau. This fight
was important for different reasons for both men because for
Swick, a win could mean a title shot and for Loiseau, it was
his chance to regain some confidence after losing to champion
Rich Franklin in his last bout.
It
seemed throughout a great part of the opening and second rounds
that both fighters were being cautious and avoided taking any
big chances. Swick did land a couple of good takedowns and opened
up some good combinations that while not doing any great damage
did have to impress the judges for his aggressive nature in pressing
the fight. The only confusing part of Swick’s game plan
was his constant motioning to Loiseau trying to bait him into
to attacking while also going for what seemed like 10 spinning
back kicks, none of which landed.
The
third round was really the only time when either fighter seemed
to let loose and push the action. Loiseau, who had to know he
was down on the scorecards, finally woke up and threw some strong
punches that pushed Swick back against the cage and his famous
elbows started to fly. Swick eventually ended up in Loiseau’s
guard where the Canadian tried to unleash even more elbows but
nothing ever really caused any serious damage and the fight made
its way back to the feet where the final bell sounded. Mike Swick
won a unanimous decision in a fairly uninspired fight but with
the win, it most likely will land him a #1 contenders spot in
the middleweight division.
In
one of the most impressive performances of the night, Rashad
Evans solidified himself as a legitimate contender at 205lbs
by completely dominating Jason Lambert in their fight at UFC
63. Evans had long been criticized for not finishing previous
fights and made a big splash with his pay-per-view debut when
he grounded and pounded a TKO victory over Lambert.
The
first round saw Evans move as quickly as ever, pushing the pace
and then his opponent up against the cage where he landed a great
throw that put Lambert on his back. A couple more takedowns followed
in the first round and Evans looked extremely confident heading
into the second. Another big takedown put Lambert on his back
again and this time Evans moved quickly from guard to mount position,
where he opened up and started to fire down some very devastating
shots. A combination of punches opened up a gash on Lambert’s
face causing him to turn away for the last time and the referee
stopped the action, declaring Rashad Evans the winner.
Evans
was again lightning fast with his takedowns and right now there
is simply not a better wrestler at light heavyweight in the UFC.
With 4 consecutive wins in the UFC and the fame from the Ultimate
Fighter that never hurts, Rashad Evans leaves UFC 63 a contender
in the 205lb weight class with a possible showdown in the future
with Forrest Griffin and should definitely be considered as fighter
of the night.
The
biggest shocker of the night came in the opening bout of the
PPV broadcast when the triumphant return of Jens Pulver was seriously
derailed when UFC newcomer Joe Lauzon put on a show by defeating
the only lightweight champion to ever step into the Octagon by
TKO at only :48 seconds into the first round. Lauzon was a huge
underdog in the fight but came out with a feverish pace that
put Pulver on the defensive from the first second of the bout.
Never letting up, Lauzon caught Pulver with a knee strike and
a big left hand that floored the former champion causing a stop
to the action. Joe Lauzon gets a huge victory in what almost
everyone had chalked up to a walk through fight for Pulver.
Another
exciting lightweight bout took place at UFC 63 between former
Ultimate Fighter housemate Melvin Guillard, who has recently
been training with Tito Ortiz, and WEC veteran, Gabe Ruediger,
making his UFC debut. Guillard has looked much improved as of
late and definitely found a great home when he moved down to
155lbs. The fight looked like it might end early when Guillard
rocked his opponent but luckily Ruediger was able to recover
and he eventually got a dominant position that almost landed
him a victory but a choke attempt couldn’t be achieved as
the opening round came to a close.
Guillard’s
stand-up has never been questioned and now his power can go hand
in hand with that because after a feeling out period to start
the 2nd round, the New Orleans native threw a big punch straight
to the body of Gabe Ruediger causing him to simply buckle and
fall to the canvas. Guillard followed up with a quick kick but
before much more damage could be inflicted, the referee stopped
the fight. With two big wins at lightweight, Guillard has put
himself in possible title contention and if the matchmakers at
the UFC are listening, Spencer Fisher will be the next fighter
to take on Melvin Guillard.
Top
to bottom, UFC 63 was a fantastic card on paper, and it didn’t
disappoint.
Rashad
Evans looked like he’s ready to be considered a top-level
fighter in the UFC, and title aspirations have to be on his mind.
Mike Swick took another step towards a middleweight championship
showdown but struggled to impress against his toughest opposition
to date. Melvin Guillard demonstrated exactly why the lightweights
are back with his outstanding performance, while Joe Lauzon reminded
everyone to never count out an underdog.
BJ
Penn looked dominant for two rounds, but a title fight lasts
for five rounds and his conditioning definitely cost him. In
the end, Matt Hughes once again showed the heart and soul of
a champion.
Full
Results
-Matt
Hughes def. BJ Penn by TKO (strikes) at 3:53 of Round 3 to retain
the UFC Welterweight Title
-Mike
Swick def. David Loiseau by unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28,
29-28)
-Melvin
Guillard def. Gabe Ruediger by TKO (strikes) at 1:01 of Round
2
-Rashad
Evans def. Jason Lambert by TKO (strikes) at 2:22 of Round 2
-Joe
Lauzon def. Jens Pulver by TKO (strikes) at 0:48 of Round 1
-Roger
Huerta def. Jason Dent by unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27)
-Eddie
Sanchez def. Mario Neto by KO at 0:17 of Round 2
-Jorge
Gurgel def. Danny Abbadi by split decision (29-28, 29-28, 28-29)
-Tyson
Griffin def. David Lee by submission (rear naked choke) at 1:50
of Round 1
Source: MMA Weekly
|
GRIFFIN
AND HUERTA SHINE IN UFC DEBUTS
ANAHEIM,
CALIFORNIA – Most of the UFC 63 undercard action at the
Arrowhead Pond was worthy of pay-per-view status in and of itself.
Though
their bout went to a decision, Roger Huerta defeated Jason Dent
and received “Fight of the Night” honors. Although
the decision was 30-27 unanimously, Dent was not dominated as
much as the scored would indicate. Though Huerta did edge out
Dent over all three rounds with more frequent and more damaging
punches and knees, Dent fought back hard the entire fight to
force it to a decision.
In
a heavyweight contest of newcomers to the Octagon, Eddie Sanchez
dropped Mario Neto with a huge overhand right, mere moments into
the second round. Sanchez followed him down, but referee John
McCarthy immediately stopped the bout.
Ultimate
Fighter participants Jorge Gurgel and Danny Abbadi also fought
to a decision. The final score was announced as a split decision
with Gurgel receiving a 29-28 edge on two scorecards to Abbadi’s
single mark of 29-28. Judge Cecil Peoples later cleared up a
misrepresentation of his scorecard, which was mistakenly credited
to Abbadi. He stated that the result was actually to be a unanimous
decision, 29-28 on all three scorecards, for Gurgel.
Gurgel
was definitely the more aggressive fighter throughout the bout,
giving chase to Abbadi over the first two rounds. Abbadi did
make a game attempt to get back into the fight during the third
period when he was much more effective with his strikes, but
it was too little, too late.
The
opening bout of the night was also the only fight that went to
a submission finish. One of the hottest rising names in the game,
Tyson Griffin, thoroughly dominated his British opponent, David
Lee, en route to a rear naked choke victory, which earned him
“Submission of the Night” honors and a $15,000 bonus.
Source: MMA Weekly
|
FRANK
SHAMROCK TALKS KEN, TITO, & IFL
The IFL started their second season with a successful show in
Portland, Oregon and debuted two new teams. This Saturday night
in Moline, Illinois, the IFL will look to build on the success
of their season debut with another great fight card. Headlined
by a superfight between Renzo Gracie and Pat Miletich, the show
will also mark the debut of two new coaches and teams –
Carlos Newton’s Toronto Dragons and Frank Shamrock’s
San Jose Razor Claws. Frank appeared on MMAWeekly’s SoundOff
Radio to discuss the IFL, his personal career and other topics.
Frank
Shamrock recently signed to be a coach in the IFL. The former
UFC middleweight champion explained how the opportunity came
about.
“They
[IFL] asked me when they first got going. It’s a big honor
to be considered,” said Shamrock. “I wanted to see
if their product was going to develop and their [team] concept
had stability. I waited a little bit and Maurice was kind enough
to fill me in on what was going on. I took his advice and got
myself a team.”
Brian
Ebersole, one of Frank’s most experienced fighters on his
Razor Claws team, was recently suspended indefinitely by the
California State Athletic Commission. Ebersole and his opponent
Shannon Ritch were suspended by CSAC head Armando Garcia for
participating in a “worked” fight (the choreographing
of a fight in order to attain a pre-determined outcome). With
the suspension, Ebersole will not be participating in Saturday’s
IFL event. Frank gave his thoughts regarding the situation.
“He
[Garcia] made a snap decision. He believed that doing a cartwheel
through the guard was a fake technique. His lack of education
caused him to suspend Brian Ebersole indefinitely,” commented
Frank. “Brian did nothing wrong. Every technique that he
did, I coached him personally to do.”
“Personally,
it’s a slap in the face to me… he has no idea what
the hell he is doing and I’m putting all of my effort and
energy to get him out of that position,” added Shamrock.
Frank
last fought in March in the headlining fight of the inaugural
Strikeforce show. After a near three year absence from competition,
it took just 21 seconds for Shamrock to dispatch of Cesar Gracie.
“I’m
so excited to fight,” elated Frank. “The boys here
on the IFL team are really getting me charged up.”
Recently,
a new MMA promotion called The World Fighter Championships made
headlines with the signing of Frank Shamrock as their first marquee
fighter. The former King of Pancrase gave a little insight about
the new organization.
“They
came to the table as a fighter-friendly organization looking
to progress the sport to a new level. We came to a real good
understanding,” said Frank. “We had a very fluid negotiation,
they gave me what I wanted and I’m going to give them what
they want. I think it will be a benchmark in our industry for
what talent should be making.”
Shamrock
confirmed that he has signed a three-fight contract with The
World Fighter. When asked about potential opponents for his debut,
Shamrock replied, “I don’t know if I can talk about
that… I don’t think so. Here’s how I look at it;
as long as they sell pay per view buys, as long as they put butts
in the seats, I don’t care who I fight.”
“I’m
a professional martial artist. My body is better than what it
was when I stopped and my technique is ten times what it was
when I fought Tito,” continued Frank. “I’m just
ready to crush everybody once again, make a boat-load of money,
buy my wife a nice house and have more babies.”
The
World Fighter intends to hold a 16-man tournament in each of
their respective weight classes. The winner of each tournament
would earn an impressive $2,000,000 purse.
“I’m
old, I don’t do tournaments. I fight people and I fight
names… I don’t care for tournaments,” said Shamrock.
“The truth is, I’m making what every athlete of my
caliber should make in this sport… and it’s a heck
of a lot more than two million.”
When
he fought in the UFC, Frank reigned as middleweight champion
and retired undefeated. Shamrock was not shy to comment about
the organization where he garnered his fame. “The one place
you will not see me fighting is the UFC,” added Shamrock.
There
was recent speculation that Frank would face UFC and PRIDE veteran
Phil Baroni. Shamrock commented on a potential fight with the
“New York Badass”.
“I
think it’s a ticket seller. He’s not the sharpest tool
in the shed, but he bangs hard and he sells tickets. I’d
love to fight Baroni. As far as I’m concerned, he’s
a night off for me and a warm-up for whomever.”
On
October 10th, Frank’s older brother Ken Shamrock is scheduled
to meet Tito Ortiz for the third and final time. The fight will
be aired live on Spike TV.
“It’s
great for Ken, it’s great for the sport, and it’s great
for the Shamrock brand. Tito is going to mash him and that will
be that,” said Frank. “I don’t keep contact with
him; he doesn’t think a relationship with me is important.
I’m just happy that the boy is on TV and reaching the mainstream
in that way. I hate to see him get mashed again but it’ll
be a great set up for when I whoop Tito’s ass.”
Despite
the recent setback with the suspension of Brian Ebersole, Frank
remains positive about his team’s debut. “We’re
going to slice the guts out of Carlos Newton’s team,"
he said.
Source: MMA Weekly
|
Quote
of the Day
"I'd
rather be a could-be if I cannot be an are; because a could-be
is a maybe who is reaching for a star. I'd rather be a has-been
than a might-have-been, by far; for a might have-been has nevër
been, but a has was once an are."
Milton Berle, 1908-2002, American Comedian known as "Uncle
Miltie"
|
UFC
63 Results
Hughes wins via TKO in Round 3
after BJ appeared to have won Rounds 1 & 2
UFC 63: Matt Hughes vs. B.J. Penn Results
Saturday, September 23, 2006
Arrowhead Pond in Anaheim, California
Preliminary
Bouts:
Bout
#1 - Lightweight
David Lee (153.5 lbs) vs. Tyson Griffin (155 lbs)
Griffin via rear naked choke submission at 1:50 of the first
round.
Bout
#2 - Lightweight
Danny Abbadi (155.5 lbs) vs. Jorge Gurgel (154 lbs)
Gurgel via split decision after 3 rounds.
Bout
#3 - Heavyweight
Mario Neto (235.5 lbs) vs. Eddie Sanchez (223 lbs)
Sanchez via referee stoppage (strikes) at 0:17 of the second
round.
Bout
#4 - Lightweight
Jason Dent (155.5 lbs) vs. Roger Huerta (155 lbs)
Huerta via unanimous decision after 3 rounds.
Pay
Per View Bouts:
Bout
#5 - Lightweight
Joe Lauzon (155.5 lbs) vs. Jens Pulver (154 lbs)
Lauzon via referee stoppage (strikes) at 0:48 of the first round.
Bout
#6 - Light Heavyweight
Jason Lambert (205.5 lbs) vs. Rashad Evans (204 lbs)
Evans via KO (mount punches) at 2:22 of the second round.
Bout
#7 - Lightweight
Gabe Ruediger (155 lbs) vs. Melvin Guillard (156 lbs)
Guillard via KO (body punch) at 1:01 of the second round.
Bout
#8 - Middleweight
Mike Swick (184 lbs) vs. David Loiseau (185.5 lbs)
Swick via unanimous decision after 3 rounds.
Bout #9 - Welterweight Championship
Matt Hughes (170 lbs) vs B.J. Penn (166.5 lbs)
Hughes via referee stoppage (strikes) at 3:53 of the third round.
Source: MMA Fighting
|
IFL
World Team Championships in Moline Results
Renzo submits Miletich in Round 1.
IFL World Team Championships in Moline
Saturday, September 23, 2006
The MARK of the Quad Cities in Moline, Illinois
Superfight
Renzo
Gracie (180 lbs) def. Pat Miletich (183.5 lbs) via guillotine
choke at 3:37 of the first round.
Silverbacks
def. Pitbulls 3-2
155
lbs: Bart Palaszewski (Silverbacks) def. Marcio Feitosa (Pitbulls)
via split decision after 3 rounds.
170 lbs: Rory Markham (Silverbacks) def. Luke Stewart (Pitbulls)
via TKO at 3:58 of the first round.
185 lbs: Fabio Leopoldo (Pitbulls) def. Ryan McGivern (Silverbacks)
via knee bar at 2:49 of the second round.
205 lbs: Andre Gusmao (Pitbulls) def. Mike Ciesnolevicz (Silverbacks)
via TKO at 1:01 of the second round.
265 lbs: Ben Rothwell (Pitbulls) def. Bryan Vitell (Silverbacks)
via KO at 3:17 of the first round.
Dragons
def. Razorclaws 3-2
155
lbs: Josh Odom (Razorclaws) def. Rob Di Censo (Dragons) via TKO
at 1:47 of the third round.
170 lbs: Claude Patrick (Dragons) def. Ray Steinbeiss (Razorclaws)
via guillotine choke at 3:12 of round 1.
185 lbs: Joe Doerksen (Dragons) def. Brian Foster (Razorclaws)
via rear naked choke at 3:40 of the second round.
205 lbs: Brent Beauparlant (Dragons) def. Raphael Davis (Razorclaws)
via unanimous decision after 3 rounds.
265 lbs: Travis Wiuff (Razorclaws) def. Wojtek Kaszowski (Dragons)
via unanimous decision after 3 rounds.
Source: MMA Fighting
|
Pride
sets Tyson's debut
Former boxer to promote event in LA
Pride confirmed a heavyweight promoter for its first USA show
in Las Vegas: Mike Tyson. The former boxer is one of the attractions
of the event scheduled October 21st, in Las Vegas.
According
to Pride's director Nobuhiko Takada, this time Tyson will make
a promotional appearance on the ring but there are plans for
him to fight in Pride's New Years Eve event. It'll probably be
a boxing exhibition match.
Source: Gracie Magazine
|
Jorge
Patino Macaco: the fighter-promoter
By Joana Carvalho
Leader of Macaco Gold Team, Jorge Patino Macaco is preparing
himself really hard for his next two challenges: fight in his
own event on September 23rd and face Roberto Godoy at the Super
Challenger. In exclusive interview to website TATAME, Macaco
talked about his preparation and expectation for organize and
fight at the same event for the first time, beyond analyzing
his confrontation against Godoy. Macaco also remembered the International
Championship of Master and Senior and told about the fights that
have been coming to increase his cartel. 'My objective until
the end of the year is fighting the Pride, or the Cage Rage or
the X-1', guaranteed him. Check out under the complete interview:
How
is your training to face Godoy at Super Challenger?
I
am fine, I am feeling myself prepared, I am now with 86,5kg,
this is my perfect weight and I need to keep it. I am training
with Marcos Fragante and soon I am going to Curitiba to finish
my preparation with Rafael Cordeiro.
What
do you expect of the fight and of the event?
I
won't say anything before it happens, but God knows what is better
for us here. I prefer to watch the result at the time, but I
am confident and well trained. The event will be a success and
the public is really interested.
What
do you expect of the performance of your three pupils that you
are taking to fight at Max Fight?
At
the first edition I took them and they all did win, I have the
belts. The guys are really well trained, they enjoyed my trainings
to train with me. I have 100% of sure that they will win again.
Why
did you decide to organize and fight the Fire Fight MMA at the
same time?
Well,
this fight must be happened before and one of the reasons for
me to fight now is to take more audience for the event. The event
is mine and of the promoter Carlos Travela and I am sure that
my fight will help a lot the competition.
Do
you think that fighting in this event will disturbs you in your
training?
No,
not at all, it helps me much more in my preparation. I love to
compete BJJ, I like to be at the mat and it will just helps me.
What
did you think about the International Championship of Master
and Senior?
People
don't admires it a lot because this a competition of 'old' fighters,
but there were just top fighters, with high quality. The competition
had a lot of good guys as Múzio and Jamelão. I
just faced tough fighters there.
What
did you think of Minotauro and Wanderlei at Pride GP OW?
I
was really sad about the results, as all the Brazilians. I am
from Chute Boxe, but I also supported Minotauro, I wanted him
in the final as well, we are all Brazilian and he is also a cool
guy. Barnett did perfect blows under Minotauro, but I think that
they supported him that night because of the American Pride that
will debut soon. But Mirko was really good physically and technically,
and Wand did receive perfect blows. That was his night. But about
the other Brazilians, Shogun was really well and Arona improved
his stand up fight and Cyborg did let go his game.
Do
you have other bouts for this year? Which are your objectives
for this year and for your career?
My
objective until the end of the year is fighting at Pride, at
Cage Rage or at X-1. It depends of Master Rudimar to see in which
one I am getting in, but I know that one of them I will participate.
I just came from a meeting with Oscar Maroni and I will probably
face Margarida in the next Showfight, but this is not right yet,
that are just some conversations and the begging of the negotiations.
Source: Tatame
|
Quote
of the Day
"My
best friend is the one who brings out the best in me."
Henry Ford, 1863-1947, American Industrialist and Founder of
Ford Motor Company
|
Go
BJ!
BJ Penn rematches Matt Hughes for the UFC Welterweight Championship
Today
The UFC 63 countdown show premieres this Wednesday, September
20th at 11pm on Spike TV. The show repeats September 21st at
1am and September 23rd at 6pm. The show will preview the Matt
Hughes vs. BJ Penn and Mike Swick vs. David Loiseau fights.
Match
ups
-
Matt Hughes defends his UFC welterweight title against the previous
champion BJ
Penn.
-
Mike Swick looks to make it five straight first round UFC wins
when he takes on David "The Crow" Loiseau.
-
After departuring from the UFC in 2002, Jens "Lil Evil"
Pulver returns to fight Joe Lauzon.
-
Coming off a win over Duane "Bang" Ludwig, the undefeated
Tyson Griffin makes his UFC debut against David Lee.
-
Rashad Evans arrives on a pay per view card to face Jason Lambert.
Both of them are 3-0 in the UFC.
-
Former WEC lightweight champion Gabe Ruediger makes his UFC debut
against TUF 2 cast member Melvin "The Young Assasin"
Guillard.
-
TUF 2's Jorge Gurgel faces TUF 3's Danny Abaddi.
-
Roger Huerta, forced off the UFC 61 card due to an elbow injury,
makes his delayed UFC debut against Jason Dent.
-
Eddie Sanchez will face heavyweight Brazilian submission specialist
Mario Neto.
Source: Sven Bean/ MMA Fighting
|
UPDATED
ODDS ON UFC 63 AND IFL SUPER FIGHT
by BetEagle.com
BetEagle.com
has released their updated odds for the entire UFC 63 card that
takes place this Saturday night in Anaheim, California. Matt
Hughes is the favorite to win his title defense against BJ Penn and Mike Swick is
the favorite in his bout with David Loiseau.
At
the IFL in Moline, Illinois, Pat Miletich is a heavy favorite
to defeat Renzo Gracie in their super fight.
Log
on to BetEagle.com to place your bets or to enter their UFC 63
contest. Pick all nine fights on the UFC 63 card and how they
will win and you can become a winner yourself.
ULTIMATE
FIGHTING CHAMPIONSHIP 63
SEPTEMBER 23RD
ARROWHEAD POND
ANAHEIM, CA
BJ
PENN +180
MATT HUGHES -220
DAVID
LOISEAU +120
MIKE SWICK -150
RASHAD
EVANS -200
JASON LAMBERT +160
JENS
PULVER -700
JOE LAUZON +450
MELVIN
GUILLARD -170
GABE RUEDIGER +140
***
NON PPV MATCHES ***
ROGER
HUERTA -600
JASON DENT +400
JORGE
GURGEL -600
DANNY ABBADI +400
TYSON
GRIFFIN -600
DAVID LEE +400
IFL
- MARK OF THE QUAD-CITIES
MOLINE, ILLINOIS
PAT
MILETICH -260
RENZO GRACIE +210
Source: MMA Weekly
UFC 63:
Matt Hughes vs. B.J.
Penn
By MMAFighting.com
Tonight at UFC 63, Matt Hughes gets a chance to avenge his only
loss since 2000 as B.J.
Penn looks
to recapture the welterweight title Penn never lost.
This
is the UFC's second trip to the Arrowhead Pond in Anaheim, California.
You can catch the show on DIRECTV, INDEMAND, Dish Network, Bell
ExpressVU, Viewers Choice Canada and Canadastar.
Pay
Per View Bouts:
Matt Hughes (170 lbs) vs B.J. Penn (166.5 lbs)
Mike Swick (184 lbs) vs. David Loiseau (185.5 lbs)
Gabe Ruediger (155 lbs) vs. Melvin Guillard (156 lbs)
Jason Lambert (205.5 lbs) vs. Rashad Evans (204 lbs)
Joe Lauzon (155.5 lbs) vs. Jens Pulver (154 lbs)
Preliminary
Bouts:
Jason Dent (155.5 lbs) vs. Roger Huerta (155 lbs)
Mario Neto (235.5 lbs) vs. Eddie Sanchez (223 lbs)
Danny Abbadi (155.5 lbs) vs. Jorge Gurgel (154 lbs)
David Lee (153.5 lbs) vs. Tyson Griffin (155 lbs)
Source: MMA Fighting
|
Hawaii
meets country as B.J.
Penn tackles
UFC champion Matt Hughes
Canadian Press: NEIL DAVIDSON
B.J. Penn, seen facing camera in March loss to Montreal's Georges
St. Pierre, looks to beat Matt Hughes for a second time when
he takes on the UFC welterweight champion Saturday in Anaheim,
Calif. (CP PHOTO/HO/UFC)
(CP) - Matt Hughes has won 18 of 19 fights over the last 5 1/2
years. And the UFC welterweight champion is not one short on
confidence or self-belief.
But
Hughes has not watched tape of his loss to B.J. Penn in January
2004 at UFC 46: Supernatural, the lone blemish on his mixed martial
arts record during that stretch.
"I
have not actually (watched it), but I know what happened,"
Hughes said succinctly in an interview. "I made a few mistakes
and B.J. capitalized on them."
Penn,
in his first fight as a 170-pounder after fighting at 155, choked
Hughes out in the first round. To rub salt in the wound, Penn
then kissed a dazed Hughes on the head and started celebrating.
The
two get it on again Saturday night at the Arrowhead Pond in Anaheim,
Calif., (available in Canada on pay-per-view) in UFC 63: Hughes
vs. Penn.
The
title shot was supposed to go to Montreal's Georges St. Pierre.
But the No. 1 contender, who beat Penn by decision in March,
was sidelined by a groin injury during training.
Penn's
time as UFC champion was short. He was stripped of the title
after seeking to fight elsewhere and Hughes regained the belt
and kept winning.
Now
Hughes (41-4-0) has a chance to settle a score with Penn (10-3-1)
in what promises to be an intriguing showdown between two dangerous
fighters.
"B.J.
Penn's looking to prove that it wasn't a fluke that he beat Hughes
and Hughes is looking to prove that it was," UFC president
Dana White said.
Hughes
was a huge favourite the first time out, with some saying he
took Penn lightly. The result was shocking as Hughes found himself
on his back and unable to escape. He eventually gave up his back
to Penn who choked him out.
Hughes,
32, has made a living slamming his opponents into the canvas
and pounding them. A former all-American wrestler at Eastern
Illinois University, he is a master at controlling downed fighters
in the cage. And if they make a mistake, he can end it via submission.
Penn,
27, is known as The Prodigy for the speed in which he achieved
his jiu-jitsu black belt. He is a good striker who is slippery
on the ground with a bag full of submissions. He is cool as a
cucumber inside the ring where nothing seems to faze him.
He
is also cocky, insisting he defeated St. Pierre earlier this
year.
"Not
taking anything away from him but he spent the night in the hospital,
I spent mine at the bar," Penn said in an interview.
It's
a long way from Hillsboro, Ill., to Hilo, Hawaii, and Hughes
and Penn are worlds apart when it comes to personality.
Hughes
is a UFC company man. Penn sued it for stripping his title.
Hughes
(41-4-0) makes his home in Hillsboro, population 4,500, and enters
the ring to Country Boy Can Survive by Hank Williams Jr. (contrast
that with Vernon White's choice of Smack My Bitch Up by Prodigy
or Joe Riggs' selection of Blunt Force Trauma by Damage Plan
at UFC 49: Unfinished Business). Projects outside the Octagon
include restoring cars (a 1969 Camaro convertible is the current
project - previous restorations with twin brother Mark have included
a '70 Chevelle, and '72 and '82 Chevy pickups).
Hughes,
who "surrendered his life to Jesus" in 2004 between
the Penn loss and regaining his title according to his official
website, is a no-nonsense star.
He
doesn't make as much as light-heavyweight champion Chuck Liddell
and doesn't much care.
"I'm
more of a common person, which I'm glad," Hughes says. "I
don't need any type of recognition to make my day go by any better.
. . . I don't like being recognized as much as I am now."
Hughes
made US $110,000 for demolishing aging legend Royce Gracie at
UFC 60 - Liddell made $250,000 for knocking out Renato (Babalu)
Sobral at UFC 62.
"I'm
not a greedy person," Hughes said. "I'm very happy
with the amount of money I get. The UFC treats me great. No complaints
whatsoever."
Hughes,
however, has some thoughts on Penn. He acknowledges he doesn't
know the Hawaiian that well and respects him as a fighter. But
that's as good as it gets.
"I
think he runs his mouth a little bit too much," Hughes said.
And
what about the loss to Penn?
"Bottom
line, he was the better man that day," Hughes said. "I
think I've improved since then, I would probably say he has too.
But I think I've improved more than he has."
St.
Pierre can look forward to facing the winner of Saturday's fight.
Penn says that will be him.
"I
know I can beat him (Hughes). I did it already," Penn says.
Observers
are split. While Hughes looked good in dispatching Gracie, St.
Pierre held his own with the champ at UFC 50: The War of 04 before
making a mistake and being submitted.
Some
wonder whether if the challengers are catching up with Hughes,
long considered the best pound-for-pound fighter in the UFC.
"Penn
has a very good chance of beating him," said Carlos Newton
of Newmarket, Ont., who lost his welterweight title and two fights
to Hughes.
Newton
says Penn may be able to defend Hughes' takedown attempts and,
in the process, put the champion on his back.
But
Newton says Penn has to stick to his own strategy.
"I
think that's one of B.J.'s weaknesses is he sometimes ends up
fighting his opponent's fight. 'OK, if that's what you want to
do, I'll do it."'
Mike
(Quick) Swick, who fights Montreal middleweight David (The Crow)
Loiseau on the undercard, says the fight may turn on the first
mistake.
"But
I think that's a match where both fighters could walk away with
the belt," said Swick.
Source: CBC Sports
|
Shogun
ready for Randleman
By Marcelo Alonso
After winning Pride Middleweight Grand Prix and being talked
about as the big MMA star of 2005, Chute Boxe fighter Maurício
"Shogun" Rua is not having the same luck in 2006. Eight
months after suffering a serious arm injury during his fight
against Mark Coleman, Shogun had another serious accident 15
days before his long-awaited return to the ring against Cyrille
Diabate in Pride Open Weight Grand Prix. "I was parking
my car in the garage at my house, totally exhausted after a hard
MMA training session, when my dog [a pit bull named Chacal] ran
out into the street. I immediately left the car to grab him,
but I forgot to pull the hand break. While I was holding my dog,
the car came down and hit me from behind, taking me to the ground
and running over my arm and back," reveals Shogun, who suffered
a very serious scratch on his back and arm and was advised by
the doctors to not fight. "I couldn't even think about the
possibility of not fighting. Eight months away from the ring
almost made me crazy. But I have to say it was hard. It was so
painful that I was having a hard time sleeping too," remembers
Shogun who stopped training 15 days before the fight.
On
the day of the fight against Diabate, the scratch was almost
okay. "I knew that my only problem would be taking guard
position, but thank God it was not necessary and everything worked
out well," says the Brazilian who is hoping that the bad
luck times have gone and is anxious to fight Kevin Randleman
in Pride Real Deal in the USA. "Actually I wanted to face
Coleman, but he didn't accept and put his student Randleman in;
it will be a great fight anyway. Kevin is one of the strongest
fighters in this weight class and a great wrestler, but I'm ready
to make my game," guarantees the Chute Boxer.
Source: FCF
|
PRIDE’s
latest idea for UFC
Daily Sports reports on comments made by PRIDE boss Nobuyuki
Sakakibara in regards to UFC. Sakakibara stated that Mirko Cro
Cop would be a suitable replacement for Vanderlei Silva to send
to UFC to fight this November. Sakakibara said that despite Mirko’s
name and image being printed for PRIDE’s 10/21 Las Vegas
show poster, he feels that Mirko would be ready to fight in UFC
by November.
Also,
Sankei Sports quoted Sakakibara as saying that the 10/21 Las
Vegas show would air on an Internet streaming PPV format (but
customers in Japan and America won’t be able to purchase
the Internet PPV feed due to the PRIDE show airing on conventional
PPV in both countries). Also, Sakakibara is promising to spend
more money on production for the Las Vegas show (claiming an
estimated budget of 500 million yen for fireworks, stage, etc.)
— higher than the amount of money spent for production for
past Tokyo Dome shows. 500 million yen is approximately $4.24
million USD.
One
question that should be asked - Sakakibara has controlled much
of the production in the past for PRIDE shows, so is he also
in charge of all of the production for the Las Vegas show with
his allies in the producing business? Or is this where Ed Fishman
comes into play?
Source: Fight Opinion
|
IS
SWICK READY TO ANSWER THE QUESTION?
by Matt Hill
Choke? Elbow? Knockout? Submission? How will this fight go down?
Well, on September 23, at the Arrowhead Pond in Anaheim, California,
Mike ‘Quick’ Swick will have the opportunity to reply
to one of these question marks with an exclamation point, when
he goes head to head with David Loiseau for top UFC middleweight
contender status.
Swick
is a fiery competitor who has racked up a nice streak of wins
since making his UFC debut in 2005. With victories over Alex
Schoenauer, Gideon Ray, Steve Vigneault, and Joe Riggs, Swick
seems to be catapulting himself to the crest of the middleweight
division and is doing so in ‘quick’ and devastating
fashion.
Many
fans got to know Swick through his participation in the highly
successful UFC reality show, “The Ultimate Fighter,”
where he competed in the light-heavyweight division, one weight
class up from his normal weight of 185 pounds.
While
on the reality show, the only fight Swick had was against his
teammate Stephan Bonnar, the easy going Chicago native. To the
surprise of many fans, Swick nearly tapped the Carlson Gracie
Jiu-Jitsu student with a guillotine choke early in Round 1. Bonnar
survived the choke, though, and went on to catch Swick in an
armbar triangle. Bonnar eventually went on to fight Forrest Griffin
in the finals, in a fight that many fans consider one of the
greatest of all time.
Swick
did more on the show than impress fans, however, ‘Quick’
also impressed coaches Chuck Liddell and Randy Couture with his
work ethic and drive to succeed. Couture said of Swick, “Mike
Swick brings a warriors spirit. A lot of times that will be enough
to put him over the top,” said Couture.
Even
though Swick sports an unbeaten 4-0 record since coming to the
UFC, some fans wonder if this reality star is really on the same
level as a David Loiseau, Anderson Silva, or Rich Franklin. These
fans may have a point after all. Anyone that remembers when Rich
Franklin fought Nate Quarry in UFC 56 recalls a short, one-sided
fight that left Quarry stiff on the floor courtesy of a Franklin
left-hand. Even more recently, we saw Anderson Silva tee-off
on Chris Leben, leaving “The Crippler” in a piled heap
on the Octagon floor.
Maybe
there is something to the theory that the reality show fighters
are being thrown to the wolves a little too early, but maybe
there isn’t.
“I’m
looking forward to my fight with David Loiseau. He is a great
competitor. I think Loiseau is a top middleweight contender in
the UFC, and I want to go in there and show that I belong,”
said Swick.
But
don’t make the mistake and think that Swick is looking past
Loiseau, though, “I am taking this fight with Loiseau very
seriously,” said Swick. “Loiseau gave Franklin his
only decision, and he proved that he could take a beating if
that’s the case. I see him as being the #1 middleweight
contender in the UFC, so I take it very, very serious.”
Swick
seems very focused for this fight, and on this coming Saturday,
he will get to answer some of these lingering questions: Are
the TUF reality show fighters ready for enhanced competition?
Does Mike Swick deserve a title shot with the winner of Franklin/Silva?
Can Mike Swick maintain his ‘quick’ moniker?
Tune
in Saturday night to watch ‘Quick’ vs. ‘The Crow’
and find out.
Source: MMA Weekly
|
Quote
of the Day
"Love
me when I least deserve it, because that's when I really need
it."
Swedish Proverb
|
Penn to fight for Ultimate
crown
By Dayton Morinaga
Advertiser Staff Writer
BJ Penn
Days before one of the most-anticipated bouts in the sport of
mixed martial arts, Hilo's BJ Penn had his own form of training yesterday.
"I
went surfing," he said. "The waves were pretty good,
and I wanted to get in the water just to relax."
Today,
Penn will ride a wave of adrenaline when he departs Hilo for
Anaheim, Calif. Penn will face Matt Hughes of Illinois for the
Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) welterweight world championship
on Saturday.
"I
can't wait; every time I punch the heavy bag, I'm thinking about
punching his face," Penn said. "All my training is
done, my weight is good. I'm ready."
Penn
and Hughes are considered two of the best "pound-for-pound"
fighters in the world, and the Arrowhead Pond in Anaheim is expected
to be near its 17,500-seat capacity.
The
card will be televised live nationally on a pay-per-view basis.
"The
sport is so big now, bigger than the first time I beat (Hughes),"
Penn said. "So it's definitely a big fight in a lot of ways."
The
UFC is considered the top mixed martial arts organization in
North America, and Penn is the only Hawai'i competitor to fight
for a UFC championship.
"For
people who follow this sport, this is huge," said Michael Onzuka, a judge and commentator
for mixed martial arts events in Hawai'i. "This might be
the biggest fight at 170 pounds, ever. In any organization."
Saturday's
bout is a rematch in the 170-pound weight class. On Jan. 31,
2004, Penn beat Hughes by rear-naked choke submission to win
the UFC welterweight championship.
"I
can't take anything from that fight," Penn said. "Every
fight is totally different, so I can't depend on the same things
happening. You can't worry too much about what your opponent
is going to do. You have to be more ready to do what you want
to do."
Penn
was stripped of the UFC championship later in 2004 because he
accepted a fight with another organization.
Hughes
then regained the vacant title on Oct. 22, 2004, with a victory
over Georges St. Pierre. Hughes has held the title ever since.
St.
Pierre is actually the No. 1 contender, and was originally scheduled
to face Hughes on Saturday. However, St. Pierre suffered a groin
injury during training and had to withdraw.
Penn,
the No. 2 contender, was picked as the replacement to face Hughes
a month ago.
"I
don't want to be No. 3 anymore," said Penn, 27. "This
is my chance to be No. 1 again."
Hughes
is 38-4 and trains at the Miletich Martial Arts school in Iowa.
Among the well-known competitors who train with Hughes are Tim
Sylvia, Pat Miletich, Jeremy Horn and Robbie Lawler.
Since
March of 2001, Hughes is 18-1, with the only loss coming against
Penn.
Hughes
has a wrestling background; Penn is a black belt in Brazilian
jiu-jitsu.
"Matt
likes to take guys to the ground (and grapple)," Penn said.
"I've prepared for everything. I'm ready to stand up, I'm
ready to go to the ground. What ever it takes."
Television
ads promoting Saturday's card describe the last Hughes-Penn result
as an upset. Internet gambling sites are listing Penn as a slight
underdog.
"That
doesn't matter to me," Penn said. "If they think that
was an upset the last time, what are they gonna say when I beat
him again?"
Reach
Dayton Morinaga at dmorinaga@honoluluadvertiser.com.
Source: Honolulu Advertiser
|
Jeremy
Horn Retires
Jeremy Horn has retired from MMA fighting. Well at least temporarily.
After an astounding 98 fights and a record of 78-15-5, Horn has
walked away from competition and will be taking at least a year
off before possibly returning. During this time he will continue
training fighters and will be very active in his teammate's preparations
for upcoming bouts.
There has been speculation that after his losses to Chuck Liddell
and Matt Linland, Jeremy decided he needed time to re-focus and
assess his future in the sport he has been fighting in since
1996.
We wish him the best and hope he returns soon.
Source: Gracie Fighter
|
Kurt
Angle indicates MMA is in his future
By Zach Arnold
If you’ve been a regular reader of this site, you have read
our reports about the chances of Kurt Angle working in MMA. All
signs point to Japan, the country with promoters who can offer
the most money (and a country with no commission).
Today,
Angle released a statement through his manager that he’s
training for MMA competition. No wonder Jim Ross and others in
WWE are scared to death of Angle attempting to do this.
Source: Fight Opinion
|
Cesar
Gracie Matchmaking for The World Fighter Championships
Like most new fighting promotions, the rumors started to slowly
trickle in about The World Fighter Championships. But with Cesar
Gracie in charge of matchmaking duties and the signing of Frank
Shamrock to a multi-million dollar deal, the pace picked up quickly.
The World Fighter is here and aiming straight for the top spot
in mixed martial arts.
Gracie
announced his position with the company and the signing of Frank
Shamrock on his website, GracieFighter.com, and days later, Sherdog.com
published the confirmation from Shamrock that his deal with The
World Fighter was a one-year, multi-million dollar proposition.
The rumors then started to peak.
As
a guest on MMAWeekly.com’s SoundOff Radio with Damon Martin
and Jeff Cain, Gracie put the rumors to rest and discussed the
new promotion, their plans, and some of the fighters that they
have already signed and who they are going after.
Obviously,
with the signing of Shamrock, The World Fighter is not looking
at taking things slow. “They’ve got some pretty lofty
ideas,” said Gracie.
The
premise is to have a 16-man tournament in each weight class to
determine a champion. Each show will consist of tournament fights,
plus a super-fight, thus, the signing of Shamrock.
“The
Shamrock name has been here for a long time… a lot of people
remember him from the old UFC days. He’s a very exciting
fighter… Ken was another one, they sell shows when he fights,”
said Gracie in reference to the need to have a big name draw
right away because The World Fighter intends to be on pay-per-view
from the start. “We’re doing a pay-per-view deal. There
are two different networks with offers on the table.”
Gracie
and The World Fighter president Jason Aiello are fully aware
that to make a splash on the MMA scene in the United States,
they have to go after top-tier talent. In addition to signing
Shamrock, Gracie has gone after many other name fighters, not
all of which he would reveal.
“There
are a couple of bigger names that I’m not really allowed
to announce right now. There are contracts sitting on some people's
tables right now. I just got off the phone with Matt Lindland's
manager not too long ago. I'd love to have that happen. I think
he's a really good fighter,” said Gracie, naming some of
the fighters they are going after. “Joey Villasenor has
shown a lot of interest. We sent him out a contract. We're trying
to get the better fighters.”
He
also knows that getting the top guys in the world isn’t
going to be easy, “Obviously, the best of the best, a lot
of the known names... we're not going to get Chuck Liddell right
now, or whoever, because they're signed on to the UFC. If this
thing grows like I think it's going to, when their contracts
are ending, I think they're going to be jumping over.”
Gracie
has already signed quite a few highly regarded fighters though.
“[Former StrikeForce champion] Clay Guida is doing it,”
he said, as well as confirming the signing of many of his own
fighters including MMAWeekly.com’s seventh-ranked welterweight
Jake Shields and tenth-ranked Nick Diaz along with Nick’s
brother Nathan Diaz.
The
thing that, if they are able to sustain it, could really bring
the fighters flocking to The World Fighter is money. Shamrock
is a good example of the kind of money that they are willing
to put forth, but Gracie said that the fighters that compete
for them will be compensated at a level that he feels they deserve.
“The
winner of the tournament… you make over 2 million dollars
on a weight class. That kind of money is huge. A lot of people
kind of scoffed at that, but if you look at how much the top
pro boxers make, they make $20 million a fight,” commented
Gracie. “This thing is really going mainstream. As the money
comes in, the sponsors coming in, it becomes more and more popular
in the United States; there's no reason the fighters shouldn't
make what they're worth.”
Of
course, a lot of this type of sentiment has been expressed before.
Is The World Fighter really going to have the funding to pull
this off or are they relying on future monies coming in from
sponsors yet to be secured?
Gracie
sounded assured that the money is there now. “With my talks
with Mr. Aiello, I believe they’ve already got the money
together for the first two or three shows already in the coffers.
He’s a financier, so he’s been getting more and more
people committed to it. So, the money for the first couple of
shows is already in there.”
With
such big money being thrown around, it’s likely that most
fans and industry insiders will remain a bit skeptical until
The World Fighter actually starts putting on shows and proving
its worth. But we shouldn’t have long to wait as they plan
on their first event, featuring Frank Shamrock in a soon to be
announced headline bout, to take place in Las Vegas and on pay-per-view
early in 2007.
Source: Gracie Fighter/MMA Weekly
|
TUF4,
Episode 6: Captain Miserable meets his nemisis in the Octagon
By Sean McClure
I wish there was going to be a long review of this week's episode,
but there were not enough noteworthy events offered in this week's
show. A note, I was playing chess with my new Grandmaster Elite
Platinum chess computer during most of the show because, really.......
that's how much they were struggling for material. You have to
give it to the crew of this show, they really do try to make
things interesting with little to no material to build off of.
So,
pretty much the focus of all of the house drama this week centered
around Charles McCarthy. After Burnett's loss last week, Charles
was extremely bummed out. Mikey is his roommate and McCarthy
apparently took it really hard when he lost. Matt Serra is not
amused and starts poking and prodding at Charles who is soon
after aptly named, "Captain Miserable". Charles is
definitely a pessimist in every since of the word and the guys
don't let up on pointing this out to him at all. Both Charles
and Jorge are worried about who might pick them to fight and
Jorge makes it clear that he wants to fight Pete and not Patrick
Cote. When Shonie plays a joke and writes "Personality"
down on Charles McCarthy's grocery wish list, Captain Miserable
takes it personally. He blames Sell because the handwriting matches
his pretty closely. Sell and Charles exchange some stern words
and Pete makes it clear that he wants to fight Charles during
a confessional cam moment.
One
of the coolest moments of the show came when Randy Couture entered
the house and told Jorge that his wife had just given birth.
Amp'd Mobile provided a phone for him so he could see his wife
and baby girl via a camera phone at the hospital. The guys took
turns congratulating him and it was a brief moment of happiness
for them all.
The
show has a new coach and a good one to boot. MaXfighting's longtime
friend, Rich Franklin is brought out by Dana and the fighters
all seem pleased. McCarthy immediately tells Rich that he appreciated
the middleweight champion's 5 round pummeling of David Loiseau
and his heart for fighting with a broken hand for the last three
rounds. Rivera and others express their happiness with the choice
because they believe that right now, Rich is on top of his game.
There are a lot of lighthearted moments with Franklin and the
other fighters and you can't help but smile when these guys are
having a good time. The beauty of it all is that Rich has to
fight the winner of the show and I am sure that some will say
he will not train them as well because of it, but real fans know
better. Guys like Randy Couture, Georges St. Pierre, and Rich
Franklin give one hundred percent all of the time.
The
fight announcements came and Pete Sell gets his wish to fight
Charles McCarthy. The fight started at around 10:30 so I knew
it was going to be a long one. Round one starts with some jabs
and then a Pete Sell takedown. This is where the fight stayed
for the rest of the first round. McCarthy was hurt early during
a rolling exchange and Sell capitalized. Charles did recover,
but it was too late and Pete got the first round very easily.
Round two was a different story, altogether. Captain miserable
took control from his nemesis, the diabolical Drago, when the
fight went down to the ground after
Sell pulled guard and attempted a guillotine choke. Charles escaped
and then dominated the action with good positioning and submission
attempts. Round two went to McCarthy. One round a piece and the
fight has to go one more round. In round 3, it was all Drago
and he continued to ground and pound McCarthy mercilessly despite
the desperate submission attempts made by Captain Miserable.
The
winner of the fight and moving on to the semi-finals is Pete
"Drago" Sell
This
week offered little to no drama and was a rather dull episode
on the whole. The addition of Franklin, Rivera's baby, and the
decent fight saved it from being a terrible one. With the ratings
slipping, I hope this episode helps them rise back to their previous
levels because the show needs to keep growing to stay on the
air. Like I said before, I am a TUF fan and love the show, so
I will support however and whenever I can. Free MMA is good MMA.
'nuff said.
Source: Maxfightinng
|
Quote
of the Day
"A
good conscience is a continual Christmas."
Benjamin Franklin, 1706-1790, American Scientist/Publisher/Diplomat
|
Boxing
at Palolo Gym
October
28, 2006
Palolo Distict Park
We will have a boxing show on Oct. 28th, 6 p.m. at Palolo District
Park, 2001 Palolo Ave., Honolulu, Oahu, HI. 96816. It will be
the 2nd Annual Memorial Match Event for Clinton A.J. Shelton
(Oct. 7, 1982 - Oct. 8th, 2005). He was a amateur boxer for Palolo
Gym who had a 5-0 amateur record.
Email me back for boxers who want to compete at bkawano@aol.com, or call Joe Kim at
1-808-220-9469.
Thank
You,
Bruce Kawano |
X-1
World Events
Presents
XTREME FIGHTING
Friday, October 6, 2006
Neal Blaisdell Arena
Honolulu, Hawaii
Confirmed Matches
Kimo
Leopoldo - UFC/Pride Veteran (235lbs)
VS
Wes "The Project" Sims - UFC Veteran (255lbs)
Falaniko
Vitale - UFC Veteran (Debut in the LightHeavy Weight Division
@ 205lbs)
VS
Jimmy Dexter
Mark
Moreno - X-1 Welter Weight Champion (170lbs)
VS
Thomas "Wildman" Denny - (170lbs)
Miles
Tynanas
VS
Eric "Big E" Pele - King of the Cage SuperHeavy Weight
Champion (340lbs)
Scott
Junk - (265lbs)
VS
Corey Salter - (259lbs)
Augie
"The Hawaiian Warrior" Padeken
VS
Alex Stiebling - UFC/Pride Veteran (195lbs)
Brennan
Kamaka
VS
Steve Byrnes - (185lbs)
Leticia
Pestova - (120lbs)
VS
Sally Krumdiak - (120lbs)
NOT
Confirmed Matches
Chris
West - (205lbs)
VS
Justin McCully - (211lbs)
|
HLTC
Olympic Sport Taekwondo Seminar - Maui
Date:
October 14th, 2006
Time:
9:00 AM – 5:00 PM
Location:
Kihei Public Charter School Auditorium – 300 Ohukai Road
#209- Kihei, Maui
Presenter:
High Level Training Center – Herb Perez, 1992 Olympic Gold
Medalist
Cost:
$50 per participant, pre-registration is required and space is
limited.
Sponsors:
South Maui Learning Ohana and Hawaii Optimum Sport Training
Host:
Maui Taekwondo and Hapkido Center
Contact:
Betty Silvira-Donald, 875-7499 or bsd@mauitaekwondo.com
Info:
www.mauitaekwond.com/events
General
Information:
Maui
Taekwondo was recently named the official High Level Training
Center provider for the Hawaiian region. High Level Training
Centers are focused on delivering cutting edge training methods
to Olympic sport taekwondo athletes nation wide. Seminars and
camps centered on raising the level of expertise among local
athletes will elevate skill levels at the grass roots level.
Hawaii’s taekwondo athletes struggle to gain valuable experience
because travel is so expensive. This program will bring exclusive
training camps and seminars to Maui, making it much easier for
our Hawaii competitors to gain important experience. For more
information about sport taekwondo training camps and seminars
please call Betty Silvira-Donald at 875-7499.
Mahalo,
BSD
Source:
Betty Silvira-Donald
|
"The
Quest for Champions"
November
19, 2006
St. Louis High School Gym
The date is November 19th, 2006..."The Quest for Champions"
featuring Sport-pankration, Sport-jujitsu, Continuous Sparring,
and Submission grappling. Location will be Saint Louis High School
Gym. |
Icon
Sport Signs Frank Trigg vs. Mayhem Miller
September 18, 2006 Honolulu, HI. Frank “Twinkle Toes”
Trigg, the former number one U.F.C. welterweight contender, is
back. And he’s hoping to stop the “Mayhem.”
On Friday, December 1st Trigg will square off with Jason “Mayhem”
Miller for the Icon Sport World Middleweight Title. This will
be Mayhem’s first title defense in the middleweight division.
Like Mayhem and Robbie Lawler before him, Trigg is moving up
from welterweight (170lbs) to middleweight (185lbs) in Icon Spot.
Trigg recently considered retiring from MMA, but his non-stop
training regimen indicates that he is anything but retired. In
the last few months Trigg has intensified his workouts under
legendary grappler and trainer Rico Chiapparelli. He has also
focused on strength training, and is rumored to be both fit and
agile at 200-plus pounds.
When not training, Trigg serves as the color commentator for
Pride Fighting Championships broadcasts on Fox Sports Net.
Icon Sport Founder/President T. Jay Thompson commented on Trigg
vs. Mayhem:
“Trigg has all the tools to become the next Icon Sport Middleweight
Champion. He excels at doing damage from the top position. And
we saw what happened when Lawler got on top of Mayhem in that
now-infamous second round of their bout…Lawler nearly finished
the fight right there. Mayhem will be in real trouble if he finds
himself under someone who has the wrestling and ground-and-pound
skills of Trigg. Trigg vs. Mayhem will be an absolute war.”
The December 1st Icon Sport event, which will be named “Unstoppable,”
will be one of the biggest MMA events of the year.
- Robbie Lawler returns looking for a victory so that he may
fight the winner of Trigg vs. Mayhem and regain his former Icon
champion status.
- Former Icon champion Falaniko Vitale comes home to the organization’s
light heavy weight division (205lbs), a class better suited for
his large stature.
- The Icon Sport North American Welterweight Title fight between
Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu Black Belt Jay Jack and local Brown Belt
Sidney Silva promises to be a dazzling showcase of adept ground
fighting and submissions.
- In what is already one of the most-talked-about local match-ups
in years, Mark Oshiro takes on undefeated up-and-comer Tyson
Nam for the Icon Sport State Bantamweight (135lbs) Title. Icon
Sport may move this bout to co-main event, based upon the local
interest.
- Twelve bouts are scheduled for Icon Sport: Unstoppable on December
1st.
WHO: Frank “Twinkle Toes” Trigg vs. Jason “Mayhem”
Miller
WHAT: Icon Sport: Unstoppable
WHEN: 7:30pm, Friday, December 1st
WHERE: Blaisdell Arena, Honolulu
TICKETS: On sale September 30th at Ticketmaster and outlets.
|
PRIDE
REVEALS MORE LAS VEGAS DETAILS
Dream Stage Entertainment, the parent company of Pride Fighting
Championships, held a press conference today regarding Pride
32: The Real Deal, which will be Pride's first event in North
America. At the beginning of the conference, Dream Stage CEO
Nobuyuki Sakakibara announced two new fights on the nine-fight
card.
After
coming up short against Mirko “Cro Cop” Filipovic in
the finals of the Pride Open Weight Grand Prix, former UFC Heavyweight
Champion Josh Barnett has been added to ‘The Real Deal’
lineup. His opponent will be legendary Polish Judoka Pawel Nastula.
Coming off of an impressive win over previously undefeated Edson
Drago, Nastula is looking to get his second victory in a Pride
ring.
Dream
Stage also announced that former K-1 kickboxing champion Mark
Hunt will face Eric “Butterbean” Esch. Both fighters
are looking to rebound from recent losses, with Hunt's loss coming
at the hands of Josh Barnett and Esch's loss coming at the hands
of Ikuhisa "The Punk" Minowa.
As
of now, four match-ups have been officially announced. The two
previously announced fights were Emelienaneko Fedor vs. Mark
Coleman; and Mauricio "Shogun" Rua vs. Kevin Randleman.
There will be some additional fights announced within the next
week, with the remainder of the card being announced by the end
of September.
Since
the event is taking place in Nevada, the rules will be the same
as those in the UFC, with two exceptions. The fights will take
place in a ring instead of a cage, and unlike the UFC, there
will be no elbows to the head allowed on the ground. While elbows
to the head are legal under the rules of the Nevada State Athletic
Commission, individual promoters still have the option of making
elbows legal or illegal on their shows. Pride has chosen to make
elbows illegal, as they are during Pride's fights in Japan.
Given
that the event will be taking place in Nevada, a few things that
are normally allowed in Pride will not be allowed on this show.
Kicking or kneeing the head of a downed opponent is normally
legal in Pride, but is illegal in Nevada and will not be allowed
in any of Pride's fights. The same goes for wearing shoes or
a Gi.
Each
fight will consist of three five-minute rounds (instead of Pride's
usual 10-5-5 format), and if a fight goes the distance, it will
be decided by a group of NSAC-appointed judges using the NSAC
judging criteria, which is different from Pride's usual judging
criteria. Among many other differences, the judging criteria
in the United States calls for each individual round to be judged
on a 10-point must system (10 to 9, or 10-8, etc), while the
usual judging criteria in Pride calls for the fight to be judged
as a whole.
For
those fans worried about the production values for which Pride
is known, they can rest assured that the quality of the show
will remain intact, according to Sakakibara, who said, "[The
production] will definitely blow the crowd away. We will bring
the ring from Japan, as well as the net LED screens that we usually
use for our events. Most of the equipment we need for our event
will be shipped to the US.”
In
addition to a United States pay-per-view, which will be a live
four-hour broadcast instead of a three-hour event, Pride: The
Real Deal will be able to be viewed all over the world via internet
pay-per-view. The event will be available through traditional
PPV outlets in the United States, Japan, Brazil, and South Korea,
but now MMA fans in other countries will also be able to watch
the event live, according to DSE. More details regarding the
service will be disclosed soon.
After
Josh Barnett won the UFC Heavyweight Championship in March of
2002, he failed a post-fight drug test, as banned anabolic steroids
were found in his system. Although he was suspended, Barnett
went on to fight in Japan and has not fought in the United States
since the suspension. When asked about Barnett's status, Sakakibara
said, “Regarding Josh’s suspension in UFC, that term
is over and he is able to fight. He was injured from the Grand
Prix last Sunday, but he has told us that he will be back to
his best fighting condition by October.”
Having
just won the Pride Open Weight Grand Prix, fans were curious
if Mirko “Cro Cop” Filipovic would be able to fight
in October. Sakakibara said, “It is not yet official that
he will fight in October, because he has a swollen left foot.
We are still talking to his manager regarding the condition of
his foot. However, I’m sure that he will come to see the
event."
At
UFC 61 in July, history was made when UFC President Dana White
brought Pride's 205-pound Champion Wanderlei Silva into the Octagon
to announce a November fight against Chuck Liddell. However,
as reported in our Rumors section, sources have been telling
MMAWeekly that the Liddell-Silva fight (or Liddell vs. anyone
from Pride) has been off since mid-August, even before Liddell's
fight against Renato Sobral on August 26th or Silva's fight against
Cro Cop on September 10th.
Nonetheless,
Sakakibara remained steadfast when he was asked at the press
conference about the possibility of someone from Pride fighting
Liddell in the UFC. Sakakibara responded, “Speaking on behalf
of Pride, we are ready anytime. Also, Wanderlei is ready. We
just need the doctor’s confirmation regarding his injury
from last week. We are still waiting for the UFC’s response.
Mirko even said that if Wanderlei is not ready to fight in November,
he would fight in his place. In some interviews, Mr. Dana White
stated that this fight won’t happen. However, speaking from
Pride's side, we are ready.”
Meanwhile,
the Houston Chronicle recently reported that Liddell vs. Silva
is off because "as far as [Dana] White is concerned, since
Silva finished that fight [against Cro Cop] on his back, he doesn't
deserve a shot at the UFC's top dog." The Chronicle then
quoted White saying, "It kind of defeats the purpose now.
The guy just got, literally, destroyed. They're [Pride] still
saying we can do a fight in November. They can't do a fight in
November. The athletic commission would put them on suspension
for 90 days. The guy got knocked out cold. First, he got beaten
to death, then he got knocked out cold. There's no way the guy
could fight again in a month and a half. Plus, he just lost."
Again,
despite what both Zuffa and DSE are saying, sources have been
telling MMAWeekly that the Silva-Liddell has been off since mid-August.
In
any case, four of the nine match-ups on Pride's U.S. debut show
have now been announced, and the show will be taking place on
Saturday, October 21st at the Thomas & Mack Center. The show
will be televised live on pay-per-view in the United States from
9:00 PM Eastern Time to 1:00 AM Eastern Time.
Source: MMA Weekly
|
BODOG
STRIKES DEAL WITH STRIKEFORCE
September 18, 2006; New York, NY….BodogFIGHT, the new docu-reality
television series being launched by online wagering powerhouse,
Bodog.com, will be the official Presenting Sponsor for “Tank
vs. Buentello,” the 10-bout Strikeforce mixed martial arts
cage fighting mega-card that will take place at Fresno, California’s
Save Mart Center on Saturday, October 7th.
“Being
a leader in digital entertainment, Bodog is laying the foundation
to capitalize on the phenomenal growth of mixed martial arts
and its growing acceptance as a mainstream spectator sport,”
said Bodog.com Entertainment Group Founder, Calvin Ayre, of Bodog’s
latest venture that will premiere tomorrow on Men’s Outdoor
and Recreation, a television network carried in over 23 million
homes, as well as on DISH Network and on BodogFIGHT’s official
website, www.bodogfight.com. “Our sponsorship of the Strikeforce
event on October 7th represents yet another strategic push into
this industry. The successes of the ground-breaking BodogFIGHT
docu-reality series and partnerships in upcoming venues will
only solidify Bodog.com’s position as an international TV
production powerhouse.”
As
part of the marketing partnership between Strikeforce and BodogFIGHT,
the sponsoring company will bring between 20 and 30 Bodog models
to entertain the crowd during what will be the first mixed martial
arts fight card in Save Mart Center history.
An
eight-week series, BodogFIGHT will follow a squad of seven American
professional mixed martial arts fighters as well as their Russian
counterparts as the two groups prepare to face one another in
team format competition. Elimination contests, behind-the-scenes
training footage, fighter interviews, and lifestyle segments
will comprise seven of the eight one-hour episodes. The season
finale will feature a collection of highlights from the first
seven shows.
American
rock star Bif Naked and Russian rocker Natalya Vilkova will co-host
select segments of each episode.
Bodog.com,
located in San Jose, Costa Rica, is federally licensed by the
Costa Rican and UK governments. Ayre, recognized as a world authority
on branding in digital entertainment, was featured on the cover
of Forbes magazine’s recent best-selling “Billionaires”
issue. In March 2006, Bodog.com was ranked number one for most
visited North American style wagering site, according to Hitwise.
The
international Bodog.com Marketing Conference, held in Las Vegas
for the past two years, attracts the leaders of the online gaming
industry for educational and networking opportunities. Bodog
also has a thriving online community, which includes history-making
World Series of Poker Main Event champion, Jamie Gold.
Bodog.com
Entertainment Group includes a music label, Bodog Music; an online
magazine, Bodog Nation; a television production unit and additional
forthcoming properties.
Tickets
for the October 7th Strikeforce event are on sale at Ticketmaster
(559-485-TIXS) and Ticketmaster online (www.ticketmaster.com)
as well as at the Save Mart Center box office and at select Save
Mart supermarkets. Tickets are priced at $201.75, $151.75, $101.75,
$76.75, $51.75, and $31.75.
The
Strikeforce extravaganza will be headlined by a showdown between
former Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) heavyweight knockout
artists, David “Tank” Abbott and Paul “The Headhunter”
Buentello. Lightweight stars Josh “The Punk” Thomson
and Duane “Bang” Ludwig will battle one another while
Wesley “Cabbage” Correira will square off with Ruben
“Warpath” Villareal in a heavyweight contest.
Bobby
Southworth, a veteran of the premiere season of Spike TV’s
The Ultimate Fighter, will face off with Anthony “A-Train”
Ruiz. Jason “Live Wire” Von Flue, a veteran of the
second season of the Spike reality series, will do battle with
undefeated prospect, Eric Wray.
All
bouts on the card are subject to approval by the California State
Athletic Commission.
The
Save Mart Center is home to the Fresno State University men’s
and women’s basketball teams as well as minor league hockey
squad, The Fresno Falcons.
Strikeforce
is a world-class mixed martial arts cage fight promotion that,
on Friday, March 10th, made history with its “Shamrock vs.
Gracie” event, the first sanctioned mixed martial arts fight
card in California state history. The star-studded extravaganza,
which pitted legendary champion Frank Shamrock against Brazilian
Jiu-Jitsu black belt Cesar Gracie at San Jose’s HP Pavilion,
played host to 18,265 fans, the largest-ever attendance at a
mixed martial arts fight card held in North America.
Source: MMA Weekly
|
"Never
Submit" feats Chuteboxers
In
the American tv, they are already famous in the reality show
'The Ultimate Fighter'. Now the movie industry will do like the
TV does and will produce a movie about the Vale-Tudo world and
its athletes. According to this note published along this week
in the American website MMAWeekly, the Brazilians Wanderlei Silva
and Mauricio Shogun has great chances to participate of the American
movie.
According
to them, a meeting between Júlio Heller (manager of Wand
and Shogun) and James Hergott, director of 'Never Submit' took
place in United States last week, confirming the rumors about
a possible participation of Chute Boxe fighters in Hollywood.
'That really happened a meeting between the manager and Wanderlei
& Shogun, about a possibility of their participation, but
I can't say anything ele about that', said Cindy Ortiz, one of
the producers of the film. According to the note, the movie will
also have the participation of many UFC stars.
Source: Tatame
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