Upcoming
Events
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(All events on Oahu, unless noted)
2008
6/5-8/08
World Jiu-Jitsu Championsihps
(BJJ)
(Long Beach, CA)
3/28-30/08
Pan Jiu-Jitsu Championship
(BJJ)
(Carson, CA)
2/08
OTM Grappling Tournament?
1/26/08
NAGA Hawaii
(BJJ & Sub Grappling)
(Location TBA)
Tentative
Kickboxing event
(Kickboxing)
(Dole Cannery Ballroom)
1/19/07
UFC 80: Rapid Fire
(BJ Penn vs. Joe Stevenson)
Newcastle, England
2007
UFC 79: Nemisis
Las Vegas, NV
12/8/07
Ultimate Fighter Season 7 Finale
Las Vegas, NV
11/23/07
MMA Contenders
(Kickboxing, Various)
(Filcom Center, Waipahu)
Hawaii Fighting Championships 4
(Kickboxing & MMA)
(Dole Cannery Ballroom)
11/18/07
The Quest for Champions 2007 II
(Sport-Pankration, Submission-Grappling, Continuous Sparring)
(St. Louis High School Gym)
11/17/07
Man Up & Stand Up
(Kickboxing, Various)
(Kalaheo High School, Kailua)
UFC78: Validation
Newark, NJ
11/16-17/07
Hawaii Training Center Boxing match event
(Boxing)
(Hawaii Training Center, Waipahu)
11/11/07
Aloha
State Championship of BJJ
(BJJ/Sub Grappling)
(Klum Gym UH Manoa)
10/27/07
Freedom Fighting
"Battle on the Base"
(MMA)
(Kahunas Ballroom, MCBH, Kaneohe)
10/26/07
Kickin It / Hawaii's Most Wanted
(Kickboxing, Various)
(Filcom Center, Waipahu)
X-1 Presents
Fight Club Meets The Night Club
(MMA)
(O Lounge Night Club, Honolulu)
10/19/07
Hawaii Fight League
(MMA)
(Dole Cannery)
10/6/07
Gracie Proving Ground
(MMA)
(Blaisdell Arena)
9/28/07
Hawaii's Most Wanted
(Kickboxing, Various)
(Filcom Center, Waipahu)
9/15/07
Elite XC
(MMA)
(Blaisdell Arena)
September
Gracie Fighting Championships
(MMA)
9/8/07
UFC
75
(02 Arena in London, England)
(PPV)
Hawaii Fighting Championships 4
(Kickboxing & MMA)
(Dole Cannery Ballroom)
8/31/07
Fighters Journey
Pro-Am MMA Event
(MMA)
(tba)
X-1 Presents
Fight Club Meets The Night Club
(MMA)
(O Lounge, Honolulu)
8/25/07
UFC
74: Respect
(Mandalay Bay, Las Vegas, Nevada )
(PPV)
8/23-25/07
Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu World Championshihps
(BJJ)
(The Pyramid, Long Beach, CA)
8/12/07
Punishment
In Paradise 17
(MMA & Kickboxing)
(Hawaiian Waters, Kapolei)
***Postponed***
8/10/07
Hawaii's Most Wanted
(Filcom Center, Waipahu)
8/4/07
X-1
(MMA)
(Blaisdell Arena)
Island Warriors Fighting Championship
(MMA)
(Maui War Memorial Gym, Wailuku, Maui)
7/28/07
Maui
Jiu-Jitsu Tournament
(BJJ & Sub Grappling)
(Maui War Memorial Gymnasium, Wailuku, Maui)
7/21/07
Garden Island Cage Match 6: Caged Fury
(Kickboxing, MMA)
(Hanapepe Stadium, Kauai)
Palolo Boxing Club & Kawano Boxing Club
presents amateur boxing
(Boxing)
(Palolo Gym)
7/14/07
Patriot Fighting Championships
(MMA & Kickboxing)
(Kaneohe Marine Corps Base)
***Postponed***
7/13/07
Hawaii Fighting Championships: Stand Your Ground 3
(Kickboxing & MMA)
(Dole Cannery Ballroom)
7/8/07
Dan Henderson Seminar
(MMA)
(O2
Martial Arts Academy, Aiea)
7/7/07
UFC
73: Stacked
(PPV)
7/1/07
Mike Swain Seminar
(Judo)
(O2
Martial Arts Academy, Aiea)
6/30/07
Icon Sport: Fearless
(MMA)
(Blaisdell Arena)
***Postponed
to 9/15***
6/29/07
MMA Contendors: Conflict - The Beginning
(MMA)
(Farrington H.S. Gym)
X-1 Presents
Fight Club Meets The Night Club
(MMA)
(O Lounge Night Club, Honolulu)
6/23/06
Ultimate Fight Night
(BJ Penn vs Jens Pulver)
(Spike TV)
6/23/07
Hawaiian
Open of BJJ
(BJJ/Sub Grappling)
(Klum Gym UH Manoa)
6/22/07
Got
Skills
(Kickboxing/MMA)
(Waipahu Filcom)
6/16/07
UFC 72: Victory
(PPV)
6/12/07
UFC
Fight Night
(MMA)
(Spike Oceanic 559)
6/3/07
The Quest for Champions 2007
(Sport-Pankration, Submission-Grappling, Continuous Sparring
and Sport-Jujitsu)
(Saint Louis High School Gym)
5/27/07
Benefit Concert for the 2007 Hawaii Junior Olympic Boxing Team
(Ewa Ranch, Ewa Beach)
5/26/07
UFC
71 Liddell vs Rampage
(MMA)
(PPV Oceanic 701)
Memorial Day Mayhem
(Kickboxing)
(Kalaheo High School Gym)
5/19/07
Kickin it
(Kickboxing)
(Waipahu Filcom Center)
5/12/07
Punishment In Paradise: Untouchables
(Kickboxing)
(Hawaiian Waters, Kapolei)
USA-Boxing Hawaii Fundraising Event
(Boxing)
(Palolo Gym)
5/5/07
ROTR Qualifer: Beat Down 3
(MMA)
(Hilo Civic Center, Hilo)
4/28/07
Pride
Fighting Championships:
(PPV)
(Thomas & Mack Center, Las Vegas, NV)
Maui MMA Event
(MMA)
(Maui)
K-1 World GP
(Kickboxing)
(Honolulu)
4/27/07
XMA
(MMA, Kickboxing)
**Cancelled**
4/24/07
Professional Boxing
(Boxing)
(Waipahu Filcom Center)
4/20/07
Kickin It 2007 Part 3
(Kickboxing)
(Filcom Center, Waipahu)
4/7/07
Got Skills
(Kickboxing)
(Waipahu Filcom Center)
Papakolea Jiu-Jitsu Club Tournament
(BJJ & Sub Grappling)
(King Intermediate, Kaneohe)
4/6/07
Hawaii Fighting Championships: Stand Your Ground 3
(MMA)
(Dole Cannery Ballroom)
4/5/07
Ultimate
Fight Night
(Spike TV)
3/31/07
Icon Sport
(MMA)
(Blaisdell Arena)
3/25/07
Kickboxing Benefit Event for Mrs. Faagai
(Kickboxing)
(Waianae H.S. Gym)
3/24/07
Garden Island Cage Match
5
(MMA)
(Kauai)
The 2007
Hawaii State/Regional Junior Olympic Championships (Boxing)
(Palolo District Park)
UFC:
Tito Ortiz vs. Dana White boxing match
(Nevada)
*Cancelled*
3/17/07
X-1
(MMA)
(Blaisdell Arena)
Island Warriors
(MMA)
(Maui War Memorial)
3/13/07
Ultimate
Fight Night
(Spike TV)
3/10/07
Hawaiian Championship of BJJ
(BJJ/Sub Grappling)
(Klum Gym UH Manoa)
3/3/07
UFC 68
(PPV)
(Columbus, Ohio)
Kickin It
(Kickboxing)
(Waipahu Filcom)
2/24/07
Pride Fighting Championships:
(PPV)
(Thomas & Mack Center, Las Vegas, NV)
2/17/06
Got
Skills
(Kickboxing/MMA)
(Waipahu Filcom)
2/16-17/07
USA-Boxing Hawaii State & Regional Championships
(Boxing)
(Palolo District Park Gym)
2/16/07
Punishment
In Paradise 15
(MMA & Kickboxing)
(Hawaiian Waters)
2/9/07
Icon Sports
(MMA & Kickboxing)
(Blaisdell Arena)
2/3/07
UFC
67
(Lutter vs Silva)
(PPV)
2/2/06
Got
Skills & Kickin' It
(Kickboxing/MMA)
(Waipahu Filcom)
1/23/07
Ultimate
Fight Night
(Spike TV)
1/20/07
IFL
(MMA)
1/14/07
NAGA Hawaii
(BJJ & Sub Grappling)
(St. Louis H.S. Gym)
1/13/07
USA Boxing Amateur Boxing
(Boxing)
(Palolo Gym)
1/12/07
K-1 Dynamite
(MMA)
(PPV, 5:00 PM Ch: 701)
|
|
November 2007 News
Part 2
|
Casca Grossa Jiu-Jitsu
is now the O2 Martial Arts Academy with 6 days a week training!
We are also offering Escrima (stick fighting) on Monday nights
and Kickboxing Tuesday and Thursday!
Click
here for info!
Take classes from the Onzuka brothers in a family-like environment! |
 
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! |
Got a question for us? Email info@onzuka.com
or click here to send us
an email.
Looking
for a new Logo for O2 Martial Arts Academy
We are
willing to pay a graphic artist $150 if we choose their design
as the new logo for our school.
Check out this link for details!
|
Onzuka.com
Hawaii Underground Forum is Online!
Chris, Mark,
and I wanted to start an official Onzuka.com forum for a while
now. We were searching for the best forum to go with and hit
a gold mine! We have known Kirik, who heads the largest and most
popular forum on the net, The Underground for years.
He
offered us our own forum within the matrix know as MMA.tv. The
three of us will be the moderators with of course FCTV808 being
the lead since he is on there all day anyway!
We
encourage everyone from Hawaii and our many readers around world
to contribute to the Hawaii Underground.
If you
do not have a login, it's simple and fast to get one.
Click here to set up an account.
Don't worry about using Pidgin English in the posting. After
all it is the Hawaii Underground and what is a Hawaii Underground
without some Aloha and some Pidgin?
To
go directly to the Onzuka.com Hawaii Underground Forum
click here!
|
Quote
of the Day
"You've
got to be very careful if you don't know where you are going,
because you might not get there."
Yogi Berra, Hall of Fame American Baseball Player
|
Congratulations
to Brandon Low!
Brandon took 4th in the 133 lbs. Elite Division on Saturday,
November 17th.
You can see the results at: http://gomavs.unomaha.edu/full_headline.php?headline_id=3244
Big
Day For UNO At The Kaufman-Brand Open
Jacob Marrs
OMAHA, Neb. – Nebraska-Omaha freshman Esai Dominguez, wrestling
unattached, went 6-0 on the day, captured the 149-pound Amateur
Division title and was named the Amateur Division’s most
outstanding wrestler, as UNO played host to more than 500 of
the nation’s top wrestlers during the Kaufman-Brand Open
at the Lee & Helene Sapp Fieldhouse Saturday.
Three
other Mavs captured titles Saturday; All-American Sim Bribieseca
went 6-0 and won the 141-pound Amateur Division crown, Aaron
Denson compiled a record of 5-0 as he won the title at 165 pounds
in the Amateur Division, and Jacob Marrs won all four of his
matches on his way to his third-consecutive title at 197 pounds
in the Elite Division.
Other
Mavericks to place in the Amateur Division included Mario Morgan,
fourth at 133, 5-2; Jake Ellenberger, fourth at 174, 5-2; Bruce
Boehm, fourth at 285, 4-2, and Austin Boehm, sixth at 184, 3-1.
UNO
freshman Mitch Brown, wrestling unattached at 184 pounds, went
3-2 and placed fourth in the Amateur Division, while fellow freshman
Judd Schroeder, who also wrestled unattached, finished the day
with a mark of 3-3 in the 165-pound Amateur Division and took
home sixth place.
Sophomore
Brent Pankoke was the only other Maverick, besides Marrs, to
place in the Elite Divison, finishing the day with a record of
5-1, and taking third place honors at 184 pounds.
Iowa’s
Brent Metcalf was named the Elite Division’s most outstanding
wrestler with a title at 149 pounds. Awards for the most falls
in the least amount of time went to Iowa Central’s David
Greenwald (141) in the Amateur Division and Mark Perry (165)
of Iowa in the Elite Division. Greenwald collected four pins
in just 8:51, as Perry managed three falls in 9:46.
The
Mavericks get a week off before heading to the Northern Iowa
Open in Ceder Falls, Iowa on Dec. 2.
Maverick
Results
Amateur
Division
Matt Rein (125) – 2-2, DNP
Mario Morgan (133) – 5-2, 4th
Sim Bribieseca (141) – 6-0, 1st
Tait Weatherbee (141, unattached) – 2-2, DNP
Esai Dominguez (149, unattached) – 6-0, 1st
Bo Brummels (157) – 0-2, DNP
Ryan Pankoke (157) – 2-2, DNP
Steve Clayberg (157) – 3-2, DNP
Josh Heckendorn (157) – 2-2, DNP
Kyle Allen (157, unattached) – 2-2, DNP
Nathan Sigman (157, unattached) – 4-2, DNP
Aaron Denson (165) – 5-0, 1st
Judd Schroeder (165, unattached) – 3-3, 6th
Jake Ellenberger (174) – 5-2, 4th
Austin Boehm (184) – 3-1, 6th
Mitch Brown (184, unattached) – 3-2, 4th
Bryce Boehm (Hwt.) – 4-2, 4th
Jake Hastings (Hwt.) – 1-2, DNP
Elite
Division
Cody Garcia (133, unattached) – 2-2, DNP
Marcus Hilario (157) – 0-2, DNP
Henry Wahle (165) – 1-2, DNP
Nick Edmonds (174) – 2-2, DNP
Ross Taplin (174) – 2-1, DNP
Brent Pankoke (184) – 5-1, 3rd
Jacob Marrs (197) – 4-0, 1st
Tony Lewis (Hwt.) – 1-0, DNP
Source: Uno Mavericks.com
|
UFC
ANNOUNCES SILVA VS. HENDERSON
The Ultimate Fighting Championship, at the post-fight press conference
in New Jersey, announced that Pride 183-pound division champion
Dan Henderson has finally relented and has agreed to fight UFC
champion Anderson Silva.
The
bout is to take place sometime in March, which would most likely
be at the UFC’s return to Columbus, Ohio on March 1 at Nationwide
Arena.
Henderson
suffered a disappointing decision loss in his return to the UFC
last September, when he lost to current light heavyweight champion
Quinton Jackson. Despite that loss, he had steadfastly said he
wanted to remain in the 205-pound class.
Silva
has dominated the middleweight division since debuting in the
UFC with a 49-second TKO of Chris Leben in June of 2006. He has
finished all five of his fights in the Octagon, only two of them
going outside the first round.
Source: MMA Weekly
|
Under-18
tournament added to K-1 Dynamite!! 2007
FEG, the parent company of K-1 and HERO's, has announced a 4-man
kickboxing tournament for this year's K-1 Dynamite!! New Year's
Eve event in Osaka, Japan.
The
under-18 tournament will feature Tsukasa Fuji, Kenji Kubo, Yudai,
and fan favorite Hiroya.
Two
MMA bouts are scheduled so far: Kazushi Sakuraba vs. Masakatsu
Funaki and Sergei Kharitonov vs. "Mighty Mo" Siligia.
Current card for K-1 Dynamite!! 2007 (as of Nov. 19):
MMA:
Kazushi Sakuraba vs. Masakatsu Funaki
MMA: Sergei Kharitonov vs. "Mighty Mo" Siligia
K-1: Masato vs. Yong Soo Choi
K-1: Hiroya vs. Tsukasa Fuji
K-1: Kenji Kubo vs. Yudai
K-1: Winner of Kubo/Yudai vs. Hiroya/Fuji
Source: MMA Fighting
|
Report:
NBC wants MMA programming
By Zach Arnold
MediaPost
Publications is reporting that NBC is interested in airing MMA
programming next year if the writers’ strike continues.
The article claims that it is unlikely that UFC would be involved
in the mix, as talks between UFC and CBS are heating up.
The
idea that we could see UFC on CBS and a promotion like M-1 or
the IFL on NBC, both in prime time in Q1 2008, would be a huge
credibility boost for the MMA industry in North America.
Quick
thoughts: The bigger, if not more ominous question for MMA purists,
is what Vince McMahon would have to say about all of this. McMahon
currently airs programming on NBC Universal stations USA Network
& The Sci-Fi Network. Shane McMahon, Vince’s son, has
long wanted to get into the MMA business. Considering the long
friendship that the McMahon family has had with NBC Sports President
Dick Ebersol, and it is not out of the realm of possibility that
WWE would be interested in creating a new MMA organization if
guaranteed prime-time real estate coverage.
Source: Fight Opinion
|
GEORGES
ST-PIERRE ON THE ROAD BACK TO THE BELT
by Ken Pishna
Former Ultimate Fighting Championship welterweight titleholder
Georges St-Pierre has been out of action for three months now
and it appears likely he won’t be returning to the Octagon
for at least three more, but it’s not without good cause.
St-Pierre,
after losing his championship to Matt Serra this past April,
returned to form in his most recent fight with fellow contender
Josh Koscheck at UFC 74 in August. He beat Koscheck at his own
game, outwrestling the four-time NCAA All-American, en route
to a unanimous decision victory.
Serra
and Matt Hughes, the only two fighters to defeat St-Pierre, face
each other on Dec. 29 for the UFC welterweight championship that
Serra currently holds. St-Pierre sits waiting in the wings, as
he is next in line for a shot at the winner.
“I
don't know when. I don't know where,” he said of his pending
title shot. “I just know that it is going to happen.”
As
he waits, he gave MMAWeekly.com some of his thoughts on the fight.
“If
I would have to pick, on paper, Matt Hughes I think is a better
fighter,” said St-Pierre. “But that night it is not
the better fighter who is going to win the fight, it is the guy
who fights the best. There are a lot of factors that can influence
that.”
That’s
not to say that he would prefer that Hughes win the bout, especially
since Serra took the belt he once possessed.
“It's
pretty hard to pick, but like said, on paper, I think Matt Hughes
is the better fighter. But I would like to fight Serra more than
Hughes.”
While
he waits, St-Pierre has had plenty of time to reflect on his
rise to the top and subsequent fall from grace.
“I
think that loss I had against Matt Serra is the best thing that
ever happened to me,” he philosophized. “You're going
to see a new Georges St-Pierre ... somebody who is stronger mentally,
physically, and somebody who is a way better fighter than he
was before.”
For
a long time, he has been considered “the next evolution”
in the sport of mixed martial arts, a representative of the new
breed of fighter that doesn’t come from one discipline and
then add the other elements necessary to become a complete fighter,
but trains in everything equally.
St-Pierre
is constantly working on advancing his skills, especially during
these down times, when he feels he can make some necessary improvements
to his game.
“When
I'm not training for a fight, I'm training to improve on my weaknesses.
For me it's great because I have a lot of time between fights,
so I can work and become a better version of what I was before.”
The
only thing he can’t work on during these in-between times
is what he considers his primary weakness at this point in his
career.
“(My
main weakness) is my experience,” said the affable Canadian.
“I don't have as much experience as guys like Matt Hughes,
Serra, guys at my level. But I think I have a hedge on the athletic
part and my skills.”
That’s
not to say that he can promise a win every time out. Despite
his constant improvement, St-Pierre has no qualms that this is
a complex sport and any fighter, including him, can lose on any
given day. But he does promise not to make the same mistake twice.
“I
don't tell my fans that I will never lose again, nobody can promise
such a thing. But I can promise everybody that I will never lose
a fight for the same reason that I've lost before. Some guys,
when they lose, they go down. Some guys, when they lose, they
come back up. I am the second type of guy.”
At
just 26-years-of-age, he seems very mature, but as he says, maybe
that is due to the trials that he has already faced.
“I
felt the ultimate glory by becoming a world champion, but I also
felt the ultimate humiliation by losing the fight that everybody
was expecting me to win ... I think it was important for me,
maybe it was meant to be ... to make me somebody with more maturity
and better.”
As
he waits, St-Pierre knows that it is no easy road back to that
ultimate glory that he touched on if ever so briefly. But he
will wait and he will work back towards that glory, his ultimate
goal.
“It's
always been a tough division and I think it is always going to
be a tough division. I don't know what is going to happen in
the future, but my plan is to get back to the title.”
Source: MMA Weekly
|
Quote
of the Day
"Even
a mistake may turn out to be the one thing necessary to a worthwhile
achievement."
Henry Ford, 1863-1947, American Industrialist and Founder of
Ford Motor Company
|
MMA
CONTENDER
Friday, November 23
Waipahu Filcom Ctr.
Doors open 6PM
Pre-Sale $25, At door $30
Ticket info. 450-1553
Sure to be exciting with 4+ pro bouts in the largest cage on
Oahu!
Source: Event Promoter
|
HFC:
STAND YOUR GROUND VI
Returns on Friday, November 23!
HFC: STAND YOUR GROUND VI
Dole Cannery Ballrooms, Honolulu, Hawaii
November 23, 2007
Doors open at 5:30 pm and show starts at 6:00 pm
Fight Card
Nassor
Lewis vs. Preston Kealoha
Ryan
Cabinian vs. Lorenzo Moreno
Keoni
Diggs vs. Ikaika Moreno
Makana
Fronda vs. Jon Vistante Jr.
Shaison
Laupola vs. Bryson Okada
“Razor”
Ray Rodrigues vs. John Barnard
Endreb
Acosta vs. Daniel Maesta
Daniel
Sun Bin vs. John Sanborn
Jodi
Mesiona vs. Vernon Tangonan
Colin
Makenzie vs. Bryson Hansen
Ben
Santiago vs. Kyle Kaahanui
Sunny
Camat vs. Wes Mossman
Armando
Pacheco vs. Chris Kutzan
Sam
Quel vs. Julio Moreno
Garren
Rabalisza vs. Kalae McShane
Mana
“Kurty” vs. Jesse Cabana
Larry
Ladao vs. Luis Parra
Brennan
Kamaka vs. Jon Joao
Jay
Bind vs. Josh Keanu
Dale
Crawford vs. Makinaleko Pitole
Source: Event Promoter
|
CAGED
HEAT
PRIDE Veteran Chonan Latest Obstacle for Parisyan at UFC 78
By Chris Yucus
One
day when he was 14, Karo Parisyan became a man.
With
his father signed off on the idea, albeit with hesitation, Parisyan
entered an unsanctioned mixed martial arts match in Tijuana,
Mexico against 23-year-old Daniel Lopez. Parisyan claims he dominated
for five rounds and walked away the victor. However, Parisyan’s
transformation into manhood was not completed wholly in the ring.
“I lost my virginity that night, too,” he says.
With
that combination of rites of passage, Parisyan (17-5) and full-contact
fighting became intertwined. The 25-year-old, Armenian-born welterweight
now has 11 years of combat savvy from which to draw upon. He
will pit that wealth of experience against former PRIDE standout
Ryo Chonan this Saturday at UFC 78 “Validation” at
the Prudential Center in Newark, N.J.
Any
discussion of Parisyan’s fighting style inevitably begins
with Judo. His utilization of the graceful throws and takedowns
that highlight the discipline is one-of-a-kind in the MMA world.
For Parisyan, Judo prowess is something that comes naturally.
“I
don’t know how I do it; I just have a feel for throwing
people,” says Parisyan, who has been studying Judo since
the age of 9.
Parisyan’s
skill set sets him apart from other fighters in MMA. He presents
a host of problems to fighters who have grown accustomed to dealing
only with wrestlers and strikers. In nine fights inside the UFC,
he has lost only twice – to former UFC welterweight champion
Georges St. Pierre UFC 46 and Diego Sanchez at a UFC Fight Night;
he lost unanimous decisions to both. His three other defeats
came to current UFC lightweight champion Sean Sherk in the Reality
Submission Fighting promotion.
Parisyan
has been waiting for a UFC title shot for years. He was slated
to face Matt Hughes in 2005 for a chance at the welterweight
belt but was forced to withdraw from the fight due to an injury.
Despite victories over reigning Bodog Fight welterweight champion
Nick Thompson, submission specialist Drew Fickett and Josh Burkman,
he has not sniffed a championship fight since. Though he has
been vocal about demanding another shot at the title, Parisyan
has become more reserved when discussing his future.
“At
this point, I don’t know what will happen,” says Parisyan,
who holds a 2005 victory over current UFC welterweight kingpin
Matt Serra. “I’m just trying to concentrate on this
fight. When the fight is over, then I will worry about the future.”
Based
out of Xtreme Couture Mixed Martial Arts in Las Vegas, he believes
it’s only a matter of time until the UFC grants him his
shot at welterweight gold. Parisyan expects to become a champion,
though he says becoming a titleholder is only one part of the
plan. He intends to follow in the footsteps of training partner
Randy Couture by establishing a clothing line and fight school
of his own.
“The
sky is the limit,” Parisyan says. “The sport is growing
bigger and bigger every day.”
Chonan
(14-7) will be making his UFC debut against Parisyan. The Japanese
veteran has tested himself against some of the world’s premier
fighters in PRIDE and holds a victory over UFC middleweight champion
Anderson Silva. The 31-year-old “Piranha” submitted
Silva with a flying scissor heel hook at PRIDE “Shockwave
2004.” The move has since become a staple of global highlight
reels. Chonan also owns victories over Hayato Sakurai, Carlos
Newton and Joey Villasenor.
While
he respects Chonan’s well rounded fighting style, his unorthodox
moves concern Parisyan most. “He’s more tricky than
anything,” Parisyan says. “I’ve got to be careful
of his tricks.”
Parisyan
says he split his training between Xtreme Couture and his home
in North Hollywood, Calif. Couture, the three-time UFC heavyweight
champion, and Shawn Tompkins will be in Parisyan’s corner
this Saturday, helping guide him through combat with the cagy
Chonan.
Parisyan
says he wants to send a message to all the fighters within the
welterweight division with his performance against Chonan. “Think
twice about signing the contract if you’re looking to fight
me,” Parisyan says. “Don’t sign that contract.
I’m going to kick your ass.”
Source: The Fight Network
|
Kimbo
Slice Update
By Brian Knapp
Famed
Internet street fighter Kevin “Kimbo Slice” Ferguson
announced today that he would return to the cage at the next
EliteXC event in February against a yet to be determined opponent.
The YouTube legend, who has transformed himself from backyard
brawler to professional mixed martial artist, made the announcement
on Fight Network Radio.
Ferguson
(1-0) made his long awaited professional MMA debut at EliteXC
“Renegade” on Saturday at the America Bank Center in
Corpus Christi, Texas, as he dispatched former Gladiator Challenge
heavyweight champion Bo Cantrell in just 19 seconds. A crowd
of 4,539 witnessed the event.
Talk
continues regarding a potential bout with UFC veteran David “Tank”
Abbott (9-13). Ferguson was scheduled to face the heavyweight
brawler at a Cage Fury Fighting Championships event in October,
only to have the plug pulled on the event. Ferguson, who now
trains under legendary coach Bas Rutten, said he would still
welcome a fight with Abbott. The 42-year-old Abbott, who rose
to fame in the early days of the UFC, has won only once in the
past nine years.
Source: The Fight Network
|
Nogueira
Waiting for Couture, Sylvia
by Gleidson Venga
Former
PRIDE heavyweight champion Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira is one of
the most respected fighters in mixed martial arts. The Brazilian
has fought Fedor Emelianenko, Josh Barnett, Mirko "Cro Cop"
and countless other top opponents while compiling a 30-4-1 record.
Sherdog.com
caught up with Nogueira as he waits to hear who will stand across
the cage from him with the UFC heavyweight title on the line.
Gleidson
Venga: You just came back from the United States last week. Did
you go there to sign for your title shot in the UFC?
Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira: UFC joined together a lot of their
top fighters for some kind of a seminar about things like how
to behave with the media, dietary supplements, et cetera. Being
that the UFC is a big company, the athletes must know what they
are taking, better training conditions, know about the American
IRS. They also spoke about the gambling business, for us to not
get involved in this. It was very productive, like a company
reunion. Dana White confirmed I'll fight February 2, but he didn't
tell me about my opponent.
GV:
There are rumors saying it will be Tim Sylvia, or Randy Couture
if he gets things right with the UFC. Is that true?
RN: I must face one of these two, but they're still dealing with
the UFC. They didn't confirm Tim Sylvia yet because Couture is
still the reigning champion. There's nothing officially signed,
but I must face one of them.
GV:
What do you think about their attributes?
RN: They have totally different attributes. Randy Couture is
a good striker, but he is a wrestler, so I must be ready for
the ground fight. But against Tim Sylvia I must sharpen my wrestling
and work on my BJJ to close the distance to strike, aware of
his jabs. They are both awesome athletes, but in opposite ways.
Against both of them I must to work on my clinch because they
have good clinches. In the clinch one will unleash his knees
and the other will take you down. I'll be ready for any one of
them; in February I'll be ready.
GV:
Are you already training for this fight?
RN: For sure, I'm training a lot. I'm back from USA and now I
won't stop training.
GV:
How is the building of your new headquarters?
RN: The building is almost ready. It will be finished in the
next days. There will be the training center, plus the dorm rooms
for anybody who comes from other places to train with us. The
training center we will open now and the dorm rooms later.
GV:
Who will be the coaches?
RN: The BJJ will be under Amaury Bitetti, and I will help him.
Striking will be under Luiz Dórea (boxing) and Luis Alves
(Muay Thai), plus Kelson Pinto. The wrestling coach will be Rodrigo
Artilheiro, who's an Olympic athlete and a big guy -- this is
great for our team because we have heavy guys. I'm training a
lot of wrestling with him because when I know about my opponent,
I'll be ready. We have an official-sized ring, a UFC-sized Octagon.
GV:
How do you analyze your debut against Heath Herring and what
do you think you must improve for your next fight?
RN: Heath Herring surprised me with that kick. I was dominating
the first round. I would go for the knockout, but I think I exposed
myself too much, and then he kicked me. I think I must adapt
my ground game to the fence. In UFC they use a lot of Vaseline,
and they get a little slippery to submit. It makes things more
difficult. But I'm working on it; I'm training a lot of BJJ with
Bitetti, and next time I will be better. Octagon is too different
from a ring; it's harder to get close to the opponent to take
him down.
GV:
You watched the Anderson Silva-Rich Franklin match. What do you
think about his performance?
RN: It was exciting. Anderson improves himself every fight, and
he is definitely the best in his weight class. I think he and
Paulo Filho are the best. Anderson has my congratulations --
he's the best. I heard Dana White himself saying he's the best
pound-for-pound fighter. He is a showman. Only he can do those
things in the ring, spinning punch, front kicks, elbows, a lot
of things surprising us every fight. I train with him, and everything
he does in his fights he does even better in training. So that
guy has a lot of things to show. His BJJ is sharp; he is very
good. George, his coach, has my congratulations.
GV:
The fans are anxious to see your brother, Antonio Rogerio Nogueira,
back in the ring. What can they expect about his comeback?
RN: Rogerio now is more experienced in his striking. He is more
mature, and his BJJ skills are even better. He signed to an organization
in Canada, but they postponed the fight. Let us see if there
will be something new for him this year. For sure he will fight
well and please his fans, like usual.
Source: Sherdog
|
WAMMA?
Wake Me Up Before You Go-Go
by Tomas Rios
NEW
YORK -- Anyone who has paid attention to boxing over the last
three decades or so has born witness to the rise of "alphabet
soup" sanctioning bodies that have undermined the sport
and fueled corruption controversies reminiscent of boxing's unsanctioned
bare-knuckle bouts of old.
With
such a lurid history, every fan has good reason to feel leery
at the mere mention of a sanctioning body joining the MMA fray.
The recent unveiling of WAMMA, if nothing else, will serve as
a litmus test for both the legitimacy and viability of sanctioning
bodies in MMA.
WAMMA's
President and CEO David Szady steadfastly maintains that this
venture, despite being for-profit, is focused on serving the
best interests of MMA.
"WAMMA
hopes to break new grounds that will improve MMA by bringing
increased unity, credibility and legitimacy to the sport,"
was Szady's opening salvo and the general theme at Wednesday's
WAMMA news conference.
Admirable
sentiments, but we've heard the same from a laundry list of figures
in the past with little in the way of results. Whether WAMMA
can achieve its stated goal of crowning undisputed champions
through cross-promotional agreements will be the standard by
which they are measured.
Although
IFL CEO Gareb Shamus was on hand to support WAMMA, conspicuously
absent was the UFC, which has an event scheduled just across
the Hudson River this weekend. If WAMMA is serious about creating
a ranking system with linear, undisputed champions, the UFC will
have to come on board.
That's
a dicey proposition given the UFC's failed talent exchange program
with the now defunct PRIDE and also the UFC's general refusal
to cross-promote with other organizations. The larger issue at
hand, however, is whether independent sanctioning bodies have
any place in MMA.
The
preponderance of promotions in MMA has created enough confusion
as is. Opening the door to sanctioning bodies, no matter how
well intentioned they might be, may provide some short-term benefits,
but you don't have to be John Nash to figure out the endgame.
If
WAMMA can create a profitable business model, other sanctioning
bodies will quickly pop up and undermine the legitimacy of one
another while bandying about their own champions as the best
the world has to offer.
While
the members of WAMMA remain dismissive of such concerns, they
are realities that must be dealt with. WAMMA's opening news conference
provided little in the way of concrete answers. When cornered
on the issue of how cross-promotional ventures would materialize,
Szady suggested a grassroots system of support for WAMMA that
would force promoters to satiate both the fans and media.
Cries
of support for a unification bout between Randy Couture (Pictures)
and Fedor Emelianenko (Pictures) have gone unanswered, however,
and the UFC's brand name recognition suffered no ill effects
from the mainstream audience that drives the promotion's revenue
stream.
WAMMA
is an unknown entity in the MMA world, and it will take time
before the sanctioning group is in a position to exert any degree
of influence on promotions that are in direct competition with
one another.
Given
that WAMMA's board believes their first unification bouts will
take place sometime in the first half of 2008, they've given
themselves a short deadline to accomplish something that has
never before happened in MMA. Missing their own deadline will
mean losing the support of the MMA fan base that they are relying
on.
The
path WAMMA has taken is fraught with obstacles that are many
in number and difficult in nature. Given what sanctioning bodies
have done to boxing, WAMMA will have to live up to its own hype
if it is to gain the trust of skeptical fans and media members.
The
idea of an MMA sanctioning body committed to the best interests
of the fighters and fans while still protecting its own bottom
line is, at best, a novel idea. At worst, the concept is contradictory
and unworkable.
Either
way, MMA has done well avoiding the mistakes that have damaged
the credibility of boxing in the eyes of a discerning public,
many of which can be traced back to the sanctioning bodies that
were supposedly acting in the best interests of the sport.
Source: Sherdog
|
MMA
Madness Q&A:
One-on-one with Mauricio "Shogun" Rua
Mauricio “Shogun” Rua joined the UFC this summer after
an illustrious career with PRIDE. His first match in the Octagon
didn’t go as planned, however, as Rua succumbed to Forrest
Griffin. MMA Madness’ Ben Zeidler caught up with Rua to
see how he is doing. Here are highlights of the email interview.
MMA
Madness: How is married life working out?
Rua:
It's ok. I'm moving [to] a new home -- an apartment here in Curitiba.
There are a lot of things to arrange but I think that [by] Christmas
I will be in my new home. Now that I am recovering from the surgery
and not training it is good to use my free time to [over]see
everything about my new home.
MMA
Madness: Can you tell us a little bit about the Forrest Griffin
fight? Was he what you prepared for?
Rua:
I don´t like to give excuses -- I lost and that's it, period.
Nothing went right. I assume this -- the injury -- interfered
in my training, in [especially] the kicks and [with running].
I had a lot of new things in my life: [a] wedding and a new home.
But no problem, let´s move ahead. I don´t want to
talk about the past, let´s see what is coming next. I'm
very young and I know that I can get the UFC belt in the future.
I will be back better than ever. All the fighters can follow
[their] opponents, with the internet and the show[s] on TV. We
can see the skills of our opponents -- Forrest was very well
trained [and] I respect that.
MMA
Madness: How much did the hurt knee affect your ability to train
and compete at your top level?
Rua:
We are living a very professional moment in MMA [so] the difference
between the fighters is very small. [It] was difficult to run
and to kick with my injury and when you have some injury your
confidence is not the same -- every time you are concern[ed]
about it.
MMA
Madness: Do you think that you would train differently if you
ever got the chance to fight him again?
Rua:
For sure, probably in the future we will fight again. Now I'm
thinking [about] my [recovery and] go[ing] back to train[ing]
and let's see what's happen in the future.
MMA
Madness: Would you be interested in a rematch with Griffin in
the future or are you looking ahead to Rampage Jackson?
Rua:
I had the promise from UFC that with a victory against Forrest
I would have a shot for the belt that actually is with Rampage.
Unfortunately I lost [so it’s] necessary to review all the
plans and I know that I will need to make a new journey for the
belt.
MMA
Madness: What's been happening with Rampage? He got beat up bad
by you and by Wanderlei Silva in PRIDE and now he looks like
a different fighter. Would you expect a fight with him to go
the same way as it did before?
Rua:
Life is funny, no? Quinton Jackson comes to UFC after three terrible
defeats in PRIDE ([losing to] me [once] and Wanderlei twice).
Now, he has the UFC belt. I think that he has more experience
now. After the victory against Liddell he is very confident and
[it] is difficult to guarantee that one fight will be the same
[as] an old one -- every fight is totally different from [the]
other[s].
MMA
Madness: I was talking to “Big” John McCarthy not too
long ago, and he said that PRIDE and UFC were very different
due to the ring size. He said that he noticed that you were having
trouble getting to Forrest because of the different angles of
the UFC cage. However, when I talked to your brother Murilo,
he said that whether it's in a ring or a cage doesn't matter.
Who do you agree with here?
Rua:
Yes, in the cage the fight is more aggressive -- there [are]
no corners to give a break, but I already fought in the cage
[so it’s] no problem. My defeat doesn't have any thing [to
do] with the cage or ring.
MMA
Madness: Why do you think that PRIDE fighters are having such
a tough time with UFC fighters?
Rua:
[It] is just a coincidence. Just see Rampage -- he has the belt
now. Do you think that he is having [a] tough time in UFC?
MMA
Madness: Do you prefer fighting in PRIDE or UFC?
Rua:
No preference.
MMA
Madness: You've defeated most of the top 205-pounders. Which
win was the biggest?
Rua:
No one [is] the biggest, but there are some very important [wins]
in my career. [My victory] against Minotauro [Antonio Rodrigo
Nogueira] was very tough; [my win] against Rampage was very important
in that moment; and for sure [my win] against [Ricardo] Arona
when I won PRIDE Grand Prix.
MMA
Madness: Where do you rank yourself among the 205-pounders?
Rua:
I run to be the number one. I want to be with the tops and fight
against them.
MMA
Madness: Are there any fighters out there you'd like to fight?
Rua:
No preference. I never choose opponents. Now that I lost, I can't
think about [that]. I must fight and prove that I can have [the]
UFC belt, no matter against whom.
MMA
Madness: Would you fight Wanderlei if he had the belt?
Editor’s
note: Shogun did not respond to this question.
MMA
Madness: Who do you think will win the following fight: Murilo
"Ninja" Rua vs. Xavier Foupa-Pokam?
Rua:
Ninja for sure. He's training hard; he wants a lot the Cage Rage
belt; [and] he deserves it.
MMA
Madness: Chuck Liddell vs. Wanderlei Silva?
Rua:
Very tough fight. Both are very aggressive and [both are] strikers.
I just know that this fight will finish before the second round.
MMA
Madness: "Shogun" Rua vs. Forrest Griffin II?
Rua:
I want to be back in better shape, well prepared, and I know
that I can beat him.
Source: MMA Madness/Fight Opinion
|
Quote
of the Day
"Anybody
with a little guts and the desire to apply himself can make it;
he can make anything he wants to make of himself."
Bill Shoemaker, 1931-2003, American Jockey
|
UFC
78: Validation
Results!
The Prudential
Center in Newark, NJ
Nov. 17, 2007
PRELIMINARY
CARD:
170
lbs: Akihiro Gono (169) def. Tamdan McCrory (170) via submission
(armbar) - R2 (3:19)
155
lbs: Marcus Aurelio (156) def. Luke Caudillo (155.5) via TKO
(strikes) - R1 (4:29)
155
lbs: Joe Lauzon (155) def. Jason Reinhardt (155) via submission
(rear naked choke) - R1 (1:14)
170
lbs: Thiago Alves (171) def. Chris Lytle (170.5) via TKO (cut)
- 2 rounds
MAIN
CARD:
155
lbs: Frank Edgar (154) def. Spencer Fisher (154.5) via unanimous
decision - 3 rounds
185
lbs: Ed Herman (186) def. Joe Doerksen (185.5) via KO - R3 (0:39)
170
lbs: Karo Parisyan (170) def. Ryo Chonan (169) via unanimous
decision - 3 rounds
205
lbs: Thiago Silva (204) def. Houston Alexander (203) via TKO
(strikes) - R1 (3:25)
205
lbs: Rashad Evans (206) def. Michael Bisping (205) via split
decision - 3 rounds
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
PLAY-BY-PLAY
RESULTS:
155
lbs: Frank Edgar (154) vs. Spencer Fisher (154.5)
R1:
Edgar takes Fisher down 30 seconds into the fight. Fisher pulls
Edgar into guard from side control. Egar stands up. He steps
back in guard. They are up. Edgar trips Fisher down. Edgar is
back in Fisher's guard. Edgar passes to Fisher's half guard.
Fisher puts Egar back in full guard. Edgar continues with strikes.
Fisher gets up. Fisher kicks and slips. Edgar moves in Fisher's
guard. Edgar stands up and lands punches. Edgar gains half guard
and lands strikes. No significant damage but Edgar easily takes
first round.
R2:
Edgar takes Fisher down. Edgar is working elbows in Fisher's
half guard. Fisher moves Edgar into open guard. Edgar stands
up and jumps into side. They are back up. Edgar tries for the
takedown; Fisher defends it this time. Edgar continues to work
for it and gets the takedown. Edgar advances to side and back
into guard. Edgar back into side and then half. Edgar lands right
hands and Fisher is bleeding. Edgar back in Fisher's closed guard.
Edgar Edgar passes to side contorl. Edgar takes Fisher's back.
Fisher rolls. Round two ends with Edgar inside Fisher's closed
guard.
R3:
Fisher spins around and Edgar takes Fisher down within the first
ten seconds. Edgar lands right hands. Edgar secures Fisher's
back. Fisher gets the fight back to standing. Seconds later,
Edgar takes Fisher right back down. They stand back up in clinch,
then separate. Edgar tries another takedown; he has to work harder
for it but he gets it. Fisher tries a triangle; not close and
Edgar grabs ahold of Fisher's back. Edgar is back in Fisher's
guard. Edgar isn't able to do much damage on top. Fight ends
with Edgar controlling Fisher's back and punching Fisher in the
head. Fisher offered little to no offense in this fight and Edgar
will win this one with his dominant wrestling skills.
Edgar
wins via unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-26)
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------
185
lbs: Joe Doerksen (185.5) vs. Ed Herman (186)
R1:
Doerksen lands a left kick. Herman tries a toss but Doerksen
presses Herman back against the cage. Herman trips Doerksen down.
Herman passes from butterfly to half guard. Doerksen posts up
and they are in the clinch. The referee separates them at 3:07.
Herman throws a combo of punches, elbows and knees. Doerksen
lands a nice counter punch. Doerksen is cut above his left eye.
Herman is working elbows inside of Doerksen's guard. Herman advances
to full mount. Doerksen puts Herman back into guard. Herman is
dropping elbows; Doerksen defends them well.
R2:
Herman takes Doerksen down at 4:35. Herman inside Doerksen's
guard. Herman advances to half guard. The referee stands them
up. MIssed punches. Herman tries and takedown but Doerksen reverses
and takes Herman down. Doerksen takes Herman's back. He lands
punches. Doerksen has both hooks in. Herman escapes and takes
Doerksen's back momentarily. Doerksen attempts a leglock. Herman
escapes. Herman controls Doerksen's back and drops right hands
to Doerksen's head. Doerksen rolls to guard. Doerksen sneaks
in a triangle/armbar! Herman is saved by the bell.
R3:
Herman lands a jab. In a short exchange, Herman ducks a punch
and drops Doerksen with a left hook. Herman moves in with a right
and left punch before the referee stops the fight. Herman wins
by knockout for the first time in his career.
Herman
wins via KO - R3 (0:39)
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
170
lbs: Karo Parisyan (170) vs. Ryo Chonan (169)
R1:
Chonan with leg kicks. Parisyan throws a left hook and Chonan
goes down. Parisyan advances to half guard. They trade head punches.
Chonan puts Parisyan into guard. Parisyan drops a left elbow.
The referee separates them. Light exchange of punches. Parisyan
takes Chonan down hard. Parisyan with elbows to Chonan, who is
against the cage. Chonan pops up. Back in clinch. Chonan throws
a leg kick and Parisyan slips him down. Chonan gets back up.
Parisyan is looking for a hip toss but the round ends.
R2:
Exchange of punches. Chonan throws a kick. Parisyan in cilnch
and separates while landing a punch. Parisyan lands a jab. Chonan
with a leg kick and Parisyan trips him down again. Chonan grabs
a single and Parisyan holds on to Chonan's arm. Chonan lets go.
Parisyan trips Chonan down. Parisyan lands elbow in half guard.
R3:
Parisyan lands a groin kick. Brief pause and Chonan is ready
to fight without a rest. The referee separates them from clinch.
Chonan lands two jabs. Parisyan trips Chonan. Parisyan takes
full mount but Chonan quickly reverses into Parisyan's guard.
They scramble to their feet. Chonan lands a knee to the body.
He lands another knee. Chonan misses a spinning back first. Parisyan
tags Chonan with a right. Parisyan tries his own spinning back
first. It lands but no damage. Parisyan lands an elbow.
Parisyan
wins via unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27)
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
205
lbs: Thiago Silva (204) vs. Houston Alexander (203)
R1:
Alexander ties up with Silva. The referee separates them at 4:18.
Silva lands a leg kick. Alexander throws a combo and ties up
with Silva gain. Alexander shoves Silva down, but Silva grabs
Alexander's leg and takes Alexander down. Silva passes to full
mount. Silva is landing punches and Alexander is basically holding
on to a body lock. Silva is throwing down left and rights. Alexander
is out. Silva drops more left and rights until the referee stops
the fight.
Silva
wins via TKO (strikes) - R1 (3:25)
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
205
lbs: Michael Bisping (205) vs. Rashad Evans (206)
R1:
Evans attempts the takedown. Evans drops lower and gets the takedown
at 4:20. Bisping stands up fifteen seconds later. The referee
separates them. Brief punch exchange and they tie up again. Bisping
lands a body kick but Evans takes Bisping down. Evans drops a
punch from standing. Bisping rolls and Evans takes side control.
Bisping escapes and they are in clinch. Evans takes Bisping down
at 0:53. Bisping puts Evans from half guard to full guard and
the round ends.
R2:
Bisping storms in. Evans picks Bisping up for the big slam. The
referee stands them up at 3:19 after a stalemate with Evans inside
Bisping's guard. Bisping connects with jabs. Evans counters.
Bisping lands a knee to the stomach. Bisping with antoehr knee
and Evans goes for the takedown, doesn't get it. Bisping goes
for the takedown and gets it right at the bell.
R3:
Evans moves in with jabs that miss. Bisping with a leg kick that
Evans catches. Bisping stalls the takedown but Evans puts Bisping
down to the mat. Bisping turns and puts Evans down. They stand
up and Bisping has Evans' back. They separate. Bisping lands
a jab with 2:48 remaining. Evans scores with a combo. Evan shoots
and has Bisping sitting against the cage. Bisping doesn't get
the sweep but he is able to stand back up. Bisping scores on
a body kick. Evans with a combo. Evans shoots and Bipsing stuffs
it. Bisping lands a knee to body. Evans shoots and gets control
of Bisping's back and the fight ends.
Evans
wins via split decision (29-28, 28-29, 29-28)
Source: MMA Fighting
|
WAMMA's
Wish: To Unite MMA
by Joe Hall
NEW
YORK, Nov. 14 -- A group of business and fight-sport veterans
launched a sanctioning body on Wednesday that will try to enable
cross-promotional bouts between top mixed martial artists.
The
World Alliance of Mixed Martial Arts will use a committee, currently
comprised mostly of journalists, to rank 10 fighters in each
weight division, recognize unified champions in each division
and suggest matches that should happen regardless of fighters'
promotional affiliation.
In
explaining the need for WAMMA, President and CEO Dave Szady pointed
to the multitude of promotions and champions in mixed martial
arts. WAMMA, said Szady, will attempt to bring more credibility
to the sport through inter-league competition and undisputed
titleholders.
"We
view ourselves as a supplement, not a threat, to all the promotional
organizations and individuals who have brought MMA to where it
is today," said Szady, a retired FBI assistant director.
WAMMA
will not promote fights. Rather, the sanctioning body hopes its
rankings will be embraced by fans, fighters and media to the
point that when WAMMA suggests a match, promoters will make it.
That
is when WAMMA, a for-profit corporation, would make money through
the sponsors it brings to the table. A promotion would still
host the fight, Szady explained, but WAMMA, for instance, could
have a sponsor advertised on the ring canvas.
Szady
also plans on world championship belts with a sponsor's name
on it for each division. He offered a few hypothetical examples,
saying the top two fighters in a weight class could meet for
the WAMMA-Budweiser title, the WAMMA-Toyota title or the WAMMA-Hooter's
title.
"For
the record," joked WAMMA founding partner Bill Goldberg,
"I'm already the WAMMA-Hooter's world champion."
Szady
believes this sanctioning process appeals to promotions because
it can create mega-fights that will make mega-bucks for everyone
involved.
The
key question, of course, is whether promotions will play ball
-- with WAMMA and with each other.
"We
have made contact with just about all the major promoters in
the sport," Szady said. "Their response has been cordial.
We are continuing to have ongoing discussions with them, and
conclusions will be reached as we move this forward."
But
the question of how promoters have been reacting to WAMMA kept
coming up Wednesday at a news conference. Szady emphasized that,
for the most part, promotions had given "positive"
responses.
"Most
of them have a wait-and-see attitude," he said.
International
Fight League executives attended the news conference and were
openly supportive of WAMMA, but they were also honest about its
chances of success.
"It's
a big task, but I think it's worth exploring," said IFL
Commissioner Kurt Otto.
Jay
Larkin, IFL chief operating officer, praised WAMMA's reasoning
and its intentions. "Having said that," Larkin continued,
"I want to address the elephant in the room that's not in
the room."
He
was talking about the UFC. The leading promoter in mixed martial
arts, the company with the majority of the top fighters in the
world, is hosting an event on Saturday in Newark, N.J. -- about
15 miles from Wednesday's WAMMA news conference in Manhattan.
Yet,
Larkin pointed out, no one from the UFC had attended the conference.
"I
cannot imagine a scenario that would encourage the UFC to participate
in this," Larkin said, adding that the UFC's lack of involvement
appeared to be a "fatal flaw" in WAMMA's plan.
Michael
B. Lynch, WAMMA's executive vice president, said that refusing
top fighters the chance to fight each other would be a "tremendous
disservice," but Szady interrupted him to say he had met
with UFC owners Lorenzo and Frank Fertitta III.
"They
didn't bring the guards down and throw us out the door,"
Szady said jokingly before describing Lorenzo Fertitta as receptive,
appreciative and polite. "The door was left open."
The
WAMMA president reiterated that the immediate participation of
all promoters was not necessary. "We're in this for the
long haul," Szady said, explaining that his sanctioning
body had the financial backing to persist even if the UFC did
not participate for a couple of years.
"We
understand that this is a very huge undertaking," Goldberg
added. "We understand that going up against an 800-pound
elephant -- a la Dana White and the UFC -- is going to take a
bit of time. There's no question about it. But we have no ulterior
motive. We are in it for the fighter and we are in it for the
fan."
Pat
Miletich, who is also representing WAMMA, has butted heads with
UFC President Dana White before. However, Miletich said that
the super-fights WAMMA wants to sanction would make promoters
like White more money.
"Bob
Arum and Don King are not buddies, but they work together because
they know they're going to make money together," Miletich
said. "That's what this is about."
WAMMA
also plans on influencing standards for referees and judges as
well as the safety standards for fighters, but perhaps most integral
to its success will be its monthly rankings.
Sam
Caplan, editor of ProElite.com and FiveOuncesOfPain.com, will
chair the rankings committee. He is joined by Nelson Hamilton,
Todd Martin, Mauro Ranallo, Michael Woods, Oliver Copp, Alex
Marvez, Ann Marie Lynch and Jeroen Winters.
Asked
if this committee will be compensated, Lynch, WAMMA's executive
vice president, said that Caplan would be compensated for performing
managerial duties as the chair.
"No
one's getting paid for their opinion," Lynch said.
WAMMA
acknowledged that rankings are somewhat subjective, but said
an effort will be made to keep them as objective as possible.
Additionally, Lynch said that WAMMA administers the rankings
but will not influence them. He described the system as independent
and transparent, though WAMMA does not plan on publishing each
committee member's individual rankings.
The
first rankings are expected Dec. 15. WAMMA hopes to sanction
cross-promotional bouts by the first or second quarter of 2008
and eventually to sanction up to 25 world championship fights
a year.
If
successful, similar sanctioning bodies could proliferate. Szady
said the UFC asked him about such a development.
"What
we're hoping to do is get out there in front of this, as fast
as we can, with the most reputable people in the world to rank
the fighters and with a sanctioning body that's recognized by
the promoters as the sanctioning body," Szady said.
Two
WAMMA partners -- Fred Levin, an attorney who represented Roy
Jones, Jr., and Kay Stephenson, a former NFL coach -- tried to
create a similar umbrella organization for boxing several years
ago.
"In
the boxing world, things were so entrenched that it was very
difficult to get this done," Miletich said, noting that
mixed martial arts is also splintered, though perhaps the sport
is not as deep-rooted in its ways as boxing. "Coming together
with WAMMA -- that one sanctioning body that can help unify all
of this -- makes perfect sense to me. To be honest with you,
there's no need for another sanctioning body after this happens."
Source: Sherdog
|
WAMMA
press conference on Wednesday
For those who care: Wednesday is the presser for the new attempt
at a sanctioning body in MMA, WAMMA. Godwin Asifo was/is Ike
Quartey’s manager.
I
can’t begin to stress how little I take this deal seriously.
Rank fighters by weight division? Every mom and pop MMA web site
does that. (Besides, there’s a new online system in place
for user-generated fighter rankings. You don’t need a panel
of 30 ‘experts’ or scholars to rank fighters.) Establish
Unified rules? Hello, there are already Unified rules in the
books. Ensure the safety and welfare of the fighters? That’s
what the athletic commissions are there to do with MRI &
CT tests and insurance for the fights. Sanction ‘world championship
bouts’? With who? UFC won’t cooperate and Gary Shaw
(through EXC) has control of several of the mid-major MMA promotions.
If those two aren’t involved, who’s going to care?
On
a recent edition of Fight Opinion Radio, I stated that the alarm
bells went off for me about the WAMMA project when I saw that
the news story came out of Pensacola, Florida. Pensacola is the
home territory for Roy Jones Jr. and months ago, I had heard
rumblings from a couple of top boxing writers that the former
management of Jones Jr. was going to try to get involved in a
big way with MMA. One writer claimed to me that the former management
team of Jones (which is the main part of this new WAMMA project)
was going to try to pierce through the current system of MMA
promotion (meaning each promoter has their own title belts as
opposed to a sanctioning body controlling matchmaking and purse
bids) and that Roy’s former management team felt real confident
that they will be able to accomplish this task at hand.
If
this new sanctioning body cannot change the Unified rules to
their liking by persuading various state athletic commissions,
then the only conceivable method (in my opinion) would be WAMMA
filing a lawsuit or multiple lawsuits. The question is whether
or not WAMMA can somehow create a power structure and force itself
upon promoters in the sport legally. It would, by default, be
the equivalent of lighting a stick of dynamite and imploding
the current business models being employed in the industry.
Source: Fight Opinion
|
Rules
set for ultimate fighting
PROMOTERS SAY NEW REGULATIONS NOT NEEDED, WOULD 'KILL THE SPORT'
By Cassondra Kirby CKIRBY@HERALD-LEADER.COM
Joseph
Rey Au
Allen Browning was champ in his division when he and Justin Moore
trained in February in Lexington. 2007 file photo by Joseph Rey
Au
Read the proposed MMA regulations
FRANKFORT
--The Kentucky Boxing and Wrestling Authority voted unanimously
yesterday to adopt guidelines to govern amateur ultimate fighting
matches in the state, despite an outcry from promoters who say
the new rules would put them out of business.
The
regulations -- which must be approved by two more committees
before they are made law -- require promoters to provide medical
insurance to fighters and to have at least one licensed physician
and one ambulance at each event. Among other things, the rules
also require that portable medical equipment -- including resuscitation
devices, oxygen and a stretcher -- be stationed beside the ring
during shows.
Authority
members, who voted 3-0 in favor of adopting the regulations yesterday
(one member was absent), say the rules are needed to minimize
the possibility of a serious injury or death.
However,
those who host the fights claim such expenses are unrealistic.
"They
are going to kill the sport by adopting these rules that we can
not afford," said Jimmy McMurty, a promoter with Kentucky
Fight Challenge, and one of the first to bring ultimate fighting
to the state just more than four years ago. "It's not that
we don't want them. We just can't afford them."
Ultimate
fighting, or mixed martial arts, is as controversial as it is
bloody. Some have likened it to a human cockfight.
Combatants
try to win through knockout or submission, using martial-arts
holds, chops and kicks, wrestling and boxing, with an air of
street fighting thrown in.
Fighters
are barefoot, and they wear thin gloves that cover the hand and
knuckles but expose the fighter's fingers. Some fights are in
rings, others in cages.
The
public will have an opportunity to submit comments and a hearing
will be scheduled.
Promoter:
Crowds are down
If
adopted, McMurty said, these regulations would eliminate about
85 percent of the fighting events in the state.
When
he first began holding matches in Kentucky, McMurty said, it
was common for about a thousand people to attend them, even in
small towns. However, now that the sport has exploded into the
mainstream and is featured on television nightly, many of his
matches typically only draw a crowd of a couple hundred, unless
they are held in a larger city such as Louisville.
"Mixed
martial arts hit Kentucky with a bang," he said. "But
it's no longer new, it's no longer something mystical and our
crowds are down."
McMurty,
and several other promoters who attended yesterday's meeting,
said they already take precautions to ensure fighters are safe.
Most notify nearby ambulances when they plan to hold events,
and they typically have a paramedic onsite.
However,
authority members say that's not good enough. They point to the
case of boxer Greg Page as an example.
In
a 2001 fight in Erlanger, Page suffered brain damage and slipped
into a coma. The damage left him paralyzed on his left side and
confined to a wheelchair. A hospital was less than two minutes
away from the fight, but it took an ambulance nearly 45 minutes
to reach Page.
"I
want a doctor at these events, an ambulance -- things that weren't
available for Mr. Page," authority member Bud Schardein
said. "That's not to say that type of injury couldn't occur
again, but I would feel much better knowing that we have done
everything we can to prevent it from happening."
If
Kentucky approves the regulation, it will be among only a few
states that regulate the amateur version of the sport.
A
2006 survey by the Association of Boxing Commissions found that
only Ohio and Arkansas regulate amateur fights.
At
least 10 states ban all mixed-martial-arts fights. More than
30, including Kentucky, allow both amateur and professional fights.
Authority
members said the regulations would allow the state to get a handle
on the popular sport -- which they say has spiraled dangerously
out of control.
They
say amateur ultimate fighting bouts are held just about every
weekend somewhere in Kentucky.
Amateurs
get hurt
Although
some of the matches are put on by reputable organizations that
voluntarily follow safety regulations, such as having a doctor
onsite, others are little more than drinking parties with a fight.
"People
are putting on shows that are free-for-alls, where anyone can
come out of the crowd and fight," said authority member
Todd Neal.
At
these events, held mostly in barnyards and back yards, there
are no health checks, no one to make sure the fighters are matched
fairly, no certified referees, and no doctors or ambulances in
case someone gets hurt, Neal said.
In
some cases, young teens have been allowed to participate. And
in Murray recently, professionals were brought in from Miami
to fight inexperienced volunteers from the crowd.
One
young person's ankle was snapped at that event, Neal said.
"It's
a ticking time bomb," he said. "We need to do something."
Source: Lexington Herald-Leader/Fight Opinion
|
Taktarov
returns to the ring
Russian Bear to fight at Bodog Fight
UFC
hall-of-famer Oleg Taktarov also know to fans as the Russian
Bear, decided to put retirement aside and return to the world
of MMA. Not having fought in nine years, the 39-year-old sambo
fighter accepted an offer from Bodog Fight to fight in the main
event of the November 30 show in Moscow, against the American
also-veteran of the UFC John Marsh, 37.
Taktarov
shot to fame with his epic battles against Marco Ruas, Ken Shamrock,
Dan Severn and Renzo Gracie, the last of which was listed as
one of the 30 most striking MMA fights of all time by NOCAUTE
magazine in November of 2005. The fighter also gained recognition
for having performed in a variety of Hollywood Films like Miami
Vice, Bad Boys 2 and 15 minutes.
The
event will also include the participation of Wagner “Zuluzinho”
da Conceicao Martins, who will face Vladimir Kuchenko.
Source: Gracie Magazine
|
Yakuza
pair arrested for ramming truck into sumo stable
TERRORIZED -- Former Komusubi Kyokushuzan was forced from the
ring following troubles with the yakuza. (Mainichi file)Two members
of the Sumiyoshi-kai yakuza gang have been arrested for ramming
a 2-ton truck into sumo's Oshima Stable in Tokyo's Sumida-ku
in November last year, police said Tuesday.
Arrested
for willful destruction of property were Sumiyoshi-kai yakuza
pair Yoshifumi Okawa, 46, of Abiko, Chiba Prefecture, and Shigenori
Kitabatake, 30, of Omitama, Ibaraki Prefecture.
A
warrant has been taken out for the arrest of a third member of
the Sumiyoshi-kai who is accused of involvement in the attack,
which police believe took place because of money troubles between
the yakuza gang and former Komusubi Kyokushuzan, who belonged
to the Oshima Stable.
Both
the suspects have admitted to the allegations against them, police
said.
Kyokushuzan
retired from sumo soon after the November 2006 alleged attack
on his stable, later saying that he would have continued to grapple
had it not been for the troubles he was having with the yakuza.
In July, three high-ranking members of the Sumiyoshi-kai were
arrested for trying to blackmail Kyokushuzan in connection with
money problems, but they were later released without being charged.
A
tear gas attack two days before the truck was rammed into the
stable is also being investigated, with Kitabatake and Okawa
among the suspects.
Police
said Kitabatake and Okawa stole a 2-ton truck from Ageo, Saitama
Prefecture, and rammed it into the front of the Oshima Stable
early on the morning of Nov. 11, 2006, smashing a concrete pillar
and destroying a bicycle. Police said the pair left the truck
where they crashed it and fled the scene.
Source: Mainichi Daily News/Fight Opinion
|
Quote
of the Day
"Joy
is a net of love by which you can catch souls."
Mother Teresa, 1910-1997, Albanian-born Humanitarian/Missionary/Nobel
Peace Prïze Winner
|
"MAN
UP & STAND UP" CHAMPIONSHIP KICKBOXING
Today!
WHAT - "MAN
UP & STAND UP" CHAMPIONSHIP KICKBOXING
WHEN NOVEMBER 17 2007 SATURDAY
WHERE KALAHEO HIGH SCHOOL GYM
DOORS OPEN 6:30
JOHN MENDONSA NAKOA FIGHT CLUB WELTER WEIGHT THOMAS MATHIAS WAIANAE
KICKBOXING
CHAMPIONSHIP
DAVID LUI HMC SUPER LIGHT WEIGHT JERELL MUNOZ HSD
HMC CHAMPIONSHIP HSD
GARY REBILLIZSA INNER CIRCLE JR SUPERLIGHT WEIGHT MIKE UEMOTO
ANIMAL HOUSE
CHAMPIONSHIP ANIMAL HOUSE
KOLOA KAHALEWAI TEAM ANILAND HEAVE WEIGHT ALIKA VELAROSA ANIMAL
HOUSE
CHAMPIONSHIP
OTO TEAM ANILAND SUPER HEAVY WEIGHT KENJI SAITO ANIMAL HOUSE
CHAMPIONSHIP
WAYNE PURVEY TEAM ISLAND THUNDER LIGHT HEAVY WEIGHT EZEKIEL LOPEZ
NAKOA FIGHT
CHAMPIONSHIP
KANALOA COOKE DOGS FOR LIFE BANTAM WEIGHT SEAN ORTIZ KUAPA FIGHT
CLUB
CHAMPIONSHIP
TODD YOUNG I RUSH 170 TBA
JUNIOR TEAM ISLAND THUNDER 205 DEZ MINER FIVE O BOXING
JUSTIN KAHALEWAI TEAM ANILAND 90 LB CHAMPIONSHIP THEODORE WALLACE
TEAM RUTHLESS
CHAD VALENTINE HMC MIDDLE WEIGHT RICKY MURRILLO FREELANCE
CHAMPIONSHIP
MAX HALLOWAY TEAM RUTHLESS LIGHT WEIGHT JUMAR ESCOSIO ANIMAL
HOUSE
CHAMPIONSHIP
JUSTLY LAQUIHON HMC 80 ANDREW MCCUE EAST OAHU
TAZ KAHALEWAI TEAM ANILAND 40 LB CHAMPIONSHIP ZION LISTA HMC
JOSH KEANU TEAM RUTHLESS 185 KEPA KMFS
KONA KE TEAM RUTHLESS 170 HOKU CUBAN NAKOA FIGHT CLUB
JENNA ODA TEAM ISLAND THUNDER 145 ALEXANDRIA AREVALO ANIMAL HOUSE
MIKE SANTOS HMC 155 SEBASTIAN MARICADO TEAM ANILAND
ALL MATCHES AND PARTICIPANTS ARE SUBJECT TO CHANGE
Source: Event Promoter
|
UFC
78: Validation
Today!
Hawaii
Air Time
Oceanic Digital 701
4:30PM
All eighteen competitors for UFC 78: Validation made weight Friday
afternoon at the Prudential Center in Newark, New Jersey.
PAY-PER-VIEW
CARD:
205
lbs: Michael Bisping (205) vs. Rashad Evans (206)
205 lbs: Thiago Silva (204) vs. Houston Alexander (203)
185 lbs: Joe Doerksen (185.5) vs. Ed Herman (186)
170 lbs: Karo Parisyan (170) vs. Ryo Chonan (169)
155 lbs: Frank Edgar (154) vs. Spencer Fisher (154.5)
PRELIMINARY CARD:
170
lbs: Thiago Alves (171) vs. Chris Lytle (170.5)
155 lbs: Joe Lauzon (155) vs. Jason Reinhardt (155)
155 lbs: Marcus Aurelio (156) vs. Luke Caudillo (155.5)
170 lbs: Akihiro Gono (169) vs. Tamdan McCrory (170)
Source: MMA Fighting
|
Strikeforce
Results: Jorge Santiago wins middleweight tourney
Vitale
loses via Referee's decision and Kamaka loses via KO
Strikeforce Tournament Series
HP Pavillion in San Jose, CA
Nov. 16, 2007
PRELIMINARY
CARD:
185
lbs: Dennis Hallman (183 lbs) def. Jeremiah Metcalf via submission
(heel hook) - R1 (1:39)
145
lbs: Chris Drumm (145.5) and Evan Esguerra (145) fought to a
no contest - R2 (2:35)
155
lbs: Alex Crispin (155.5) def. Clint Coronel (154.75) via unanimous
decision - 3 rounds
135
lbs: Anthony Figueroa (132) def. Pete Sabala (137) via split
decision - 3 rounds
185
lbs: Eric Lawson (184) def. Josh Neal (186) via submission (rear
naked choke) - R2 (0:20)
MAIN
CARD:
185
lbs: Jorge Santiago (184 lbs) def. Sean Salmon (185 lbs) via
KO (knee) - R1 (0:24)
205
lbs: Trevor Prangley (185) def. Falaniko Vitale (185) via referee decision - R2 (2:12)
170
lbs: Luke Stewart (171) def. Bryson Kamaka (169) via KO (knee) - R1 (0:19)
205
lbs: Anthony Ruiz (204) def. Bobby Southworth (204) via TKO (cut)
- R2 (0:54)
170
lbs: Lemont Davis (171.75) def. Brian Schwartz (167) via unanimous
decision - 3 rounds
265
lbs: Alistair Overeem (224) def. Paul Buentello (250) via submission
(strikes) - R2 (3:42)
205
lbs: Jorge Santiago (184 lbs) def. Trevor Prangley (185) via
TKO (strikes) - R1 (2:31)
182
lbs: Cung Le (181) def. Sam Morgan (177.75) via TKO (strikes)
- R3 (1:58)
Source: MMA Fighting
|
FISHER
READY FOR WHEREVER THE FIGHT GOES
by Jeff Cain
Spencer Fisher has a 20-3 record compared to Frankie Edgar's
undefeated 7-0 mixed martial arts resume. He believes his experience
will be a factor in their Ultimate Fighting Championship 78 lightweight
bout on Saturday night in Newark, N.J.
Asked
about the experience factor and if it will come into play, Fisher
replied, "Absolutely, because I've been in every position.
I've been on my back. I've been pinned against the cage. I mean,
I've been in every bad position possible having this many fights,
and I think come Nov. 17, we're going to find out how much experience
plays into this fight."
Experience
may be Fisher's best asset going into the fight with Edgar, but
he thinks Edgar's best attribute is conditioning.
"I
think he's real well-rounded. I think the best thing he brings
to the table is not only his wrestling, but he has great conditioning,
so I look for it to be a fast-paced action fight," he said.
"I
think a lot of the pressure is on him now in this fight. It's
in his hometown. He's undefeated and I'm going to be the one
to take that zero from him. I think there's a lot of pressure
on him and I hope he has to live up to that expectation."
Questioned
how he thinks the fight will unfold, Fisher replied, "I
think he's going to come out and stand with me, and when he does,
hopefully I can catch him with something and it will be too late
to change his mind then.
"I
actually think he's going to try to stand with me at little bit
this time. That's what I'm hoping for, of course. If he puts
me on my back, I've been there a hundred times. Anywhere this
fight goes I'm ready."
Source: MMA Weekly
|
Quest
for Champions 2007
Tomorrow!
Call 778-3601
or email kunltd@hotmail.com for more info!
|
FEDOR
ON FOR NYE? ... NOT SO FAST
by Ken Pishna
In the first week of November, there were persistent rumors that
Fedor Emelianenko – the No. 1 ranked heavyweight in the
world by MMAWeekly.com – was trying to secure a fight on
New Year’s Eve in Japan.
In
a letter to Japanese fans on the Mix-Fight Championship website,
he stated, “Your wishes come true when you ask for them
come New Year's Eve,” and later continued, "I contacted
M-1 Global management and received their complete support in
my desire to continue the tradition of fighting in Japan on New
Year's Eve."
That
talk was quickly put to rest when M-1’ Global president
and CEO, Monte Cox, said, “No. It’s not going to happen.
There was an offer. We looked at it. We tried to see if it was
possible. But in the end, there just wasn’t enough time
to pull it off.
“It
wasn’t a bad idea. It was kind of planned to be a sort of
goodbye to Pride fans for Fedor.”
Now,
on Thursday, the Mix-Fight Championship website announced, “The
first M-1 Global event will take place in Japan, Saitama Super
Arena on Dec. 31! No one other than four times Pride heavyweight
champion Fedor Emelianenko will fight in the main event.”
No
other details were forthcoming, but when the fight was first
rumored earlier in the month, Brazilian website Tatame.com reported
that an offer had been extended to Ultimate Fighting Championship
veteran Pedro Rizzo to oppose Emelianenko in the bout.
Brian
Patton, vice president of M-1 Global, however, denied any knowledge
of the fight.
“The
team is in Japan right now, but it is in regards to a fight in
the spring. To my knowledge, Fedor is not fighting in Japan in
December. Unless things have changed since our last conference
call, but that was not the goal when the team left for Japan.
“There
is the possibility of us doing something in Japan in May or June
and that’s what (the team) was headed to Japan for.”
Patton
also stated, “(M-1 Global) knows nothing about the MFC M-1
site, meaning we are not in charge of it.
“We
are hoping to announce our first fight by Dec. 1.”
He
also clarified that Emelianenko, while allowed to fight for other
organizations outside of M-1 Global, would have to have any such
fights approved by M-1 first.
Source: MMA Weekly
|
Bowe,
at 40, looking to give MMA a shot
By SC
"I've
got to make a living for my family," says former world heavyweight
champion Riddick Bowe, now 40 years old.
And
that is why Riddick Bowe is going into mixed martial arts.
If
this is a situation where Bowe just doesn't have much in the
way of options, it's hard to fault him. But he's signed with
Xcess Fighting, a promotion that -- let's put it this way --
I wouldn't want getting a TON of attention as an MMA fan. This
is the same promotion that was trying to (and failed to) promote
a fight between "350"-pound Eric "Butterbean"
Esch and Jimmy Ambriz.
Renato
"Babalu" Sobral, recently unceremoniously tossed out
of UFC, is working with Xcess for the time being. They also have
disgraced former UFC and PRIDE heavyweight star Mark Kerr under
their banner. And it is Kerr that is helping get "Big Daddy"
ready for the cage.
And
it's not that I think Kerr, Sobral or Butterbean or anyone else
shouldn't be able to make their living. If they're clean, if
they're of able mind and body, and they are properly trained
to fight, they should be allowed to if someone wishes to pay
them to do so. All I'm saying is that those guys under one roof,
now adding Riddick Bowe, paints it as an organization mostly
interested in capitalizing on the popularity of the sport with
a borderline freak show.
Do
I think Bowe could do well in MMA? Maybe. Probably not, given
that we're discussing Riddick Bowe and the chances of him actually
getting into a cage to fight are slim, but, sure, it's not totally
impossible.
But
he's 40 years old, hasn't had a real opponent in a pro fight
in 11 years, and wasn't exactly in his best shape (at 280 pounds)
for his last bout, in 2005 with Billy Zumbrun.
It's
easy to forget sometimes that Riddick Bowe was once the toast
of boxing, a very likable, very exciting heavyweight that had
big power. We talk a lot about what could have been with Mike
Tyson, but Bowe's retirement following the two Golota fights
is something that wound up swept under the rug much quicker.
Personally, I often have wondered what Riddick Bowe could've
been with a more disciplined attitude. We will, of course, never
know.
Bowe's
first fight is to be on December 12, against an as yet unnamed
opponent. I'll say this -- he's a big man who can still throw
a punch, I would assume. I don't know how much he can do athletically
to learn the finer points of the game, though in interviews he
seems willing and ready to tackle that. And Mark Kerr -- who
I don't mean to paint as some derelict or anything -- isn't a
bad choice to help get him ready, probably.
If
Bowe finds himself matched up with a decent MMA fighter, he'll
be in very big trouble, very quickly. Honestly? I don't see this
panning out for Riddick Bowe. I also don't know what his financial
situation is, but from what you can gather from the things he
says, it certainly doesn't sound good.
If
this is what Bowe has to do, then good luck to him. Maybe "Big
Daddy" will have just enough left in his fists to get a
few more decent paydays.
Source: Bad Left Hook/Fight Opinion
|
Paulao’s
opponent announced
Brazilian to face Chael Sonnen
The speculation is over. Paulao Filho’s opponent in the
WEC middleweight title bout, to take place on December 12 in
Las Vegas, will be the American Chael Sonnen (14w and 8l), member
of Team Quest. Chael, who is coming off of five wins in a row,
three by knockout, has already fought thrice in the UFC, losing
twice by submission, to Renato Babalu and Jeremy Horn.
Paulao,
undefeated in MMA with 15 wins, won the organization’s belt
after submitting the veteran Joe Doerksen (39w and 10l) at WEC
29. The black belt has been training at Team Link, Marco Alvan
and Gabriel Napao’s team.
Source: Gracie Magazine
|
Fedor
speaks about fourth combat sambo title
Russian needed to fight but one opponent for title
Considered
by many to be the best fighter in MMA’s history and having
been the most dominant fighter in the now extinct Pride event,
Fedor Emelianenko showed he’s also the best at his original
martial art, sambo. The chubby fighter needed but 40 seconds
to become five-time world champion of combat sambo (a style where
punches and kicks are permitted) this Saturday in Prague, Czech
Republic.
Yancho
Dmitrov was the only one that showed up to face Fedor in the
semifinal, all the other competitors in the bracket did not show
up to fight, even the finalist from the other bracket.
“This
fourth gold medal ended up being the strangest. For the first
time in my career all my opponents refused to step on the mat.
I admit similar situations have happened, they’ve asked
me to hit more softly on the head to avoid injuries. Not to mention
in the 2002 Worlds, when I signed up for the competition, 7 fighters
immediately quit the tournament, but what happened this time
in Prague had never happened to me before,” declared the
former Pride champion.
Source: Gracie Magazine
|
LARRY
HAZZARD
*** EXCLUSIVE ***
The End of an Era
By Jim Genia
(November
15th, New York City) Larry Hazzard, long-time Commissioner of
the New Jersey State Athletic Control Board and a driving force
behind the sport of mixed martial arts as we know it, was fired
by the state’s Attorney General yesterday after 22 years
of service. A Golden Gloves boxer then referee before becoming
one of the most highly-regarded combative sports officials in
the country, Hazzard was instrumental in the creation of the
Unified Rules of Mixed Martial Arts, the growth of the MMA in
New Jersey, and the initiation of a thriving amateur league.
“For
several years now I have been complaining about the incompetence
of individuals within the New Jersey State Athletic Control Board,”
says Hazzard on the reason for his sudden termination. “I
had an individual who I took out of the field because a lot of
the rules and regulations meant to protect the health and safety
of fighters were being usurped. Obviously, the people I’ve
been complaining to didn’t like it. I guess somewhere down
the line they got pissed off.” He adds: “I am disappointed
that a civil servant, whose job it is to help preserve health
and safety, can complain and get dismissed. What kind of message
does that send?”
It wasn’t uncommon to see Hazzard at a fight show, leaping
onto the canvas to secure a loose ring rope or handing down a
ringside arbitration when the need arose. “I’m not
mad, I’m not bitter,” he says. “God works in mysterious
ways. Being commissioner was very fulfilling in that I opened
the door for a new sport in mixed martial arts, and helped with
rules that are used today. I think I have a decent legacy that
I left behind.”
What’s
next for the man considered by many to be the elder statesman
of pugilist endeavors? “I don’t know. I’m definitely
a ‘free agent’.” Would he be willing to make the
leap into the private sector like Marc Ratner did when Zuffa
made the former Nevada State Athletic Commission honcho their
Vice President of Regulatory Affairs? “I’d certainly
be interested,” says Hazzard.
With
a career spanning over two decades, much has happened on his
watch. What are his proudest accomplishments? “I’m
most proud of opening the door for mixed martial arts, putting
out competent referees in boxing and MMA, initiating the use
of instant replay, and employing the first female referee in
mixed martial arts.”
And
his regrets? “I have no regrets,” says Hazzard. “I
walked out of the building [yesterday] with my head held high.”
Source: FCF
|
AG
ousts head of athletic board, who claims retaliation
BY FRANKLIN McNEIL AND RICK HEPP
Star-Ledger Staff
State Athletic Control Board Commissioner Larry Hazzard Sr.,
who has overseen New Jersey boxing for 22 years and orchestrated
the rebirth of mixed martial arts, has been fired by Attorney
General Anne Milgram.
"It
was time for a change," the attorney general's spokesman,
David Wald, said in explaining Wednesday's action. "It's
a few months into her own administration and she's been examining
division directors and she wanted to make a change."
Hazzard,
a former three-time Golden Gloves champ never known to shy from
a fight, called the move "retaliation" for his writing
to Gov. Jon Corzine about a dispute with Milgram's office over
employees Hazzard believed were jeopardizing the health of fighters.
Milgram's
office landed another shot, Hazzard said, by firing him on the
eve of his nephew's funeral, which they knew was yesterday.
"It's
in retaliation for the letter and that some people took exception
for what's in the letter," Hazzard said during an interview
following the funeral. "'I always challenge that stuff --
that's the way I am. ... But in New Jersey state government,
at least in the Department of Law and Public Safety, this time
it wasn't appreciated."
In
a letter sent to the governor on Oct. 23, a copy of which was
obtained by The Star-Ledger, Hazzard's attorney, James J. Binns,
claimed his client was told "not to document the malfeasance
and misfeasance" of a board employee even though it "jeopardized
the welfare of contestants." Among the concerns, Binns wrote,
were the employee's decisions to sanction mismatches in mixed
martial arts contests, to okay a fighter who failed to test negative
for HIV and to allow promoters to "shop" for medical
approvals for their fighters.
Hazzard's
attorney also complained about a decision by the Attorney General's
Office to transfer "an individual with no experience"
to the state Athletic Control Board by creating a new title that
paid $90,000 a year.
The
letter said the Attorney General's Office responded to the complaints
by initiating an internal investigation into Hazzard's involvement
with the Newark charitable group COMBATT, which promotes education,
physical development and recreation activities for youth.
"I
complained to the people I should complain to about major improprieties
in the agency," said Hazzard, who earned $115,789 per year.
"I think it's a bit unfair ... when I've taken an oath to
protect the health and safety of the youngest who participate
in these very dangerous combative sports."
Wald
denied Milgram's decision to fire Hazzard was related in any
way to his complaints about board employees or the letter to
Corzine. He declined to comment further, citing confidentiality
rules concerning personnel decisions.
The
firing ends a 22-year career of a man who implemented some of
the most far-reaching rules to enforce safety in the boxing ring.
Hazzard, who was the chief boxing referee in New Jersey when
he was appointed commissioner in 1985 by then-Gov. Tom Kean,
also developed the 10-point majority scoring system and the country's
first instant replay in boxing.
In
addition, Hazzard breathed life into mixed martial arts, a blend
of boxing, wrestling, jiu jitsu, kickboxing and judo that was
once banned across much of the country for being too cruel and
ruthless.
Recognizing
the promise of the sport, Hazzard organized a conference in 2001
in which those involved in the sport set uniform rules to make
it more appealing. The result: Mixed martial arts is America's
fastest growing sport.
"It's
a shock, I'm still trying to digest it," Tony Orlando, chairman
of the state Athletic Control Board, said of Hazzard's firing.
"He's done such a great job."
Not
everyone agreed with Hazzard's approach to boxing in New Jersey.
Gabe LaConte, a boxing promoter for 20 years who butted heads
with Hazzard over boxers he promoted at the Robert Treat Hotel
in Newark, said the "change was necessary, long overdue
really."
"We
have more than a dozen casinos but only a handful of shows a
year," LaConte said. "It doesn't make sense. Boxing
in New Jersey went from 90 shows a year to four or five. If we
can get the state back to where it was, that'll be good for the
fighters, the promoters and the casinos."
Staff
writer Guy Sterling contributed to this report.
Source: Star-Ledger/MMA Weekly
|
Quote
of the Day
"It
is said that desire is a product of the will, but the converse
is in fact true:
will is a product of desire."
Denis Diderot, 1713-1784, French Philosopher
|
Man
Up & Stand Up Weigh Ins Today!
Weigh in for Man up & Stand up
Friday November 16 2007
Tiger Muay Thai Gym
155 Sand Island Access Rd.
BE SURE NOT TO MISS THIS YEARS AMATEUR KICKBOXING CHAMPIONSHIPS
WHICH WILL FEATURE CHOKE TALENT. TWO TEENAGERS THAT WILL DEFINITELY
BE BRINGING MAJOR GAME WILL BE THE MATCH BETWEEN SHAWN ORTIZ
VS KANALOA COOKE. SHAWN IS THE HUMBLE KAPOLEI HIGH SCHOOLER WHO
HAS GAINED A LOT OF RESPECT THROUGHOUT THE YEAR FROM THE FANS
WITH HIS QUICK AND POWERFUL KICKS AND PUNCHES. KANALOA IS ALSO
QUICK AND POWERFUL FROM WAIANAE HIGH SCHOOL AND BRINGS HIS NO
RESPECT ATTITUDE WHEN HE FIGHTS AND SCORED A KNOCKOUT IN HIS
LAST FIGHT. BE THERE WHEN THESE TWO SET IT OFF WHEN THE BELL
RINGS FOR CLASS AT KALAHEO HIGH SCHOOL. THE MAIN EVENT WILL FEATURE
LONG TIME FIGHTER DEZ MINER VS JUNIOR SUA.DEZ HAS BEEN OFF OF
THE CIRCUIT FOR A LONG TIME DUE TO A BAD INJURY. BUT HES BACK
AND WILL FACE BAD BOY JUNIOR SUA WHO IS WELL KNOWN FOR BANGING
PEOPLE UP. THESE HEAVYWEIGHTS WILL NOT HAVE GOOD INTENTIONS AT
THE END OF THEIR KICKS AND PUNCHES. THIS FIGHT WILL PROBABLY
NOT GO TO THE SCORECARDS. HOPE TO SEE YOU THERE ON NOV 17.
JOHN MENDONSA NAKOA FIGHT CLUB WELTER WEIGHT THOMAS MATHIAS WAIANAE
KICKBOXING
2 - 2 CHAMPIONSHIP 4- 0
DAVID LUI HMC SUPER LIGHT WEIGHT JERELL MUNOZ HSD
HMC CHAMPIONSHIP HSD
4 -2 3 - 0
GARY REBILLIZSA INNER CIRCLE JR SUPERLIGHT WEIGHT MIKE UEMOTO
ANIMAL HOUSE
4-0 3-0
KOLOA KAHALEWAI TEAM ANILAND HEAVY WEIGHT ALIKA VELAROSA ANIMAL
HOUSE
3- 2 CHAMPIONSHIP 4-0
OTO TEAM ANILAND SUPER HEAVY WEIGHT KENJI SAITO ANIMAL HOUSE
3 - 2 CHAMPIONSHIP 3- 2
WAYNE PURVEY TEAM ISLAND THUNDER LIGHT HEAVY WEIGHT EZEKIEL LOPEZ
NAKOA FIGHT
2 -2 CHAMPIONSHIP 3 - 1
KANALOA COOKE DOGS FOR LIFE BANTAM WEIGHT SEAN ORTIZ KUAPA FIGHT
CLUB
1 -1 CHAMPIONSHIP 3 -0
TODD YOUNG I RUSH 170 TBA
JUNIOR TEAM ISLAND THUNDER 205 DEZ MINER FIVE O BOXING
JUSTIN KAHALEWAI TEAM ANILAND 90 LB CHAMPIONSHIP THEODORE WALLACE
TEAM RUTHLESS
1 -3 1 -0
CHAD VALENTINE HMC MIDDLE WEIGHT RICKY MURRILLO FREELANCE
2 -0 CHAMPIONSHIP 4 - 1
MAX HALLOWAY TEAM RUTHLESS LIGHT WEIGHT JUMAR ESCOSIO ANIMAL
HOUSE
3 - 0 CHAMPIONSHIP 2 - 2
JUSTLY LAQUIHON HMC 80 ANDREW MCCUE EAST OAHU
TAZ KAHALEWAI TEAM ANILAND 40 LB CHAMPIONSHIP ZION LISTA HMC
JOSH KEANU TEAM RUTHLESS 185 JOEY KMFS
KONA KE TEAM RUTHLESS 170 HOKU CUBAN NAKOA FIGHT CLUB
JENNA ODA TEAM ISLAND THUNDER 145 ALEXANDRIA AREVALO ANIMAL HOUSE
CHRIS HO TEAM ISLAND THUNDER 155 MIKE SANTOS HMC
ZANTE KANAHELE TEAM ANILAND 130 GENALYN GANABAN FREELANCE
DANIEL MADAYAG COMBAT 50 145 DEVRICK KAHALEWAI DOGS FOR LIFE
Source: Event Promoter
|
STRIKEFORCE
7 WEIGH-INS RESULTS & PICTURES
by Ricardo Mendoza
The
first ever sanctioned mixed martial arts tournament in California
is now set as all four fighters weighed in on Thursday night.
In
an intriguing twist, Yuki Sasaki hasn’t been medically cleared
to fight, as he didn’t pass a required neurological test.
There is still a chance that he can fight tomorrow night, but
if he is unable to fight, either Dennis Hallman or Sean Salmon
will step in to take his place, while the other fighter will
be the tournament alternate.
Before
weigh-ins, the four fighters drew from a lottery to determine
the match-ups with Sasaki drawing number one and Santiago getting
the number two spot as he chose to fight Sasaki; that left Falaniko
Vitale and Trevor Prangley to fight in the other bracket.
Ultimate
Fighting Championship veteran Paul Buentello is set to face off
with Pride veteran Alistair Overeem for the vacant Strikeforce
heavyweight championship.
Middleweight
Bout
Yuki Sasaki-183.75? vs. Jorge Santiago-184
Middleweight
Bout
Falaniko
Vitale-185? vs.
Trevor Prangley-185
Middleweight
Bout
Dennis Hallman-183?vs. Sean Salmon-185
Middleweight
Bout
Sam Morgan-177.75 vs. Cung Le-181
Strikeforce
Heavyweight Championship Bout
Alistair Overeem-224?vs. Paul Buentello-250
Welterweight
Bout
Lemont Davis-171.75?vs. Brian Schwartz-167
Light
Heavyweight Bout
Anthony Ruiz-204?vs. Bobby Southworth-204
Welterweight
Bout
Luke Stewart-171?vs. Bryson
Kamaka-169
Middleweight
Bout
Josh Neal-185?vs. Eric Lawson-184
Bantamweight
Bout
Pete Sabala-137?vs. Anthony Figueroa-132
Lightweight
Bout
Clint
Coronel-154.75? vs. Alex Crispin-155.5
Featherweight
Bout
Chris Drumm-145.5 vs. Evan Esguerra-145
Source: MMA Weekly
|
SOKOUDJOU
SIGNS WITH THE UFC
by Ken Pishna - MMAWeekly.com
The Ultimate Fighting Championship on Thursday announced that
signing of sought after light heavyweight Rameau Thierry Sokoudjou.
He will make his Octagon debut on Dec. 29 in Las Vegas against
undefeated fighter Lyoto Machida.
“Sokoudjou
is an explosive athlete with heavy hands and great judo who is
coming off huge back-to-back knockout wins over two top ten guys
in Ricardo Arona and Antonio Rogerio Nogueira,” said UFC
president Dana White. “Bringing him in just makes the stacked
205-pound division even stronger, and there are endless great
match-ups for him here in the UFC.”
Sokoudjou
had been the subject of much speculation as he was reportedly
a signature away from consummating a deal with ProElite, Inc.
several months ago. More recently, his representatives had been
in deep negotiations with K-1 and had expected him to be headed
to Japan.
With
Sokoudjou’s big knockout wins and Machida’s 11-0 record
(including three UFC bouts), the UFC 79 bout is not without title
implications. It is quite likely that the winner will catapult
themselves to the head of the line in the light heavyweight division.
Said
Machida of the fight, “I know Sokoudjou doesn’t have
a lot of fights, but the fights he’s had are big, and he
has beaten some very big names in this sport. I think this is
going to be a great fight, and I am looking forward to winning
this fight, and to moving on and fighting for the UFC title.”
Source: MMA Weekly
|
Roger
out of Super Challenge
Scheduling conflict impedes Gracie’s participation
GRACIEMAG.com
got in contact with the current world absolute Jiu-Jitsu champion,
Roger Gracie, to find out about his preparations for the Super
Challenge Grappling event to take place on December 8, in the
Athletic Paulistano Club, in Sao Paulo and found out some bad
news. The black belt will not fight at the event and is no longer
on the list of big names in world submission grappling, like
Jeff Monson, Fabricio Werdum, Demian Maia, Ronaldo Jacare, Robert
Drysdale, Pe de Chumbo and many others.
“I
had said yes, but the schedule was really full, I want to dedicate
myself more to my academy and my students here in London. Another
reason is that I also wouldn’t have time to train properly
for the event,” said Gracie.
Source: Gracie Magazine
|
STRIKEFORCE
MMA TO STREAM LIVE ON YAHOO! SPORTS
Available
to internet users outside of Northern California
November
13, 2007; San Jose, CA….Following the smash success of its
live stream from the world-famous Playboy Mansion, Strikeforce
will again deliver to fans around the globe, world championship
mixed martial arts action, LIVE on Yahoo! Sports (www.sports.yahoo.com),
from the HP Pavilion in San Jose on Friday.
Available
to all internet users located beyond a 150 mile radius of San
Jose, the live stream, free of charge to viewers, will begin
at 8 PM PST (11 PM EST) and include the entire Strikeforce four-man,
single-elimination tournament, featuring middleweight (185 lb.
limit) stars Trevor Prangley (16-4), Falaniko Vitale (24-7), Yuki Sasaki (21-13-1), and
Jorge Santiago (14-7). Each tournament bout will consist of two,
five-minute rounds.
Also
included during the stream will be the Strikeforce world heavyweight
championship battle between Paul “The Headhunter” Buentello
(23-9) and Alistair “The Demolition Man” Overeem (25-11);
the middleweight showdown between undefeated Cung Le and The
Ultimate Fighter season 2 star, Sam “The Squeeze” Morgan;
the matchup between Strikeforce World Light Heavyweight (205
lb. limit) Champion, Bobby Southworth (8-4), and Anthony “El
Toro” Ruiz (17-10); and the mixed martial arts debut of
undefeated world kickboxing champion, Brian “The Mad Stork”
Schwartz (18-0), who will take on Lemont Davis (8-4).
The
Strikeforce event is being presented by BodogFIGHT.
About
Strikeforce
Strikeforce
is a world-class mixed martial arts cage fight promotion which,
on Friday, March 10, 2006, 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 a sold-out, record crowd of 18,265. Since 1995,
Strikeforce has been the exclusive provider of martial arts programming
for ESPN and, after 12 years of success as a leading, world championship
kickboxing promotion, the company unveiled its mixed martial
arts series with “Shamrock vs. Gracie.” Since then,
it has produced the first SHOWTIME PPV mixed martial arts event
in history with its world championship “Shamrock vs. Baroni”
card on June 22nd of this year followed by the first-ever mixed
martial arts event at the world-famous Playboy Mansion on September
29th.
For
More Information and Fighter Interviews, Contact:
Mike
Afromowitz, Strikeforce
(917)
566-8754 or marketing@strikeforceusa.net
Source: Mike Afromowitz
|
INTERNATIONAL
FIGHT LEAGUE UPDATE
IFL to Introduce Featherweight Division
By FCF Staff
The International Fight League confirmed today that the promotion
has decided to introduce a 145lb. division, and will have Wagnney
Fabiano (8-1) battle LC Davis (8-0) for the featherweight belt
at its next event December 29th. The 2007 World Grand Prix Finals
will take place on that date at the Mohegan Sun Arena in Uncasville,
Connecticut.
In
Fabiano’s last fight, competing as a lightweight at the
IFL’s Grand-Prix Semi Finals on November 3rd, the Brazilian
submitted John Gunderson in the first round with a guillotine
choke. Despite the fact Fabiano has been competing at lightweight,
rather than his more natural weight of 145, the Toronto Dragon
has gone undefeated in the IFL thus far, winning 4 straight.
Davis,
who is a member of Pat Miletich’s Silverbacks, is coming
off a Split Decision victory in his IFL debut over Conor Heun
on August 2nd. The undefeated fighter has competed primarily
at Titan Fighting Championship events over the past 2 years,
winning six straight fights for the organization.
In
the lightweight division’s other bracket at the IFL Grand
Prix semis, Chris Horodecki worked his way to a tightly contested
Split Decision victory over Bart Palaszewski. Due to Fabiano’s
move to 145lbs., Horodecki (11-0) will now face Shad Lierely
(2-1) for the IFL lightweight belt on December 29th. The two
have fought previously, at the IFL’s June 1st event earlier
this year, Horodecki earned the decision victory.
Horodecki (Top) and Lierley Will Meet Again Dec. 29th
In
the other 3 title fights scheduled for December 29th; Delson
Heleno (13-3) will fight Jay Hieron (12-4) for the promotion’s
welterweight crown, Benji Radach (17-3) will take on Matt Horwich
(21-9-1) at 185lbs., and Antoine Jaoude (8-2) will meet Roy Nelson
(10-2) for the heavyweight belt. The promotion’s light-heavyweight
belt was claimed by Vladimir Matyushenko earlier this month we
he defeated Alex Schoenauer by Unanimous Decision.
The
IFL has also confirmed several undercard bouts for the event.
At 170, Rory Markham (14-3) will take on Dan Phillips (6-1),
the new IFL British team member Alex Cook (8-6) will fight Marcello
Salazar (2-1-1) and middleweight Tim Kennedy (8-1) is set to
meet Elias Rivera (3-2).
Source: FCF
|
Quote
of the Day
"The
future is made of the same stuff as the present."
Simone Weil, 1909-1943, French Philosopher and Mystic
|
2008
MMA and Sport Fitness Expo
is taking booth reservations
The MMA and SPORT FITNESS EXPO is taking place the weekend of
June 27-29 , 2008 at the Blaisdell exhibition hall. The web site
is www.Hawaiimmaexpo.clearwire.net.
ALOHA,
THIS
MESSAGE IS TO THE Mixed Martial Arts & Fitness INDUSTRY.
AS YOU MAY KNOW...EVOLUTION SPORTS IS PUTTING ON HAWAII'S FIRST
ANNUAL MMA SPORT & FITNESS EXPOSITION AT THE BLAISDELL EXHIBITION
HALL - JUNE 27, 28 & 29 2008.
WE
GLADLY INVITE YOU TO JOIN US FOR THIS EXCITING AND EXSPLOSIVE
EXPOSITION. IF YOU ARE OR IF YOUR CLUB / BUSINESS IS INTERESTED
IN PARTICIPATING IN THE MMA EXPOSITION CONTACT US!
THIS
IS A GREAT WAY TO MARKET, EXPOSE, EHANCE SALES, NETWORK, BUILD
WORK & CONSUMER RELATIONSHIPS AND MORE. CHECKOUT OUR WEBSITE
FOR THE LATEST UPDATES -www.HawaiiMMAExpo.Clearwire.net
FOR
MORE INFORMATION PLEASE FEEL FREE TO CONTACT US @
Evolutionsprts@yahoo.com
Bus: (808) 781-6194
www.HawaiiMMAExpo.Clearwire.net.
Sincerely,
Evolution Sports, LLC.
Javen B. Guzon
Honolulu, HI 96789
Bus:(808)781-6194
Fax:(808)485-2468
Evolutionsprts@yahoo.com
www.HawaiiMMAExpo.clearwire.net
Source: John "Kuks" Kukahiko
|
STRIKEFORCE
TOURNAMENT SERIES OFFICIAL FIGHTER WEIGH-INS
WHAT: Official fighter weigh-ins for Friday’s Strikeforce
mixed martial arts mega-event headlined by the first-ever sanctioned
mixed martial arts tournament in California.
Middleweight
(185 lb. limit) stars Trevor Prangley, Falaniko “Niko” Vitale, Yuki Sasaki, and
Jorge Santiago will go to war in the single-elimination affair.
In
other mixed martial arts action, Paul “The Headhunter”
Buentello will battle Alistair “The Demolition Man”
Overeem to become the first Strikeforce world heavyweight champion
in history while undefeated superstar Cung Le will battle Sam
“The Squeeze” Morgan in a middleweight contest. Strikeforce
World Light Heavyweight Champion Bobby Southworth will face off
with Anthony “El Toro” Ruiz.
The
main card, including the tournament, will be streamed live on
Yahoo! Sports (www.sports.yahoo.com), beginning at 8 PM PST (11
PM EST). The stream will be available to all internet users located
beyond a 150 mile radius of San Jose.
WHEN:
Thursday, November, 15, 2007, 6 - 7:30 PM PST
WHERE:
The Grill at HP Pavilion (south side of the HP Pavilion)
25 W. Santa Clara St; San Jose, CA
Free parking in HP Pavilion Lot D
(across the street from The Grill)
PR
CONTACT: Strikeforce
Mike
Afromowitz (917) 566-8754; muaythaimes@aol.com
Silicon
Valley Sports & Entertainment
Meaghan Boyle (408) 977-4715; mboyle@svse.net
Jim Sparaco (408) 999-5792; jsparaco@svse.net
Source: Mike Afromowitz
|
Rickson
Gracie to be coordinator at Super Challenge Grappling
(From B-Tough)
Submission
attempts will score more points than any other position
While
no one is really sure about his return to the ring, Rickson Gracie
has joined the Super Challenge Grappling organization to help
coordinate rules for the show. Promoter Paulo Vasconcelos explained
that Rickson joining the event was fundamental in establishing
the rules of the tournament.
“We
talked about the necessity of creating rules for fighters to
be active and we are working on making these rules work.”
Rickson
stated that Super Challenge will feature a grappling event with
all the glamour and notoriety of a big MMA show.
“Paulo
is a big friend of mine and I am happy to join this project.
What we did is make rules that will give points to fighters who
put their opponents in real submission attempts. For example,
a sweep will render only one point, a mount position two points,
but a submission attempt will earn you three points. We are going
to offer a great show for the fans and hope to stimulate fighters
to compete for submissions."
Source: Fight Opinion
|
Fedor
is Combat Sambo champion
Russian fighter needed to fight but once to take the gold
One more title for Fedor Emelianenko’s collection. The M-1
Global fighter yesterday won the gold at the World Combat Sambo
Championship in Prague, Czech Republic. To reach the highest
spot on the podium, the most dominant of Pride champions needed
to fight but once. This is because in the quarter finals Fedor’s
adversary failed to show up, putting the Russian straight through
to the semifinals.
In
the fight for the final spot, Fedor had no problem dispatching
the Bulgarian representative. But when time came to dispute the
gold, the other finalist, from Uzbekistan, also failed to show
up, giving the win to Emelianenko.
Source: Gracie Magazine
|
FORGOTTEN
MAN
Neck Injury Keeps Middleweight Lutter Outside the Octagon
By Brian Knapp
He
seems as close to invincible as any UFC champion in recent memory,
but Anderson Silva met his match on a February night in Las Vegas
– at least for one round.
Within
minutes of their UFC 67 main event, Travis Lutter had taken down
and mounted the 185-pound king, much to the surprise of those
in attendance at the Mandalay Bay Events Center. A failed armbar
attempt cost the middleweight winner on season four of “The
Ultimate Fighter” reality series top position, but for an
instant, Silva appeared human – and vulnerable.
“I
don’t see anyone else in the UFC who can beat him,”
says Lutter, who negated his title shot against the feared Brazilian
striker by failing to make weight for the Feb. 3 bout. “I
think I can beat him, and I think I showed that. I took a round
from him. How many fighters have you seen him lose a round to?”
In
the months that followed, Silva (20-4, 5-0 UFC) became arguably
the most dominant champion in the sport, as he dispatched former
seven-time middleweight King of Pancrase Nate Marquardt and ex-UFC
middleweight champion Rich Franklin with frightening ease. Lutter,
meanwhile, all but disappeared from the MMA landscape.
Outside
the Octagon looking in, Lutter spends his days rehabilitating
a bulging disc in his neck, an injury which forced him to withdraw
from a scheduled fight at UFC 74 in August. Frustrated at times,
encouraged at others, his progress has been slow.
“It’s
definitely improved,” Lutter says. “Any time you’re
dealing with an injury like this, you’re dealing with a
lot of unknowns. Health and fitness is never an exact science.”
Cortisone
shots and trips to the chiropractor have become commonplace.
Lutter admits confidence in his health has waned, though he has
stayed fit at his jiu-jitsu academy in Fort Worth, Texas.
“I’m
training every day,” Lutter says, “but I’m at
a stage right now where I’m not sure I can make it through
a training camp [for a fight]. Before I give the UFC the go-ahead,
I want to be 100 percent.”
Having
missed nine months of competition already, the 34-year-old Brazilian
jiu-jitsu black belt has set February as a deadline. If his neck
has not healed enough for him to compete by then, surgery will
become a more likely option. Going under the knife would mean
he could miss up to an additional year.
“As
someone who wants to fight again, surgery is definitely a possibility,”
Lutter says. “If I can’t fight by February, I’m
going to start talking to different doctors and start pushing
the issue.”
Lutter
has five fights remaining on his current contract with the UFC,
though his term expires in November 2008. “I’m not
sure how that works,” he says. Lutter remains in touch with
UFC matchmaker Joe Silva and says the promotion has been supportive
throughout his ordeal.
“They
just told me to get healthy,” Lutter says. “Nobody’s
upset I got hurt, as far as I know. I did talk to Joe. He told
me to tell him when I was ready.”
The
injury has tested Lutter’s inner strength, as doubt has
become an everyday foe. “Being injured always sucks,”
he says. “I’ve had a long time off. When you miss that
much time, it’s going to take a year before you get back
to where you were.”
Lutter
(9-4) sports a 2-3 mark through five UFC bouts, having lost to
former Olympic silver medalist Matt Lindland, current Bodog Fight
Middleweight Champion Trevor Prangley and Silva. The Texan admits
he desires a rematch with Silva above all else.
“I’m
34 years old,” Lutter says. “I feel like I’m in
my prime. I think I’m getting better and better as a fighter,
and, with a little more luck, I think I can beat anybody at 185
pounds. I think I have the tools to be a world champion.”
With
Silva plowing through his opposition inside the UFC’s thinnest
division and light heavyweight contender Dan Henderson reluctant
to drop down to 185 pounds, Lutter believes he may only be a
fight or two away from a rematch.
“Nobody
else has done well against Anderson,” Lutter says. “I
think I’m a logical choice.”
Source: The Fight Network
|
Wild
Fire wins the MTL
Bustamante makes it 4 to1 over Minotouro’s
Last
night, at the Paulista Athletic Club, in Sao Paulo, the grand
champion of the first season of the MTL, the Brazilian MMA league
saw a winner. The trophy went to the Wild Fire, the team trained
by Murilo Bustamante. To make it to the title, those led by the
Brazilian Top Team black belt defeated the Avalanche, of Rogerio
Minotouro, by 4 to 1.
The
champions’ points were scored by Alexandre Cacareco, Silmar
Rodrigo, Joaquim Mamute and Luciano Azevedo. The only setback
was Gerson Conceicao’s loss to Sergio Moraes.
Check
out the results:
Wild
Fire 4 x 1 Avalanche
Luciano
Azevedo (Wild Fire) defeated Rafael Manteiga (Avalanche)
Sérgio Moraes (Avalanche) defeated Gerson Conceicao (Wild
Fire)
Silmar Rodrigo (Wild Fire) defeated Julio Cesar Field (Avalanche)
Alexandre Cacareco (Wild Fire) defeated Fabio Maldonado (Avalanche)
Joaquim Mamute (Wild Fire) defeated Junior Cigano (Avalanche)
Source: Gracie Magazine
|
Quote
of the Day
"It
takes a person who is wide awake to make his dream come true."
Roger Babson, 1875-1967, American Entrepreneur/Business Theorist/Founder
of Babson College
|
2007
Abu Dhabi Submission Wrestling Champ Rani Yahya Seminar at O2
Martial Arts Academy
Today!
There are still open spots so come on by!
Thanks to Burton Richardson, who has arranged a No Gi Submission
Wrestling seminar with the best submission grappler in the world
and active MMA fighter, Rani Yahya. Rani has a myriad of titles
in submission grappling, but is most known for coming out of
no where after living and training with Rickson Gracie to win
the Brazilian Abu Dhabi trials only to come short that year (2005).
However 2007 was going to be different and Rani dethroned multiple
time champ Leo Vierra to capture the title and bragging rights
of being the world's best submission grappler. Rani has also
been regularly competing in MMA and was featured on WEC Wreckage
competing in MMA, most notably beating UFC veteran, Mike Hominick.
Here are the
details of this once in a lifetime seminar!
What: 2007 Abu Dhabi Submission Wrestling Champion, Rani Yahya
No Gi Submission Wrestling Seminar
When: Wednesday, November 14, 2007
Time: 6:00 - 8:00PM
Where: O2 Martial Arts Academy
98-019 Kam Hwy, #206A (second floor)
Aiea, Hawaii 96701
(between Best Buy and Cutter Ford Aiea)
Who: Everyone is welcome to attend!
Cost: $40 per person
|
Sidney
Silva Gets His Black Belt!
The
Hawaii Underground
just posted that active MMA and BJJ fighter, Sidney Silva received
his well deserved black belt from his instructor, Romolo Barros
last night. The Brazilian Freestlyle Jiu-Jitsu student has been
a stud on the mat for years and we want to congratulate him on
his promotion!
If you have not checked out Hawaii's #1 Martial Arts forum, what
are you waiting for? Check it out by clicking
here.
Once you're there, don't just be a lurker, join into the conversation
by signing up for
a login, it's simple and easy to get one.
Click here to set up an account.
|
2007
Aloha State Championship OF
BRAZILIAN JIU-JITSU
3RD LEG OF THE TRIPLE CROWN SERIES RESULTS
TEAM POINTS
SCHOOLS POINTS
1ST - RELSON
GRACIE ACADEMIES 128
2ND - BRAZILIAN FREESTYLE, BJ PENN ACADEMY, HMC, NOVA UNIAO,
ICON 106
3RD - LONGMAN 42
WOMEN'S GI WHITE BELT
1ST - JESSICA ROHR GRAPPLING UNLIMITED
3RD - CORRIE LEANDRO GRAPPLING UNLIMITED
2ND - TRACIE KUKI NOVA UNIAO
WOMEN'S NO-GI NOVICE
1ST - JESSICA ROHR GRAPPLING UNLIMITED
WOMEN'S GI BLUE BELT
1ST - ANGIE PERERIRA NORTH SHORE
2ND - KANANI RAGASA KAMOLE
MEN'S GI WHITE BELT
110-122
1ST - DWAYNE YUEN BFJJ
2ND - DAVIS HANAI TEAM HK
123-135
1ST - MATTHEW ISODA ICON
2ND - MATT RAMSEY NORTH SHORE
3RD - NATHANIEL SAJO PAPAKOLEA
136-148
1ST - BRYSON WAILEHUA NOVA UNIAO
2ND - KANAIOKALA BROWN TEAM HK
3RD - MIGUEL MARTINEZ LONGMAN
149-161
1ST - MATT COMEAU NOVA UNIAO
2ND - DEJUAN HATHAWAY GRAPPLING UNLIMITED
3RD - DANE MCBRIDE LONGMAN
162-174
1ST - JASON TAKEMURA BFJJ
2ND - JUSTIN SATO O2
3RD - AARON GEER TEAM HK
175-187
1ST - CHARLES HARDING RELSON GRACIE MAIN
2ND - SERGIO PENA O2
3RD - JOHN FLORES BJ PENN
188-201
1ST - BRADLEY TAVARES NOVA UNIAO
2ND - BRANDON MARTIN-FRAZIER O2
3RD - ALEX TAKEMURA BFJJ
201-214
1ST - BRNDON ROGERS CENTRAL OAHU
2ND - JACOB REIS CENTRAL OAHU
3RD - SUNG MIN LEE PAPAKOLEA
215+ FREE
1ST - LEANDRO SOLANO BFJJ
2ND - KEANEN MIYASATO BJ PENN
3RD - KELVIN SUR NEW LIFE
MEN'S GI BLUE BELT
UNDER 135
1ST - JORDAN GOMEZ KAMOLE
2ND - SEAN SKIENDIEL BFJJ
3RD - DANIEL MORALES BFJJ
136-148
1ST - ERIC ALVES BFJJ
2ND - TYRONE GERHART LONGMAN
3RD - JUN HYODO RELSON GRACIE MAIN
149-161
1ST - TYSON HAWELU KAMOLE
2ND - ALIKA DAYTON RELSON GRACIE KANEOHE
3RD - TRAVIS KASHIWA O2
162-174
1ST - SULU KAHELE LONGMAN
2ND - KAWIKA STEWART LONGMAN
3RD - NALU HAWELU KAMOLE
175-187
1ST - GRAHAM KOVAORK KTI
2ND - MICHEAL KENNEY LONGMAN
3RD - CHRISTOPHER CHANG LONGMAN
202-214
1ST - ANTHONY CHANG LONGMAN
2ND - MAUI WOLFGRAMM NOVA UNIAO
3RD - KENNETH THOMAS OPEN DOOR BJJ
MEN'S GI PURPLE BELT
1ST - JAKE SCOVEL LONGMAN
2ND - KYLE SNYDER-OLIVARES O2
3RD - KAWIKA BROWN LONGMAN
MEN'S GI BROWN BELT
1ST - LUKE HACKER LONGMAN
2ND - PENNY THOMAS MAUI JJ
3RD - NOA MOKE LONGMAN
MEN'S NO-GI NOVICE
UNDER 135
1ST - JOSH MARTINEZ BFJJ
2ND - DWAYNE YUEN BFJJ
136-148
1ST - IAN MANONGDO BFJJ
2ND - JOSHUA KEOGH BFJJ
3RD - ERIC DELACRUZ BFJJ
149-161
1ST - JACK CAMBRA N/A
2ND - ALVIN YEH BFJJ
3RD - ELIS BOURBONNAIS CENTRAL OAHU
162-174
1ST - CHRIS MURPHY O2
2ND - SHAWN MURPHY O2
3RD - JOEY JORDAN O2
175-187
1ST - WILL DAMPIER TEAM HK
2ND - PEDRO MACIAS N/A
3RD - NICHOLAS PASTEWSKI O2
188-201
1ST - JAMES KUPAHU BJ PENN
2ND - JOHNNY VERRON BJ PENN
3RD - GREGGORY PERREIRA LONGMAN
MEN'S NO-GI INTERMEDIATE
122-134
1ST - SEAN SKIENDIEL BFJJ
2ND - DAVIS HANAI TEAM HK
136-148
1ST - LOREN OTAKE HMC
2ND - TAYLOR SADLER KGJJ
3RD - REGI MORALES BFJJ
149-161
1ST - TRAVIS KASHIWA O2
2ND - JAY-AR SAGARIO O2
3RD - KELVIN WONG O2
162-174
1ST - KAWIKA STEWART LONGMAN
2ND - CHRIS KANSAKI O2
3RD - NALU MEYERS BJ PENN
175-187
1ST - SHANE NAKAGAWARA O2
2ND - TYLER KISHY NOVA UNIAO
3RD - DUSTIN STARWOOD BFJJ
188-201
1ST - SEAN SHINJO RELSON GRACIE MAIN
2ND - ALEX TAKEMURA BFJJ
3RD - BRANDON MARTIN-FRAZIER O2
MEN'S NO-GI ADVANCED
128-135
1ST - DANIEL MORALES BFJJ
136-148
1ST - JAKE SCOVEL LONGMAN
2ND - ANTHONY BERGAMO CENTRAL OAHU
3RD - NOA MOKE LONGMAN
149-161
1ST - LUKE HACKER LONGMAN
2ND - PENNY THOMAS MAUI JJ
162-174
1ST - DYLAN CLAY BFJJ
2ND - KYLE MIYAHARA NOVA UNIAO
3RD - KAWIKA BROWN LONGMAN
175-188
1ST - ERIC PAJDAK KAMOLE
2ND - JOHN COTTLE GRACIE BARRA ALASKA
202-214
1ST - DAVID CHEW RELSON GRACIE MAIN
2ND - MAUIKALANA WOLFGRAMM NOVA UNIAO
3RD - AUGIE PADEKEN WAIANAE VALE TUDO
ABSOLUTE
1ST - JAMES KUPAHU BJ PENN
2ND - GREGORY PERREIRA LONGMAN
3RD - SEAN SKIENDIEL BFJJ
KIDS GI WHITE
6 YEARS & UNDER
1ST - HIKIALANI KAOHELAULII NOVA UNIAO
2ND - DAYSON MAEDA CENTRAL OAHU
7-8 YEARS
1ST - LEIANA COLOMA NAHOOIKAIKA ISLAND WARRIORS FREESTYLE
2ND - SHAUN SAFFERY PAPAKOLEA
3RD - KILIPAKI PILI-MAHOE PAPAKOLEA
9-10 YEARS
1ST - DJ CHINEN JR. RELSON GRACIE KANEOHE
2ND - BLAKE CREMER KGJJ
3RD - LOKAHI MORANTE CENTRAL OAHU
3RD - MICHAEL WOLFF NOVA UNIAO
11-12 YEARS
1ST - NOA BERRY PAPAKOLEA
2ND - KEKOA WALLS RELSON GRACIE KANEOHE
3RD - KAINALU SANTIAGO THE DOJO
13-14 YEARS
1ST - DYLAN YAMAMOTO RELSON GRACIE MAIN
2ND - GARRICK SIMMONS LONGMAN
3RD - KEANU PASCUA PAPAKOLEA
15 YEARS & OVER
1ST - BRENSON WAILEHUA-HANSEN NOVA UNIAO
2ND - BRANDON PARKS BJ PENN
3RD - JUSTIN SOUVANA RELSON GRACIE KANEOHE
KIDS GI YELLOW/ORANGE BELT
7 - 8 YEARS
1ST - TENIYA ALO RELSON GRACIE KANEOHE
2ND - KAMAEHU SUZUKI-SCOTT RELSON GRACIE KANEOHE
3RD - KAINOA TORIGOE RELSON GRACIE KANEOHE
9-10 YEARS
1ST - TESHYA ALO RELSON GRACIE KANEOHE
2ND - ZORICH PALIMO'O RELSON GRACIE KANEOHE
3RD - SHAEDON QUEVEDO BJ PENN
11-12 YEARS
1ST - JAYLOR SATTA-ELLIS LONGMAN
2ND - JOSHUA TERAO RELSON GRACIE KANEOHE
3RD - BRANDON SAIKI O2
13-14 YEARS
1ST - BRYAN PERALTA RELSON GRACIE KANEOHE
2ND - KAWIKA NIHOA BJ PENN
3RD - JOHN HOMMEL RELSON GRACIE MAIN
3RD - NAHOA SALERA RELSON GRACIE KANEOHE
15 YEARS & OVER
1ST - AUSTIN STREADBECK KODENKAN
2ND - DEVIN LEE O2
3RD - NOAH CRONIN RELSON GRACIE KANEOHE
KIDS NO-GI NOVICE
6 YEARS & UNDER
1ST - DAYSON MAEDA CENTRAL OAHU
7-8 YEARS
1ST - SHAUN SAFFERY PAPAKOLEA
2ND - MICAH WALKER PAPAKOLEA
3RD - LEIANA COLOMA NAHOOIKAIKA ISLAND WARRIORS FREESTYLE
9-10 YEARS
1ST - CONRAD PARKS BJ PENN
2ND - DJ CHINEN JR. RELSON GRACIE KANEOHE
3RD - MASINA KAOHELAULII NOVA UNIAO
11-12 YEARS
1ST - KEOHO NIHOA BJ PENN
2ND - KEKOA WALLS RELSON GRACIE KANEOHE
3RD - SYDNEY VANNATTA PAPAKOLEA
13-14 YEARS
1ST - DYLAN YAMAMOTO RELSON GRACIE MAIN
2ND - PAUL PESTANA MAUI JJ
3RD - KAWIKA NIHOA BJ PENN
15 YEARS & OVER
1ST - BRANDON PARKS BJ PENN
2ND - SEBASTIAN MARICONDA PAPAKOLEA
3RD - KEPONO GOWAN AJI-MAKAKILO
KIDS NO-GI INTERMEDIATE
7-8 YEARS
1ST - TENIYA ALO RELSON GRACIE KANEOHE
2ND - MYKAH KURATANI O2
3RD - MAVEN WALKER PAPAKOLEA
9-10 YEARS
1ST - TESHYA ALO RELSON GRACIE KANEOHE
2ND - ZORICH PALIMO'O RELSON GRACIE KANEOHE
3RD - JD WALKER PAPAKOLEA
13-14 YEARS
1ST - BRYAN PERALTA RELSON GRACIE KANEOHE
2ND - NAHOA SALERA RELSON GRACIE KANEOHE
3RD - JACOB PALIMO'O RELSON GRACIE KANEOHE
15 YEARS & OVER
1ST - BRENSON WAILEHUA-HANSEN NOVA UNIAO
2ND - NOAH CRONIN RELSON GRACIE KANEOHE
3RD - AUSTIN STREADBECK KODENKAN
SCHOOLS
BJ PENN ACADEMY 27
BRAZILIAN FREESTYLE 43
HMC 3
NOVA UNIAO 30
ICON 3
GRAPPLING UNLIMITED 9
CENTRAL OAHU 14
NORTH SHORE 5
LONGMAN 42
KAMOLE 12
KGJJ 4
MAUI JJ 6
NEW LIFE 1
O2 MARTIAL ARTS ACADEMY 33
PAPAKOLEA FIGHT CLUB 19
RELSON GRACIE KANEOHE 46
RELSON GRACIE MAIN 17
TEAM HK 10
KTI 3
N/A 5
AJI-MAKAKILO 1
GRACIE BARRA-ALASKA 2
ISLAND WARRIORS FREESTYLE 4
KODENKAN 4
OPEN DOOR BJJ 1
THE DOJO 1
WAIANAE VALE TUDO 1
Source: David Hatori
|
Kickin'
It Weigh Ins This Friday, Nov 16
Weigh in for Man up & Stand up
Friday November 16 2007
Tiger Muay Thai Gym
155 Sand Island Access Rd.
BE SURE NOT TO MISS THIS YEARS AMATEUR KICKBOXING CHAMPIONSHIPS
WHICH WILL FEATURE CHOKE TALENT. TWO TEENAGERS THAT WILL DEFINITELY
BE BRINGING MAJOR GAME WILL BE THE MATCH BETWEEN SHAWN ORTIZ
VS KANALOA COOKE. SHAWN IS THE HUMBLE KAPOLEI HIGH SCHOOLER WHO
HAS GAINED A LOT OF RESPECT THROUGHOUT THE YEAR FROM THE FANS
WITH HIS QUICK AND POWERFUL KICKS AND PUNCHES. KANALOA IS ALSO
QUICK AND POWERFUL FROM WAIANAE HIGH SCHOOL AND BRINGS HIS NO
RESPECT ATTITUDE WHEN HE FIGHTS AND SCORED A KNOCKOUT IN HIS
LAST FIGHT. BE THERE WHEN THESE TWO SET IT OFF WHEN THE BELL
RINGS FOR CLASS AT KALAHEO HIGH SCHOOL. THE MAIN EVENT WILL FEATURE
LONG TIME FIGHTER DEZ MINER VS JUNIOR SUA.DEZ HAS BEEN OFF OF
THE CIRCUIT FOR A LONG TIME DUE TO A BAD INJURY. BUT HES BACK
AND WILL FACE BAD BOY JUNIOR SUA WHO IS WELL KNOWN FOR BANGING
PEOPLE UP. THESE HEAVYWEIGHTS WILL NOT HAVE GOOD INTENTIONS AT
THE END OF THEIR KICKS AND PUNCHES. THIS FIGHT WILL PROBABLY
NOT GO TO THE SCORECARDS. HOPE TO SEE YOU THERE ON NOV 17.
JOHN MENDONSA NAKOA FIGHT CLUB WELTER WEIGHT THOMAS MATHIAS WAIANAE
KICKBOXING
2 - 2 CHAMPIONSHIP 4- 0
DAVID LUI HMC SUPER LIGHT WEIGHT JERELL MUNOZ HSD
HMC CHAMPIONSHIP HSD
4 -2 3 - 0
GARY REBILLIZSA INNER CIRCLE JR SUPERLIGHT WEIGHT MIKE UEMOTO
ANIMAL HOUSE
4-0 3-0
KOLOA KAHALEWAI TEAM ANILAND HEAVY WEIGHT ALIKA VELAROSA ANIMAL
HOUSE
3- 2 CHAMPIONSHIP 4-0
OTO TEAM ANILAND SUPER HEAVY WEIGHT KENJI SAITO ANIMAL HOUSE
3 - 2 CHAMPIONSHIP 3- 2
WAYNE PURVEY TEAM ISLAND THUNDER LIGHT HEAVY WEIGHT EZEKIEL LOPEZ
NAKOA FIGHT
2 -2 CHAMPIONSHIP 3 - 1
KANALOA COOKE DOGS FOR LIFE BANTAM WEIGHT SEAN ORTIZ KUAPA FIGHT
CLUB
1 -1 CHAMPIONSHIP 3 -0
TODD YOUNG I RUSH 170 TBA
JUNIOR TEAM ISLAND THUNDER 205 DEZ MINER FIVE O BOXING
JUSTIN KAHALEWAI TEAM ANILAND 90 LB CHAMPIONSHIP THEODORE WALLACE
TEAM RUTHLESS
1 -3 1 -0
CHAD VALENTINE HMC MIDDLE WEIGHT RICKY MURRILLO FREELANCE
2 -0 CHAMPIONSHIP 4 - 1
MAX HALLOWAY TEAM RUTHLESS LIGHT WEIGHT JUMAR ESCOSIO ANIMAL
HOUSE
3 - 0 CHAMPIONSHIP 2 - 2
JUSTLY LAQUIHON HMC 80 ANDREW MCCUE EAST OAHU
TAZ KAHALEWAI TEAM ANILAND 40 LB CHAMPIONSHIP ZION LISTA HMC
JOSH KEANU TEAM RUTHLESS 185 JOEY KMFS
KONA KE TEAM RUTHLESS 170 HOKU CUBAN NAKOA FIGHT CLUB
JENNA ODA TEAM ISLAND THUNDER 145 ALEXANDRIA AREVALO ANIMAL HOUSE
CHRIS HO TEAM ISLAND THUNDER 155 MIKE SANTOS HMC
ZANTE KANAHELE TEAM ANILAND 130 GENALYN GANABAN FREELANCE
DANIEL MADAYAG COMBAT 50 145 DEVRICK KAHALEWAI DOGS FOR LIFE
Source: Event Promoter
|
Quest
for Champions 2007
This Sunday!
Call 778-3601
or email kunltd@hotmail.com for more info!
|
UFC
78: Validation Preview
By Robert Rousseau
UFC 78: Validation will be coming to us all from the Prudential
Center in Newark, New Jersey on November 17, 2007. The main event?
How
about a bout featuring two former TUF Champions? That’s
right, Rashad Evans will be taking on Michael Bisping. Beyond
that, the card also features Ed Herman vs. Joe Doerksen in a
battle of excellent ground guys, Ryo Chonan vs. Karo Parisyan
in another former PRIDE versus UFC bout, and Houston Alexander
vs. Thiago Silva in what is sure to be a barnburner.
So,
let’s get started.
Michael
Bisping vs. Rashad Evans
What
Bisping brings to the table: Michael Bisping possesses an overall
mixed martial arts record of 14-0 with nine (T)KO and four submission
victories to his credit. In fact, the only fight where he didn’t
finish his opponent— against Matt “The Hammer”
Hamill— also so happens to be the one that holds the most
controversy. In other words, Bisping is coming off of a fight
that most people believe he lost.
Still,
Bisping is very good technically on his feet, with a strong set
of diverse striking skills. He’s also good on the ground,
with excellent submissions and submission defense. Further, he
trains hard and always comes to fight in shape. From a wrestling
perspective—takedowns, takedown defense, and ground control—Bisping
is good, but not great.
What
Evans brings to the table: Rashad Evans possesses an overall
MMA record of 10-0-1 with three (T)KO’s and two submission
victories to his credit. Evans is a very athletic fighter that
brings a load of explosiveness and power to any opponent he faces.
Along with this, he has outstanding takedowns, takedown defense,
and overall ground skills. In terms of striking, at present Evans
is good in a technical sense and ever- improving (see that knockout
kick against Sean Salmon for reinforcement). Further, he is powerful
but for some reason doesn’t knock many people out. Again,
though, he has been improving big time in that regard.
When
it comes to weaknesses, Evans does not have much in the line
of submission skills; though as of yet no one has been able to
catch him in a submission of their own. Further, Evans also always
comes to fight in shape and trains in a great camp: Jackson’s
Submission Fighting.
Prediction:
On their feet, this fight is probably pretty even. Whereas Bisping
may be a little more diverse right now, Evans probably has better
pure boxing skills. On the ground, Bisping has the better submission
skills. That said, catching Evans in a submission is going to
be quite hard, and from a wrestling perspective (takedowns, takedown
defense, and ground control) Evans has a big advantage.
Expect
those wrestling skills to come in handy for the former TUF 2
victor. Evans will succeed in doing much more damage than Matt
Hamill did to Bisping on the ground.
Evans
via unanimous decision.
Thiago
Silva vs. Houston Alexander
What
Silva brings to the table: Thiago Silva brings an overall MMA
record of 11-0 with nine (T)KO’s and one submission victory
into this match up. The record and specifics say a lot of the
story on him.
He’s
a highly aggressive fighter that uses his legs very well. In
other words, he’s good in the clinch with knees and uses
his kicks like baseball bats from a distance. His hands are also
solid; he’s just very good at all phases of the stand up
game.
Silva
also has good takedowns, better than good takedown defense, and
excellent submissions. Beyond that, he’s proven that he
has a jaw.
Silva
did get tired in his last fight against Tomasz Drwal in the second
round (though not as fatigued as his adversary). That said, the
pace was very fast in that fight, so it’s hard to know what
that means.
What
Alexander brings to the table: Here’s what we know on Houston
Alexander, a man that brings an overall MMA record of 8-1 with
five (T)KO’s and one submission victory (due to strikes)
into this one.
He
hits like a truck, uses his knees very effectively in the clinch,
is strong as an ox, and can take a monster shot and keep wheeling
(see the punch he took against Keith Jardine for proof).
Now
here are the questions: How are his ground skills, and what’s
his cardio like? He says they’re excellent. But then again,
what’s he supposed to say?
Prediction:
This is a tough one to call. Figure that Houston Alexander’s
strength and takedown defense will keep this one standing for
the most part through the early stages. In the clinch, this could
become scary as both guys use their knees very effectively. At
a far distance, Silva’s legs will probably do damage. Inside,
Alexander may have more power and speed in his fists.
Very
interesting. That said, Alexander seems to possess a rare level
of athleticism. If this one went deep into the second or third,
Silva’s kicks might slow Alexander down and win the fight
for him (either on the ground or standing). But Alexander may
just hit too hard for the fight to get that far.
Alexander
via TKO in round one.
Karo
Parisyan vs. Ryo Chonan
What
Parisyan brings to the table: Karo Parisyan brings an overall
MMA record of 17-5 with nine submission victories to his credit.
He possesses solid technical striking skills with limited but
improving power on his feet. However, his takedowns, particularly
of the judo variety, are top of the food chain and his submissions
are in an elite class.
Parisyan
comes hard from the opening bell until the end; he’s tough
as nails and has only been stopped once during his career. Though
he’s been bullied by stronger fighters in the past—
like Georges St. Pierre and Sean Sherk— his power has steadily
improved over time.
What
Chonan brings to the table: Ryo Chonan brings an overall MMA
record of 14-7 with five (T)KO’s and two submission victories
to his credit. In sum, Chonan is good at everything. He has good
wrestling skills, submission skills, technical striking skills,
and power. That said, Chonan isn’t really great at anything
consistently, even if he has shown glimpses of greatness in the
past, such as when he caught Anderson “The Spider”
Silva with a flying scissors heel hook.
Prediction:
This is an interesting fight. Parisyan could end up losing this
fight on his feet against Chonan via decision, as they’re
close in skill in that regard. However, guess is that Chonan
will be overwhelmed for at least part of this bout by Parisyan’s
unorthodox takedowns and the pace he sets. Though it’s doubtful
that Parisyan will catch Chonan in a submission—that has
only happened once before—it’s not impossible. Further,
when you throw in that this is the former PRIDE star’s first
appearance in the Octagon. . .
Parisyan
via unanimous decision.
Ed
Herman vs. Joe Doerksen
What
Herman brings to the table: Ed Herman sports an overall MMA record
of 13-5 with three (T)KO’s and nine submission victories
to his credit. In sum, he is very tough, demonstrates good cardio,
has excellent takedowns/ takedown defense, and has excellent
submission skills. In terms of striking, he’s solid as well.
The
knock on Herman is that he’s so aggressive that it sometimes
gets him caught in submissions. In other words, he’s been
prone to making mistakes on the ground in the past, and great
submission fighters have taken advantage.
What
Doerksen brings to the table: Doerksen brings an overall MMA
record of 39-10 with five (T)KO’s and 31 submission victories
into this match. In sum, he’s very experienced, demonstrates
good cardio, has excellent takedowns/ takedown defense, and also
possesses excellent submission/ jiu-jitsu skills. In addition,
his striking is solid.
It
should be noted that Joe Doerksen took this fight on somewhat
short notice.
Prediction:
Noticing that both fighters bring very similar skill sets into
this one? You bet they do. Back in 2004, Doerksen defeated Herman
via submission in the third round. That said, Herman has improved
a lot since then (TUF will do that).
On
the feet, this is pretty much a toss up. The thing is, however,
that this one will eventually go to the ground. Both fighters
are very good at takedowns and ground control. In terms of submissions
and jiu- jitsu, you could say the same thing.
Beyond
a fight against Jason “The Athlete” MacDonald where
he was physically overwhelmed, you have to go way back to the
Doerksen bout in 2004 to find another submission loss for Herman.
I don’t believe that Doerksen will physically overwhelm
him (it will have to be done technically if at all); thus, this
one is hard to call, but let’s go with a mild upset. Bet
on the fact that Herman is an improved fighter— even when
it comes to submission defense— over the last time these
two met. In addition, the fact that Doerksen took this fight
on relatively short notice may hurt him.
Herman
via unanimous decision.
BEST
OF THE REST
Thiago
Alves vs. Chris Lytle: Two excellent jiu-jitsu guys here. Lytle
holds a technical advantage on his feet, and they’re pretty
even in that regard on the ground. But Alves is the better and
more explosive athlete.
Alves
via decision.
Joe
Lauzon vs. Jason Reinhardt: Reinhardt is undefeated with excellent
submission skills. That said, he’s fought a lot of fights
at featherweight and bantamweight. Lauzon is a very big and strong
lightweight with very solid wrestling, jiu-jitsu, and striking.
Expect him to overwhelm his respectable adversary in this one.
Lauzon
via TKO late in round one.
Marcus
Aurelio vs. Luke Caudillo: Caudillo has been stopped six times
during his career via submission. Unfortunately for him, that’s
Aurelio’s specialty.
Aurelio
via rear naked choke in round two.
Akihiro
Gono vs. Tamdan McCrory: McCrory is undefeated and seems to have
good wrestling and submission skills. Gono is a survivor that
rarely gets stopped (remember how he came back in that bout against
Hector Lombard?). He’s just too experienced.
Gono
via decision.
Source: MMA Fighting
|
UFC
HOLDS FIGHTER DEVELOPMENT MEETINGS
by Damon Martin
As the sport of mixed martial arts grows, so does the growing
need for the fighters, who are now becoming financially sound
and successful full-time athletes, to understand the business
side of the industry they work in.
Recently,
the Ultimate Fighting Championship, the largest organization
in MMA, held meetings with many of their fighters and employees
to help educate and inform them on many business practices and
personal decisions they are now being faced with.
“This
thing was long overdue,” said UFC president Dana White about
the meetings. “We should have done this a couple of years
ago because we've got a lot of growing pains right now.
“I
have 100 employees just at Zuffa, and I have 250 fighters under
contract. (We’re) trying to keep everything under control
and communicating with everybody, so we brought the fighters
in and talked to them about everything. It was great. It was
good for them and it was good for us.”
The
UFC covered a great deal of subject matter according to White,
to help educate and inform the fighters in this ever-growing
industry.
“We
talked to them about steroids, about their contracts, about taxes,
about just everything, everything to do with the business. There're
guys who've been fighting in the UFC since 2001, since we bought
it, that didn't know a lot of the stuff. We explained why we
do a lot of the things that we do.”
The
meetings held by the UFC are similar in purpose to what both
the National Basketball Association’s Rookie Transition
Program and the National Football League’s Rookie Symposium
hope to achieve with new athletes entering their respective sports.
The
NBA’s program – the longest running of it’s kind
in any professional sport at over 20 years – is held for
new players entering the league over a six day period. They are
given first hand knowledge of what it means to play in the NBA,
taught about the pressures and demands of being a professional
athlete and participate in focus groups which include sessions
on media relations, personal development and education, legal
education, player development, and financial help and professionalism.
The
NFL also holds similar meetings with their new players to discuss
much of the same subject matter and help ease the transition
into the high profile world of professional sports.
The
UFC is the first MMA organization to publicly disclose information
about a meeting of this type held with its fighters and employees,
helping to further legitimize the fast growing sport by helping
its athletes understand the lifestyle and profession they now
occupy as UFC employees.
White
indicated the need for the meetings became even more apparent
after the recent resignation of heavyweight champion Randy Couture,
who stated numerous times when leaving the company that he felt
his concerns were not heard by the management of Zuffa, the parent
company for the UFC.
“First
of all, we had some growing pains,” said White, “and
I felt that we needed to talk to the fighters about what's going
on, what we're doing, why we do the things we do, and obviously
steroids was something we needed to talk about, and then the
whole Randy Couture thing happened.
“I
felt like there was obviously a lack of communication there that
I thought Randy and I had. That whole thing freaked me out, so
I wanted to talk to them all about that, too."
No
word has come from the UFC if this type of meeting will be an
ongoing effort or possibly a yearly session like those of the
NBA or NFL, but the message sent from the organization helps
show they are serious about the business of MMA and that they
want to educate the fighters under contract to them.
Source: MMA Weekly
|
Steward
done training Taylor after disappointing four-fight run
By Dan Rafael
ESPN.com
The decision is in: Hall of Fame trainer Emanuel Steward is out
as the trainer for former middleweight champion Jermain Taylor.
Their
disappointing four-fight run together is officially over, Steward
told ESPN.com on Monday.
Speculation
that Steward would be replaced has run rampant since Taylor lost
the middleweight title on a seventh-round knockout to Kelly Pavlik
on Sept. 29.
Taylor
said the move was made "three or four days ago" during
a telephone conversation with Ozell Nelson, Taylor's father figure
and assistant trainer. Nelson, who made the decision, is the
one who hired Steward in the first place.
Jermain
Taylor's loss to Kelly Pavlik, standing, all but guaranteed Emanuel
Steward would be replaced.
"I talked to Ozell. We have a very good relationship, but
he said he may try to [train Taylor] himself. I got no problem
with that," Steward said. "If he wanted me to do it,
I would do it. He said he might try to do it himself. It's not
a bad decision. I'm real fine with it."
While
Nelson could take over training duties on his own, a Taylor camp
source told ESPN.com that there has been contact made with Pat
Burns to gauge his interest in returning to train Taylor. Burns
guided Taylor to a 25-0 record, the middleweight championship
and both victories against Bernard Hopkins in 2005. But Nelson,
whose relationship with Burns is not strong, made the decision
to fire him and bring in Steward with much fanfare in the spring
of 2006.
Steward
said one of the key concerns he and Nelson talked about was his
training schedule. If Steward remained with Taylor it would mean
preparing three fighters for major fights in three weeks, not
to mention the accompanying rigorous training camps.
Pavlik
(32-0, 29 KOs) and Taylor (27-1-1, 17 KOs) are scheduled for
a Feb. 16 rematch. But if welterweight titlist Kermit Cintron
defeats Jesse Feliciano on Nov. 23, and Cintron is a big favorite,
Steward will be preparing Cintron for a Feb. 2 unification bout
with Paul Williams. Steward also trains heavyweight titleholder
Wladimir Klitschko, who is going to fight Sultan Ibragimov in
a Feb. 23 unification fight.
"It's
very hard to do that with that schedule and do what is necessary
to do with Jermain," Steward said. "He really needs
to be with me right now because he needs to be going over and
over and over things so he does things automatically in the rematch
and doesn't have to think about what to do. It would mean coming
with me now and Jermain is not the kind of guy to do that. Ozell
said he thinks he has retained enough of what he saw me working
on with Jermain to do it himself."
Said
Lou DiBella, Taylor's promoter and longtime friend of Steward's,
"I don't think this move is a referendum on Emanuel Steward.
He's one of the greatest trainers in the game. But I think with
Cintron and Klitschko also fighting that month that Emanuel has
his hands full with two other champions. Things didn't click
as well as they could have and Emanuel thought that Jermain often
didn't follow his instruction. Obviously, he's a great trainer,
but sometimes a trainer and a fighter don't have the requisite
chemistry."
DiBella
refused to address the question of who would replace Steward.
A
news conference had been tentatively scheduled to announce Pavlik-Taylor
II on Tuesday in New York, but it was canceled. Part of the reason
was the uncertainty about who would train Taylor. Pavlik is also
recovering from a household accident last week in which he put
both of his hands and arms through a glass window and required
108 stitches, an injury that is not expected to delay the rematch.
The
Taylor-Steward pairing just never seemed to click. They had an
abbreviated training camp for their first fight together, Taylor's
controversial draw with difficult southpaw Winky Wright. Then
came decision victories against Kassim Ouma and Cory Spinks,
fights against junior middleweights for which Taylor's lackluster
performance was roundly criticized. They were followed by the
brutal knockout loss to Pavlik.
"I
told Ozell if he needs any advice or just wants to talk, I'll
be glad to," Steward said. "We finished up saying that
he might try training Jermain himself and I wished them good
luck."
Source: ESPN/Fight Opinion
|
Wand
caught in crossfire
Discord between UFC and Couture affects the Brazilian
As
it is public and notorious, the rescission of tough old man Randy
Couture and the UFC was not the most amicable, as there were
accusations from both parties and harsh words exchanged between
the wrestler and Dana White. The matters do not seem to be resolved,
though, and Wand, who trains at Xtreme Couture gym, belonging
to the former heavyweight champion, has ended up falling into
the mix.
Wand
was called on to do a special for the UFC that will air in December
as part of promotions for the fight with Chuck Liddell, but filming
was not allowed to take place in Randy’s gym. So the Brazilian
had to go, along with his training partners, to the organization’s
official gym, and even so Wanderlei and the other members of
his team, who wore shirts bearing the name of Couture’s
gym, were told to remove the clothing.
Source: Gracie Magazine
|
Quote
of the Day
"Life
is a succession of moments. To live each one is to succeed."
Corita Kent, 1918-1986, American Artist and Sister of the Immaculate
Heart of Mary
|
2007
Abu Dhabi Submission Wrestling Champ Rani Yahya Seminar at O2
Martial Arts Academy
This Wednesday,
11/14!
Thanks to Burton Richardson, who has arranged a No Gi Submission
Wrestling seminar with the best submission grappler in the world
and active MMA fighter, Rani Yahya. Rani has a myriad of titles
in submission grappling, but is most known for coming out of
no where after living and training with Rickson Gracie to win
the Brazilian Abu Dhabi trials only to come short that year (2005).
However 2007 was going to be different and Rani dethroned multiple
time champ Leo Vierra to capture the title and bragging rights
of being the world's best submission grappler. Rani has also
been regularly competing in MMA and was featured on WEC Wreckage
competing in MMA, most notably beating UFC veteran, Mike Hominick.
Here are the
details of this once in a lifetime seminar!
What: 2007 Abu Dhabi Submission Wrestling Champion, Rani Yahya
No Gi Submission Wrestling Seminar
When: Wednesday, November 14, 2007
Time: 6:00 - 8:00PM
Where: O2 Martial Arts Academy
98-019 Kam Hwy, #206A (second floor)
Aiea, Hawaii 96701
(between Best Buy and Cutter Ford Aiea)
Who: Everyone is welcome to attend!
Cost: $40 per person
|
ELITEXC
RESULTS
Noons Wins
EliteXC Belt, Support Widespread for Slice in Corpus Christi
Report
and photos by Keith Mills
November
10th, 2007
American
Bank Center, Corpus Christy, TX-KJ Noons may have won the inaugural 160 pound
belt but it was Kimbo Slice, in his pro debut, that received
the biggest response from the crowd on this night of fights broadcast
on the Showtime cable channel. Overall it was a good show with
very high production values featuring three UFC vets and several
up-and-comers likely to make the rankings in the next year.
Noons
defeated UFC and Pride vet Nick Diaz via doctor stoppage between
the first and second rounds due to a nasty cut Noons inflicted
with a knee as Diaz shot in for a takedown. Nick did not take
the stoppage well, climbing over the fence to leave the cage
where he walked down the ramp and turned to give the arena the
bird with both hands, before stomping out. Noons doesn’t
expect to defend his belt until the second quarter of ’08,
but plans on staying busy, returning to boxing through the winter.
Kimbo
Slice may have been training too well with Bas Rutten as he used
just four punches to get Bo Cantrell to tap in just 0:19 in an
anti-climactic break for the Miami brawler. Cantrell came out
with a spinning backfist, backed against the cage, took two shots
to the head to go to the mat and two more while tapping as the
referee swooped in to end the debacle. Slice looks like he is
taking the sport seriously but fans will have to wait until next
time to judge for sure.
In
one of the closest match-ups of the evening former Shooto and
Rumble on the Rock Champion Jake Shields took a step closer to
earning a third belt as he defeated former WEC Champion and IFL
vet Mike Pyle. For half the round Pyle was holding his own, but
once Jake got the Extreme Couture fighter to the ground, he relentlessly
advanced position until he sunk in the choke. Jake just signed
a four-fight contract so expect to see him build to a title shot
relatively quickly.
Also
of note on this card Yves Edwards broke his downward slide as
he picked up a rear choke win over Nick Gonzales. Edwards recently
joined American Top Team but few expected the UFC and Pride vet
to actually take Gonzales down but that is exactly what Yves
did. Now that Yves is training with the likes of Jorge Masvidal,
Aaron Riley, and Mike Brown and has also signed a fairly lengthy
contract with ProElite, expect Yves to build to a fight for the
160 belt sometime next summer.
Full
Results
Jae
Suk Lim def Daniel Pineda 2:42 R1 by Submission (rear-naked-choke)
Brett Rogers def Ralph Kelley 1:45 R1 by Submission (strikes)
Matt Lucas def Jon Kirk by Unanimous Decision
Yves Edwards def Nick Gonzalez 3:05 R1 by Submission (rear-naked-choke)
Geoff Bumstead def Robert Ruiz 1:30 R1 by Submission (rear-naked-choke)
Antonio Silva def Jonathan Wiezorek 3:12 R1 by Submission (rear-naked-choke)
Kyle Noke def Seth Kleinbeck 4:22 R2 by TKO (cut)
Jake Shields def Mike Pyle 3:39 R1 by Submission (rear-naked-choke)
Kimbo Slice def Bo Cantrell 0:19 R1 by TKO
KJ Noons def Nick Diaz 5:00
R1 by TKO (doctor stoppage due to cut)
Source: FCF
|
UFC
offers Couture a title defense against Nogueira
By MMAFighting.com
It's up to UFC heavyweight champion Randy Couture to decide if
he wants to defend his title against Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira.
"We
officially offered it to him and we haven't heard back yet,"
UFC President Dana White said in a media call.
After
separate press conferences late October to tell each other's
side of the Couture resignation story without meeting personally
to reconcile, there should be some sort of progress between the
UFC and Couture in the near future.
"We
should know this week," said White. "[Couture] texted
me yesterday and said he wants to sit down and talk with me."
Unlike
the lightweight title belt situation, White does not plan to
have to promote an interim heavyweight title bout. But if Couture
does not take the fight, White previously said that the number
one and two contenders would fight for the vacant title.
"Randy’s
going to make a decision one way or the other," White said.
"We’re going to meet and talk and see where we’re
at."
Source: MMA Fighting
|
Bowe
throwing his hat into world of MMA
‘Big Daddy’ first former heavyweight champ to try the
cage
MIXED MARTIAL ARTS NOTEBOOK
By David A. Avila
MSNBC contributor
HOLLYWOOD, CA. - It was a surreal sight to find former heavyweight
world champion boxer Riddick Bowe standing near the entrance
to a mixed martial arts fight card in the back lot of an old
Hollywood motion picture studio that is now a nightclub.
But
there he was “Big Daddy” the former scourge of prizefighting
who retired for a period of eight years then returned with a
fight here and there.
Bowe
wants to return again, but not to boxing, he’s throwing
his hat into the world of MMA.
“I’ve
got to make a living for my family,” said Bowe, 40, who
is a two-time heavyweight champion in professional boxing.
Xcess
Entertainment signed Bowe to fight exclusively for them beginning
on Dec. 12. Though no site has been confirmed the former boxer
is targeted for that fight card in California.
“If
Evander Holyfield can fight so can I,” said Bowe citing
his former foe’s age of 45. “I just turned 40.”
Bowe
will not be the first former world champion boxer to try the
cage, 46-year-old Ray Mercer is a former WBO titleholder who
participated in an MMA fight and was submitted by Kimbo Slice
this year. But Bowe and his promoters hope to get the former
boxer prepared by next month.
“We
have Riddick Bowe training with Mark Kerr in Los Angeles,”
said Bruce Valachi, CEO for Xcess Fighting. “He should learn
a lot from Kerr.”
As
a boxer, the Brooklyn-born Bowe was known for his size, speed
and power that enabled him top take two of three wins over Holyfield
during the early 1990s. Experts said he was one of the most talented
heavyweights ever seen.
“It
was incredible to see a man that large throw punches that fast,”
said Leonard Castillon, 93, who saw Joe Louis, Muhammad Ali and
Larry Holmes fight. “He had all of the tools.”
When
Bowe (42-1, 33 KOs) suddenly walked away from professional boxing
in 1996, more than a few people were glad. Mostly because Bowe
had engaged in a number of rough and tumble clashes against some
of the best in the heavyweight division at the time including
two with Poland’s Andrew Golata, three with Holyfield, and
bouts against Herbie Hide, Larry Donald, Michael Dokes and Pierre
Coetzer.
The
amiable fighter returned to the ring in 2004 and won a quick
knockout over Marcus Rhode. A year later Bowe returned to fight
Billy Zumbrun a small but well-schooled fighter and won a hard-fought
split-decision in Temecula. Other fights were planned with his
name mentioned in several fight cards.
“They
were all just rumors,” said Bowe, as he sat inside the mammoth
nightclub with his daughter in tow. “Nobody wanted to let
me fight. They said I have brain damage or something, but it’s
not true. I just want to fight.”
Bowe knows he needs to learn the finer points of MMA including
submissions and defense against submissions. He also knows that
his large frame must be reduced so that he can move and increase
his stamina. But he feels he has an advantage.
“I
got these two fast hands,” says Bowe raising his fists.
“If I touch you with these someone is going out quick.”
With
the music blaring and lights flickering in and out during the
fight card, more than a few people shouted “Big Daddy”
who would wave hello and shake hands with all of the well wishers.
Most express surprise that he’s returning to fight but not
in boxing, in MMA.
“I’ve
got to make a living,” says Bowe.
Source: Fight Opinion
|
UFC
PRES ADDRESSES SHERK, COUTURE, AND MORE
by Ken Pishna
Ultimate Fighting Championship president Dana White and several
of his fighters addressed the media on Monday. While much of
the talk centered on this weekend’s UFC 78 event in Newark,
N.J., White also addressed several other pressing issues.
With
the recent announcement that lightweight champion Sean Sherk’s
appeal hearing before the California State Athletic Commission
has been pushed back yet again, to Dec. 4, and the B.J. Penn
vs. Joe Stevenson fight at UFC 80 proclaimed a bout for the interim
lightweight title, Sherk’s situation is right at the fore.
Ever
since it came to light that Sherk had tested positive for steroids
following his July 7 title defense, White has shown public support
for his champion.
“He
looked me in the eye and told me like a man, ‘I didn’t
do it.’ I believe him,” said the UFC president in early
August. “I don’t think he’s a liar. I don’t
think he’s a cheater. He’s a good guy, he works hard
and I’m going to take his word for it.”
As
recently as Nov. 2, Yahoo! Sports’ Kevin Iole was reporting
that White said he would not strip Sherk of his title. But even
though he has still publicly supported Sherk, as the case has
continued to draw out, it appears that stripping him of his title
has one again become an option.
In
announcing the interim title fight, White stated, “The belt
can’t be in limbo for this long. I’ve said since the
beginning that I believe in Sean Sherk, but we have to support
the athletic commission in whatever decision they make.”
He
added to that during Monday’s conference call.
“B.J.
Penn and Joe Stevenson are going to fight for the interim title.
We'll see what happens with Sherk. If Sherk is found guilty,
we'll support the (California) State Athletic Commission and
he'll probably be stripped of his title. If not, then he'll keep
his title and it will be champion vs. champion.”
If
that weren’t enough, the UFC has also had to deal with the
discord with its heavyweight champion, Randy Couture, who suddenly
“resigned” from the promotion in early October.
Following
several public statements and presentations from both sides expressing
disappointment over the situation, recent speculation is that
Mark Cuban’s new fight promotion, HDNet Fights, has offered
Couture a position within the company and that he is close to,
if not already, accepting the offer.
White
however, indicated that the UFC has offered its champion a title
defense and is awaiting a response.
“We
officially offered it to him and we haven't heard back yet. We
should know this week. He (sent me a text message) yesterday
and said he wants to sit down and talk.”
Asked
if there would possibly be an interim belt issued for the heavyweight
division as well, White was emphatic that would not happen.
“No.
Randy's going to make a decision one-way or the other. We're
going to get together next week, I think, and talk and see where
we're at.”
OTHER
NOTES OF INTEREST
–
The next UFC Fight Night is currently scheduled for Jan. 23.
No location or bout details were given.
–
The UFC has started to focus on sanctioning in the state of New
York. White said that the promotion plans on being in New York
by late 2008 or early 2009.
–
The UFC plans on returning to Florida in 2008, as well. A city
and date have yet to be determined, but it is likely to be a
pay-per-view event held in a city other than Hollywood, where
the promotion has run several UFC Fight Nights.
–
White declined comment on talks regarding a network television
deal – the UFC is believed to be in talks with CBS –
other than to say, “I'm talking to a lot of people right
now. One thing we've always done is we've always taken this thing
to another level every year. Wait until you see what we're going
to do in 2008.”
Source: MMA Weekly
|
Mailer
is dead, The Fight lives
The greatest piece ever written about a fight is the legacy left
to the fight world by the American writer
By Luca Atalla
It
was with a book not mentioned in his usual obituaries that the
American writer Norman Mailer, who passed on Saturday, at 84,
made his greatest contribution to the world of fighting.
“The
Fight” recounts the epic battle, as told by Mailer, between
Mohammed Ali and George Foreman in Zaire, in 1974. And in it,
masterfully, he takes down in one fell swoop two journalism’s
myths: objectivity and impartiality.
Narrated
in the third person, with Norman Mailer himself as the main character,
the book doesn’t purport to be factual, but is about the
character’s (Mailer’s) impressions regarding an event
beyond compare, politically charged, taking place in Africa during
the wee hours, and the outcome of which surprised even the most
knowledgeable of boxing analysts.
An
undisguised fan of Ali, the controversial former candidate for
New York City mayor even goes to great lengths in trying to forecast
the bouts outcome in his fighter’s favor.
Biased
but exempt, Mailer names a number of Ali’s weaknesses, and
even ridicules the eventual winner’s physical form. During
the last jog before the fight, he himself, after a night out
and several shots of whiskey, is able to keep up with the challenger
for more than half the distance.
On
preparations for the bout of historical significance, the text
is immortal and true to the technique of Mailer, who decides
the placement of each word in every sentence not by instinct,
but based on a myriad of references, and the conception of how
they should fit together appropriately.
If
“The Fight” being listed alongside “The Naked
and the Dead”, “The Executioner’s Song” and
others of the writer’s most famous works, has something
to do with this week’s chronicle by Sports Illustrated columnist
Rick Reilly, it would be academic hubris to the sport.
Mailer
was unable to write the definitive novel, as his critics point
out, perhaps because “The Naked and the Dead” drew
a lot from Tolstoy and Dostoyevsky, as the author himself admitted.
Nor
can we push it and say the testimony about the behind-the-scenes
of the Ali vs Foreman fight is to boxing as Hemingway’s
“The Old Man and the Sea” is to fishing.
But
even so, “The Fight” is the ultimate piece about a
fight.
Source: Gracie Magazine
|
Quote
of the Day
"To
be on a quest is nothing more or less than to become an asker
of questions."
Sam Keen, American Author/Professor/Philosopher
|
Internet
brawler Slice takes aim at MMA pros
Longtime street fighter makes EliteXC debut Saturday
By Brian Fritz
For years, Kimbo Slice has been an Internet sensation for his
backyard brawls, battering and bruising complete strangers. Now,
fight fans will get to find out if he has the skills to be a
true professional.
Slice,
whose real name is Kevin Ferguson, signed a long-term deal with
EliteXC on Oct. 11th. He will make his debut for the promotion
Saturday night at "EliteXC: Renegade" at American Bank
Center in Corpus Christi, Texas. The event will air on Showtime
at 10 p.m.
Slice
was initially set to fight Mike Bourke, but Bourke withdrew from
the bout after breaking his clavicle during training. Bo Cantrell,
a journeyman fighter who lost his last fight to Brad Imes on
Oct. 27, will take Bourke's place.
For years, Slice has been smashing up opponents in underground
street fights, taking on all comers just about anywhere -- whether
it be in a backyard, basement or parking lot. He has gained cult-like
status for these fights, many of them recorded and posted on
the Internet on popular sites like You Tube.
Now,
Slice has given up his life on the streets and is hoping to make
a career out of being a professional mixed martial arts fighter.
"In
a backyard fight, I used to enter those things high," Slice
said. "I was smoking before I went out to fight. Now it's
different. I know these guys that are fighting me are professionals.
So I have to bring my 'A' game."
Slice
made his professional MMA debut in June against former WBO heavyweight
boxing champion and Olympic gold medalist Ray Mercer. The fight
was scheduled to be an exhibition bout, but Slice took it very
seriously, quickly defeating Mercer with a guillotine choke at
1:12 in the first round.
In
fact, he is so serious about the sport that he is now training
with three-time King of Pancrase and former UFC heavyweight champion
Bas Rutten to improve his overall skills and develop some new
ones.
"I'm
ready for anything coming my way," said Slice. "My
groundwork is superb. I'm an all-around fighter. I'm no longer
one-dimensional. I'm not going to stand there and bang. Working
with Bas, that's like, man, he's like the Jimmy Johnson, the
John Madden of NFL."
Fight
fans have been strangely attracted to the 33-year old Slice,
who has a unique way to entertain people with his straightforward
fighting style and his brute honesty.
"I'm
a professional now in my life and I'm taking this thing serious,
man," Slice said. "A guy put me in an arm bar, you've
got to break that [expletive] off. I'm not just tapping out.
I don't know what tapping out is."
One
thing that does make Slice seem like other professional MMA fighters
is that he has set the same goal.
"Getting
a title is the ultimate reason for all of us doing this,"
he said. "To get a nice payday and have that belt around
our waist to consider ourselves a true champion. And that's what
it's about with me, man."
The
main event at EliteXC: Renegade will feature Nick Diaz and KJ
Noons in a fight for the 160-pound title. This will easily be
the biggest bout of Noons' career against the skilled and crafty
veteran Diaz.
"I've
been training my butt off hours every day so I don't know how
much more I'll have to train to get ready for it" Noons
said. "But come Nov. 10, 'm going to be ready for everything
because Nick Diaz brings a well-rounded, all-around game -- striking,
clinch, wrestling, submissions. He's a great all-around fighter."
Source: Baltimore Sun
|
UFC
open to the idea of stripping Sherk of his 155-lb. title
By MMAFighting.com
UFC President Dana White has stood behind Sean Sherk from the
start, and though he'll continue to do so, he said today that
he will back the California State Athletic Commission’s
final decision regarding Sherk's appeal.
"We'll
see what happens with Sherk," White said. "If Sherk
is found guilty, we'll support the Commission and he'll probably
be stripped of the title. If not, he'll keep his title and it
will be champion versus champion."
The
Commission recently postponed Sherk's next hearing until December
4 to decide whether it will reduce or uphold Sherk's sentence.
Sherk
was suspended one year and fined $2,500 for testing positive
for the anabolic steroid Nandrolone Metabolite following his
UFC 73 win over Hermes Franca. Sherk has maintained his innocence,
hiring high-profile defense attorney Howard Jacobs to represent
him.
White
has already booked B.J. Penn vs. Joe Stevenson for the interim
UFC 155-lb. title on January 19, 2008 at UFC 80: Rapid Fire in
Newcastle, England. The winner between Penn-Stevenson will face
Sherk to unify the two lightweight titles if Sherk keeps the
title. In the event Sherk is stripped of his title, the winner
will be crowned the champion.
Source: MMA Fighting
|
HOUSTON
ALEXANDER IS ALL ABOUT PERSPECTIVE
by Damon Martin
Big wins and title fights are vital to anyone competing in the
Ultimate Fighting Championship, but for Houston Alexander it’s
always been family first and fighting is just the icing on the
cake.
With
all the focus on the fight game, many people have recently learned
more about the life and background the light heavyweight fighter,
including his household chores that keep him busy when he’s
not training or working as a deejay in his home state of Nebraska.
“I
guess it’s kind of cool for everybody to find out that one
of the hardest hitting guys in the UFC actually vacuums,”
said Alexander in an interview with MMAWeekly Radio. “I
can run a mean vacuum.”
He
stays focused on his fighting career by knowing what real pressure
feels like on an everyday basis.
“You
want pressure … take care of some kids,” he said. “Cause
the fighting part is easy.”
While
the physical parts of fighting usually take the forefront, it’s
the mental aspect that can make or break many competitors. At
35 years of age, Alexander is focused and ready for whatever
the UFC will put in front of him.
“It’s
very important,” he said about the mental side of fighting.
“Fortunately, I have maybe 75 to 80% of that mental game
down pat. I’m glad I’m 35 years old. A lot of people
say ‘oh, well, 35-years-old is too old in MMA.’
“Well,
look at Randy Couture. I think at 35-years-old you’re a
lot more grounded. I think you have a few more responsibilities,
so you’ve actually got something to fight for.”
What
Alexander has to fight for is six children at home that call
him “Dad” and he’s already made decisions in life
that most will never have to face.
“In
2000, my daughter needed a kidney and a lot of people ask, ‘why
does he have this scar on the side of his stomach?’ Well
the scar on the side of my stomach is from me giving my daughter
a kidney in 2000,” he explained. “When your kids need
something like that, you don’t think twice.”
The
Nebraskan is quick to point out that 2007 has been a blessing
for him and his family and he hopes to keep things on pace with
his upcoming bout at UFC 78 in Newark, N.J.
“The
fight with Keith (Jardine), the fight with (Alessio) Sakara,
all this happened for a reason and if my reason is to bring some
type of excitement to the UFC to kind of jumpstart it a little
bit, if that’s my job, so be it.”
His
opponent in New Jersey will be Chute Boxe and Team Link fighter
Thiago Silva, who is currently sporting an undefeated record
and fights with a tremendous amount of intensity.
“Thiago
(Silva) likes to come out the same way,” said Alexander.
“He likes to come out and start striking from the footage
I’ve seen and I like doing the same. If you’ve got
two guys who like doing the same thing, you’re going to
find some fireworks somewhere in the fight.”
In
his two fights so far in the UFC, Alexander has dispatched of
his opponents in a total of less than two minutes and he’s
looking for another quick finish against Silva.
“Here’s
a hint. We’re trying to keep it under two minutes,”
he said with confidence. “Even after this third fight, we’re
trying to keep it under two minutes.”
Always
ready for a three-round fight, Alexander says the hard training
is almost over and the fight with Silva will be the payoff and
he promises an exciting fight.
“I
know what you can expect from me. It’s balls to the wall
with me. I’m going to get it on until someone’s passing
out or tapping out.”
Source: MMA Weekly
|
Marcelo
Garcia to compete at Super Challenge Grappling event
From B-Tough
Away
of MMA until the end of the year, Garcia may fight in the absolute
tournament
Super
Challenge Grappling is trying its best to promote the most important
submission tournament ever. In order to accomplish this, the
promoted has hired BJJ ace and superb grappler Marcelo Garcia,
the three-time ADCC champion (under 76kg) and runner-up in Absolute
2007. Garcia, who will not fight in MMA until the end of the
year (due to a nasty cut suffered his HERO’s MMA debut fight
in South Korea), is seriously considering the possibility of
being featured in this Brazilian tournament. His coach, Fabio
Gurgel, stated that Super Challenge Grappling would help his
pupil stay active while waiting for his next MMA booking in HEROs.
This opportunity in Super Challenge Grappling could give Garcia
his first absolute win.
“Garcia
wants to focus in MMA, but he’ll only comeback in 2008.
Because of this, I think it’s important that he takes part
in Super Challenge Grappling, which will be a great submission
tournament, After the MTL Finals, at next Nov. 10th, I’m
going to NY to chat with him about this> possibility,”
revealed Gurgel, who also said that Garcia’s chances of
entering the tournament will depend on how well his cut heals
(which required over 100 stitches).
If
Garcia is booked in the tournament, he will join a list of high-level
grapplers booked (such as Demian Maia, Fabricio Werdum, and Robert
Drysdale). Also confirmed is Ronaldo “Jacare” Souza,
Jeff Monson, and Delson Pe-de-Chumbo. Super Challenge Grappling
will take place at Clube Athletico Pauloistano on December 8th
in Sao Paulo, Brazil. 8 Brazilian and 8 foreign fighters will
try to win prize money of $15,000 USD for first place in this
absolute competition.
Source: Fight Opinion
|
3
questions with Rudimar Fedrigo
Master comments on training with Sakuraba
Rudimar
Fedrigo never stops. It’s not enough to just be responsible
for team Chute Boxe, Big Máster, as he is known to his
students, has acquired a position at the Secretariat of Sports
of Curitiba. A lot of hustle and bustle, but nothing that can
keep GRACIEMAG.com from contacting Fedrigo to find out about
three hot subjects of the moment. Here goes:
What
was the team like regarding the Fabrício Werdum vs Gabriel
Napao fight?
As
soon as Dana White proposed the fight, I talked on the phone
to Macaco, who is an important member of the team, and we agreed
the fight would be good for both parties. So we are training
Werdum a lot, he went to Porto Alegre, where his son was born,
and he’s now back here more motivated than ever. We like
Napao, but we’re working real hard for Werdum to go there
and manage the win.
Is
a certain Japanese fighter training with the team again?
Sakuraba
is back here with us, and he stays till the 12th. We signed an
inclusive deal with his gym, and from now on when Chute Boxe
athletes go over there, they will be able to train at Sakuraba’s
team’s facilities. He came over with folks from the TV and
his team, guys that are always coming over here and also like
Brazil a lot, and that is important for the country’s image
abroad, as Sakuraba is a great star, very influential in Japan.
The Japanese channel TBS also came over to shoot, and they did
a report on the new generation from the team, athletes from 15
to 19 years of age that are promising, and they liked what they
saw. Besides modeling themselves on the established stars, these
kids have a much greater rhythm of disputing championships, they
compete in Jiu-Jitsu, muay thai, and this makes them develop
technically very quickly.
And
what about your work at the Secretariat of Sports, how’s
that going?
I’ve
been budgeting my time well, and I’m working over there.
I feel that Curitiba is a revolutionary city in terms of lawmaking
that could be good for the martial arts. For example, it’s
the first place in the country to prohibit circus shows using
caged animals, to defend the animals from poor treatment. Now
the cages the guys in MMA know about, those ones you can be sure
I will defend, as fighting is our thing. (laughs)
Source: Gracie Magazine
|
LOTTERY
TO DECIDE MIDDLEWEIGHT TOURNEY BRACKETS
November
12, 2007; San Jose, CA…. A lottery ball drawing, which will
take place immediately following the fighter weigh-ins at the
HP Pavilion’s The Grill restaurant on Thursday, the eve
of Strikeforce’s mixed martial arts mega-card, will determine
the tournament brackets for Friday’s historic, four-man
middleweight (185 lb. limit) tournament.
Tournament
competitors Trevor Prangley (16-4), Falaniko “Niko”
Vitale (24-7), Yuki Sasaki (21-13-1), and Jorge Santiago (14-7)
will each draw one of four balls, numbered “1” through
“4,” and, then, one by one, choose which location in
the single-elimination tournament draw they wish to occupy. The
first choice will be given to the fighter who draws the ball
numbered 1, the second choice to the fighter who draws ball number
2, and so forth.
Each
tournament bout will consist of two, five-minute rounds. The
victor of the first-ever sanctioned mixed martial arts tournament
in the state of California will potentially be awarded the opportunity
to challenge Strikeforce World Middleweight Champion, Frank Shamrock.
In
other action on the Strikeforce mixed martial arts mega-card
presented by BodogFIGHT, heavyweight superstars Paul “The
Headhunter” Buentello (23-9) and Alistair “The Demolition
Man” Overeem (25-11) will battle to become the first Strikeforce
world heavyweight mixed martial arts champion in history.
Unbeaten
world kickboxing champion and mixed martial artist Cung Le (20-0)
will make his highly-anticipated return to the cage for a middleweight
(185 lb. limit) showdown with The Ultimate Fighter Season 2 star
Sam “The Squeeze” Morgan (19-8).
World
Light Heavyweight Kickboxing Champion Brian “The Mad Stork”
Schwartz (18-0) will step in the cage for the first time in his
16-year professional fighting career to face Lemont Davis (8-4)
in a 175 lb. limit matchup.
Tickets
for the Strikeforce extravaganza are on sale at Ticketmaster
(408-998-TIXS) and Ticketmaster online (www.ticketmaster.com)
as well as at the HP Pavilion box office (408-287-7070). Ticket
prices range from $30 to $200.
HP
Pavilion doors will open for Strikeforce “Four Men Enter,
One Man Survives” at 5:30 PM PST on Friday, November 16th.
The first preliminary bout will begin at 6 PM and the first tournament
bout will commence at 7:30 PM.
About
Strikeforce
Strikeforce
is a world-class mixed martial arts cage fight promotion which,
on Friday, March 10, 2006, 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 a sold-out, record crowd of 18,265. Since 1995,
Strikeforce has been the exclusive provider of martial arts programming
for ESPN and, after 12 years of success as a leading, world championship
kickboxing promotion, the company unveiled its mixed martial
arts series with “Shamrock vs. Gracie.” Since then,
it has produced the first SHOWTIME PPV mixed martial arts event
in history with its world championship “Shamrock vs. Baroni”
card on June 22nd of this year followed by the first-ever mixed
martial arts event at the world-famous Playboy Mansion on September
29th.
For
More Information and Fighter Interviews, Contact:
Mike
Afromowitz
Strikeforce
(917) 566-8754
muaythaimes@aol
Source: Mike Afromowitz
|
Quote
of the Day
"We
need 4 hugs a day for survival. We need 8 hugs a day for maintenance.
We need 12 hugs a day for growth."
Virginia Satir, 1916-1988, American Psychotherapist and Author
|
Aloha
State BJJ Championships Today!
Sunday, November
11, 2007
Gym 1 at UH Manoa
Tournament Starts at 10:00 am
Good luck to all competitors and coaches!
Please remind everyone to register early and before Thursday,
8 November, so we can try to have brackets done before Saturday
(Day of weigh-ins) and ready for review by all competitors &
coaches/instructors.
Picture of the Final Conflict 2007 Aloha State BJJ Championship
Belt
Weigh-in and general information can be found on www.brazilian-freestyle.com or www.hawaiibjj.com or "mail-in"
form registration.
Also, the FAX has changed to (808) 941-8771 just in case someone
doesn't want to use the online registration and payment.
For further information, questions, or concerns, please contact
David K. Hattori at hawaiibjj@hotmail.com or #(808) 722-7243.
Source: David Hattori
|
X-1
"New Bloods" Results!
November
9th
Blaisdell Arena, Honolulu Hawaii
X-1 World Events
November 9, 2007
Neil S. Blaisdell
Honolulu Hawaii
By Michael Onzuka
Mike@onzuka.com
Promoter
Mike Miller, who is always willing to test out new ideas for
his event, has worked in mini concerts during the intermissions.
Local bands Ooklah the Moc and B.E.T. were showcased as well
as having a standing room VIP area in front of the stage and
a table area that fight fans could purchase with catered food
to sit, eat, drink, and be merry while watching some fights.
The card consisted of a number of amateur fights with a number
of up and coming kick boxers that have been dabbling in MMA with
some success in addition to some pros.
Local
fan favorite Doug Hiu, who it seemed that he brought the entire
arena for support, faced a muscular monster from Maui by the
name of Analu Brash for the X-1 Heavyweight Championship. Hiu
used some punches to enter and takedown his opponent a number
of times, but was not able to put Brash away. The tide would
turn and after weathering a storm, Brash would pound Hiu before
securing an Americana from the mount for the win.
The
night also included an 8-man 140 lb tournament consisting of
one 3 minute round. Newcomer Keola Silva came out with an impressive
physique and technique to match and was able to impose his wrestling
will with superior ground control and vicious ground and pound
to work his way through his opponents and secured the tournament
championship.
The
X-1 Featherweight championship changed hands and ground and pound
specialist and defending champion, Ed Newalu, returned to the
ring to defend his title against the "One Man Riot"
Kana Hyatt. Newalu was displaying textbook pounding from the
top and almost stopped the fight due to the punishment he was
dishing out. Hyatt remained defensive and found an opportunity
to slip to Newalu's back after a huge punch missed and secured
the back mount. Hyatt relentlessly went for the submission and
finally secured a rear naked choke to win the championship. Newalu,
in true championship form, lifted Hyatt on his shoulders and
carried him around the win and was extremely gracious in defeat.
This type of sportsmanship is much needed for the sport and is
too far in between in this writer's opinion.
The
main event saw a local fan favorite with UFC hopes by the name
of Mark Moreno face a UFC vet in Chad Reiner to help boost his
career. The beginning of the bout went as planned as Moreno peppered
Reiner and stuffed his take down attempts. Reiner was persistent
and avoided the knockout power for which Moreno is known. Finally,
Reiner took down Moreno and secured a straight arm bar for the
win. Luckily for Moreno, this fight was not for the title so
Moreno keeps his X-1 Welterweight Championship even though he
lost.
Fight
1 (2x3min)
Cisco Bringos VS Micah Ige
Cisco Bringos wins via arm bar from the guard at 1:47 into Rd
1
Fight 2 (2x3min)
Kaniela Ahnee Vs John Bernard
Kaniela Ahnee wins by split decision (20-18)(18-20)(20-18)
Fight
3 (2x3 min)
Kyle Kaahanui Vs Steve Farmer
Steve Farmer wins by submission 2:52 into the first round by
Americana key lock with legs from cross side
Fight
4 8-Man 140 lb Tournament
Willie DelaCerna VS Colin Mackenzie
Willie DelaCerna wins by unanimous decision
Fight 5 8-Man 140 lb Tournament
Chris Kutzen VS Keola Silva
Keola Silva wins by unanimous decision
Fight
6 8-Man 140 lb Tournament
Jared Iha VS Jay Bolos
Jared Iha wins by rear naked choke 1 min of first round
Fight
7 8-Man 140 lb Tournament
Nui Wheeler Vs William Armstrong
William Armstrong wins via split decision
Second
round of Tournament
Fight
8 Semifinal 8-Man 140 lb Tournament
Keola Silva Vs Willie DelaCerna
Keola Silva via unanimous decision
Fight
9 Semifinal 8-Man 140 lb Tournament
Jared Iha VS Colin Mackenzie
(Mackenzie was a replacement for William Armstrong who had a
cut over his eye and could not continue)
Jared Iha wins by key lock (Americana) 1:26 into round 1
Fight
10
Kristopher Knight VS Collin Manasanas
Collin Mansanas wins by TKO (Referee stoppage) at 1:58 into Round
1
Fight
11
Herman Santiago Vs Shaison Laupola
Herman Santiago wins by guillotine at 44 seconds in Round 1
Fight
12 Final of 8-Man 140 lb Tournament
Jared Iha VS Keola Silva
Keola Silva wins via decision and wins 8-man tournament.
Fight
13 (2x3 min)
Kawika Paul VS Jordan Patterson
Kawika Paul wins by TKO at 40 seconds into Round 1
Patterson dislocated his shoulder during the match and could
not continue.
Fight
14 (2x3 min)
Sean Sakata VS Ben Santiago
Sean Sakata Wins by rear naked choke at 53 seconds into Round
1
Fight
15 (3x3 min)
Brennan Kamaka VS Dirty Curty
Brenan Kamaka wins at 1:17 min in Round 1 after fighters were
stopped to be re-started in the middle of the ring and Curty
verbally submitted.
Fight
16
X-1 Heavyweight title (3x5 min)
Doug Hiu VS Analu Brash
Analu Brash wins the X-1 Heavyweight championship by submission
at 1:41 into Round 2 via Americana from mount
Fight
17
140lb Featherweight Title (3x5 min)
Kana Hyatt VS Ed Newalu
Kana Hyatt wins via rear naked choke 3:23 into Round 1
Main
Event (3X5) welterweight Title fight (3x5 min)
Mark "The Knockout Artist" Moreno VS Chad "The
Grinder" Reiner
Chad Renier wins via straight arm bar at 1:33 into Round 2
|
Born
to Brawl
by Josh Gross
If it came earlier, he can't be sure.
Nick
Diaz can only recall as far back as the first grade, which for
him was the time he first felt compelled to "hit and kick
butt," thank you very much.
Growing
up poor in one of the biggest agricultural centers in the United
States, Diaz has what on the surface reads like a classic fighter
tale: A significant portion of his life was spent without the
presence of his father; he developed a reputation for fighting
18 year olds when he was in the eighth grade; the bullied kid
from Stockton, Calif., was more truant than student.
But
really, Diaz says even if he hadn't experienced those hardships,
something, perhaps the same substance that forced a 7-iron into
Tiger Woods' hands, would have driven him into prizefighting.
"Nobody
is going to understand that sort of thing: not your friends,
not your girlfriend, not your mom, not your family," says
Diaz, who steps into the cage against KJ Noons for the vacant EliteXC 160-pound title
Saturday in Corpus Christi, Texas. "It's my head that's
smashed into the mat."
Eight
years ago, Cesar Gracie traveled to Stockton, where Steve Heath
told his instructor there was this kid he had to see. Inside
the old Animal House Gym, Diaz found Brazilian jiu-jitsu, and
for him there was nothing else in the world worth doing anymore.
"Even
though he was green, you could see him thinking while he was
training, like technically trying to do stuff instead of spazzing
out," says Gracie of a then 16-year-old Diaz. "He was
always more about the technique, and I was always impressed by
his natural ability at the time."
To
hear Diaz tell it, jiu-jitsu changed his life. He wasn't doing
much of anything, just running the streets, drinking, causing
raucous. BJJ offered the discipline, structure and challenge
he needed to keep from getting bored and avoid serious trouble.
"I
didn't have a job before that," Diaz says. "I was only
15, and I didn't go to school. Most 10 to 15 year olds go to
school. So when I turned 16, I started training religiously like
it was my job."
Before
long Diaz was fighting professionally. After making $700 in his
first fight, he quickly moved through the California MMA scene
and found himself in the UFC, again living life in the trenches
rather than learning through theory.
Highs
and lows marked Diaz's tenure in the Octagon. He bounced around
a bit, winning more than he lost, before getting a shot at dropping
10 pounds to 160, where he met PRIDE champion Takanori Gomi and
delivered one of the best performances of 2007.
It
was in the aftermath of that fight, however, that Diaz cemented
a name and reputation.
Having
tested positive for what the Nevada State Athletic Commission
said was a significant concentration of THC, the active ingredient
in marijuana, Diaz sat out half a year while serving his suspension.
More importantly, the commission made Diaz the first victim of
regulations that allowed it to strip wins from fighters who test
positive for banned substances.
For
Diaz, the disastrous turn in the face of what was his most important
and electric in-ring triumph marked yet another moment he felt
bullied.
"To
him, sometimes, life is representative of that bullying,"
Gracie says. "You get maybe an organization where the CEO
of that organization wants you to do things or act a certain
way, and he doesn't want to do it. Life can pretty much bully
you. That's why he flips off the cameras and stuff. It's not
to show disrespect for the crowd or the event, but it's basically
saying to himself: ‘I'm not going to let this event be bigger
than me. I'm not going to let it intimidate me.' And that's all
that that means."
Diaz,
brash as ever, went on the offensive by criticizing promoters
and regulators while offering his endorsement of marijuana and
all things organic. His suspension served, Diaz returned to the
cage in September by outpointing unknown Hawaiian Mike Aina in Honolulu.
With
Noons' domination of Edson Berto, EliteXC put together its first
160-pound title fight. "I'm very confident in my jiu-jitsu
and wrestling," Noons says. "I just tend to want to
stand. I like to fight. I like to fight people that like to fight,
and I like to finish the fight."
If
those words were meant to tempt Diaz, Noons won't have to try
hard. An interesting style clash looms: Diaz of the throw-punches-like-Kobe
Bryant-tosses-up-shots school, and Noons with his combinations
punctuated by power shots.
"He's
never fought anybody that's pushed him hard, that's tried to
beat him," Diaz says of Noons, a 5-2 fighter from San Diego.
"So I think I've got the upper hand when it comes to experience,
especially when it comes to MMA. A lot of stand-up fighters,
their experience level is varied I think."
Most
anticipate the bout, shown live on Showtime at 10 p.m. ET and
delayed to the rest of the country, will play out on the feet
-- especially with the way Diaz has engaged foes' strengths in
the past, a tactic that played a role in each of his six losses.
"I
do have a grudging respect for him for that, though," says
Gracie. "He's never not taken a fight. He's never complained
about a fight. No matter who he's fighting, he goes in there
and goes for it."
A
win over Diaz, whom Noons calls No. 1 in the world after defeating
Gomi, would immediately vault the underdog fighter into the discussion
of a division that holds a glacier-lake deep pool of talent.
Despite
the high stakes Diaz was incredulous when asked to compare the
relevance of this bout versus others during his career.
"All
my fights are important," he barked.
"I
was meant to fight. I wasn't meant to do s--- else, that's for
sure."
Source: Sherdog
|
Black
House going strong
Carlao Barreto speaks on future of team with new home base
News
Black House would be nearing its end reached Carlao Barreto’s
ears. Put off, the team’s leader spoke to GRACIEMAG.com
to shed light on the situation at the team he considers the greatest
MMA team in Brazil.
“The
news being spread around in the press is wrong, when you say
something to the public it has to be done responsibly. The only
people that can talk in respect to Black House is me and Joinha.
What happened was that we left X-Gym, in Recreio, and moved to
MaxFit, the No Gi center, in Meier. The reason was simple, the
team grew a lot and started to get in the way of the normal gym,
so each went their separate ways, after the end of the administrative
contract, in the friendliest way possible,” said Carlao.
“At
the new gym we have all the infrastructure we need for a big
team like ours: doctors, physical trainers, nutritionists, orthomolecular
treatment, transportation of athletes. We just changed locations,
but the team’s the same. Everyone still trains together,
including Lyoto Machida and Anderson Silva,” he continued.
On
the future of the team the former fighter commented: “It
may be a provisional location, anything can happen. We don’t
want to get in the way of the gyms, our team is really big and
requires lots of care and infrastructure, we’ve grown a
lot, we’ve burned the fat and now all that’s left is
the filet mignon. We also want to start work in social integration,
with needy children from different parts of the country. It’s
everybody’s wish. For that to become possible, what may
happen is that we change name, but the family will remain the
same.”
Source: Gracie Magazine
|
|